New International Version
Judges 9:7
7When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.
Judges 9:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
- English Standard Version (ESV)When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, "Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and cried out. And he said to them: “Listen to me, you men of Shechem, That God may listen to you!
- New Living Translation (NLT)When Jotham heard about this, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem! Listen to me if you want God to listen to you!
Context of Judges 9:7
5He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding. 6Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelek king. When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. 8One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’ 9“But the olive tree answered, ‘Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’
Read all of Judges 9Judges 9:7 word by word
וַיַּגִּ֣דוּ לְיוֹתָ֗ם וַיֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ וַֽיַּעֲמֹד֙ בְּרֹ֣אשׁ הַר־גְּרִזִ֔ים וַיִּשָּׂ֥א קוֹל֖וֹ וַיִּקְרָ֑א וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֗ם שִׁמְע֤וּ אֵלַי֙ בַּעֲלֵ֣י שְׁכֶ֔ם וְיִשְׁמַ֥ע אֲלֵיכֶ֖ם אֱלֹהִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And when they toldנָגַדnâgad · to tellH5046
- to Jothamיוֹתָםyôthâm · JothamH3147
- he wentיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- and stoodעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: standH5975
- in the topרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: topH7218
- of mountהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- Gerizimגְּרִזִיםgerizîym · (Mount) GerizimH1630
- and lifted upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: loudH5375
- his voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
- and criedקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call outH7121
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto them, Hearkenשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- unto me, ye menבַּעַלba‛al · masterH1167
- of Shechemשְׁכֶםshekem · ShechemH7927
- that Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
Cross-references for Judges 9:7
- Deuteronomy 11:29When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses.
- Deuteronomy 27:12When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin.
- Joshua 8:33All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.
- John 4:20Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
- Psalms 18:40You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.
- Psalms 50:15and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
- Proverbs 1:28“Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me,
- Proverbs 21:13Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.
- Proverbs 28:9If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.
- Isaiah 1:15When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!
- Isaiah 58:6“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
- Matthew 18:26“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
- James 2:13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Commentaries on Judges 9:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Stood in the top of Mount Gerizim - Gerizim and Ebal were mounts very near to each other; the former lying to the north, the latter to the south, and at the foot of them Shechem. But see some remarks on the extent of the human voice in some hilly countries in the following extract from a late traveler in the East: - "The great extent to which the sound of the voice is conveyed may be mentioned. Some persons have thought this a proof of the extreme rarity…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7The top of Mount Gerizim - The ancient Shechem was perhaps situated there. The population of Shechem is supposed to have been keeping some public festival outside the city when Jotham addressed them.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. 7Mount Gerizim was the mountain of blessing, opposite Mount Ebal, the mountain of cursing (Deuteronomy 11:29). Gerizim, located just south of Shechem, served as a natural stage for Jotham’s speech and allowed him to escape afterward.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 9:7
In the dictionaries
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
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