Judges 8:31

8:31 His concubine, ¹  who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech. ² 

Judges 9:34

9:34 So Abimelech and all his men came up ³  at night and set an ambush outside Shechem – they divided into ⁴  four units.

Judges 9:41

9:41 Abimelech went back ⁵  to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. ⁶ 

Judges 9:46

9:46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem ⁷  heard the news, they went to the stronghold ⁸  of the temple of El-Berith. ⁹ 

[8:31]  ¹ sn A concubine was a slave woman in ancient Near Eastern societies who was the legal property of her master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with her master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. After the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (2 Sam 21:10-14; 1 Kgs 11:3).

[8:31]  ² sn The name Abimelech means “my father is king.”

[9:34]  ³ tn Heb “and all the people who were with him arose.”

[9:34]  ⁴ tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:41]  ⁵ tc Heb “stayed.” Some scholars revise the vowel pointing on this verb from that of the MT, resulting in the translation “and he returned to.” The Lucianic recension of the LXX understands the word in this way.

[9:41]  ⁶ tn Heb “drove…out from dwelling in Shechem.”

[9:46]  ⁷ sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.

[9:46]  ⁸ 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.

[9:46]  ⁹ sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.