Judges 9:28-29

Context
9:28 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?¹ Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech?² 9:29 If only these men³ were under my command,⁴ I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech,⁵ “Muster⁶ your army and come out for battle!”⁷

[9:28] ¹tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”

[9:28] ²tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:29] ³tn Heb “people.”

[9:29] ⁴tn Heb “in my hand.”

[9:29] ⁵tn Heb “said to Abimelech.” On the other hand, the preposition ל (lamed) prefixed to the proper name may be vocative (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178). If so, one could translate, “He boasted, ‘Abimelech…’”

[9:29] ⁶tn Heb “Make numerous.”

[9:29] ⁷tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.