Judges 9:6
ESV
And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.
NIV
Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelek king.
NASB
All the leaders of Shechem and all Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the memorial stone which was in Shechem.
CSB
Then all the citizens of Shechem and of Beth-millo gathered together and proceeded to make Abimelech king at the oak of the pillar in Shechem.
NLT
Then all the leading citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo called a meeting under the oak beside the pillar at Shechem and made Abimelech their king.
KJV
And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.
NKJV
And all the men of Shechem gathered together, all of Beth Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king beside the terebinth tree at the pillar that was in Shechem.
What does Judges 9:6 mean?
Abimelech, Gideon's son by a concubine (Judges 8:31) has carried out a brutal public execution of his brothers. Of the seventy (Judges 8:30), only the youngest brother escaped the slaughter. As far as we know, from the text, this means only Abimelech and Jotham have survived from Gideon's line. Since Abimelech's goal was to purge other heirs, it's possible he also killed Gideon's grandsons. Either way, this marks the tragic end of a legacy which would have seemed invincible before Abimelech's brutal betrayal.The rivals eliminated, city leaders of Shechem keep their word. They appoint Abimelech their king. Leaders and people of Beth-millo gather for the coronation. Beth-millo was likely an area inside Shechem, perhaps near to the temple where the rich and influential lived.
Archaeologists have uncovered a large stone in front of the remains of the temple in Shechem. It is nearly 5 feet, or 150 centimeters, wide and about 16 inches, or 41 centimeters, thick. It has been broken off, but still stands almost as high as it is wide. This may well be the pillar where city business and ceremonies were conducted, including the naming of Abimelech as king over Shechem.
