2 Samuel 20:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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!"

NIV: Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted, "We have no share in David, no part in Jesse’s son! Every man to his tent, Israel!"

NASB: Now a worthless man happened to be there whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite; and he blew the trumpet and said, 'We have no share in David, Nor do we have an inheritance in the son of Jesse; Every man to his tents, Israel!'

CSB: Now a wicked man, a Benjaminite named Sheba son of Bichri, happened to be there. He blew the ram’s horn and shouted: We have no portion in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Each man to his tent, Israel!

NLT: There happened to be a troublemaker there named Sheba son of Bicri, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. Sheba blew a ram’s horn and began to chant: 'Down with the dynasty of David! We have no interest in the son of Jesse. Come on, you men of Israel, back to your homes!'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And there happened to be there a rebel, whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet, and said: “We have no share in David, Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse; Every man to his tents, O Israel!”

Second Samuel 20:1–3 records another split among the Hebrew tribes. Absalom's rebellion against his father, David, is over. The prince is dead, and David is trying to reconcile with the people who fought against him. The men from Judah remain faithful to David. The ten northern tribes join another rebellion led by the Benjaminite Sheba. The concubines whom Absalom slept with (2 Samuel 16:20–23) are kept separate from Davis as if they were widows. The new rebellion will quickly fail (2 Samuel 20:14–22), and the nation will remain whole until split under Solomon's foolish son Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 10).

David's men strike down one last rebellion. Absalom is dead (2 Samuel 18), and David is trying to reunite the nation (2 Samuel 19). After bickering with Judah over who loves David more (2 Samuel 19:41–43), the ten northern tribes give up and follow a new rebel leader, Sheba. David sends his new general, Amasa, after Sheba. But along the way, Joab murders Amasa and resumes command of the army. Sheba hides in a city. The army of Judah tries to tear down the walls. A wise woman offers Sheba's head, instead. The tribes will not rebel against David again, but they will break from his grandson Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 10).

In 2 Samuel 20, David tries to hold everything together. During David's flight from his son's invasion of Jerusalem, a Benjaminite cursed him, claiming he stole Saul's throne (2 Samuel 15:1–14; 16:5–8). The rebellion is over, but the ten northern tribes quickly follow another Benjaminite. Sheba claims that David only cares about Judah and rallies people to follow him, instead. Joab takes care of Sheba, and the rebellion ends. Sadly, David's involuntary offenses against Benjamin aren't finished. He must give seven of Saul's sons and grandsons to the Gibeonites as recompense for something Saul did (2 Samuel 21:1–14). We're never told what, but the struggles between David and Benjamin seem to end.

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.