a woman on the roof dropped a millstone that landed on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.
Parallel translations
- WEB A certain woman cast an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, and broke his skull.
- KJV And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake 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.
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 struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Didn’t a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.’”
- Job 31:3Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, and disaster 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 Yahweh, that he has taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely they will drag them away, the little ones of the flock. Surely he will make their habitation desolate over them.
- Jer 50:45Therefore hear the counsel of Yahweh, that he has taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he has purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely they shall drag them away, even the little ones of the flock. Surely he shall make their habitation desolate over them.
- 2 Sam 20:21The matter is not so. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, even against David. Just deliver him, and I will depart from the city.” The woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.”
- Judg 9:15“The bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; 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
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