Commentaries, Commentary on Judges · Chapter 9 · Verses 46-50
46 And when all the men of the tower of Sechem hearde it, they came to the caſtle of Thelberith.
47 And it was told Abimelech that al the men of the tower of Sechem were gathered together.
48 And Abimelech went vp to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with hym: and Abimelech tooke axes, and cut downe bowes of trees, and tooke them and layd them on his ſhoulder, and ſaid vntounto the people that were with him: That whiche ye hauehave ſene me do, make haſt, and do as I hauehave done.
49 Wherfore all the people cut downe eueryevery man his bowgh, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the caſtle, and ſet the caſtle on fire with them. And al the men of the tower of Sechem dyed, about a thouſand men and women.
50 Then went Abimelech vntounto Thebez, and layde ſiege to it, and tooke it.
That tower of Sechem was a bulwarke of the Citye. Wherefore when the City was takē, the princes diſtruſting themſelues, entred into an other inward holde, where alſo was a temple: and it was called the houſe of the couenaunt of God: for the Iſraelites forſaking the couenant of the true God coupled themſelues vntounto ſtraunge Gods.
And it was told Abimelech. Mount Zalmon was nighe vntounto that hold, whether Abimelech and his people got them vntounto: for he had determined to burne that caſtell and temple whiche was in it. Neither ought we to meruaile, that ye temple was ſo fenſed,Temples were wont to be builded in caſtels. when as it was the maner ſo in the old tyme. For Rome, when longe a go it was taken and burnt of the Senones, the Capitolium, where in was the temple of Iupiter, remayned ſafe. Yea and Ioſephus ſayth that when Ieruſalem was beſieged of Titus, the temple was a ſtrong bulwarke for ye City. But the cauſe why the Sechemites got them thether, was not onelyonly bycauſe the place was ſo well fenſed, but alſo bycauſe they had a ſuperſticious opinion of Baal: for they thought that he would be with thē, & defend his temple. So fooliſh men, when they hauehave in deede no religion in their mynde, yet they put their confidence in holynes of places, and wōderfully truſt in images & temples, & alſo in reliques of ſaintes. But thereby they are nothing holpen, but to their deſtructiō they are ſlayne euen in temples, as we rede it happened now vntounto theſe men.
foreign.And by them they ſet the caſtle on fire. There is in theſe wordes Alleoſis of the gender, for the Maſculine gender is put for the Feminine, for as much as this relatiue Eos that is them, is referred to the bowes, which in the Hebrew is a word of the Feminine gender. Mencion is made of the vtter deſtruction of the Citye, for it was not onelyonly ouerthrowen, and ſtrawed with ſalte, but alſo the princes were ſlayne with fire and ſmoke. Abimelech in this warlike pollecy ſhewed not vntounto all, what he would do, he onelyonly biddeth the people to follow hym. Gideon alſo when he tooke the pitcher, fire brand, and trompet, commaunded the other to do the ſame: ſo Abimelech tooke a bowe on his ſhoulder, and the other did the like. He kindleth fire, and burneth all them which were in the holde, otherwiſe he could not hauehave conquered the tower. Some thinke yt Gaal alſo periſhed here, & that beyng put to flight by Abimelech, Why the vngodly obtayne victoryes.he got him to this holde. After this ſorte God tooke vengeance vponupon the Sechemites. And Abimelech, althoughe he were an vngodly and cruell tyranne, obteyned the victory: ſo alſo god gaue Nabucadneſar power, to afflicte the Iewes, and to leade them captiues to Babilone. And likewiſe vntounto Tiglathphalaſar to oppreſſe the ten tribes. All theſe men had the victory, and yet was their cauſe nothyng the better. This rule god vſeth oftentymes to puniſhe the euill by euill, although he do not ſtraightway puniſh them all. Some he puniſheth before, and other ſome afterward: and there are ſome alſo, whoſe vengeance he reſerueth for the world to come.
