Judges 9:31
New International Version
Under cover he sent messengers to Abimelek, saying, “Gaal son of Ebed and his clan have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you.

New Living Translation
He sent messengers to Abimelech in Arumah, telling him, “Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to live in Shechem, and now they are inciting the city to rebel against you.

English Standard Version
And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you.

Berean Standard Bible
So he covertly sent messengers to Abimelech to say, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you.

King James Bible
And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.

New King James Version
And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, “Take note! Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem; and here they are, fortifying the city against you.

New American Standard Bible
So using deception, he successfully sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem; and behold, they are stirring up the city against you.

NASB 1995
He sent messengers to Abimelech deceitfully, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem; and behold, they are stirring up the city against you.

NASB 1977
And he sent messengers to Abimelech deceitfully, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem; and behold, they are stirring up the city against you.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he sent messengers to Abimelech deceitfully, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem; and behold, they are stirring up the city against you.

Amplified Bible
He sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem; and they are stirring up the city against you.

Christian Standard Bible
So he secretly sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, “Beware! Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are turning the city against you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So he sent messengers secretly to Abimelech, saying, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed, with his brothers, have come to Shechem and are turning the city against you.

American Standard Version
And he sent messengers unto Abimelech craftily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem; and, behold, they constrain the city to take part against thee.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he sent Messengers to Abimelek by treachery and said: “Behold, Gaal son of Aphar and his brothers came to Shekeem, and behold, they surround the city against you!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Jobel and his brethren are come to Sychem; and behold, they have besieged the city against thee.

Contemporary English Version
And so he sent some messengers to Abimelech. But they had to pretend to be doing something else, or they would not have been allowed to leave Shechem. Zebul told the messengers to say: Gaal the son of Ebed has come to Shechem along with his brothers, and they have persuaded the people to let Gaal rule Shechem instead of you.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And sent messengers privately to Abimelech, saying: Behold Gaal the son of Obed is come into Sichem with his brethren, and endeavoureth to set the city against thee.

English Revised Version
And he sent messengers unto Abimelech craftily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem; and, behold, they constrain the city to take part against thee.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He secretly sent messengers to Abimelech. "Watch out! Gaal (son of Ebed) and his brothers have come to Shechem. They have turned the city against you.

Good News Translation
He sent messengers to Abimelech at Arumah to say, "Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem, and they are not going to let you into the city.

International Standard Version
He sent messengers to Abimelech in secret and told him, "Look out! Ebed's son Gaal and his family have arrived here in Shechem. Watch out! They're stirring up the city against you.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And he sent messengers unto Abimelech in Tormah, saying: 'Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem; and, behold, they will incite the city against thee.

Literal Standard Version
and he sends messengers to Abimelech deceitfully, saying, “Behold, Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming into Shechem, and behold, they are fortifying the city against you;

Majority Standard Bible
So he covertly sent messengers to Abimelech to say, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you.

New American Bible
and sent messengers to Abimelech in Arumah to say, “Gaal, son of Ebed, and his kin have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you.

NET Bible
He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah, reporting, "Beware! Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you.

New Revised Standard Version
He sent messengers to Abimelech at Arumah, saying, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his kinsfolk have come to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you.

New Heart English Bible
He sent messengers to Abimelech in (Arumah), saying, "Look, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers are come to Shechem; and look, they constrain the city to take part against you.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he sent messengers to Abimelech privately, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed, and his brethren, are come to Shechem; and behold, they fortify the city against thee.

World English Bible
He sent messengers to Abimelech craftily, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem; and behold, they incite the city against you.

Young's Literal Translation
and he sendeth messengers unto Abimelech deceitfully, saying, 'Lo, Gaal son of Ebed and his brethren are coming into Shechem, and lo, they are fortifying the city against thee;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Fall of Shechem
30When Zebul the governor of the city heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he burned with anger. 31So he covertly sent messengers to Abimelech to say, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you. 32Now then, tonight you and the people with you are to come and lie in wait in the fields.…

Cross References
Judges 9:26
Meanwhile, Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and crossed into Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem put their confidence in him.

Judges 9:30
When Zebul the governor of the city heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he burned with anger.

Judges 9:32
Now then, tonight you and the people with you are to come and lie in wait in the fields.


Treasury of Scripture

And he sent messengers to Abimelech privately, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against you.

privily.

Jump to Previous
Abimelech Abim'elech Arumah Aru'mah City Constrain Cover Craftily Deceitfully Ebed Incite Kinsmen Messengers Part Privately Privily Relatives Shechem Stirring Working
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Abimelech Abim'elech Arumah Aru'mah City Constrain Cover Craftily Deceitfully Ebed Incite Kinsmen Messengers Part Privately Privily Relatives Shechem Stirring Working
Judges 9
1. Abimelech by conspiracy with the Shechemites, and murder of his brothers, is made king
7. Jotham by a parable rebukes them, and foretells their ruin
22. Gaal conspires with the Shechemites against him
30. Zebul reveals it
34. Abimelech overcomes them, and sows the city with salt
46. He burns the hold of the god Berith
50. At Thebez he is slain by a piece of a millstone
56. Jotham's curse is fulfilled.














(31) Privily.--The Hebrew is betormah, which may mean "to Tormah," or Arumah, where Abimelech was living (Judges 9:41). The word occurs nowhere else, and the versions differ (LXX., in secret; Cod. B, with gifts; Cod. A reading batherumah). Whether "craftily" be the right rendering or not, it is clear that the message was a secret one, for Zebul dissembled his anger until he was strong enough to throw off the mask.

They fortify.--Rather, perhaps, they tyrannise over the city because of thee.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So he covertly sent
וַיִּשְׁלַ֧ח (way·yiš·laḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

messengers
מַלְאָכִ֛ים (mal·’ā·ḵîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4397: A messenger, of God, an angel

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Abimelech
אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ (’ă·ḇî·me·leḵ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 40: Abimelech -- 'father is king', a Philistine name, also an Israelite name

to say,
לֵאמֹ֑ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Look,
הִנֵּה֩ (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

Gaal
גַ֨עַל (ḡa·‘al)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1603: Gaal -- probably a Canaanite

son
בֶּן־ (ben-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of Ebed
עֶ֤בֶד (‘e·ḇeḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5651: Ebed -- 'servant', two Israelites

and his brothers
וְאֶחָיו֙ (wə·’e·ḥāw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

have come
בָּאִ֣ים (bā·’îm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

to Shechem
שְׁכֶ֔מָה (šə·ḵe·māh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7927: Shechem -- 'ridge', a district in Northern Palestine, also a son of Hamor

and are stirring up
צָרִ֥ים (ṣā·rîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 6696: To confine, bind, besiege

the city
הָעִ֖יר (hā·‘îr)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

against you.
עָלֶֽיךָ׃ (‘ā·le·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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OT History: Judges 9:31 He sent messengers to Abimelech craftily saying (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 9:30
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