Judges 9:14

Judges 9:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
• New International Version (NIV)“Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘Come and be our king.’
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then all the trees said to the bramble, 'You come and reign over us.'
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us!’

Context of Judges 9:14

12Later, the trees said to the grapevine, “Come and reign over us.” 13But the grapevine said to them, “Should I stop giving my wine that cheers both God and man, and rule over trees?” Finally, all the trees said to the bramble, “Come and reign over us.” 15The bramble said to the trees, “If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.” 16“Now if you have acted faithfully and honestly in making Abimelech king, if you have done well by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have rewarded him appropriately for what he did —

Judges 9:14 word by word

וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ כָל־הָעֵצִ֖ים אֶל־הָאָטָ֑ד לֵ֥ךְ אַתָּ֖ה מְלָךְ־עָלֵֽינוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• all the treesעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086
• unto the brambleאָטָד'âţâd · brambleH329
• Comeיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• reignמָלַךְmâlak · to reignH4427

Cross-references for Judges 9:14

• 2 Kings 14:9King Jehoash of Israel sent word to King Amaziah of Judah, saying, “The thistle in Lebanon once sent a message to the cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle.

Commentaries on Judges 9:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14Then said all the trees unto the bramble - The word אטד atad, which we translate bramble, is supposed to mean the rhamnus, which is the largest of thorns, producing dreadful spikes, similar to darts. See Theodoret on Psalm 58:10. There is much of the moral of this fable contained in the different kinds of trees mentioned. The olive; the most profitable tree to its owner, having few equals either for food or medicine. The fig tree; one of the most fruitful…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8-20Verses 8-20 This fable and that noted in the marginal reference are the only two of the kind found in Scripture. Somewhat different are the parables of the Old Testament, 2 Samuel 12:1-4; 2 Samuel 14:5-11; 1 Kings 20:39-40. Judges 9:9 Honour God and man - Alluding to the constant use of oil in the meat-offerings Exodus 30:24-25. In like manner, the allusion in Judges 9:13 is to the drink-offerings of wine. See Leviticus 23:13; Numbers 15:10. Judges 9:14…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-21Verses 7-21 There was no occasion for the trees to choose a king, they are all the trees of the Lord which he has planted. Nor was there any occasion for Israel to set a king over them, for the Lord was their King. Those who bear fruit for the public good, are justly respected and honoured by all that are wise, more than those who merely make a figure. All these fruit-trees gave much the same reason for their refusal to be promoted over the trees; or, as…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14-15The trees, preferring a bad king to having none (compare 1 Samuel 8:18–19), asked the thornbush to be king. Although neither useful nor attractive, the thornbush accepted. The person who agreed to be king had no better work to do. The thornbush could not provide shade from the hot Middle Eastern sun. Accepting this offer was both pointless and unwise.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-217. he ... stood in the top of mount Gerizim and lifted up his voice--The spot he chose was, like the housetops, the public place of Shechem; and the parable [Jud 9:8-15] drawn from the rivalry of the various trees was appropriate to the diversified foliage of the valley below. Eastern people are exceedingly fond of parables and use them for conveying reproofs, which they could not give in any other way. The top of Gerizim is not so high in the rear of the…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 9:14

• Allegory
• Bramble
• Jotham
• Judge
• Parables
• Pride
• Sarcasm

In the dictionaries

• Atad
• Bramble
• Deserving
• Fable
• Incline
• Merry
• Middle
• Mouth
• Parable
• Abdon (1)

Commentaries on Judges 9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary