Chapter Twenty
Sheba's Rebellion
20:1 Now there happened to be there a worthless man, 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!”
We are introduced to a man that we know little about, only what is presented here in this chapter, his name is Sheba. The author calls him a worthless man (Hebrew bᵉliy·yǎ’·ʿǎl, being good for nothing, click here to read more about this word) from the tribe of Benjamin, the tribe that King Saul was from, many from that tribe still believed David stole the kingship from Saul and was perhaps responsible for his death, Sheba may have been one of them.
After crossing the Jordan and before entering Jerusalem (see verse two), Sheba blows a trumpet and says, “We have no portion in David…every man to his tents, O Israel!” A call to go home, apparently Sheba was respected enough for others to follow (some believe he was a military commander), or that after their confrontation with the men from Judah and the continued bantering between them, that the people of Israel were ready to leave, all they needed was someone to lead the way.
20:2 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.
Sheba was successful in persuading the men of Israel to walk away from David, meanwhile the men of Judah continued to follow King David to Jerusalem. There is no mention of David’s reaction to the confrontation between the men, nor any regarding Sheba, if David was leading the procession, perhaps he was unaware.
20:3 And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to care for the house and put them in a house under guard and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood.
When David arrived back at his house he went to the ten concubines that he left to take care of the house in his absence, he put them under guard, and once again began to provide for them. The presence of a guard would have likely been standard procedure as concubines were only to have relationships with the king. We should view that as not being “locked away” in some room like a jail cell, they would have had freedom to move around, the guard was there to prevent any unsolicited male from accessing them. But since Absalom violated these women, David did not have any further sexual relations with them, perhaps in keeping the commandment about divorces (see Deuteronomy 24:1-4), since he abandoned them, some believe that he may have thought that action could be considered a form of a ‘divorce’. We are told that they remained sequestered until they died, living as if they were widows.
20:4 Then the king said to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself.” 5 So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him.
David tells Amasa, his new army commander, to assemble the men of Judah to him within three days, and for him to be there as well. Sheba had started an insurrection and David now does not want to waste time to stop it from spreading. But Amasa was unable to gather the men in the time frame David requested.
20:6 And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us.”
Seeing that Amasa had failed him, he turns to Abishai, Joab’s brother, and tells him to take his men and go after Sheba. David notes that Sheba could do more harm to Israel than his son Absalom could have done. David wants Abishai to pursue Sheba quickly before he arrives safely at some fortified city and escapes from them.
20:7 And there went out after him Joab’s men and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men. They went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
Abishai was able to assemble his brother’s men, the two mercenary groups, the Cherethites and the Pelethites, as well as all of David’s other mighty men. They immediately left Jerusalem in pursuit of Sheba. Joab may have felt slighted by David choosing his younger brother Abishai to lead, but proceeded with his men as ordered.
20:8 When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier’s garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened on his thigh, and as he went forward it fell out.
We are not told why the men stopped in Gibeon, perhaps to allow Amasa to rejoin them. But it does allow Joab an opportunity to kill Amasa. We see that Joab is wearing a soldier’s uniform (no longer wearing a commander’s uniform, but the point the author may have had in mind by mentioning this is that carrying a weapon would not be considered suspicious) and over that garment was a belt with a sword (Hebrew ḥě’·rěḇ, a sword, a knife, a cutting tool) in its sheath fastened to his thigh and as he moved forward, the sword fell out into his hand.
20:9 And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So Joab struck him with it in the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow, and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.
Joab now walking towards Amasa saying, “Is it well with you, my brother?” and with his right hand he reached out and took hold of Amasa’s beard and kissed him. Amasa did not see what was in Joab’s left hand, a sword, since the Hebrew word could also refer to a dagger, it is likely Joab used a dagger to kill Amasa which is both easier to manipulate and conceal in close combat. Joab struck Amasa in the stomach and since his entrails (Hebrew mē·ʿāy’, internal organs) spilled out, he did not need to strike him again as he was dead. This left-handed maneuver is reminiscent of when Ehud killed Eglon the king of Moab (see Judges 3:15-26). Then Joab and Abishai left to pursue Sheba.
20:11 And one of Joab’s young men took his stand by Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.” 12 And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And anyone who came by, seeing him, stopped. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field and threw a garment over him. 13 When he was taken out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
Undoubtedly shocked after watching Joab murder Amasa, the men that remained were unsure what to do next. One of Joab’s men stood by the body of Amasa and rallied the men by saying, whoever favors Joab and whoever is on David’s side, let them follow Joab. But everyone was still staring at Amasa’s body, so the man proceeded to move Amasa off the road and covered his body with a garment, then everyone went on after Joab and Abishai, who were in pursuit of Sheba.
