8. Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 44:20 ג' הם שנאמר בהם "בשיבה טובה", אברהם היה שוה לו, דוד שוה לו, גדעון לא שוה לו, למה? "ויעש אותו גדעון לאפוד" לעבודת כוכבים. The Torah mentions “good old age” for 3 people: Avraham and it was appropriate for him, David and it was appropriate for him, and Gideon but it was not appropriate for him. Why? Because “Gidon made it into an ephod” for idolatry
Gidon asked the Israelites for this, as I see it, not out of desire… But he wanted each one to give a gold ring [nosering?], as this is something connected to the mouth, and to make it into an ephod (a belt, or golden garment) to wear for his honour and a sign of his stature, and to display in his city to memorialize his salvations… And so that his seed would never forget that Israel had vowed and paid for Gidon and his sons to rule over them. Therefore he made the garment, indicating authority, of a gold implement which is near the mouth, to remember that Israel said with their mouths… And if so, this was Gidon’s fault for not trusting in Gd and thinking that through this he would give his children authority. And what developed from this developed…
6. Don Isaac Abarbanel, Introduction to Shoftim, pg. 95 וזכור תזכור גם כן שלא היה בכל השופטים האלה איש ריב ואיש מדון לאלקים ולא עובד ע"ז, וכלם היו אנשים צדיקים וטובים, זולתי אבימלך שהרג אחיו להשתרר על ישראל, וגם זה עשה קודם היותו שופט. And remember well, too, that none of these judges were men of quarrels and disputes with G-d, or idolaters. All of them were righteous and good men, other than Avimelech, who killed his brothers in order to rule over Israel – but he did that before becoming a judge.
What you should know is this: Although it says “And they made Avimelech king” here, in truth, he was not a king, and he was not counted with the kings of Israel. The text (9:22) says, “And Avimelech ruled over Israel,” meaning authority and power, not monarchy. Monarchy is only truly applied when there is an anointing, and the first king anointed over Israel was Saul. Here, and throughout the book of Shoftim, it says “king” as a borrowed term for any judge, officer or ruler.
It is the way of those who seek a king to seek a man who is more suited and greater to bring the community to perfection… The goals may be split into three: 1) good, 2) sweet, 3) effective… When Gidon died, there were found among this children scholars who sought the good, like olive saplings, and wealthy people who sought the sweet, like a fig with its ripening pagim, and political savants who would seek that which would be effective, “They should be praised as a vine of good wine grapes.” They did not wish to rule and they did not seek it, and you, the deficient masses, went to the thorn in which
10.Abarbanel to Shoftim 9:54 וזה באמת סכלות גדול היה אליו, כי קלון אשה הרגתהו אינו כי אם בהיותו נלחם בשדה עם אשה יד ליד לא ינקה כי תגבר עליו האשה בכחה, אבל כאשר מן המגדל ישליכו אבן על ראשו, מה לנו שיהיה אשה או איש ומה הקלון אשר בזה? In truth, this was great folly for him. The shame of a woman having killed him is only where he fights with a woman in the field, hand-to-hand he will not be exonerated (a play on Mishlei 16:5) when a woman triumphs over him with her strength. But when they throw a stone on his head from a fortress, who cares whether this is a woman or man, and what shame is there in it?