Scripture quotations on this page are from the World English Bible (public domain), shown in quotation marks; all commentary is written by Scripture Trove. Source: 2 Samuel 20 · Commentary
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At the end of 2 Samuel 19, Judah and Israel quarrel over "who will bring David back first." 2 Samuel 20 is the explosion of this quarrel, Sheba's rebellion.
20:1 "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, Israel!”"
2 Samuel 20:1（World English Bible）
The story has four sections:
At the end of 2 Samuel 20 (23–26), the final cabinet list of David's reign is presented. The narrator uses this list to mark the "political restoration" of the dynasty.
This chapter has four sections:
2 Samuel 20 tells readers that the chain reaction of sin has a complete cycle.
The sin of 2 Samuel 11—David's adultery and murder—after the rebuke in chapter 12, the rape in chapter 13, the partial pardon in chapter 14, the rebellion in chapter 15, the defilement of the concubines in chapter 16, the counsel in chapter 17, Absalom's death in chapter 18, and the political reconstruction in chapter 19, finally concludes in chapter 20 with an irony.
Sheba's cry, "We have no portion in David," is a re-enactment of "the hearts of all the men of Israel were with Absalom" in chapter 11. The division sown by sin is still bearing fruit.
But there is also grace in this chapter: an unnamed wise woman saved a city. The narrator again uses "wise woman" to convey that God works through the humblest of people.
20:1 "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, Israel!”"
2 Samuel 20:1（World English Bible）
20:10 "But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So he struck him with it in the body, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and didn’t strike him again; and he died. Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri."
2 Samuel 20:10（World English Bible）
20:19 "I am among those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up Yahweh’s inheritance?”"
2 Samuel 20:19（World English Bible）
2 Samuel 20:3 deeply saddens me. Ten innocent concubines paid with their lives for the king's sin.
They committed no sin; they were merely publicly defiled by Absalom. As a result, they were confined for life, unable to remarry, "confined as widows." This is the deepest cost of the sin in chapter 11, not David's cost, but the cost of innocent people.
Brothers and sisters, sin doesn't just hurt you; it hurts the most vulnerable people around you. Every "my private matter" will have "someone else's public cost." Be vigilant.
But there is also grace in this chapter: an unnamed wise woman saved a city. God works through the humblest of people.
May we be vigilant in sin and hopeful in grace. Whether it's David's dynasty or the small city of Abel, God is at work in history.
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20:1 "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, Israel!”"
2 Samuel 20:1（World English Bible）
"Wicked fellow" (אִישׁ בְּלִיַּעַל, ʾîš bəliyyaʿal, "son of Belial"). The Hebrew word bəliyyaʿal means "worthless, scoundrel, evil," and in the Hebrew Bible, it is specifically used for spiritually corrupt people (see Deuteronomy 13:13, 1 Samuel 2:12, 1 Samuel 25:25 for Nabal). Sheba is condemned by this label.
"Benjamite," Sheba was from Saul's tribe. The Benjamites never fully submitted to David's dynasty.
"We have no portion in David" (אֵין־לָנוּ חֵלֶק בְּדָוִד, ʾên-lānû ḥēleq bəḏāwid, "we have no share in David"). The Hebrew word ḥēleq means "portion." This formula will be reused by the entire nation during Rehoboam's time in 1 Kings 12:16, leading to the division of the kingdom. The narrator uses 20:1 to foreshadow future division.
"Neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse," using "son of Jesse" is derogatory, meaning "that son of an ordinary man," not as honorable as "king."
"Every man to his tents," the standard call for rebellion.
20:2 "So all the men of Israel went up from following David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah joined with their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem."
2 Samuel 20:2（World English Bible）
The immediate split between Israel and Judah, the direct consequence of 19:43 "the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel," is realized here. Sheba blew the trumpet only once, and the tribes of Israel "went up from David" (וַיִּפָּרֶד, wayyippāreḏ, "separated"). The submission of the ten tribes was originally driven by circumstances (19:9-10), not by heartfelt loyalty, and they dispersed as soon as someone incited them.
