Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 9:35
And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that [were] with him, from lying in wait.
Verse 35. Stood in the entering of the gate] Having probably got some intimation of the designs of Zebul and Abimelech.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Stood in the entering of the gate of the city, to put his army in order, and to conduct them against Abimelech, whom he supposed to be at a great distance.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And Gaul the son or Ebed went out,…. He rose up early that morning, being a man of vigilance and activity, and perhaps had some intelligence of the preparations of Abimelech, his design against the city, though he did not expect he was so near at hand:
and stood in the entering of the gate of the city; to see whether the guards were on their duty within, and whether he could observe any thing without, any approaching danger:
and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait; came out of their ambush, and appeared just as Gaul was at the gate.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When Gaal went out in the morning with his retinue upon some enterprise, which is not more clearly defined, and stood before the city gate, Abimelech rose up with his army out of the ambush. On seeing this people, Gaal said to Zebul (who must therefore have come out of the city with him): “ Behold, people come down from the tops of the mountains. ” Zebul replied, for the purpose of deceiving him and making him feel quite secure, “ Thou lookest upon the shadow of the mountains as men. ”
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(35) Stood in the entering of the gate of the city.This was the ordinary station of kings, judges, &c.; but Gaal only seems to have gone there in order to keep a look-out (Jos. 20:4).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘ And Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city, and Abimelech rose up, and the people who were with him from the ambush.’
When the gates of the city were opened next morning Gaal went out to survey the position, not expecting that his enemy was already near. He had his men at the ready within the city (Jdg 9:39). But the opening of the gates was the signal for the attack, so Abimelech and his men rose from their ambush to approach the city quickly before the gates could be closed against them.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 9:35 And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that [were] with him, from lying in wait.
Ver. 35. And stood in the entering of the gate of the city. ] To see what he could discover of the enemy: and had he been as valiant as he was vigilant, it might have gone better with him and his partisans.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gaal: Of this person we know no more than is here recorded. He was probably one of the descendants of the Canaanites, who hoped, from the state of the public mind and their disaffection to Abimelech, to cause a revolution, and thus to restore the ancient government as it was under Hamor, the father of Shechem. Josephus says he was a man of authority, who sojourned with them, with his armed men and kinsmen; and that the Shechemites desired that he would allow them a guard during the vintage.
the people: Jdg 9:44
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 9:35-36. Gaal went out and stood To put his army in order, and to conduct them against Abimelech, whom he supposed to be at a great distance. He said to Zebul Who concealed the anger which he had conceived, (Jdg 9:30,) and pretended compliance with him in this expedition, that he might draw him forth into the field, where Abimelech might have the opportunity of fighting with him, and overthrowing him. The shadow For in the morning, as this was, and in the evening, the shadows are longest, and move quickest.