The Meaning of 2 Samuel 20:15 Explained

2 Samuel 20:15

KJV: And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.

YLT: and they go in and lay siege against him, in Abel of Beth-Maachah, and cast up a mount against the city, and it standeth in a trench, and all the people who are are with Joab are destroying, to cause the wall to fall.

Darby: And they came and besieged him in Abel-Beth-Maacah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it was raised in the trench; and all the people that were with Joab sapped the wall, to throw it down.

ASV: And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maacah, and they cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart; and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.

Discover 2 Samuel 20:15

CONTEXT: What is the Context of 2 Samuel 20:15?

MEANING: What does 2 Samuel 20:15 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 20:15 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in 2 Samuel 20:15?

What is the context of 2 Samuel 20:15?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that [were] with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.

What does 2 Samuel 20:15 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 20:14-26 - One Head Saves Many

This wise woman, by her intervention, saved many lives, and reminds us of the value of presence of mind in a great crisis. She gave Joab to understand, first, that he ought to have given the inhabitants of Abel the opportunity of saying whether or not they intended to fight for Sheba, Deuteronomy 20:10, etc.; and, secondly, that he ought to have taken into account the peaceableness and fidelity of the citizens of that city. A great deal of misunderstanding and bloodshed would be prevented if contending parties would only confer with each other. There is crying and universal need for boards of compulsory arbitration.

Sheba's head saved the city. Bishop Hall says: "Spiritually the case is ours; every man's breast is a city enclosed; every sin is a traitor that lurks within the walls. If we love the head of one traitor above the life of our soul, we shall justly perish. We cannot be more willing to part with our sin than our merciful God is to withdraw His judgments." Oh, that every reader of these lines would heed the command of the Savior, Matthew 5:29-30, so as to enter into everlasting life! [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 20

¹ By occasion of the quarrel, Sheba rebels in Israel
³ David's ten concubines are put in confinement for life
⁴ Amasa, made captain over Judah, is slain by Joab
¹⁴ Joab pursues Sheba to Abel
¹⁶ A wise woman saves the city by Sheba's head
²³ David's officers

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 20:15 mean?

And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth Maachah and they cast up a siege mound against the city and it stood by the rampart and all the people who [were] with Joab battered to throw it down The wall

וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ וַיָּצֻ֣רוּ עָלָ֗יו בְּאָבֵ֙לָה֙ בֵּ֣ית הַֽמַּעֲכָ֔ה וַיִּשְׁפְּכ֤וּ סֹֽלְלָה֙ אֶל־ הָעִ֔יר וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֖ד בַּחֵ֑ל וְכָל־ הָעָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶת־ יוֹאָ֔ב מַשְׁחִיתִ֖ם לְהַפִּ֥יל הַחוֹמָֽה

וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ	And they came
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural Root: בֹּוא Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
וַיָּצֻ֣רוּ	and besieged
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural Root: צוּר Sense: to bind, besiege, confine, cramp.
בְּאָבֵ֙לָה֙	in Abel
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular Root: אָבֵל Sense: city in northern Israel near Bethmaachah.
הַֽמַּעֲכָ֔ה	Beth Maachah
Parse: Preposition, Proper Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular Root: בֵּית מַעֲכָה Sense: a place in the northern kingdom.
וַיִּשְׁפְּכ֤וּ	and they cast up
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural Root: שֶׂפֶק Sense: to pour, pour out, spill.
סֹֽלְלָה֙	a siege mound
Parse: Noun, feminine singular Root: סׄלְלָה Sense: mound.
אֶל־	against
Parse: Preposition Root: אֶל Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הָעִ֔יר	the city
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular Root: עִיר Sense: excitement, anguish.
וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֖ד	and it stood
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular Root: עָמַד Sense: to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand.
בַּחֵ֑ל	by the rampart
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular Root: חֵיל Sense: rampart, fortress, wall.
וְכָל־	and all
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct Root: כֹּל Sense: all, the whole.
הָעָם֙	the people
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular Root: עַם Sense: nation, people.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר	who [were]
Parse: Pronoun, relative Root: אֲשֶׁר Sense: (relative part.).
יוֹאָ֔ב	Joab
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יׄואָב Sense: son of David’s sister Zeruiah and general of David’s army.
מַשְׁחִיתִ֖ם	battered
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine plural Root: שָׁחַת Sense: to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay.
לְהַפִּ֥יל	to throw it down
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct Root: נָפַל Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
הַחוֹמָֽה	The wall
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular Root: חֹומָה Sense: wall.

What are the major concepts related to 2 Samuel 20:15?

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