2 Samuel 20:11

THE MESSAGE

One of Joab's soldiers took up his post over the body and called out, "Everyone who sides with Joab and supports David, follow Joab!" Amasa was lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the road; the man realized that the whole army was going to stop and take a look, so he pulled Amasa's corpse off the road into the field and threw a blanket over him so it wouldn't collect spectators. As soon as he'd gotten him off the road, the traffic flowed normally, following Joab in the chase after Sheba son of Bicri. Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel as far as Abel Beth Maacah; all the Bicrites clustered and followed him into the city.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
One of Joab’s young men had stood over Amasa saying, “Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!”

Hebrew Names Version
There stood by him one of Yo'av's young men, and said, He who favors Yo'av, and he who is for David, let him follow Yo'av.

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
A young man stood over him, from the young men of Joab, and he said, "Whoever takes delight in Joab and whoever is for David, follow after Joab."

English Standard Version
And one of Joab's young men took his stand by Amasa and said, "Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab."

New Century Version
One of Joab's young men stood by Amasa's body and said, "Everyone who is for Joab and David should follow Joab!"

New English Translation
One of Joab's soldiers who stood over Amasa said, "Whoever is for Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!"

Amplified Bible
Now one of Joab's young men stood by him and said, "Whoever favors Joab and is for David, let him follow Joab!"

New American Standard Bible
Now one of Joab's young men stood by him and said, "Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!"

Geneva Bible (1587)
And one of Ioabs men stoode by him, & saide, He that fauoureth Ioab, and hee that is of Dauids part, let him go after Ioab.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now there stood by him one of Joab's young men, and said, "Whoever delights in Joab and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab."

Contemporary English Version
One of Joab's soldiers stood by Amasa and shouted, "If any of you like Joab, and if you are for David, then follow Joab!"

Complete Jewish Bible
One of Yo'av's young men standing by Yo'av said, "Whoever is on Yo'av's side, whoever is for David — let him follow Yo'av."

Darby Translation
And one of Joab's young men stood by [Amasa] and said, He that favours Joab, and he that is for David, let him follow Joab.

Easy-to-Read Version
One of Joab's young soldiers stood by Amasa's body and said, "All of you who support Joab and David, let's follow Joab."

George Lamsa Translation
And one of Joabs men went and stood by Amasa, and said to those who passed by, To whom do you belong? Are you of the men of David who are after Joab?

Good News Translation
One of Joab's men stood by Amasa's body and called out, "Everyone who is for Joab and David follow Joab!"

Literal Translation
And a man stood beside him, of the young men of Joab; and he said, Whoever delights in Joab, and whoever is for David follow after Joab!

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And one of Ioabs seruauntes stode by him, and sayde: What is he this yt wolde be agaynst Ioab to please Dauid, and to be with Dauid in Ioabs steade?

American Standard Version
And there stood by him one of Joab's young men, and said, He that favoreth Joab, and he that is for David, let him follow Joab.

Bible in Basic English
And one of Joab's young men, taking his place at Amasa's side, said, Whoever is for Joab and for David, let him go after Joab!

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And one of Ioabs men stoode by him, and saide: He that beareth any fauour to Ioab, or good will to Dauid, let him go after Ioab.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And there stood by him one of Joab's young men, and said: 'He that favoureth Joab, and he that is for David let him follow Joab.'

King James Version (1611)
And one of Ioabs men stood by him, and said, He that fauoureth Ioab, and hee that is for Dauid, let him goe after Ioab.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And there stood over him one of the servants of Joab, and said, Who is he that is for Joab, and who is on the side of David following Joab?

English Revised Version
And there stood by him one of Joab’s young men, and said, He that favoureth Joab, and he that is for David, let him follow Joab.

Berean Standard Bible
One of Joab's young men stood near Amasa and said, "Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
In the meene tyme whanne `sum men of the children of Dauid, of the felowis of Joab, hadden stonde bisidis the deed bodi of Amasa, thei seiden, Lo! he that wolde be the felowe of Dauid for Joab.

Young's Literal Translation
And a man hath stood by him, of the young men of Joab, and saith, `He who hath delight in Joab, and he who [is] for David -- after Joab!'

Update Bible Version
And there stood by him one of Joab's young men, and said, He that favors Joab, and he that is for David, let him follow Joab.

Webster's Bible Translation
And one of Joab's men stood by him, and said, He that favoreth Joab, and he that [is] for David, [let him go] after Joab.

World English Bible
There stood by him one of Joab's young men, and said, He who favors Joab, and he who is for David, let him follow Joab.

New King James Version
Meanwhile one of Joab's men stood near Amasa, and said, "Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David--follow Joab!"

New Living Translation
One of Joab's young men shouted to Amasa's troops, "If you are for Joab and David, come and follow Joab."

New Life Bible
Now one of Joab's young men stood by him and said, "Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab."

New Revised Standard
And one of Joab's men took his stand by Amasa, and said, "Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, a man, stood over him, of the young men of Joab, - and said - Whosoever is well pleased with Joab, and whosoever pertaineth to David, let him follow Joab.

Douay-Rheims Bible
In the mean time some men of Joab’s company stopping at the dead body of Amasa, said: Behold he that would have been in Joab’s stead the companion of David.

Revised Standard Version
And one of Jo'ab's men took his stand by Ama'sa, and said, "Whoever favors Jo'ab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Jo'ab."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now there stood by him one of Joab's young men, and said, "Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab."

