JDG 9:28 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Then Gaal (Ebed’s son) said, “Who’s Abimelek, and who’s Shekem, that we should serve him? Isn’t Abimelek Gideon’s son, and Zebul is his deputy? Serve the descendants of Shekem’s father Hamor, but why should we serve Abimelek?

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Καὶ εἶπε Γαὰλ υἱὸς Ἰωβὴλ, τίς ἐστιν Ἀβιμέλεχ, καὶ τίς ἐστιν υἱὸς Συχὲμ, ὅτι δουλεύσομεν αὐτῷ; οὐχ υἱὸς Ἱεροβάαλ, καὶ Ζεβοὺλ ἐπίσκοπος αὐτοῦ, δοῦλος αὐτοῦ σὺν τοῖς ἀνδράσιν Ἐμμὼρ πατρὸς Συχέμ; καὶ τί ὅτι δουλεύσομεν αὐτῷ ἡμεῖς;
(Kai eipe Gaʼal huios Yōbaʸl, tis estin Abimeleⱪ, kai tis estin huios Suⱪem, hoti douleusomen autōi; ouⱪ huios Hierobaal, kai Zeboul episkopos autou, doulos autou sun tois andrasin Emmōr patros Suⱪem; kai ti hoti douleusomen autōi haʸmeis; )

BrTr And Gaal the son of Jobel said, Who is Abimelech, and who is the son of Sychem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerobaal, and is not Zebul his steward, his servant with the son of Emmor the father of Sychem? and why should we serve him?

ULT Then Gaal, the son of Ebed, said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal and Zebul his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve him, ourselves?

UST Gaal said, “We should not allow Abimelech to rule over us! He is only one of Gideon’s sons, so he really does not belong to us! And he appointed Zebul, the governor of our city, to be his deputy! We should be loyal to one of the descendants of Hamor, the founder of our city, to be our leader, not Abimelech!

BSB § Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? You are to serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve Abimelech?

OEB No OEB JDG book available

WEBBE Gaal the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Isn’t he the son of Jerubbaal? Isn’t Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem, but why should we serve him?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul the deputy he appointed? Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech?

LSV And Gaal son of Ebed says, “Who [is] Abimelech, and who [is] Shechem, that we serve him? Is [he] not son of Jerubba‘al? And his commander Zebul? The men of Hamor father of Shechem serve you, and why do we serve him—we?

FBV “Who is this Abimelech?” asked Gaal, son of Ebed. “And who is Shechem, that we should have to serve him? Isn't he the son of Jerub-baal, while Zebul is actually the one in charge? You should serve the family of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we have to serve Abimelech?

T4T Gaal said, “◄Why should we allow Abimelech to rule over us?/We should not allow Abimelech to rule over us!► [RHQ] He is only one of Gideon’s sons so he really does not belong to us [RHQ]! And he appointed Zebul, the governor of our city, to be his deputy! We should ◄serve/be loyal to► one of the descendants of Hamor, the founder of our city, and let him be our leader, not Abimelech [RHQ]!

LEB Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who are we of Shechem that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul his chief officer?[fn] Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem. Why should we serve him?[fn]

9:28 Or “overseer”

9:28 That is, Abimelech

BBE And Gaal, the son of Ebed, said, Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we are to be his servants? Is it not right for the son of Jerubbaal and Zebul his captain to be servants to the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem? But why are we to be his servants?

Moff No Moff JDG book available

JPS And Gaal the son of Ebed said: 'Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve ye the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him?

ASV And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve ye the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: but why should we serve him?

DRA And Gaal the son of Obed cried: Who is Abimelech, and what is Sichem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerobaal, and hath made Zebul his servant ruler over the men of Emor the father of Sichem? Why then shall we serve him?

YLT And Gaal son of Ebed saith, 'Who [is] Abimelech, and who [is] Shechem, that we serve him? is [he] not son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his commander? Serve ye the men of Hamor father of Shechem, and wherefore do we serve him — we?

Drby And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is he not the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his overseer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem! and why should we serve him?

RV And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve ye the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: but why should we serve him?

Wbstr And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him; is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?

KJB-1769 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?

