Judges 9:28
in Judges 9Then 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 serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve Abimelech?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve ye the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: but why should we serve him?
KJV
And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?
⋯
This verse in Judges 9
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThis he might speak sincerely, as being himself a Canaanite and Shechemite, and possibly came from one of those little ones whom Simeon and Levi spared when they slew all the grown males, Gen. xxxiv, 29. And it may be that he was one of the royal blood, a descendent of Hamor, who hereby sought to insinuate himself into the government, as it follows, ver. 29.
This site's exposition
Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem
on Judges 9:28-29
Gaal tells the town to "serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem," calling up Genesis 33:19 and 34. Hamor's house is the family Simeon and Levi destroyed. He calls Abimelech "the son of Jerubbaal," and makes it a reason for a Baal-berith town to be rid of him.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
(2.) Of his good father likewise, Gideon: Is not he the son of Jerubbaal? So he calls him, perhaps in an impious indignation at his name and memory for throwing down the altar of Baal, turning that to his reproach which was his praise.
), for perhaps, if he had complimented and caressed him now that things were in this ferment, he might have gained him to his interest; but he, being disobliged, sends notice to Abimelech of all that was said and done in Shechem against him,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And Gaal the son of Ebed said,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
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.
Zebul his officer - פקידו pekido, his overseer; probably governor of Shechem in his absence.
The words behind it
24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר׀ | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| גַּ֣עַל | gaal | Gaal | H1603 → | 9 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עֶ֗בֶד | ʾeved | Ebed | H5651 → | 6 times |
| מִֽי־ | mi- | who? | H4310 → | 423 times |
| אֲבִימֶ֤לֶךְ | ʾavimelekh | [is] Abimelech | H40 → | 66 times |
| וּמִֽי־ | umi- | and who? | H4310 → | 423 times |
| שְׁכֶם֙ | shekhem | [is] Shechem | H7927 → | 63 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נַעַבְדֶ֔נּוּ | naavdenu | we will serve him | H5647 → | 288 times |
| הֲלֹ֥א | halo' | ¿ not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| בֶן־ | ven- | [is he] [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יְרֻבַּ֖עַל | yerubaal | Jerub-Baal | H3378 → | 14 times |
| וּזְבֻ֣ל | uzevul | and [is] Zebul? | H2083 → | 6 times |
| פְּקִיד֑וֹ | pekido | deputy his | H6496 → | |
| עִבְד֗וּ | ʾivdu | serve | H5647 → | 288 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אַנְשֵׁ֤י | ʾanshei | [the] men of | H582 → | 566 times |
| חֲמוֹר֙ | chamor | Hamor | H2544 → | |
| אֲבִ֣י | ʾavi | [the] father of | H1 → | 1212 times |
| שְׁכֶ֔ם | shekhem | Shechem | H7927 → | 63 times |
| וּמַדּ֖וּעַ | umadua' | and why? | H4069 → | 72 times |
| נַעַבְדֶ֥נּוּ | naavdenu | will we serve him | H5647 → | 288 times |
| אֲנָֽחְנוּ׃ | ʾanachenu | we | H587 → | 120 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר׀and he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
גַּ֣עַלGaal
gaalH1603 →9 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
עֶ֗בֶדEbed
ʾevedH5651 →6 times
מִֽי־who?
mi-H4310 →423 times
אֲבִימֶ֤לֶךְ[is] Abimelech
ʾavimelekhH40 →66 times
וּמִֽי־and who?
umi-H4310 →423 times
שְׁכֶם֙[is] Shechem
shekhemH7927 →63 times
כִּ֣יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
נַעַבְדֶ֔נּוּwe will serve him
naavdenuH5647 →288 times
הֲלֹ֥א¿ not
halo'H3808 →5168 times
בֶן־[is he] [the] son of
ven-H1121 →4930 times
יְרֻבַּ֖עַלJerub-Baal
yerubaalH3378 →14 times
וּזְבֻ֣לand [is] Zebul?
uzevulH2083 →6 times
פְּקִיד֑וֹdeputy his
pekidoH6496 →
עִבְד֗וּserve
ʾivduH5647 →288 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אַנְשֵׁ֤י[the] men of
ʾansheiH582 →566 times
חֲמוֹר֙Hamor
chamorH2544 →
אֲבִ֣י[the] father of
ʾaviH1 →1212 times
שְׁכֶ֔םShechem
shekhemH7927 →63 times
וּמַדּ֖וּעַand why?
umadua'H4069 →72 times
נַעַבְדֶ֥נּוּwill we serve him
naavdenuH5647 →288 times
אֲנָֽחְנוּ׃we
ʾanachenuH587 →120 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
2 Samuel 20:1Now 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.…
it leads to
- 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…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 13:13
that wicked men have arisen from among you and have led the people of their city astray, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” (which you have not known),
- 1 Kings 12:16
Through
1 Kings 12:16When 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…
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 10:16
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…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 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.…
- Jeremiah 23:5–6
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
- 1 Kings 22:36
As the sun was setting, the cry rang out in the army: “Every man to his own city, and every man to his own land!”
- Jeremiah 33:15–16
In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout for David a righteous Branch, and He will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
- 2 Chronicles 10:16
Through
Genesis 34:2When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.
it leads to
- Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
- Matthew 5:28
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
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 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; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.