2 Samuel20

Following Absalom's defeat, a Benjamite named Sheba incites a new rebellion, drawing away most of Israel from David. King David dispatches Amasa to gather Judah's forces, but Amasa's delay leads David to send Joab and Abishai in pursuit of Sheba. Joab, encountering Amasa, treacherously murders him and then continues the chase.
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Sheba's Rebellion Begins

1
And there happened to be there a base fellow, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew the trumpet, and said, We have no portion in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel. ​
2
So all the men of Israel went up from following David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem. ​
3
And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and provided them with sustenance, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood. ​

Joab Executes Amasa and Takes Command

4
Then said the king to Amasa, Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be thou here present. ​
5
So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together; but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
6
And David said to Abishai, Now will Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fortified cities, and escape out of our sight. ​
7
And there went out after him Joab’s men, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men; and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.
8
When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was girded with his apparel of war that he had put on, and thereon was a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out. ​
9
And Joab said to Amasa, Is it well with thee, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.
10
But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand: so he smote him therewith in the body, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri. ​
11
And there stood by him one of Joab’s young men, and said, He that favoreth Joab, and he that is for David, let him follow Joab.
12
And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a garment over him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still.
13
When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

The Siege of Abel and the Wise Woman

14
And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel, and to Beth-maacah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him.
15
And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maacah, and they cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart; and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.
16
Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee.
17
And he came near unto her; and the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thy handmaid. And he answered, I do hear.
18
Then she spake, saying, They were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask counsel at Abel: and so they ended the matter.
19
I am of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of Jehovah? ​
20
And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.
21
The matter is not so: but a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David; deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.
22
Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. And he blew the trumpet, and they were dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king. ​

David's Officials Reinstated

23
Now Joab was over all the host of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites; ​
24
and Adoram was over the men subject to taskwork; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder;
25
and Sheva was scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
26
and also Ira the Jairite was chief minister unto David.

Study Notes for 2 Samuel 20

Verse 1

Sheba, a Benjamite, uses the recent tribal strife and the dismissal of the northern tribes (Israel) to launch a new revolt. His cry, 'We have no part in David,' echoes the anti-monarchic sentiment and sectional rivalry that plagued David’s reign.

Verse 2

The speed with which 'every man of Israel' abandoned David demonstrates the fragility of the unified kingdom, which had been only nominally restored after Absalom’s defeat. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal.

Verse 3

David’s action regarding the ten concubines (who had been defiled by Absalom in 16:21-22) was necessary to prevent any future political claim being made through them. By sequestering them, David ensured they lived in perpetual widowhood, neutralizing them as political pawns.

Verse 4

David appoints Amasa, his nephew and former commander of Absalom’s army (19:13), to lead the pursuit. This move was intended both to test Amasa’s loyalty and to bypass the problematic Joab, whom David had promised to replace.

Verse 6

Amasa’s delay (v. 5) prompts David to act decisively, fearing that Sheba's rebellion could quickly become more damaging than Absalom's due to its underlying sectionalism. David instructs Abishai, Joab's brother, to lead the pursuit.

Verse 8

The description of the sword mechanism suggests premeditation. Joab likely arranged for the sword to 'fall out' so that when he retrieved it, he could approach Amasa unarmed, making the fatal attack appear sudden or accidental in the chaos of meeting.

Verse 10

Joab murders Amasa under the guise of an affectionate greeting, eliminating the man David had appointed as his successor. This ruthless action secured Joab’s position as commander of the army, demonstrating that David lacked the power to effectively depose him.

Verse 19

The wise woman appeals to Joab’s sense of covenant justice. Calling the city 'a mother in Israel' signifies that it is a prominent, loyal administrative center, and destroying it would be an attack on the foundational order of the kingdom.

Verse 22

The resolution highlights the power of wise counsel and diplomacy over indiscriminate military destruction. The city’s inhabitants prioritize their collective safety by executing the rebel leader and delivering his head, immediately ending the siege.

Verse 23

This appendix, listing David's chief administrators, serves as a literary device to demonstrate that after the threats of Absalom and Sheba, the monarchy is securely re-established. Joab retains his position despite his recent acts of murder and insubordination.

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