Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
Then he quickly called to the young man who carried his armor and said to him, 'Draw your sword and kill me, so that people won't say a woman killed me.' So his young man ran him through with his sword, and he died.
This verse shows a dying warrior asking his armor-bearer to finish him off so he wouldn't have the shame of being killed by a woman.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Judges, Abimelech, the son of Gideon, seized power through violence by killing his seventy brothers and ruling over Shechem, which led to internal conflicts and rebellion. During a battle at Thebez, he was mortally wounded when a woman dropped a millstone on his head from a tower, an event that highlighted the irony of his downfall. Desperate to preserve his reputation and avoid the shame of being killed by a woman, he commanded his armor-bearer to end his life immediately.
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