This verse begins with a Hebrew waw conjunction not rendered in Revised Standard Version. The context shows that this verse does not describe a consecutive action, but rather is a restatement. This verse and the previous one describe the same event from two different points of view. Some translators will choose to combine them, while others may prefer to keep the two accounts distinct. The words company and rushed are repeated in this verse.

Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed forward: There is a textual problem here since the Hebrew text has the plural “companies,” while the Vulgate and some ver Septuagintver* manuscripts have the singular company. New International Version follows the Hebrew text, but Revised Standard Version‘s rendering makes sense, since later in the verse the acts of the other two companies will be described. Translators will have to decide which reading to follow. According to Revised Standard Version, when Abimelech saw the people of Shechem coming out of the city to go their farms, the military company with him rushed forward, which renders the same Hebrew verb translated “rush” in verse 9.33 (see comments there). Here it may be rendered “dashed ahead” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “ran forward.”

And stood at the entrance of the gate of the city: While the company with Abimelech went to the city gate, the other two companies went to attack the people who had already gone out of the city to their farms. Abimelech and his men stood at the city entrance to cut people off, so they could not come out to help their fellow inhabitants being attacked by the rest of Abimelech’s men. For the entrance of the gate of the city, see verse 9.35. Revised English Bible uses military language for this clause, saying “and took up position at the entrance of the city gate.” For this clause and the previous one Contemporary English Version has “Abimelech and the troops with him ran to the town gate and took control of it.” Another possible model is “Abimelech and the troops with him dashed forward and captured the city gate.”

While the two companies rushed upon all who were in the fields and slew them is an independent sentence in Hebrew, which is literally “and the two companies rushed….” While one group of Abimelech’s men captured Shechem’s gate, the other two groups attacked and killed the people of Shechem who had gone to their farms. Rushed renders the same Hebrew verb translated rushed forward. All who were in the fields probably includes the women and children who went to the farms. Fields is singular in Hebrew but can be rendered as appropriate in the target language.

Here is what appears to be another case of the bad-to-worse scenario that often characterizes this book. In the previous ambush, it was Gaal’s followers, all adult men, who were attacked and killed. But here, even women and children were probably among those killed. Thus Abimelech’s sins grow more serious as he attacks the innocent. Slew (literally “struck”) renders the same Hebrew verb as in the previous verse. Here it clearly means “killed” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). Translators should look for a verb that conveys some of the emotion here, for example, “slaughtered” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “massacred.” This whole sentence may be rendered “Then the two remaining groups rushed upon all the people in the fields and slaughtered them” or “Then Abimelech’s two other companies attacked the people who had gone to work in the fields, and killed them [all].”

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .