Judges 9:43

43 he took his host, and parted it in three companies, and he set ambushments in the fields; and he saw that the people went out of the city, and he rose, and felled upon them with his company, (he took his army, and divided it into three companies, or three groups, and he set men in ambush in the fields; and when he saw the people go out of the city, he rose up, and attacked them with his company,)

Judges 9:43 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 9:43

And he took the people
That is, the forces he had with him at Arumah:

and divided them into three companies:
each having a separate leader, and the command of one of them he had himself:

and laid wait in the field;
in the field of Shechem, one company in one part, and one in another part of the field:

and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city;
he watched them when they did:

and he rose up against them, and smote them;
the companies rose up out of their ambush, in different parts, and killed them.

Judges 9:43 In-Context

41 And (then) Abimelech sat in Arumah; and Zebul put Gaal and his fellows out of the city of Shechem, and he suffered them not to dwell therein (and he did not allow them to stay there).

42 Therefore in the day following, the people went out into the field (And on the following day, the people came out into the open); and when this thing was told to Abimelech,

43 he took his host, and parted it in three companies, and he set ambushments in the fields; and he saw that the people went out of the city, and he rose, and felled upon them with his company, (he took his army, and divided it into three companies, or three groups, and he set men in ambush in the fields; and when he saw the people go out of the city, he rose up, and attacked them with his company,)

44 and (he) besieged them and fought against the (men of the) city. And two companies went about openly by the field (And the other two companies went about openly in the field), and pursued their adversaries.

45 And Abimelech fought against that city all that day, the which he took, when the dwellers thereof were slain, and that city was destroyed, so that he sprinkled abroad salt therein (and then he sprinkled salt on it).