2 Samuel 20:6

2 Samuel 20:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord's servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he find for himself fortified cities, and escape us.”

Context of 2 Samuel 20:6

4Now the king said to Amasa [the commander of his army], “Summon the [fighting] men of Judah to me within three days, and be present here yourself.” 5So Amasa went to summon [the fighting men of] Judah, but he delayed longer than the time which David had set for him. And David said to Abishai [his nephew], “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, so that he does not find fortified cities for himself and escape from our sight.” 7So Joab’s men went after him, along with [David’s bodyguards] the Cherethites and Pelethites and all the warriors; they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 8When they were at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing his military uniform, and over it he had a belt with a sheathed sword strapped around his hips; and as he went forward, it fell out.

2 Samuel 20:6 word by word

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר דָּוִד֙ אֶל־אֲבִישַׁ֔י עַתָּ֗ה יֵ֧רַֽע לָ֛נוּ שֶׁ֥בַע בֶּן־בִּכְרִ֖י מִן־אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם אַ֠תָּה קַ֞ח אֶת־עַבְדֵ֤י אֲדֹנֶ֙יךָ֙ וּרְדֹ֣ף אַחֲרָ֔יו פֶּן־מָ֥צָא ל֛וֹ עָרִ֥ים בְּצֻר֖וֹת וְהִצִּ֥יל עֵינֵֽנוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• to Abishaiאֲבִישַׁי'ăbîyshay 'abshay · AbishaiH52
• Now shall Shebaשֶׁ֫בַעsheba‛ · ShebaH7652
• the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of Bichriבִּכְרִיbikrîy · BichriH1075
• do us more harmיָרַעyâra‛ · quiverH3415
• Absalomאֲבִישָׁלוֹם'ăbîyshâlôm 'abshâlôm · AbsalomH53
• takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• thou thy lord’sאָדוֹן'âdôn 'âdôn · lordH113
• servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
• and pursueרָדַףrâdaph · to pursueH7291
• afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• him, lest he getמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• him fencedבָּצַרbâtsar · to gather/restrain/fortifyH1219
• citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• and escapeנָצַלnâtsal · to rescueH5337
• usעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: before(the eyes)H5869

Cross-references for 2 Samuel 20:6

• 2 Samuel 2:18Three sons of Zeruiah [the half sister of David] were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as light and swift-footed as one of the [wild] gazelles in the field.
• 2 Samuel 3:30So Joab and Abishai his brother murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.
• 2 Samuel 10:9Now when Joab saw that the battlefront was against him in front and in the rear, he selected some of all the choice men in Israel and set them in battle formation to meet the Arameans (Syrians).
• 2 Samuel 18:2Then David sent the army out, a third under the command of Joab, a third under Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, “I myself will certainly go out [to fight] with you.”
• 2 Samuel 21:17But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to David’s aid, and struck and killed the Philistine. Then David’s men swore to him, “You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel.”
• 2 Samuel 23:18Now Abishai the brother of Joab the son of Zeruiah was chief of the thirty. He wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them, and gained a reputation beside the three.
• 1 Samuel 26:6Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”
• 1 Chronicles 11:20Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of the [other] three, and he lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them, and he had a name as well as the three.
• 1 Chronicles 18:12Also Abishai the son of Zeruiah [David’s half sister] defeated 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
• 2 Samuel 19:7So now stand up, go out and speak kindly and encouragingly to your servants; for I swear by the Lord that if you do not go out, not a man will stay with you tonight. And this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.”
• 2 Samuel 11:11Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in huts (temporary shelters), and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Should I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.”
• 1 Kings 1:33The king told them, “Take the servants of your lord with you and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to [the spring at] Gihon [in the Kidron Valley].

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 20:6

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6To Abishai - Probably, as the king was on bad terms with Joab, and wished to deprive him of his post as Captain of the host, he gave his orders to Abishai, and weakly connived at the execution of them by Joab, which was inevitable.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-13Verses 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 the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-92Sa 20:1-9. Sheba Makes a Party in Israel. 1. Sheba ... a Benjamite--Though nothing is known of this man, he must have been a person of considerable power and influence, before he could have raised so sudden and extensive a sedition. He belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, where the adherents of Saul's dynasty were still numerous; and perceiving the strong disgust of the other tribes with the part assumed by Judah in the restoration, his ill-designing heart…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Samuel 20:6

• Abishai
• David

In the dictionaries

• Absalom
• David
• Sheba
• Fenced cities
• Amasa
• Gibeon
• Heed
• Joab
• Wont
• Abishai

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary