Sheba (Son of Bichri)

Biblical Account

Sheba was a Benjamite who appears in 2 Samuel 20. The text calls him "the son of Bichri." The New Korean Revised Version introduces him as a "troublemaker"; the Hebrew reads "a man of Belial" (as in the KJV), an expression denoting a worthless and wicked person.

After the rebellion of Absalom ended, David returned to Jerusalem. At that time the men of Judah and the rest of Israel quarreled over bringing the king back (2 Samuel 19:41-43). Sheba then blew a trumpet and cried, "We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel." The men of Israel then followed Sheba, while the men of Judah remained with the king (2 Samuel 20:1-2).

David ordered Amasa to assemble the men of Judah within three days. When Amasa delayed, David sent Abishai to pursue Sheba. During the pursuit, Joab killed Amasa at the great stone in Gibeon and took command of the army (2 Samuel 20:4-13). Sheba entered the northern city of Abel-beth-maachah, and Joab's forces besieged it. A wise woman of the city then negotiated with Joab. The inhabitants cut off Sheba's head and threw it out to Joab over the wall, and the rebellion came to an end (2 Samuel 20:14-22).

Significance Within Scripture

Sheba's rebellion reveals the rift between Judah and the northern tribes that persisted within David's kingdom. Sheba belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, as did Saul, and many interpreters therefore connect the revolt with lingering sympathy for the house of Saul. Sheba's slogan closely resembles the cry of the northern tribes when they broke away in the time of Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:16), and the episode is therefore often read as foreshadowing the division of the kingdom. The New Testament does not mention Sheba.

Interpretations and Issues

• Scale of the rebellion: Second Samuel 20:2 states that "every man of Israel" followed Sheba, yet from verse 14 onward his following appears greatly diminished. Some interpreters take this to mean that those who had briefly sided with him quickly dispersed; others hold that the movement was never large to begin with.
• Joab and Amasa: Joab's killing of Amasa is remembered together with this event. On his deathbed David cites this act as one of Joab's crimes (1 Kings 2:5).
• The wise woman: The text does not give the woman's name. Some rabbinic literature is reported to contain a tradition identifying her with Serah the daughter of Asher, but this is not stated in the biblical text.
• Distinguishing the name: The name of this Sheba is distinct from that of the Queen of Sheba; although the two look identical in English, they are spelled differently in Hebrew.

In the Korean Church

Sermons that make Sheba their central figure are rare. He is mainly mentioned in sermons on the story of Joab and Amasa, on the wise woman of Abel, or on division within a community. In such sermons his slogan is sometimes cited as an example of words that incite division.