al fue. 1 CAnd Abimelech roſe up, and all the people
that were with him, by night, and they laid wait againſt hem in four companies.
m 5d) Gaal the ſon of Ebed went out, and ſtood
in the entring of the gate of the city « ; and Abime- lech roſe up, and the people that vere with him, from lving in wait. | my Po put his Army in order, and to ___ them againſt 45ime- ch, whom he ſuppoſed to be at a great diltance. |
30 And when Gaal ſaw the people, he ſaid to Zebul
x, Behold, there come peopledownfrom the top of the mountains. And Zebul faid unto him, Thou ſcelſt the
ſhadow of the mountains, as if they were men y.
x Who concealed the anger which he had conceived, v. 30. and pretended compliance wich him 1 this Excdition, that he migh. draw him forth into the Field where Abimelech might have the opp.r- runity of Fighting with him, and overthrowing him- y For in the Morning, as this was, and in the Evening, the ſhadows are longeſt, and move moſt quickly. He intimates, that he was afraid of ſhadows. . :
37 And Gaalſpake again, and faid, See, there come
people down by the + middle of the land z, and ano-
ther company come along by the plain of || Meonenim.
z Heb. By the navel of thy Land. So he calles, either Firſt, the middle of ir, as the middle part of Greece and of Sicily are called the navel of them, by the Roman Writers, becauſe the Navel is in the midſt of Man's Body : Or, Secondly» The higher part of it, cai- led the Mountains, v. 36- and here the navel, becauſe it was raiſed above the other Ground, as the Navel is above the reſt of the Body.
38 Then ſaid Zebul unto him, Where js now thy mouth P4 wherewith thou faidſt 5 Who 7zs Abimelech that we ſbould ſerve him ? 3s not this the people that thou haſt deſpiſed? Go out, I pray now, and fight -— Now thou betrayeſt thy fears, and therefore
w thy ſelf a man, and fight valiantly for thy elf and peopl-. ates nd Gaal went out before the men of Shechem,
ht with Abimelech. I Abimelech chaſed him, and he fled before
him b, and many were overthrown and wounded c,
» unto the entring of the gate. *” my Being ſurprized by the unexpected coming of 4imelech, and poſſibly not fully prepared for the encounter. c Being purſued and
overtaken by Abimelech.
41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah 4; and Zebul thruſt out Gaal and his brethren e, that they ſhould noc
dwell in Shechem. ;
4 He did not proſecute his Viftory, but retreated to Arumah, partly to ſeethe effeQ of this Fight, and whether the Shechemites would not of themſelves return to his Government, being either perſwaded by Z+bul upon this occaſion, or terrified by his ſtrengrh and valour, or new by his clemency in proceeding no further againſt them # and partly, that being hereby grown more ſecure, he might have the greater advantage againſt them, which accordingly he here makes uſe of, e Which he was inabled to do, becauſe the Mulritude,which is generally light and unſtable, and judgerh of all things by Events, were now enraged againſt Gaal, ſuſpeQing him guilty either of Treachery or Cowardize, or ill Condu& : and beſides, they thought the expulſion of Gaal would ſweeten and fatisfie Abimelech, and make him give over the War againſt theme But though they were offen- ded with Gaal, yet Zebu!'s intereſt was nor ſo conſiderable with them, that be could prevail with thzm either te kill Gaal and his Brethren, or to yield themſelves to Abimelech - and therefore he ill complies with the People, and waits for a fairer opportunity,though
In Vain. >» And it came to pals on the morrow, that the
Tegaraers of timess
lech,
UDGES
people went out into the field f, and they told Abime- |
q
Either, Firſt, to retew the Fight; and avenge themſelves for their laſt loſs, the great GOD hardening their hearts to their Deſtru&jon. and the accompliſhment of his Word delivered to them by Jor/-:1. But here is nor one word about the Peoples arming, or Reſiſting, or Fighting, as there was beforey ve 39. but only of their Slaughter, V- 43-44+ Or, Secondly, to their uſual, and then proper Imploy- ments about their Lands : for though their Vintage was paſt, the Seed-time was now come, ard other things were to be done in th: Fields. Or, Thirdly, upon ſome ſolemn occaſion, not here expreſ- fed; poſſibly ro make a tolemn Proceſſion, or perform ſome orher Rites 1n the Fields, to the honour of their god Baal-berith-as the man- ner of the Heathen was, ro make ſupplication to him for his help, and for better ſucceſs ; or only to go for that end to the houſe of their god Baal-berith, which is chought to have been in rhe Fields; as may ſeem from wv, 27, 46- on a Mountain upon the Eaſt ſide of the City.
43 And he took the people, and divided them into three companies g,and laid wait in the field,and looked, and behold, the people were come forth out of the city, and he role up againſt them and ſmote them.
g Whereof he kepr one with himſclf, v. 44. and put the reſt un- der other Commanders.
44 And Abimelech, and the company that was with Aim, ruſhed forward, and ſtood in the entring of the gate of the city þ, and the two other companies ran upon-all the people that were in the fields, and ſlew them.
h To prevent their Retreat into the City, and give the other two Companies opportunity to cut them off.
45 And Abimelech fought againſt the city all that day, and he took the city, and ſlew the people that
was therein, and beat down the city, and ſowed it a
with fale z.
; Not to make the place barrengas Alt will do, for then he would have ſowed the Fields, not the Ciry ; but in token of his deteftati- on and deſire of their utter and irrecoverable DeſtruQion : for Salt is the ſymboleor fign of Perpetuity; Compare Numb: 18: 19, Deut. 298 23. 2 Chron: +33 5+ Zeph; 2: 9.
46 4 And when all the men of the tower of She- chem k heard har, they entred into an hold of the houſe*of the god of Berith 7.