Discovery BoxJudges 9:47-50 
Context9:47 Abimelech heard 1 that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place. 2 9:48 He and all his men 3 went up on Mount Zalmon. He 4 took an ax 5 in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it 6 on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!” 7 9:49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches 8 against the stronghold and set fire to it. 9 All the people 10 of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.
9:50 Abimelech moved on 11 to Thebez; he besieged and captured it. 12
1 tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”
2 tn Heb “were assembled.”
3 tn Heb “his people.”
4 tn Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style.
5 tn The Hebrew text has the plural here.
6 tn Heb “he lifted it and put [it].”
7 tn Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.”
8 tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
9 tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”
10 tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.
11 tn Or “went.”
12 tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”
