← All Chapters The Book of 2 Samuel · Chapter 20

2 Samuel 20: Another Rebellion

Sheba blows the trumpet of revolt, Joab murders Amasa, and a wise woman's counsel ends the uprising at Abel.

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2 Samuel 20 (WEB)

1 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, Israel!”

2 So 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.

3 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 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.

4 Then the king said to Amasa, “Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be here present.”

5 So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together; but he stayed longer than the set time which he had appointed him.

6 David 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.”

7 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.

8 When 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.

9 Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.

10 But 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 after Sheba the son of Bichri.

11 There stood by him one of Joab’s young men, and said, “He who favors Joab, and he who is for David, let him follow Joab!”

12 Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the midst 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.

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

14 He went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth Maacah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him.

15 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 who were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.

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.’”

17 He came near to her; and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Hear the words of your handmaid.” He answered, “I do hear.”

18 Then she spoke, saying, “They were used to say in old times, ‘They shall surely ask counsel at Abel;’ and so they settled it.

19 I 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 inheritance of Yahweh?”

20 Joab answered, “Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.

21 The 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. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city.” The woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.”

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. He blew the trumpet, and they were dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

23 Now Joab was over all the army of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites;

24 and Adoram was over the men subject to forced labor; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder;

25 and Sheva was scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

26 and also Ira the Jairite was chief minister to David.

Summary

No sooner is David restored than fresh division erupts. A worthless man named Sheba sounds the trumpet and calls Israel to abandon David, and the men of Israel follow him while Judah stays loyal. David, returning home, places the ten concubines defiled by Absalom in lifelong seclusion. He orders Amasa to muster Judah, but when Amasa delays, David sends Abishai to pursue Sheba before he gains fortified cities. On the way, Joab treacherously greets Amasa, takes him by the beard as if to kiss him, and runs him through, then takes command and pursues the rebel. Sheba takes refuge in the city of Abel of Beth Maacah, which Joab besieges. A wise woman of the city calls out to him, pleading that he not destroy a peaceful mother-city in Israel. When Joab asks only for Sheba, she persuades the people, who behead the rebel and throw his head over the wall. Joab withdraws, the revolt ends, and the chapter closes by listing David's restored officials.

Main Characters

  • Sheba — A worthless Benjamite who blows the trumpet of revolt against David, drawing Israel away until he is besieged and beheaded at Abel.
  • Joab — David's ruthless commander, who murders his rival Amasa and then crushes Sheba's rebellion through siege and negotiation.
  • Amasa — The newly appointed army commander who delays his orders and is treacherously killed by Joab on the road.
  • The wise woman of Abel — A peace-loving woman whose shrewd appeal spares her city by persuading it to surrender the rebel's head to Joab.

Key Verse

2 Samuel 20:19 (WEB)

I 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 inheritance of Yahweh?”

Lessons Learned

  • Old divisions and discontent can flare up again quickly when leaders fail to nurture true unity.
  • Ambition and rivalry, like Joab's, can lead to treachery cloaked in friendly gestures.
  • One wise and courageous voice can avert disaster for a whole community.
  • Peacemakers who value their people's lives can find solutions that the sword alone cannot.
  • Discord recovers quickly without true reconciliation. Sheba cries, “We have no portion in David” (2 Samuel 20:1, WEB), and Israel follows. Unresolved grievances easily reignite when only the surface has been patched.
  • A kiss can conceal a dagger. Joab takes Amasa “by the beard… to kiss him” and kills him (2 Samuel 20:9-10, WEB). Beware betrayal that hides behind gestures of friendship.
  • Wisdom can save where weapons cannot. The wise woman asks, “Why will you swallow up the inheritance of Yahweh?” (2 Samuel 20:19, WEB), and her counsel ends the siege without destroying her city.
  • Peacemaking seeks a way out of bloodshed. She negotiates the surrender of one rebel to spare a whole city (2 Samuel 20:21-22, WEB). Wise mediation can satisfy justice while preserving life.
  1. Why does Sheba's call to revolt gain such quick traction so soon after David's return?
  2. How does Joab's killing of Amasa compare with his earlier killing of Absalom, and what does it show about him?
  3. What makes the wise woman of Abel's appeal to Joab so effective?
  4. How does this woman model the role of a peacemaker in a moment of crisis?
  5. Where might God be calling you to be a voice of wisdom and peace in a conflict, rather than letting it escalate to harm?
  1. The quarrel between Israel and Judah at the end of chapter 19 had not been healed, so Sheba's slogan found ready listeners (20:1-2). The episode shows how fragile a restored peace remains when underlying resentments are left unaddressed. Reconciliation must reach the heart, not just the surface.
  2. As with Absalom, Joab takes life on his own terms, this time murdering a rival to reclaim his command (20:9-10). It reveals a man whose loyalty to David is mixed with ruthless self-interest, willing to shed blood to protect his own position. His violence will eventually be answered.
  3. She appeals to shared identity and faith, calling Abel a faithful mother-city and the Lord's inheritance, then offers a concrete solution (20:18-21). By combining moral force with a practical compromise, she gives Joab a way to win without destroying the innocent.
  4. Rather than resign her city to slaughter, she steps forward, reasons wisely, and rallies her people toward a costly but life-saving resolution (20:16-22). She shows that peacemaking is active and courageous, seeking outcomes that honor justice while sparing the many.
  5. This is a personal-application question. The wise woman intervened where others would have let the siege run its course. Invite members to consider a conflict where a calm, wise word might prevent harm, and to ask God for the courage to speak it. As leader, commend the call to be peacemakers, whom Jesus blesses.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), the King James Version (KJV), and the American Standard Version (ASV), all of which are in the public domain.