Thebez

Thebez, a Canaanite city where Abimelech was fatally wounded by a millstone thrown by a woman (Judg. 9:50-54; 2Sam. 11:21).

Thebez was a Canaanite city mentioned in the story of Abimelech, the son of Gideon, who ruled as king over Israel for three years (Judg. 9:50-54). After Abimelech had captured Shechem and burned its tower, killing many people, he went to Thebez to besiege the city. During the attack, Abimelech approached the tower to set it on fire. However, a woman on the tower dropped an upper millstone on his head, crushing his skull. Abimelech then asked his armor-bearer to kill him with a sword, so that it would not be said that a woman had killed him. The incident at Thebez is also mentioned in 2Sa.11.21, when Joab rebuked David's messenger for getting too close to the wall during the siege of Rabbah, reminding him of Abimelech's fate at Thebez. The exact location of Thebez is uncertain, but it was likely situated in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Shechem.

Brightness, a place some 11 miles north-east of Shechem, on the road to Scythopolis, the modern Tabas. Abimelech led his army against this place, because of its participation in the conspiracy of the men of Shechem; but as he drew near to the strong tower to which its inhabitants had fled for safety, and was about to set fire to it, a woman cast a fragment of millstone at him, and “all to brake his skull” i.e., “altogether brake,” etc. His armourbearer thereupon “thrust him through, and he died” (Judg. 9:50-55).