The Reading
The Summary
Shemuel Bet Chapter 20
Sheva ben Bikhri, a disreputable member of the tribe of Binyamin, takes advantage of the intertribal tensions that followed David’s resumption of power and declares another rebellion against the crown, taking all of the tribes except Yehuda over to his side. Parenthetically, the text mentions that the ten concubines of David who had relations with Avshalom are supported by David for the rest of their lives, but are subject to a kind of house arrest, not living with the king nor permitted to marry anyone else.
David instructs his newly appointed general, Amasa, to gather troops from the tribe of Yehuda, report back to him in three days and then attack Sheva ben Bikhri and his forces. However, the deadline arrives and Amasa has defaulted on his mission. Therefore, David commands Avishai to organize a contingent of soldiers and put down the rebellion before it is too late – the more time passes, the stronger and more emboldened the rebels will become.
Avishai arrives with his troops in the territory of Binyamin and is joined there by Yoav, who has apparently gotten over the insult of being replaced and wishes to lend his support to the war effort. They encounter Amasa, David’s general, in Givon. Yoav approaches Amasa with warm wishes and leans in to kiss him; meanwhile, Yoav draws his sword and slays the naïve Amasa with a single strike.
One of the men present declares that whoever is with David should follow Yoav into battle; however, at first, the soldiers gathered around are paralyzed by the sight of Amasa’s bloody corpse on the side of the road. The man who is attempting to inspire everyone to proceed moves Amasa’s body away from the thoroughfare and throws a blanket over it. Now under the direction of Yoav, those committed to the cause of defending David’s kingdom depart to lay siege to the stronghold of Sheva Ben Bikhri.
Sheva ben Bikhri has taken refuge in Avel of Bet Maakha, a fortified city in the territory of Binyamin. On Yoav’s orders, the men of Yehuda lay siege to the city – building a ramp and battering, to gain entry either through or over the wall. A wise woman calls to Yoav and asks him why his army seeks to destroy the heritage of Hashem, a peaceful Jewish community. Yoav explains that they bear no ill will toward the people of the city, but that Sheva ben Bikhri has declared a rebellion against the king and must be stopped.
The woman confers with the inhabitants of the city and Sheva Ben Bikhri’s head is thrown over the wall to quell the fighting. Yoav blows the shofar and the war is concluded. The chapter ends with a list of the members of the latest incarnation of David’s royal cabinet, most notably featuring Yoav reinstated as his general.
Yoav’s killing of Amasa can be added to the list of unauthorized assassinations that he carries out. In the beginning of Sefer Melakhim, David condemns Yoav for having murdered Amasa, perhaps interpreting it as motivated by jealousy over the selection of Amasa to replace him. However, in reality, the appointment of Amasa was itself a questionable move by David. Amasa had never demonstrated any military expertise on the battlefield; the one war he led, Avshalom’s rebellion, was a total failure. And when assigned the task of organizing forces to put down the uprising of Sheva Ben Bikhri, he again fails to fulfill his mission, placing King David and his regime in serious danger.
Yoav apparently viewed Amasa’s negligence here as deliberate betrayal and assumed that Amasa’s sympathies were with the rebel movement and not with David. Yoav’s suspicions were essentially confirmed by one simple fact: Amasa was supposed to be recruiting troops from the tribe of Yehuda to defend David, and is instead found in Givon, the very heart of the tribe of Binyamin, the home territory of Sheva ben Bikhri. In other words, Yoav has caught Amasa red handed in enemy territory, ostensibly having joined or planning to join the rebellion against his own king. Therefore, Yoav had every reason to feel justified in his decision to execute Amasa for treason, and we cannot assume that he was influenced by personal enmity or resentment.