2 Samuel 20:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord 's servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us."

NIV: David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us."

NASB: And David said to Abishai, 'Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom; take your lord’s servants and pursue him, so that he does not find for himself fortified cities and escape from our sight.'

CSB: So David said to Abishai, "Sheba son of Bichri will do more harm to us than Absalom. Take your lord’s soldiers and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and elude us."

NLT: Then David said to Abishai, 'Sheba son of Bicri is going to hurt us more than Absalom did. Quick, take my troops and chase after him before he gets into a fortified town where we can’t reach him.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he find for himself fortified cities, and escape us.”

Second Samuel 20:4–13 describes the graphic way in which Joab reclaims his position as general. Joab killed Absalom against David's orders (2 Samuel 18:5, 14), so David gave Joab's command of the army to Absalom's general, Amasa (2 Samuel 19:13). David sends Amasa after a new rebel leader. When he's delayed, David sends Joab's brother Abishai with the mighty men and bodyguards. Joab is hiding in their ranks and when they catch up with Amasa, Joab assassinates the new general with a single, body-emptying slice. He resumes command and will chases Sheba to a walled city where a wise woman will offer Sheba's head in exchange for the safety of the people (2 Samuel 20:14–22).

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.