This scenario is much the same as in the previous episode (verse 9.46-49). The city is captured, but the survivors run to a tower. Instead of going underground as in verse 9.46, these people go to the top of the tower.

But, which renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, seems appropriate here, since this verse tells about the people who managed to escape from Abimelech. Though some versions leave this conjunction untranslated (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible), it plays an important role in the discourse, introducing that there was a real place of refuge. It seems to imply the unexpected may happen.

There was a strong tower within the city: For tower see verse 9.46. This word forms an inclusio around this verse. Mention of this tower and of people seeking refuge there has led some scholars to suggest that this is the same incident described in verse 9.46-49. However, virtually every town had a tower, and what happens here is clearly distinct from what happened in Shechem. A strong tower is literally “a tower of strength,” referring to a tower that is well built and fortified. Thus this tower is different from the one in verse 9.46, and it was large enough to hold all the people of the city. Contemporary English Version calls it “a tall fortress.” Within the city is literally “in the middle of the city.” Translators are free to reorder the wording as in New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh: “Within the town was a fortified tower.”

And all the people of the city fled to it, all the men and women is literally “and they fled there, all the men and the women and all the leaders [baʿal in Hebrew].” The leaders of the town seem to have led the way. Fled is a key verb in Judges, often associated with people who end up dying (verse 4.17; verse 7.22; verse 8.12). Here it may be rendered “ran” (Good News Translation).

And shut themselves in is literally “and they closed [it] behind them.” Like Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation uses a reflexive expression, saying “They locked themselves in.” Contemporary English Version has “Then they barred the gates.” Another possible model is “and they locked the door behind themselves.”

And they went to the roof of the tower: Instead of heading downward as the people of Shechem had done (verse 9.46), the people of Thebez went up to the top of the tower. The Hebrew verb rendered went (ʿalah) is a keyword that appears with a variety of meanings throughout this book (see comments on verse 1.1). Here it expresses a real movement upward, so it may be rendered “went up” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) or “climbed up” (New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). The people could flee for safety to the roof of the tower since it was flat, like many roofs in Israel (see verse 3.20). Obviously this town had a very small population if all of them could fit on the roof. Translators can speak of “the flat roof” (Contemporary English Version) or “the terrace at the top of the tower.”

As in verse 9.46, the detail of this verse slows down the story line and heightens the suspense as we come closer to the climax of the story.

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 .