2 Samuel 20:1-2

Sheba’s Rebellion

20:1 Now a wicked man ¹  named Sheba son of Bicri, a Benjaminite, ²  happened to be there. He blew the trumpet ³  and said,

“We have no share in David;

we have no inheritance in this son of Jesse!

Every man go home, ⁴  O Israel!”

20:2 So all the men of Israel deserted ⁵  David and followed Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stuck by their king all the way from the Jordan River ⁶  to Jerusalem. ⁷ 

2 Samuel 10:16

10:16 Then Hadadezer sent for Arameans from ⁸  beyond the Euphrates River, ⁹  and they came to Helam. Shobach, the general in command of Hadadezer’s army, led them. ¹⁰ 

[20:1]  ¹ tn Heb “a man of worthlessness.”

[20:1]  ² tn The expression used here יְמִינִי (yÿmini) is a short form of the more common “Benjamin.” It appears elsewhere in 1 Sam 9:4 and Esth 2:5. Cf. 1 Sam 9:1.

[20:1]  ³ tn Heb “the shophar” (the ram’s horn trumpet). So also v. 22.

[20:1]  ⁴ tc The MT reads לְאֹהָלָיו (lÿ’ohalav, “to his tents”). For a similar idiom, see 19:9. An ancient scribal tradition understands the reading to be לְאלֹהָיו (le’lohav, “to his gods”). The word is a tiqqun sopherim, and the scribes indicate that they changed the word from “gods” to “tents” so as to soften its theological implications. In a consonantal Hebrew text the change involved only the metathesis of two letters.

[20:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “went up from after.”

[20:2]  ⁶ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[20:2]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “and Hadadezer sent and brought out Aram which is.”

[10:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “from beyond the River.” The name “Euphrates” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[10:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “was before them.”