Verse 34
On receiving this intelligence, Abimelech rose up during the night with the people that were with him, i.e., with such troops as he had, and placed four companies (“heads” as in Jdg 7:16) in ambush against Shechem.
Verses 35-36
When Gaal went out in the morning with his retinue upon some enterprise, which is not more clearly defined, and stood before the city gate, Abimelech rose up with his army out of the ambush. On seeing this people, Gaal said to Zebul (who must therefore have come out of the city with him): “Behold, people come down from the tops of the mountains.” Zebul replied, for the purpose of deceiving him and making him feel quite secure, “Thou lookest upon the shadow of the mountains as men.”
Verse 37
But Gaal said again, “Behold, people come down from the navel of the land,” i.e., from the highest point of the surrounding country, “and a crowd comes by the way of the wizard's terebinths,” - a place in the neighbourhood of Shechem that is not mentioned anywhere else, and therefore is not more precisely known.
Verse 38
Then Zebul declared openly against Gaal, and reproached him with his foolhardy speech, whilst Abimelech was drawing nearer with his troops: “Where is thy mouth now with which thou saidst, Who is Abimelech? Is not this the people that thou hast despised? Go out now and fight with him!”
Verses 39-40
Then Gaal went out “before the citizens of Shechem;” i.e., not at their head as their leaders, which is the meaning of לפני in Gen 33:3; Exo 13:21; Num 10:35, etc., - for, according to Jdg 9:33-35, Gaal had only gone out of the town with his own retinue, and, according to Jdg 9:42, Jdg 9:43, the people of Shechem did not go out till the next day, - but “in the sight of the lords of Shechem,” so that they looked upon the battle. But the battle ended unfortunately for him. Abimelech put him to flight (רדף as in Lev 26:36), and there fell many slain up to the gate of the city, into which Gaal had fled with his followers.
Verse 41
Abimelech did not force his way into the city, but remained (ישׁב, lit. sat down) with his army in Arumah, a place not mentioned again, which was situated, according to Jdg 9:42, somewhere in the neighbourhood of Shechem. It cannot possibly have been the place called Ῥουμὰ ἡ καὶ Ἄριμα in the Onom. of Eusebius, which was named Ῥέμφις in his day, and was situated in the neighbourhood of Diospolis (or Lydda). Zebul, however, drove Gaal and his brethren (i.e., his retinue) out of Shechem.
Verses 42-43
The next day the people of Shechem went into the field, apparently not to make war upon Abimelech, but to work in the field, possibly to continue the
