Judges 9:53

Judges 9:53 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.
• New International Version (NIV)a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.

Context of Judges 9:53

51There was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men, women, and citizens of the city fled there. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower. 52When Abimelech came to attack the tower, he approached its entrance to set it on fire. But a woman threw the upper portion of a millstone on Abimelech’s head and fractured his skull. 54He quickly called his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, or they’ll say about me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So his armor-bearer ran him through, and he died. 55When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home.

Judges 9:53 word by word

וַתַּשְׁלֵ֞ךְ אִשָּׁ֥ה אַחַ֛ת פֶּ֥לַח רֶ֖כֶב עַל־רֹ֣אשׁ אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ וַתָּ֖רִץ אֶת־גֻּלְגָּלְתּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And a certainאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• womanאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
• castשָׁלַךְshâlak · to throwH7993
• a pieceפֶּ֫לַחpelach · millstoneH6400
• of a millstoneרֶ֫כֶבrekeb · chariot: millstoneH7393
• upon Abimelech’sאֲבִימֶ֫לֶךְ'ăbîymelek · AbimelechH40
• headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• and all to brakeרָצַץrâtsats · to crushH7533
• his skullגֻּלְגֹּ֫לֶתgûlgôleth · headH1538

Cross-references for Judges 9:53

• Judges 9:15The 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.”
• 2 Samuel 11:21At Thebez, who struck Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the top of the wall so that he died? Why did you get so close to the wall? ’ — then say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hethite is dead also.’”
• 2 Samuel 20:21That is not the case. There is a man named Sheba son of Bichri, from the hill country of Ephraim, who has rebelled against King David. Deliver this one man, and I will withdraw from the city.” The woman replied to Joab, “Watch! His head will be thrown over the wall to you.”
• Job 31:3Doesn’t disaster come to the unjust and misfortune to evildoers?
• Jeremiah 49:20Therefore, hear the plans that the Lord has drawn up against Edom and the strategies he has devised against the people of Teman: The flock’s little lambs will certainly be dragged away, and their grazing land will be made desolate because of them.
• Jeremiah 50:45Therefore, hear the plans that the Lord has drawn up against Babylon and the strategies he has devised against the land of the Chaldeans: Certainly the flock’s little lambs will be dragged away; certainly the grazing land will be made desolate because of them.

Commentaries on Judges 9:53

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 53A piece of a millstone - רכב פלח pelach recheb, a piece of a chariot wheel; but the word is used in other places for upper millstones, and is so understood here by the Vulgate, Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic. And all to break his skull - A most nonsensical version of גלגלתו את ותרץ vattarits eth gulgolto, which is literally, And she brake, or fractured, his skull. Plutarch, in his life of Pyrrhus, observes that this king was killed at the siege of Thebes…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 53The phrase “all” to is now obsolete, and means “quite,” “entirely,” as in Chaucer, Spenser, and Milton.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 50-57Verses 50-57 The Shechemites were ruined by Abimelech; now he is reckoned with, who was their leader in villany. Evil pursues sinners, and sometimes overtakes them, when not only at ease, but triumphant. Though wickedness may prosper a while, it will not prosper always. The history of mankind, if truly told, would greatly resemble that of this chapter. The records of what are called splendid events present to us such contests for power. Such scenes…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 53Women often ground grain using a stationary lower millstone. They turned a lighter upper millstone by hand. This method is mentioned in the story of David's murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11:21).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 51-5351-53. all the men and women, ... gat them up to the top of the tower--The Canaanite forts were generally mountain fastnesses or keeps, and they often had a strong tower which served as a last refuge. The Assyrian bas-reliefs afford counterparts of the scene here described so vivid and exact, that we might almost suppose them to be representations of the same historic events. The besieged city--the strong tower within--the men and women crowding its…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 9:53

• Judge
• Judgments
• Millstone
• Thebez
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Abimelech
• Deserving
• Incline
• Merry
• Middle
• Mill
• Mouth
• Parable
• Thebez
• 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