Judges 9:10
New International Version
“Next, the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and be our king.’

New Living Translation
“Then they said to the fig tree, ‘You be our king!’

English Standard Version
And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’

Berean Standard Bible
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and reign over us.’

King James Bible
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.

New King James Version
“Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us!’

New American Standard Bible
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You, come, reign over us!’

NASB 1995
“Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come, reign over us!’

NASB 1977
“Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come, reign over us!’

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come, reign over us!’

Amplified Bible
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us!’

Christian Standard Bible
Then the trees said to the fig tree, “Come and reign over us.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then the trees said to the fig tree,” Come and reign over us.”

American Standard Version
And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, and reign over us.

Contemporary English Version
Then they asked the fig tree, "Will you be our king?"

English Revised Version
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come and be our king!'

Good News Translation
Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come and be our king.'

International Standard Version
"So the trees told the fig tree, 'Hey you! Come and reign over us!'

Majority Standard Bible
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and reign over us.’

NET Bible
"So the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come and be our king!'

New Heart English Bible
"The trees said to the fig tree, 'Come, and reign over us.'

Webster's Bible Translation
And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, and reign over us.

World English Bible
“The trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and reign over us.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the trees say to the fig, Come, reign over us.

Young's Literal Translation
And the trees say to the fig, Come thou, reign over us.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the trees will say to the fig tree, Come thou, reign over us.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the trees said to the fig tree: Come thou and reign over us.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and accept royal power over us.’

New American Bible
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come; you reign over us!’

New Revised Standard Version
Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come you, and reign over us.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The trees said to the fig tree: ‘Come, you reign over us!’
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the trees said to the fig-tree: Come thou, and reign over us.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come, reign over us.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jotham's Parable
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.’ 11But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my sweetness and my good fruit, to hold sway over the trees?’…

Cross References
Matthew 21:33-41
Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey. / When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit. / But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. ...

Isaiah 5:1-7
I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. / He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour! / “And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard. ...

Luke 20:9-16
Then He proceeded to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to some tenants, and went away for a long time. / At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. / So he sent another servant, but they beat him and treated him shamefully, sending him away empty-handed. ...

Psalm 80:8-16
You uprooted a vine from Egypt; You drove out the nations and transplanted it. / You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land. / The mountains were covered by its shade, and the mighty cedars with its branches. ...

Mark 12:1-9
Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey. / At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. / But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. ...

John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. / He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful. / You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ...

Ezekiel 15:1-8
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, / “Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any other branch among the trees in the forest? / Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can one make from it a peg on which to hang utensils? ...

Romans 11:17-24
Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, / do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. / You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ...

Jeremiah 2:21
I had planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. How could you turn yourself before Me into a rotten, wild vine?

Hosea 10:1
Israel was a luxuriant vine, yielding fruit for himself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better he made the sacred pillars.

Isaiah 27:2-6
In that day: “Sing about a fruitful vineyard. / I, the LORD, am its keeper; I water it continually. I guard it night and day so no one can disturb it; / I am not angry. If only thorns and briers confronted Me, I would march and trample them, I would burn them to the ground. ...

Deuteronomy 32:32-33
But their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; their clusters are bitter. / Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras.

1 Kings 4:25
Throughout the days of Solomon, Judah and Israel dwelt securely from Dan to Beersheba, each man under his own vine and his own fig tree.

Micah 4:4
And each man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, with no one to frighten him. For the mouth of the LORD of Hosts has spoken.

Zechariah 3:10
On that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, you will each invite your neighbor to sit under your own vine and fig tree.’”


Treasury of Scripture

And the trees said to the fig tree, Come you, and reign over us.

Jump to Previous
Reign Tree Trees
Jump to Next
Reign Tree Trees
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.














Then the trees
In this parable, the "trees" symbolize the people of Shechem and the broader Israelite community. Trees, in biblical literature, often represent nations or groups of people (e.g., Ezekiel 31:3-9). The use of trees here is metaphorical, illustrating the search for leadership among the Israelites. Historically, this reflects a time of political instability in Israel, where the absence of a central monarchy led to a cycle of judges and leaders rising and falling.

said to the fig tree
The fig tree is a significant symbol in the Bible, often representing prosperity, peace, and security (e.g., 1 Kings 4:25, Micah 4:4). In this context, the fig tree represents a potential leader who possesses qualities desirable for governance. The fig tree's mention here suggests a leader who could bring sweetness and nourishment to the people, much like the fruit of the fig tree itself. The fig tree's role in the parable highlights the people's desire for a leader who can provide stability and prosperity.

Come and reign over us
This phrase reflects the people's plea for leadership and governance. The Hebrew root for "reign" (מָלַךְ, malak) implies not just ruling but also guiding and protecting. The request for the fig tree to "reign" indicates a longing for a ruler who can offer guidance and protection, akin to the role of a shepherd over his flock. This plea underscores the Israelites' struggle with leadership during the time of the judges, as they sought a king-like figure to unify and lead them, foreshadowing their eventual demand for a monarchy in 1 Samuel 8.

(10) The fig tree.--The luscious fruit and broad green shade of the ancient fig would naturally make it the next choice; but it returns the same scornful answer.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then the trees
הָעֵצִ֖ים (hā·‘ê·ṣîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

said
וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to the fig tree,
לַתְּאֵנָ֑ה (lat·tə·’ê·nāh)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8384: Of foreign derivation, the fig

‘Come
לְכִי־ (lə·ḵî-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

and reign
מָלְכִ֥י (mā·lə·ḵî)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular
Strong's 4427: To reign, inceptively, to ascend the throne, to induct into royalty, to take counsel

over us.’
עָלֵֽינוּ׃ (‘ā·lê·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


Links
Judges 9:10 NIV
Judges 9:10 NLT
Judges 9:10 ESV
Judges 9:10 NASB
Judges 9:10 KJV

Judges 9:10 BibleApps.com
Judges 9:10 Biblia Paralela
Judges 9:10 Chinese Bible
Judges 9:10 French Bible
Judges 9:10 Catholic Bible

OT History: Judges 9:10 The trees said to the fig tree (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 9:9
Top of Page
Top of Page