Jotham expresses strong irony here. While the three noble plants refuse to become king, only the lowest of the low accepts, which is a veiled reference to Abimelech. The bramble gives a lengthy response of acceptance. Its remarks mark the climax of this fable, but more importantly, prefigure what is going to happen later in the Abimelech story. Much of the vocabulary from the fable finds its way into the description of actual events in verse 9.16-20. The bramble’s response comes in two sets of condition-consequence statements, one positive and one negative.
And the bramble said to the trees may be rendered “And the thorn bush responded to the trees, saying” or simply “Then the bramble replied.”
If in good faith you are anointing me king over you: This is the condition of the first condition-consequence statement. In good faith is literally “in truth.” Treating people in good faith speaks of sincerity, honesty, and integrity. It is the kind of treatment people expect, but in this fable Jotham accuses the people of Shechem of not acting in good faith. They mistreated his family, the descendants of Gideon (see verse 9.16, verse 19). The use of a conditional statement evokes doubt. Though the bramble seems arrogant, he is at the same time unsure about the support of others. It is as if the bramble does not believe in the good faith of those making him king. This phrase is well expressed in Revised English Bible, which begins the conditional statement with “If you really mean to….” Good News Translation is similar with “If you really want to….” You are anointing me king over you refers to the ritual of anointing kings with olive oil to consecrate them in their new task (see comments on verse 9.8). The Hebrew pronoun for you is plural, referring to the trees. The Hebrew verb rendered are anointing is a participle. Participles in Hebrew often convey the idea that something is about to happen, which is true here. In many languages it will be better to render this participle as “wish to anoint” (New American Bible) or “intend to anoint.” In languages where the practice of anointing kings is unknown, a simpler expression can be used. For example, Contemporary English Version says “If you really want me to be your king.” In some languages this clause may be reordered by saying “If you want to anoint me as your king and are really sincere about it.”
Then come and take refuge in my shade: There is strong irony in this statement of consequence. The bramble has small leaves and is generally a low shrub, so it could not possibly offer shade to the other trees. Further, a plant with thorns cannot be a refuge. Come and take refuge translate plural imperative verbs in Hebrew. Take refuge may be rendered “take shelter” (Good News Translation), “find refuge,” or “find safety.” The bramble is offering to “protect” the other trees, so we might say “then come and I will protect you.”
But if not: This is the condition of the second condition-consequence statement, this time in the negative. But renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, which introduces a contrast here. If not is an ellipsis for “if you are not anointing me as your king in good faith.” We may say “if you’re not serious about making me king.” Contemporary English Version has “if you’re deceiving me.”
Let fire come out of the bramble …: In this consequence the bramble threatens the other trees, saying it will burn them down. Though thorn bushes are not a good source of firewood, they can easily catch fire and thus constitute a menace to the whole forest. The generic Hebrew word for fire may be rendered “flames.” The Hebrew verb translated Let … come out could be a jussive form expressing a threat (so Revised Standard Version) or an imperfect form; for example, Revised English Bible begins this clause with “fire will come out…” (similarly Good News Translation). Either way, the bramble is threatening the neighboring trees. Come out refers to the first burst of the fire, so we may say “blaze out” (Good News Translation) or “burst forth.” This verb is associated with much evil action in later episodes in Judges (verse 20.21; verse 21.21). In this consequence the thorn bush suddenly speaks of itself in the third person by saying out of the bramble. Some manuscripts of the ver Septuagintver* change the text to read “out of me,” which is probably done for naturalness. However, in many languages people can speak of themselves in the third person so this phrase will not pose a problem. Translators can use whichever form is appropriate. Contemporary English Version renders this whole clause as “I’ll start a fire that will spread out.”
And devour the cedars of Lebanon: The Hebrew verb for devour (ʾakal) is literally “eat.” This verb is regularly used with fire to denote its destructive power (compare verse 6.21, where it is translated “consumed”). We may also say “burn up” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible), “destroy” (Contemporary English Version), or “devastate.” The cedars of Lebanon refers to the most famous and largest forest in the Mediterranean region. The mountains of Lebanon were famous for their huge cedar trees, which can reach 30 meters (100 feet) high with a trunk more than 2 meters (7 feet) in diameter. In some languages the word cedar is transliterated, but if the word is not known, it may be better to render this whole phrase as “the huge trees of the Lebanese forest.” For Lebanon see verse 3.3. The irony of the fable continues here, since the lowly bramble claims that it can burn up a huge forest of trees—a foolish and arrogant claim.
Some translation models for this verse are:
• Then Bramble replied, ‘If you really want to make me your king, then come and enjoy my shade and protection. But if you do not want me as your king, then I will start a fire that will completely destroy the tall trees of Lebanon.’
• Then the bramble said to the trees, ‘If you are serious about making me your king, then come and I will shade and protect you. But if you are not serious, then I will blaze forth and burn up [even] the cedars of Lebanon.’
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .