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? and Zebul his officer? serve you the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: but why should we serve him?
The "evil spirit" that God sent between Abimelech and the men of Shechem (Judges 9:24) was a spirit of discontent that proved to be disastrous. Judges 9:25 probably means that the men of Shechem conspired to rob Abimelech of the tolls he received from the travelers and traders who passed through Shechem. They did this by ambushing them from Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal, the two mountains between which the road passed near Shechem. [Note: Cundall and Morris, pp. 130-31.] 