שמואל ב, פרק כ׳, פסוק כ״א

At the height of a tense siege, a fateful negotiation unfolds between the army commander Joab and a wise woman from within the besieged city. The dialogue reveals that the looming threat of total destruction can be averted by dealing with just one man.

Joab begins by responding to the woman's concerns. The primary approach among commentators is that his words are meant to calm her, clarifying that he has no desire to ruin or harm the city itself [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Conversely, some interpret his response as a direct challenge to her previous claim that the city's residents are peaceful and faithful. From this perspective, Joab argues that true loyalty to the kingdom is completely incompatible with providing a safe haven for the leader of a rebellion [מלבי״ם].

Joab makes his objective clear. He is only looking for Sheba son of Bichri, a man from the tribe of Benjamin who had been living in the hill country of Ephraim [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. His crime is an act of direct rebellion against the kingdom [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Joab emphasizes the severity of the treason by noting that the rebellion was directed at both the king and David. On a basic level, Joab is asserting that despite recent uprisings, such as the rebellion of Absalom, David remains the legitimate ruler, and anyone who rebels against him is subject to the death penalty [רד״ק]. Beyond this, commentators note a deeper meaning in the dual reference to his title and his name. If the target of the rebellion had merely been a king and not David, the rebel would deserve death. Similarly, if he were only David, a righteous man ruling in the fear of God, and not a king, the rebel would still deserve death. This applies even more forcefully when the uprising is directed against a man who is both the king and David [רש״י, רד״ק, מלבי״ם].

Joab issues a simple ultimatum, demanding only the rebel himself. He declares that he has no interest in conquering the city. If the residents hand over this single fugitive, they will prove their loyalty, and the army will withdraw [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Here, the profound wisdom of the woman becomes clear. Simply by stepping forward to ask the commander for his terms, she saves her city, which Joab might otherwise have destroyed for harboring a traitor. Upon discovering that his entire campaign is focused on one man, she immediately promises a swift resolution, assuring Joab that the rebel's head will be thrown to him over the top of the city wall [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].