. . .

5. One Life for Others

In 2 Sam 20:21 Joab tells the wise woman of Abel Bethmaacah that he does not intend to destroy the whole city. However, because Sheba has rebelled against King David: “Give him up alone (לבדו), and I will withdraw from the city.” Thereupon, following the counsel of the wise woman, the inhabitants cut off the head of Sheba and throw it out to Joab before the city wall. He then returns to Jerusalem.

The life of one person, innocent of any violent action against King David, is thus sacrificed for the good of the whole city, the whole people.

This motif from the Samuel narrative is employed in the Jehoiakim midrash, where Nebuchadnezzar demands of the Jerusalem Sanhedrin only the rebel king: “Give him up to me, and I will go away,” almost a literal borrowing from 2 Sam 20:21. Then, in a debate on whether it is right to sacrifice one life in order to preserve others, specific mention is made of Jehoiakim’s ancestress, the wise woman of Abel, who killed Sheba in such a context.

The same motif is emphasized in John 11:50, where the high priest Caiaphas, head of the Sanhedrin, states: “it is expedient for you that one man (εις ανθρωπος) should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish.”

. . .