Bible Strands
2 Samuel 20:1
Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, stands among the troops and blows a ram’s horn to address them. He announces the northern tribes' severance from David and Jesse’s line, ordering every man to return to his own tent.
The words — The Hebrew word בְּלִיַּעַל (beliyya'al) literally means "worthlessness" or "destruction," marking Sheba’s character. The phrase אֵין לָנוּ חֵלֶק בְּדָוִד (ein lanu chelek be-David) translates directly to "we have no share in David," using tribal inheritance language to justify defection.
The thread — This exact separatist formula reappears in 1 Kings 12:16 and 2 Chronicles 10:16 when the northern tribes reject Solomon’s heirs. Deuteronomy 13:13 parallels the pattern by warning against individuals who incite cities to abandon covenant loyalty.
Why it lands — The passage records how political grievance triggers tribal fragmentation without endorsing the claim. It requires the reader to track how repeated assertions of "no share" systematically fracture national unity.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 12:16 When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So the Israelites went home,
- Deuteronomy 13:13 that wicked men have arisen from among you and have led the people of their city astray, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” (which you have not known),
- 2 Chronicles 10:16 When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So all the Israelites went home,
- Judges 3:27 On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader.
- Judges 19:22 While they were enjoying themselves, suddenly the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they said to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house, so we can have relations with him!”
- 1 Samuel 2:12 Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD
- 1 Samuel 22:7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Is the son of Jesse giving all of you fields and vineyards and making you commanders of thousands or hundreds?
- 1 Samuel 30:22 but all the wicked and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered, except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go.”
- 2 Samuel 15:10 Then Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’”
- 2 Samuel 19:41 Soon all the men of Israel came to the king and asked, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, take you away secretly and bring the king and his household across the Jordan, together with all of David’s men?”