The Meaning of 2 Samuel 13:23 Explained

2 Samuel 13:23

KJV: And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king's sons.

YLT: And it cometh to pass, after two years of days, that Absalom hath shearers in Baal-Hazor, which is with Ephraim, and Absalom calleth for all the sons of the king.

Darby: And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal-Hazor, which is beside Ephraim; and Absalom invited all the king's sons.

ASV: And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheep-shearers in Baal-hazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king's sons.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it came to pass after two full  years,  that Absalom  had sheepshearers  in Baalhazor,  which [is] beside Ephraim:  and Absalom  invited  all the king's  sons. 

What does 2 Samuel 13:23 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 13:15-27 - Absalom Executes Judgment
When men yield to irregular passion, they go from one extreme to the other-from wicked love to wicked hate. If women would but realize this, how often it would save them from lives of misery. To yield to a man's impulse is not to secure his loyalty, but to alienate and perhaps destroy it.
Absalom was Tamar's own brother and, since her father had failed her, was therefore her natural protector. Recommending her to hold her peace, Absalom quietly awaited a suitable opportunity for wreaking vengeance; but she, poor girl, had to face a blighted life. The crime of her betrayal would hang over it as a dark cloud which even the vengeance that Absalom was about to take could never remove. How many myriads of girls have had to face the same sad lot!
It was David's duty, as her father, to punish the evildoer. The law enjoined the penalty of death for such an offense, Leviticus 18:9; Leviticus 18:29. But David's hands were not clean. He had himself incurred the same penalty, and could not condemn in another what he had condoned in himself. Besides this, the Septuagint adds, "he loved Amnon, because he was his first-born." How tortuous are the ways of sin! [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 13

1  Amnon loving Tamar, by Jonadab's counsel feigning himself sick, ravishes her
15  He hates her, and shamefully turns her away
19  Absalom entertains her, and conceals his purpose
23  At a sheep-shearing among all the king's sons, he kills Amnon
31  David grieving at the news, is comforted by Jonadab
37  Absalom flies to Talmai at Geshur

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 13:23 mean?

And it came to pass after two full years that had sheepshearers Absalom in Baal Hazor which [is] near Ephraim so invited Absalom all sons of the king
וַֽיְהִי֙ לִשְׁנָתַ֣יִם יָמִ֔ים וַיִּהְי֤וּ גֹֽזְזִים֙ לְאַבְשָׁל֔וֹם בְּבַ֥עַל חָצ֖וֹר אֲשֶׁ֣ר עִם־ אֶפְרָ֑יִם וַיִּקְרָ֥א אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם לְכָל־ בְּנֵ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ

וַֽיְהִי֙  And  it  came  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
לִשְׁנָתַ֣יִם  after  two 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, fd
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
יָמִ֔ים  full  years 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
וַיִּהְי֤וּ  that  had 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
גֹֽזְזִים֙  sheepshearers 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: גָּזַז  
Sense: to shear, mow.
לְאַבְשָׁל֔וֹם  Absalom 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲבִישָׁלֹום 
Sense: father-in-law of Rehoboam.
חָצ֖וֹר  Baal  Hazor 
Parse: Preposition, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בַּעַל חָצֹור  
Sense: a town on the border between Ephraim and Benjamin, apparent location of a sheep farm of Absalom and location of Amnon’s murder.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  which  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
עִם־  near 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
אֶפְרָ֑יִם  Ephraim 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶפְרַיִם  
Sense: second son of Joseph, blessed by him and given preference over first son, Manasseh.
וַיִּקְרָ֥א  so  invited 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
אַבְשָׁל֖וֹם  Absalom 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲבִישָׁלֹום 
Sense: father-in-law of Rehoboam.
בְּנֵ֥י  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הַמֶּֽלֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.