KJB-1611 And Gaal the sonne of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serue him? Is not he the sonne of Ierubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serue the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serue him?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation))

Bshps And Gaal the sonne of Obed sayde: what is Abimelech? & what is Sichem, that we shoulde serue him? Is he not the sonne of Ierobaal? & Zebul is his officer? Serue such as come of Hemor the father of Sichem: for what reason is it that we shoulde serue him?
(And Gaal the son of Obed said: what is Abimelech? and what is Sichem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Yerobaal? and Zebul is his officer? Serve such as come of Hemor the father of Sichem: for what reason is it that we should serve him?)

Gnva Then Gaal the sonne of Ebed sayde, Who is Abimelech? and who is Shechem, that wee should serue him? Is he not the sonne of Ierubbaal? and Zebul is his officer? Serue rather the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serue him?
(Then Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech? and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Yerubbaal? and Zebul is his officer? Serve rather the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him? )

Cvdl And Gaal ye sonne of Ebed sayde: Who is Abimelech? and what is Sichem, that we shulde serue him? Is he not the sonne of Ierubaal, and hath set Sebul his seruaut ouer the men of Hemor the father of Sichem? Wherfore shulde we serue him?
(And Gaal ye/you_all son of Ebed said: Who is Abimelech? and what is Sichem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Yerubaal, and hath/has set Sebul his servant over the men of Hemor the father of Sichem? Wherefore should we serve him?)

Wycl the sone of Obed, criede, Who is this Abymelech? And what is Sichem, that we serue hym? Whether he is not the sone of Jerobaal, and made Zebul his seruaunt prince on the men of Emor, fadir of Sichem? Whi therfor schulen we serue hym?
(the son of Obed, cried, Who is this Abymelech? And what is Sichem, that we serve him? Whether he is not the son of Yerobaal, and made Zebul his servant prince on the men of Emor, father of Sichem? Whi therefore should we serve him?)

Luth Und Gaal, der Sohn Ebeds, sprach: Wer ist Abimelech? und was ist Sichem, daß wir ihm dienen sollten? Ist er nicht Jerubbaals Sohn und hat Sebul, seinen Knecht, hergesetzt über die Leute Hemors, des Vaters Sichems? Warum sollten wir ihm dienen?
(And Gaal, the/of_the son Ebeds, spoke: Who is Abimelech? and what/which is Sichem, that we/us him dienen sollten? Is he not Yerubbaals son and has Sebul, his Knecht, hergesetzt above the Leute Hemors, the father Sichems? Warum sollten we/us him dienen?)

ClVg clamante Gaal filio Obed: Quis est Abimelech, et quæ est Sichem, ut serviamus ei? numquid non est filius Jerobaal, et constituit principem Zebul servum suum super viros Emor patris Sichem? cur ergo serviemus ei?
(clamante Gaal filio Obed: Who it_is Abimelech, and which it_is Sichem, as serviamus ei? is_it not/no it_is son Yerobaal, and constituit principem Zebul servum his_own over men Emor of_the_father Sichem? cur therefore serviemus ei? )

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

מִֽי־אֲבִימֶ֤לֶךְ וּ⁠מִֽי־שְׁכֶם֙ כִּ֣י נַעַבְדֶ֔⁠נּוּ הֲ⁠לֹ֥א בֶן־יְרֻבַּ֖עַל וּ⁠זְבֻ֣ל פְּקִיד֑⁠וֹ

who? ʼAⱱīmelek and,who Shekem that/for/because/then/when serve,him ?,not son_of Yərubaˊal/(Jerubbaal) and,Zebul officer,his

Gaal is using the question form for emphasis. If a speaker of your language would not use the question form for that purpose, you could translate these questions as statements or exclamations. Alternate translation: [We should not serve Abimelek, even though he is from Shechem! After all, he is the son of Jerubbaal! And Zebul is just somebody he appointed.]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

מִֽי־אֲבִימֶ֤לֶךְ וּ⁠מִֽי־שְׁכֶם֙ כִּ֣י נַעַבְדֶ֔⁠נּוּ

who? ʼAⱱīmelek and,who Shekem that/for/because/then/when serve,him

Gaal is using the name Shechem by association to mean Abimelek, probably because Abimelek is from Shechem. Alternate translation: [Who is Abimelek? Who is this man from Shechem, that we should serve him?]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

