And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.
Parallel translations
- WEB A certain woman cast an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, and broke his skull.
- BSB But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.
- NKJV But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.
- NASB But a woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.
- NLT a woman on the roof dropped a millstone that landed on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.
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
A woman drops an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushes his skull. The tyrant is mortally wounded by an unnamed defender.
Overview
An ordinary woman, using a household grindstone, deals the blow that fells the mighty Abimelech. His careless approach to the wall costs him his life. The humbling of a proud king by a woman's hand displays the LORD's power to bring down the arrogant by the weakest of means.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 2 Sam 11:21Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
- Job 31:3Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?
- Judg 9:20But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.
- Jer 49:20Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them.
- Jer 50:45Therefore hear ye the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.
- 2 Sam 20:21The matter is not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.
- Judg 9:15And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
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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 9:53 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.