Poole on 2 Samuel 20:11-14: Joab's Pursuit of Sheba

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Verse 11:[1]  And one of Joab’s men stood by him, and said, He that favoureth Joab, and he that is for David, let him go after Joab.

[Behold, he that would have been in Joab’s stead the companion of David,‎מִי֩ אֲשֶׁ֙ר חָפֵ֧ץ בְּיוֹאָ֛ב וּמִ֥י אֲשֶׁר־לְדָוִ֖ד אַחֲרֵ֥י יוֹאָֽב׃]  Who is it that has pleasure in Joab? and who is of David (understanding, that wishes to be), after Joab? that is, If anyone wishes to deprive Joab of his degree of honor, and, with Joab thrust aside, to have the pre-eminent position before the King, as Amasa did, he shall be treated just as Amasa was.  Therefore, this scoundrel mocks dead Amasa, and extols the sin of his lord Joab (Osiander).  Who dares to oppose Joab? or who shall join himself to David in the place of Joab? (Strigelius).  Behold the man that willed to be in Joab’s stead, that is, the general of the army in the place of Joab, and that willed to be the captain of the military for David himself, with Joab dismissed; behold, such a sort lies dead!  This is the sense of our translation, and indeed an excellent one (Malvenda).  In the Hebrew it is, of what sort is he that willed to be in Joab’s stead, and of what sort is he that willed to be for David after Joab; that is, the successor to Joab in the command of the soldiers (Menochius).  [But the rest take it otherwise, and translate it:]  Who is he that delighted in Joab; and who is he that to David after Joab?[2] (Montanus).  Who is he that wanted to be in Joab’s stead? And who wanted to be for David after Joab? (Pagnine).  Who is the one willing Joab, and who is of David after Joab? (Septuagint).  Who is he that loves Joab? (Vatablus), or that would satisfy himself in Joab? (Jonathan, similarly Piscator, Junius and Tremellius); and who is he that is, or would be, for David? (Vatablus), or and who is he that cleaves (or would be [Jonathan]) for David (Piscator), that cherishes David’s side (Vatablus), after Joab, understanding, let him go (Jonathan, Munster, Vatablus, Piscator).  Whoever favors Joab himself, and whoever favors David, let him follow Joab (Tigurinus).

One of Joab’s men, left there on purpose to deliver the following message.  He that favoureth Joab; he that would have Joab to be general, rather than such a perfidious rebel and traitor as Amasa.  He that is for David; he that wisheth David good success against Sheba, and against all rebels; whereby he implies that though this fact of his was done against the king’s command, yet it was for his interest and defence.

Verse 12:[3]  And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway.  And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still.

[Amasa, spattered with blood, was lying, וגו״ ‎מִתְגֹּלֵ֥ל בַּדָּ֖ם]  Wallowing in blood, he was lying in the midst of the road (Vatablus), or beaten path (Junius and Tremellius).  מְסִלָּה signifies a road heaped up, that is, with stones (Piscator).

Wallowed; Hebrew, rolled himself,[4] being in the pangs of death; yet having so much life left as to move himself a little, though not to raise himself up from his place.  In blood; in his own blood, which was shed there.

[That al the people stood still]  Favor towards Joab was not so inciting the troops, that they would not stop at the corpse; wherefore a certain wise man removed and covered it (Martyr).

All the people, to wit, the soldiers which were upon their march.  Stood still; wondering at the spectacle, and inquiring into the author and occasion of it.  He removed Amasa out of the highway into the field; perceiving that it both incensed them against Joab, and hindered the king’s present service.

[Lest the people stand still, etc.]  And that spectacle inflame more vehemently the hatred of all against Joab (Grotius).

Verse 13:[5]  When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

[With him, therefore, removed, etc., ‎כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הֹגָ֖ה]  When he was removed (Pagnine, Montanus, Junius and Tremellius); he turned him aside (Jonathan); he diverted (Septuagint); when he had dragged (Syriac, Arabic).  ‎הֹגָה is the same thing as הֹסַר, from the root ‎הָגָה, to remove.  Others maintain that it is from יָגָה, to thrust away (Munster).

Verse 14:[6]  And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto (2 Kings 15:29; 2 Chron. 16:4) Abel, and to Beth-maachah, and all the Berites:  and they were gathered together, and went also after him.

[He had passed through all the tribes]  Who?  Response:  either, 1.  Joab (Osiander, thus the Syriac, Arabic); he passed wherever he had understood that Sheba had advanced with his army, unto Abel, etc. (Osiander).  Or, 2.  Sheba (Junius, Piscator, Menochius, Malvenda, Martyr); he had scoured the tribes, that is, by rousing them to defection (Martyr).  He had arrived at the tribe of Naphtali, which is the farthest northward; for he, departing from the tribe of Judah, had travelled through the other tribes (Menochius).

