Judges 9 · Verse 21

Judges 9:21

And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

Judges 9:21, King James Version

Judges 9:21 in other translations

BSB	Then Jotham ran away, escaping to Beer, and he lived there for fear of his brother Abimelech.
WEB	Jotham ran away and fled, and went to Beer and lived there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
ASV	And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
YLT	And Jotham hasteth, and fleeth, and goeth to Beer, and dwelleth there, from the face of Abimelech his brother.
DARBY	And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, because of Abimelech his brother.
BBE	Then Jotham straight away went in flight to Beer, and was living there for fear of his brother Abimelech.
Webster	And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

What does Judges 9:21 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

21. Joatham ... went to Beer--the modern village El-Bireh, on the ridge which bounds the northern prospect of Jerusalem.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 21 Went to Beer - Mr. Maundrell, in his journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 64, 5th edit., mentions a place of this name, which he thinks to be that to which Jotham fled, and supposed to be the same as Mishmash, 1Sam 14:5, 1Sam 14:31. It is situated, he says, towards the south, on an easy declivity; and has a fountain of excellent water at the bottom of the hill from which it has taken its name.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Judges 9:7-21

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 who 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 these fruit-trees gave much the same reason for their refusal to be…

Read the full comment on Judges 9:7-21 →

Judges 9:21 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיָּ֣נָסvai.Ya.nosand he fledH5127

יוֹתָ֔םyo.TamJothamH3147

וַיִּבְרַ֖חvai.yiv.Rachand he ran awayH1272

וַיֵּ֣לֶךְvai.Ye.lekhand he wentH1980

בְּאֵ֑רָהbe.'E.rahBeer towardsH876

וַיֵּ֣שֶׁבvai.Ye.shevand he dweltH3427

שָׁ֔םShamthereH8033

מִפְּנֵ֖יmi.pe.Nei[away] from beforeH6440

אֲבִימֶ֥לֶךְ'a.vi.Me.lekhAbimelechH40

אָחִֽיו\׃\ \פ'a.Chivbrother hisH251

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Judges 9:21

Numbers 21:16
And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.
Joshua 19:8
And all the villages that were round about these cities to Baalath–beer, Ramath of the south. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families.
2 Samuel 20:14
And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel, and to Beth–maachah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Beer.Probably the Beer mentioned by Mr. Maundrell, three hours and a half, or about ten miles, north of Jerusalem, towards Shechem. It is situated toward the south, on an easy declivity; and has a fountain of excellent water at the bottom of the hill, from which it has taken its name. Close to the well are the mouldering walls of a ruined {khan;} and on the summit of the hill two large arches still remain of a ruined convent. Dr. Richardson says, that it seems to have been once a place of considerable consequence.
Nu 21:16; Jos 19:8; 2Sa 20:14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Judges 9:20
But 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.
Judges 9:21
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
Judges 9:22
When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,

Read all of Judges 9

Judges 9:21 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y huyó Jotham, y se fugó, y fuése á Beer, y allí se estuvo por causa de Abimelech su hermano.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et Jotham s’échappa et s’enfuit, et alla à Beër, et y habita, à cause d’Abimélec son frère.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und Jotham floh und entwich und ging nach Beer; und er blieb daselbst wegen seines Bruders Abimelech.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Quæ cum dixisset, fugit, et abiit in Bera: habitavitque ibi ob metum Abimelech fratris sui.