2 Samuel 14 16

2 Samuel 14:16 kjv

For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

2 Samuel 14:16 nkjv

For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.'

2 Samuel 14:16 niv

Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from God's inheritance.'

2 Samuel 14:16 esv

For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.'

2 Samuel 14:16 nlt

and rescue us from those who would cut us off from the inheritance God has given us.

2 Samuel 14 verses

2 Samuel 14 16 Meaning

The wise woman of Tekoa, in her parabolic plea to King David, expresses firm confidence that the king, upon hearing her dire situation, will intervene to rescue her and her sole surviving son from a threatening antagonist. This intervention would preserve their lives and ensure they are not expelled or annihilated from their rightful place within the community of Israel and their portion of God's land, effectively saving their lineage from utter destruction. Her statement implicitly portrays the king as a protector and dispenser of justice, upholding God's design for His people and their inheritance.

2 Samuel 14 16 Context

The wise woman of Tekoa's words in 2 Samuel 14:16 are central to an elaborate plan devised by Joab to facilitate Absalom's return from exile. Three years prior, Absalom had murdered his half-brother Amnon for violating Tamar and had fled to Geshur. King David, while mourning Amnon, secretly longed for Absalom's return, yet felt bound by his own sense of justice. Seeing David's internal conflict, Joab dispatched the woman to present a carefully crafted hypothetical case. Her story revolved around a widow whose son had killed his brother, and now the community sought to execute the surviving son, which would extinguish her family line. By presenting this scenario, the woman sought to elicit David's merciful judgment, which would then be applied to his own situation with Absalom. Verse 16 emphasizes her hope that the king, exercising his judicial and protective authority, would prevent the complete ruin of her family, thereby highlighting the gravity of the potential loss (lineage and inheritance) and subtly appealing to David's role as guardian of his own household and the nation's integrity.

2 Samuel 14 16 Word analysis

• For (כִּי, ki): A conjunction introducing the reason or explanation for her prior confidence. It connects her belief in the king's intervention to the urgent threat she faces.
• the king (הַמֶּלֶךְ, ha-melech): Refers to King David. The definite article highlights his unique and supreme position of authority as God's anointed ruler over Israel, whose word carries ultimate legal weight and power to execute judgment and show mercy.
• will hear (יִשְׁמַע, yishma): Future tense of the verb "to hear" (שָׁמַע, shama). This implies more than mere audition; it denotes attentive listening with understanding, discernment, and an intent to respond decisively, signifying David's perceived wisdom and readiness to act justly.
• and deliver (וְיַצִּיל, v'yatzil): A direct consequence of hearing and understanding. From the root נָצַל (natzal), meaning to snatch away, rescue, or save. This indicates an active and powerful intervention to free someone from peril or oppressive power, often implying salvation from death or destruction.
• his maidservant (אֲמָתוֹ, amato): A self-deprecating term common for a petitioner addressing royalty, expressing humility and dependence (e.g., Hannah in 1 Sam 1:11). It enhances the pathos of her plea and underscores her vulnerability, implying her helplessness without the king's aid.
• out of the hand of (מִיַּד, miyyad): Literally "from the hand of," this idiom signifies release from the power, grasp, or control of an opposing force. It emphasizes that the threat she faces is from another human agent, capable of executing severe action.
• the man (הָאִישׁ, ha'ish): Refers to the hypothetical male kinsman or communal entity demanding retribution, analogous to those in Israel who might have sought Absalom's permanent exclusion or death for his crime. It represents the source of the immediate destructive threat.
• that would destroy me (לְהַשְׁמִידֵנִי, lehashmidéni): From the root שָׁמַד (shamad), which means to lay waste, annihilate, exterminate. This verb signifies total and utter ruin, not merely killing, but eradicating her existence, her name, and her lineage. It highlights the irreversible and comprehensive nature of the anticipated calamity.
• and my son together (וְאֶת־בְּנִי יָחַד, v'et-b'ni yachad): "Together" emphasizes the collective nature of the threat. The annihilation is complete, encompassing both herself and her only remaining male heir, thus ensuring the extinction of her line and name from Israel.
• out of the inheritance of God (מִנַּחֲלַת אֱלֹהִים, mi-nachalat Elohim):
  • Nachalat: Inheritance, possession, or portion. In Israelite thought, this refers primarily to the land promised by God to Abraham's descendants and allotted among the tribes and families, serving as a sign of covenant blessings and continuation. It represents not only physical property but also a place within God's people.
  • Elohim: God.
  • This phrase profoundly elevates the woman's plea beyond a personal family matter. To be destroyed "out of the inheritance of God" signifies being cut off from one's divinely granted place within the covenant community of Israel and from the very land that symbolizes God's blessings and promises. It implies spiritual and national exclusion, touching upon the core identity and future of a family within Israel.

Words-group analysis

• "For the king will hear, and deliver his maidservant": This phrase encapsulates the woman's hopeful anticipation and rhetorical strategy. It frames David as a righteous, active, and accessible sovereign who would fulfill his duty to protect the vulnerable within his kingdom. Her trust in his active hearing (attentiveness leading to action) is key to the persuasion.
• "out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together": This conveys the absolute and totalizing nature of the threat. The "man" symbolizes an unrelenting force (whether judicial, communal, or familial vendetta) whose intent is complete annihilation. The "destruction" (shamad) is comprehensive, ensuring the blotting out of her name and lineage, making David's intervention essential for the preservation of life and family continuity.
• "out of the inheritance of God": This phrase introduces the most profound theological dimension of her appeal. It means to be cut off not merely from personal property, but from one's divinely ordained place in the land and people of Israel, losing one's heritage, identity, and future within God's covenant. By linking her family's plight to "God's inheritance," she appeals to David's understanding of his role as guardian of the covenant people and their God-given blessings, which profoundly mirrors Absalom's status as banished from God's people (Israel) and from the physical inheritance of the kingdom.

2 Samuel 14 16 Bonus section

• The rhetorical precision of the Tekoite woman's speech in this chapter, culminating in this verse, demonstrates her "wisdom" (chokmah), which was highly valued in Israel (cf. 1 Ki 3:28). Her ability to use analogy, hyperbole (the direness of "destroy"), and theological language ("inheritance of God") highlights her skill in persuasion.
• The concept of being "cut off" from Israel or from the inheritance (similar to shamard) was a severe judgment in ancient Israel, often implying both physical death and the obliteration of one's name and progeny, which meant a spiritual loss as well. The woman's plea skillfully plays on this deep-seated cultural and theological fear.
• This verse indirectly sets David up to declare judgment in favor of preservation, which Joab intended to then pivot and apply to Absalom's return. The divine title "Elohim" emphasizes that this "inheritance" is not merely land but a sacred trust.

2 Samuel 14 16 Commentary

2 Samuel 14:16 serves as the culmination of the wise woman of Tekoa's feigned distress, designed to move King David's heart. It cleverly articulates the ideal of an Israelite king: a discerning, compassionate, and decisive ruler who protects the vulnerable from total ruin, particularly when that ruin involves being severed from the very "inheritance of God." This "inheritance" referred to both the land given by divine covenant and the lineage's continuity within Israel as God's chosen people. By threatening "complete destruction" and expulsion from this divine portion, the woman elevated her domestic grievance to a matter of cosmic significance, making David's intervention crucial for upholding not just personal justice, but divine order. Her words were a veiled yet direct plea for David to recognize that his inaction regarding Absalom posed a similar threat to his own family's continuity and the stability of the kingdom. It underscored that royal authority must ultimately serve to preserve God's people and His plan.