When Zebul, the city commissioner, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was furious.

Abimelech went back to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.

Gaal saw the men and said to Zebul, “Look, men are coming down from the tops of the hills.” But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadows on the hills – it just looks like men.”

Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men you insulted? Go out now and fight them!”