The Meaning of 2 Samuel 11:20 Explained

2 Samuel 11:20

KJV: And if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?

YLT: then, it hath been, if the king's fury ascend, and he hath said to thee, Wherefore did ye draw nigh unto the city to fight? did ye not know that they shoot from off the wall?

Darby: and if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say to thee, Why did ye go so near to the city to fight? did ye not know that they would shoot from the wall?

ASV: it shall be that, if the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore went ye so nigh unto the city to fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And if so be that the king's  wrath  arise,  and he say  unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh  unto the city  when ye did fight?  knew  ye not that they would shoot  from the wall? 

What does 2 Samuel 11:20 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 11:14-27 - Adding Blood-Guiltiness To Adultery
Joab must have smiled grimly to himself when he received his master's letter. "This king of ours can sing psalms with the best, but I have to do his dirty work. He wants to rid himself of Uriah-I wonder why? Well, I'll help him to it. At any rate, he will not be able to talk to me about Abner!" 2 Samuel 3:27. It is an awful thing when the servants of God give the enemy such occasion to blaspheme.
Uriah was set in the battle-line and left to die. The king was duly notified and, on hearing the news, must have given a sigh of relief. The child could be born under cover of lawful wedlock. There was, however, a fatal flaw in the whole arrangement: The thing that David had done displeased the Lord. David and the world would hear of it again. But, oh, the bitter sorrow, that he who had spoken of walking in his house with a perfect heart, who had so great a faculty for divine fellowship, should have fallen into this double sin! The psalmist, king, lover of God-all trampled in the mud by one passionate act of self-indulgence! [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 11

1  While Joab besieges Rabbah, David commits adultery with Bathsheba
6  Uriah, sent for by David to cover the adultery, would not go home
14  He carries to Joab the letter of his death
18  Joab sends the news thereof to David
26  David takes Bathsheba as his wife

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 11:20 mean?

and it happens that if rises wrath of the king and he says to you why did you approach so near to the city when you fought did not you know - that they would shoot from the wall
וְהָיָ֗ה אִֽם־ תַּעֲלֶה֙ חֲמַ֣ת הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וְאָמַ֣ר לְךָ֔ מַדּ֛וּעַ נִגַּשְׁתֶּ֥ם אֶל־ הָעִ֖יר ؟ לְהִלָּחֵ֑ם הֲל֣וֹא יְדַעְתֶּ֔ם אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־ יֹר֖וּ מֵעַ֥ל ؟ הַחוֹמָֽה

וְהָיָ֗ה  and  it  happens  that 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
תַּעֲלֶה֙  rises 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
חֲמַ֣ת  wrath 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: חֵמָא 
Sense: heat, rage, hot displeasure, indignation, anger, wrath, poison, bottles.
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
וְאָמַ֣ר  and  he  says 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לְךָ֔  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
מַדּ֛וּעַ  why 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: מַדּוּעַ  
Sense: why?, on what account?, wherefore?.
נִגַּשְׁתֶּ֥ם  did  you  approach  so  near 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: נָגַשׁ  
Sense: to draw near, approach.
הָעִ֖יר  the  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
؟ לְהִלָּחֵ֑ם  when  you  fought 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Nifal, Infinitive construct
Root: לָחַם 
Sense: to fight, do battle, make war.
הֲל֣וֹא  did  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יְדַעְתֶּ֔ם  you  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
אֵ֥ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אֲשֶׁר־  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יֹר֖וּ  they  would  shoot 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יׄורֶה 
Sense: to throw, shoot, cast, pour.
؟ הַחוֹמָֽה  the  wall 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֹומָה  
Sense: wall.

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