Bob Schwartz

Some call this short section of the Book of Judges (9:8-15) a fable, a parable or a fairy tale. (Note below that master translator Robert Alter goes all the way, uniquely translating the opening as “Once upon a time”.)

The trees talk to each other about which one should be king. According to the story, at that time in Israel, Abimelech had become judge (leader). Israel had fallen into apostasy, worshiping Baal-berith. But instead of being a deliverer, Abimelech was an oppressor.

What can the trees tell us about totally useless leaders?

Once upon a time the trees went to anoint a king over them. And they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ And the olive tree said, ‘Have I left off my rich oil, for which God and men honor me, that I should go sway over the trees?’ And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Go, you, reign over us.’ And the fig tree said to them, ‘Have I left off my sweetness and my goodly yield that I should go sway over the trees?’ And the trees said to the vine, ‘Go, you, reign over us.’ And the vine said to them, ‘Have I left off my new wine, that gladdens God and men, that I should go sway over the trees?’ And all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘Go, you, reign over us.’ And the thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you are really about to anoint me king over you, come shelter in my shade. And if not, a fire shall come out from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’

8. Once upon a time. The Hebrew formula hayoh hayah signals the beginning of a parable.

Judges 9:8-15, Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible

Jotham stands on Mount Gerizim, one of the two mountains overlooking Shechem (the other is Mount Ebal, which some identify with Mount Zalmon), and excoriates the Shechemite leadership with a fable and a curse. The fable, one of two examples of that genre in the Bible (see also 2 Kings 14:9; 2 Chron. 25:18), is strongly antimonarchical. It illustrates both the folly of kingship (only the worst and least qualified aspire to it) and its dangers (it destroys those who place their reliance on it). The bramble offers scant shade but is a prime cause of fire. A monarchy founded on murder can come to no good and inevitably will destroy those who support it.

Harper’s Bible Commentary

It seems, therefore, that the parable was an independent anti-monarchic work, used here to criticize Abimelech and to inform the reader that when all the trees are interested in having a king, they must beware of the thornbush and look carefully for a suitable tree. The parable is based upon a pattern of three and four, where the fourth element is different and climactic: three refusals by the useful trees—olive, fig, and grapevine—opposed to the agreement of the fourth, the thornbush. This structure emphasizes that the refusal of the useful trees cleared the way for an aggressive figure, and that Abimelech is totally useless.

Jewish Study Bible