4 min read

Adoni-Bezek Kept Seventy Kings Crawling Under His Table

A Canaanite king mutilates seventy rulers and feeds them scraps under his table. When Israel captures him, he names what he did and accepts what comes.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Table Where Kings Ate From the Floor
  2. Judah and Simeon Went Up Together
  3. The King Who Recognized His Own Judgment
  4. Othniel and the Campaign Against Luz

The Table Where Kings Ate From the Floor

Adoni-Bezek runs his court as a theater of dominance. He has conquered seventy kings and mutilated them: thumbs removed, big toes removed. They cannot grip weapons. They cannot plant their feet firmly in battle. He keeps them alive, feeds them scraps from his table, and watches them crawl for food on the floor beneath his feet while he eats above them.

The number seventy is not incidental. In Jewish imagination, seventy often indicates completeness among the nations: seventy descendants of Noah, seventy languages, seventy peoples. Adoni-Bezek's table is a miniature empire of broken sovereignties. Every king in the region, or close to every king, has passed through his hands and been reduced to something less than human.

He has not merely defeated them. He has arranged them as a permanent demonstration. Anyone brought into that room before they sat down to eat would understand, without a word spoken, what resistance to Adoni-Bezek produces.

Judah and Simeon Went Up Together

After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel ask who should go up first against the Canaanites. The answer is Judah. Judah does not go alone. He calls on Simeon: come up with me into my lot and fight the Canaanites, and I will come up with you in yours. The alliance is explicit, reciprocal, and practical.

They find Adoni-Bezek at Bezek with ten thousand men and defeat him. He tries to flee. They catch him. Then they cut off his thumbs and big toes.

The application of his own method to himself is precise. Not random cruelty. Not improvised punishment. The same mutilation he performed on seventy kings is performed on him by the people whose ancestors those kings ruled over. The measure-for-measure symmetry is named by Adoni-Bezek himself.

The King Who Recognized His Own Judgment

As his thumbs and toes are cut off, Adoni-Bezek speaks. Seventy kings, with their thumbs and big toes cut off, gathered scraps under my table, he says. As I have done, so God has repaid me.

That speech is the most remarkable thing in the story. He is not protesting. He is not cursing his captors. He is narrating the logic of his own punishment with the accuracy of someone who understood from the beginning that this kind of power had a price. He built the display at his table. He watched seventy men crawl for food. And he names what he sees happening to himself without pretending it is unjust.

The Sifrei Devarim preserves this incident as evidence of the principle of measure-for-measure in divine justice. What a person does to others is eventually done to them, not as metaphor but as structural law built into the moral architecture of the world. Adoni-Bezek's confession is his acknowledgment of that structure.

Othniel and the Campaign Against Luz

Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews extends the story into the first judge's period. Othniel's career, which lasted forty years, begins with the victory over Adoni-Bezek. After the defeat and mutilation, Israel turns toward the city of Luz. Luz is notorious for its defenses: the only entrance is through a hidden cave, and the path to the cave is concealed inside a mulberry tree. The city has survived every campaign so far.

Othniel's forces find a way in. The campaign that began at Adoni-Bezek's table extends into the dismantling of the Canaanite system of strongholds one by one, each with its own peculiar defense, each requiring a different answer.

JudgesAdoni BezekDivine JusticeWar
← All myths

From the tradition

Sources

4 sources

The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Sifrei Devarim 353:13Sifrei Devarim

The Torah doesn’t exactly shout it from the rooftops, but there are clues. Little hints dropped here and there that paint a picture of a formidable people.

Take Adoni-bezek, for example. Ever heard of him? He was a Canaanite king, and his story, recounted in (Judges 1:7), is… well, it’s brutal. He boasts, "Seventy kings, their thumbs and big toes cut off used to glean under my table."

Seventy kings! Reduced to begging for scraps! That tells you something, doesn’t it? It hints at a sophisticated, organized, and utterly ruthless kingdom. Imagine the power wielded by Adoni-bezek to subjugate so many other rulers. It's a chilling glimpse into the pre-Israelite landscape. It leaves you wondering what kind of world that was.

It's not just about military might. It's about dominance, control, and a chilling disregard for human dignity. That act says it all.

Then, we turn to the Israelites themselves. Think about the blessings bestowed upon them. When we read in Sifrei Devarim (Devarim, Ibid.) about the descendants of Joseph, "And they are the thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Menasheh," it's not just a nice sentiment. It's a reflection of their potential power.

The phrase "thousands and ten thousands" echoes another verse, Bamidbar 10:36, which speaks of the "ten thousands thousands of Israel." It’s a promise of immense growth, a blessing of strength in numbers.

But what's the connection to the Canaanites, you ask? Well, consider this: The Torah often juxtaposes the Israelites with the nations they encounter. By emphasizing the potential strength of Ephraim and Menasheh, are we also implicitly acknowledging the strength of those they were destined to face? Are we being reminded of the challenge ahead of them?

Perhaps.

So, the next time you read about the Canaanites in the Torah, don't just see them as the "bad guys." See them as a force to be reckoned with. See them as a people whose power, though ultimately overcome, shaped the very narrative of the Israelites' journey. See them as a crucial part of the story.

And remember Adoni-bezek. His cruelty might be shocking, but it also serves as a stark reminder of the world the Israelites were entering. A world they were destined to change.

Full source
Jasher 91Book of Jasher

Book of Jasher turns to Adonibezek's Legacy.

