Judges 9:30

Ruler of the city. See on v. 28.

Heard the words. Betrayers are often betrayed in turn by those of their own number. The cursing of a king is carried by a bird of the air (Eccl. 10:20). Gaal’s drunken boast reached the ears of Zebul, who became angry over it, for his own overthrow, he learned, was to be connected with Abimelech’s. This narrative, though simple, is superbly told, enabling us to trace clearly the advancing progress of the conspiracy, in which secret treachery and open dissipation, boasting and jealousy, conspire together to bring doom to the city.