Judges 9:46

Jdg 9:46 And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard [that], they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.

Ver. 46. Into an hold of the house of the god Berith.] This was as if a man should run into a stack of straw or barrel of gunpowder, to secure himself from a raging fire. Their covenant with Baal, that image of jealousy, {Eze 8:3} was the cause of their ruin. They looked upon this hold as both a fort and a sanctuary; but it saved them not.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jdg 9:46. When the men of the tower heard — Either a strong place belonging to the city of Shechem, and made for its defence without the city, or perhaps a town at some distance from Shechem, but probably inhabited by Shechemites. When these people heard of the fate of the city, they retired to a strong hold adjoining to one of their temples, which used to be built on eminences, and to be fortified by nature as well as art. Hither they fled, fearing the same destruction which had befallen Shechem, and here they hoped to be secure, partly by the strength of the place, and partly by the religion of it, thinking that either their god Baal-berith would protect them there, or that Abimelech would spare them out of regard to that god.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That is, of Baal-Berith, as Judg. 8:33.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 46. A hold of the house of the god Berith.] This must mean the precincts of the temple, as we find there were a thousand men and women together in that place.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(46) The men of the tower of Shechem.—Evidently the garrison of the house of Millo (Jdg_9:6).

Entered into an hold.—The word for “hold” occurs in 1Sa_13:6 (“high place”). The LXX. render it “a fortress” (ochuroma); Luther, “Festung.” In the Æthiopic Version of Mar_16:15 a similar word is used for “upper room.” The Vulg. has, “They entered the fane of their god Berith, where they had made their league with him, and from this the place had received its name, and it was strongly fortified.”

Of the house of the god Berith.—Similarly. Arcesilas burnt the Cyrenæns in a tower (Herod. iv. 164), and in 1Ma_5:43 the defeated enemy fly for refuge to the temple of Ashtaroth in Karnaim, which Judas takes and burns.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

46. the tower of Shechem] Migdal-Shechem or Tower of Shechem, not the citadel of S., but an unwalled village in the neighbourhood, marked by a tower, cf. Jdg_8:9; Jdg_8:17.

the hold of the house of El-berith) The rendering hold Jdg_9:49, i.e. an underground excavation, suits the only other place where the word (ṣerîaḥ) occurs, 1Sa_13:6; in Nabataean Aramaic the word is used for the vault of a grave (NSI., pp. 237, 241); it is frequently found in Arabic epitaphs from Egypt with the sense of tomb (Clermont Ganneau, Recueil d’Arch. Or., vii. p. 200). So in Jdg_9:49; they laid the faggots upon the vault, set the vault on fire over the heads of the people within. For El-bĕrîth cf. Jdg_9:4, Jdg_8:33 Baal-bĕrîth.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And it was told Abimelech,.... Who had his spies about, and particularly to observe the motions of the men in this tower:

that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together; in the hold of the temple of Baalberith.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

An hold of the house of the god Berith - As combining the advantages of a “sanctuary” (compare 1Ki 2:28) and a fortress. The word rendered “hold” occurs elsewhere only in 1Sa 13:6, where it is rendered “high-place.” Its exact signification is uncertain.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Tower. Serarius thinks it was the house of Mello, out of the city, ver. 6. (Menochius) --- It was the citadel, large enough to contain 1000 soldiers. They durst not, however, stop here to encounter Abimelech, but retired to the temple, either because it was still stronger and higher, or in hopes that they would be secure, on account of the veneration (Calmet) to which the place was entitled among the idolaters. --- Berith. Protestants, "they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith." Septuagint, "of the covenant." (Haydock) --- Where, &c., is added by way of explanation, (Calmet) except the word strong, which the Septuagint render ochuroma, "a fortress." The tower and temple seem to have been contiguous, since Abimelech, by setting fire to the tower, destroyed these people at the same time, ver. 49. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The tower of Shechem; a strong place belonging to the city of Shechem, and made for its defence or security, but without the city. It is thought this was that Milo which was confederate with Shechem in their design for Abimelech, Jdg 9:6, which also Jotham cursed with Shechem, Jdg 9:20, and that curse is noted to have its effect, Jdg 9:57. And this place may be called the tower of Shechem, either because those who possessed and defended it were sent from Shechem, or because it was built and kept for the safeguard of Shechem.

The house of the god Berith; or, Baal-berith, Jdg 9:4. Hither they fled out of the town belonging to it, fearing the same event with Shechem; and here they thought to be secure; partly by the strength of the place, as the temples of idols were ofttimes built in the highest and strongest places, as the capitol at Rome, and the temple at Jerusalem; and such this place seems to have been, because they laid their treasure here, Jdg 9:4, partly by the religion of it, thinking that either their god would protect them there, or that Abimelech would spare them there, if not out of piety to that god, yet out of thankfulness for the benefit which he received thence, Jdg 9:4.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

46. Men of the tower — These were the same as the house of Millo. Jdg_9:6; Jdg_9:20. Fire had already come out from Abimelech and devoured the men of Shechem, but the lords of the castle are yet more literally to feel its burnings.

