Who was the man that encamped against the city of Thebez, trapping its citizens in a tower? Who was the man’s father? After being mortally wounded by a woman, why did he ask his armorbearer to kill him?
Answer: Abimelech, the son of Gideon, encamped against the city of Thebez and took the city. However, there was a strong tower in the city which all of the residents fled to for safety. Abimelech was going to torch the tower and kill all of the people trapped inside, but before he could set fire to it, a woman dropped a millstone from the tower and it crushed Abimelech’s skull. He was mortally wounded and knew he was about to die, but he did not want it said that a woman had killed him. So, he ordered his armorbearer to thrust him through. This event is recorded in Judges 9:50-55.