2 Samuel 20 Study Notes

20:14 Sheba retreated to the far north; Abel of Beth-maacah lay about thirty miles north of the Sea of Galilee.

20:15 Besieging a city generally involved surrounding it, cutting off its food and water supply, building a siege ramp to get over the wall, and constructing battering rams to break down the city’s wall.

20:16 This woman is described as wise in retrospect because of what she did in the narrative.

20:17 Joab no doubt approached the woman cautiously (Jdg 9:50-55).

20:18-19 The city of Abel, a city of long standing within the nation, had a reputation as a place where wisdom often settled disputes.

20:20-21 Joab responded that his fight was not with the city’s inhabitants, only with Sheba, whom they were harboring.

20:22 Once Sheba was dead, the revolt was ended. On blowing the ram’s horn, see note at 2:27-28.

20:23 Joab had become commander of the whole army of Israel again, and David may have felt that he should leave well enough alone. After all, Joab had been a factor in reuniting Israel and restoring David’s kingdom. Joab’s sin, however, was not forgotten, and David later instructed his son Solomon to deal with it when he became king (1Kg 2:5-6). On Benaiah and the Cherethites and Pelethites, see note at 8:18.

20:24 Forced labor appears here for the first time; during Solomon’s days, only non-Israelites made up this group (1Kg 9:20). Perhaps this was added late in David’s reign. On Jehoshaphat, see note at 8:16.

20:25 Jehoshaphat was now assisted by Sheva, who had apparently replaced Seraiah (8:17) as court secretary. Zadok’s influence would continue into Solomon’s reign (1Kg 2:35), though Abiathar would side against Solomon during the transition of power from David to Solomon and suffer banishment from the priesthood (1Kg 1:7; 2:26-27).

20:26 Ira the Jairite, otherwise unknown, was David’s priest, perhaps assisting him in matters of private worship, but certainly not functioning in place of Torah-prescribed patterns (unlike Micah in Jdg 17).