2 Samuel Chapter 20 — The Rebellion of Sheba
Sheba leads a revolt against King David, causing further division in Israel. Joab kills his rival Amasa and ends the rebellion after a wise woman intervenes in Abel Beth Maacah.
1There happened to be there a wicked 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!”
2So 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.
3David 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.
4Then the king said to Amasa, “Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be here present.”
5So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together, but he stayed longer than the set time which had been appointed to him.
6David 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.”
7Joab’s men went out after him with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men; and they went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
8When 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.
9Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.
10But 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.
11One of Joab’s young men stood by him, and said, “He who favors Joab, and he who is for David, let him follow Joab!”
12Amasa 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.
13When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
14He went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, to Beth Maacah, and all the Berites. They were gathered together, and went also after him.
15They 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.
16Then a wise woman cried out of the city, “Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, ‘Come near here, that I may speak with you.’ ”
17He came near to her; and the woman said, “Are you Joab?”
18Then she spoke, saying, “They used to say in old times, ‘They shall surely ask counsel at Abel,’ and so they settled a matter.
19I 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 the LORD’s inheritance?”
20Joab answered, “Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.
21The 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.”
22Then 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.
23Now Joab was over all the army of Israel, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites,
24Adoram was over the men subject to forced labor, Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder,
25Sheva was scribe, Zadok and Abiathar were priests,
26and Ira the Jairite was chief minister to David.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
2 Samuel 20:1
“Every man to his tents, Israel!”
This phrase signifies a formal rejection of David's authority and a call for civil war among the tribes.
2 Samuel 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.’ ””
This verse introduces a pivotal character whose quick thinking and diplomacy prevent the destruction of an entire community.
2 Samuel 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.”
This shows the resolution of the conflict through internal action rather than external conquest.
Chapter Summary
Following the death of Absalom, a Benjamite named Sheba instigates a new rebellion against King David, leading the northern tribes away. David orders Amasa to gather the men of Judah, but when Amasa delays, the king sends Abishai and Joab to pursue Sheba. During the pursuit at Gibeon, Joab treacherously murders Amasa to regain his position as commander of the army. Joab then besieges the city of Abel Beth Maacah, where Sheba has taken refuge. As the army begins to batter the walls, a wise woman from the city negotiates with Joab. She secures the city's safety by convincing the inhabitants to execute Sheba and throw his head over the wall. With the rebellion ended, Joab returns to Jerusalem. The chapter concludes with a list of David’s chief officials, signifying the restoration of his administrative order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sheba was a Benjamite who initiated a revolt against King David following the civil war with Absalom. He successfully persuaded many of the northern tribes to abandon David, though the men of Judah remained loyal.
Joab killed Amasa because David had appointed Amasa as the new commander of the army in Joab's place. Joab viewed Amasa as a rival and assassinated him under the guise of a friendly greeting to regain military control.
The city was saved through the intervention of a wise woman who negotiated with Joab. She convinced the residents to execute the rebel Sheba and surrender his head, which prompted Joab to call off the siege.
David placed them in a house under guard and provided for them, but he did not have intimate relations with them again because they had been defiled by Absalom. They lived in seclusion as widows until they died.
Study Note
The title 'mother in Israel' used by the wise woman is an ancient idiom denoting a city or leader that provides protection and nurturing to the community.
Related Chapters
2 Samuel 19
This chapter provides context for the tribal tensions that led to Sheba's rebellion.
2 Samuel 3
Joab's murder of Amasa parallels his previous assassination of Abner described in this chapter.
1 Kings 2
This chapter details the eventual consequences Joab faces for the murders of Abner and Amasa.
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