23And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,
“Evil spirit” does not necessarily mean demonic activity, for the Hebrew word can simply mean “bad, disaster, harm.” God replaces the harmony between the parties with a spirit of distrust and disagreement.
23 And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,