but Abimelech pursued him, and Gaal fled before him. And many Shechemites fell wounded all the way to the entrance of the gate.
Parallel translations
- WEB Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many fell wounded, even to the entrance of the gate.
- KJV And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.
- NKJV And Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him; and many fell wounded, to the very entrance of the gate.
- NASB But Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him; and many fell wounded up to the entrance of the gate.
- NLT But Abimelech chased him, and many of Shechem’s men were wounded and fell along the road as they retreated to the city gate.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Abimelech routs Gaal, who flees as many of his men fall wounded. Gaal's revolt is crushed in a single battle.
Overview
Abimelech drives Gaal back to the city gate, leaving the field strewn with the wounded. The would-be liberator proves powerless. As God repays evil with evil among these violent men, the reader sees divine justice grinding forward even through ungodly conflict.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- 1 Kgs 20:18–21“If they have marched out in peace,” he said, “take them alive. Even if they have marched out for war, take them alive.”
- 1 Kgs 20:30The rest of them fled into the city of Aphek, where the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled to the city and hid in an inner room.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 9:40 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.