‘ And his mother's brothers spoke of him in the ears of the chief men of Shechem all these words, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, he is our brother.'
His uncles pressed his claims on the leading men of Shechem and they were persuaded that the idea that Abimelech receive the kingship was a good one. As king-makers they could look for many benefits in the future. But had they not recognised the potential right to ‘princeship' of Gideon's sons, and the probability that the rest of the people would accept his claim, they would simply have rejected him as deluded. His kingship of Shechem rested on his right to princeship of Israel.