Zebul ( ''Zəḇul '') is a character in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...

, appearing in

Judges A judge is an official who presides over a court. Judge or Judges may also refer to: Roles *Judge, an alternative name for an adjudicator in a competition in theatre, music, sport, etc. *Judge, an alternative name/aviator call sign for a memb ...

9. He is one of Abimelech's officers, and the governor (or "commandant") of the city of

Shechem Shechem ( ), also spelled Sichem ( ; he, שְׁכֶם, ''Šəḵem''; ; grc, Συχέμ, Sykhém; Samaritan Hebrew: , ), was a Canaanite and Israelite city mentioned in the Amarna Letters, later appearing in the Hebrew Bible as the first c ...

. Zebul played an important role in the rebellion and defeat of Gaal, secretly sending messengers to Abimelech warning him of the situation.

Barry Webb Barry G. Webb is a scholar and senior research fellow in Old Testament at Moore Theological College. He is the author of a number of scholarly books; foremost is the commentary on ''The Book of Judges'' in the New International Commentary on the ...

describes him as a loyal friend of Abimelech, and a "shrewd military tactician". In

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his train ...

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

''Jephtha'', Zebul is depicted as

Jephthah Jephthah (pronounced ; he, יִפְתָּח, ''Yīftāḥ''), appears in the Book of Judges as a judge who presided over Israel for a period of six years (). According to Judges, he lived in Gilead. His father's name is also given as Gilead, ...

's brother.

References

{{reflist Hebrew Bible people Book of Judges