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Christian Standard Bible ®

Judges 9:37

Then Gaal spoke again, “Look, troops are coming down from the central part of the land, and one unit is coming from the direction of the Diviners’ Oak.”

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Conspiracy;   Gaal;   Judge;   Meonenim;   Zebul;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Gaal;   Jotham;   Shechem;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Abimelech;   Shechem;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Divination;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ambush;   Gaal;   Meonenim;   Shechem;   Zebul;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Baal (2);   Gaal;   Grove;   Meonenim, the Oak of;   Plains;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Abimelech;   Diviner's Oak;   Ebed;   Elon;   Gaal;   Judges, Book of;   Meonenim, Plain of;   Navel;   Zebul;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Government;   Israel;   Judges (1);   Levi;   Meonenim, Oak of;   Ophrah;   Palestine;   Shalman;   Shechem;   Zebul;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ebed;   Gaal ;   Meonenim ;   Shechem ;   Zebul ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Gaal;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Meon'enim;   Plains;   She'chem;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Augurs' Oak;   Company;   Meonenim, Oak of;   Oak;   Plain;   Zebul;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Augury;   Divination;   Groves and Sacred Trees;   Oak and Terebinth;   Tree-Worship;   Witchcraft;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Ga`al spoke again and said, Behold, there come people down by the middle of the land, and one company comes by the way of the oak of Me`onenim.
King James Version
And Gaal spake again, and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.
Lexham English Bible
And Gaal spoke again and said, "Look, people are coming down from Tabbur-erez, and one division is coming from the direction of Elon-meonenim."
English Standard Version
Gaal spoke again and said, "Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming from the direction of the Diviners' Oak."
New Century Version
But again Gaal said, "Look, there are people coming down from the center of the land, and there is a group coming from the fortune-tellers' tree!"
New English Translation
Gaal again said, "Look, men are coming down from the very center of the land. A unit is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners."
Amplified Bible
Gaal spoke again and said, "Look! People are coming down from the highest part of the land, and one company is coming by way of the sorcerers' oak tree."
New American Standard Bible
And Gaal spoke yet again and said, "Look, people are coming down from the highest part of the land, and one unit is coming by way of the diviners' oak."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Gaal spake againe, and said, See, there come folke downe by the middle of the land, and another bande commeth by the way of the plaine of Meonenim.
Legacy Standard Bible
Maar Gaäl hou aan en sê: Kyk, daar kom mense van die hoogste punt van die land af, en een deel kom uit die rigting van die eik van die towenaar.
Contemporary English Version
"But Zebul, look over there," Gaal said. "There's a crowd coming down from the sacred mountain, and another group is coming along the road from the tree where people talk with the spirits of the dead."
Complete Jewish Bible
Ga‘al said again, "Look, there are men coming down from the main hill in the land, and one group is coming on the road from the Fortuneteller's Oak.
Darby Translation
And Gaal spoke again, and said, Behold, people are coming down from the high part of the land, and one company is coming along by the way of the Magician's oak.
Easy-to-Read Version
But again Gaal said, "Look, there are some people coming down from that place over there by Land's Navel. And there! I saw someone's head over by Magician's Tree."
George Lamsa Translation
And Gaal spoke again and said, Behold, there are people coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming along from the way of the house of the oak of Meaonin.
Good News Translation
Gaal said again, "Look! There are men coming down the crest of the mountain and one group is coming along the road from the oak tree of the fortunetellers!"
Literal Translation
And Gaal spoke again and said, Behold, people are coming down from the high part of the land, and one company is coming by the way of the Sorcerers' Oak.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Gaal spake yet more and sayde: Beholde, there commeth a people downe from ye myddes of the londe, & one bonde of men cometh by the waye to ye witch Oke.
American Standard Version
And Gaal spake again and said, See, there come people down by the middle of the land, and one company cometh by the way of the oak of Meonenim.
Bible in Basic English
And Gaal said again, See! people are coming down from the middle of the land, and one band is coming by way of the oak-tree of the Seers.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Gaal aunswered agayne, & sayd: See, there come folke downe by ye middle of the land, & another company come along by the playne of the charmars.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Gaal spoke again and said: 'See, there come people down by the middle of the land, and one company cometh by the way of Elon-meonenim.'
King James Version (1611)
And Gaal spake againe, and said, See, there come people downe by the middle of the land, and another companie come along by the plaine of Meonenim.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Gaal continued to speak and said, Behold, a people comes down westward from the part bordering on the middle of the land, and another company comes by the way of Helon Maonenim.
English Revised Version
And Gaal spake again and said, See, there come people down by the middle of the land, and one company cometh by the way of the oak of Meonenim.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Gaal spoke up again, "Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming by way of the Diviners' Oak."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And eft Gaal seide, Lo! a puple cometh doun fro the myddis of erthe, `that is, fro the hiynesse of hillis, and o cumpeny cometh bi the weie that biholdith the ook.
Young's Literal Translation
And Gaal addeth yet to speak, and saith, `Lo, people are coming down from the high part of the land, and another detachment is coming by the way of the oak of Meonenim.'
Update Bible Version
And Gaal spoke again and said, See, people are coming down by the middle of the land, and one company comes by the way of the Psychics' Oak.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
World English Bible
Gaal spoke again and said, Behold, there come people down by the middle of the land, and one company comes by the way of the oak of Meonenim.
New King James Version
So Gaal spoke again and said, "See, people are coming down from the center of the land, and another company is coming from the Diviners' [fn] Terebinth Tree."
New Living Translation
But again Gaal said, "No, people are coming down from the hills. And another group is coming down the road past the Diviners' Oak."
New Life Bible
Gaal spoke again, saying, "See, men are coming down from the highest part of the land. One group is coming on the way from the oak tree of those who tell the future."
New Revised Standard
Gaal spoke again and said, "Look, people are coming down from Tabbur-erez, and one company is coming from the direction of Elon-meonenim."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then did Gaal yet further speak, and say - Lo! people coming down from the highest part of the land, - and one company, coming in by way of the Conjurers' Terebinth.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Again Gaal said: Behold, there cometh people down from the midst of the land, and one troop cometh by the way that looketh towards the oak.
Revised Standard Version
Ga'al spoke again and said, "Look, men are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming from the direction of the Diviners' Oak."
THE MESSAGE
Then he said again, "Look at the troops coming down off Tabbur-erez (the Navel of the World)—and one company coming straight from the Oracle Oak."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Gaal spoke again and said, "Behold, people are coming down from the highest part of the land, and one company comes by the way of the diviners' oak."

