2 Samuel 20 · Verse 21

2 Samuel 20:21

The matter is not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.
2 Samuel 20:21, King James Version

2 Samuel 20:21 in other translations

BSBThat is not the case. But a man named Sheba son of Bichri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him alone, and I will depart from the city.” “Look,” the woman replied, “his head will be thrown to you over the wall.”
WEBThe matter is not so. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, even against David. Just deliver him, and I will depart from the city.” The woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.”
ASVThe matter is not so: but a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David; deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.
YLTThe matter is not so; for a man of the hill-country of Ephraim--Sheba son of Bichri his name--hath lifted up his hand against the king, against David; give ye up him by himself, and I go away from the city.' And the woman saith unto Joab, ‘Lo, his head is cast unto thee over the wall.'
DARBYThe matter is not so; but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David: give up him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said to Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.
BBENot so: but a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, Sheba, son of Bichri, by name, has taken up arms against the king, against David: give up this man only, and I will go away from the town. And the woman said to Joab, His head will be dropped over the wall to you.
WebsterThe matter is not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said to Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.

What does 2 Samuel 20:21 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 21 His head shall be thrown to thee - Thus it appears she had great sway in the counsels of the city; and that the punishment of a state rebel was then, what it is now in this kingdom, beheading.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 20:14-22

Justly is that place attacked, which dares to harbour a traitor; nor will the heart fare better which indulges rebellious lusts, that will not have Christ to reign over them. A discreet woman, by her prudent management, satisfied Joab, and yet saved the city. Wisdom is not confined to rank or sex; it consists not in deep knowledge; but in understanding how to act as matters arise, that troubles may be turned away…

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 20:14-22 →

2 Samuel 20:21 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

לֹא\־lo'-[is] notH3808
כֵ֣ןkhensoH3651
הַדָּבָ֗רha.da.Varthe matterH1697
כִּ֡יkiforH3588
אִישׁ֩'isha manH376
מֵהַ֨רme.Harfrom [the] hill country ofH2022
אֶפְרַ֜יִם'ef.Ra.yimEphraimH669
שֶׁ֧בַעShe.va'[who is] ShebaH7652
בֶּן\־ben-[the] son ofH1121
בִּכְרִ֣יbikh.RiBicriH1075
שְׁמ֗וֹshe.Moname hisH8034
נָשָׂ֤אna.Sa'he has lifted upH5375
יָדוֹ֙ya.Dohand hisH3027
בַּמֶּ֣לֶךְba.Me.lekhagainst the kingH4428
בְּדָוִ֔דbe.da.Vidagainst DavidH1732
תְּנֽוּ\־te.nu-giveH5414
אֹת֣וֹ'o.To<obj.> himH853
לְבַדּ֔וֹle.va.Doto only himH905
וְאֵלְכָ֖הve.'e.le.Khahso let me goH1980
מֵעַ֣לme.'Alfrom onH5921
הָעִ֑ירha.'Irthe cityH5892
וַתֹּ֤אמֶרva.To.merand she saidH559
הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ha.'i.Shahthe womanH802
אֶל\־'el-toH413
יוֹאָ֔בyo.'AvJoabH3097
הִנֵּ֥הhi.Nehhere!H2009
רֹאשׁ֛וֹro.Shohead hisH7218
מֻשְׁלָ֥ךְmush.Lakh[is] about to be thrownH7993
אֵלֶ֖יךָ'e.Lei.khato youH413
בְּעַ֥דbe.'AdbehindH1157
הַחוֹמָֽה\׃ha.cho.Mahthe wallH2346

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Samuel 20:21

  • Judges 7:24

    And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Beth–barah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Beth–barah and Jordan.

  • 2 Samuel 20:1

    And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.

  • Jeremiah 4:15

    For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.

  • Judges 2:9

    And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath–heres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.

  • Jeremiah 50:19

    And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.

  • 1 Samuel 24:6

    And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.

  • Judges 18:4-8

    And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest. And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the Lord is your way wherein ye go. Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man. …

  • Joshua 24:33

    And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.

  • 2 Kings 10:7

    And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel.

  • 1 Samuel 26:9

    And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?

  • 2 Kings 5:22

    And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.

  • 2 Samuel 17:2-3

    And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only: And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
a man.
1; Jud 2:9; 7:24; 2Ki 5:22; Jer 4:15; 50:19
by name. Heb. by his name. lifted.
23:18; 1Sa 24:6; 26:9
his head.
17:2,3; 2Ki 10:7; Jud 18:4-8

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Samuel 20:20

    And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.

  • 2 Samuel 20:21

    The matter is not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.

  • 2 Samuel 20:22

    Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

Read all of 2 Samuel 20

2 Samuel 20:21 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
La cosa no es así: mas un hombre del monte de Ephraim, que se llama Seba hijo de Bichri, ha levantado su mano contra el rey David: entregad á ése solamente, y me iré de la ciudad. Y la mujer dijo á Joab: He aquí su cabeza te será echada desde el muro.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
La chose n’est pas ainsi, mais un homme de la montagne d’Éphraïm, qui a nom Shéba, fils de Bicri, a levé sa main contre le roi, contre David; livrez-le, lui seul, et je m’en irai de devant la ville. Et la femme dit à Joab: Voici, sa tête te sera jetée par la muraille.
German
Elberfelder 1871
sondern ein Mann vom Gebirge Ephraim, sein Name ist Scheba, der Sohn Bikris, hat seine Hand wider den König, wider David, erhoben; ihn allein gebet heraus, so will ich von der Stadt abziehen. Und das Weib sprach zu Joab: Siehe, sein Kopf soll dir über die Mauer zugeworfen werden.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Non sic se habet res, sed homo de monte Ephraim, Seba filius Bochri cognomine, levavit manum suam contra regem David: tradite illum solum, et recedemus a civitate. Et ait mulier ad Joab: Ecce caput ejus mittetur ad te per murum.