Judges 9:26

THE MESSAGE

At that time Gaal son of Ebed arrived with his relatives and moved into Shechem. The leaders of Shechem trusted him. One day they went out into the fields, gathered grapes in the vineyards, and trod them in the winepress. Then they held a celebration in their god's temple, a feast, eating and drinking. And then they started putting down Abimelech.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and crossed into Shechem, and the citizens of Shechem trusted him.

Hebrew Names Version
Ga`al the son of `Eved came with his brothers, and went over to Shekhem; and the men of Shekhem put their trust in him.

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
And Gaal son of Ebel and his relatives came, and they crossed over into Shechem, and the lords of Shechem gave him confidence.

English Standard Version
And Gaal the son of Ebed moved into Shechem with his relatives, and the leaders of Shechem put confidence in him.

New Century Version
A man named Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers moved into Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem trusted him.

New English Translation
Gaal son of Ebed came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him.

Amplified Bible
Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his relatives, and moved into Shechem; and the leaders of Shechem trusted him.

New American Standard Bible
Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his relatives, and crossed over into Shechem; and the leaders of Shechem trusted him.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Gaal the sonne of Ebed came with his brethren, and they went to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

Legacy Standard Bible
Toe kom Gaäl, die seun van Ebed, met sy broers en hulle trek oor na Sigem toe; en die burgers van Sigem het op hom vertrou.

Contemporary English Version
One day, Gaal son of Ebed went to live in Shechem. His brothers moved there too, and soon the leaders of Shechem started trusting him.

Complete Jewish Bible
Ga‘al the son of a slave came with his brothers and went on to Sh'khem, and the men of Sh'khem put their trust in him.

Darby Translation
And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem; and the citizens of Shechem put confidence in him.

Easy-to-Read Version
A man named Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers moved to the city of Shechem. The leaders of the city of Shechem decided to trust and follow Gaal.

George Lamsa Translation
And Gaal the son of Epar came with his brothers, and went over to Shechem; and the lords of Shechem put their confidence in him.

Good News Translation
Then Gaal son of Ebed came to Shechem with his brothers, and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

Literal Translation
And Gaal, the son of Ebed, and his brothers came. And they passed on into Shechem. And the leaders of Shechem trusted in him.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But there came Gaal the sonne of Ebed and his brethren, and entred into Sichem, and the men of Sichem put their trust in him,

American Standard Version
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.

Bible in Basic English
Then Gaal, the son of Ebed, came with his brothers, and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their faith in him.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Gaal the sonne of Obed came with his brethren, and they gat them to Sichem: and the men of Sichem put their confidence in him.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went on to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him.

King James Version (1611)
And Gaal the sonne of Ebed came with his brethren, and went ouer to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Gaal son of Jobel came, and his brethren, and passed by Sicima, and the men of Sicima trusted in him.

English Revised Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
Meanwhile, Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and crossed into Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem put their confidence in him.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe Gaal, `the sone of Obed, cam with his britheren, and passide in to Siccima; at whos entryng the dwelleris of Sichem weren reisid, and yeden out `in to feeldis,

Young's Literal Translation
And Gaal son of Ebed cometh -- also his brethren -- and they pass over into Shechem, and the masters of Shechem trust in him,

Update Bible Version
And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers, and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers, and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him.

New King James Version
Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

New Living Translation
One day Gaal son of Ebed moved to Shechem with his brothers and gained the confidence of the leading citizens of Shechem.

New Life Bible
Now Gaal the son of Ebed moved with his family into Shechem. And the men of Shechem put their trust in him.

New Revised Standard
When Gaal son of Ebed moved into Shechem with his kinsfolk, the lords of Shechem put confidence in him.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Gaal son of Ebed came, with his brethren, and they passed through to Shechem, - and the owners of Shechem put their trust in him.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Gaal, the son of Obed, came with his brethren, and went over to Sichem. And the inhabitants of Sichem, taking courage at his coming,

Revised Standard Version
And Ga'al the son of Ebed moved into Shechem with his kinsmen; and the men of Shechem put confidence in him.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his relatives, and crossed over into Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him.