A hold — צריח, a pit, a cellar, a hole for concealment, a deep covered place. (Furst, Lex.) The word occurs again only at 1Sa_13:6. The lords of the tower of Shechem, feeling no longer secure in their citadel, fled for refuge into a covered hold in the sanctuary of their god, but fire came out from Abimelech and devoured them even there.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The men of the tower of Sechem. The tower of Shechem is no doubt the same fortified building as was spoken of in vers. 6 and 20 by the name of the house of Millo (see note to ver. 6). An, or rather the, hold. The word so rendered occurs elsewhere only in 1Sa_13:6, where it is rendered high places, and is coupled with caves, thickets, rocks, and pits, as one of the hiding-places of the Israelites from the Philistines. It was probably some kind of keep built on an eminence, and the place where the treasure of the temple was kept (ver. 4). It appears from the narrative that the tower of Shechem, or house of Millo, was not actually part of Shechem, nor immediately contiguous, since the report of the capture of Shechem had to be carried thither. The god Berith. It should rather be Elberith, the same as Baal-berith in ver. 4El, i.e. god, being substituted for Baal.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The tower - A strong place belonging to the city of Shechem, made for its defense without the city. Berith - Or, Baal-berith, ver. 4. Hither they fled out of the town belonging to it, fearing the same event with Shechem; and here they thought to be secure; partly by the strength of the place, partly by the religion of it, thinking that either their God would protect them there, or that Abimelech would spare them out of pity to that God.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

When the inhabitants of the castle of Shechem ("lords of the tower of Shechem" = "all the house of Millo," Jdg 9:6) heard of the fate of the town of Shechem, they betook themselves to the hold of the house (temple) of the covenant god (Baal-berith), evidently not for the purpose of defending themselves there, but to seek safety at the sanctuary of their god from fear of the vengeance of Abimelech, towards whom they also had probably acted treacherously. The meaning of the word צריח, which answers to an Arabic word signifying arx, palatium, omnis structura elatior, cannot be exactly determined, as it only occurs again in Sa1 13:6 in connection with caves and clefts of the rock. According to v. 49, it had a roof which could be set on fire. The meaning "tower" is only a conjecture founded upon the context, and does not suit, as צריח is distinguished from מגדּל.

Jdg 9:47-49

As soon as this was announced to Abimelech, he went with all his men to Mount Zalmon, took hatchets in his hand, cut down branches from the trees, and laid them upon his shoulders, and commanded his people to do the same. These branches they laid upon the hold, and set the hold on fire over them (the inhabitants of the tower who had taken refuge there), so that all the people of the tower of Shechem (about one thousand persons) perished, both men and women. Mount Zalmon, which is mentioned again in Psa 68:15, was a dark, thickly-wooded mountain near Shechem, - a kind of "Black Forest," as Luther has rendered the name. The plural kardumoth, "axes," may be explained on the ground that Abimelech took axes not only for himself but for his people also. מה in a relative sense, as in Num 23:3 (see Ewald, 331, b.).

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

The End of Abimelech

v. 46. And when all the men of the tower of Shechem, probably the same as Beth-Millo, the fortress of the city, heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith, thinking they would be safe in the sanctuary,

v. 47. And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

v. 48. And Abimelech gat him up to Mount Zalmon, so called from its wooded heights, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an ax in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, all this being told with the details noted by an eye-witness, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste and do as I have done.

v. 49. And all the people, in obedience to his command. likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, which the men of the tower had considered a refuge, and set the hold on fire upon them, so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women, suffocated by the smoke and consumed by the flames.

v. 50. Then went Abimelech to Thebez, evidently not far from Shechem, and encamped against Thebez, and took it, the city proper.

v. 51. But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women and all they of the city, and shut it to them, locked and barred it securely, and gat them up to the top of the tower.

v. 52. And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire, thereby stepping closely to the wall.

v. 53. And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone, the upper stone, known as the runner, upon Abimelech’s head, and all to (wholly) brake his skull, crushing its bones.

v. 54. And he called hastily unto the young man, his armor-bearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. Thus he was fierce and warlike to the end, determined not to have appearances against him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.

v. 55. And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. The siege was raised and the dead chieftain forsaken.

v. 56. Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech which he did unto his father in slaying his seventy brethren;

v. 57. and all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads; and upon them came the curse of Jotham, the son of Jerubbaal. God often pursues that course, punishing wicked people by wicked people, overthrowing rebels by rebels. His avenging hand finds both the seducers and the seduced.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

the house

Here this represents a temple. (See: Metonymy)

El-Berith

The word "El" means "god." This is the same false god as "Baal-Berith" in Judges 8:33. (See: How to Translate Names)

Abimelech was told

This can be stated in active form. AT: "Someone told Abimelech" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

watchtower

Shechem

stronghold

house

Abimelech

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Forest stockade. A forest encircled by twisted trees and branches, called "plisse" in old French.

Of the temple of the god Beris. The stockade belonged to Baal Beris, the name of their deity. Tzalmon, too, owned a forest there. Others interpret צֽרִיחַ as "voutes" in old French, "bunker," dug into the ground.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.