Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament · Judges Kabanata 9

But Jotham fled to Beer, after charging the Shechemites with their iniquity, and dwelt there before his brother Abimelech (“before,” i.e., “for fear of.” - Jerome). Beer in all probability is not the same place as Beeroth in the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 9:17), but, according to the Onom. ( s. v. Βηρά ), a place eight Roman miles to the north of Eleutheropolis, situated in the plain; at present a desolate village called el Bîreh, near the mouth of Wady es Surâr, not far from the former Beth-shemesh ( Rob. Pal. ii. p. 132).

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On receiving this intelligence, Abimelech rose up during the night with the people that were with him, i.e., with such troops as he had, and placed four companies (“heads” as in Judges 7:16) in ambush against Shechem.

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But Gaal said again, “ Behold, people come down from the navel of the land, ” i.e., from the highest point of the surrounding country, “ and a crowd comes by the way of the wizard's terebinths, ” - a place in the neighbourhood of Shechem that is not mentioned anywhere else, and therefore is not more precisely known.

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Then Zebul declared openly against Gaal, and reproached him with his foolhardy speech, whilst Abimelech was drawing nearer with his troops: “ Where is thy mouth now with which thou saidst, Who is Abimelech? Is not this the people that thou hast despised? Go out now and fight with him! ”

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Abimelech did not force his way into the city, but remained ( ישׁב , lit. sat down) with his army in Arumah, a place not mentioned again, which was situated, according to Judges 9:42, somewhere in the neighbourhood of Shechem. It cannot possibly have been the place called Ῥουμὰ ἡ καὶ Ἄριμα in the Onom. of Eusebius, which was named Ῥέμφις in his day, and was situated in the neighbourhood of Diospolis (or Lydda). Zebul, however, drove Gaal and his brethren (i.e., his retinue) out of Shechem.

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That is to say, Abimelech and the companies with him spread themselves out and took their station by the city gate to cut off the retreat of the Shechemites into the city, whilst the other two companies fell upon all who were in the field, and slew them.

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Thus Abimelech fought all that day against the city and took it; and having slain all the people therein, he destroyed the city and strewed salt upon it. Strewing the ruined city with salt, which only occurs here, was a symbolical act, signifying that the city was to be turned for ever into a barren salt desert. Salt ground is a barren desert (see Job 39:6; Psalms 107:34).

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