Abimelech triumpheth as thoughe he had better cauſe: but yet this hys ioye is of no longe tyme:A Similitude. for the hande of the Lorde abydeth hym alſo. In Comedyes, the ſtrength of the Poete is not perceaued by the Prologe, nor by one acte or two, but we muſte wayte for the ende and the concluſion of the whole fable. So if a man wyll geue iudgement of an Image, or of any other fayre Picture if he onelyonly marke the Knee or Legge, he ſhall eaſely be deceaued: for he muſt conſider the Armes, he Shoulders, the Sides, and proportion of the whole body. After which ſelfe ſame maner, if we will vnderſtand the iuſtice of God in his workes, we muſte tary tyll the ende, and then ſhall we ſee the iudgementes of god full. Auguſtine ſayeth ryght well that god,Auguſtine. when he puniſheth any certayne wicked acte, doth ſignify that he hateth all wicked actes. And when he differeth the puniſhementes of the vngodly, he admoniſheth vsus, to thinke vponupon an other lyfe. Wherfore if Papiſtes,A comforte in the felicity of the vngodly. if Turkes, if Tyrannes are not puniſhed in this world, let vsus with a patient minde wayte for the laſt acte, and laſt iudgement of god: for they ſhall not go vnpuniſhed.
Dauid ſayeth in his 73. Pſalme: My feete were almoſt moued, and my ſteppes had welnye ſlypte, bycauſe I freated at the wicked, when I ſawe the peace of ſynners. For there are no bandes in theyr death, and they are luſty and ſtronge. They ar not in trouble as other mē, &c. And I ſayd, doth god know theſe things, and is there knowledge in the moſt higheſt? For ſo doth our fleſh iudge, when it ſeeth ye vngodly liue in proſperity: when the matter is ſo. is there (ſayth he) knowledge in the moſte higheſt? Wherefore I hauehave clenſed my harte in vayne, and in vayne I hauehave waſhed my handes in innocency, in vayne was I puniſhed all the day, and it was paynfull to me, to know this. For they are moſte harde to vnderſtand, and I began in a manner to diſpayre, vntill I went into the ſanctuarye of God, and vnderſtood theyr laſt end. For who may not eaſelye be deceiued in the rich man and Lazarus? When as the one in mans ſight ſemed to hauehave bene moſt bleſſed, and the other moſt miſerable. Therfore (ſayth he) it was paynefull vntounto me, vntyll I was broughte into the ſanctuary of God, & beheld theyr laſt iudgement. But as touching Abimelech, the propheſy ought to be fulfilled whiche Iotham pronounced: Let a fire come out of Abimelech and deſtroy his enemies.
God ſuffreth Abimelech to excerciſe his tiranny three yeares, in which ſpace be ſemed to tary for his repentance. But he heaped vp vntounto him ſelf angre in the day of anger. For if he had ben wiſe he would eaſly hauehave thoght thus with him ſelfe after the victory: The Sechemites ſinned thoroughe my perſwaſion: if they ar now ſo ſeuerely hādled, what ſhalbe be done to me at the lēgth? But he being blinded that he could not ſe theſe thynges, at the laſt was filthily ſlayne. So the vngodly ar dronken with proſperous fortune, and god ſemeth to fede them vp, as ſacrifices, which are firſt fed and fatted, before they be killed. In whiche ſenſe Eſay in the .34. chap. writeth: The Lord hath a ſacrifice in Bozra. Wherfore Abimelech, by all the things that he ſaw, is made neuer a whit the better, yea rather he was made the more inſolent, and attempteth other thinges more tirannical. In the boke of Eccleſiaſticus the 8. chap. it is writtē. Bicauſe ſentence agaynſt the euill is not executed ſpedely, the childrē of men do without any feare perpetrate euil thinges. Therfore are men made ſo hedlong to ſinne, bicauſe they abuſe the goodnes of god: & it is ſo far of, yt the vngodly, when he ſeeth an other corrected, ſhould amend, yt he alwayes becōmeth worſe & worſe, and alwaies endeuoureth to goe on farther in wickednes. Whiche thinge I woulde to God we woulde follow in vertues and good deedes. Abimelech had ouercome the Sechemites, neither was that ſufficient for him: then tooke he the holde, neyther was that ynough for him: he conquered the citye of Thebez, and yet did not this ſuffice him. He will go on farther yet: and is moſt filthyly ſlayne. As concerning the city of Thebez, Kimhi ſayth, that it alſo fell from the gouernment of Abimelech.Dauid Kunht.