Worthy.Bible » STRONG » 2 Samuel » Chapter 14 » Verse 5-24

2 Samuel 14:5-24 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

5 And the king H4428 said H559 unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, H559 I am indeed H61 a widow H490 woman, H802 and mine husband H376 is dead. H4191

6 And thy handmaid H8198 had two H8147 sons, H1121 and they two H8147 strove together H5327 in the field, H7704 and there was none to part H5337 them, but the one H259 smote H5221 the other, H259 and slew H4191 him.

7 And, behold, the whole family H4940 is risen H6965 against thine handmaid, H8198 and they said, H559 Deliver H5414 him that smote H5221 his brother, H251 that we may kill H4191 him, for the life H5315 of his brother H251 whom he slew; H2026 and we will destroy H8045 the heir H3423 also: and so they shall quench H3518 my coal H1513 which is left, H7760 and shall not leave H7604 to my husband H376 neither name H8034 nor remainder H7611 upon H6440 the earth. H127

8 And the king H4428 said H559 unto the woman, H802 Go H3212 to thine house, H1004 and I will give charge H6680 concerning thee.

9 And the woman H802 of Tekoah H8621 said H559 unto the king, H4428 My lord, H113 O king, H4428 the iniquity H5771 be on me, and on my father's H1 house: H1004 and the king H4428 and his throne H3678 be guiltless. H5355

10 And the king H4428 said, H559 Whosoever saith H1696 ought unto thee, bring H935 him to me, and he shall not touch H5060 thee any more. H3254

11 Then said H559 she, I pray thee, let the king H4428 remember H2142 the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers H1350 of blood H1818 to destroy H7843 any more, H7235 lest they destroy H8045 my son. H1121 And he said, H559 As the LORD H3068 liveth, H2416 there shall not one hair H8185 of thy son H1121 fall H5307 to the earth. H776

12 Then the woman H802 said, H559 Let thine handmaid, H8198 I pray thee, speak H1696 one word H1697 unto my lord H113 the king. H4428 And he said, H559 Say on. H1696

13 And the woman H802 said, H559 Wherefore then hast thou thought H2803 such a thing against the people H5971 of God? H430 for the king H4428 doth speak H1696 this thing H1697 as one which is faulty, H818 in that the king H4428 doth not fetch home again H7725 his banished. H5080

14 For we must needs H4191 die, H4191 and are as water H4325 spilt H5064 on the ground, H776 which cannot be gathered up again; H622 neither doth God H430 respect H5375 any person: H5315 yet doth he devise H2803 means, H4284 that his banished H5080 be not expelled H5080 from him.

15 Now therefore that I am come H935 to speak H1696 of this thing H1697 unto my lord H113 the king, H4428 it is because the people H5971 have made me afraid: H3372 and thy handmaid H8198 said, H559 I will now speak H1696 unto the king; H4428 it may be that the king H4428 will perform H6213 the request H1697 of his handmaid. H519

16 For the king H4428 will hear, H8085 to deliver H5337 his handmaid H519 out of the hand H3709 of the man H376 that would destroy H8045 me and my son H1121 together H3162 out of the inheritance H5159 of God. H430

17 Then thine handmaid H8198 said, H559 The word H1697 of my lord H113 the king H4428 shall now be comfortable: H4496 for as an angel H4397 of God, H430 so is my lord H113 the king H4428 to discern H8085 good H2896 and bad: H7451 therefore the LORD H3068 thy God H430 will be with thee.

18 Then the king H4428 answered H6030 and said H559 unto the woman, H802 Hide H3582 not from me, I pray thee, the thing H1697 that I shall ask H7592 thee. And the woman H802 said, H559 Let my lord H113 the king H4428 now speak. H1696

19 And the king H4428 said, H559 Is not the hand H3027 of Joab H3097 with thee in all this? And the woman H802 answered H6030 and said, H559 As thy soul H5315 liveth, H2416 my lord H113 the king, H4428 none H376 can H786 turn to the right hand H3231 or to the left H8041 from ought that my lord H113 the king H4428 hath spoken: H1696 for thy servant H5650 Joab, H3097 he bade H6680 me, and he put H7760 all these words H1697 in the mouth H6310 of thine handmaid: H8198

20 To H5668 fetch about H5437 this form H6440 of speech H1697 hath thy servant H5650 Joab H3097 done H6213 this thing: H1697 and my lord H113 is wise, H2450 according to the wisdom H2451 of an angel H4397 of God, H430 to know H3045 all things that are in the earth. H776

21 And the king H4428 said H559 unto Joab, H3097 Behold now, I have done H6213 this thing: H1697 go H3212 therefore, bring H7725 the young man H5288 Absalom H53 again. H7725

22 And Joab H3097 fell H5307 to the ground H776 on his face, H6440 and bowed H7812 himself, and thanked H1288 the king: H4428 and Joab H3097 said, H559 To day H3117 thy servant H5650 knoweth H3045 that I have found H4672 grace H2580 in thy sight, H5869 my lord, H113 O king, H4428 in that the king H4428 hath fulfilled H6213 the request H1697 of his servant. H5650

23 So Joab H3097 arose H6965 and went H3212 to Geshur, H1650 and brought H935 Absalom H53 to Jerusalem. H3389

24 And the king H4428 said, H559 Let him turn H5437 to his own house, H1004 and let him not see H7200 my face. H6440 So Absalom H53 returned H5437 to his own house, H1004 and saw H7200 not the king's H4428 face. H6440

Commentary on 2 Samuel 14 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible


CHAPTER 14

2Sa 14:1-21. Joab Instructs a Woman of Tekoah.

