And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.
Abimelech fought against the city all day long. He captured the city, killed the people who lived there, tore down the city completely, and scattered salt all over it.
This verse describes Abimelech's complete and brutal destruction of a city, including killing its inhabitants and making the land unable to grow crops by salting it.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred during Abimelech's violent three-year reign as a self-appointed king over Israel around 1150 BC. The city being destroyed was likely Shechem, where Abimelech had initially been made king but which later rebelled against his harsh rule. Sowing salt on conquered territory was an ancient practice meant to make the land barren and symbolically curse it so nothing could grow there again.
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