Judges 9:46
in Judges 9On hearing of this, all the leaders in the tower of Shechem entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard thereof, they entered into the stronghold of the house of Elberith.
KJV
And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.
⋯
This verse in Judges 9
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA hold of the house of the god Berith - This must mean the precincts of the temple, as we find there were a thousand men and women together in that place.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that,....
They, hearing of the destruction of the city, withdrew into a hold of the temple, trusting, it is likely, not so much to its strength as to its sanctity; they put themselves under the protection of their idol: for thus all people will walk in the name of their god, and shall not we then choose to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our life?
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
An hold of the house of the god Berith - As combining the advantages of a “sanctuary” (compare 1Ki 2:28) and a fortress. The word rendered “hold” occurs elsewhere only in 1Sa 13:6, where it is rendered “high-place.” Its exact signification is uncertain.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֔וּ | vaiyishmeu | and they heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| כָּֽל־ | kal- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| בַּעֲלֵ֖י | baalei | [the] citizens of | H1167 → | 84 times |
| מִֽגְדַּל־ | migdal- | [the] tower of | H4026 → | 48 times |
| שְׁכֶ֑ם | shekhem | Shechem | H7927 → | 63 times |
| וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ | vaiyavou | and they went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | into | H413 → | 5510 times |
| צְרִ֔יחַ | tzeriach | [the] underground chamber of | H6877 → | 4 times |
| בֵּ֖ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| אֵ֥ל | ʾel | El- | H410 → | |
| בְּרִֽית׃ | berit | Berith | H1286 → |
וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֔וּand they heard
vaiyishmeuH8085 →1159 times
כָּֽל־all
kal-H3605 →5413 times
בַּעֲלֵ֖י[the] citizens of
baaleiH1167 →84 times
מִֽגְדַּל־[the] tower of
migdal-H4026 →48 times
שְׁכֶ֑םShechem
shekhemH7927 →63 times
וַיָּבֹ֣אוּand they went
vaiyavouH935 →2568 times
אֶל־into
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
צְרִ֔יחַ[the] underground chamber of
tzeriachH6877 →4 times
בֵּ֖ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
אֵ֥לEl-
ʾelH410 →
בְּרִֽית׃Berith
beritH1286 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Judges 8:33And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.
it leads to
- Judges 9:4
So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired some worthless and reckless men to follow him.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Judges 2:19
But when the judge died, the Israelites became even more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods to serve them and bow down to them. They would not give up their evil practices…
- Judges 9:4
Through
Psalms 115:8Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.
it leads to
- Psalms 135:18
Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.
- Habakkuk 2:18–19
What use is an idol, that a craftsman should carve it—or an image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.
- Jeremiah 10:8
But they are altogether senseless and foolish, instructed by worthless idols made of wood!
- Jonah 2:8
Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion.
- Psalms 135:18
Through
Judges 9:4So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired some worthless and reckless men to follow him.
it leads to
- Judges 8:33
And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.
- Proverbs 12:11
The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.
- Judges 8:33
About Judges

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
