John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 7. And when they told it to Jotham , etc.] Or when it was told him that Abimelech was made king in Shechem by some of his friends: he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim ; a mount near Shechem; it hung over the city, as Josephus says f199 , and so a very proper place to stand on and deliver a speech from it to the inhabitants of it; who, as the same writer says, were now keeping a festival, on what account he says not, perhaps to Baalberith their idol: over against this mountain was another, called Ebal, and between them a valley; and very likely they were assembled in this valley, where the children of Israel stood when the blessings were delivered from Gerizim, and the curses from Ebal; and if so, Jotham might be heard very well by the Shechemites: and he lifted up his voice, and cried ; that he might be heard by them: and said unto them, hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you ; which was a very solemn manner of address to them, tending to excite attention, as having somewhat of importance to say to them, and suggesting, that if they did not hearken to him, God would not hearken to them when they cried to him, and therefore it behoved them to attend: it is an adjuration of them to hearken to him, or a wish that God would not hearken to them if they were inattentive to him.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7-21 - There was no occasion for the trees to choose a king, they are all the trees of the Lord which he has planted. Nor was there any occasion for Israel to set a king over them, for the Lord was their King. Those wh bear fruit for the public good, are justly respected and honoured by all that are wise, more than those who merely make a figure. All thes fruit-trees gave much the same reason for their refusal to be promote over the trees; or, as the margin reads it, to go up and down for the trees. To rule, involves a man in a great deal both of toil and care Those who are preferred to public trust and power, must forego all private interests and advantages, for the good of others. And thos advanced to honour and dignity, are in great danger of losing their fruitfulness. For which reason, they that desire to do good, are afrai of being too great. Jotham compares Abimelech to the bramble of thistle, a worthless plant, whose end is to be burned. Such a one wa Abimelech.
Original Hebrew ויגדו5046 ליותם3147 וילך1980 ויעמד5975 בראשׁ7218 הר2022 גרזים1630 וישׂא5375 קולו6963 ויקרא7121 ויאמר559 להם שׁמעו8085 אלי413 בעלי1167 שׁכם7927 וישׁמע8085 אליכם413 אלהים׃430
