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The contrast between Abimelek’s and Jotham’s thinking is heightened by the fable and its curse. In Abimelek’s encouragement to the citizens/lords of Shechem to make him king, he appeals to human logic: (1) By contrasting the seventy to the one, he infers that monarchy (lit., “one man”) is better (tob) than oligarchy (highly debatable in light of the results in his case!); (2) he argues that the factor of kinship is a good principle to act on politically (“remember, I am your flesh and blood,” 9:2). In light of other passages, especially a number of passages in 2 Samuel, this is also a highly
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