Judges 9:48

Judges 9:48 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.
• New International Version (NIV)he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, “Quick! Do what you have seen me do!”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a bundle of brushwood and took it up and laid it on his shoulder. And he said to the men who were with him, "What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it and laid it on his shoulder; then he said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, make haste and do as I have done.”

Context of Judges 9:48

46The city's leaders who lived in the tower of Shechem heard the news. They went to hide in the strong building of El-berith's temple. 47Somebody told Abimelech that all the leaders were there together in the temple. He took all his men up to Mount Zalmon. He used an axe to cut some branches off a tree. He put the branches on his shoulders. Then he said to his men, ‘Be quick! Do the same thing as you have seen me do!’ 49So all the men cut branches and they followed Abimelech. They put the branches around the strong building. Then they brought fire to burn down the building. There were about 1,000 men and women in the tower of Shechem. They all died in the fire. 50Then Abimelech and his men went to Thebez. They made their camp around the city to attack it.

Judges 9:48 word by word

וַיַּ֨עַל אֲבִימֶ֜לֶךְ הַר־צַלְמ֗וֹן הוּא֮ וְכָל־הָעָ֣ם אֲשֶׁר־אִתּוֹ֒ וַיִּקַּח֩ אֲבִימֶ֨לֶךְ אֶת־הַקַּרְדֻּמּ֜וֹת בְּיָד֗וֹ וַיִּכְרֹת֙ שׂוֹכַ֣ת עֵצִ֔ים וַיִּ֨שָּׂאֶ֔הָ וַיָּ֖שֶׂם עַל־שִׁכְמ֑וֹ וַיֹּ֜אמֶר אֶל־הָעָ֣ם אֲשֶׁר־עִמּ֗וֹ מָ֤ה רְאִיתֶם֙ עָשִׂ֔יתִי מַהֲר֖וּ עֲשׂ֥וּ כָמֽוֹנִי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Abimelechאֲבִימֶ֫לֶךְ'ăbîymelek · AbimelechH40
• gat him upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• to mountהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
• Zalmonצַלְמוֹןtsalmôn · (Mount) ZalmonH6756
• he and all the peopleעַם‛am · people: soldiersH5971
• tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• an axeקַרְדֹּםqardôm · axeH7134
• in his handיָדyâd · handH3027
• and cut downכָּרַתkârath · to cut: cutH3772
• a boughשׂוֹכָהώôk ώôkâh · branchH7754
• from the treesעֵץ‛êts · tree: woodH6086
• and tookנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: raiseH5375
• it, and laidשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
• on his shoulderשְׁכֶםshekem · shoulderH7926
• and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• with him, What ye have seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• me doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• make hasteמָהַרmâhar · to hastenH4116
• as Iכְּמוֹkemô kâmô · likeH3644

Cross-references for Judges 9:48

• Psalms 68:14When the Almighty God chased away foreign kings, it was like snow that fell on Mount Zalmon.
• Judges 7:17Gideon said to his men, ‘Watch me carefully. When we get near to the enemy's camp, you must do the same thing that I do.
• Proverbs 1:11They may say, ‘Come with us. We will find someone to murder. We will attack any helpless person that we choose.

Commentaries on Judges 9:48

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 48Zalmon - A lofty and thickly-wooded hill, as the etymology of the name (“shady”) implies, in the immediate neighborhood of Shechem: perhaps the same as Ebal. The setting fire to the hold, where the men of Shechem were all crowded together, with their wives and children, was the literal fulfillment of Jotham‘s curse in Judges 9:20.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 30-49Verses 30-49 Abimelech intended to punish the Schechemites for slighting him now, but God punished them for their serving him formerly in the murder of Gideon's sons. When God uses men as instruments in his hand to do his work, he means one thing, and they another. That, which they hoped would have been for their welfare, proved a snare and a trap, as those will certainly find, who run to idols for shelter; such will prove a refuge of lies. (Jdg 9:50-57)Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 48Mount Zalmon is likely another name for Mount Ebal. It is the mountain opposite Gerizim and near Shechem.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22-4922. When Abimelech had reigned three years--His reign did not, probably at first, extend beyond Shechem; but by stealthy and progressive encroachments he subjected some of the neighboring towns to his sway. None could "reign" in Israel, except by rebellious usurpation; and hence the reign of Abimelech is expressed in the original by a word signifying "despotism," not that which describes the mild and divinely authorized rule of the judge.Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 9:48

• Judge
• Zalmon

In the dictionaries

• Abimelech
• Axe
• City
• Deserving
• Incline
• Merry
• Middle
• Mouth
• Parable
• Salmon, Zalmon

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