Bichri

Biblical Record

Bichri appears only in 2 Samuel 20. In both the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version, the name occurs only in the phrase "Sheba the son of Bichri" (2 Samuel 20:1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 13, 21, 22). The name serves solely to identify his son Sheba; nothing that Bichri himself did or said is recorded.

Shortly after the rebellion of Absalom was put down, Sheba blew a trumpet and cried, "We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse," and led the northern tribes away from David (2 Samuel 20:1–2). David's forces pursued him, and when Joab besieged the city of Abel, a wise woman of the city persuaded its inhabitants to throw Sheba's head over the wall, which brought the rebellion to an end (2 Samuel 20:21–22).

Significance Within Scripture

By naming Bichri, the text identifies Sheba as a Benjamite (2 Samuel 20:1). Because Benjamin was the tribe of Saul, the king who preceded David, many interpreters read Sheba's revolt in light of the tension between the house of Saul and the Davidic dynasty, as well as the conflict between Judah and the northern tribes. Second Samuel 20:21 also calls Sheba "a man of mount Ephraim"; this is commonly understood to mean that a man of Benjamite descent lived in the hill country of Ephraim. Bichri is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretations and Debates

• Some scholars regard "Bichri" not as the name of an individual but as a designation for a family or clan. Some of them connect it with Becher, a son of Benjamin mentioned in Genesis 46:21.
• On the basis of manuscript evidence, some propose emending "the Berites" in 2 Samuel 20:14 to "the Bichrites," and certain English translations follow this reading. On this view, those who followed Sheba were members of his own clan.
• The name is sometimes linked to the Hebrew word for "firstborn," but this interpretation is not settled.

Scripture says nothing about Bichri's life or character. Accordingly, portrayals of him as an instigator of the rebellion have no basis in the text.

In the Korean Church

Bichri is rarely treated as a subject in his own right. His name is usually mentioned in passing when Sheba is introduced in sermons or Bible studies on Sheba's rebellion, Joab's killing of Amasa, or the wisdom of the woman of Abel.