9:46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem 4 heard the news, they went to the stronghold 5 of the temple of El-Berith. 6
1 tn Heb “vineyards.”
2 tn Heb “stomped” or “trampled.” This refers to the way in which the juice was squeezed out in the wine vats by stepping on the grapes with one’s bare feet. For a discussion of grape harvesting in ancient Israel, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 110-14.
3 tn Heb “house.”
4 sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.
5 tn Apparently this rare word refers here to the most inaccessible area of the temple, perhaps the inner sanctuary or an underground chamber. It appears only here and in 1 Sam 13:6, where it is paired with “cisterns” and refers to subterranean or cave-like hiding places.
6 sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.