Judges 9:2
1 Now Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to his mother’s brothers at Shechem and said to them and to all the clan of his mother,
“Please ask all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and blood.”
3 And when his mother’s brothers spoke all these words about him in the presence of all the leaders of Shechem, their hearts were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”
4 So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired some worthless and reckless men to follow him.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- “Please ask all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and blood.”
- 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.
- WEB
- “Please speak in the ears of all the men of Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are seventy persons, rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.”
- ASV
- Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are threescore and ten persons, rule over you, or that one rule over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.
- DARBY
- Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the citizens of Shechem, Which is better for you, that seventy persons, all sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or that one man rule over you? And remember that I am your bone and your flesh.
- BLB
- “Speak, please, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, ‘What [is] better for you⁺, [that] seventy men reign over you⁺, all sons of Jerubbaal, or [that] one man reigns over you⁺?’ And remember that I [am] your⁺ bone and your⁺ flesh.”
- ÅB
- Tal til alle Sikems menn og si: Hva er best for dere, at sytti menn, alle Jerubba'als sønner, hersker over dere, eller at én mann hersker over dere? Og kom i hu at jeg er av samme kjød og blod som dere!
- OTB
- "Tal til alle lederne i Sikem: 'Hva er best for dere: å ha sytti menn, alle Jerubbaals sønner, som hersker over dere, eller bare én mann?' Husk, jeg er deres eget kjøtt og blod."
- B1930
- Tal til alle Sikems menn og si: Hvad er best for eder, at sytti menn, alle Jerubba'als sønner, hersker over eder, eller at én mann hersker over eder? Og kom i hu at jeg er av samme kjød og blod som I!
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Genesis 29:14
Then Laban declared, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” After Jacob had stayed with him a month,
Read in contextJudges 8:30
Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives.
Read in context1 Chronicles 11:1
Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood.
Read in contextHebrews 2:14
Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,
Read in context2 Samuel 19:13
And say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my flesh and blood? May God punish me, and ever so severely, if from this time you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’”
Read in contextEphesians 5:30
For we are members of His body.
Read in context