2 Samuel 20:2

2 So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bichri, but the men of Judah from the Jordan all the way to Jerusalem remained loyal to their king.^[a]

2 Samuel 20:2 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 20:2

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 to Jerusalem:
never left him, after they had conducted him over Jordan, until they had brought him safely to Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 20:2 In-Context

1 Now a wicked man, a Benjaminite named Sheba son of Bichri, happened to be there. He blew the ram's horn and shouted: We have no portion in David, no inheritance in Jesse's son. Each man to his tent, Israel!

2 So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bichri, but the men of Judah from the Jordan all the way to Jerusalem remained loyal to their king.

3 When David came to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the 10 concubines he had left to take care of the palace and placed them under guard. He provided for them, but he was not intimate with them. They were confined until the day of their death, living as widows.

4 The king said to Amasa, "Summon the men of Judah to me within three days and be here yourself."

5 Amasa went to summon Judah, but he took longer than the time allotted him.

Footnotes

• [a]. 1 Kg 12:16-17