Person Old Testament
Gaal
Gaal, the son of Ebed, led a revolt against Abimelech, the ruler of Shechem, but was defeated and driven out of the city. Mentioned in 9 verses across 1 book, first at Judges 9:26.
Why it matters. Son of Ebed; led a revolt against Abimelech.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Gaal
Gaal, the son of Ebed, appears in Judges 9 as the leader of a revolt against Abimelech, the ruler of Shechem. After Abimelech had ruled Shechem for three years, Gaal arrived in the city and gained the trust of the people (Jdg.9.26-29). He challenged Abimelech's authority and encouraged the people to follow him instead. When Abimelech was informed of Gaal's actions, he devised a plan to attack the city (Jdg.9.30-33). Gaal and his followers went out to fight against Abimelech but were defeated and driven out of Shechem (Jdg.9.34-41). Abimelech then destroyed the city and scattered salt over it, symbolizing its complete destruction (Jdg.9.45). The story of Gaal's failed revolt illustrates the internal conflicts and power struggles that occurred during the period of the judges in Israel.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Parents
- Ebed
Appears in Scripture
Named in 9 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.