Who was Sheba son of Bichri, and why did he rebel against David?

Sheba son of Bichri was a Benjamite described as a “man of Belial,” meaning a wicked and worthless man. Right after Absalom’s revolt failed, Sheba seized the moment of tension and blew a trumpet, calling Israel away from David by saying, “We have no part in David.” He rejected David’s rule and tried to stir the northern tribes against him. His rebellion shows how division can quickly rise in a shaken kingdom and how some people use unrest and hurt feelings as a chance to resist God’s chosen leader.

Why did many in Israel follow Sheba while Judah stayed with David?

The passage says that “every man of Israel” went after Sheba, but the men of Judah stayed close to David from the Jordan back to Jerusalem. This points to a growing split between the northern tribes and Judah. Israel likely felt slighted and thought David favored Judah, and Sheba’s words tapped into that frustration. Judah, David’s own tribe, stayed loyal. The scene warns how old hurts and a sense of unfair treatment can open the door to rebellion when a clever agitator speaks up.

Why did Joab kill Amasa, and what does this show about his character?

Joab kills Amasa in a deceitful way. He greets him as a brother, takes him by the beard as if to kiss him, and then stabs him. Amasa had been put in charge of the army in Joab’s place and was slow to gather the men. Joab’s act seems driven by ambition, jealousy, and a desire to keep control. He is very effective as a commander but willing to use treachery and violence to get his way. This shows how unchecked anger and self-interest can twist even someone who is outwardly serving the king.

What is the significance of David shutting up his concubines for life?

When David returns to Jerusalem, he takes the ten concubines he had left to care for the house and puts them away in guarded living, providing for them but never again going in to them. They live like widows until they die. This sad detail shows how far the results of sin can spread. These women had been publicly violated in Absalom’s revolt, which grew out of David’s earlier sin. David’s many wives and concubines were part of the problem, and now these women bear life-long consequences. It is a sober picture that sin harms others, not just the one who first chose it.

How did the wise woman of Abel save her city from destruction?

When Joab’s army besieged Abel of Beth-maachah, a wise woman called out from the city wall and asked to speak with him. She reminded Joab that Abel had a reputation as a place where people sought counsel and peace. She said she was peaceable and faithful and asked why he would destroy “a city and a mother in Israel,” the Lord’s inheritance. Joab replied he only wanted Sheba. The woman then wisely gathered the townspeople, and they agreed to put Sheba to death and threw his head over the wall. Her courage and wisdom brought peace without the whole city being ruined.

What does this passage teach about rebellion against God’s appointed authority?

Sheba’s words, “We have no part in David,” show open rejection of the king God had placed over Israel. His rebellion spreads quickly and brings a siege, fear, and bloodshed. In the end, he loses his life and his cause dies with him, while David’s rule is restored. The story reminds us that turning against God’s order, whether through open revolt or stirring up division, leads to harm for many people. At the same time, God can bring justice and restore peace, using both strong action and wise, peace-seeking voices like the woman of Abel.

Why does God allow so much conflict around David in this chapter?

This chapter sits in a time when the consequences of David’s earlier sin are still unfolding. God had warned that the sword would not depart from David’s house, and we see that here in another uprising, broken trust, and violent power struggles among his commanders. The conflicts show how sin weakens leadership and opens the door to further trouble. Yet God does not abandon his promise. He allows these events, uses even flawed people like Joab, and a wise woman from an obscure town, to end the revolt and keep David on the throne. It shows both the seriousness of sin and God’s steady rule over events.

How can the actions of the wise woman of Abel guide believers today?

The wise woman of Abel shows that one person, even without rank or weapons, can make a real difference by speaking wisely and seeking peace. She listens, understands the real issue, reminds Joab of what is right, and then works with her people to act. For believers today, her example encourages us to use calm words instead of quick anger, to value peace, and to look for just solutions that protect others when there is conflict. She does not ignore evil, but she deals with it in a way that saves many lives instead of adding more needless damage.

2Sam.20.1

2 Samuel 20:1

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.

Sheba’s Rebellion

Sheba’s Revolt

1 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.

2 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 Jordan even to Jerusalem.

3 ¶ And 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 ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

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

5 So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.

6 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.

7 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.

8 When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. And Joab’s 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.

9 And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.

Amasa Murdered

10 But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand: so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri.

11 And one of Joab’s men stood by him, and said, He that favoureth Joab, and he that is for David, let him go after Joab.

12 And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still.

Revolt Put Down

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

15 And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.

16 ¶ Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee.

17 And when he was come near unto her, the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am he. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thine handmaid. And he answered, I do hear.

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

19 I am 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?

20 And Joab answered and said, 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 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.

22 Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

23 ¶ Now Joab was over all the host of Israel: and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites:

24 And Adoram was over the tribute: and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder:

25 And Sheva was scribe: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:

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

Cross References

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