Contextual Overview

22When Abimelech had ruled over Israel three years, 23God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem. They treated Abimelech deceitfully, 24so that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood would be avenged on their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him kill his brothers. 25The citizens of Shechem rebelled against him by putting men in ambush on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed everyone who passed by them on the road. So this was reported to Abimelech. 26Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and crossed into Shechem, and the citizens of Shechem trusted him. 27So they went out to the countryside and harvested grapes from their vineyards. They trampled the grapes and held a celebration. Then they went to the house of their god, and as they ate and drank, they cursed Abimelech. 28Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem that we should serve him? Isn’t he the son of Jerubbaal, and isn’t Zebul his officer? You are to serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve Abimelech? 29If only these people were in my power, I would remove Abimelech.” So he said to Abimelech, “Gather your army and come out.” 30When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was angry. 31So he secretly sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, “Beware! Gaal son of Ebed, with his brothers, have come to Shechem and are turning the city against you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

middle: Heb. navel

Meonenim: or, the regarders of the times, Deuteronomy 18:14

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 38:12 - midst

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Gaal spake again, and said,.... Looking towards the mountains, and taking another view of what he before saw, for further satisfaction:

see, there come people down by the middle of the land; either in the valley between the two mountains; or rather those he first saw on the top of the mountains were now come down about the middle of them, called in the Hebrew text the navel, from the prominence of the mountains thereabout, or because the navel is in the middle of the body, as this part of them was the middle on which he saw them. R. Isaiah interprets it, between the two cities:

and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim; of which we read nowhere else. Montanus renders it, "the oak of Meonenim"; or of the soothsayers; oaks being had in great esteem with idolaters for their oracles and divinations; and perhaps this was a place, whether an oak or, a plain, where such persons used to meet to make their divinations.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The plain of Meonenim - Translate “the oak of the soothsayers” (see the margin). Some well-known oak, so called, but which is not mentioned elsewhere.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 37. By the plain of Meonenim. — Some translate, by the way of the oaks, or oaken groves; others, by the way of the magicians, or regarders of the times, as in our margin. Probably it was a place in which augurs and soothsayers dwelt.


 
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