2 Samuel 19:8 kjv
Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent.
2 Samuel 19:8 nkjv
Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And they told all the people, saying, "There is the king, sitting in the gate." So all the people came before the king. For everyone of Israel had fled to his tent.
2 Samuel 19:8 niv
So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, "The king is sitting in the gateway," they all came before him. Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled to their homes.
2 Samuel 19:8 esv
Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate. And the people were all told, "Behold, the king is sitting in the gate." And all the people came before the king. David Returns to Jerusalem Now Israel had fled every man to his own home.
2 Samuel 19:8 nlt
So the king went out and took his seat at the town gate, and as the news spread throughout the town that he was there, everyone went to him. Meanwhile, the Israelites who had supported Absalom fled to their homes.
2 Samuel 19 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 17:18-19 | "...he shall write for himself a copy of this law...that he may learn..." | King's duty to uphold law & righteous rule. |
| Deut 21:19 | "Then his father and mother shall take him...to the elders at the gate." | Gate as place for legal judgments. |
| Ruth 4:1 | "Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there..." | Gate as civic center for business and legalities. |
| Prov 31:23 | "Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders." | Importance of leader's public recognition. |
| Amos 5:15 | "Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate..." | Justice administered at the gate. |
| Ps 127:5 | "...shall not be put to shame when they speak with their enemies in the gate." | Gate as public forum for advocacy. |
| 1 Sam 8:1-3 | "...his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after gain..." | Contrast: Unrighteous judges at the gate. |
| Neh 8:1 | "...assembled themselves as one man into the open square before the Water Gate..." | People gathering at gate for divine word. |
| Zech 8:16 | "These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another... execute in your gates justice..." | Call for truth and justice at the gate. |
| Isa 1:26 | "And I will restore your judges as at the first..." | Restoration of righteous leadership. |
| Lam 5:14 | "Elders have ceased from the gate, young men from their music." | Desolation and lack of leadership. |
| Job 29:7 | "When I went out to the gate of the city, when I prepared my seat in the public square..." | Esteem for those who dispense justice publicly. |
| 2 Sam 15:2-6 | "Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate...said, 'Oh that I were judge in the land!'" | Absalom's usurpation of justice at the gate. |
| Jer 17:19 | "Thus said the Lord to me: 'Go and stand in the People's Gate..." | Prophet's call to public proclamation. |
| Jer 26:10 | "When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king's house to the house of the Lord and sat at the entrance of the New Gate..." | Officials gathering at temple gate. |
| Ex 18:13-26 | "...Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from morning till evening." | Moses' judicial leadership among people. |
| Lk 2:46 | "...after three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers..." | Jesus in a position of authority and teaching. |
| Mt 28:18 | "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'" | Jesus' ultimate divine authority. |
| Jn 10:9 | "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." | Jesus as the ultimate spiritual gate/access. |
| Rev 21:25 | "And its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there." | Accessibility of the Heavenly City (God's presence). |
| Heb 1:3 | "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power." | Christ's sustaining authority. |
| Rom 13:1 | "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God..." | God-ordained authority, for good order. |
2 Samuel 19 verses
2 Samuel 19 8 Meaning
This verse marks David's crucial transition from personal mourning over Absalom's death to actively resuming his royal duties. Encouraged by Joab's counsel, David takes his customary public position at the city gate. This public reappearance signifies his re-engagement with his people and his reign, visibly asserting his leadership and restoring order and confidence among the divided kingdom. The immediate and collective response of "all the people" underscores their deep desire for his visible presence and their readiness to realign themselves with their legitimate king, thus beginning the process of national healing and re-unity.
2 Samuel 19 8 Context
This verse occurs immediately after Absalom's defeat and death (2 Sam 18) and Joab's stern rebuke to King David. David was in deep, private mourning over Absalom, withdrawing from his victorious army and the populace (2 Sam 19:1-4). This caused great dismay and a sense of neglect among the people who had risked their lives for him. Joab confrontationaly challenged David, warning that his continued grief threatened to alienate all his supporters, potentially leading them to abandon him (2 Sam 19:5-7). 2 Samuel 19:8 is David's direct and obedient response to Joab's plea. Historically, the city gate in ancient Israel was far more than an entrance; it was the heart of the community – a place of judicial proceedings, business transactions, public assemblies, and pronouncements. For a king to sit "in the gate" signified his active participation in governance, justice, and his visible accessibility to his subjects, serving as a powerful symbol of restored order and presence after a period of absence or turmoil.
