Bible Strands
Judges 9:54
He quickly called his armor-bearer, saying, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So Abimelech’s armor-bearer ran his sword through him, and he died.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Abimelech, whose skull has just been crushed by a woman's millstone, commands his armor-bearer to draw his sword and kill him. He issues this order at the moment of his own death to prevent others from claiming a woman was his slayer.
The words — The Hebrew imperative שְׁלֹף (she.lof) literally means "draw" or "pull out," specifically directing the removal of a blade from its sheath. It appears alongside מְהֵרָה (me.he.rah), meaning "quickly," to convey Abimelech's urgent demand.
The thread — This exact request for a swift death at a subordinate's hand occurs when Saul faces defeat on Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:4). Both narratives place the command in the immediate aftermath of a fatal blow to preserve the leader's honor.
Why it lands — The text records a dying man's final attempt to dictate the terms of his death and control how his defeat will be remembered. It requires the reader to observe how the fear of shame directly determines the choice of suicide over survival.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 31:4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.