New Living Translation
Judges 9:2
2“Ask the leading citizens of Shechem whether they want to be ruled by all seventy of Gideon’s sons or by one man. And remember that I am your own flesh and blood!”
Judges 9:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.
- New International Version (NIV)“Ask all the citizens of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal’s sons rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember, I am your flesh and blood.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, 'Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?' Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh."
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Please speak in the hearing of all the men of Shechem: ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over you?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and bone.”
Context of Judges 9:2
1One day Gideon’s son Abimelech went to Shechem to visit his uncles—his mother’s brothers. He said to them and to the rest of his mother’s family, “Ask the leading citizens of Shechem whether they want to be ruled by all seventy of Gideon’s sons or by one man. And remember that I am your own flesh and blood!” 3So Abimelech’s uncles gave his message to all the citizens of Shechem on his behalf. And after listening to this proposal, the people of Shechem decided in favor of Abimelech because he was their relative. 4They gave him seventy silver coins from the temple of Baal-berith, which he used to hire some reckless troublemakers who agreed to follow him.
Read all of Judges 9Judges 9:2 word by word
דַּבְּרוּ־נָ֞א בְּאָזְנֵ֨י כָל־בַּעֲלֵ֣י שְׁכֶם֮ מַה־טּ֣וֹב לָכֶם֒ הַמְשֹׁ֨ל בָּכֶ֜ם שִׁבְעִ֣ים אִ֗ישׁ כֹּ֚ל בְּנֵ֣י יְרֻבַּ֔עַל אִם־מְשֹׁ֥ל בָּכֶ֖ם אִ֣ישׁ אֶחָ֑ד וּזְכַרְתֶּ֕ם כִּֽי־עַצְמֵכֶם וּבְשַׂרְכֶ֖ם אָנִֽי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Speakדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
- I pray you, in the earsאֹ֫זֶן'ôzen · ear: to earsH241
- of all the menבַּעַלba‛al · masterH1167
- of Shechemשְׁכֶםshekem · ShechemH7927
- betterטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
- for you, either that all the sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of Jerubbaalיְרֻבַּ֫עַלyerûbba‛al · JerubbaalH3378
- threescore and tenשִׁבְעִיםshib‛îym · seventyH7657
- personsאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- reignמָשַׁלmâshal · to ruleH4910
- over you, or that oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
- over you? rememberזָכַרzâkar · to rememberH2142
- your boneעֶ֫צֶם‛etsem · boneH6106
- and your fleshבָּשָׂרbâώâr · fleshH1320
Cross-references for Judges 9:2
- Judges 8:30He had seventy sons born to him, for he had many wives.
- Genesis 29:14Laban exclaimed, “You really are my own flesh and blood!” After Jacob had stayed with Laban for about a month,
- 2 Samuel 19:13And David told them to tell Amasa, “Since you are my own flesh and blood, like Joab, may God strike me and even kill me if I do not appoint you as commander of my army in his place.”
- 1 Chronicles 11:1Then all Israel gathered before David at Hebron and told him, “We are your own flesh and blood.
- Ephesians 5:30And we are members of his body.
- Hebrews 2:14Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.
Commentaries on Judges 9:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Whether is better for you, either that all the sons - This was a powerful argument: Whether will you have seventy tyrants or only one? For, as he had no right to the government, and God alone was king at that time in Israel; so he must support his usurped rule by whatever means were most likely to effect it: a usurped government is generally supported by oppression and the sword.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2The men of Shechem - literally, “the masters.” Compare Joshua 24:11; 1 Samuel 23:11-12.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-3Abimelech, the son of a concubine (Judges 8:31; see study note on Judges 19:1), claimed he could create the royal dynasty that his father had rejected. The absence of any record of a conquest of Shechem, despite Israel’s covenant activities in the city (Joshua 24), suggests that Shechem’s people became part of Israel. Abimelech’s uncles and his mother might have been of non-Israelite origin.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, ... or that one reign over you--a false insinuation, artfully contrived to stir up jealousy and alarm. Gideon had rejected, with abhorrence, the proposal to make himself or any of his family king, and there is no evidence that any of his other sons coveted the title.Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 9:2
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 Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
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