שופטים, פרק ט׳, פסוק ל״א

An urgent warning is dispatched to Abimelech, alerting him to a brewing rebellion. Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have arrived in the city of Shechem, intending to settle there and organize an uprising against him.

The message reaches Abimelech in a way that commentators understand in two distinct ways. Some explain that the warning is sent secretly and quietly, using deception so that the people of Shechem remain completely unaware of the communication [רש״י, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Other scholars suggest that the text is instead identifying the specific location where Abimelech is currently residing, a city called Arumah [רד״ק, רלב״ג, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם].

Upon arriving to settle in Shechem [מלבי״ם], Gaal immediately begins organizing his efforts. The messengers report that Gaal and his men are effectively placing a siege against Abimelech [מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. The primary approach among commentators views this not as a traditional attack, but as a defensive lockdown from inside Shechem. Gaal incites the residents, stirring up hatred toward Abimelech [ביאור שטיינזלץ], and convinces them to prepare for war by shutting the city gates. Instead of a standard siege designed to keep people from escaping, this tactic is meant to guard the city from within and block Abimelech from entering [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Conversely, another perspective argues that an actual offensive attack is being planned. In this view, Gaal and his followers have agreed to march out of Shechem the very next morning to physically lay siege to Arumah, the city where Abimelech is staying [מלבי״ם].