20:14 And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-maacah, and all the Bichrites assembled and followed him in. 15 And all the men who were with Joab came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maacah. They cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart, and they were battering the wall to throw it down.
Sheba traveled through all the tribes of Israel and was now at Abel of Beth-maacah, a city approximately thirty miles north of the Sea of Galilee, with him were all the Bichrites (his entire family) and they went into the city and closed the gates behind them. When Joab arrived, he has his men “cast up a mound” (Hebrew yiš·pᵉḵû’ sō·lᵉlāh’, to pour out a siege mound typically made of dirt, rocks, and any debris available) and stood against the fortified city wall, while others of Joab’s men were trying to destroy and tear down the wall.
20:16 Then a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, ‘Come here, that I may speak to you.’ ” 17 And he came near her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” And he answered, “I am listening.”
While Joab and his men are working hard to gain access to the city of Abel (Beth-maacah essentially identifies the region, as there are a number of cities named, or had the prefix of 'Abel', see Genesis 50:11; Judges 7:22; 11:33; 1 Kings 15:20), a woman, who the author only identifies her as being wise, asks to talk with Joab. When he arrives she tells him she has something to say, he simply replies, “I’m listening.”
20:18 Then she said, “They used to say in former times, ‘Let them but ask counsel at Abel,’ and so they settled a matter. 19 I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the heritage of the LORD?”
The woman tells Joab that in the past her city was known for diplomatic solutions and could offer peaceful settlements to conflicts and invasions. She tells him that she is both peace loving and faithful in Israel, but then accuses him of trying to destroy an important city in Israel. She then asks, "Why do you want to devour what belongs to YHWH?”
20:20 Joab answered, “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy! 21 That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.”
Joab denies that he desires to destroy the city, he simply wants one man, the man named Sheba, as he started an insurrection against King David, if he is given over to him, he will stop trying to break down the city’s walls and leave. The woman replies, “His head will be thrown over wall.”
20:22 Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
We are told that the woman went back to the people and convinced them to kill and cut the head off Sheba, which was consequently thrown out to Joab. At that time he blew his shofar and all of his men retreated and went home.
20:23 Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites; 24 and Adoram was in charge of the forced labor; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; 25 and Sheva was secretary; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 26 and Ira the Jairite was also David’s priest.
The last four verses of this chapter appear to be a statement that summarizes the operation of David’s kingdom after his return. Joab had his old job back, Benaiah also had his old job back being in charge of David’s bodyguards (see 2 Samuel 8:18), Adoram (first time we see his name in Scripture) was placed in charge of the slave labor (see also 1 Kings 12:18), Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud returned as the recorder (see 2 Samuel 8:16), Sheva replaced Serariah as secretary (see 2 Samuel 8:17), and Zadok and Abiathar were once again the high priests, but David’s sons were no longer David’s priests (household priestly duties, not Tabernacle related duties, click here to read more) Ira the Jairite (a descendant of Jair from the tribe of Manasseh)[1] is listed as David’s priest.
Considerations
Loyal, but…
Joab could be described as being fiercely loyal to King David, but he was a ruthless killer. Since he was the one who David went to when he wanted Uriah dead, he likely felt he could get away with murder himself, which he did (the difference being that David repented, see 2 Samuel 12:13; Psalm 51). Joab had killed Abner (see 2 Samuel 3:27), Absalom (see 2 Samuel 18:14), and now Amasa (see 2 Samuel 20:10). We are not told what David may have said, or what his reactions were, when the men returned to Jerusalem. Even though Amasa's actions may have been somewhat suspicious, or at least not up to David's expectations, we never read any reason to have him killed.
Though Sheba’s rebellion had been quelled, and David could only be thankful that this second attempt to strike at his throne had been overcome, he was saddled with a general who persisted in killing men whom the king had put in authority, and taking over the command of the army. The problem was that Joab was capable and confident, and came home victorious, but from the point of view of the king, he was a murderer whom he could not bring to justice.[2]
But later before he died, David made it clear to Solomon, "Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet. Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace." (1 Kings 2:5-6, ESV)
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[1] Since Jair was not from the tribe of Levi, many try to associate the name Jair to a city not a clan.
[2] Baldwin, J. G. (1988). 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 8, p. 299). InterVarsity Press.