Discovery BoxJudges 9:2 
Context9:2 “Tell 1 all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want 2 to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” 3
Judges 9:28
Context9:28 Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul the deputy he appointed? 4 Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech? 5
Judges 9:46
Context9:46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem 6 heard the news, they went to the stronghold 7 of the temple of El-Berith. 8
1 tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”
2 tn Heb “What good is it to you?”
3 tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”
4 tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”
5 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.
7 tn Apparently this rare word refers here to the most inaccessible area of the temple, perhaps the inner sanctuary or an underground chamber. It appears only here and in 1 Sam 13:6, where it is paired with “cisterns” and refers to subterranean or cave-like hiding places.
8 sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.
