Gaal

Biblical Account

Gaal appears only in Judges 9:26–41. Apart from his father's name, Ebed, Scripture records nothing about his origins or family.

Abimelech, the son of Gideon (Jerubbaal), became king with the backing of the men of Shechem and reigned over Israel for three years (Judges 9:22). Afterward God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, and relations between the two sides broke down (Judges 9:23). Around this time Gaal came to Shechem with his brothers, and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him (Judges 9:26).

After gathering their grapes, the men of Shechem held a feast in the house of their god and cursed Abimelech. There Gaal declared, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him?" Dismissing Abimelech as merely the son of Jerubbaal, he urged them instead to serve the descendants of Hamor, the forefather of Shechem. He also boasted that if this people were under his hand, he would remove Abimelech (Judges 9:27–29).

When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard these words, he was angered and secretly sent messengers to Abimelech, advising him to lie in wait by night and attack the city at sunrise (Judges 9:30–33). The next morning, as Gaal stood at the entrance of the city gate, Abimelech's forces rose from their ambush. When Gaal said that people were coming down from the mountaintops, Zebul brushed the warning aside, saying, "Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men." As the troops drew near, Zebul taunted him for having despised Abimelech—"Where is now thy mouth?"—and pressed him to go out and fight (Judges 9:36–38).

Gaal led the men of Shechem out to battle but was defeated and fled. Zebul then drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem (Judges 9:39–41). Scripture does not record what became of Gaal afterward. Abimelech went on to attack and destroy Shechem (Judges 9:42–45).

Significance Within Scripture

Judges 9 interprets the mutual destruction of Abimelech and the men of Shechem as God's repayment of their wickedness and the fulfillment of the curse of Jotham (Judges 9:20, 9:56–57). Gaal's revolt is presented as one link in this chain of events.

The Hamor whom Gaal mentions is generally understood to be Hamor the father of Shechem, who appears in Genesis 34. Abimelech had originally become king by appealing to his blood ties with the men of Shechem (Judges 9:2). Gaal, by contrast, stressed that Abimelech was the son of Jerubbaal in an attempt to turn the men of Shechem against him. Gaal is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretations and Debates

• Origins: The text does not say where Gaal came from. Some interpreters, citing his call to serve the descendants of Hamor, suggest that he played on the sentiments of Shechem's older Canaanite population. This view, however, is an inference drawn from the text.
• Name: "Ebed" is identical to the Hebrew word for "servant." Some commentators therefore detect a disparaging nuance in his designation, reading it as "son of a servant." It has also been noted that the father's name appears with slight variations in different ancient manuscripts and versions.
• Moral readings: Because Gaal, for all his boasting, collapsed in actual battle, his story is often read as an illustration of the gap between words and deeds or as a warning against pride. Some interpreters also see providence in the overall movement of chapter 9, in which God brought judgment through strife among the wicked themselves.
• Extrabiblical additions: Gaal's end is not recorded in Scripture. Accounts claiming that he died or later appeared elsewhere have no basis in the text.

In the Korean Church

Gaal is mentioned chiefly in expository preaching on Judges or in sermons on the Abimelech narrative. In such contexts Zebul's words, "Where is now thy mouth?" (Judges 9:38), are sometimes quoted as a warning against empty bravado.