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Judges 9:27

ESV And they went out into the field and gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them and held a festival; and they went into the house of their god and ate and drank and reviled Abimelech.
NIV After they had gone out into the fields and gathered the grapes and trodden them, they held a festival in the temple of their god. While they were eating and drinking, they cursed Abimelek.
NASB So they went out to the field and gathered the grapes of their vineyards and trampled them, and held a festival; and they went into the house of their god, and ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.
CSB So they went out to the countryside and harvested grapes from their vineyards. They trampled the grapes and held a celebration. Then they went to the house of their god, and as they ate and drank, they cursed Abimelech.
NLT During the annual harvest festival at Shechem, held in the temple of the local god, the wine flowed freely, and everyone began cursing Abimelech.
KJV And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.

What does Judges 9:27 mean?

Some commentators suggest this event was an annual harvest festival for wine grapes. Others believe this is a celebration for the arrival of Gaal and his relatives at Shechem (Judges 9:22–26). In either case, it begins with the harvest and processing of the grapes into wine. The nobles of the town bring food and drink inside the temple to Baal-berith (Judges 8:33), which may be the same god as the El-berith mentioned later (Judges 9:46). Shechem contained a famous temple dedicated to this false god to whom Israel had sworn allegiance.

Eventually, drinking turned to complaining about the town's appointed leader, the now-hated Abimelech. In their conflict with Abimelech, the town leaders succeed in provoking a rivalry. Gaal—likely drunk and uninhibited—challenges Abimelech and threatens his position as their leader (Judges 9:28).
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