8405. Tebets
Lexical Summary
Tebets: Tebez

Original Word: תֵּבֵץ
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Tebets
Pronunciation: TAY-bets
Phonetic Spelling: (tay-bates')
KJV: Thebez
NASB: Thebez
Word Origin: [from the same as H948 (בּוּץ - fine linen)]

1. whiteness
2. Tebets, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Taberah

From the same as buwts; whiteness; Tebets, a place in Palestine -- Thebez.

see HEBREW buwts

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a city near Shechem
NASB Translation
Thebez (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
תֵּבֵץ proper name, of a location near Shechem: Judges 9:50 (twice in verse) (תֵּבֵ֑ץ; also Judges 8:18 Bu for תָּבוֺר q. v.), 2 Samuel 11:21; modern ˆûbâs, 4 hours north of Shechem RobBR. iii. 305 GuérinSam. i. 357 ff. BuhlG 204; Θηβης, Θαιβαις (in Judges), Θαμας(ε)ι, ᵐ5L Θαμεσσει (in Samuel).

Topical Lexicon
Geographical Setting

Thebez was a fortified town in the central hill country of Israel, most likely within the tribal territory of Ephraim or Manasseh, lying roughly ten to thirteen miles northeast of Shechem. Its surrounding topography—high limestone ridges, terraced fields, and defensible walls—made it a logical refuge in turbulent periods and explains why it appears only in military contexts. Several scholars associate the site with modern‐day Tubas, whose Arabic name preserves the ancient consonants and whose location fits the biblical data.

Biblical Narrative and Usage

1. Judges 9:50-54 recounts Abimelech’s final campaign:

“Then Abimelech went to Thebez, encamped against it, and captured it. But there was a strong tower inside the city… A woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull”.

Thebez becomes the scene of poetic justice. Abimelech, having murdered his brothers and earlier burned the tower of Shechem (Judges 9:45-49), meets his own end beneath the hand of an anonymous woman. The episode fulfills Jotham’s prophetic curse (Judges 9:19-20) and underscores that the Lord can use the humble to fell the mighty.

2. 2 Samuel 11:21 preserves Thebez in Israel’s collective memory. Joab anticipates David’s displeasure over Uriah’s death and reminds the messenger of Abimelech:

“Who killed Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?”.

The reference proves that, generations later, Thebez still served as a cautionary tale for Israelite commanders who might recklessly approach fortified walls.

Historical and Archaeological Considerations

The strength of Thebez’s tower in Judges suggests a multi-story, stone‐built structure typical of Late Bronze or early Iron Age fortifications. Excavations at candidate sites (notably Tubas) reveal occupation layers from the twelfth to tenth centuries B.C., aligning with the period of the Judges and early monarchy. Pottery assemblages and defensive walls corroborate a settlement of some stature, though no epigraphic evidence bearing the name has surfaced to date.

Strategic Importance

• Centrally located on trade and military routes linking the Jordan Rift with the coastal plains.
• Elevated position provided surveillance over surrounding valleys and pathways, explaining why an ambitious warlord such as Abimelech targeted it.
• The interior tower offered last-resort defense, a common feature in Canaanite and Israelite cities (compare Judges 8:9, 2 Samuel 20:15).

Theological Themes

Divine Justice: Abimelech’s demise at Thebez testifies that violence begets judgment. The anonymous woman’s act mirrors Jael’s deed against Sisera (Judges 4:21), another reminder that God’s deliverance can arise from unexpected agents.

Covenant Memory: Joab’s recollection of Thebez illustrates how Israel transmitted theological lessons through historical events. Military strategy and moral instruction were intertwined: commanders who forgot God’s precedents invited disaster.

Ministry Reflections

• Pride and tyranny are ultimately self-destructive; leaders must cultivate humility and accountability.
• God values faithfulness over prominence; unnamed individuals may wield decisive influence for His purposes.
• Historical awareness safeguards present obedience. Recalling Thebez kept Joab’s troops mindful of boundaries; likewise, congregations profit from rehearsing biblical history to avoid repeated folly.

Typological and Christological Hints

While Thebez itself is not presented as a direct type of Christ, its narrative foreshadows the principle that apparent weakness overturns worldly power—anticipating the cross, where seeming defeat wrought ultimate victory (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

Key References

Judges 9:50-54; 2 Samuel 11:21.

Related Topics

Abimelech son of Gideon (Jerubbaal); Towers in biblical warfare; Women as instruments of deliverance (Jael, the Wise Woman of Abel Beth Maacah); Millstones in Scripture.

Forms and Transliterations
בְּתֵבֵ֔ץ בְּתֵבֵ֖ץ בתבץ תֵּבֵ֑ץ תבץ bə·ṯê·ḇêṣ bəṯêḇêṣ beteVetz tê·ḇêṣ têḇêṣ teVetz
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Judges 9:50
HEB: אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ אֶל־ תֵּבֵ֑ץ וַיִּ֥חַן בְּתֵבֵ֖ץ
NAS: went to Thebez, and he camped
KJV: Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped
INT: Abimelech to Thebez camped Thebez

Judges 9:50
HEB: תֵּבֵ֑ץ וַיִּ֥חַן בְּתֵבֵ֖ץ וַֽיִּלְכְּדָֽהּ׃
NAS: and he camped against Thebez and captured
KJV: and encamped against Thebez, and took
INT: Thebez camped Thebez and captured

2 Samuel 11:21
HEB: הַֽחוֹמָה֙ וַיָּ֣מָת בְּתֵבֵ֔ץ לָ֥מָּה נִגַּשְׁתֶּ֖ם
NAS: so that he died at Thebez? Why
KJV: that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh
INT: the wall died Taberah how long go

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8405
3 Occurrences


bə·ṯê·ḇêṣ — 2 Occ.
tê·ḇêṣ — 1 Occ.

8404
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