The Meaning of Judges 9:46 Explained

Judges 9:46

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.

YLT: And all the masters of the tower of Shechem hear, and go in unto the high place of the house of the god Berith,

Darby: When all the people of the Tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the stronghold of the house of El-be'rith.

ASV: And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard thereof, they entered into the stronghold of the house of Elberith.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And when all the men  of the tower  of Shechem  heard  [that], they entered  into an hold  of the house  of the god  Berith. 

What does Judges 9:46 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 9:41-57 - The Burning Of The Bramble
Terrible deeds like these give tokens of the power of the god of this world, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Alas, similar atrocities are being perpetrated still, after all these centuries of what is called Christian civilization. But this Christianity is only a very shallow veneer, and when national passions break loose, there is little to choose between war today and in pre-Christian ages.
Men have no right to attribute the sins, cruelties, barbarities and enormities of the present day to Christianity. They are due to its absence. The whole Gospel of the Son of man protests against them. We must sadly admit that His "enemy hath done this." And there will be no real cessation of the evils beneath which the world groans until the King comes to His own and sets up His everlasting Kingdom. What has happened of late in Europe, notwithstanding all the efforts toward arbitration and peace, proves that something new must be brought to pass before the Father's kingdom can come and His will be done on earth. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 9

1  Abimelech by conspiracy with the Shechemites, and murder of his brothers, is made king
7  Jotham by a parable rebukes them, and foretells their ruin
22  Gaal conspires with the Shechemites against him
30  Zebul reveals it
34  Abimelech overcomes them, and sows the city with salt
46  He burns the hold of the god Berith
50  At Thebez he is slain by a piece of a millstone
56  Jotham's curse is fulfilled

What do the individual words in Judges 9:46 mean?

And when had heard [that] all the men of the tower of Shechem and they entered into the stronghold of the temple of the god Berith
וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֔וּ כָּֽל־ בַּעֲלֵ֖י מִֽגְדַּל־ שְׁכֶ֑ם וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־ צְרִ֔יחַ בֵּ֖ית אֵ֥ל בְּרִֽית

וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֔וּ  And  when  had  heard  [that] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
בַּעֲלֵ֖י  the  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בָּעַל 
Sense: owner, husband, lord.
מִֽגְדַּל־  of  the  tower 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִגְדָּל  
Sense: tower.
שְׁכֶ֑ם  of  Shechem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁכֶם 
Sense: son of Hamor, the chieftain of the Hivites at Shechem at the time of Jacob’s arrival.
וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ  and  they  entered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֶל־  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
צְרִ֔יחַ  the  stronghold 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: צְרִיחַ  
Sense: excavation, underground chamber, cellar, underground room.
בֵּ֖ית  of  the  temple 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אֵ֥ל  of  the  god 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵל 
Sense: god, god-like one, mighty one.
בְּרִֽית  Berith 
Parse: Noun, proper
Root: אֵל בְּרִית  
Sense: in the name of Baal-berith, a foreign deity worshipped in Shechem.