Jotham

Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, was the only one to escape when Abimelech killed his seventy brothers.

Jotham was the youngest of Gideon's seventy sons (Jdg 9:5). After Gideon's death, Abimelech, another of Gideon's sons, conspired to become king and killed his seventy brothers on one stone (Jdg 9:5). However, Jotham escaped by hiding (Jdg 9:5).

Jotham went to Mount Gerizim and delivered a parable to the men of Shechem, warning them of the consequences of their actions in supporting Abimelech (Jdg 9:7-21). In the parable, the trees sought to anoint a king over them, but the worthy trees (olive, fig, and vine) refused, while the bramble accepted and threatened to devour the cedars of Lebanon (Jdg 9:8-15). Jotham then fled to Beer and remained there, fearing Abimelech (Jdg 9:21).

Later, God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, causing them to turn against each other (Jdg 9:22-25). This ultimately led to Abimelech's downfall and death, which was seen as a fulfillment of Jotham's curse (Jdg 9:57).

The youngest of Gideon’s seventy sons. He escaped when the rest were put to death by the order of Abimelech (Judg. 9:5). When “the citizens of Shechem and the whole house of Millo” were gathered together “by the plain of the pillar” (i.e., the stone set up by Joshua, 24:26; comp. Gen. 35:4) “that was in Shechem, to make Abimelech king,” from one of the heights of Mount Gerizim he protested against their doing so in the earliest parable, that of the bramble-king. His words then spoken were prophetic. There came a recoil in the feelings of the people toward Abimelech, and then a terrible revenge, in which many were slain and the city of Shechem was destroyed by Abimelech (Judg. 9:45). Having delivered his warning, Jotham fled to Beer from the vengeance of Abimelech (9:7-21).