2 Samuel · chapter 20 of 24
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2 Samuel 20 tells of the rebellion of Sheba, a Benjaminite who calls Israel to break away from David. Joab murders Amasa, the new army commander, and pursues Sheba to Abel of Beth-maacah. A wise woman of the city negotiates with Joab and hands over Sheba's head, ending the uprising. The chapter closes with the list of David's officials.
Hardly has David returned to Jerusalem when 2 Samuel 20 shows that the tension between Judah and Israel, already visible at the end of 2 Samuel 19, erupts into a new rebellion. The account highlights both the fragility of national unity and Joab's violent methods, and also the wisdom of a woman who prevents a massacre.
A worthless man named Sheba, son of Bichri, a Benjaminite, blows the trumpet and proclaims that they have no portion in David and no inheritance in the son of Jesse. The men of Israel leave David, but the men of Judah stay with their king from the Jordan to Jerusalem. On returning home, David puts the ten concubines Absalom had taken under guard, living as widows until the day of their death.
David orders Amasa to summon Judah within three days, but he delays. So the king sends Abishai to pursue Sheba before he can fortify cities. Joab and the men go out with Abishai. At the great stone in Gibeon they meet Amasa. Joab carries a hidden sword, approaches Amasa, asks whether he is well, takes him by the beard with his right hand to kiss him, and with the sword in his left strikes him in the belly, and he dies. Joab and Abishai pursue Sheba. One of Joab's men calls to the people that whoever favors Joab should follow Joab. Amasa lies in the road, and they move him aside so the people can advance.
Sheba passes through the tribes to Abel of Beth-maacah, and Joab besieges the city, raising a siege mound. A wise woman calls from the wall and asks why he wants to destroy a mother in Israel. Joab answers that he does not intend to destroy, only to have Sheba handed over. The woman promises to throw his head over the wall. She speaks to the people with wisdom, and they cut off Sheba's head and throw it to Joab. Joab blows the trumpet, the men disperse and he returns to Jerusalem. The chapter ends with the list of David's officials, among them Joab, Benaiah, Adoram over the forced labor, and Zadok and Abiathar as priests.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Sheba blows the trumpet and proclaims that they have no portion in David and no inheritance in the son of Jesse, and calls Israel to withdraw. His words sum up the northern resentment already seen at the end of 2 Samuel 19.
Joab strikes Amasa in the belly with the sword, which Amasa had not guarded against. It is a treacherous murder disguised as a greeting, eliminating a rival David had put in his place.
The wise woman tells Joab that her city is among the peaceable and faithful in Israel, and asks why he wants to destroy a mother in Israel. With her argument she defends her whole community and prevents a massacre.
The woman speaks to all the people with wisdom and they cut off Sheba's head. Her initiative resolves the conflict without the city being destroyed, and shows the power of a prudent person.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: That they had no portion in David and no inheritance in the son of Jesse, and that everyone should go back to his tents. — 2 Samuel 20:1
Answer: He put them under guard in a house, and they lived as widows until their death. — 2 Samuel 20:3
Answer: Joab greeted him, took his beard to kiss him and struck him dead with the sword. — 2 Samuel 20:8-10
Answer: In Abel of Beth-maacah. — 2 Samuel 20:14-15
Answer: That they hand over only Sheba, and he would withdraw from the city. — 2 Samuel 20:20-21
Answer: She persuaded the people of the city, and they cut off his head and threw it to Joab over the wall. — 2 Samuel 20:21-22
Sheba's rebellion reminds us that unity is not guaranteed once for all; it requires constant care. When a group has unresolved wounds, one shout is enough to turn resentment into division. Those who lead a church or ministry can ask where tensions need to be addressed before they explode.
The wise woman of Abel shows how a prudent voice can save a whole community. She did not shout louder or take up arms: she talked, asked and offered a solution. At times Christian leadership consists in having the courage to speak calmly to someone who comes with weapons.
2 Samuel 20 closes with the kingdom restored and organized, though marked by Joab's violence. Chapters 21 to 24 form an appendix: accounts of famine, victories, a song, a list of heroes and a census that reveal David's faith and failures.
Amasa had been Absalom's army commander and David put him in Joab's place. Joab saw him as a rival and killed him by treachery. The text does not justify it; it is another example of Joab's violence, which David will recall before dying in 1 Kings 2.
It is a traditional expression equivalent to going home and rejecting the king's authority. Sheba calls the northern tribes to break from David, which foreshadows the division of the kingdom after Solomon.
With that image she explained that Abel was a city of great importance and an inheritance of the Lord, and did not deserve to be destroyed for one man. Her argument appealed to Joab and won a peaceful solution.