A Troublemaker Leads to Downfall We know nothing about Gaal except what appears in this passage in the book of Judges. Though the text often mentions him as the son of Ebed, Scripture tells us nothing about his father either. What we do know is that Gaal moves with his family to the town of […]
Jotham Curses Abimelek and Runs Away When Abimelek returns home to murder his seventy brothers, only Jotham (1), the youngest one, survives. He hides to escape execution. When Jotham learns the people of Shechem have made his half-brother their king, he climbs a mountain. From this lofty position, he shouts to them. He shares a […]
A Legacy of Evil Abimelek (2) is the son of Gideon (also called Jerub-Baal). The Bible first lists his mother as Gideon’s concubine and later as his slave. Either way, the boy has a less-than-ideal start to life. But this does not excuse his behavior as an adult. He could have risen above the circumstances […]