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
This describes the death of Abimelech, Gideon's son who had killed his 70 brothers to become king over Israel. During his siege of the city of Thebez, a woman dropped a millstone from a tower that crushed his skull. In ancient Near Eastern culture, being killed by a woman in battle was considered particularly shameful for a warrior.
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