Wise Woman of Tekoa

Biblical Account

She appears in 2 Samuel 14. Scripture does not give her name. It refers to her only as "a wise woman" whom Joab fetched from Tekoa (KJV "Tekoah") (2 Samuel 14:2). Tekoa was a town in the territory of Judah and is later recorded as the hometown of the prophet Amos (Amos 1:1).

After Absalom killed his half-brother Amnon, he fled to Geshur and stayed there three years (2 Samuel 13:37-38). Joab, perceiving that David's heart was toward Absalom, summoned this woman. Joab instructed her to put on mourning apparel and not to anoint herself with oil, so that she would appear to have mourned a long time for the dead. He also told her what to say before the king (14:2-3).

The woman fell down before the king and presented herself as a widow. She said that her two sons had quarreled in the field and one had killed the other. Now the whole family was demanding that she hand over the son who had committed the killing, and if he too were put to death, her husband's name and posterity would be cut off (14:5-7). At first the king answered only that he would give orders concerning her. When the woman pressed her plea, he finally swore by the name of the LORD that the avenger of blood would not harm her son (14:8-11).

Having obtained this oath, the woman turned the story back upon the king himself. By not bringing home his own banished son, she argued, the king stood at fault by his own words. She said that people must eventually die and are "as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again," yet God "doth ... devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him" (14:13-14). When David asked whether Joab had a hand in the matter, the woman admitted that he did (14:19-20). As a result, Absalom returned to Jerusalem, although David did not see his face for two years (14:21-28).

Significance Within the Bible

The technique of using a fabricated story to lead the king to pronounce judgment and then turning that judgment back upon him resembles the structure of the parable that Nathan told David (2 Samuel 12). For this reason the two narratives are often compared. Second Samuel 20 also records a "wise woman" of the city of Abel who negotiated with Joab and saved her city. The woman of Tekoa is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretations and Issues

• The nature of the "wise woman": Some scholars suggest that the expression may refer not merely to a personal quality but to a recognized role as a counselor within the community. The text, however, does not state this directly.
• The tension between justice and mercy: Blood vengeance against a killer was a custom grounded in the Law (see cities of refuge). In the story, the king's oath is portrayed as an act of mercy that goes beyond this custom. Some interpreters read the scene as illustrating the relationship between justice and forgiveness.
• Differing evaluations: Some interpreters highly esteem the woman's eloquence and wisdom. Others view the episode critically, noting that it was a deception devised by Joab and that the incomplete reconciliation, achieved without repentance, led to Absalom's rebellion (2 Samuel 15).
• The woman's name, her later life, and whether she actually had sons are not stated in the text.

In Korean Churches

In Korean Protestant churches, she is mentioned mainly in sermons on the story of David and Absalom and in expository preaching on 2 Samuel. In particular, the words of 2 Samuel 14:14, that God "doth ... devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him," are sometimes cited to explain God's grace and reconciliation.