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See also:ABIMELECH (See also:Hebrew for "See also:father of [or is] the See also: (2) A son of Jerubbaal or See also:Gideon (q.v.), by his Shechemite concubine (See also:Judges viii . 31, ix.) . On the See also:death of Gideon, Abimelech set himself to assert the authority which his See also:father had earned, and through the See also:influence of his See also:mother's See also:clan won over the citizens of See also:Shechem . Furnished with See also:money from the See also:treasury of the See also:temple of See also:Baal-berith, he hired a See also:band of followers and slew seventy (cp . 2 See also:Kings x . 7) of his brethren at Ophrah, his father's See also:home . This is one of the earliest recorded instances of a practice See also:common enough on the See also:accession of See also:Oriental despots . Abimelech thus became king, and extended his authority over central Palestine . But his success was See also:short-lived, and the subsequent discord between Abimelech and the Shechemites was regarded as a just See also:reward for his atrocious See also:massacre . Jotham, the only one who is said to have escaped, boldly appeared on See also:Mount See also:Gerizim and denounced the ingratitude of the townsmen towards the legitimate sons of the See also:man who had saved them from MVIidian . " Jotham's See also:fable " of the trees who desired a king may be See also:foreign to the context; it is a piece of popular See also:lore, and cannot be pressed too far: the nobler trees have no wish to See also:rule over others, only the bramble is self-confident . The " fable " appears to be antagonistic to ideas of See also:monarchy . The origin of the conflicts which subsequently arose is not clear . Gaal, a new-comer, took the opportun'ty at the time of the vintage, when there was a festival in the temple, to See also:head a revolt and seized Shechem . Abimelech, warned by his See also:deputy Zebul, See also:left his See also:residence at Arumah and approached the See also:city . In a See also:fine See also:bit of See also:realism we are told how Gaal observed the approaching foe and was told by Zebul, " You see the See also:shadow of the hills as men," and as they See also:drew nearer Zebul's ironical remark became a taunt, " Where is now thy mouth ? is not this the See also:people See also:thou didst despise ? go now and fight them!" This revolt, which Abimelech successfully quelled, appears to be only an isolated See also:episode . Another See also:account tells of marauding bands of Shechemites which disturbed the See also:district . The king disposed his men (the whole See also:chapter is specially interesting for the. full details it gives of the nature of See also:ancient military operations), and after totallydestroying Shechem, proceeded against Thebez, whith had also revolted . Here, while storming the citadel, he was struck on the head by a fragment of a millstone thrown from the See also:wall by a woman . To avoid the disgrace of perishing by a woman's See also:hand, he begged his See also:armour-See also:bearer to run him through the See also:body, but his memory was not saved from the ignominy he dreaded (2 Sam. xi . 21) . It is usual to regard Abimelech's reign as the first See also:attempt to establish a monarchy in See also:Israel, but the story is mainly that of the rivalries of a See also:half-See also:developed See also:petty See also:state, and of the ingratitude of a community towards the descendants of its deliverer . (See, further, See also:JEws, JUDGES.) (S . A .
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