1. Exposition

What is noteworthy about these seventy pieces of silver?

Judges 9:4 (ESV)

4 And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him.

The leaders of Shechem gave Abimelech seventy pieces of silver, one for each of Gideon’s other sons. And when we recall that a slave was often sold for thirty pieces of silver, if not more (Exodus 21:32; Leviticus 27:3–7)), we see how cheaply the lives of Abimelech’s brothers were paid for. They are worthless to him. Each is worth one thirtieth of the value of a slave.