Jotham (I)

I. JOTHAM, or Joatham, Gideon’s Acervus Concupiscentiæ.youngest son¹. He escaped the slaughter which the inhabitants of Ophrah made of seventy of his brethren, killed in the presence and by the orders of Abimelech, Gideon’s bastard-son. The people of Shechem having made this same Abimelech King, because he was their countryman: Jotham, who had notice of it, went up to the top of mount Gerizim, and from thence addressed himself to the inhabitants of Shechem, who were assembled without their city, in order to proceed to the coronation of the King, and said: Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a King over them; and they applied themselves to the Olive-tree, who thanked them. They went afterwards to the fig-tree and the vine, who did the same. At last they had recourse to the bramble, who answered them: If you wou’d in reality make me your King, come and rest under my shade; if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon. He added, Consider whether you have treated the house of Gideon as you ought to do; that Gideon, who exposed his life in your service, and rescued you from the slavery of the Midianites? And whether you have had reason to make Abimelech your King, who is the son of his handmaid, and has murdered seventy of his lawfully begotten children. If your conduct is just, may Abimelech and you be happy in one another; if not, may fire come out from Shechem and devour Abimelech. When he had said thus, he fled to Beer, left Abimelech should kill him. We do not know what became of him after this time, but his prediction, or imprecation against the inhabitants of Shechem and Abimelech were soon after accomplished. See Abimelech.

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