But Judah "stuck with their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem." Judah's loyalty was already confirmed in 19:14. The narrator uses the North/South contrast structure of "Judah/Israel" to show readers the cracks in the united kingdom: this is not a one-time event, but a preview of 1 Kings 12:16 "What portion have we in David?" From this moment on, David's dynasty effectively ruled only the tribe of Judah.
20:3 "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 custody, and provided them with sustenance, but didn’t go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood."
2 Samuel 20:3（World English Bible）
"Ten women his concubines," the concubines left behind in 15:16 and publicly defiled by Absalom in 16:22.
"Put them in custody" (בֵּית־מִשְׁמֶרֶת, bêṯ-mišmereṯ, "house of custody"). The Hebrew word mišmereṯ means "guard, imprisonment." This is political isolation.
"Fed them, but didn't go in to them," David provided for them but no longer slept with them. This was a tragic compromise:
As a result, "they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood." Ten innocent women became specific victims of the sin in chapter 11. They committed no crime, but paid the price of a lifetime for the king's sin. This is one of the most painful "silent victims" in Hebrew narrative.
20:4 "Then the king said to Amasa, “Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be here present.”"
2 Samuel 20:4（World English Bible）
Amasa was the new general David promised in 19:13, replacing Joab. David gave him three days to gather the men of Judah, which was his first major test as the new general.
20:5 "So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together; but he stayed longer than the set time which he had appointed him."
2 Samuel 20:5（World English Bible）
"He stayed longer than the set time" (וַיּוֹחֶר, wayyôḥer, "he delayed"). Amasa failed to complete the assembly within three days. Why was he slow? Possible reasons: ① The men of Judah distrusted this former rebel general and were unwilling to be summoned by him; ② Amasa himself lacked Joab's decisive leadership. Whatever the reason, this failure gave Joab a fatal opportunity; Joab needed a reason to prove Amasa was unfit to be general.
20:6 "David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he get himself fortified cities, and escape out of our sight.”"
2 Samuel 20:6（World English Bible）
David bypassed Amasa and sent Abishai to pursue Sheba. Note that David sent Abishai, not Joab; he still did not want Joab to regain military command. But v7 indicates that Joab's men went out with them, so Joab's military influence existed in fact, whether or not he was appointed. David's assessment of Sheba, "do us more harm than Absalom," may have been an exaggeration, but it reflected his fear of another rebellion.
20:7 "Joab’s men went out after him, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men; and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri."
2 Samuel 20:7（World English Bible）
"Joab's men" (אַנְשֵׁי יוֹאָב, ʾanšê yôʾāḇ). Note the narrator's phrasing, not "the king's men" but "Joab's men." Although Joab had been officially replaced in 19:13, his troops still recognized him as their commander. The "Cherethites and the Pelethites" were David's elite foreign mercenaries (see 8:18), and with "all the mighty men," David's most elite forces were all deployed. The narrator hints here that the actual commander of this army was not the nominal Abishai, but Joab, who went out with his own men.
20:8 "When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab was clothed in his apparel of war that he had put on, and on it was a sash with a sword fastened on his waist in its sheath; and as he went along it fell out."
2 Samuel 20:8（World English Bible）
"The great stone which is in Gibeon," the same area as the bloody battle at the pool of Gibeon in 2 Samuel 2. The narrator uses the same place name to make readers feel deeply that the tragedy of civil war is happening again in the same place.
"It fell out," a subtle detail in Hebrew narrative. Joab deliberately let the sword fall out so that when he "picked up the sword" with his left hand, it would not arouse suspicion. This was a premeditated detail.
20:9 "Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him."
2 Samuel 20:9（World English Bible）
"My brother" (אָחִי, ʾāḥî). Amasa was indeed Joab's cousin (17:25). Joab used the most intimate address to induce Amasa to lower his guard.
"Took Amasa by the beard," the most intimate approach for a Hebrew man; grabbing the beard was Joab's gesture for a deceptive kiss.
"To kiss him," "to kiss him." This foreshadows Judas kissing Christ (Matthew 26:48–49). Joab used a "kiss" as a disguise for assassination.
20:10 "But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So he struck him with it in the body, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and didn’t strike him again; and he died. Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri."
