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.
And they gave him seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and with this money Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men who became his followers.
The writer is showing how Abimelech used money from a pagan temple to hire dangerous men to help him gain power through violence.
📚 Historical Context
In the time of the Judges, after the death of Gideon, his son Abimelech sought to seize power by appealing to the people of Shechem, his mother's hometown. They provided him with seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, a pagan deity they worshiped, which he used to hire reckless and untrustworthy men as followers. This event highlights the political intrigue and idolatry prevalent in Israel during this chaotic period of weak leadership.
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