Judges 9:51

51 But there was a strong tower inside the city. All the men and women and all the city's leaders had fled there, shut themselves inside, and climbed to the tower's roof.

Judges 9:51 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 9:51

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 9:51 In-Context

49 Each one of the men cut off a bundle as well and followed Abimelech. They piled them up against the side rooms and set fire to the side rooms above them. So all the people in the Tower of Shechem died too, about one thousand men and women.

50 Then Abimelech moved on to Thebez, set up camp against it, and captured it.

51 But there was a strong tower inside the city. All the men and women and all the city's leaders had fled there, shut themselves inside, and climbed to the tower's roof.

52 Abimelech came to the tower to storm it. But when he approached the tower's entrance to set it on fire,

53 a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and cracked his skull.