Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech ... The manner in which the Nemesis was dealt out to this fratricide and unprincipled usurper affords a striking instance of particular administration of Providence over the Jews, and of which several instances have already occurred in this book (Judges 1:1-19; Judges 1:22; Judges 1:27-33; Judges 2:3). 'The apparent severity in some of these instances arose from the operation of human passions in the agents employed or permitted to execute these judgments, without being miraculously controlled in their conduct; or if directly commanded, we may be well assured it was indispensably necessary to effect the purposes of the divine economy' (Graves, 'Lectures on the Pentateuch,' 2:, p. 151).