Judges 9:52

. But there was a strong tower within the city,.... The tower of Shechem was without the city, but this within, as towers generally are: and hither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city; men, women, and children, man and maid servants, all the inhabitants of the city; the tower being a large place, having not only many rooms in it, but perhaps a large area in the midst of it, as well as it had battlements on the top of it: and shut it to them; the gates of it, and which no doubt they strongly barred and bolted, to keep out the enemy: and gat them up to the top of the tower; to observe the motions of Abimelech, and annoy him as much as they could with what they carried with them, as stones, and the like. Judges 9:52 Ver. 52. And Abimelech came unto the tower,.... With his army to besiege it: and fought against it; using all the methods he could to oblige those in it to surrender: and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire; in order to get entrance into it; and perhaps the tower was built of stone, so that no other part could be set fire to; and to do this he drew near to the door himself, for nothing more is meant by the phrase, "went hard", than drawing near in his own person to the door; hazarding his life in the enterprise, being so bent upon it, thinking to do by this tower what he had done to the hold of the temple of Baalberith. Judges 9:53 Ver. 53. And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone,....

9:50-57 The Shechemites were ruined by Abimelech; now he is reckoned with, who was their leader in villany. Evil pursues sinners, and sometimes overtakes them, when not only at ease, but triumphant. Though wickedness may prosper a while, it will not prosper always. The history of mankind, if truly told, would greatly resemble that of this chapter. The records of what are called splendid events present to us such contests for power. Such scenes, though praised of men, fully explain the Scripture doctrine of the deceitfulness and desperate wickedness of the human heart, the force of men's lust, and the effect of Satan's influence. Lord, thou has given us thy word of truth and righteousness, O pour upon us thy spirit of purity, peace, and love, and write thy holy law in our hearts.

And Abimelech came unto the tower,.... With his army to besiege it: and fought against it; using all the methods he could to oblige those in it to surrender: and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire; in order to get entrance into it; and perhaps the tower was built of stone, so that no other part could be set fire to; and to do this he drew near to the door himself, for nothing more is meant by the phrase, "went hard", than drawing near in his own person to the door; hazarding his life in the enterprise, being so bent upon it, thinking to do by this tower what he had done to the hold of the temple of Baalberith.

Went hard unto the door ... - i. e. went close to the door. An act of manifest danger, seeing the roof was covered with persons who would be likely to throw down missiles of all sorts on the heads of their assailants. But the hatred of Abimelech, and his thirst for revenge, made him despise danger.

51-53. all the men and women, … gat them up to the top of the tower—The Canaanite forts were generally mountain fastnesses or keeps, and they often had a strong tower which served as a last refuge. The Assyrian bas-reliefs afford counterparts of the scene here described so vivid and exact, that we might almost suppose them to be representations of the same historic events. The besieged city—the strong tower within—the men and women crowding its battlements—the fire applied to the doors, and even the huge fragments of stone dropping from the hands of one of the garrison on the heads of the assailants, are all well represented to the life—just as they are here described in the narrative of inspired truth [Goss].

(52) Went hard unto the door. —Hard, i.e., close. Like other bad men, Abimelech was not lacking in physical courage. He had all his father’s impetuous energy. The peril of such rashness served the Israelites as a perpetual warning ( 2Samuel 11:21 ). To burn it with fire.—He naturally anticipated another hideous success like that at Millo.

At length the fate predicted by Jotham ( Judges 9:20 ) overtook Abimelech. Judges 9:50-54 He went from Shechem to Thebez, besieged the town, and took it. Thebez, according to the Onom. thirteen miles from Neapolis (Shechem) on the road to Scythopolis (Beisan), has been preserved in the large village of Tubs on the north of Shechem (see Rob. Pal. iii. p. 156, and Bibl. Res. p. 305). This town possessed a strong tower, in which men and women and all the inhabitants of the town took refuge and shut themselves in. But when Abimelech advanced to the tower and drew near to the door to set it on fire, a woman threw a millstone down upon him from the roof of the tower and smashed his skull, whereupon he called hastily to the attendant who carried his weapons to give him his death-blow with his sword, that men might not say of him "a woman slew him." רכב פּלח, the upper millstone which was turned round, lapis vector (see Deuteronomy 24:6). תּריץ: from רצץ, with a toneless i, possibly to distinguish it from ותּרץ (from רוּץ). גּלגּלתּו, an unusual form for גּלגּלתּו, which is found in the edition of Norzi (Mantua, 1742).

[Reformed Biblical] wn, and retired to their strong hold. ## The top of the tower was flat and plain, after their manner of building. Judges 9:52 No text from Poole on this verse. Judges 9:53 Such great stones no doubt they carried up with them, whereby they might defend themselves, or offend those who assaulted them. Here the justice of God is remarkable in suiting the punishment to his sin. He slew his brethren upon a stone, Jud_9:5, and he loseth his own life by a stone. Judges 9:54 A woman slew him; which was esteemed a matter of disgrace. Judges 9:55 No text from Poole on this verse. ## Judges 9:56 The wickedness which he did unto his father, in rooting out, as far as he could, the name, and memory, and remainders of his father. Judges 9:57 No text from Poole on this verse. ## Judges 10:1 JUDGES CHAPTER 10 ## Tola judgeth Israel; and Jair, whose thirty sons had thirty cities, Jud_10:1-5. The people’s idolatry, Jud_10:6. The Philistines and Ammonites oppress them, Jud_10:7-9. They cry to God, who sendeth them to their false gods; but upon their repentance pitieth them, Jud_10:10-11. The Ammonites and Israelites encamp against one another, Jud_10:17 ,18 . ## There arose; not of himself, but either chosen by the people; or rather, raised by God, as the other judges were.