(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. The tardiness of the men of Judah, confirms the idea that David was not well received by them. read more
Here, to be invested with the command over the army, and to pursue Seba. (Menochius) read more
4-13 Joab barbarously murdered Amasa. The more plot there is in a sin, the worse it is. Joab contentedly sacrificed the interest both of the king and the kingdom to his personal revenge. But one would wonder with what face a murderer could pursue a traitor; and how, under such a load of guilt, he had courage to enter upon danger: his conscience was seared. read more
The Murder of Amasa v. 1. And there happened to be there a man of Belial, a vain and worthless scoundrel, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite, evidently one of the rabid party of Saul; and he blew a trumpet, as a call to all those who thought as he did on account of the strained relations between Judah and Israel, and said, we have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse, the northern tribes had nothing in common with him, nothing to do with him; ... read more
For the Chapter 20 passage and footnotes, see 1 Samuel 19:1 ff.2 Samuel 20:1-22. Sheba’s insurrection, Israel’s defection, both quelled by Joab.2 Samuel 20:1. There was1 there, namely, in Gilgal at the assembly of the tribes; the word “there” indicates directly the place, indirectly the time of the following history, so that the causal connection between it and the preceding scene is obvious. On the person of Sheba, Luther remarks (probably correctly) in his marginal notes: “he was one of the... read more
Pursuing Another Rebel 2 Samuel 20:1-13 Like Shimei, Sheba belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. The old Saul-faction was always breaking out in rebellion, and Nathan’s prediction that the sword would never cease from David’s house was literally fulfilled. We must always watch against the return of our old sins. Amasa’s appointment was a mistake. He had already proved his incompetence under Absalom, and now his delay threatened disaster. David had chosen him only because he wished, at any cost,... read more
The occasion invariably finds the man for evil as well as for good. Sheba seized the strife between Judah and Israel as an opportunity to attempt to divide the kingdom. David's hosts went forth against Israel. Once more Joab appears on the scene, and the same relentless ferocity was manifested in his murder of Amasa, coupled with continued loyalty to David, as he proceeded to quell the insurrection. This was accomplished through the wisdom of a woman by the death of Sheba. Thus David was... read more
The Failure And Death Of Amasa (20:4-10a). Amasa, David’s close relative and new commander-in-chief, was now called on by David to gather together the men of Judah ‘within three days’ so as to deal rapidly with the threat being caused by Sheba, so that they would be able to act before he could become a real danger. Amasa was, however, clearly either inefficient or careless for he failed to achieve David’s target, or to report back at the proper time, possibly partly because men were reluctant... read more
1 Samuel 20. The Revolt of Sheba (J). 2 Samuel 20:1 f. The result of this altercation was a fresh rebellion under a Benjamite, Sheba ben Bichri. 2 Samuel 20:3 . The members of the king’ s harem whom he had left in Jerusalem are condemned to pass the rest of their days in seclusion ( cf. 2 Samuel 16:21). 2 Samuel 20:4-2 Kings : . David bade his new commander-in-chief, Amasa, assemble the general levy of Judah by a given day; the day came, but Amasa and the army did not appear. A few days... read more
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The People's Bible by Joseph Parker - 2 Samuel 20:1-26
2 Samuel 20:0 FROM the conclusion of the nineteenth chapter we learn that the tribe of Judah, being deeply moved by the course which David had pursued, and full of affection towards the king, had united generally in completing his restoration. The other tribes who had proposed to return to their allegiance probably had not had time to take part in the present action, or may indeed have been almost wholly ignorant of it, which gave Shimei, with his one thousand Benjamites and some others, an... read more