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

4Then the king told Amasa, “Mobilize the army of Judah within three days, and report back at that time.” 5So Amasa went out to notify Judah, but it took him longer than the time he had been given. Then David said to Abishai, “Sheba son of Bicri is going to hurt us more than Absalom did. Quick, take my troops and chase after him before he gets into a fortified town where we can’t reach him.” 7So Abishai and Joab, together with the king’s bodyguard and all the mighty warriors, set out from Jerusalem to go after Sheba. 8As they arrived at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa met them. Joab was wearing his military tunic with a dagger strapped to his belt. As he stepped forward to greet Amasa, he slipped the dagger from its sheath.

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 2:18Joab, Abishai, and Asahel—the three sons of Zeruiah—were among David’s forces that day. Asahel could run like a gazelle,
• 2 Samuel 3:30So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because Abner had killed their brother Asahel at the battle of Gibeon.
• 2 Samuel 10:9When Joab saw that he would have to fight on both the front and the rear, he chose some of Israel’s elite troops and placed them under his personal command to fight the Arameans in the fields.
• 2 Samuel 18:2He sent the troops out in three groups, placing one group under Joab, one under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and one under Ittai, the man from Gath. The king told his troops, “I am going out with you.”
• 2 Samuel 21:17But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue and killed the Philistine. Then David’s men declared, “You are not going out to battle with us again! Why risk snuffing out the light of Israel?”
• 2 Samuel 23:18Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Thirty. He once used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle. It was by such feats that he became as famous as the Three.
• 1 Samuel 26:6“Who will volunteer to go in there with me?” David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother. “I’ll go with you,” Abishai replied.
• 1 Chronicles 11:20Abishai, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Thirty. He once used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle. It was by such feats that he became as famous as the Three.
• 1 Chronicles 18:12Abishai son of Zeruiah destroyed 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
• 2 Samuel 19:7Now go out there and congratulate your troops, for I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a single one of them will remain here tonight. Then you will be worse off than ever before.”
• 2 Samuel 11:11Uriah replied, “The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing.”
• 1 Kings 1:33the king said to them, “Take Solomon and my officials down to Gihon Spring. Solomon is to ride on my own mule.

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