2 Samuel 13:36 kjv
And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king's sons came, and lifted up their voice and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept very sore.
2 Samuel 13:36 nkjv
So it was, as soon as he had finished speaking, that the king's sons indeed came, and they lifted up their voice and wept. Also the king and all his servants wept very bitterly.
2 Samuel 13:36 niv
As he finished speaking, the king's sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his attendants wept very bitterly.
2 Samuel 13:36 esv
And as soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king's sons came and lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also and all his servants wept very bitterly.
2 Samuel 13:36 nlt
They soon arrived, weeping and sobbing, and the king and all his servants wept bitterly with them.
2 Samuel 13 36 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 37:34-35 | Jacob tore his garments... and refused to be comforted for his son. | Parental grief and refusal of comfort. |
| Gen 50:1 | Joseph fell on his father's face and wept over him. | Deep mourning for a beloved relative. |
| Job 2:12-13 | Job's friends sat with him on the ground seven days... no one spoke a word, for they saw that his suffering was very great. | Shared silent grief for profound sorrow. |
| Esth 4:1 | Mordecai tore his clothes... and wailed with a loud and bitter cry. | Intense public expression of distress. |
| Pss 6:6 | I am weary with my groaning... I drench my bed with tears. | David's own lamentation and weeping. |
| Pss 42:3 | My tears have been my food day and night. | Sustained deep sorrow. |
| Pss 56:8 | You keep track of my wanderings... Put my tears in your bottle. | God's awareness of sorrow. |
| Pss 126:5-6 | Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! ...He who goes out weeping... shall come home with shouts of joy. | The hope of future comfort after tears. |
| Ecc 3:4 | A time to weep, and a time to laugh. | The natural cycles of life and grief. |
| Isa 25:8 | He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces. | Prophecy of ultimate comfort and end of sorrow. |
| Jer 9:1 | Oh that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain. | Intense lamentation over tragic loss. |
| Lam 1:2 | Zion spreads out her hands, but there is none to comfort her; the LORD has commanded against Jacob his adversaries to be around him; Jerusalem has become an unclean thing. | Weeping for a desolated people/city. |
| Lk 19:41 | When he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it. | Jesus' emotional empathy and grief. |
| Jn 11:35 | Jesus wept. | Deep human compassion and sorrow. |
| Acts 20:37-38 | And there was much weeping on the part of all... they were grieving most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. | Profound communal sorrow at separation. |
| Rom 12:15 | Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. | Command for sympathetic fellowship. |
| Rev 21:4 | He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. | Ultimate divine comfort and eradication of sorrow. |
| 2 Sam 12:10-11 | Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house... Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own house. | Nathan's prophecy foreshadowing David's family strife. |
| Gen 4:8 | Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. | Sibling murder and its tragic outcome. |
| Prov 22:8 | Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity. | Principle of reaping what is sown (karma). |
| Gal 6:7 | Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. | Spiritual principle of consequences for actions. |
| Prov 18:13 | If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame. | Dealing with incomplete or false reports. |
2 Samuel 13 verses
2 Samuel 13 36 Meaning
This verse describes the overwhelming and immediate grief of King David, his surviving sons, and all his servants upon the arrival of the king's sons, confirming the news that Absalom had indeed killed Amnon, but not all of David's children, as previously feared. The profound weeping signifies a deep emotional outpouring, a raw lament for the lost son, and the deep sorrow permeating the royal household due to the family's tragic fracturing. It marks a moment where a dreadful rumor is clarified, bringing both confirmation of a terrible truth and partial relief from a greater, initially exaggerated, fear.
2 Samuel 13 36 Context
The verse falls immediately after a tense moment where King David received an erroneous report that Absalom had killed all his sons. Jonadab, Amnon's shrewd friend, immediately intervened to correct the report, insisting that only Amnon, the defiler of Tamar, had been killed by Absalom, as Absalom had planned from the day Amnon dishonored their sister. This verse then provides the poignant and visceral confirmation of Jonadab's words, as the remaining royal sons arrive and immediately engage in intense mourning alongside David and his household. This family tragedy is a direct result of Amnon's sinful act (2 Sam 13:1-22), David's passive response (2 Sam 13:21), and Absalom's vengeful heart, demonstrating the profound and often painful consequences of sin unfolding within David's royal lineage as prophesied by Nathan (2 Sam 12:10-11).
