2 Samuel 20

THE REVOLT OF SHEBA; JOAB’S MURDER OF AMASA

In this chapter, we have the homecoming of King David, the happiness of which was overshadowed by a new rebellion led by Sheba. We also see the results of some of David’s rash and unwise decisions. THE HOMECOMING OF DAVID TO JERUSALEM

Now there happened to be there a worthless fellow, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite; and he blew the trumpet and said, “We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel”! So all the men of Israel withdrew from David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem."

Footnotes for 2 Samuel 20 1: John T. Willis, p. 392. 2: Flavius Josephus, Antiquities, p. 228. 3: The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 4c, p. 491. 4: The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 2, p. 1150. 5: The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 492. 6: Ibid. 7: Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. 1., p. 56. 8: C. F. Keil, Keil and Delitzsch’s Old Testament Commentaries, Vol. 2., p. 452. 9: John T. Willis, p. 393. 10: International Critical Commentary, p. 368. 11: The Interpreter’s Bible, op. cit., p. 1151. 12: Ibid., p. 1152. 13: Albert Barnes, Samuel, p. 116. 14: The Teachers’ Bible Commentary, p. 191. 15: International Critical Commentary, Samuel, p. 369. 16: John T. Willis, p. 394. 17: George DeHoff’s Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 222. 18: Arthur S. Peake’s Commentary, p. 291. 19: The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 495. 20: Arthur S. Peake’s Commentary, p. 292. 21: George DeHoff’s Commentary, op. cit., p. 223. 22: C. F. Keil, Keil and Delitzsch’s Old Testament Commentaries, op. cit., p. 457. 23: The Interpreter’s Bible, op. cit., p. 2255.

2 Samuel 20:1

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. 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. (2Sa_20:1). Here the trumpet was blown to raise an army, but in 2Sa_20:22, below, Joab blew the trumpet to signal the cessation of hostilities. Different blasts on the trumpet were used to denote different things. F1 Of course, that is the way it still is today, as for example in the well-known reveille and taps.

This new rebellion was the direct result of the bitter words exchanged in the quarrel mentioned at the end of the preceding chapter. Josephus tells us that, Sheba’s actions occurred, “While these rulers (the men of Israel and those of Judah) were disputing with one another.” F2 “The fierce words of the men of Judah led to evil results,” F3 giving us another example of the frequent danger of winning an argument.

We have no portion in David. no inheritance in the son of Jesse (2Sa_20:1). As Caird observed, This war-cry raised by Sheba lasted longer than his rebellion; because it was raised again successfully against Rehoboam (1Ki_12:16). F4

All the men of Israel withdrew from David, and followed Sheba (2Sa_20:2). The literal text here is: All the men of Israel went up from after David to after Sheba. F5 All the men of Israel, as used here, probably refers merely to the representatives of the northern tribes who had brought their complaint to David and engaged in that bitter controversy with the elders of Judah. Certainly, Sheba soon found out that all Israel would not follow him.

The men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem (2Sa_20:2). This was David’s homecoming, but the happiness of it was marred by a new rebellion, which, at that point, was an unpredictable threat. David arrived home with only his Judean escort and all the rest of Israel apparently in open rebellion. F6

2 Samuel 20:3

DAVID PUTS HIS TEN CONCUBINES IN JAIL FOR LIFE

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.

This writer finds no way to justify this tragic treatment of ten faithful concubines who had committed no crime, who were guilty of no unfaithfulness, and who presumably had taken good care of things during David’s absence. Not the least of David’s sins was his polygamous marriages, which were not only wrong in his case but provided the royal example for the wholesale debauchery of his son Solomon.

David. put them in a house under guard … so they were shut up till the day of their death (2Sa_20:3). Oh yes, the text says that the king provided for them, but it was still the provision that any jailor gives his prisoners. We feel disappointment at the tenderness with which many scholars have written about this contemptible act of King David.

2 Samuel 20:4

JOAB’S TREACHEROUS MURDER OF AMASA

Then said the king to Amasa, Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be thou here present. So Amasa went to call [the men of] Judah together; but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him. 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. 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. 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.

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.

Then the king said to Amasa (2Sa_20:4). This man was a nephew of David, the son of David’s sister Abigail, and his father was an Ishmaelite (1Ch_2:13-17). F7

Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself (2Sa_20:4). This assignment should have been easy enough for Amasa, as he was specifically recognized as the leader of Absalom’s army gathered from all Israel. The situation required haste. The king recognized that Sheba should not be given time to amass an army and to rally the people behind him.

There is no doubt that this action was David’s preliminary move leading to the formal appointment of Amasa as commander-in-chief in the place of Joab. “But this first step toward the fulfillment of that promise to Amasa was a very imprudent act, like the promise itself.” F8

But he delayed beyond the set time appointed him (2Sa_20:5). Why was this delay? Willis suggested the following reasons: (1) he did not think it necessary to hurry; (2) he did not know how to summon the troops quickly; or (3) the men of Judah had lost confidence in him. F9 There is also the possibility that he might have contemplated casting his lot with the new rebellion under Sheba. Whatever the reason, David, still reluctant to place Joab in command, summoned Abishai and sent him after Sheba.

