rule,284 and the judgment of God, which had been slumbering, began to descend. Scripture marks distinctly

both the Divine agency in the altered feeling of Shechem towards Abimelech, and its import as boding

The course of events is vividly sketched. First, the citizens post "liers in wait" in all the mountain passes, in

the vain hope of seizing Abimelech. The consequence is universal brigandage. This device having failed,

they next invite, or at least encourage the arrival among them of a freebooting adventurer with his band. It is

the season of vintage, and, strange and terrible as it may sound, a service, specially ordered by Jehovah, is

observed, but only to be prostit uted to Baal. According to Leviticus 19:24, the produce of the fourth year's

fruit planting was to be brought as "praise-offerings" (Hillulim) to Jehovah. And now these men of Shethem

"made praise offerings"  285 (Hillulim), but went with them into the house of Baal-berith. At the sacrificial

feast which followed, wine soon loosened the tongues. It is an appeal to Baal as against the house of

Jerubbaal; a revolt of old Shechem against modern Shechem; in favor of the old patrician descendants of

Hamor against A bimelech and his lieutenant Zebul.286 This insulting challenge, addressed in true Oriental

fashion to the absent, is conveyed by secret messengers to Abimelech.287

That night he and his band move forward. Divided into four companies, they occupy all the heights around

Shechem. Ignorant how near was danger, Gaal stands next morning in the gate with his band, in the same

spirit of boastfulness as at the festival of the previous night. He is still, as it were, challenging imaginary

foes. Zebul is also there. A s Abimelech's men are seen moving down towards the valley, Zebul first tries to

lull Gaal's suspicions. And now they are appearing in all directions - from the mountains, "from the heights

of the land," and one company "from the way of the terebinth of the magicians."  288

Zebul now challenges Gaal to make good his boasting. A fight ensues in view of the citizens of Shechem, in

which Gaal and his band are discomfited, and he and his adherents are finally expelled from the town. If the

Shechemites had thought thus to purchase immunity, they were speedily undeceived. Abimelech was

hovering in the neighborhood, and, when the unsuspecting people were busy in their fields, he surprised

and slaughtered them, at the same time occupying the city, which was razed to the ground and sowed with

salt. Upon this the citizens of the tower, or of Millo, sought refuge in the sacred precincts of "the hall of the

god Berith." But in vain. Abimelech set it on fire, and 1000 persons perished in the flames. Even this did not

satisfy his revenge. He next turned his forces against the neighboring town of Thebez. Reduced to the

utmost straits, its inhabitants fled to the strong tower within the city. Thither Abimelech pursued them.

Almost had the people of Thebez shared the fate of the citizens of Millo, when Abimelech's course was

strangely arrested. From the top of the tower a woman cast down upon him an "upper millstone."  289 As the

Rabbis put it, he, that had slaughtered his brothers upon a stone, was killed by a stone. Abimelech die d as

he had lived. Feeling himself mortally wounded, ambitious warrior to the last, he had himself run through by

the sword of his armor-bearer, to avoid the disgrace of perishing by the hand of a woman. But his epitaph,

and that of the men of Shechem who had perished by his hand, had been long before written in the curse of