Judges 9:46

9:46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem ¹  heard the news, they went to the stronghold ²  of the temple of El-Berith. ³ 

Judges 9:49

9:49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches ⁴  against the stronghold and set fire to it. ⁵  All the people ⁶  of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.

[9:46]  ¹ sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.

[9:46]  ² 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]  ³ sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.

[9:49]  ⁴ tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:49]  ⁵ tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”

[9:49]  ⁶ tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.