Judges 9:9
New International Version
“But the olive tree answered, ‘Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’

New Living Translation
But the olive tree refused, saying, ‘Should I quit producing the olive oil that blesses both God and people, just to wave back and forth over the trees?’

English Standard Version
But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’

Berean Standard Bible
But the olive tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my oil that honors both God and man, to hold sway over the trees?’

King James Bible
But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

New King James Version
But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I cease giving my oil, With which they honor God and men, And go to sway over trees?’

New American Standard Bible
But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I give up my fatness with which God and mankind are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’

NASB 1995
“But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my fatness with which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’

NASB 1977
“But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my fatness with which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’

Legacy Standard Bible
But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my fatness, with which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’

Amplified Bible
But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I give up my fatness by which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’

Christian Standard Bible
But the olive tree said to them, “Should I stop giving my oil that people use to honor both God and men, and rule over the trees? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But the olive tree said to them,” Should I stop giving my oil that honors both God and man, and rule over the trees?”

American Standard Version
But the olive-tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
The olive tree said to them: ‘I am not leaving my oil in me that is honored of gods and men, and would I go to be an abomination for the trees?’

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But the olives said to them, Shall I leave my fatness, with which men shall glorify God, and go to be promoted over the trees?

Contemporary English Version
But the olive tree replied, "My oil brings honor to people and gods. I won't stop making oil, just so my branches can wave above the other trees."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And it answered: Can I leave my fatness, which both gods and men make use of, to come to be promoted among the trees?

English Revised Version
But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But the olive tree responded, 'Should I stop producing oil, which people use to honor gods and humans, in order to rule the trees?'

Good News Translation
The olive tree answered, 'In order to govern you, I would have to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and human beings.'

International Standard Version
But the olive tree asked them, 'Should I stop producing my rich oils by which both God and men are honored and go take dominion over trees?'

JPS Tanakh 1917
But the olive-tree said unto them: Should I leave my fatness, seeing that by me they honour God and man, and go to hold sway over the trees?

Literal Standard Version
And the olive says to them, Have I ceased from my fatness, by which they honor gods and men, that I have gone to stagger over the trees?

Majority Standard Bible
But the olive tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my oil that honors both God and man, to hold sway over the trees?’

New American Bible
But the olive tree answered them, ‘Must I give up my rich oil, whereby gods and human beings are honored, and go off to hold sway over the trees?’

NET Bible
But the olive tree said to them, 'I am not going to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!'

New Revised Standard Version
The olive tree answered them, ‘Shall I stop producing my rich oil by which gods and mortals are honored, and go to sway over the trees?’

New Heart English Bible
"But the olive tree said to them, 'Should I leave my fatness, with which by me they honor God and man, and go to wave back and forth over the trees?'

Webster's Bible Translation
But the olive-tree said to them, Should I leave my fatness, with which by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

World English Bible
“But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I stop producing my oil, with which they honor God and man by me, and go to wave back and forth over the trees?’

Young's Literal Translation
And the olive saith to them, Have I ceased from my fatness, by which they honour gods and men, that I have gone to stagger over the trees?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jotham's Parable
8One day the trees set out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ 9But the olive tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my oil that honors both God and man, to hold sway over the trees?’ 10Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and reign over us.’…

Cross References
Judges 9:8
One day the trees set out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.'

Judges 9:10
Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and reign over us.'


Treasury of Scripture

But the olive tree said to them, Should I leave my fatness, with which by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

wherewith

Exodus 29:2,7
And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them…

Exodus 35:14
The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light,

Leviticus 2:1
And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

God.

Job 1:7
And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Job 2:2
And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

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Ceased Hold Honor Honored Honour Leave Oil Olive Olive-Tree Promoted Stagger Sway Tree Trees Wave Waving Wealth Wherewith
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Ceased Hold Honor Honored Honour Leave Oil Olive Olive-Tree Promoted Stagger Sway Tree Trees Wave Waving Wealth Wherewith
Judges 9
1. Abimelech by conspiracy with the Shechemites, and murder of his brothers, is made king
7. Jotham by a parable rebukes them, and foretells their ruin
22. Gaal conspires with the Shechemites against him
30. Zebul reveals it
34. Abimelech overcomes them, and sows the city with salt
46. He burns the hold of the god Berith
50. At Thebez he is slain by a piece of a millstone
56. Jotham's curse is fulfilled.














(9) Wherewith by me they honour God and man.--The words may also mean, which gods and men honour in me (Vulg., qua et dii utuntur et homines; Luther, meine Fettigheit, die beide G�tter und menschen an mir preisen; and so some MSS. of the LXX.). In either case the mention of gods or God (Elohim) refers to the use of oil in sacrifices, offerings, consecrations, &c. (Genesis 28:18; Exodus 30:24; Leviticus 3:1-16). Oil is used in the East as one of the greatest luxuries, and also as possessing valuable medicinal properties (James 5:15; Luke 10:34).

Go to be promoted over the trees.--The English Version here follows the Vulg. (ut inter ligna promovear); but the verb in the original is much finer and more picturesque, for it expresses the utter scorn of the olive for the proffered honour. The margin renders it, go up and down for other trees, but it means rather "float about" (LXX., kineisthai; Vulg., agitari); as Luther admirably renders it, dass ich uber den Bamen Schwebe. (Comp. Isaiah 19:1 (be moved), Isaiah 29:9 (stagger); Lamentations 4:14 (wander), &c.) When, in 1868, the crown of Spain was offered to Ferdinand of Portugal, he is reported to have answered, Pour moi pas si imbecile. . . .

Verse 9. - They honour God and man: God, by the frequent offerings of oil with the meat offerings (Leviticus 2:1-16, etc.); and man, e.g., by the solemn anointing with oil of kings, priests, and prophets (1 Samuel 16:12, 13; 1 Kings 19:16; Psalm 89:21). To be promoted, literally, to wave, or move, over, i.e. to rule, in the case of a tree.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But the olive tree
הַזַּ֔יִת (haz·za·yiṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2132: An olive, the tree, the branch, the berry

replied,
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘Should I stop giving
הֶחֳדַ֙לְתִּי֙ (he·ḥo·ḏal·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 2308: To be flabby, desist, be lacking, idle

my oil
דִּשְׁנִ֔י (diš·nî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1880: The fat, fatness, abundance, the, ashes of sacrifices

that
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

honors
יְכַבְּד֥וּ (yə·ḵab·bə·ḏū)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3513: To be heavy, weighty, or burdensome

both God
אֱלֹהִ֖ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

and man,
וַאֲנָשִׁ֑ים (wa·’ă·nā·šîm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

to hold
וְהָ֣לַכְתִּ֔י (wə·hā·laḵ·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

sway
לָנ֖וּעַ (lā·nū·a‘)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5128: To quiver, wave, waver, tremble, totter

over
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the trees?’
הָעֵצִֽים׃ (hā·‘ê·ṣîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood


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OT History: Judges 9:9 But the olive tree said to them (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 9:8
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