Discovery BoxJudges 9:34-40 
Context9:34 So Abimelech and all his men came up 1 at night and set an ambush outside Shechem – they divided into 2 four units. 9:35 When Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance to the city’s gate, Abimelech and his men got up from their hiding places. 9:36 Gaal saw the men 3 and said to Zebul, “Look, men are coming down from the tops of the hills.” But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadows on the hills – it just looks like men.” 4 9:37 Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center 5 of the land. A unit 6 is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.” 7 9:38 Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words, 8 ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men 9 you insulted? 10 Go out now and fight them!” 9:39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out 11 and fought Abimelech. 9:40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal 12 ran from him. Many Shechemites 13 fell wounded at the entrance of the gate.
1 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him arose.”
2 tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
3 tn Heb “the people” (also in vv. 38, 43, 48). These were warriors, so “men” has been used in the translation, since in ancient Israelite culture soldiers would have been exclusively males.
4 tn Heb “the shadow on the hills you are seeing, like men.”
5 tn Heb “navel.” On the background of the Hebrew expression “the navel of the land,” see R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 178-79.
6 tn Heb “head.”
7 tn Some English translations simply transliterated this as a place name (Heb “Elon-meonenim”); cf. NAB, NRSV.
8 tn Heb “is your mouth that says.”
9 tn Heb “the people.”
10 tn Or “despised.”
11 tn Heb “So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem.”
12 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gaal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 tn The word “Shechemites” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarification.