2 Samuel 20:10（World English Bible）
"Struck him with it in the body" (אֶל־הַחֹמֶשׁ, ʾel-haḥōmeš, "struck the fifth rib"). The Hebrew word ḥōmeš means "fifth rib." This verb is used for the fourth time in 2 Samuel (2 Samuel 2:23, 3:27, 4:6 are all assassinations). Joab re-enacted his assassination of Abner, the same spot, the same deceit, the same political motive.
"Shed out his bowels to the ground," a rare "bloody detail" in Hebrew narrative. The narrator wants readers to feel the cruelty of this assassination.
"Didn't strike him again," one fatal blow, no need for a second. Joab was skilled in killing.
"Joab and Abishai his brother pursued," Joab regained military command. He re-established himself as the de facto commander of David's army with one fatal stab. This was Joab using murder to reclaim the position of general.
20:11–13 "One of Joab’s young men stood by him, and said, “He who favors Joab, and he who is for David, let him follow Joab!” Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the highway. 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 everyone who came by him stood still. When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri."
2 Samuel 20:11–13（World English Bible）
One of Joab's young men (possibly his attendant) stood by the body and uttered an extremely cold statement: "He who favors Joab, and he who is for David, let him follow Joab!" He tied "favoring Joab" and "being for David" together, as if following Joab was equivalent to following David. This was blatant political propaganda: Joab re-established his position through assassination, and now he demanded the entire army to declare their allegiance.
But the soldiers were startled by the body on the road; "all the people stood still." Amasa "lay wallowing in his blood," and the bloodstains blocked the marching route. The young man had to move the body from the road to the field and cover it with a garment before the march could resume. The narrator uses this uncomfortable detail to make readers feel Joab's cruelty: a living general became a roadblock.
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20:14 "He went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth Maacah, and all the Berites. They were gathered together, and went also after him."
2 Samuel 20:14（World English Bible）
Sheba "went through all the tribes of Israel," attempting to unite the northern tribes against David, just as Absalom had done. However, his appeal was far less effective than Absalom's, and he ultimately fled to Abel of Beth Maacah, one of Israel's northernmost cities (located north of Dan, near today's Lebanese border). "All the Berites" likely refers to the area between Dan and Abel. Sheba's rebellion was shrinking: from "all Israel" following him (v2) to being confined to a small northern city.
20:15 "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 who were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down."
2 Samuel 20:15（World English Bible）
Joab besieged Abel. "Mound" (סֹלְלָה, sōləlāh, "siege ramp") was a standard siege work in the ancient Near East, a dirt ramp built up to the top of the city wall, allowing soldiers to attack from it. "Battered the wall" likely refers to a battering ram. Joab was willing to destroy an entire city to capture one man, which was a severe military overreach. The civilians of the entire city would suffer because of a fugitive. It was this overreach that prompted the wise woman's appearance.
20:16 "Then a wise woman cried out of the city, “Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, ‘Come near here, that I may speak with you.’”"
2 Samuel 20:16（World English Bible）
"Wise woman" (אִשָּׁה חֲכָמָה, ʾiššāh ḥăḵāmāh), Hebrew ḥăḵāmāh "wise woman," is in the same tradition as the wise woman of Tekoa in 2 Samuel 14, a role of "wise woman" in the ancient Near East.
20:17 "He came near to her; and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Hear the words of your servant.” He answered, “I’m listening.”"
2 Samuel 20:17（World English Bible）
After a brief exchange to confirm identity, the woman opened negotiations with "Hear the words of your servant." She used a humble self-designation ("servant") but was essentially speaking to the commander from a position of authority on top of the city wall. Joab replied, "I hear" (שֹׁמֵעַ אָנֹכִי, šōmēaʿ ʾānōḵî). This ruthless commander was willing to listen to an unknown woman. Joab was brutal but not foolish; he knew that negotiation was more efficient than destroying the city.
20:18 "Then she spoke, saying, “They used to say in old times, ‘They shall surely ask counsel at Abel;’ and so they settled a matter."
2 Samuel 20:18（World English Bible）
"They shall surely ask counsel at Abel; and so they ended the matter." The woman quoted an ancient proverb (possibly a local tradition in northern Israel), meaning that if one sought advice at Abel, good counsel would be found. This implies that Abel was known for its wisdom among the cities of Israel, similar to Delphi in Greece. The woman's underlying message was: you are not attacking an ordinary city, but Israel's city of wisdom. Destroying it is unreasonable; letting it exercise its wisdom is the right course.
