Ebed
Ebed was the father of Gaal, who led a rebellion against Abimelech, the son of Gideon, in Shechem. (Jdg.9.26,28,30,31,35)
Biography
Ebed is known primarily as the father of Gaal, the instigator of a short-lived rebellion against Abimelech, the self-appointed ruler of Shechem and son of the judge Gideon (Judges 9:26-35). When the men of Shechem grew disillusioned with Abimelech's brutal rule, Gaal son of Ebed arrived in the city and exploited their discontent, publicly challenging Abimelech's authority and urging the Shechemites to transfer their loyalty to the original Hamor lineage. Zebul, the city's overseer and Abimelech's loyalist, secretly alerted Abimelech, whose swift military response crushed the uprising and sent Gaal fleeing. Ebed himself receives no direct characterization in the text; his identity is bound entirely to his son's failed coup.
Significance
Though Ebed appears only as a genealogical identifier for his son Gaal, his place in Judges 9 situates him within one of the Bible's most pointed critiques of illegitimate kingship. The entire Abimelech episode, of which Gaal son of Ebed is a central actor, illustrates Jotham's parable (Judges 9:7-15): that unworthy rulers bring destruction upon those who elect them. Ebed's legacy is thus tied to a cautionary tale about political ambition divorced from divine calling, reinforcing the Deuteronomic theme that true leadership in Israel must be grounded in faithfulness to God rather than power-seeking.
Verse Appearances (5)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]