2 Samuel 20:6
in 2 Samuel 20And 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, or he will find fortified cities and elude us.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And David said to Abishai, Now will 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 fortified cities, and escape out of our sight.
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.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 20
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
To 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.
This site's exposition
do us more harm than did Absalom
on 2 Samuel 20:6-7
David measures Sheba's danger by Absalom's, and turns not to Joab but to Abishai, still trying to keep the command from the man who killed his son against orders. The force that marches out is Joab's men in every way that matters, the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all the mighty men, David's standing guard rather than a fresh levy. Naming Abishai changes nothing on the ground; Joab is already present with his brother and his own troops.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
), for nothing could be of more dangerous consequence than to give him time. David gives these orders to Abishai, because he resolves to mortify Joab, and degrade him, not so much, I doubt, for the blood of Abner, which he had shed basely, as for the blood of Absalom, which he had shed justly and honourably. "Now (says bishop Hall) Joab smarteth for a loyal disobedience.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
Abishai - Not to Joab; lest by this means he should recover his place, and Amasa be discontented, and David's fidelity in making good his promise to Amasa be questioned.
And David said to Abishai,....
The words behind it
26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| דָּוִד֙ | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֲבִישַׁ֔י | ʾavishai | Abishai | H52 → | 25 times |
| עַתָּ֗ה | ʾatah | now | H6258 → | 433 times |
| יֵ֧רַֽע | yera' | he will be bad | H7489 → | 107 times |
| לָ֛נוּ | lanu | for <the> us | ||
| שֶׁ֥בַע | sheva' | Sheba | H7652 → | 10 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| בִּכְרִ֖י | bikhri | Bicri | H1075 → | 8 times |
| מִן־ | min- | more than | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| אַבְשָׁל֑וֹם | ʾavshalom | Absalom | H53 → | 110 times |
| אַ֠תָּה | ʾatah | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| קַ֞ח | kach | take | H3947 → | 966 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עַבְדֵ֤י | ʾavdei | [the] servants of | H5650 → | 799 times |
| אֲדֹנֶ֙יךָ֙ | ʾadoneikha | master<s> your | H113 → | 333 times |
| וּרְדֹ֣ף | uredof | and pursue | H7291 → | 143 times |
| אַחֲרָ֔יו | ʾacharav | after him | H310 → | 715 times |
| פֶּן־ | pen- | lest | H6435 → | 133 times |
| מָ֥צָא | matza' | he has found | H4672 → | 455 times |
| ל֛וֹ | lo | for <the> himself | ||
| עָרִ֥ים | ʾarim | cities | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| בְּצֻר֖וֹת | betzurot | fortified | H1219 → | |
| וְהִצִּ֥יל | vehitzil | and he will tear out | H5337 → | 212 times |
| עֵינֵֽנוּ׃ | ʾeinenu | eye our | H5869 → | 887 times |
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
דָּוִד֙David
davidH1732 →999 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אֲבִישַׁ֔יAbishai
ʾavishaiH52 →25 times
עַתָּ֗הnow
ʾatahH6258 →433 times
יֵ֧רַֽעhe will be bad
yera'H7489 →107 times
לָ֛נוּfor <the> us
lanu
שֶׁ֥בַעSheba
sheva'H7652 →10 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
בִּכְרִ֖יBicri
bikhriH1075 →8 times
מִן־more than
min-H4480 →1188 times
אַבְשָׁל֑וֹםAbsalom
ʾavshalomH53 →110 times
אַ֠תָּהyou
ʾatahH859 →1094 times
קַ֞חtake
kachH3947 →966 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
עַבְדֵ֤י[the] servants of
ʾavdeiH5650 →799 times
אֲדֹנֶ֙יךָ֙master<s> your
ʾadoneikhaH113 →333 times
וּרְדֹ֣ףand pursue
uredofH7291 →143 times
אַחֲרָ֔יוafter him
ʾacharavH310 →715 times
פֶּן־lest
pen-H6435 →133 times
מָ֥צָאhe has found
matza'H4672 →455 times
ל֛וֹfor <the> himself
lo
עָרִ֥יםcities
ʾarimH5892 →1090 times
בְּצֻר֖וֹתfortified
betzurotH1219 →
וְהִצִּ֥ילand he will tear out
vehitzilH5337 →212 times
עֵינֵֽנוּ׃eye our
ʾeinenuH5869 →887 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
2 Samuel 21:17But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 11:36
I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My Name.
- 2 Samuel 18:3
But the people pleaded, “You must not go out! For if we have to flee, they will pay no attention to us. Even if half of us die, they will not care; but you…
- 1 Kings 15:4
Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and to make Jerusalem strong.
- 1 Kings 11:36
Through
2 Samuel 11:11Uriah answered, “The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my master Joab and his soldiers are camped in the open field. How can I go to my house to eat…
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 7:2
he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”
- 2 Samuel 7:6
For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt until this day, but I have moved about with a tent as My dwelling.
- 2 Samuel 7:2
Through
1 Kings 1:33“Take my servants with you,” said the king. “Set my son Solomon on my own mule and take him down to Gihon.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 32:30
It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Spring of Gihon and channeled it down to the west side of the City of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did.
- 1 Kings 1:38
Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon.
- 2 Chronicles 32:30
Through
2 Samuel 19:7Now therefore get up! Go out and speak comfort to your servants, for I swear by the LORD that if you do not go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This…
it leads to
- Proverbs 14:28
A large population is a king’s splendor, but a lack of subjects is a prince’s ruin.
- Proverbs 14:28
About 2 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on 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.