Judges 9 · Verse 28

Judges 9:28

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?
Judges 9:28, King James Version

Judges 9:28 in other translations

BSBThen 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?
WEBGaal the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Isn’t he the son of Jerubbaal? Isn’t Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem, but why should we serve him?
ASVAnd 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 ye the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: but why should we serve him?
YLTAnd Gaal son of Ebed saith, ‘Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we serve him? is he not son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his commander? Serve ye the men of Hamor father of Shechem, and wherefore do we serve him--we?
DARBYAnd Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is he not the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his overseer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem! and why should we serve him?
BBEAnd Gaal, the son of Ebed, said, Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we are to be his servants? Is it not right for the son of Jerubbaal and Zebul his captain to be servants to the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem? But why are we to be his servants?
WebsterAnd 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?

What does Judges 9:28 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 9:28-45
28-45. would to God this people were under my hand--He seems to have been a boastful, impudent, and cowardly person, totally unfit to be a leader in a revolutionary crisis. The consequence was that he allowed himself to be drawn into an ambush, was defeated, the city of Shechem destroyed and strewn with salt. The people took refuge in the stronghold, which was set on fire, and all in it perished.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 28 Zebul his officer - פקידו pekido, his overseer; probably governor of Shechem in his absence.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Judges 9:22-29

Abimelech is seated in the throne his father refused. But how long does this glory last? Stay but three years, and see the bramble withered and burned. The prosperity of the wicked is short and fickle. The Shechemites are plagued by no other hand than Abimelech's. They raised him unjustly to the throne; they first feel the weight of his sceptre.

Read the full comment on Judges 9:22-29 →

Judges 9:28 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר\׀vai.Yo.merand he saidH559
גַּ֣עַלGa.'alGaalH1603
בֶּן\־ben-[the] son ofH1121
עֶ֗בֶד'E.vedEbedH5651
מִֽי\־mi-who?H4310
אֲבִימֶ֤לֶךְ'a.vi.Me.lekh[is] AbimelechH40
וּמִֽי\־u.mi-and who?H4310
שְׁכֶם֙she.Khem[is] ShechemH7927
כִּ֣יkithatH3588
נַעַבְדֶ֔נּוּna.'av.De.nuwe will serve himH5647
הֲלֹ֥אha.Lo'¿ notH3808
בֶן\־ven-[is he] [the] son ofH1121
יְרֻבַּ֖עַלye.ru.Ba.'alJerub-BaalH3378
וּזְבֻ֣לu.ze.Vuland [is] Zebul?H2083
פְּקִיד֑וֹpe.ki.Dodeputy hisH6496
עִבְד֗וּ'iv.DuserveH5647
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
אַנְשֵׁ֤י'an.Shei[the] men ofH582
חֲמוֹר֙cha.mOrHamorH2544
אֲבִ֣י'a.Vi[the] father ofH1
שְׁכֶ֔םshe.KhemShechemH7927
וּמַדּ֖וּעַu.ma.Du.a'and why?H4069
נַעַבְדֶ֥נּוּna.'av.De.nuwill we serve himH5647
אֲנָֽחְנוּ\׃'a.Na.che.nuweH587

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Judges 9:28

  • 1 Samuel 25:10

    And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.

  • Genesis 34:2

    And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

  • Genesis 34:6

    And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.

  • 1 Kings 12:16

    So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.

  • 2 Samuel 20:1

    And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Who is Abimelech.
1Sa 25:10; 2Sa 20:1; 1Ki 12:16
Hamor.
Ge 34:2,6

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Judges 9:27

    And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.

  • Judges 9:28

    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?

  • Judges 9:29

    And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.

Read all of Judges 9

Judges 9:28 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y Gaal hijo de Ebed dijo: ¿Quién es Abimelech y qué es Sichêm, para que nosotros á él sirvamos? ¿no es hijo de Jerobaal? ¿y no es Zebul su asistente? Servid á los varones de Hemor padre de Sichêm: mas ¿por qué habíamos de servir á él?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et Gaal, fils d’Ébed, dit: Qui est Abimélec, et qui est Sichem, que nous le servions? N’est-il pas fils de Jerubbaal? et Zebul n’est-il pas son lieutenant? Servez les hommes de Hamor, père de Sichem! Mais nous, pourquoi le servirions-nous?
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und Gaal, der Sohn Ebeds, sprach: Wer ist Abimelech und wer Sichem, daß wir ihm dienen sollten? Ist er nicht der Sohn Jerub-Baals, und Sebul sein Statthalter? Dienet den Männern Hemors, des Vaters von Sichem! denn warum sollten wir ihm dienen?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
clamante Gaal filio Obed: Quis est Abimelech, et quæ est Sichem, ut serviamus ei? numquid non est filius Jerobaal, et constituit principem Zebul servum suum super viros Emor patris Sichem? cur ergo serviemus ei?