tse.ri.ach denotes a fortified or protected place, used for refuge and for the structure occupied and burned at Shechem.

The attested use denotes a protected or fortified place: people hide among such places in 1 Samuel 13:6, while the singular identifies the place entered by the tower’s masters and later set on fire in Judges 9:46 and Judges 9:49.

1. Fortified place for refuge or occupation · dominant

   In 1 Samuel 13:6, the plural absolute form occurs in a list of places where hard-pressed Israelites hid; the APB renders the list with “strongholds.” In Judges 9:46, the singular construct form names the place to which the masters of Shechem’s tower came, and in Judges 9:49 two singular absolute forms identify the structure on which branches were placed and which was burned.

   1 Samuel 13:6Judges 9:46Judges 9:49

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the term as “strongholds” in 1 Samuel 13:6 and “stronghold” in Judges 9:46 and Judges 9:49. These English renderings fit the verse contexts.