The Hebrew name, "ABIMELECH", means "FATHER
is KING" - it was the name of TWO KINGS of GERAR who OPPOSED the first TWO PATRIARCHS of ISRAEL (Genesis 20:1-7;Genesis 26:1,6-11)
ABIMELECH DECEIVED his MOTHER'S BRETHREN into allowing
him to "REIGN OVER" THEM (Judges 9:2) as THEIR "BROTHER" (Judges 9:3):
This DECEPTION was no doubt successful due to Israel's
return to IDOLATRY "as soon as GIDEON was DEAD" (Judges 8:33)
ABIMELECH ILLEGITIMATELY RECEIVED MONEY from the "HOUSE"
(Judges 9:4) of "THEIR GOD" (Judges 8:33) and "HIRED VAIN and LIGHT (RASH) PERSONS" (Judges 9:4)
and "went unto his father's house ... and SLEW his BRETHREN ... THREE SCORE and TEN PERSONS" (Judges 9:5):
"YET JOTHAM, the YOUNGEST SON of Jerubbaal was LEFT:
for he HID HIMSELF" (Judges 9:5)
The name "JERUBBAAL" was given to GIDEON by
his father when he THREW DOWN the ALTAR of BAAL (Judges 6:30-32)
ABIMELECH, now UNOPPOSED - "ALL ... MADE ABIMELECH
KING" (Judges 9:6):
"ALL the MEN of SHECHEM" (Judges 9:6),
i.e. of the CITY of ABIMELECH'S MOTHER (Judges 8:31) - a CITY belonging to the TRIBE of EPHRAIM (Joshua 21:20-21)
- one of the sons of that TRIBE was "JOSHUA the son of Nun" (Numbers 13:8), who was one of the two FAITHFUL spies CONCERNING the PROMISED LAND
(Numbers 14:6-9)
"ALL the HOUSE of MILLO" - MILLO was a FORTIFICATION
of Jerusalem built up by David (II Samuel 5:7-9) and, thus, is probably a reference to "the MEN of the TOWER of
SHECHEM" (Judges 9:46-47,49)
JOTHAM, INFORMED about what had happened, "and WHEN
they TOLD him of it" (Judges 9:7):
He "LIFTED UP his VOICE, and CRIED, and SAID unto
them" (Judges 9:7) his PARABLE concerning the TREES that "WENT FORTH on a time to
ANOINT a KING OVER THEM" (Judges 9:8)