Bible Strands
Judges 9:28
Then 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?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Gaal son of Ebed addresses the Shechemites during a post-harvest festival where they are openly cursing Abimelech. He questions their loyalty to Abimelech and his officer Zebul while advocating for allegiance to Hamor’s descendants.
The words — The supplied original words highlight מִֽי (mi) as "who?" and בֶּן (ben) as "son of." בֶּן grammatically links Gaal to Ebed, while the verse later uses a different term for Hamor’s relationship to Shechem.
The thread — The Shechem-Hamor lineage appears in Genesis 34:2 and Genesis 34:6, where Hamor is identified as Shechem’s father. The rhetorical "Who is...?" structure parallels 1 Samuel 25:10, where Nabal dismisses David’s authority.
Why it lands — The text demands a direct assessment of political legitimacy by contrasting inherited status with actual service. It forces a reader to evaluate whether authority warrants obedience or merely provokes public contempt.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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?
Cross-references
- 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.
- 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 34:6 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 tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So the Israelites went home,
- 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. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”