2 Samuel 16:22 kjv
So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
2 Samuel 16:22 nkjv
So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
2 Samuel 16:22 niv
So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
2 Samuel 16:22 esv
So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
2 Samuel 16:22 nlt
So they set up a tent on the palace roof where everyone could see it, and Absalom went in and had sex with his father's concubines.
2 Samuel 16 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:11 | Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.' | Prophecy of divine judgment |
| 2 Sam 12:12 | 'For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.' | Public fulfillment of the prophecy |
| 2 Sam 16:21 | Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Go in to your father's concubines whom he has left...all Israel will hear..." | Ahithophel's advice directly preceding the act |
| 2 Sam 3:7 | Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah... and Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?" | Taking a king's concubine signifies claim |
| 1 Kgs 2:22 | So King Solomon answered and said to his mother, "...Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also..." | Attempt to take king's concubine equals claim |
| Deut 28:30 | "You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her..." | A curse involving sexual shame/possession |
| Lam 5:11 | "They ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah." | Example of humiliation/defilement in defeat |
| Ps 35:26 | "Let them be put to shame and dishonor who rejoice at my hurt..." | David's perspective on his enemies |
| Ps 69:19 | "You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor; My adversaries are all before You." | David's lament over humiliation |
| 2 Sam 11:4 | "Then David sent messengers and took her [Bathsheba]; and she came to him, and he lay with her..." | David's original sin (adultery) |
| 2 Sam 11:15 | "And he wrote in the letter, saying, 'Place Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle...'" | David's original sin (murder) |
| Gal 6:7 | "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." | Principle of sowing and reaping |
| Num 32:23 | "...but be sure your sin will find you out." | Principle of sin's consequences |
| Prov 13:21 | "Evil pursues sinners, but to the righteous good shall be repaid." | Consequences of unrighteousness |
| Hos 8:4 | "They make kings, but not by Me; They make princes, but I do not acknowledge them..." | Rebellious actions without divine approval |
| Jer 22:13 | "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his chambers by injustice..." | Judgment against unjust rule |
| Prov 28:15 | "Like a roaring lion and a raging bear is a wicked ruler over poor people." | Depicts a wicked ruler's oppression |
| Isa 3:5 | "The people will be oppressed, every one by another and every one by his neighbor; The child will be insolent toward the elder..." | Disorder and disrespect due to unrighteousness |
| 2 Sam 15:10 | "...as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, 'Absalom reigns in Hebron!'" | Absalom's initial claim to kingship |
| Gen 35:22 | "It happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine..." | Reuben's act of defilement/usurpation |
| Lev 18:8 | "The nakedness of your father's wife you shall not uncover; it is your father's nakedness." | Law against incestuous relationships (transgressed) |
| Ps 76:10 | "Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; with a remnant of wrath You will gird Yourself." | God's sovereignty over human evil |
| Job 4:8 | "Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same." | Another illustration of consequences for sin |
2 Samuel 16 verses
2 Samuel 16 22 Meaning
This verse details Absalom's public and deliberate act of taking possession of King David's ten concubines on the roof of the palace, a highly visible location, "in the sight of all Israel." This was a fulfillment of Ahithophel's shrewd political counsel, designed to cement Absalom's claim to the throne by irrevocably severing any possibility of reconciliation with David, and to publicly assert his new kingship through a symbolic act of taking the previous king's property and status. Crucially, it was also the direct fulfillment of the divine judgment prophesied by Nathan against David for his sin concerning Bathsheba and Uriah.
2 Samuel 16 22 Context
Absalom's actions in 2 Samuel 16:22 occur in the midst of his rebellion against his father, King David. After secretly gathering support and declaring himself king in Hebron, Absalom swiftly enters Jerusalem as David flees. With David's trusted advisor, Ahithophel, now counselling Absalom, the young usurper is advised to perform a public act that would signal an irreversible break with his father and solidify his claim to the throne in the eyes of all Israel. Taking the king's concubines was, in the ancient Near East, a widely understood means of inheriting royal authority and shaming the deposed ruler, as it implied possession of his household and royal legitimacy. This calculated political maneuver, however, simultaneously serves as the shocking and very public fulfillment of the divine judgment prophesied by Nathan in 2 Samuel 12:11-12, where God declared that calamity, including the defilement of David's wives by one of his own household, would come upon him as a consequence of his sins with Bathsheba and Uriah.
