This chapter gives an account of a new rebellion raised by Sheba, 2 Sam. 20:1, 2 Sam. 20:2; of David’s shutting up his concubines unto the day of their death, whom Absalom had lain with, 2 Sam.

And there happened to be a man of Belial A wicked man, as the Targum, a lawless, yokeless man, that had cast off the yoke of the law, and was without it, as Belial is by some interpreted; or one unprofitable and useless, yea, noxious and pernicious: this man, though, with respect to second causes,…

So every man of Israel went up from after David Those that met him on the road departed from him, and went no further with him: and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; and made him their captain, who was the author of their mutiny and sedition: but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan…

And David came to his house at Jerusalem His palace there, which was in that part of the city called the fort of Zion, and city of David: and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house; when he fled from Jerusalem because of Absalom, ; and put them in ward;…

Then said the king to Amasa Whom he had promised to make general of his army, ; and by the following order declared him such: assemble me the men of Judah within three days; which was done by the sound of the trumpet, or by the proclamation of a herald; it seems that the men of Judah, who attended…

So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah To gather, them together out of their several tribes, and bring them to Jerusalem: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him: than the three days; whether this was owing to the remissness of Amasa, or the unwillingness of the…

And David said to Abishai For it seems he would have nothing to say to Joab, being displeased with him for slaying Absalom, and having removed him from his posts; and therefore speaks to the next officer in his army, Abishai; though Josephus [[14]] says, he addressed himself to Joab, contrary to…

And there went out after him Joab’s men Who though he was removed from his post as general, yet might still have the command of a regiment: and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; over whom Benaiah was, ; these attended David in his flight, and had now returned with him, ; and all the mighty men;…

When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon Which, according to Josephus [[16]], was forty furlongs, or five miles from Jerusalem: what this great stone was, whether an obelisk, or what, is not certain; one of the greatest stones we read of was that which Semiramis cut out of the mountains…

And Joab said to Amasa In a friendly manner, with all the air of pleasantry and good humour: art thou in health, my brother? this looked like a friendly salutation to ask of his health, and wish him it, and a loving appellation to call him brother; though they were near of kin, sisters’ children,…

But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand, &c.] In his left hand, for with his right hand he took him by the beard; he might see the sword drop out of the scabbard, and Joab take it up, which he supposed he did in order to put it into its sheath again, having no suspicion of his…

And one of Joab’s men stood by him By the body of Amasa; no doubt by the order of Joab, to satisfy the people as they came up, and reconcile them to this fact, and to exhort them not to stop, but to follow after Joab; for though Amasa their general was dead, Joab had taken the command of the army,…

And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway By which it seems, that though the wound was mortal, and of which he died, that as yet there was life in him, and through the pain he was in, and the pangs of death on him, he rolled himself about in his own blood in the high road, where the…

When he was removed out of the highway Into the field, and covered over with a cloth, that he could not be seen: all the people went on after Joab; made no stop at all, knowing nothing of the matter, or what had happened: to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri; these were the troops that Amasa had…

And he went through all the tribes of Israel That is, Sheba the son of Bichri, last mentioned, , who passed through all the tribes of Israel to get as many to be of his party as he could, and to be proclaimed their king; or finding himself pursued, he passed on as fast as he could from place to…

And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah That is, Joab and Abishai, with the forces under them, who pursued him hither: and they cast up a bank against the city; which some understand of a warlike machine or engine, with which stones were cast; but it rather seems to be a bank of earth…

Then cried a wise woman out of the city And such an one as the woman of Tekoah, supposed by some to be the governess of the city; but whoever she was, she well deserved the character of a wise woman; her conduct in this affair shows it: she cried with a loud voice, upon the wall of the city, to…

And when he was come near unto her As he did, upon the information of his men, that a woman on the wall had something to say to him: the woman said, art thou Joab? she was willing to be satisfied that he was really the general, before she would impart her mind to him: and he answered, I am he; the…

Then she spake, saying, they were wont to speak in old time, &c.] It was a common saying, a proverbial expression among the ancient sages: saying, they shall surely ask counsel at Abel, and so they ended the matter.

I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel Her meaning is, that she was of a city which consisted of peaceable and faithful men, that were peaceable among themselves, and faithful to their king, who never were concerned in any insurrection or rebellion, not in the late one under…

And Joab answered and said, far be it from me, far be it from me He repeats these words, to show how detestable it was to him to do what she suggested: that I should swallow up or destroy; any in a violent and unrighteous manner, and especially a city of which she had given such a character for its…

The matter is not so I am not come with the army against this city with any ill will to it, and with an intention to destroy it: the case is this, but a man of Mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name; for though he was by birth a Benjaminite, his dwelling was in Mount Ephraim in that tribe;…

Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom Went from the wall of the city into it, and convened the principal inhabitants together, and made so wise a speech to them, and represented things in such a light, and so prudently conducted, that they unanimously agreed to her motion: and they…

Now Joab was over all the host of Israel Established in the post in which he formerly was; either having been never displaced, which though David thought to do, he was not able to effect it, because of his power and influence with the people; or if he had displaced him, which by some things in this…

And Adoram was over the tribute Or over those that collected and brought it, as the Targum; this was a new office, and which respected both the revenue he received from his own people, and the tribute brought him from the nations conquered by him: and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; who…

And Sheva was scribe Either the same with Benaiah, or he was dead or removed, and Sheva was put in his place, see ; and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests; as before; (See Gill on 2 Sam. 8:17).

And Ira also the Jairite Which some take to be the same with Ira the Ithrite, ; a son of Jether or Ithra the Israelite, ; though others suppose he was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, ; and so the Targum here calls him Ira the Jairite, which was of Tekoah; and Tekoah being the chief place in…