Judges 9:27

Merry. Heb. hilulim, from the root halal, “to praise.” Hilulim is translated “praise” in Lev. 19:24. The wine-gathering festival in Palestine was the most joyous of all the year. Among the Canaanites it was generally accompanied with orgiastic feasting, drinking, and hilarious merriment. This is the kind of gathering described here. On such an occasion the latent dissatisfaction with Abimelech’s rule would certainly come to the surface. Under the influence of wine and merrymaking they became bold and rash enough to abuse Abimelech and to speak openly against him. In the very temple where they had plotted with Abimelech and had taken its treasures to finance his first nefarious foray, they now cursed him and contrived his ruin.