Bible Commentaries

And there happened to be ^a 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 ^b David, neither have we inheritance in the son ^c of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.

(a) Where the ten tribes contended against Judah.

(b) As they of Judah say.

(c) He thought by speaking contemptuously of the king, to stir the people farther to sedition, or else by causing Israel to depart, thought that they of Judah would have esteemed him less.

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 ^d Jordan even to Jerusalem.

(d) From Gilgal which was near Jordan.

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

(e) Who was his chief captain in Joab's place, (2 Samuel 19:13).

And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than [did] Absalom: take thou thy ^f lord's servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us.

(f) Either those who had been under Joab or David's men.

When they [were] at the great stone which [is] in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. And Joab's ^g 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.

(g) Which was his coat, that he used to wear in the wars.

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

(h) He stood by Amasa at Joab's appointment.

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

(i) To the city Abel, which was near Bethmaachah.

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 ^k battered the wall, to throw it down.

(k) That is, he went about to overthrow it.

Then she spake, saying, ^l They were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask [counsel] at Abel: and so they ended [the matter].

(l) She shows that the old custom was not to destroy a city before peace was offered, (Deuteronomy 20:10-11).

I [am ^m 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?

(m) She speaks in the name of the city.

The ⁿ 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.

(n) Hearing his fault, he gave in to reason, and required only he that was instigator of the treason.

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

(o) Either in dignity or familiarity.