The Siege of Thebez occurred in 1233 BC when King Abimelech of Shechem, ruler of the Israelites, attempted to suppress a rebellion in the city of Thebez (Tubas).
Abimelech was able to take Thebez, but a strong tower within the city held out, as all the men and women and lords of the city fled to it and shut themselves in. Abimelech fought against the tower and attempted to burn it with fire, as he had done to capture Shechem. However, a woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head as he approached the tower's entrance, crushing the king's skull. Abimelech, knowing that he would die, called for his armor-bearer to kill him so that people would not say that a woman killed him. When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they returned home, with Abimelech's murder of his 70 brothers avenged, and Shechem punished for its wickedness.