What Does Judges 9:24 Mean in the King James?
That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The hands that strengthen a killing are counted with the hand that carries it out.
THE MEANING
Violence carries its responsibility beyond the one who kills: those who make the killing possible stand under the same charge. The blood is laid on the killer and on those who strengthen his hands.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
A killing’s guilt belongs only to the person who strikes. This verse names those who empower the violence as answerable too.
THE ROOT
חִזְּקוּ אֶת־יָדָיו
chizzequ et-yadav
GROWS FROM
חזק
ḥ-z-q
Be strong, make strong, or prevail.
“aided him” in this verse is chizzequ et-yadav. The Hebrew phrase is literally “strengthened his hands.” The root connects strength with taking hold: Shechem’s leaders add force to the violence, so their support is named alongside the killing itself.
ALSO GROWS
chazaq: Be strong; prevail.
חָזַק
The root’s sense of prevailing shows that those who strengthen Abimelech help his violence gain force.
hecheziq: Hold fast; take hold; strengthen.
הֶחֱזִיק
The sense of taking hold brings the supporters close to the act: they grip and sustain the course of violence, even without striking the blow.
THE PATTERN
Violence implicates the hands that empower it as well as the hand that strikes.
Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.THE THREAD
They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?The word translated “encourage” comes from the same root, חזק, as “strengthened” in Judges. One verse shows people strengthening a killer’s hands; the other shows people strengthening themselves in an evil plan.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us