And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
Parallel translations
- WEB His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
- KJV And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called 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.
- 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 you have risen up against my father’s house today, and have slain his sons, seventy persons, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother);
- Gen 22:24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
- Gen 16:15Hagar bore a son for Abram. Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
- Judg 9:1–5Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s brothers, and spoke with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,
- Gen 20:2Abraham said about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” 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
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