Judges 9:44

44 Abimelech and the men who were with him ran forward. They placed themselves at the entrance of the city gate. Then the other two companies rushed over to the people who were in the fields. There they struck them down.

Judges 9:44 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 9:44

And Abimelech, and the company that was with him
Which he had the particular command of; or "the heads" ^F13, for in the company with him, as Kimchi observes, were great men; and so the Septuagint renders it, the princes that were with him:

rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city;
to prevent the people that were in the field getting into it, and any from coming out of it to their relief:

and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the
fields, and slew them;
so that by this means none escaped.

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 (Myvarhw) "et capita", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius; "et principes", Vatablus.

Judges 9:44 In-Context

42 The next day the people of Shechem went out to work in the fields. Abimelech was told about it.

43 So he gathered his men together. He separated them into three companies. Then he hid them in the fields and told them to wait. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he got up to attack them.

44 Abimelech and the men who were with him ran forward. They placed themselves at the entrance of the city gate. Then the other two companies rushed over to the people who were in the fields. There they struck them down.

45 Abimelech kept up his attack against the city all day long. He didn't stop until he had captured it. Then he killed its people. He destroyed the city. He scattered salt on it to make sure that nothing would be able to grow there.

46 The citizens who were in the tower of Shechem heard about what was happening. So they went to the safest place in the temple of the god El-Berith.