Thebez
“Conspicuous; Brightness”
Summary
Thebez was the city where the usurper Abimelech met his death when a woman dropped a millstone on his head during his siege of the town.
☩Abimelech's Death
After destroying Shechem and slaughtering a thousand people by suffocating them with smoke in the hold of Baal-berith, Abimelech marched to Thebez. The town quickly fell, but its inhabitants took refuge in a strong tower. When Abimelech approached the tower door to set it on fire, a woman dropped a piece of millstone on his head, crushing his skull. To avoid the shame of being killed by a woman, he commanded his armor-bearer to run him through with a sword.
☩Location and Legacy
Thebez was located not far from Shechem, about thirteen miles from Neapolis (modern Nablus) on the road to Scythopolis according to Eusebius. It is identified with the modern village of Tubas, which stands on a hillside surrounded by olive groves. The story of Abimelech's death became a well-known cautionary tale in Israel, referenced by Joab when warning against approaching too close to city walls during a siege.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Thebez," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Thebez," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Thebez," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Thebez," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).