שופטים, פרק ט׳, פסוק מ״ד

A well-planned military maneuver unfolds on the battlefield, designed to achieve total control and completely isolate the enemy. The attacking force splits into three separate units operating at the exact same time. Abimelech positions himself at the entrance of the city gate, while the other two units launch an attack out in the open field. Because the total force was divided into three parts, and two are engaged in the field, a question arises regarding the group that stays with Abimelech. The record refers to his accompanying force using a plural term for leaders or chiefs, even though only a single unit remains with him. The primary approach among commentators is that this term simply refers to the one remaining military unit [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, the plural description points to the high status of the men in that specific group. Because Abimelech's unit was composed of important and respected individuals, they earned a title denoting leadership [רד"ק, רלב"ג].

The strategic purpose of Abimelech and his men standing at the city gate reflects two different directions of blockade. One perspective suggests their goal was to trap the city residents inside, preventing them from marching out to rescue the people being attacked in the fields [מצודת דוד]. Conversely, another view argues that the blockade was directed outward, meant to stop the victims in the field from escaping and finding safety inside the city walls [רש"י]. Regardless of whether the blockade faced inward or outward, severing the connection between the city and the surrounding land allowed the other two units to strike down the people in the field completely uninterrupted.