Judges 9:41
in Judges 9Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
KJV
And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
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This verse in Judges 9
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
And Abimelech chased him, and he fled
on Judges 9:40-41
The fighting ends where it began, at the gate, and the wounded fall in the entering of it. Abimelech does not go into the city; he pulls back to Arumah and leaves Zebul to expel Gaal and his brethren, which keeps the town standing for another day. What comes next shows that the restraint was timing.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
) they thought themselves in no danger from him, and then the issue of it is an instance of sudden destruction coming upon those that cry, Peace and safety.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Thrust out - It seems the same night. Probably the multitude, which is generally light and unstable, were now enraged against Gaal, suspecting him of cowardice or ill-conduct.
And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah,....
Most people judge of men's fitness for business by their success, and he that does not speed well is concluded not to do well. Well, Gaal's interest in Shechem is soon at an end, and he that had talked of removing Abimelech is himself removed, nor do we ever hear of him any more.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The consequence was that he allowed himself to be drawn into an ambush, was defeated, the city of Shechem destroyed and strewn with salt. The people took refuge in the stronghold, which was set on fire, and all in it perished.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב | vaiyeshev | and he dwelt | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ | ʾavimelekh | Abimelech | H40 → | 66 times |
| בָּארוּמָ֑ה | barumah | at <the> Arumah | H725 → | |
| וַיְגָ֧רֶשׁ | vaygaresh | and he drove out | H1644 → | 46 times |
| זְבֻ֛ל | zevul | Zebul | H2083 → | 6 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| גַּ֥עַל | gaal | Gaal | H1603 → | 9 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֶחָ֖יו | ʾechav | brothers his | H251 → | 630 times |
| מִשֶּׁ֥בֶת | mishevet | from dwelling | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| בִּשְׁכֶֽם׃ | bishkhem | at Shechem | H7927 → | 63 times |
וַיֵּ֥שֶׁבand he dwelt
vaiyeshevH3427 →1079 times
אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְAbimelech
ʾavimelekhH40 →66 times
בָּארוּמָ֑הat <the> Arumah
barumahH725 →
וַיְגָ֧רֶשׁand he drove out
vaygareshH1644 →46 times
זְבֻ֛לZebul
zevulH2083 →6 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
גַּ֥עַלGaal
gaalH1603 →9 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
אֶחָ֖יוbrothers his
ʾechavH251 →630 times
מִשֶּׁ֥בֶתfrom dwelling
mishevetH3427 →1079 times
בִּשְׁכֶֽם׃at Shechem
bishkhemH7927 →63 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 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
Judges 9:28Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? You are to…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 25:10
But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters.
- Genesis 34:2
When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.
- Genesis 34:6
Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor came to speak with Jacob.
- 1 Kings 12:16
When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your…
- 2 Samuel 20:1
Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son.…
- 1 Samuel 25:10
About Judges
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; 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 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.