2-21. And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman—The king was strongly attached to Absalom; and having now got over his sorrow for the violent death of Amnon, he was desirous of again enjoying the society of his favorite son, who had now been three long years absent. But a dread of public opinion and a regard to the public interests made him hesitate about recalling or pardoning his guilty son; and Joab, whose discerning mind perceived this struggle between parental affection and royal duty, devised a plan for relieving the scruples, and, at the same time, gratifying the wishes, of his master. Having procured a countrywoman of superior intelligence and address, he directed her to seek an audience of the king, and by soliciting his royal interposition in the settlement of a domestic grievance, convinced him that the life of a murderer might in some cases be saved. Tekoah was about twelve miles south of Jerusalem, and six south of Beth-lehem; and the design of bringing a woman from such a distance was to prevent either the petitioner being known, or the truth of her story easily investigated. Her speech was in the form of a parable—the circumstances—the language—the manner—well suited to the occasion, represented a case as like David's as it was policy to make it, so as not to be prematurely discovered. Having got the king pledged, she avowed it to be her design to satisfy the royal conscience, that in pardoning Absalom he was doing nothing more than he would have done in the case of a stranger, where there could be no imputation of partiality. The device succeeded; David traced its origin to Joab; and, secretly pleased at obtaining the judgment of that rough, but generally sound-thinking soldier, he commissioned him to repair to Geshur and bring home his exiled son.

7. they shall quench my coal which is left—The life of man is compared in Scripture to a light. To quench the light of Israel (2Sa 21:17) is to destroy the king's life; to ordain a lamp for any one (Ps 132:17) is to grant him posterity; to quench a coal signifies here the extinction of this woman's only remaining hope that the name and family of her husband would be preserved. The figure is a beautiful one; a coal live, but lying under a heap of embers—all that she had to rekindle her fire—to light her lamp in Israel.

9. the woman said … O king, the iniquity be on me—that is, the iniquity of arresting the course of justice and pardoning a homicide, whom the Goel was bound to slay wherever he might find him, unless in a city of refuge. This was exceeding the royal prerogative, and acting in the character of an absolute monarch. The woman's language refers to a common precaution taken by the Hebrew judges and magistrates, solemnly to transfer from themselves the responsibility of the blood they doomed to be shed, either to the accusers or the criminals (2Sa 1:16; 3:28); and sometimes the accusers took it upon themselves (Mt 27:25).

13-17. Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God, &c.—Her argument may be made clear in the following paraphrase:—You have granted me the pardon of a son who had slain his brother, and yet you will not grant to your subjects the restoration of Absalom, whose criminality is not greater than my son's, since he killed his brother in similar circumstances of provocation. Absalom has reason to complain that he is treated by his own father more sternly and severely than the meanest subject in the realm; and the whole nation will have cause for saying that the king shows more attention to the petition of a humble woman than to the wishes and desires of a whole kingdom. The death of my son is a private loss to my family, while the preservation of Absalom is the common interest of all Israel, who now look to him as your successor on the throne.

2Sa 14:22-33. Joab Brings Absalom to Jerusalem.

22. To-day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight—Joab betrayed not a little selfishness amid his professions of joy at this act of grace to Absalom, and flattered himself that he now brought both father and son under lasting obligations. In considering this act of David, many extenuating circumstances may be urged in favor of it; the provocation given to Absalom; his being now in a country where justice could not overtake him; the risk of his imbibing a love for heathen principles and worship; the safety and interests of the Hebrew kingdom; together with the strong predilection of the Hebrew people for Absalom, as represented by the stratagem of Joab—these considerations form a plausible apology for David's grant of pardon to his bloodstained son. But, in granting this pardon, he was acting in the character of an Oriental despot rather than a constitutional king of Israel. The feelings of the father triumphed over the duty of the king, who, as the supreme magistrate, was bound to execute impartial justice on every murderer, by the express law of God (Ge 9:6; Nu 35:30, 31), which he had no power to dispense with (De 18:18; Jos 1:8; 1Sa 10:25).

25, 26. But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty—This extraordinary popularity arose not only from his high spirit and courtly manners, but from his uncommonly handsome appearance. One distinguishing feature, seemingly an object of great admiration, was a profusion of beautiful hair. Its extraordinary luxuriance compelled him to cut it "at every year's end;" lit., "at times," "from time to time," when it was found to weigh two hundred shekels—equal to one hundred twelve ounces troy; but as "the weight was after the king's shekel," which was less than the common shekel, the rate has been reduced as low as three pounds, two ounces [Bochart], and even less by others.

28. So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face—Whatever error David committed in authorizing the recall of Absalom, he displayed great prudence and command over his feelings afterwards—for his son was not admitted into his father's presence but was confined to his own house and the society of his own family. This slight severity was designed to bring him to sincere repentance, on perceiving that his father had not fully pardoned him, as well as to convince the people of David's abhorrence of his crime. Not being allowed to appear at court, or to adopt any state, the courtiers kept aloof; even his cousin did not deem it prudent to go into his society. For two full years his liberty was more restricted, and his life more apart from his countrymen while living in Jerusalem, than in Geshur; and he might have continued in this disgrace longer, had he not, by a violent expedient, determined (2Sa 14:30) to force his case on the attention of Joab, through whose kind and powerful influence a full reconciliation was effected between him and his father.