What does Judges 9:44 mean?
This verse describes Abimelech's strategy to kill the people of Shechem who came out of the city into the fields. These are the regular citizens of Shechem. Perhaps they have come out to tend crops or to do other work. There's no indication any of these people were involved in the rebellion against Abimelech (Judges 9:22–25; 38–41). He seems intent on destroying everyone and everything in the city out of anger, or retribution, or perhaps pure spite.Abimelech has set up three companies of his men, hidden in the fields, to ambush the people who come out of the city gates (Judges 9:42–43). They wait until all the people have reached the fields, then Abimelech's company rushes to the gate. Positioned there, they can block any escape back into the city. While they guard the entrance, the other two companies carry out the grim task of killing every citizen in the fields. These civilian field workers would have been completely defenseless against Abimelech's men.
This is not enough for Abimelech, however. He will now turn his wrath on the rest of the city (Judges 9:45).
Judges 9:22–57 describes the brutal fulfillment of Jotham's curse against his brother, Abimelech, and the leaders of the city of Shechem. God allows the two sides to be split by an evil spirit. First, Shechem's leaders attempt to kill Abimelech. Then they plot with a man named Gaal to overthrow him. Helped by his officer in the city, Abimelech and his men ambush Gaal and Shechem. They kill all the people and destroy the city. They then move on to the town of Thebez to do the same, but Abimelech is killed. Jotham's prediction of divine vengeance (Judges 9:19–20) comes true.
Shechem's leaders conspire with a concubine's son to kill Gideon's other seventy sons. They make this man, Abimelech, their ruler. Gideon's youngest son survives, however, and delivers a curse. Using a fable, he says Abimelech and Shechem's leaders will destroy each other. God causes a division between Shechem's leaders and Abimelech. The noblemen attempt to kill Abimelech and unite behind a new leader. Abimelech discovers the plot and kills everyone in Shechem, destroying the city. When attacking a tower in a nearby town, however, Abimelech's skull is crushed by a thrown millstone. The curse is fulfilled.