20:19 "I am among those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up Yahweh’s inheritance?”"
2 Samuel 20:19（World English Bible）
"Peaceable and faithful" (שְׁלֻמֵי אֱמוּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, šəlumê ʾĕmûnê yiśrāʾēl, "peaceable and faithful of Israel"), Hebrew šālôm + ʾēmûnāh "peace, faithfulness," this formula is an identifier of the "pious community" in the Hebrew Bible.
"Yahweh's inheritance" (נַחֲלַת יְהוָה, naḥălaṯ YHWH), Hebrew naḥălāh "inheritance, heritage." All of Israel is Yahweh's inheritance. The woman used this theological point to refute Joab: you must not destroy Yahweh's inheritance.
20:20–21 "Joab answered, “Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy. The matter is not so. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, even against David. Just deliver him, and I will depart from the city.” The woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.”"
2 Samuel 20:20–21（World English Bible）
Joab's reply was precise and pragmatic: "Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy!" He disavowed any intention to destroy the city (though he had just battered the wall in v15), then stated his clear condition: deliver Sheba alone. "Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city." This was a standard negotiation pattern in the ancient Near East, where the besieging party presented its minimum terms, and the besieged party weighed whether to accept. The woman's response was swift and decisive: "Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall." She didn't even need to deliberate for long; she immediately promised to hand him over. Her judgment was clear: one fugitive's life for the safety of an entire city was not a difficult choice.
20:22 "Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. They cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. He blew the trumpet, and they were dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. Then Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king."
2 Samuel 20:22（World English Bible）
The wise woman "went to all the people in her wisdom" (וַתָּבוֹא הָאִשָּׁה אֶל…, wattāḇôʾ hāʾiššāh ʾel kāl-hāʿām bəḥāḵəmāṯāh). She didn't need to use force; she only used wisdom to persuade the people in the city to hand over Sheba, cut off his head, and throw it to Joab from the city wall. An unnamed woman exchanged a head for the survival of a city. This is a living illustration of Ecclesiastes 9:15, "There was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city."
"Joab blew the trumpet," repeating the trumpet call to cease hostilities in 2:28 (after the battle of Gibeon) and 18:16 (after the battle in the forest of Ephraim). Joab blew the trumpet to end civil war three times in his life, each time after he had stabilized the situation through violence or wisdom. This repeated action became Joab's signature move, the trumpet call signaling the end of war.
20:23 "Now Joab was over all the army of Israel, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites,"
2 Samuel 20:23（World English Bible）
Joab regained the position of commander through assassination. David had publicly sworn in 19:13 to appoint Amasa in Joab's place, but Joab nullified that oath with a knife. David could no longer remove Joab; his troops recognized only Joab, and a forced replacement would only lead to a military mutiny. This was David's greatest political dilemma in his later years: he hated Joab for disobeying orders and killing Absalom (18:14) and for assassinating Amasa (20:10), but he could not do without Joab.
20:24 "Adoram was over the men subject to forced labor, Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder,"
2 Samuel 20:24（World English Bible）
"Adoram" (אֲדֹרָם, ʾĂḏōrām), the official in charge of forced labor, managing compulsory work in public projects. This position became extremely important in Solomon's era (1 Kings 4:6) and also greatly resented. In 1 Kings 12:18, Rehoboam sent Adoram to the Israelites, and he was stoned to death, becoming the catalyst for the division of the kingdom. Jehoshaphat had been David's "recorder" (מַזְכִּיר, mazkîr), responsible for royal archives and diplomatic documents, since 8:16.
20:25 "Sheva was scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were priests,"
2 Samuel 20:25（World English Bible）
The arrangement of Zadok and Abiathar serving as two high priests continued from the early days of David's reign (8:17) up to this point. This dual priesthood ended in Solomon's era, when Solomon deposed Abiathar in 1 Kings 2:27.
20:26 "and Ira the Jairite was chief minister to David."
2 Samuel 20:26（World English Bible）
"David's chief minister" (כֹהֵן לְדָוִד, kōhēn ləḏāwid, "David's priest/advisor"), Hebrew kōhēn usually refers to "priest," but here it means "private advisor" (cf. 8:18 "David's sons were chief ministers" using the same word).
