Judges 9:26
in Judges 9Meanwhile, Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and crossed into Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem put their confidence in him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him.
KJV
And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.
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This verse in Judges 9
Commentary
7 notes on this verseGaal the son of Ebed - Of this person we know no more than is here told. He was probably one of the descendants of the Canaanites, who hoped from the state of the public mind, and their disaffection to Abimelech, to cause a revolution, and thus to restore the ancient government as it was under Hamor, the father of Shechem.
This site's exposition
set liers in wait for him
on Judges 9:25-27
The town turns first by robbing the roads, which cuts off the tolls and traffic a ruler lives on. Gaal the son of Ebed arrives with a following and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him, the same confidence they had given Abimelech three years earlier. The cursing happens at the vintage feast inside the house of their god, so the break with Abimelech is sworn in the shrine that paid for him at verse 4.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
This Gaal is said to be the son of Ebed, which signifies a servant, perhaps denoting the meanness of his extraction. As Abimelech was by the mother's side, so he by the father's, the son of a servant.
Gaal - It is not known who he was; but it is evident, he was a man very considerable for wealth, and strength and interest; and ill-pleased with Abimelech's power.
And Gaal the son or Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem,.... Who this Gaal was, and who his brethren, and from whence he came, and the place he went over, are all uncertain.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Gaal . . . came with his brethren . . ., and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him--An insurrection of the original Canaanites, headed by this man, at last broke out in Shechem.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
It does not appear who Gaal, son of Ebed, was; he may have been an officer sent by Abimelech with a force to bring the men of Shechem back to their allegiance, but who tried to turn the rebellion to his own account. He got into Shechem with a band of men, “his brethren,” unopposed by Zebul, Abimelech’s officer, and soon gained the confidence of the Shechemites,
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּבֹ֞א | vaiyavo' | and he came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| גַּ֤עַל | gaal | Gaal | H1603 → | 9 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עֶ֙בֶד֙ | ʾeved | Ebed | H5651 → | 6 times |
| וְאֶחָ֔יו | veechav | and brothers his | H251 → | 630 times |
| וַיַּעַבְר֖וּ | vaiyaavru | and they passed on | H5674 → | 556 times |
| בִּשְׁכֶ֑ם | bishkhem | in Shechem | H7927 → | 63 times |
| וַיִּבְטְחוּ־ | vaiyivtechu- | and they trusted | H982 → | 120 times |
| ב֖וֹ | vo | in <the> him | ||
| בַּעֲלֵ֥י | baalei | [the] citizens of | H1167 → | 84 times |
| שְׁכֶֽם׃ | shekhem | Shechem | H7927 → | 63 times |
וַיָּבֹ֞אand he came
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
גַּ֤עַלGaal
gaalH1603 →9 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
עֶ֙בֶד֙Ebed
ʾevedH5651 →6 times
וְאֶחָ֔יוand brothers his
veechavH251 →630 times
וַיַּעַבְר֖וּand they passed on
vaiyaavruH5674 →556 times
בִּשְׁכֶ֑םin Shechem
bishkhemH7927 →63 times
וַיִּבְטְחוּ־and they trusted
vaiyivtechu-H982 →120 times
ב֖וֹin <the> him
vo
בַּעֲלֵ֥י[the] citizens of
baaleiH1167 →84 times
שְׁכֶֽם׃Shechem
shekhemH7927 →63 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 13:8So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no contention between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen. After all, we are brothers.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 6:6–7
Instead, one brother goes to law against another, and this in front of unbelievers!
- Acts 7:26
The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’
- Psalms 133:1
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!
- 1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
- 2 Peter 1:7
and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
- 1 Corinthians 6:6–7
Through
Genesis 19:7“Please, my brothers,” he pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing!
it leads to
- Leviticus 20:13
If a man lies with a man as with a woman, they have both committed an abomination. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
- Jude 1:7
In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who sustain the punishment of eternal…
- Romans 1:24
Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another.
- Leviticus 20:13
About Judges
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.