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2 Samuel 20

2 Samuel book home•Chapter 20 of 24•26 verses

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2 Samuel 20 Overview

Sheba son of Bichri seizes on the tribal quarrel and calls Israel away from David. David orders Amasa to assemble Judah, but when Amasa delays, Joab takes control. Joab treacherously kills Amasa while greeting him, then pursues Sheba to Abel of Beth-maachah. A wise woman negotiates with Joab, the city executes Sheba, and the rebellion ends without the city being destroyed.

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Before you read 2 Samuel 20

Coming from

Chapter 19 ended with Judah and the northern tribes angrily disputing their relationship to David during his return to Jerusalem.

In this chapter

The unresolved tribal fracture immediately produces another revolt, while Joab’s violent methods again complicate the restoration of David’s government.

Leads into

Chapter 21 moves from political rebellion to a three-year famine connected to Saul’s earlier bloodguilt against the Gibeonites and then summarizes later Philistine conflicts.

Key understandingExplore deeper

David had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab as part of his political reconciliation, but Amasa’s delay creates an emergency. Joab’s killing of Amasa repeats his pattern of eliminating rivals through deceit, as he had killed Abner. The wise woman of Abel prevents needless destruction by recognizing that Joab’s immediate goal is Sheba rather than the city itself. The episode therefore contains both brutal personal violence and wise communal negotiation.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

Truth 1

Unresolved division can be exploited quickly by ambitious people who know how to turn grievance into rebellion.

Truth 2

Joab remains militarily effective but morally dangerous; usefulness to the state does not excuse treacherous killing.

Truth 3

The wise woman saves an entire city by clarifying the actual issue and negotiating a focused solution.

Truth 4

Peace sometimes requires isolating the true source of a conflict rather than treating an entire community as the enemy.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Connection 1

2 Samuel 3 records Joab’s murder of Abner; chapter 20 repeats the pattern when Joab kills Amasa under the appearance of friendly greeting.

Connection 2

2 Samuel 19:41–43 directly supplies the tribal dispute Sheba exploits in the opening verse here.

Connection 3

1 Kings 2 later cites Joab’s bloodshed, including his killing of Abner and Amasa, when Solomon finally removes him.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Keep this clear 1

Joab’s success in ending the rebellion should not be confused with approval of his murder of Amasa. The narrative can show effective leadership and serious guilt in the same person.

Keep this clear 2

The execution of Sheba is a wartime civil action within David’s monarchy, not a general model for communities to kill dissidents.

Keep this clear 3

The wise woman’s negotiation is descriptive but demonstrates a broadly valuable principle: understand the actual demand before allowing conflict to destroy everyone involved.

Read 2 Samuel 20 watching for…

How Sheba uses the tribal dispute to rally followers.

Why Amasa’s delay matters.

The deceptive way Joab kills Amasa.

How Joab’s army reacts to Amasa’s body blocking the road.

The wise woman’s questions to Joab.

What ends the rebellion without destroying Abel.

Chapter outline5 sections

1-2Sheba leads Israel away from David 3David confines the ten concubines 4-13Joab kills Amasa and resumes command of the pursuit 14-22A wise woman saves Abel by having Sheba killed 23-26David’s chief officers are listed

And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.

So every man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem.

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 fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present.

So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.

And David said to Abishai, Now shall 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 fenced cities, and escape us.

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 went before them. And Joab's garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon it 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, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.

But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand: so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri.

And one of Joab's men stood by him, and said, He that favoureth Joab, and he that is for David, let him go after Joab.

And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon 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.

And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel, and to Bethmaachah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him.

And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: 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 when he was come near unto her, the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am he. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thine 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 one 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 the LORD?

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 mount 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 cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

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 tribute: and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder:

And Sheva was scribe: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:

And Ira also the Jairite was a chief ruler about David.

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2 Samuel 20:16

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