KJV ORIGINAL
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.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
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 BOTTOM LINE
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
This occurs after Gideon's death, when his son Abimelech sought to become ruler over Israel. The people of Shechem funded his violent campaign from their pagan temple treasury. Baal-Berith means 'Lord of the Covenant' and was a Canaanite deity worshipped in Shechem, showing how far Israel had fallen from worshipping the true God.
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