New King James Version
Judges 9:7
7Now 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!
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.
- New International Version (NIV)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.
- 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 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
5Then he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, because he hid himself. 6And all the men of Shechem gathered together, all of Beth Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king beside the terebinth tree at the pillar that was in Shechem. 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! 8“The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them. And they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’ 9But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I cease giving my oil, With which they honor God and men, And go to sway over 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
People and places in Judges 9:7
Cross-references for Judges 9:7
- Deuteronomy 11:29Now it shall be, when the Lord your God has brought you into the land which you go to possess, that you shall put the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.
- Deuteronomy 27:12“These shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, when you have crossed over the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin;
- Joshua 8:33Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.
- John 4:20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
- Psalms 18:40You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me.
- Psalms 50:15Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
- Proverbs 1:28“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
- Proverbs 21:13Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be heard.
- Proverbs 28:9One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.
- Isaiah 1:15When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
- Isaiah 58:6“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
- Matthew 18:26The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’
- James 2:13For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries