Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
Who killed Abimelech, the son of Jerubbesheth? Didn't a woman throw a piece of a millstone down on him from the wall, killing him at Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall? Then tell him, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.'
King David is coaching his messenger on how to deliver bad news about a military defeat, using it as cover to report that Uriah has been killed as planned.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is part of David's instructions to Joab's messenger after David arranged for Uriah to be killed in battle to cover up his affair with Bathsheba. David references a famous military disaster from Israel's past where Abimelech was killed by a woman dropping a millstone from a city wall, showing that attacking too close to walls was a known tactical mistake.
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