And David said to Abishai, Take your lord’s servants and pursue him (Sheba) (2Sa_20:6). This, of course, was David’s way of insulting Joab, whom he would not forgive for the murder of Absalom. It is to Joab’s credit that he, along with the mighty men and David’s personal bodyguard of the Cherethites and the Pelethites, consented to follow after Abishai. David’s instructions for Abishai to take your lord’s servants is a reference to David’s personal bodyguard. F10

Sheba. will do us more harm than Absalom (2Sa_20:6). David need not have been worried. The tribes had had their fill of civil war, and the next time we hear of Sheba he is unsuccessfully canvassing the country for support, accompanied only by his own clan. F11

And they went out after Abishai (2Sa_20:7). This means that Abishai was the commander, but that situation did not prevail very long. Joab was the real leader in whom all of the soldiers placed their trust and confidence.

When they were . in Gibeon … Amasa came to meet them (2Sa_20:8). Joab, no doubt, had anticipated this meeting and had prepared for it.

Joab was wearing a soldier’s garment; over it was a girdle with a sword in its sheath. and as he went forward it fell out (2Sa_20:8). The sacred text here as well as that of the Septuagint (LXX) is corrupt, and we can only guess, F12 as to exactly what happened here. Some believe that Joab murdered Amasa with the sword that fell out of the sheath; but others suppose that he used a second weapon concealed in the sleeve of his left hand. Cook favored the first of these views, F13 and Tatum suggested this: Joab tricked Amasa by letting one sword fall from his belt; and then, pretending to greet Amasa as a brother; and when he came close, he drew out a hidden sword and thrust it into his abdomen. F14 To this writer, Tatum’s explanation seems more likely to have been the way it happened. It is hard to believe that Amasa would have seen Joab pick up a naked sword off the ground (even if it had been with his left hand) without any suspicion or caution on Amasa’s part.

And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him (2Sa_20:9). But Amasa did not observe the sword which was in Joab’s hand (2Sa_20:10). Joab’s right hand was on Amasa’s beard, so the sword had to be in his left hand, and the fact that Amasa did not see it indicates that Joab had concealed it in his sleeve until the moment he used it.

Without striking a second blow; and he (Amasa) died (2Sa_20:10 a). The experienced slayer of men knew the most effective stroke. F15

2 Samuel 20:10

JOAB TAKES CHARGE OF THE PURSUIT OF SHEBA

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. 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. 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. When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba (2Sa_20:10 b). Note that Joab is mentioned first, having taken complete control of David’s army.

One of Joab’s men took his stand by Amasa (2Sa_20:11). The business of dispatching Amasa, having been completed, Joab, the experienced general, proceeded to get on with the business of quelling the rebellion. This man stationed by Amasa’s body was for the purpose of urging the troops to follow Joab and was undoubtedly doing so under the specific orders of Joab.

Any one who came by, seeing him, stopped (2Sa_20:12). No wonder they stopped. There lay the notorious Amasa wallowing in his own blood. Joab’s man, noting the delay, promptly removed the body to a nearby field and covered it.

2 Samuel 20:14

A WISE WOMAN SAVES THE CITY OF ABEL

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. 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. 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. 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. 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]. 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? And Joab answered and said, 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, 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.

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.

And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel (2Sa_20:14). Sheba succeeded in rallying no support except his kinsfolk; so there was nothing left for him to do except to enter the fortified city of Abel and try to hold out there against David. That place was located at the extreme northern boundary of Israel. It is identified as the modern Tel Abil, twelve miles north of Lake Huleh and four miles west of Dan. F16 DeHoff also tells us that, It is supposed to have been the capital of the district called Abilene in Luk_3:1. F17

Then a wise woman called from the city (2Sa_20:16). This woman was probably someone on the border line between a prophetess and a witch, two classes which were not always clearly distinguished. F18 She must be credited with ending the rebellion of Sheba and saving the city of Abel from destruction.

2 Samuel 20:23

LIST OF DAVID’S CHIEF OFFICERS

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

“With this list of David’s chief officers, the narrator closes the history of David’s reign. The remaining four chapters of Second Samuel form a kind of appendix.” F19

Joab was in command of all the army of Israel (2Sa_20:23). The king did not venture to dispute Joab’s right to resume his post of commander-in-chief. F20 As DeHoff said, Joab had murdered Amasa and seized supreme command. David was not deceived as to the kind of man Joab was, but he needed him as a leader at that time. F21

The similarity of this list and the one in 2Sa_8:16-18 has been made the basis of claiming the lists to be variations of the same listing; but, as Keil wrote, “This list belongs to a later period in David’s reign.” F22 This is certainly true, because David’s use of forced labor did not take place in the first part of his reign but in the latter part of it. This use of forced labor by David was adopted by his son Solomon and greatly developed by him. F23 It was this very thing that fueled the rebellion against Solomon’s son Rehoboam.

And Ira. was also David’s priest (2Sa_20:26). The word priest here is probably a reference not to a priest at all, but to one of the officials in David’s government. (See a thorough discussion of this in my commentary on 2 Sam. 8, pp. 110-112.)

David never forgave Joab for the murder of Absalom, Abner and Amasa; and near the end of his life, David left orders for his son Solomon to destroy Joab. Still, evil as Joab surely was, he was the principal military architect of building and sustaining the throne of David, a fact that David never seemed to recognize.