שופטים, פרק ט׳, פסוק ה׳

A brutal power grab unfolds as family ties are violently cast aside in the pursuit of leadership. Abimelech launches a surprise attack on his father's home in Ophrah, accompanied by a band of mercenaries. He is backed by the people of Shechem, who support his violent campaign with the intention of making him their king because he is their relative [רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Upon arriving, Abimelech slaughters his brothers on the spot. The victims of this sudden attack likely included young children [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The death toll is recorded as seventy men, though this figure actually includes Jotham, the one brother who escaped. In truth, sixty-nine brothers were killed. It is a common biblical practice to use a complete, rounded number to describe a group, even if one individual is missing from the final count [רד״ק, מצודת דוד].

Jotham, the youngest of the brothers, was the sole survivor of the tragedy. He managed to escape this fate solely because he found a secure place to hide and remained completely concealed [מצודת ציון]. Had he not successfully hidden himself from the attackers, the mob would certainly have killed him alongside the rest of his family [רלב״ג].