Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 9:51
But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut [it] to them, and got them up to the top of the tower.
51. and all they of the city ] (even) all the citizens of the city, the same word as that translated men in Jdg 9:2 (see note), Jdg 9:23; Jdg 9:26 etc.; and should be omitted, unless citizens means ‘the chief men,’ which is not the case elsewhere in this chapter.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
All the men and women; all that were not slain in the taking of the town; or they all forsook the town, and retired to their strong hold.
The top of the tower was flat and plain, after their manner of building.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
51-53. all the men and women, . . .gat them up to the top of the towerThe Canaanite forts weregenerally mountain fastnesses or keeps, and they often had a strongtower which served as a last refuge. The Assyrian bas-reliefs affordcounterparts of the scene here described so vivid and exact, that wemight almost suppose them to be representations of the same historicevents. The besieged citythe strong tower withinthe men andwomen crowding its battlementsthe fire applied to thedoors, and even the huge fragments of stone dropping from the handsof one of the garrison on the heads of the assailants, are all wellrepresented to the lifejust as they are here described in thenarrative of inspired truth [GOSS].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(51) There was a strong tower within the city.This constant mention of towers and strongholds (Jdg. 8:9, &c.) shows the disturbed state of the country, which probably resembled the state of England in the days of King Stephen.
To the top of the tower.Standing about the battlements upon the roof of the tower (Vulg.).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
51. A strong tower within the city Unwalled cities and villages were often provided with such a strong tower or castle, to which the inhabitants resorted in time of danger. Walled cities, too, sometimes had a tower built in the wall.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ But there was a strong tower within the city, and to it fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut themselves in, and made their way to the roof of the tower.’
As with many larger cities there was a fortified citadel within, and the people of the city, together with their servants and bondservants, secured themselves inside it. Then those able to help in the defence went to the roof of the tower to continue their defence by throwing from the tower on the besiegers anything available which could do them harm. They would have a pile of such things kept available at times like this.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 9:51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut [it] to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.
Ver. 51. Thither fled all the men and women. ] As all creatures in times of danger run to their refuges. Pro 30:26 ; Pro 18:11 Psa 104:18 Dan 4:10-11
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Reciprocal: Jdg 16:27 – the roof 2Ki 9:13 – on the top