Contextual Overview

⁴The king ordered Amasa, "Muster the men of Judah for me in three days; then report in." Amasa went to carry out his orders, but he was late reporting back. So David told Abishai, "Sheba son of Bicri is going to hurt us even worse than Absalom did. Take your master's servants and hunt him down before he gets holed up in some fortress city where we can't get to him." So under Abishai's command, all the best men—Joab's men and the Kerethites and Pelethites—left Jerusalem to hunt down Sheba son of Bicri. They were near the boulder at Gibeon when Amasa came their way. Joab was wearing a tunic with a sheathed sword strapped on his waist, but the sword slipped out and fell to the ground. Joab greeted Amasa, "How are you, brother?" and took Amasa's beard in his right hand as if to kiss him. Amasa didn't notice the sword in Joab's other hand. Joab stuck him in the belly and his guts spilled to the ground. A second blow wasn't needed; he was dead. Then Joab and his brother Abishai continued to chase Sheba son of Bicri. ¹¹One of Joab's soldiers took up his post over the body and called out, "Everyone who sides with Joab and supports David, follow Joab!" Amasa was lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the road; the man realized that the whole army was going to stop and take a look, so he pulled Amasa's corpse off the road into the field and threw a blanket over him so it wouldn't collect spectators. As soon as he'd gotten him off the road, the traffic flowed normally, following Joab in the chase after Sheba son of Bicri. Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel as far as Abel Beth Maacah; all the Bicrites clustered and followed him into the city.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

He that: 2 Samuel 20:6, 2 Samuel 20:7, 2 Samuel 20:13, 2 Samuel 20:21

for David: 2 Samuel 20:4, 2 Kings 9:32

Reciprocal: Exodus 32:26 - Who is on

Cross-References

Genesis 20:1
Abraham traveled from there south to the Negev and settled down between Kadesh and Shur. While he was camping in Gerar, Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She's my sister." So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her. But God came to Abimelech in a dream that night and told him, "You're as good as dead—that woman you took, she's a married woman." Now Abimelech had not yet slept with her, hadn't so much as touched her. He said, "Master, would you kill an innocent man? Didn't he tell me, ‘She's my sister'? And didn't she herself say, ‘He's my brother'? I had no idea I was doing anything wrong when I did this." God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know your intentions were pure, that's why I kept you from sinning against me; I was the one who kept you from going to bed with her. So now give the man's wife back to him. He's a prophet and will pray for you—pray for your life. If you don't give her back, know that it's certain death both for you and everyone in your family." Abimelech was up first thing in the morning. He called all his house servants together and told them the whole story. They were shocked. Then Abimelech called in Abraham and said, "What have you done to us? What have I ever done to you that you would bring on me and my kingdom this huge offense? What you've done to me ought never to have been done." Abimelech went on to Abraham, "Whatever were you thinking of when you did this thing?" Abraham said, "I just assumed that there was no fear of God in this place and that they'd kill me to get my wife. Besides, the truth is that she is my half sister; she's my father's daughter but not my mother's. When God sent me out as a wanderer from my father's home, I told her, ‘Do me a favor; wherever we go, tell people that I'm your brother.'" Then Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, and along with her sent sheep and cattle and servants, both male and female. He said, "My land is open to you; live wherever you wish." And to Sarah he said, "I've given your brother a thousand pieces of silver—that clears you of even a shadow of suspicion before the eyes of the world. You're vindicated." Then Abraham prayed to God and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his maidservants, and they started having babies again. For God had shut down every womb in Abimelech's household on account of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

Genesis 20:4
Now Abimelech had not yet slept with her, hadn't so much as touched her. He said, "Master, would you kill an innocent man? Didn't he tell me, ‘She's my sister'? And didn't she herself say, ‘He's my brother'? I had no idea I was doing anything wrong when I did this."

Genesis 22:12
"Don't lay a hand on that boy! Don't touch him! Now I know how fearlessly you fear God; you didn't hesitate to place your son, your dear son, on the altar for me."

Genesis 26:7
The men of the place questioned him about his wife. He said, "She's my sister." He was afraid to say "She's my wife." He was thinking, "These men might kill me to get Rebekah, she's so beautiful."

Genesis 42:18
On the third day, Joseph spoke to them. "Do this and you'll live. I'm a God-fearing man. If you're as honest as you say you are, one of your brothers will stay here in jail while the rest of you take the food back to your hungry families. But you have to bring your youngest brother back to me, confirming the truth of your speech—and not one of you will die." They agreed.

Job 1:1
Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East!

Psalms 14:4
Don't they know anything, all these impostors? Don't they know they can't get away with this— Treating people like a fast-food meal over which they're too busy to pray?

Proverbs 1:7
Start with God —the first step in learning is bowing down to God ; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.

Proverbs 16:6
Guilt is banished through love and truth; Fear-of- God deflects evil.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 the pursuit was carried on with as much rigour as ever:

and said, he that favoureth Joab, and he that [is] for David, [let him go] after Joab: he that likes Joab should be general, and is in the interest of David, let him make no stay here, but follow after Joab; Joab and David are put together, as if their interests were the same; though there seems to be an indecency in placing Joab first.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He that favoreth Joab ... - This speech, addressed to Amasa’s followers as well as Joab’s, shows very distinctly that the rivalry between Joab and Amasa, and David’s purpose to make Amasa captain in Joab’s room, were well known; and shows also the real reason why Joab killed Amasa. What is added, “and he that is for David,” was intended to identify Joab’s cause with David’s, and also to insinuate that Amasa had not been loyal to David (2 Samuel 20:5 note).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 20:11. He that favoureth Joab — As if he had said, There is now no other commander besides Joab; and Joab is steadily attached to David: let those therefore who are loyal follow Joab.