2nd Samuel Chapter 20 verse 14 Holy Bible
And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel, and to Beth-maacah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him.
read chapter 20 in ASV
And Sheba went through all the tribes of Israel, to Abel of Beth-maacah; and all the Bichrites came together and went in after him.
read chapter 20 in BBE
who went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth-Maacah, and all the Berim; and they gathered together, and went also after him.
read chapter 20 in DARBY
And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel, and to Bethmaachah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him.
read chapter 20 in KJV
And he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth-maachah, and all the Berites: and they were assembled, and went also after him.
read chapter 20 in WBT
He went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth Maacah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him.
read chapter 20 in WEB
And he passeth over through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth-Maachah, and to all the Berites, and they are assembled, and go in also after him,
read chapter 20 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 14. - And he went through, etc. It was not Joab, but Sheba, who, by David's prompt action, was compelled to make a rapid retreat, seeking help in vain from tribe after tribe, but rejected of all, and unable to make any defence until he had reached the extreme north of the land of Israel. Unto Abel, and to Beth-Maachah. The conjunction probably ought to be omitted, as the proper name of the place, is Abel-beth-Maachah, and it is so given in ver. 15 (see below), and in 1 Kings 15:20; 2 Kings 15:29. It is the place called Abel-Maim, the "water meadow," in 2 Chronicles 16:4 - an abel being a place where the grass grows rankly from the abundance of springs. It thus forms part of the name of various places, as Abel-Mizraim (Genesis 1:11), Abel-Meholah (1 Kings 4:12), etc. Abel-beth-Maachah was a fortress in the most northerly part of the tribe of Naphtali, and is identified with the modern village of Abel, a few miles above Lake Huleh, the ancient "Waters of Merom." And all the Berites. No place or people of this name can be found, but Jerome, when translating the Vulgate, had before him a different reading, which seems clearly right, "And all the chosen men of war were gathered together, and went after him."
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(14) Unto Abel, and to Beth-maachah.--Abel has been identified with the modern Christian village of Abil (called "Abil-el-Kamh," on account of the excellence of its wheat (north-west of Lake Huleh). It is called "Abel-Beth-maachah," in 2Samuel 20:15 (the "of" should be omitted), and is spoken of under that name in 1Kings 15:20 and 2Kings 15:29 in connection with Ijon and Dan, and in the same connection is called "Abel-maim" ("Abel of waters") in 2Chronicles 16:4, to distinguish it from other places of the same name. It was at the extreme north of the land.All the Berites.--Apparently a family, or clan, in the north of Israel, otherwise entirely unknown. The LXX. and Vulg. here apparently follow a different text. The Bishop of Bath and Wells supposes the Hebrew word to be a form of the word for "fortresses," but no such form is known.
