Judg 9:46-57

When all the leaders of the tower of Shechem heard of it, they

entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith. And it

was told Abimelech that all the leaders of the tower of Shechem

were gathered together. So Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon,

he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took an

axe in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees, and lifted

it and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to the people who

were with him, "What you have seen me do, hurry and do likewise."

And all the people also cut down each one his branch and followed

Abimelech, and put them on the inner chamber and set the inner

chamber on fire over those inside, so that all the men of the

tower of Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.

Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he camped against Thebez

and captured it. But there was a strong tower in the center of

the city, and all the men and women with all the leaders of the

city fled there and shut themselves in; and they went up on the

roof of the tower. So Abimelech came to the tower and fought

against it, and approached the entrance of the tower to burn

it with fire. But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on

Abimelech's head, crushing his skull. Then he called quickly

to the young man, his armor bearer, and said to him, "Draw your

sword and kill me, lest it be said of me, 'A woman slew him.'

" So the young man pierced him through, and he died. And when

the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each departed

to his home. Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech,

which he had done to his father, in killing his seventy brothers.

Also God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on

their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came

upon them.

Matthew Henry Commentary

Those that retired into a strong-hold of their idol-temple

were all destroyed there. These are called the men of the

tower of Shechem (v. 46-47), some castle that belonged to

the city, but lay at some distance from it. They, hearing

of the destruction of the city, withdrew into a hold of the

temple, trusting, it is likely, not so much to its strength

as to its sanctity; they put themselves under the protection

of their idol: for thus all people will walk in the name of

their god, and shall not we then choose to dwell in the house

of the Lord all the days of our life? For in the time of trouble

He shall hide us in His pavilion, . The name of the

Lord is a strong tower . But that which they hoped

would be for their welfare proved to them a snare and a trap,

as those will certainly find that run to idols for shelter; it

will prove a refuge of lies. When Abimelech had them altogether

penned up in that hold he desired no more.

That barbarous project immediately came into his head of setting

fire to the strong-hold, and, so to speak, burning all the birds

together in the nest. He kept the design to himself, but set all

his men on work to expedite the execution of it, v. 48-49. He

ordered them all to follow him, and do as he did: as his father

had said to his men , Look on me, and do likewise; so

saith he to his, as becomes a general that will not be wanting

to give both the plainest direction and the highest encouragement

that can be to his soldiers: What you have seen me do make haste

to do, as I have done. The officers in Christ's army should thus

teach by their example, . He and they fetched each of

them a bough from a wood not far off, laid all their boughs

together under the wall of this tower, which it is probable was

of wood, set fire to their boughs, and so burnt down their hold

and all that were in it, who were either burnt or stifled with

the smoke. What inventions men have to destroy one another!

Whence come these cruel wars and fightings but from their lusts?

Some think that the men of the tower of Shechem were the same

with the house of Millo, and then Jotham's just imprecation

was answered in the letter: Let fire come out from Abimelech,

and devour not only in general the men of Shechem, but in

particular the house of Millo, v. 20. About 1000 men and

women perished in these flames, many of whom, it is probable,

were no way concerned in the quarrel between Abimelech and

the Shechemites, nor meddled with either side, yet, in this

civil war, they came to this miserable end; for men of factious

turbulent spirits perish not alone in their iniquity, but

involve many more, that follow them in their simplicity, in

the same calamity with them.