Gaal (Hebrew:גַּעַל) is a minor biblical character, introduced in the 9th chapter ofJudges in theHebrew Bible as the son of Ebed or Eved, or the son of a slave.[1] His story is told inJudges 9:26–41.
Gaal had occupiedShechem and boasted toZebul, the ruler of Shechem, that he could defeatAbimelech. Zebul secretly warned Abimelech of Gaal's plans and offered a plan to defeat Gaal. Abimelech defeated Gaal and drove him back to the gates of Shechem. Zebul subsequently drove Gaal and his remaining kinsmen from Shechem altogether. He is not mentioned thereafter in the Bible.
Daniel I. Block suggests that he may have been one of the "Lords of Shechem" (Judges 9:23, the wording of theNew Revised Standard Version andNew American Bible Revised Edition) who had previously gone into exile, being unwilling to support Abimelech.[2]