He went; either, 1.  Joab, who pursued Sheba through all the tribes as far as Abel.  Or rather, 2. Sheba, who was last mentioned, who marched from tribe to tribe to stir them up to sedition; and to him the following words seem best to agree.  Unto Abel, and to Beth-maachah, or rather, to Abel, even to Beth-maachah, that is, unto Abel-beth-maachah, as this place is called here in the Hebrew text, verse 15; 1 Kings 15:20; 2 Kings 15:29, to distinguish it from other Abels; and to signify that this was that Abel which was in the tribe of Naphtali in the northern border of Canaan, towards that part of Syria called Maachah, 2 Samuel 10:8.

[And all the chosen men]  Hebrew:  with all the Berites[7] (Junius and Tremellius, Piscator), that is, the citizens of Beeroth, a town of the Benjamites, Joshua 18:25, their fellow tribesmen and perhaps fellow citizens (Junius, Piscator).  By Berim others understand the province in which were Abel and Beth-maachah, which pertains to upper Galilee, or Galilee of the nations, Isaiah 9:1 (Menochius).  And all the places of the Berites (Chadean).  Hebrew:  and all the Berites.  But our version takes it appellatively for all the chosen men, from בָּרָה, to choose (Malvenda).

The Berites; such as lived in the city or territory of Beeroth of Benjamin, Joshua 18:25, who being of the same tribe, if not city, with Sheba, and his greatest acquaintance and friends, or being most implacable against David, adhered to Sheba, and followed him through all the tribes of Israel.

[They had gathered to him, וַיִּקָּלְה֔וּ וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אַף־אַחֲרָֽיו׃]  [The Qere:  ‎וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ, and they were gathered.]  And they were gathered together, and also went after him (Septuagint, Jonathan, Pagnine, Montanus, Mariana), that is, those men, the Berites, adhered to Sheba (Mariana).  But those men followed him (Tigurinus).  And through all the cities they followed him (Syriac).  Who, gathering themselves together, were also following him (Junius and Tremellius).  [Namely, Sheba, as it is evident from the preceding words.]  And they, having assembled, went after him (Munster).  It has regard to Joab (Vatablus).  And they, namely, the Israelites, gathered themselves, and set out after him; that is, the inhabitants of those places followed Joab (Dutch).

They were gathered together, to wit, the tribes of Israel, that is, a considerable number of them; as might well be expected, when the discontents were so high and general.  After him, that is, after Sheba.

[1] Hebrew:  ‎וְאִישׁ֙ עָמַ֣ד עָלָ֔יו מִֽנַּעֲרֵ֖י יוֹאָ֑ב וַיֹּ֗אמֶר מִי֩ אֲשֶׁ֙ר חָפֵ֧ץ בְּיוֹאָ֛ב וּמִ֥י אֲשֶׁר־לְדָוִ֖ד אַחֲרֵ֥י יוֹאָֽב׃

[2] A woodenly literalistic rendering.

[3] Hebrew: ‎וַעֲמָשָׂ֛א מִתְגֹּלֵ֥ל בַּדָּ֖ם בְּת֣וֹךְ הַֽמְסִּלָּ֑ה וַיַּ֙רְא הָאִ֜ישׁ כִּֽי־עָמַ֣ד כָּל־הָעָ֗ם וַיַּסֵּב֩ אֶת־עֲמָשָׂ֙א מִן־הַֽמְסִלָּ֤ה הַשָּׂדֶה֙ וַיַּשְׁלֵ֤ךְ עָלָיו֙ בֶּ֔גֶד כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר רָאָ֔ה כָּל־הַבָּ֥א עָלָ֖יו וְעָמָֽד׃

[4] Hebrew:  ‎מִתְגֹּלֵל.

[5] Hebrew:  ‎כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הֹגָ֖ה מִן־הַֽמְסִלָּ֑ה עָבַ֤ר כָּל־אִישׁ֙ אַחֲרֵ֣י יוֹאָ֔ב לִרְדֹּ֕ף אַחֲרֵ֖י שֶׁ֥בַע בֶּן־בִּכְרִֽי׃

[6] Hebrew:  ‎וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֞ר בְּכָל־שִׁבְטֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אָבֵ֛לָה וּבֵ֥ית מַעֲכָ֖ה וְכָל־הַבֵּרִ֑ים ס וַיִּקָּלְה֔וּ וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אַף־אַחֲרָֽיו׃

[7] Hebrew:  ‎וְכָל־הַבֵּרִים.