English Standard Version
Judges 9:37
37Gaal spoke again and said, "Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming from the direction of the Diviners' Oak."
Judges 9:37 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.
- New International Version (NIV)But Gaal spoke up again: “Look, people are coming down from the central hill, and a company is coming from the direction of the diviners’ tree.”
- New King James Version (NKJV)So Gaal spoke again and said, “See, people are coming down from the center of the land, and another company is coming from the Diviners’ Terebinth Tree.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)But again Gaal said, “No, people are coming down from the hills. And another group is coming down the road past the Diviners’ Oak.”
Context of Judges 9:37
35And Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city, and Abimelech and the people who were with him rose from the ambush. 36And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the mountaintops!" And Zebul said to him, "You mistake the shadow of the mountains for men." Gaal spoke again and said, "Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming from the direction of the Diviners' Oak." 38Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your mouth now, you who said, 'Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?' Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight with them." 39And Gaal went out at the head of the leaders of Shechem and fought with Abimelech.
Read all of Judges 9Judges 9:37 word by word
וַיֹּ֨סֶף ע֣וֹד גַּעַל֮ לְדַבֵּר֒ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר הִנֵּה־עָם֙ יֽוֹרְדִ֔ים מֵעִ֖ם טַבּ֣וּר הָאָ֑רֶץ וְרֹאשׁ־אֶחָ֣ד בָּ֔א מִדֶּ֖רֶךְ אֵל֥וֹן מְעוֹנְנִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Gaalגַּ֫עַלga‛al · GaalH1603
- spakeדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
- againיָסַףyâsaph · to add: againH3254
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- See there comeיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
- peopleעַם‛am · people: soldiersH5971
- by the middleטַבּוּרţabbûr · highestH2872
- of the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- and anotherאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
- companyרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: groupH7218
- comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- along by the plainאֵלוֹן'êlôn · (Diviners') OakH436
- ofדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: directionH1870
- Meonenimעָנַן‛ânan · Diviners' (Oak)H6049
Cross-references for Judges 9:37
Commentaries on Judges 9:37
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 37By the plain of Meonenim - Some translate, by the way of the oaks, or oaken groves; others, by the way of the magicians, or regarders of the times, as in our margin. Probably it was a place in which augurs and soothsayers dwelt.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 37The plain of Meonenim - Translate “the oak of the soothsayers” (see the margin). Some well-known oak, so called, but which is not mentioned elsewhere.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 30-49Verses 30-49 Abimelech intended to punish the Schechemites for slighting him now, but God punished them for their serving him formerly in the murder of Gideon's sons. When God uses men as instruments in his hand to do his work, he means one thing, and they another. That, which they hoped would have been for their welfare, proved a snare and a trap, as those will certainly find, who run to idols for shelter; such will prove a refuge of lies. (Jdg 9:50-57)Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 30-41The second plot, like the first (Judges 9:22–25), was stopped by an informer, likely an official appointed by the absent Abimelech. Zebul suggested a bold morning ambush, planning to lure Gaal and his followers into the open country for a confrontation. The plan succeeded. Due to his boasting and possibly Zebul’s mocking challenge, Gaal and his men ventured out, only to be driven from town by the loyal Zebul, who acted to cleanse the city.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 28-4528-45. 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.Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 9:37
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Judges 9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- Darby Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
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