2 Samuel 20:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And there went out after him Joab 's men and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men. They went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

NIV: So Joab’s men and the Kerethites and Pelethites and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Abishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

NASB: So Joab’s men went out after him, along with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors; and they left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

CSB: So Joab’s men, the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors marched out under Abishai’s command; they left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.

NLT: So Abishai and Joab, together with the king’s bodyguard and all the mighty warriors, set out from Jerusalem to go after Sheba.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: So Joab’s men, with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, went out after him. And they went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

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.