2 Samuel 16 22 Word analysis
So they spread Absalom a tent:
- וַיַּטּוּ (wayyattû - "they spread/pitched"): Third person plural, indicating that Absalom had supporters and servants carrying out this command. This was not a private act but a collective public display.
- לְאַבְשָׁלוֹם (lə’aḇšālôm - "for Absalom"): Indicates the action was done at Absalom's behest or on his behalf, asserting his newly claimed authority.
- הָאֹהֶל (hā’ōhel - "the tent"): A specific, designated tent, implying it was purpose-built or arranged for this solemn (yet defiling) ceremony. Tents held significant cultural and religious meaning (e.g., the Tabernacle), so using one for this profane act underscores the brazen nature of Absalom's rebellion and defilement of what should be sacred.
upon the top of the house:
- עַל הַגָּג ('al haggaḡ - "on the roof"): Rooftops were common and visible spaces in ancient Israelite cities. Performing this act on the roof ensured maximum public visibility and widespread witness, explicitly fulfilling the prophecy of 2 Sam 12:12 ("before all Israel, and before the sun"). This was a declaration that everyone could see, removing any doubt about the change in leadership and Absalom's open defiance.
and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines:
- וַיָּבֹא אַבְשָׁלוֹם (wayyāḇō’ ‘aḇšālôm - "and Absalom went in"): A euphemism for sexual intercourse, a common biblical expression. The active verb highlights Absalom's deliberate and willing participation.
- פִּילַגְשֵׁי אָבִיו (pîlaḡšê ’āḇîw - "his father's concubines"): "Concubines" (plural) were secondary wives, part of a king's household and status symbol. Defiling them was a direct, deeply personal insult and a declaration of supremacy over the former king. This specific act symbolized a complete usurpation of David's royal authority and household.
in the sight of all Israel:
- לְעֵינֵי כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל (lə‘ênê kol-yiśrā’ēl - "in the eyes of / in the sight of all Israel"): This phrase emphasizes the highly public and intentional nature of the act. It ensured the message of David's shame and Absalom's claim to the throne was unequivocally communicated to the populace, validating Ahithophel's advice and leaving no room for Absalom to turn back. This makes his claim irreversible in the people's perception and fulfills Nathan's prophecy about the public nature of the judgment.
2 Samuel 16 22 Bonus section
- The strategic advice from Ahithophel (2 Sam 16:20-21) and Absalom's immediate compliance demonstrates a keen, albeit twisted, understanding of ancient Near Eastern political maneuvers related to kingship and succession.
- This act underscores the tragic domino effect of sin. David's private sins led to a public and horrifying consequence that ripped his family and kingdom apart.
- The incident starkly contrasts human plotting with divine oversight. While Absalom and Ahithophel intended to solidify a worldly reign, God was fulfilling His prophetic word concerning judgment and justice.
2 Samuel 16 22 Commentary
2 Samuel 16:22 is a horrifying yet pivotally significant verse. Absalom's act of publicly defiling his father's concubines, following Ahithophel's shrewd counsel, was not primarily about lust but about power. In the cultural context, claiming a deposed king's harem was the ultimate symbol of having completely overthrown his authority and established one's own undeniable right to the throne. It left David humiliated and, importantly, showed all Israel that Absalom's rebellion was an irreversible breach, ensuring no return path for David or any hope of reconciliation for the people. Beyond human politics, however, this act serves as the shocking, explicit, and literal fulfillment of Nathan the prophet's severe judgment upon David (2 Sam 12:11-12) for his earlier sins of adultery and murder. Thus, what appears as Absalom's strategic cruelty simultaneously reveals God's righteous sovereignty, using the rebellion of a wicked son as an instrument of divine consequence. The "tent on the roof" underscores the calculated publicity of David's shame and Absalom's defiance, sealing his fate as an enemy of his father and, implicitly, of God's chosen king.