Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, even to the entrance of the gate.
Gaal was evidently a Canaanite who disliked Abimelech (Judges 9:28) because he was the son of Gideon. He also opposed him because Gideon had both destroyed the altar of Baal in Ophrah and reestablished the worship of Yahweh in Israel (Judges 6:27; Judges 8:23). Gaal, whose name connects with a Hebrew word meaning "loathsome," and whose father’s name means "servant," did not want Abimelech to continue ruling over that part of Canaan. He did not want Shechem to remain under Abimelech’s control either.