Judges 9:46

"And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard thereof, they entered into the stronghold of El-Berith. And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up and laid it on his shoulder: and he said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women."

"All the men of the tower of Shechem" (Judges 9:46,47,49). These are here distinguished from the ordinary citizens who had perished in the fields. These persons included the priests of Baal, the lords of Shechem, the "de facto" rulers of the city, people who might be called today, "The Establishment." These were they who "financed" Abimelech's efforts to become king, and who also were behind the insurrection led by Gaal. They, far more than the helpless workers in the fields, deserved the awful fate that befell their city.

"The stronghold" (Judges 9:46). "This stronghold appears to have been a vault-like structure beneath the temple of Baal-berith ... It is ironic that the words of Jotham's fable and the threat of fire coming out of the bramble (Abimelech) and devouring the Shechemites should have had such a literal fulfillment as that which is depicted here."[23]

"Mount Zalman" (Judges 9:48). "The exact location of this mount is unknown, but it was probably one of the foothills of Gerizim."[24]

"All ... died, about a thousand men and women" (Judges 9:49). The mention of women here is significant. They were most likely the wives of the lords of Shechem. and the women attending the priests of Baal.

FIRE FROM THE MEN OF SHECHEM DEVOURS ABIMELECH (Judges 9:50-57)

The curse of Jotham had another line, namely, that fire would come out of the House of Millo, and the men of Shechem, and devour Abimelech. This paragraph tells how that happened.