Chapter 91 opens with a simple statement: "At that time, after the death of Joshua, the children of the Canaanites were still in the land, and the Israelites resolved to drive them out." It’s a reminder that even after the big victories, the work of claiming the Promised Land wasn't quite finished.

So, what do you do when your leader is gone? The Israelites turn to Adonai, asking, "Who shall first go up for us to the Canaanites to fight against them?" The response is clear: "Judah shall go up." Judah, one of the twelve tribes, is chosen to lead the charge.

Judah doesn't go it alone. They call upon Simeon: "Go up with us into our lot, and we will fight against the Canaanites and we likewise will go up with you, in your lot." It's a beautiful display of tribal cooperation. Simeon agrees, and together they head into battle. "And the children of Judah went up and fought against the Canaanites, so the Lord delivered the Canaanites into the hands of the children of Judah, and they smote them in Bezek, ten thousand men."

The story takes a particularly dark turn with the tale of Adonibezek. After a fierce battle in Bezek, Adonibezek is captured. The Israelites take hold of him and cut off his thumbs and great toes. Why? Adonibezek chillingly explains, "Three score and ten kings having their thumbs and great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table, as I have done, so God has requited me." It's a brutal reflection of the cycle of violence and retribution. Adonibezek is brought to Jerusalem, where he dies.

The narrative continues with the other tribes. "And the children of Simeon went with the children of Judah, and they smote the Canaanites with the edge of the sword." We hear of the Joseph tribes and their clever strategy to capture Bethel, also known as Luz. They spy a man leaving the city and promise him kindness if he shows them the entrance. He does, the city is taken, and the man and his family are spared. He then goes on to found another city, also named Luz, among the Hittites.

The chapter concludes with a reflection on the period after Joshua. "So all the Israelites dwelt in their cities, and the children at Israel dwelt in their cities, and the children of Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders, who had lengthened their days after Joshua, and saw the great work of the Lord, which he had performed for Israel." The elders judged Israel for seventeen years, continuing the fight against the Canaanites and fulfilling God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

"And he accomplished all the words which he had spoken to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the oath which he had sworn, to give to them and to their children, the land of the Canaanites. And the Lord gave to the children of Israel the whole land of Canaan, as he had sworn to their ancestors, and the Lord gave them rest from those around them, and the children of Israel dwelt securely in their cities."

The chapter ends with a resounding blessing: "Blessed be the Lord for ever, amen, and amen. Strengthen yourselves, and let the hearts of all you that trust in the Lord be of good courage."

It's a powerful reminder that even after the grand victories, the work of building and securing a future requires constant effort, cooperation, and faith. And that sometimes, the most enduring legacies are built not by the heroes themselves, but by those who carry on their work long after they're gone.

Full source
Legends of the Jews 2:25Legends of the Jews

Tucked away in the ancient stories of the Israelites, we find hints of just such a place. Our story begins with Othniel. Now, Othniel's reign, which lasted forty years, starts with a bang: his victory over Adoni-bezek. You might not recognize the name, and that's okay. Adoni-bezek wasn't exactly a king in the traditional sense, but he was a force to be reckoned with. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, this guy had conquered seventy other kings! Seventy! Can you imagine? He wasn't top dog, but he was certainly a major player in the region.

Following this victory, the Israelites set their sights on a city called Luz. Capturing Luz, however, was no easy feat. Its defenses were… unconventional. The only way in was through a cave, and the path to that cave was hidden inside a hollow almond tree.

It seemed impossible to breach Luz's defenses. Until… a resident of the city betrayed its secrets. Think about the weight of that decision. The risk! Because of this unnamed informant, the Israelites were able to find the hidden passage and finally capture the city.

What about the informer? What became of them? That God rewarded this person in a truly remarkable way. The city that they founded, as a reward for their assistance, was granted divine protection.

And here's where the story takes a turn towards the unbelievable. This city, founded by the grateful informer, was untouched by both Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar – two of the most powerful and destructive rulers in ancient history. Not only that, but even the Angel of Death had no power within its walls!

The inhabitants of this city, according to the legend, were immortal. They lived forever, unless, weary of life – tired of existence itself – they chose to leave. Only then would death claim them. A city where death holds no sway unless invited. A place where the burdens of life, the endless cycle of days, could eventually lead someone to simply… walk away.

It's a powerful image, isn't it? This idea of a hidden city, protected by divine favor, untouched by the ravages of time and war. It raises so many questions. What was life like in this immortal city? What were their joys, their sorrows, their challenges? Did the absence of death create a utopia, or a unique form of stagnation?

We don't know. The text doesn't say. But this brief glimpse into the legend of Luz offers a tantalizing peek into the tradition of Jewish folklore, a reminder that within these ancient stories lie profound reflections on life, death, and the enduring power of choice. And perhaps, just perhaps, a whisper of hope for a world where even death can be overcome.

Full source
Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 37:4Yalkut Shimoni on Nach

"And Adoni-Bezek said: Seventy kings, etc." (Judges 1:7). Because the wealth of the Canaanites had not been spelled out, Scripture teaches by saying, "And Adoni-Bezek said: Seventy kings, their thumbs and big toes cut off, used to gather scraps under my table." Now is this not an argument from the lesser to the greater [a fortiori]? If Adoni-Bezek, who was not even worthy to be counted among the kings of Canaan, nonetheless had seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off gathering scraps beneath his table, come and learn and see how great the wealth of the Canaanites must have been.

Full source