מִֽי־אֲבִימֶ֤לֶךְ וּ⁠מִֽי־שְׁכֶם֙ כִּ֣י נַעַבְדֶ֔⁠נּוּ

who? ʼAⱱīmelek and,who Shekem that/for/because/then/when serve,him

The first two phrases mean basically the same thing. Gaal is referring to the same person by the names Abimelek and Shechem. However, there is a slight difference in meaning. The second phrase makes a mild concession, indicating that perhaps there is some basis to serve Abimelek, since he is from the city of Shechem and his mother is related to the people who live there. (In 9:3, the people of the city say of Abimelek, “He is our brother,” meaning “our kinsman.”) You may wish to indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: [Why should we serve Abimelek, even though he is from Shechem?]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

נַעַבְדֶ֔⁠נּוּ

serve,him

Gaal is using the pronoun we to refer to himself and his listeners, so use the inclusive form of that word if your language marks that distinction.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

הֲ⁠לֹ֥א בֶן־יְרֻבַּ֖עַל

?,not son_of Yərubaˊal/(Jerubbaal)

Gaal is implicitly suggesting a reason why the people of Shechem should not serve Abimelek. His point is that Abimelek is the son of somebody outside their people group, an Israelite. Gaal may be using the name Jerubbaal instead of Gideon to make a further point, that Abimelek’s father opposed the worship of Baal, while the people of Shechem are devoted to Baal. You could indicate this explicitly in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [He is the son of Jerubbaal, an Israelite who opposed the worship of Baal]

Note 6 topic: writing-participants

וּ⁠זְבֻ֣ל פְּקִיד֑⁠וֹ

and,Zebul officer,his

The author could have indicated in 9:22, when he briefly described Abimelek’s reign, that Abimelek appointed a man named Zebul as his deputy to govern Shechem whenever he was not present there. However, the author is instead reporting what Gaal said at this festival as a way of introducing Zebul as a new participant in the story. If this would not be clear to your readers, you could explain in a footnote that Zebul was a man whom Abimelek had appointed to govern Shechem whenever he himself was away from the city.

Note 7 topic: translate-names

וּ⁠זְבֻ֣ל

and,Zebul

The word Zebul is the name of a man.

Note 8 topic: translate-plural

עִבְד֗וּ אֶת־אַנְשֵׁ֤י חֲמוֹר֙

serve DOM men_of Ḩₐmōr

Gaal may be using the plural form men to indicate what the people of Shechem should regularly do. However, on this occasion, he means that they should serve a specific descendant of Hamor, their ancestor, instead of Abimelek. Alternate translation: [You should always be serving one of the descendants of Hamor] or [You should be serving a fellow descendant of Hamor instead]

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

אֲבִ֣י שְׁכֶ֔ם

father_of Shekem

While a man named Hamor had literally been the father of a man named Shechem (Genesis 34:2), Gaal probably means that Hamor was the ancestor of the people who lived in Shechem. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [the founder of Shechem] or [the ancestor of the people of Shechem]

Note 10 topic: writing-pronouns

וּ⁠מַדּ֖וּעַ נַעַבְדֶ֥⁠נּוּ אֲנָֽחְנוּ

and,why serve,him we

For emphasis, Gaal is stating a pronoun whose meaning is already present in the verb translated serve. The ULT translates this stated pronoun with the intensive pronoun ourselves. Gaal seems to be drawing an explicit contrast between the people of Shechem and Abimelek in terms of ancestry. Alternate translation: [But why should we, who are descendants of Hamor, serve Abimelek, who is an Israelite?]

Note 11 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

וּ⁠מַדּ֖וּעַ נַעַבְדֶ֥⁠נּוּ אֲנָֽחְנוּ

and,why serve,him we

Gaal is using the question form for emphasis. If a speaker of your language would not use the question form for that purpose, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: [But we ourselves should not serve Abimelek!]

Parallel JDG 9:28