Judges 9:22-49

The Conspiracy of Gaal Judges 9:22-49

22 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,
23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:
24 That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren,
25 And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.
26 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.
27 And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.
28 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?
29 And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.
30 And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.
31 And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.
32 Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field:
33 And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.
34 And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.
35 And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait.
36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.
37 And Gaal spoke again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.
38 Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.
39 And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.
41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
42 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.
43 And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.
44 And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them.
45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.
46 And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into a hold of the house of the god Berith.
47 And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
48 And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.
49 And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

9.

Why did God send an evil spirit? Judges 9:23

God allowed Satan to try Job (Job 1), and in the days of Abimelech He allowed an evil spirit to come between Abimelech and his wicked colleagues. God, Himself, is not the author of evil. He does not tempt any man to sin; and He, Himself, is not tempted with evil. Men are drawn away by their own lusts; and lust, when it conceives, brings forth sin. These evil-minded men were full of evil passions and lusts. These lusts erupted in a rebellion which brought death and destruction on all concerned. God allowed this evil spirit to come between Abimelech and those with whom he had been associated in order that He might avenge the wicked deeds done against the house of Gideon.

10.

Why did the men rob travelers? Judges 9:25

These liers-in-wait may have been trying to catch Abimelech himself. Abimelech was told about these culprits. More than likely, however, these highway robbers were set to discredit the government of Abimelech. The people would become uneasy when it was unsafe to travel. They would look for new leadership to rid their country of this threat. In this way, those who opposed Abimelech hoped to depose him.

11.

Who was Gaal? Judges 9:26

Gaal is described as a son of Ebed. The word ebed means servant. He may have been a man of common birth. He was evidently not of the descendants of Gideon in any way. Some manuscripts have a different Hebrew word which is transliterated as eber. Eber is known as the father of the Jews, the one giving them the name of Hebrews; but the greater weight of evidence is for the leaving of the word ebed. He appears to be a brigand who was ready to sell his services to the highest bidder.

12.

Who was Hamor? Judges 9:28

Hamor is known as the father of Shechem (Genesis 33:19). It was this man who arranged for the marriage of his son with Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. The point made by Gaal is that the family of Abimelech is an outside family. The real heritage of these people was rooted in Canaanitish origins. Gaal appears to have encouraged the old line family of Shechem to rise up against Abimelech, a late-comer, who was thrust upon the scene in Shechem by Gideon's cohabiting with his concubine who lived there.

13.

Who was Zebul? Judges 9:30

Zebul is described in various ways in this passage of the book of Judges. The name itself signifies one who is exalted. He is called the ruler of the city in this verse. This phrase in the Hebrew is translated as the governor of the city in 1 Kings 22:26 and elsewhere. We might describe him as the mukhtar, the commandant of the town. He is also called the pakidh, officer or deputy of Abimelech. Zebul exercised rule for Abimelech in Shechem since Abimelech lived in Arumah (Judges 9:41). Gaal's appeal was for the people of Shechem to throw off the yoke of Abimelech and his deputy. He urged them to elect someone of their own rank to be their leader. Undoubtedly, he was hoping they would make him the new captain.

14.

Where was Meonenim? Judges 9:37

In some versions this proper name is translated and indicates an oak of a diviner or soothsayer. Undoubtedly, it was a place which had received a name because of some wizard having lived there. It helped the people to identify the location of those who were attacking the city since a part of them came down the valley in the middle of the land. The rest of them came from a different direction. It was necessary for those who defended the city to make preparations to meet both parties.

15.

Where was Arumah? Judges 9:41

Arumah must have been a spot in the neighborhood of Shechem. Eusebius suggested that it was Rouma, which was named Remphis in his day; but this site is in the neighborhood of Lydda and quite far distant and rather inaccessible to Shechem. The root of the word is the same one which is elsewhere translated as height and would signify a city built on a high place which would be easy to defend. Since there are two great heights, Ebal and Gerizim, in the immediate vicinity of Shechem and others are not far distant, Abimelech may have chosen to reside on one of these, Arumah, while leaving the government of the community of Shechem in the hands of Zebul, his deputy.

16.

What was Abimelech's strategy? Judges 9:43-44

Abimelech divided his forces into three companies. Some of them were to attack those who were in the city, and others were to cut off the men of Shechem who were in the field. They waited until the people in Shechem went out into the field. This reference implies that the people were going out to work in their crops and not to go to battle against Abimelech. Some of Abimelech's army would cut off those who were outside the city; still others would take their station by the city gate to stop the retreat of the Shechemites as they sought to return into their city. Thus, they were able to fall upon all who were in the field and slay them. When Abimelech had fought against the city all day, he took it; and when he had slain all the people in it, he destroyed the city. To show his indignation for the city, he spread salt throughout it. Such an act was symbolic and signified that the city was to be barren.

17.

Who was the god Berith? Judges 9:46

Berith was a god of the covenant. The people of Shechem had sold themselves to the service of this false god. When Abimelech took the city, the people fled to the temple of this god; probably not so much-' to defend themselves as to seek sanctuary there. They must have felt Abimelech would not attack a holy place, but Abimelech did not allow this to stop him. He cut down branches of trees and commanded his soldiers to do the same. When they had laid these against the stronghold of the temple area, they set fire to it. In this way, they destroyed about a thousand men and women of Shechem and made their victory complete.

18.

Where was Mount Zalmon? Judges 9:48

Mount Zalmon was the height where Abimelech and his followers gathered wood with which they burned down the stronghold of the house of Baal-berith. The mountain was not far from the city, therefore, but there is no name of the place surviving today in the vicinity. Some commentators suggest that the modern Aramaic name of Mount Ebal, es-Sulemiyeh, may be a derivative of the ancient name of Zalmon. Mount Ebal is just north of the valley in which this settlement of Shechem lies, and it would be natural for Abimelech and his people to go to that height in order to lie in wait over the city. The name occurs again in Psalms 68:14.