2 Samuel 13 36 Word analysis
- "And it came to pass": A common Hebrew literary phrase (וַיְהִי, wayĕhî), signaling a transition to a new event or a continuation of the narrative. It indicates immediacy and progression.
- "as soon as he had made an end of speaking": Hebrew: כְּכַלֹּתוֹ לְדַבֵּר (kəkhallōṯô ləḏabber). This highlights the immediate, direct link between Jonadab's corrective report and the visual confirmation of its partial truth, adding dramatic urgency and realism to the scene.
- "that, behold,": Hebrew: וְהִנֵּה (wəhinnêh). This interjection draws attention to a sudden, significant, and often unexpected event. It underscores the visual impact and certainty of what follows—the literal appearance of the king's sons, dispelling the worst fears.
- "the king's sons came": This phrase clarifies which sons arrived—not all, but the surviving ones, making Jonadab's account demonstrably true. Their physical presence confirms life for some, while their subsequent weeping confirms death for Amnon.
- "and lifted up their voice": Hebrew: וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת קוֹלָם (wayyiśśə’û ’eṯ qôlām). This is a strong idiomatic expression in Hebrew for beginning to weep loudly or cry out. It signifies a public, unrestrained, and audible display of extreme emotion, common in ancient mourning practices.
- "and wept": Hebrew: וַיִּבְכּוּ (wayyiḇkû). Simple yet profound, indicating tears and emotional sorrow. This is not quiet, internal grief but an active, audible expression.
- "and the king also": Emphasizes David's own intense emotional reaction. Despite being a king, his role as a father overrides his royal composure in this moment of deep personal grief. His weeping validates and participates in the collective sorrow.
- "and all his servants": This broad inclusion signifies the pervasive impact of the tragedy throughout the entire royal household. The grief is not confined to the immediate family but affects everyone serving the king, illustrating the gravity of the royal family's misfortune and the depth of their loyalty or empathy.
- "wept very sore/bitterly": Hebrew: בְּכִי גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד (bəḵî gəḏôlâ mə’ōḏ - great weeping very much, or, a great weeping greatly). This phrase intensifies the preceding "wept," emphasizing the magnitude, severity, and profundity of their sorrow. It indicates a protracted, uncontrollable, and profound display of grief that permeates every fiber of their being, marked by physical distress and emotional agony.
2 Samuel 13 36 Bonus section
Ancient Near Eastern mourning customs often involved public displays of grief, including tearing garments, putting dust on one's head, loud wailing, and prostrating oneself on the ground. The phrase "lifted up their voice and wept" points to this culturally recognized practice of demonstrative lament. The collective nature of the mourning, involving the king's servants, suggests a deep bond of loyalty or shared burden within the royal household, recognizing that a tragedy within the king's family was a tragedy for the whole court. This deep weeping can be seen as the unfolding of Nathan's prophecy from 2 Sam 12:11-12, where evil would be raised up against David from his own household, and the public nature of the sin's consequence mirrors the public nature of the original transgression. This moment of sorrow foreshadows further unrest and division that will continue to plague David's reign.
2 Samuel 13 36 Commentary
2 Samuel 13:36 captures a moment of overwhelming grief and the tragic fulfillment of divine judgment. David, his sons, and servants erupt in profound, unconsolable weeping. This wasn't merely relief that not all sons were lost, but an immediate plunge into deep sorrow over Amnon's death and the horrifying implications of family murder instigated by Absalom. The communal nature of the weeping signifies a shared trauma that pervades the royal court. This raw display of emotion underscores the deep familial wounds within David's house, wounds that ultimately stemmed from David's own past transgressions and led to the prophecy that "the sword shall never depart from his house." The verse stands as a powerful testament to the bitter fruit of sin and the profound anguish it brings to all involved.