Judges 9:46 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Bible Comments

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.

Judges 9:46

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.