Thematic Bible: Abishai


Thematic Bible



Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut his head off!” Verse ConceptsdogsBeheadingMental Abuse

Abishai son of Zeruiah asked, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?” Verse ConceptsThe Anointed OneThe Lord's AnointedCursing The Ungodly

but Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. By sunset, they had gone as far as the hill of Ammah, which is opposite Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon. Verse ConceptsWhy People Did ThingsKilling Named Individuals

Three of the 30 chief men went down to David, to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while the Philistine army was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and a Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David was extremely thirsty and said, "If only someone would bring me water from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem!" read more.
So the Three broke through the Philistine camp and drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem. They brought it back to David, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to the Lord. David said, "I would never do such a thing in the presence of God! How can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?" For they brought it at the risk of their lives. So he would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors. Abishai, Joab's brother, was the leader of the Three. He raised his spear against 300 [men] and killed them, gaining a reputation among the Three.

He placed the rest of the forces under the command of his brother Abishai who lined up in battle formation to engage the Ammonites.

When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Abishai and entered the city. So Joab withdrew from the attack against the Ammonites and went to Jerusalem. Verse ConceptsFugitivesPeoples Who Fled

Now a wicked man, a Benjaminite named Sheba son of Bichri, happened to be there. He blew the ram's horn and shouted: We have no portion in David, no inheritance in Jesse's son. Each man to his tent, Israel! So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bichri, but the men of Judah from the Jordan all the way to Jerusalem remained loyal to their king. When David came to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the 10 concubines he had left to take care of the palace and placed them under guard. He provided for them, but he was not intimate with them. They were confined until the day of their death, living as widows. read more.
The king said to Amasa, "Summon the men of Judah to me within three days and be here yourself." Amasa went to summon Judah, but he took longer than the time allotted him. So David said to Abishai, "Sheba son of Bichri will do more harm to us than Absalom. Take your lord's soldiers and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and elude us." So Joab's men, the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors marched out under Abishai's command; they left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bichri. They were at the great stone in Gibeon when Amasa joined them. Joab was wearing his uniform and over it was a belt around his waist with a sword in its sheath. As he approached, [the sword] fell out. Joab asked Amasa, "Are you well, my brother?" Then with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the beard to kiss him. Amasa was not on guard against the sword in Joab's hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach with it and spilled his intestines out on the ground. Joab did not stab him again for Amasa was dead. Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bichri. One of Joab's young men had stood over Amasa saying, "Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!" Now Amasa was writhing in his blood in the middle of the highway, and the man had seen that all the people stopped. So he moved Amasa from the highway to the field and threw a garment over him because he realized that all those who encountered Amasa were stopping. When he was removed from the highway, all the men passed by and followed Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bichri. Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-maacah. All the Berites came together and followed him. Joab's troops came and besieged Sheba in Abel of Beth-maacah. They built an assault ramp against the outer wall of the city. While all the troops with Joab were battering the wall to make it collapse, a wise woman called out from the city, "Listen! Listen! Please tell Joab to come here and let me speak with him." When he had come near her, the woman asked, "Are you Joab?" "I am," he replied. "Listen to the words of your servant," she said to him. He answered, "I'm listening." She said, "In the past they used to say, 'Seek counsel in Abel,' and that's how they settled [disputes]. I am a peaceful person, one of the faithful in Israel, but you're trying to destroy a city that is like a mother in Israel. Why would you devour the Lord's inheritance?" Joab protested: "Never! I do not want to destroy! That is not [my] intention. There is a man named Sheba son of Bichri, from the hill country of Ephraim, who has rebelled against King David. Deliver this one man, and I will withdraw from the city." The woman replied to Joab, "All right. His head will be thrown over the wall to you." The woman went to all the people with her wise counsel, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. So he blew the ram's horn, and they dispersed from the city, each to his own tent. Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.

He then sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, “I will also march out with you.” Verse ConceptsFractions, One ThirdFighting TogetherDividing Into Three Groups

The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” All the people heard the king’s orders to all the commanders about Absalom. Verse ConceptsParental LoveSoft TreatmentThe King's Orders

Then David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, "Who will go with me into the camp to Saul?" "I'll go with you," answered Abishai. That night, David and Abishai came to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abner and the troops were lying around him. Then Abishai said to David, "Today God has handed your enemy over to you. Let me thrust the spear through him into the ground just once. I won't [have to strike] him twice!"

But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him: “You must never again go out with us to battle. You must not extinguish the lamp of Israel.” Verse ConceptsNot Extinguishing

Abishai, Joab’s brother and son of Zeruiah, was leader of the Three. He raised his spear against 300 men and killed them, gaining a reputation among the Three. Verse ConceptsThree To Four HundredThree Hundred And AboveKilling Many People

Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. Verse ConceptsSaltEleven To Nineteen Thousand

Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.

Then Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giant, whose bronze spear weighed about eight pounds and who wore new armor, intended to kill David. Verse Conceptsequipping, physicalGiantsUnusedAttempting To Kill Specific PeopleWeights Of Other Things

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