This cabinet list is worth noting in comparison to the earlier list in 2 Samuel 8:16-18:
The narrator uses this administrative list as an "end marker" for the entire crisis from Absalom's rebellion to Sheba's rebellion. The dynasty was restored, but readers see that this dynasty had been deeply depleted by sin and civil war, and it would move towards Solomon's era with its cracks.
Sheba's rebellion, like an aftershock following Absalom's revolt, revealed that the internal divisions within Israel had not truly healed. The phrase, "We have no portion in David," ignited tribal identity, political dissatisfaction, and old wounds. Joab's killing of Amasa and his siege of Abel demonstrate that although David's dynasty was restored, it remained entangled in a cycle of violence. The text does not portray Joab as a pure hero; he could quell crises, but he also continued to use the sword to maintain his position. If power consistently relies on violence to solve problems, even if temporarily effective, it will create new fears within the community.
The wise woman in the city of Abel, however, offered another path. She did not deny the seriousness of the rebellion, nor did she allow the entire city to perish for one traitor; she negotiated with Joab with wisdom, bringing an end to the bloodshed. This has practical significance for both the church and families: when dealing with conflict, one must neither condone those who incite destruction nor allow anger to spread to innocent groups. True wisdom asks where the boundaries of responsibility lie, how to bring justice to those who are accountable, and simultaneously protect those who should not be implicated.
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| Chinese Term | Hebrew Original | Transliteration | Usage in This Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Son of Belial | אִישׁ בְּלִיַּעַל | ʾîš bəliyyaʿal | 20:1, label for the spiritually corrupt |
| No portion with... | אֵין־לָנוּ חֵלֶק | ʾên-lānû ḥēleq | 20:1, formula foreshadowing the division in 1 Kings 12 |
| Every man to his tents | אִישׁ לְאֹהָלָיו | ʾîš ləʾōhālāyw | 20:1, standard call for rebellion |
| Fifth rib | חֹמֶשׁ | ḥōmeš | 20:10, 4th assassination point in 2 Samuel |
| Wise woman | אִשָּׁה חֲכָמָה | ʾiššāh ḥăḵāmāh | 20:16, Hebrew tradition of the "wise woman" |
| Yahweh's inheritance | נַחֲלַת יְהוָה | naḥălaṯ YHWH | 20:19, Israel is Yahweh's inheritance |
| Keep peace and faithfulness | שְׁלֻמֵי אֱמוּנֵי | šəlumê ʾĕmûnê | 20:19, formula for a pious community of "peace + faithfulness" |
2 Samuel 20 tells us three things:
| Character | Identity/Role | Actions in This Chapter | Spiritual Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| David | King returning to Jerusalem | Orders Amasa to muster troops, reassigns Abishai, confines the ten concubines | Political recovery but spiritual loss |
| Sheba | Benjamite renegade | Blows the trumpet, shouts "no portion with David," is beheaded | Chain of sin, the final ripple of chapter 11's sin |
| Joab | Deposed commander | Assassinated Amasa, besieged Abel, reinstated as commander | Politically ruthless, regained position through murder |
| Amasa | Brief commander | Delayed mustering troops, assassinated by Joab with a kiss | Politically naive + cruel fate |
| Wise Woman of Abel | Unnamed hero | Persuades city dwellers with wisdom to hand over Sheba | Exemplar of the Hebrew "wise woman" tradition |
| Ten Concubines | Victims of chapter 11's sin | Confined, provided for, "confined like widows until their death" | Silent victims, paid a lifelong price |
| Point | Scriptural Support | Core Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sin's chain has a complete cycle | 20:1–22 | The final ripple of chapter 11's sin, Sheba's rebellion |
| Slogan of division | 20:1 | "We have no portion with David," foreshadows the kingdom's division in 1 Kings 12 |
| Political ruthlessness vs. gentle wisdom | 20:10 vs 20:22 | Joab's treacherous assassination vs. the wise woman's wisdom saving the city |
| Silent victims | 20:3, the ten concubines | The deepest cost of sin, innocent people pay with their lives |
| One person for one city | 20:21 | Joab's political wisdom, removing only the leader |