Contextual Overview

²²Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years. Then God brought bad blood between Abimelech and Shechem's leaders, who now worked treacherously behind his back. Violence boomeranged: The murderous violence that killed the seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal, was now loose among Abimelech and Shechem's leaders, who had supported the violence. ²⁵ To undermine Abimelech, Shechem's leaders put men in ambush on the mountain passes who robbed travelers on those roads. And Abimelech was told. ²⁶At that time Gaal son of Ebed arrived with his relatives and moved into Shechem. The leaders of Shechem trusted him. One day they went out into the fields, gathered grapes in the vineyards, and trod them in the winepress. Then they held a celebration in their god's temple, a feast, eating and drinking. And then they started putting down Abimelech. ²⁸Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is this Abimelech? And who are we Shechemites to take orders from him? Isn't he the son of Jerub-Baal, and isn't this his henchman Zebul? We belong to the race of Hamor and bear the noble name of Shechem. Why should we be toadies of Abimelech? If I were in charge of this people, the first thing I'd do is get rid of Abimelech! I'd say, ‘Show me your stuff, Abimelech—let's see who's boss here!'" ³⁰Zebul, governor of the city, heard what Gaal son of Ebed was saying and got angry. Secretly he sent messengers to Abimelech with the message, "Gaal son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem and are stirring up trouble against you. Here's what you do: Tonight bring your troops and wait in ambush in the field. In the morning, as soon as the sun breaks, get moving and charge the city. Gaal and his troops will come out to you, and you'll know what to do next." ³⁴Abimelech and his troops, four companies of them, went up that night and waited in ambush approaching Shechem. Gaal son of Ebed had gotten up and was standing in the city gate. Abimelech and his troops left their cover. When Gaal saw them he said to Zebul, "Look at that, people coming down from the tops of the mountains!" Zebul said, "That's nothing but mountain shadows; they just look like men." Gaal kept chattering away. ³⁷ 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." ³⁸ Zebul said, "Where is that big mouth of yours now? You who said, ‘And who is Abimelech that we should take orders from him?' Well, there he is with the troops you ridiculed. Here's your chance. Fight away!" ³⁹Gaal went out, backed by the leaders of Shechem, and did battle with Abimelech. Abimelech chased him, and Gaal turned tail and ran. Many fell wounded, right up to the city gate. ⁴¹ Abimelech set up his field headquarters at Arumah while Zebul kept Gaal and his relatives out of Shechem.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

brethren: Genesis 13:8, Genesis 19:7

Cross-References

Genesis 9:1
God blessed Noah and his sons: He said, "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth! Every living creature—birds, animals, fish—will fall under your spell and be afraid of you. You're responsible for them. All living creatures are yours for food; just as I gave you the plants, now I give you everything else. Except for meat with its lifeblood still in it—don't eat that.

Genesis 27:37
Isaac answered Esau, "I've made him your master, and all his brothers his servants, and lavished grain and wine on him. I've given it all away. What's left for you, my son?"

Deuteronomy 33:26
There is none like God, Jeshurun, riding to your rescue through the skies, his dignity haloed by clouds. The ancient God is home on a foundation of everlasting arms. He drove out the enemy before you and commanded, "Destroy!" Israel lived securely, the fountain of Jacob undisturbed In grain and wine country and, oh yes, his heavens drip dew.

Psalms 144:15
How blessed the people who have all this! How blessed the people who have God for God!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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. Jarchi thinks he was a Gentile, and it looks, by some speeches of his afterwards, as if he was a descendant of Hamor, prince of Shechem, in the times of Jacob, who, since the expulsion of the Canaanites, his family had retired to some distant parts; but hearing of a difference between Abimelech and the Shechemites, Gaal, with some of the family, came over, perhaps over Jordan, to make what advantage he could of it:

and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him; freely told him their mind, the ill opinion they had of Abimelech, and what was their design against him; and he assuring them he would take their part, and defend them to the uttermost, they depended on him, and therefore very securely went about their business in the fields, as follows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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,

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 26. Gaal 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.