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.
• 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.
• New Living Translation (NLT)a woman on the roof dropped a millstone that landed on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.

Context of Judges 9:53

51Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women—all the people of the city—had fled. They had locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof. 52Abimelek went to the tower and attacked it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull. 54Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can’t say, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” So his servant ran him through, and he died. 55When the Israelites saw that Abimelek was dead, they 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 9:15“The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’
• 2 Samuel 11:21Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’ ”
• 2 Samuel 20:21That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.” The woman said to Joab, “His head will be thrown to you from the wall.”
• Job 31:3Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong?
• Jeremiah 49:20Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom, what he has purposed against those who live in Teman: The young of the flock will be dragged away; their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
• Jeremiah 50:45Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon, what he has purposed against the land of the Babylonians: The young of the flock will be dragged away; their pasture will be appalled at their fate.

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