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2 Samuel 20:16

in 2 Samuel 20

a wise woman called out from the city, “Listen! Listen! Please tell Joab to come here so that I may speak with him.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee.

KJV

Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee.

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This verse in 2 Samuel 20

Commentary

5 notes on this verse

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

Then cried a wise woman - It seems none of all the men of Abel, offered to treat with Joab: no, not when they were reduced to extremity: but one wise woman saved the city. Souls know no difference of sex: many a manly heart is lodged in a female breast. Nor is the treasure of wisdom the less valuable, for being lodged in the weaker vessel.

This site's exposition

a wise woman called out from the city

on 2 Samuel 20:16-19

A wise woman calls out from the city and asks for Joab. She recalls the old saying, “Seek counsel at Abel,” by which disputes were settled. She calls Abel “a city that is a mother in Israel” and asks, “Why would you swallow up the LORD’s inheritance?”

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

We may suppose it was the first time he had ever treated with a woman in martial affairs. (2.) She reasons with him on behalf of her city, and very ingeniously. [1.] That it was a city famous for wisdom (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

Then cried a wise woman out of the city,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

A wise woman - She was probably governess.

The words behind it

16 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַתִּקְרָ֛אand she called out

    vatikra'H7121 →733 times

  • אִשָּׁ֥הa woman

    ʾishahH802 →781 times

  • חֲכָמָ֖הwise

    chakhamahH2450 →138 times

  • מִן־from

    min-H4480 →1188 times

  • הָעִ֑ירthe city

    hairH5892 →1090 times

  • שִׁמְע֤וּlisten

    shimuH8085 →1159 times

  • שִׁמְעוּ֙listen

    shimuH8085 →1159 times

  • אִמְרוּ־say

    ʾimru-H559 →5305 times

  • נָ֣אplease

    na'H4994 →404 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • יוֹאָ֔בJoab

    yoavH3097 →144 times

  • קְרַ֣בdraw near

    keravH7126 →280 times

  • עַד־to

    ʾad-H5704 →1261 times

  • הֵ֔נָּהhere

    henahH2008 →49 times

  • וַאֲדַבְּרָ֖הso let me speak

    vaadaberahH1696 →1141 times

  • אֵלֶֽיךָ׃to you

    ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

5 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

2 Samuel 14:2So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.5 worksEcclesiastes 9:14–18There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.4 works1 Samuel 25:3His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.3 works1 Samuel 25:32–33Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me this day!3 works2 Samuel 20:22Then the woman went to all the people with her wise counsel, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. So he blew the ram’s horn and his men dispersed from the city, each to his own home. And Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    1 Samuel 25:3

    His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 14:1

      Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

    • Proverbs 31:10

      A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies.

    • Isaiah 32:5–7

      No longer will a fool be called noble, nor a scoundrel be respected.

    • Psalms 10:3

      For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.

    • Proverbs 31:30–31

      Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

  • Through

    2 Samuel 14:2

    So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act…

    it leads to

    • 2 Chronicles 11:6

      He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

    • Ruth 3:3

      Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.

    • Amos 1:1

      These are the words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders of Tekoa—what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, in the days when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son…

About 2 Samuel

David Mourns the Death of Absalom, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
David Mourns the Death of Absalom, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
2 Samuel: the study guide →Read 2 Samuel 20 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 2 Samuel 20 →