This verse and the next one are key from a theological viewpoint, since God punishes Abimelech and the people of Shechem for the evil they did, just as Jotham predicted. These two verses are linked with the closing verses of the Abimelech story (verse 9.56-57).

The names in this verse form the same chiasm as in verse 9.20, showing that this verse is highlighted. The chiasm is:

… between Abimelech and the men of Shechem;
and the men of Shechem … with Abimelech.

And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem: This sentence poses many problems for translators and interpreters, because it touches on the delicate subject of God and the role of evil in the world. It is clear that God is the one causing discord between Abimelech and the people of Shechem. This is in accordance with other parts of Scripture which teach that God causes everything that happens, whether it be good or evil (see, for example, verse 1 Sam 16.14; Amos 3.6). Translators must not change this fundamental meaning behind the text. And renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, which many versions omit. Good News Translation proposes “Then,” which will be a good transition in many languages. The Hebrew verb rendered sent (shalach) occurs frequently in this book (see comments on verse 2.6, where it is translated “dismissed”). The Hebrew word rendered spirit (ruach) can also mean “wind” or “breath” (see comments on verse 3.10). Evil renders the key Hebrew word raʿah, which appears throughout this book, usually to describe the evil acts of the Israelites (see, for example, verse 9.56; verse 20.3). While it can also mean “painful” or “troubling” (see comments on verse 2.15), it most often refers to moral evil. In this context an evil spirit may rather refer to “a spirit of disharmony” or “a spirit of division,” since this spirit is sent by God to cause hostility between Abimelech and the people of Shechem. While some versions maintain the more literal rendering of “an evil spirit” (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, New International Version), many prefer to speak of “a spirit of discord” (New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) between the two parties. Good News Translation has “Then God made Abimelech and the men of Shechem hostile to each other,” but this model does not respect the Hebrew world-view. Translators will need to decide whether to take a more literal approach or a more dynamic one. Also the Hebrew word for evil serves an important literary function since it is part of an inclusio around the rest of the Abimelech story. A word from the same root appears again in verse 9.56-57 (rendered “crime” and “wickedness”), where it clearly refers to moral evil, so if possible, it should be maintained here. For the Hebrew phrase rendered the men of Shechem, see the comments on verse 9.2, where it is translated “the citizens of Shechem.” Here it refers to “the leaders of Shechem” (Contemporary English Version). Once again the narrator uses the Hebrew word baʿal rendered men to underline the fact that the people of Israel have left Yahweh to follow the foreign god Baal.

And the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: As a result of God’s intervention, the leaders of Shechem turned against Abimelech. They plotted and planned to overthrow him as their leader. Dealt treacherously renders a single Hebrew verb, meaning “deal deceitfully” or “deal unfaithfully” with someone. Elsewhere it is used in the context of marital unfaithfulness and in other cases of betrayal (see, for example, Mal 2.14-15). Dealt treacherously may be rendered “rebelled” (Good News Translation), “revolted” (New Living Translation), “broke faith” (Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “were unfaithful” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), or “betrayed” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Translation models for this verse are:

• Then God sent a spirit of discord to cause trouble between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and as a result, they turned against Abimelech.

• Then God sent a spirit of evil to create hostility between the leaders of Shechem and Abimelech, and they revolted against him.

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 .