Thebez

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 2 Samuel 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.