2 Samuel 19 8 Word analysis
- "So the king": Hebrew: melekh (מֶלֶךְ). This refers specifically to David, highlighting his role as the anointed sovereign. It signifies his position of ultimate authority and responsibility for the welfare of the nation. The emphasis is not on David the grieving father but David the public leader.
- "arose": Hebrew: qum (קוּם). This verb implies an active, deliberate movement from a resting or prone position to an upright one. It symbolizes a turning point—David making the conscious choice to emerge from his profound grief and paralysis, indicating a shift from passive sorrow to active duty and re-engagement.
- "and sat": Hebrew: yashav (יָשַׁב). While qum indicates the act of rising, yashav signifies the establishment of a settled position. Sitting at the gate was the traditional posture of one exercising authority, judgment, and dispensing counsel in ancient Near Eastern society. It signifies accessibility, availability for public affairs, and the restoration of normal administrative functions.
- "in the gate": Hebrew: sha'ar (שַׁעַר). This term refers to the city gate, which served as the central public forum. It was the place where judicial matters were settled (Amos 5:15), commercial transactions took place (Ruth 4:1), public pronouncements were made, and elders and leaders convened. David's presence here makes him visibly accessible and signals his return to public governance and justice. It directly contrasts Absalom's earlier usurpation of authority at this very location (2 Sam 15:2-6).
- "And when all the people were told": This phrase highlights the rapid dissemination of news in the ancient world and the deep interest the populace had in the king's actions. It implies an eager anticipation among the people for a sign from their leader.
- "saying, 'Behold, the king is sitting in the gate!'": The exclamation "Behold!" (Hebrew: hinneh, הִנֵּה) emphasizes the striking and significant nature of the king's presence. It draws immediate attention to the visible fact, signaling an important change. This announcement would have brought relief and hope to a disillusioned people.
- "then all the people came before the king": This shows the immediate and unanimous positive response to David's appearance. Their gathering "before the king" signifies allegiance, seeking audience, re-submission to his authority, and the renewal of the communal bond that had been strained by the recent rebellion and the king's retreat.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "So the king arose and sat in the gate": This phrase dramatically portrays David's shift from debilitating personal grief to a public, authoritative stance. The physical act of moving to and sitting in the civic center symbolizes his recommitment to leadership, reclaiming his legitimate place of authority and re-engaging with his kingdom's responsibilities. It is a vital act of self-discipline and kingly resolve.
- "And when all the people were told, saying, 'Behold, the king is sitting in the gate!'": This highlights the immediate communication and perception of David's action. The emphasis on being told and the dramatic 'Behold!' indicates the importance of visible leadership and how swiftly news of the king's accessibility spreads and impacts public morale. It demonstrates the deep yearning of the people for a visible and present monarch.
- "then all the people came before the king": This shows the powerful effect of a leader's visible presence. The people's unanimous and swift assembly signifies the healing of divisions and the restoration of allegiance and confidence in David's kingship. It reflects the kingdom's unity re-established through their shared purpose and focus on their true sovereign.
2 Samuel 19 8 Bonus section
- The re-establishment of the king's presence at the gate also served as a powerful reversal of Absalom's previous strategy. Absalom had shrewdly used the gate to subvert justice and alienate the people from David (2 Sam 15:2-6). By returning to this very place, David symbolically reclaimed the true seat of justice and authority, affirming that legitimate rule was restored.
- This act can be seen as a demonstration of a leader's obligation to transcend personal suffering for the sake of national well-being. David's choice prioritized the needs and stability of his kingdom over his own intense, albeit natural, sorrow, setting a model for selfless leadership.
- The phrase "all the people" coming before the king signifies a re-centering of the kingdom around its God-ordained authority. This communal gathering at the gate not only marked a physical return but a spiritual and political realignment under God's appointed king, paving the way for further reconciliation efforts within Israel.
2 Samuel 19 8 Commentary
2 Samuel 19:8 succinctly captures a critical moment of restoration for the kingdom of Israel. David, driven by Joab's harsh but necessary rebuke, put aside his overwhelming personal grief for his son Absalom and returned to his royal duties. His public presence "in the gate"—the vital hub of community life, justice, and governance—was an unmistakable signal of his active re-engagement. This strategic act reasserted his authority, offered visible assurance to his loyal but dispirited people, and effectively dismantled the sense of abandonment that had pervaded the victorious army. The swift, unified response of the people gathering before him underscores the profound importance of visible, accessible, and engaged leadership in maintaining stability, fostering unity, and rebuilding trust, especially in times of profound crisis. This marked the king's and the nation's turning point toward renewed order and cohesion.