Then Zebul said to him, “Now where is your mouth, that you said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Isn’t this the people that you have despised? Please go out now and fight with them.”
Parallel Translations
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Then Zebul said to him, “Now where is your mouth, that you said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Isn’t this the people that you have despised? Please go out now and fight with them.”
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Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.
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Then said Zebul unto him: 'Where is now thy mouth, that thou saidst: Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out now, I pray, and fight with them.'
Cross-references (4)
Passages linked to Judges 9:38 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Judges 9:28-29 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? I wish that this people were under my hand! Then I would remove Abimelech.” He said to Abimelech, “Increase your army and come out!”
- 2 Samuel 2:26-27 Then Abner called to Joab, and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Don’t you know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long will it be then, before you ask the people to return from following their brothers?” Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone away, and not each followed his brother.”
- 2 Kings 14:8-14 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let’s look one another in the face.” Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife. Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by, and trampled down the thistle. You have indeed struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Enjoy the glory of it, and stay at home; for why should you meddle to your harm, that you fall, even you, and Judah with you?’ ” But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. Judah was defeated by Israel; and each man fled to his tent. Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. He took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in Yahweh’s house and in the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.
- Jeremiah 2:28 “But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble; for you have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (10 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Jdg 9:38 Then said Zebul unto him, Where [is]…
Jdg 9:38 Then said Zebul unto him, Where [is] now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who [is] Abimelech, that we should serve him? [is] not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.
Ver. 38. Where is now thy mouth?] Thy bubbles of words, thy thrasonical boastings? Now play the man, and fight the approaching enemy, or thou art shamed for ever.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Thy mouth, i.e. thy brags. Now thou betrayest thy…
Thy mouth, i.e. thy brags. Now thou betrayest thy fears; and therefore now show thyself a man, and fight valiantly for thyself and people.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem,....…
And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem,.... At the head of them, to meet Abimelech, having gathered together as many, and put them in as good order, as he could, and the time would admit of:
and fought with Abimelech; without the city.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Where is now, &c. - Now shew thyself a…
Where is now, &c. - Now shew thyself a man, and fight valiantly for thyself and people.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Jdg 9:38-40. Then said Zebul, Where is now thy…
Jdg 9:38-40. Then said Zebul, Where is now thy mouth, &c. — Now show thyself a man, and fight valiantly for thyself and the people. And he fled — Being surprised by the unexpected coming of Abimelech, and probably not fully prepared for the encounter.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 38. Thy mouth — Zebul now suddenly flings off…
38. Thy mouth — Zebul now suddenly flings off the mask, and upbraids Gaal for his recent swaggering and his present apparent cowardice, and provokes him to go forth to the battle, in which he is miserably defeated.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 38. thy mouth] i.e. thy boastful mockery; cf. Isa_57:4,…
38. thy mouth] i.e. thy boastful mockery; cf. Isa_57:4, Psa_35:21, Job_16:10.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (38) Where is now thy mouth . . .?—“Mouth”…
(38) Where is now thy mouth . . .?—“Mouth” here means boastfulness. This is usually taken as a bitter taunt, as though Zebul could now safely throw off his deceitful acquiescence in Gaal’s plans. It may be so, for the narrative gives us no further details; but unless Zebul was in some way secured by his own adherents from Gaal’s immediate vengeance, it seems better to take it as a sort of expostulation against Gaal’s past rashness.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Then said Zebul, etc. Zebul now throws off the…
Then said Zebul, etc. Zebul now throws off the mask, and dares Gaal to carry out his boast in ver. 28.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 See how you translated this name in Judges 9:28.
Zebul
See how you translated this name in Judges 9:28.
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Where are your proud words now, you
Zebul is scolding Gaal with this rhetorical question. AT: "You are not speaking proudly now, you" or "You are not proud now, you" (See: Rhetorical Question)
you who said, 'Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?'
Zebul is quoting Gaal's boast back to Gaal. This can be translated as a statement and as an indirect quote. AT: "you who said that we should not serve Abimelech." (See: Rhetorical Question and Direct and Indirect Quotations)
Are these not the men you despised?
Zebul is challenging Gaal with this rhetorical question. This question can be translated as a statement. AT: "Here are the men that you despised." (See: Rhetorical Question)
despised
strongly disliked or hated
Gaal
See how you translated this name in Judges 9:26.
Many fell with deadly wounds
This is an idiom. AT: "And many men died of wounds" (See: Idiom)
translationWords
proud
Abimelech
servant
Shechem
gate
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.