2 Samuel 20 3

2 Samuel 20:3 kjv

And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

2 Samuel 20:3 nkjv

Now David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women, his concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in seclusion and supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.

2 Samuel 20:3 niv

When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them but had no sexual relations with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows.

2 Samuel 20:3 esv

And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to care for the house and put them in a house under guard and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood.

2 Samuel 20:3 nlt

When David came to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to look after the palace and placed them in seclusion. Their needs were provided for, but he no longer slept with them. So each of them lived like a widow until she died.

2 Samuel 20 verses

2 Samuel 20 3 Meaning

David's return to Jerusalem following Absalom's rebellion reveals a profound consequence for his ten concubines. These women, whom Absalom had publicly violated to assert his claim to the throne and dishonor his father, were effectively placed in a state of permanent isolation. While they were provided for, David no longer had conjugal relations with them, symbolizing their state of perpetual defilement and societal unfitness within the royal household. They lived as "living widows," a status of significant sorrow and social ambiguity. This decision by David reflected both the extreme shame incurred by Absalom's actions and David's complex response, navigating political necessity, personal anguish, and the patriarchal customs of the time.

2 Samuel 20 3 Context

Following Absalom's defeat and death, David is returning to reclaim his throne in Jerusalem. Chapter 20 specifically details the ensuing power struggles and residual rebellions, particularly the uprising led by Sheba son of Bichri. Upon his arrival in Jerusalem, David's first order of business (prior to engaging fully with the ongoing political turmoil) is to address a deeply personal and public wound: the defilement of his ten concubines by Absalom (recounted in 2 Samuel 16:21-22). This act was a deliberate public desecration meant to establish Absalom's irreversible claim to the throne and irrevocably shame his father, as going in to the king's concubines was tantamount to claiming kingship. David's action in 2 Samuel 20:3 is his direct response to this profound violation, indicating the lasting and personal consequences of his son's rebellion, deeply intertwined with the royal dignity and household honor.

2 Samuel 20 3 Word Analysis

• And David came to his house at Jerusalem:

  • David (דָּוִיד - Dawid): The anointed king of Israel, now returning to his capital after a period of flight and civil war. His return symbolizes restoration of the kingdom, yet this verse highlights a lingering personal brokenness.
  • his house (בֵּיתוֹ - beito): Refers to his royal palace, symbolizing his established dwelling and seat of power, yet now it holds a stark reminder of deep personal and familial disgrace.
  • at Jerusalem (בִּירוּשָׁלִַם - Birushalayim): The capital city, meant to be a place of stability and divine dwelling, now becomes the site where profound internal family defilement is addressed.

• and the king took the ten women his concubines:

  • the king (הַמֶּלֶךְ - hammēleḵ): Emphasizes David's royal authority and responsibility in this decision, even concerning a domestic matter of such gravity.
  • took (וַיִּקַּח - vayyiqqaḥ): Signifies an authoritative action, taking possession or seizing control, not just gathering.
  • ten women (עֶשֶׂר נָשִׁים - 'eser nashim): The specific number, emphasizing the extent of Absalom's public and extensive defilement, which implicated a significant portion of David's domestic sphere.
  • his concubines (פִּילַגְשִׁים - pilagsim): A pilegesh was a secondary wife, possessing legal marital status and rights, though lower than a primary wife. They were part of the royal household and symbolically crucial to the king's dominion and succession. Their defilement was a direct attack on David's honor and royal claim.

• whom he had left to keep the house:

  • left (הִנִּיחַ - hinniakh): Implying a trust or assignment, as he departed from Jerusalem before Absalom. They were entrusted with the care of the palace, underscoring their innocent victim status in the public transgression.

• and put them in a house of detention, and provided for them from there:

  • house of detention (בֵּית מִשְׁמֶרֶת - beit mishmeret): Lit. "house of guarding" or "house of watch." This was not necessarily a harsh prison for punishment, but a place of segregation, observation, or confinement. It indicates separation, isolating them from public view and from David's main household, but also offering a measure of protection and controlled living.
  • provided for them (וַיְכַלְכֵּלֵם - vaykalkēlēm): From the root kul, meaning "to sustain," "to support." David ensured their material well-being, acknowledging their rightful provision despite their isolation, and demonstrating a nuanced act combining a form of mercy with societal and personal distance.

• but did not go in to them; so they were shut up until the day of their death, living as widows:

  • did not go in to them (לֹא בָּא אֲלֵיהֶם - lo ba aleihem): "To go in" is a common biblical idiom for sexual intercourse (e.g., Gen 16:2). This explicit denial signifies the permanent cessation of their marital/conjugal relationship with David due to their public defilement. This physical separation and sexual abstinence was a primary consequence.
  • shut up (סְגוּרֹת - segurot): Implies permanent confinement, sealed off from external contact, mirroring their spiritual and social "death."
  • until the day of their death (עַד יוֹם מוֹתָן - 'ad yom motan): Emphasizes the permanence and finality of their condition; a life sentence of seclusion.
  • living as widows (אֵשׁוֹת אַלְמָנוּת - 'eshot almanut): Lit. "wives of widowhood." This poignant phrase signifies their ambiguous status. They were technically still David's wives/concubines, thus not actual widows, but they experienced the social and relational realities of widowhood: loss of conjugal relationship, cessation of producing heirs, and a certain societal marginalization, though under the care of the king. It underscores the profound and irreversible nature of their defilement in the patriarchal structure.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "put them in a house of detention... but did not go in to them... living as widows": These phrases together highlight a physical separation paired with a relational and social nullification. Their dwelling became a constant reminder of defilement, sealing them off from any further integration into David's life, and granting them a unique and tragic form of "living death." This illustrates the complex interplay of honor, purity, political reality, and personal consequence in ancient Israelite society following a grievous violation.

2 Samuel 20 3 Bonus section

David's action, while seemingly harsh by modern standards, reflects the difficult position he was in within the cultural framework of his time. To fully reinstate these concubines would have been perceived as condoning Absalom's defilement, further weakening his reclaimed authority and potentially challenging the purity laws understood by the people. Thus, his decision to keep them secluded yet provide for them was a socio-political necessity as much as a personal response to immense trauma. This state of "living widowhood" illustrates the devastating effect of intergenerational sin and prophetic judgment within a patriarchal system. While David could not restore what was broken, he ensured their survival, acknowledging their passive suffering in this profound tragedy.

2 Samuel 20 3 Commentary

2 Samuel 20:3 encapsulates the bitter fruit of sin, specifically the public violation by Absalom that fulfilled Nathan's prophecy against David (2 Sam 12:11). David's treatment of these concubines, though perhaps intended to spare their lives, reveals the deep and lasting scar left on his royal household and personal honor. Placing them in a "house of detention" with ongoing provision but without conjugal relations served multiple purposes: it removed a source of continuous shame, prevented David from benefiting from a relationship that was publicly defiled, and upheld a standard of royal purity, albeit in a tragically limited way for the women involved. They became "living widows," a profound state of being. Their lives were neither of fully recognized marriage nor full independence, suspended in a state of isolated maintenance. This verse stands as a poignant reminder that even when the initial offense is forgiven or the perpetrator vanquished, the repercussions of sin, especially those that touch deeply societal and familial norms, can cast long, irreversible shadows, leading to permanent social and relational consequences for those involved.