Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes- Judges 1:6

This is an ancient custom (and perhaps not so ancient, as I will note later on) that served two purposes: It humiliated them and also made them unfit for future warfare.

As per his own confession in verse 7, Adoni-Bezek had done this himself on seventy kings of the small city-states of Canaan. He claimed that God was now paying him back for what he did to them.

Assyrian kings were especially partial to such cruelties. According to an ancient monument that has an inscription ordered by Asshur-izirpal (who began his reign in 883 BC), he speaks of what he did in a captured city:

"Their men, young and old, I took prisoners. Of some I cut off the feet and hands; of others I cut off the noses, ears, and lips; of the young men's eyes I made a heap; of the old men's I built a minaret."

Gail's note- In the war in Liberia where my son is living, the soldiers commonly cut off the hands of their victims. As in the movie, Blood Diamond, the assailants would ask the victims if they preferred "long sleeves" or "short sleeves", referring to the location of the amputation- elbow or wrist.