= 2 Samuel 20
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== 2 Samuel 20
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.
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.
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 Bethmaachah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him.
15 And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah, 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.
== Notes
== Cross Reference
== Commentary
== Rashi
==== Verse 1
There, he invited. Invited Language like that of "He invited his guests."1 "Avsholom invited all the king's children."2 Language denoting "inviting".
==== Verse 4
Rally the men of Yehudah. That they should be here within three days.
And then you be back here [to meet me]. After three days be sure to be back here before me because he [Dovid] wanted to chase after Shevah, the son of Bichri.
==== Verse 5
But was delayed past the appointed time. He found Rabbis who had begun to learn a tractate in the Talmud, as is stated in Sanhedrin.3
==== Verse 6
Take your master's servants. Now that Amosoh, the commanding officer was delayed and had not yet brought the soldiers of Yehudah, you take from the men in my entourage and chase after him.
To escape to out of our sight. And he will escape right before our eyes, this is an abbreviated verse.4
==== Verse 8
Close to his loins. Very close to his body along the width of his loins, this was not the usual way of carrying a sword. He did so to make it easy for it to fall out so it would not be necessary to take it out of its sheath.
He started out [towards Amosoh.]. Towards Amosoh.
And it fell out. The sword [fell out] from its sheath because it was smooth and sharp and was not hanging on the side of his thigh but it was along the width of his loins. As soon as he [Yoav] leaned forward towards the ground it [the sword] fell out of its sheath and he grabbed it with his right hand without Amosoh noticing anything.
==== Verse 12
When he saw that all who passed by it remained there. When the man saw that everyone who passed by it would remain there.
==== Verse 13
When it was withdrawn. When it was removed as we find. "When the impurities are removed from silver",5 and as find "When the wicked are removed from before the king".6
==== Verse 14
He [Shevah] went through all the tribes of Yisroel. Shevah, the son of Bichri [went] to convince them to declare him king over them.
All the Beirim. I do not know what it is.
==== Verse 15
And it [the city] held by virtue of its inner wall. [Yonoson translates:] "They surrounded it strongly." Some interpret וַתַּעֲמדׁ בַּחֵל to have a meaning like "the inner wall and the outer wall".7 They had [already] cause the outer wall to fall and it [the city] fortified itself to hold fast by virtue of the inner wall.
==== Verse 17
Are you Yoav? That it is said of you "Who sits among the wise at their assembly."8
==== Verse 18
You should have talked [peace] first. You should have talked peace first. If they had answered you that they wanted peace and had opened their city to you then you should not have gone to war against them.
If you had asked [for peace] with Oveil. If your soldiers had asked for peace with this city called Oveil.
They would have completely [cooperated]. The people of the city would have immediately made peace with you.
==== Verse 19
I am [from the people of the city] that are loyal and trustworthy to Yisroel. I am from the people of the city that are loyal and trustworthy to Yisroel and to the king. An Aggadic Midrash [states:] this was Serach, the daughter of Asher. I faithfully rewarded those who faithful [to God]: Through me, the location of Yosef's coffin was revealed to Moshe. I told Yakov that Yosef was alive.
==== Verse 20
Far be it, far be it from me. Far be it from me, far be it from the king.
==== Verse 21
Lifted his hand against the king, Dovid. Against the king even if it were not Dovid he is punishable by death. Alternatively if it were against Dovid [who is a scholar] even if he was not the king, he [Shevah] is punishable by death. All the much more so [now that he has rebelled] against the king, against Dovid. This is how this verse is expounded upon in the Midrash Koheles.
==== Verse 22
The woman came [and spoke] to all the people. It is taught in a Tosefta:9 "She said to them, 'Since both he will be killed and they will be killed [they should] hand him over to them.10 If he were able to be saved, for example he was inside and you were on the outside and you were in mortal danger [fighting Yoav] [but] he could escape11 [then we have a rule that] it is prohibited to let one person be killed in order to save another, [therefore, you cannot] have him killed to save yourselves. But now that he is [anyway] going to be killed with you because the walls have been breached and there is no possibility of escape,12 [then] it is better that he alone die and you should not die along with him.' Rebbe Shimon said, this is what she said to them, 'Anyone who has rebelled against the kingdom of the House of Dovid is punishable by death.'13
==== Verse 23
Yoav commanded the entire army. Despite the fact that Dovid had said to Amosoh, "I will make you the commanding general in Yoav's stead",14 now that Amsoh was dead Yoav was not replaced. And because of Yoav [remaining commander], he [Dovid] had to appoint his [Yoav's] friends.15
==== Verse 26
Eiroh the Yoiri. Yonoson translated: "Eiroh who gives forth light from Tekuah." And so is he referred to in this book Eiroh ben Eikash of Tekuah. He was called Yoiri because it is taught in Menochos,16 "Tekuah was first in [olive] oil," because olive oil was prevalent there from which candles are lit [in the Beis Mikdosh].
Was a Kokein for Dovid. He [Dovid] would give him [Eiroh] all his Kehunah gifts, that is what our Rabbis explained.17 The simple explanation of the verse is that he [Dovid] made him [Eiroh] an officer and a judge.