And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.
Parallel translations
- WEB His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
- BSB His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
- NKJV And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.
- NASB And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
- NLT He also had a concubine in Shechem, who gave birth to a son, whom he named Abimelech.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Gideon's concubine in Shechem bears him a son named Abimelech.
Overview
The name Abimelech means 'my father is king,' hinting at the royal ambitions lurking in Gideon's house. This son, of lower status, will seize power through bloodshed. The verse plants the seed of the destructive events that dominate the next chapter.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Judg 9:18And ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)
- Gen 22:24And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.
- Gen 16:15And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
- Judg 9:1–5And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,
- Gen 20:2And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 8:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.