2 Samuel 13 31

2 Samuel 13:31 kjv

Then the king arose, and tare his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent.

2 Samuel 13:31 nkjv

So the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the ground, and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.

2 Samuel 13:31 niv

The king stood up, tore his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn.

2 Samuel 13:31 esv

Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments.

2 Samuel 13:31 nlt

The king got up, tore his robe, and threw himself on the ground. His advisers also tore their clothes in horror and sorrow.

2 Samuel 13 verses

2 Samuel 13 31 Meaning

This verse vividly portrays the immediate and profound grief of Joab and his servants upon hearing the (initially false) news of the assassination of all the king's sons by Absalom. Their actions—Joab rising, tearing his clothes, and lying prostrate on the ground, while his servants stood by in a similar state of dishevelled mourning—are ancient Near Eastern customs signaling extreme sorrow, shock, and anguish in the face of immense tragedy or disaster. It signifies a public and deep lament for what was perceived as a catastrophic loss to King David and the kingdom.

2 Samuel 13 31 Context

2 Samuel chapter 13 details the grim sequence of events stemming from Amnon's rape of Tamar. The news of this grievous act, and David's subsequent failure to act decisively, sets the stage for Absalom's patient, calculating vengeance. Verse 31 directly follows the arrival of a messenger, spreading a harrowing but exaggerated report to King David and his court: "Absalom has killed all the king’s sons; not one of them is left" (v. 30). Joab's immediate and extreme reaction in this verse underscores the shocking nature of this initial report, the devastating perceived loss to the royal family, and the profound threat to the stability of David's kingdom. His display of grief is a conventional, visceral response to a perceived catastrophic dynastic blow, even before the true extent of the tragedy (Amnon's death alone) is revealed.

2 Samuel 13 31 Word analysis

• Then: Hebrew waw connective (waw-hawyi) – indicating sequential action, immediate reaction. Links Joab's action directly to the receipt of the terrible news.
• Joab: Joab, son of Zeruiah, David's nephew, and commander of David's army. His prominent reaction reflects his loyalty to the king, his family's status, and his professional responsibility regarding the stability of the kingdom.
• arose: Hebrew qām (קוּם) – means to stand up, to arise. Signifies a sudden, decisive action in response to overwhelming news, perhaps a break from a relaxed or seated posture, indicating agitation and readiness to react physically to grief.
• and tore: Hebrew wayyiqrāʿ (וַיִּקְרַע) – from qara` (קָרַע), "to tear" or "to rend." A conventional, highly symbolic act of public mourning, horror, or distress in ancient Israel, typically the outer garment or cloak. This act signifies an overwhelming emotional shock that symbolically "rips apart" one's composure or life.
• his clothes: Hebrew begādāyw (בְּגָדָיו) – referring to Joab's garments. The act was performed on visible attire to demonstrate publicly the depth of anguish.
• and lay: Hebrew wayyishkav (וַיִּשְׁכַּב) – from shākhav (שָׁכַב), "to lie down." Signifies utter prostration, complete submission to overwhelming grief or despair. A posture of vulnerability, surrender to circumstances, often accompanied by ashes or dust (though not specified here).
• on the ground: Hebrew ʻal-hāʾāreṣ (עַל־הָאָרֶץ) – emphasizes the humility and abasement of his posture, reinforcing the profound emotional collapse.
• and his servants: Hebrew waʿăvādāyw (וַעֲבָדָיו) – refers to Joab's attendants or military staff. Their reaction indicates either shared loyalty and grief for the royal family or a mirroring of their commander's emotional display, signifying collective distress within the royal court's inner circle.
• stood by: Hebrew ʿōmedīm (עֹמְדִים) – from ʿāmad (עָמַד), "to stand." While Joab lay prostrate, his servants stood, a posture of readiness, support, or perhaps respectful mourning as witnesses. Their state is distinct from Joab's utter collapse.
• with torn clothes: Hebrew qerūʿē begādīm (קְרוּעֵי בְגָדִים) – means "having torn clothes" or "whose clothes were torn." This confirms their active participation in the ritual of mourning, signifying shared sorrow and alarm. Their visible disarray reinforces the pervasive sense of tragedy.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Then Joab arose and tore his clothes": This phrase depicts an immediate, physically violent reaction to the news, emphasizing Joab's profound shock and horror. Tearing clothes was not a mere expression but a deeply ingrained cultural rite signaling an inward rending of soul due to calamity.
• "and lay on the ground": This completes Joab's act of mourning, moving from expressive tearing to complete self-abasement. It signifies being overcome by grief, a posture of despair and helplessness, often seen in times of national crisis or personal catastrophe.
• "and his servants stood by with torn clothes": This extends the scene of mourning beyond Joab to his retinue, suggesting that the initial, (exaggerated) news of the king's sons' deaths evoked a collective sense of profound sorrow and disruption among David's closest associates and the military command. It legitimizes the severity of the news' impact within the court.

2 Samuel 13 31 Bonus section

The specific intensity of Joab's reaction (tore clothes AND lay on ground) often indicated the highest level of personal or national tragedy, typically associated with death or divine judgment. Unlike later where David, learning only Amnon died, mourns deeply for him and even more for Absalom (18:33), Joab's immediate, comprehensive mourning here reflects the perceived total destruction of David's heir apparents, and thus, the kingdom's future. The public nature of Joab's and his servants' grief was a form of solidarity with the king and a clear signal of the enormity of the news to the surrounding court and public.

2 Samuel 13 31 Commentary

2 Samuel 13:31 provides a potent visual of unvarnished grief in the ancient Near East. Joab, a seasoned military leader often portrayed as shrewd and pragmatic, reacts to the devastating report of the princes' demise with an intense, ritualized expression of sorrow. His actions of tearing clothes and prostrating himself on the ground are not mere dramatics but deeply embedded cultural signs of extreme distress, mourning, and protest against calamity. This powerful display by David's most senior commander validates the shock and horror of the initial news that all the king's sons were killed, indicating a potential end to the Davidic dynasty and a grave threat to the kingdom's stability. His servants mirroring his outward signs of grief underscores the pervasive impact of the perceived tragedy. While the report was exaggerated, Joab's response authenticates the genuine sense of despair it immediately induced, showing how deeply such family tragedies resonated throughout the court and leadership.