The Meaning of Judges 9:4 Explained

Judges 9:4

KJV: And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.

YLT: and they give to him seventy silverings out of the house of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech hireth with them men, vain and unstable, and they go after him;

Darby: And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Ba'al-be'rith with which Abim'elech hired worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him.

ASV: And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, who followed him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they gave  him threescore and ten  [pieces] of silver  out of the house  of Baalberith,  wherewith Abimelech  hired  vain  and light  persons,  which followed  him. 

What does Judges 9:4 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 9:1-6 - "through Slaughter To A Throne"
The Children of Israel were guilty of great fickleness and instability. They soon relapsed into Baal worship and forgot to show kindness to the family of their great leader. But such is the frailty of the human heart. However hot we may be for Christ today, we may be cold and distant tomorrow. It seems as if the great adversary taunts us with this as he did John Bunyan, to whom he kept whispering. "I'll cool you, I'll cool you." We must take our fickle hearts to our Lord, asking Him to keep us true and hot in our love. There are times when His friendship is the most real thing in life, but then the rainbow-glory fades in the sky. Let it not be so any more, O Lord, we beseech thee!
The terrible crime of Abimelech was extenuated by the people of Shechem, because his mother was one of themselves. Compare Judges 8:31 with 9:1, 18. But the mills of God were grinding out awful trouble for them all, Judges 9:56-57. Surely, in his lack of self-control, Gideon had much to answer for, Judges 8:30! The evil that men do lives after them. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 9

1  Abimelech by conspiracy with the Shechemites, and murder of his brothers, is made king
7  Jotham by a parable rebukes them, and foretells their ruin
22  Gaal conspires with the Shechemites against him
30  Zebul reveals it
34  Abimelech overcomes them, and sows the city with salt
46  He burns the hold of the god Berith
50  At Thebez he is slain by a piece of a millstone
56  Jotham's curse is fulfilled

What do the individual words in Judges 9:4 mean?

So they gave him seventy [shekels] of silver from the temple of Baal-berith and hired with which Abimelech men worthless and reckless and they followed him
וַיִּתְּנוּ־ לוֹ֙ שִׁבְעִ֣ים כֶּ֔סֶף מִבֵּ֖יתּ‪‬ בַ֣עַל‪‬ בְּרִ֑ית וַיִּשְׂכֹּ֨ר בָּהֶ֜ם אֲבִימֶ֗לֶךְ אֲנָשִׁ֤ים רֵיקִים֙ וּפֹ֣חֲזִ֔ים וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ אַחֲרָֽיו

וַיִּתְּנוּ־  So  they  gave 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
שִׁבְעִ֣ים  seventy 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: שִׁבְעִים  
Sense: seventy.
כֶּ֔סֶף  [shekels]  of  silver 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֶּסֶף  
Sense: silver, money.
מִבֵּ֖יתּ‪‬  from  the  temple 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
בְּרִ֑ית  Baal-berith 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּעַל בְּרִית  
Sense: a god of the Philistines.
וַיִּשְׂכֹּ֨ר  and  hired 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָכַר  
Sense: to hire.
בָּהֶ֜ם  with  which 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
אֲבִימֶ֗לֶךְ  Abimelech 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲבִימֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king of Gerar in Abraham’s time.
אֲנָשִׁ֤ים  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
רֵיקִים֙  worthless 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רֵיק  
Sense: empty, vain.
וּפֹ֣חֲזִ֔ים  and  reckless 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: פָּחַז  
Sense: (Qal) to be wanton, be reckless, be frothy.
וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ  and  they  followed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.