2 Samuel 20:21

Contextual Overview

¹⁴Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maacah and through the entire region of the Berites, who gathered together and followed him. ¹⁴ Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maakah and through the entire region of the Bikrites, who gathered together and followed him. ¹⁴Now he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, even Beth-maacah, and all the Berites; and they were assembled and also came after him. ¹⁴ Now he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, even Beth-maacah, and all the Berites; and they were gathered together and also went after him. ¹⁴ And he went thorow all the tribes of Israel, vnto Abel, and to Bethmaacha, and all the places of Berim: And they gathered together, and went after him. ¹⁴ Sheba son of Bicri passed through all the tribes of Israel on his way to Abel Beth Maacah. All the Berites joined together and followed Sheba. ¹⁴ And he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth-maachah, and to all the Berites. And they were gathered, and went after him also. ¹⁴ And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-ma'acah; and all the Bichrites assembled, and followed him in. ¹⁴ He went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth-maacah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him. ¹⁴ And hee went thorow all the tribes of Israel vnto Abel, and to Bethmaachah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a man: 2 Samuel 20:1, Judges 2:9, Judges 7:24, 2 Kings 5:22, Jeremiah 4:15, Jeremiah 50:19

by name: Heb. by his name

lifted: 2 Samuel 23:18, 1 Samuel 24:6, 1 Samuel 26:9

his head: 2 Samuel 17:2, 2 Samuel 17:3, 2 Kings 10:7, Judges 18:4-8

Reciprocal: Judges 4:9 - into Judges 9:53 - woman Judges 9:55 - General Judges 20:13 - deliver 2 Samuel 20:11 - He that 1 Kings 11:27 - lifted up Luke 6:41 - but

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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; unless there was a place of this name in the tribe of Benjamin, so called from any memorable event there, as the wood of Ephraim, 2 Samuel 18:6. This same man, says Joab,

hath lifted up his hand against the king, [even] against David; is in rebellion against the king, even so great and good a king as David; he has lifted up his hand, and blown a trumpet to draw off men from David, and after himself; he has committed acts of hostility and treason; he has drawn his sword, and raised an insurrection and rebellion in the nation:

deliver him only, and I will depart from the city: he did not desire any of his followers to be delivered up, only himself, knowing the rebellion would cease upon the delivery of him; and being unwilling that the blood of any Israelite should be shed, whom he had unawares drawn into this rebellion, and who he knew would return to their own cities upon this:

and the woman said unto Joab, behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall; she knew the fright the inhabitants of the city were in, and how disposed they were to do anything to save their city; she knew what influence she had among them, and how weak Sheba's party was, and therefore could assure Joab that this should be done.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 20:21. His head shall be thrown to thee — Thus it appears she had great sway in the counsels of the city; and that the punishment of a state rebel was then, what it is now in this kingdom, beheading.