2 Samuel 20:19, commentary and pictures

The verse belongs to the later history of David's reign in 2 Samuel, covering the difficulties he encountered, the sad consequences of his many wives and of sons he was unable to control, Absalom's rebellion and the death of the petted idol of the kingdom, David's lament and his return to Jerusalem, his troubles with Joab, and his numbering of the people. The detailed faithfulness with which all this is told stamps the whole account with inspiration and shows that God does not hide the sins of even the greatest of kings. It is followed by Psalms 30, 31, and 32 as instructive and helpful. It is part of the account of the later events of that reign which records both his great sin and the judgments that followed it, and it stands as history, not as an excuse for his wrongdoing. It falls within the troubles in his family connected to his taking many wives.

It occurs in the account of Sheba's revolt, which followed a quarrel between the men of Judah and Israel and threatened to become a serious danger. It identifies Abel-beth-maacah as the city called a mother in Israel, presents that city as peaceable and faithful, and warns that destroying it would swallow up the inheritance of the Lord. A mother in Israel can mean a peaceable and faithful aged woman whose faith triumphs over fear, rejoicing even when the earth shakes in the knowledge of a God who can shake the world. A mother in Israel can mean a peaceable and faithful woman who nurtures and strengthens God's people, a title belonging to a devoted older believer regarded as the mother of a mission community.

A mother in Israel is one who lives a faithful Christian life and gives counsel and admonition to those who err. A mother in Israel is a peaceable and faithful older godly woman who gives quiet counsel to a troubled wife, telling her to rebuild the home she broke up, confess failure of duty to her husband, pray, and follow God's leading rather than leaving husband and children to do religious work.