f Heb, Cath
* Cha 1: 1 THeb
liver |
ſelf iro
dur ey!
* Ch: 8.18
T Ht gal, bel: {worg
b, ſo ligh,
k Chap: KX.
{ *; King-
12, 16.
* Chap. 15. 16. and 16.2 2+ t Reb.
s houſe of ward.
t Heb. lumd.
+ Heb. in warwhood
ef life.
f Heb, Cal
* Chap.
11: 1 THeb.de liver him= ſelf from
dur eyes.
* Chap. 8.18,
7 Heb
girdle 5 or,
bel: of a ſword
II.
CHAP. XX By occaſion of this quarrel Sheba ſtirreth up Iſracl 1 ſedition, 1, 2. Da- | wia's teu concubines are ſhut up in perpetual priſon, 3- Amaſa is ſlain
by Toab, 4 10. He and Aiſhai pirſueth Sheba unto Abel, 11---15.
The citizens by the advice of a wiſe woman cut off his head and caſt it
over the wall to Joab, 16 -22- David's officers, 23 26.
N D there happened # to be there a man of Be- A lial 4, whoſe name wss Sheba the ſon of Bichri, a Benjamite c,and he blew a trumpet, and faid,* We have no part in David 4, neither have we inheritance in the ſon of Jeſſe e: every man to his tents f, O Iſrael.
a His preſence was caſual in it ſelf, though certain,and ordered | by God's Providence. 6b A lawleſs Perſon. one that attempted to | ſhake off the Yoke of Civil Authority: See Deut.13:13. c And grie- ved at the tranſlation of the Kingdom from Saul, and that Tribe, ' to David. d The Tribe of Judah have way we gy the King to themſelves, and will not allow us any ſhare in him ; let them there- | fore enjoy him alone, and let us ſeek out a new King. e An ex- preſſion ofContempr,implying their reje&tion of him,that he was no more to be owned as their King, bur as a private Perſon,as the Son of Jeſſe, f Let us all deſiſt from this unthankful Office, of bring- ing the King back,and go each to our homes,that we may confider, and then meet together to chuſe a new King»
2 So every man of Iſrael .*. went up from after Da- vid,and followed Sheba the ſon of Bichri : but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jeruſalem.
-. 4. e. The generality of thoſe J/raelites who were preſent.
2 © And David came to his houſe at Jeruſalem, and the king took the ten women his * concubines, whom he had left to keep the houſe,and put them in + ward g, and fed them, but went nor in unto them : ſo they were t ſhut up unto the day of their death, Þ living in widowhood.
g Partly becauſe they had not vigorouſly oppoſed 4bſalom's luſtful Deſire, as they ſhould have done, even with the hazard of their Lives : and partly,leſt the ſight of them ſhould renew the Memory of Abſalom's Filthineſs, and of their own and Dawid's Reproach, which it was fit to bury in perpetual Oblivion : and partly, becauſe it might appear Inceſtuous to have to do with thoſe who had been defiled by his own Son : and partly,becauſe as David would not,ſo ir was not now convenient that any other Man fhould have any
conjugal Converſation with them- | C Then faid the king to Amaſa, + Aſſemble me
the men of Judah þ, within three days z, and be thou here preſent &. > h And march in the Head of them as their General,as I have pro- miſed thee, chap. 19. 13. © Which he ſupoſed 4mala, having been their lare General,could eaſily do : and the buſineſs required haſte. k Within thar time ro receive Orders and Inſtruftions from me. 5 So Amala went to aſſemble the en of Judah ; but he tarried longer than the ſer time } which: he had ap- -pointed him. | [ Either, becauſe the People being wearied out by the late Civil War, were not forward to engage in another : or, becauſe the Sol- diers had more AffeCGtion to Job, than to their new General ; to whoſe ill Condutt poſſibly they might impure their uniucceſsful- neſs in the Jait Battel: Or,becauſe Amaſa for his own Intereſt might ſeek delays,to render himſelf more neceffary and uſeful to the King, and to keep up his honourable and profitable Employment, which is the common Policy of ſuch Men.
6 And David ſaid co Abiſhai m, Now ſhall Sheba the ſon of Bichri do us more harm than did Abſatom : take thou * thy lords ſervants », and perſue after him, left he get him fenced cities, and + eſcape us.
»m Not to Joab ; leſt by this means he ſhould recover his Place, and .4maſa be diſcontented,and David's F idelity in making good his Promiſe to Amaſa be queſtioned. n i. ee My Guards that attend upon my Perſon,and the other Soldiers who are now preſent with me. He ſpeaks of himſelf in the Third Perſon,as is very frequent. For it is not probable he wou!d now call Joab his lord, whom he had latcly depoſed ; nor Amaſa, who had not yet taken aC&tual Poi- {ſeſſion of his Place,nor had the Command over the King's Guards»
7 And there went out after him Joabs men o, and the * Chezethires, and the Pelethites p, and all the
mighty men : and they went out of Jeruſalem to pur- ſue afrer Sheba the ſon of Bichri.
o The remainders of Joab's Army who were there preſent, with whom alſo Joab might go asa Reformade, watching an opportunity to do what he deligned. p Of whom, ſee on chap: 8:18.
8 When they were at the great itone which 5s in Gibeon, Amaſa went before them q ; and Joabs gar- ment that he had put on, was girded unto him r, and upon it a F girdle with a ſword taſtned upon his loins in che jheath thereof,and as he went forth -s ic fell our x.
q ilaving gathered tome forces,and given due Orders for the reſt to follow him, he returned ro Ferulalem, and by the King's Com- mand went after thoſe mentioned ver 7. and being come up to rhem 2t the place where they waited for him, he pur himſclt into the Head of 5025's Men,and the Cherethifes and the Pelethites,and ſuch as he had brought along with him, and marched before them as their Chief and Genera). r After the manner of Travellers and Soldiers. 5s To meet and falute 4Amaſa, who was coming towards him to do him Honour. t Things having ( it is likely ) been ſo contrived by Joab, that upon the leaſt motion of his Body, his
Sword ſhould drop out, and he might take ir up without caiſing Amaſa $ Sutpicion-
S A MWUE 0
| f Chap. XX. the right hand to kiſs him. be
z As the manner of Ancient Times was, when they kifſed and falured one another.
Io Bur Amaſa rook no heed to the ſword that wes in Joabs hand « : ſo he {mote him therewith in the ffth rib y, and thed out his bowels to the ground,and t ſtrook re = him not again z, and he died : fo Joab a and Abiſhai Pe Sr it his brother purſued after Sheba the fon of Bichri. ' | * Which falling ourt,as it ſeemed, caſually,he ſuppoſed that Joab