2 Samuel 20:16
in 2 Samuel 20a 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 verseThen 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
cried a wise woman out of the city
on 2 Samuel 20:16-19
An unnamed wise woman does what no man in the city attempted, calling Joab to the wall and negotiating before the first breach opens. She invokes the city's old reputation for settling disputes by counsel rather than the sword, and then names the city with a title that carries weight elsewhere in Scripture, a mother in Israel. Her question, why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the Lord, answers Sheba's own opening cry at verse 1 almost word for word, inheritance turned from a rebel's grievance into a plea for a city that belongs to God.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
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 wise woman - She was probably governess.
The words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתִּקְרָ֛א | vatikra' | and she called out | H7121 → | 733 times |
| אִשָּׁ֥ה | ʾishah | a woman | H802 → | 781 times |
| חֲכָמָ֖ה | chakhamah | wise | H2450 → | 138 times |
| מִן־ | min- | from | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הָעִ֑יר | hair | the city | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| שִׁמְע֤וּ | shimu | listen | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| שִׁמְעוּ֙ | shimu | listen | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אִמְרוּ־ | ʾimru- | say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| נָ֣א | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יוֹאָ֔ב | yoav | Joab | H3097 → | 144 times |
| קְרַ֣ב | kerav | draw near | H7126 → | 280 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| הֵ֔נָּה | henah | here | H2008 → | 49 times |
| וַאֲדַבְּרָ֖ה | vaadaberah | so let me speak | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| אֵלֶֽיךָ׃ | ʾeleikha | to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
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.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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 25:3His 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.
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.
- Proverbs 14:1
Through
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…
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…
- 2 Chronicles 11:6
About 2 Samuel
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.