Jotham
Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, was the only one to escape when Abimelech killed his seventy brothers.
Biography
Jotham was the youngest of Gideon's seventy sons, and the only one who escaped the massacre carried out by his half-brother Abimelech at Shechem (Judges 9). When Abimelech, emboldened by the men of Shechem, slew his brothers on a single stone to seize power, Jotham hid himself and survived. He then climbed Mount Gerizim and delivered one of the Old Testament's most memorable political parables, the fable of the trees seeking a king, in which bramble ultimately rules over cedar, a sharp critique of Shechem's dangerous bargain with Abimelech. Having spoken his prophetic warning, Jotham fled to Beer and lived there in fear of his brother, leaving the fulfillment of his curse to providence.
Significance
Jotham's parable in Judges 9:7–20 is the earliest extended fable in biblical literature and a masterwork of political theology. His allegory exposed the folly of choosing unworthy leadership: noble trees, olive, fig, and vine, decline to rule because they are already fruitful and purposeful; only the worthless bramble grasps for power. The parable teaches that genuine greatness rarely seeks authority for its own sake, while ambitious mediocrity often seizes it at great cost to others. Jotham's subsequent curse was fulfilled in the mutual destruction of Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judges 9:56–57), affirming the biblical principle that violence and treachery ultimately consume themselves.
Verse Appearances (4)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]