Gaal
Encyclopedia
Gaal is a minor 12th century BCE biblical character, introduced in the 9th chapter of Judges
in the Bible
as the son of Ebed
. His story is told in Judges 9:26-41. Gaal had occupied Shechem
and boasted to Zebul
, the ruler of Shechem, that he could defeat Abimelech
. Zebul warned Abimelech of Gaal's plans and offered a plan to defeat Gaal. Abimelech defeated Gaal and drove him back to the gates of Shechem. Zebul subsequently drove Gaal and his remaining kinsmen from Shechem altogether. He is not mentioned thereafter in the Bible.
Book of Judges
The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Hebrew bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its title describes its contents: it contains the history of Biblical judges, divinely inspired prophets whose direct knowledge of Yahweh allows them to act as decision-makers for the Israelites, as...
in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
as the son of Ebed
Ebed
Ebed can refer to:* Ebed , biblical figure, father of Gaal* Obid, Slovakian village and municipality...
. His story is told in Judges 9:26-41. Gaal had occupied Shechem
Shechem
Shechem was a Canaanite city mentioned in the Amarna letters, and is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as an Israelite city of the tribe of Manasseh and the first capital of the Kingdom of Israel...
and boasted to Zebul
Zebul
Zebul , ruler of Shechem under AbimelechHe informed his master of the intention of the people of Shechem to transfer their allegiance to the Hivite tribe of Hamor. This led to Abimelech's destroying the city, when he put its entire population to the sword, and sowed the ruins with salt.Another...
, the ruler of Shechem, that he could defeat Abimelech
Abimelech
Abimelech was a common name of the Philistine kings.Abimelech was most prominently the name of a king of Gerar who is mentioned in two of the three wife-sister narratives in Genesis...
. Zebul warned Abimelech of Gaal's plans and offered a plan to defeat Gaal. Abimelech defeated Gaal and drove him back to the gates of Shechem. Zebul subsequently drove Gaal and his remaining kinsmen from Shechem altogether. He is not mentioned thereafter in the Bible.