The Meaning of 2 Samuel 14:11 Explained

2 Samuel 14:11

KJV: Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.

YLT: And she saith, 'Let, I pray thee, the king remember by Jehovah thy God, that the redeemer of blood add not to destroy, and they destroy not my son;' and he saith, 'Jehovah liveth; if there doth fall of the hair of thy son to the earth.'

Darby: Then she said, I pray thee, let the king remember Jehovah thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they cut off my son. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.

ASV: Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember Jehovah thy God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then said  she, I pray thee, let the king  remember  the LORD  thy God,  that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers  of blood  to destroy  any more,  lest they destroy  my son.  And he said,  [As] the LORD  liveth,  there shall not one hair  of thy son  fall  to the earth. 

What does 2 Samuel 14:11 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 14:1-17 - Joab's Plea For The Fugitive
Joab had ends of his own to serve in securing the return of Absalom. Were the two sworn together to hatch a great plot? Or was Absalom shrewdly using Joab to advance his own selfish interests? David hesitated. If he recalled Absalom without punishment, the foundations of law and order would be shaken throughout the kingdom. Joab saw that in some way he must satisfy this natural conflict in the royal mind; and it was for this purpose that he summoned from Tekoa, a village twelve miles south of Jerusalem, this woman of unusual intelligence. By an apt parable she showed that on occasions even murder might be condoned.
In her discourse she dropped the golden sentence that even God devises means that His banished be not expelled. Yes, God has devised means, but how much they cost! In David's case there was no attempt to meet the demands of a broken law, but God's means include this. In the person of the Son of His love, He has satisfied the demands of law and honored them by Jesus' obedience unto the death of the Cross! He is just and the Justifier! Righteousness and peace kissed each other at the cross of Jesus. See Psalms 85:10. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 14

1  Joab, suborning a widow of Tekoah to incline the king's heart to fetch Absalom,
21  brings him home to Jerusalem
25  Absalom's beauty, hair, and children
28  After two years, Absalom is brought into the king's presence by Joab

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 14:11 mean?

And she said let remember please the king - Yahweh your God - and do not permit anymore the avenger of blood to destroy and lest they destroy my son And he said [As] lives Yahweh not shall fall one hair of your son to the ground
וַתֹּאמֶר֩ יִזְכָּר־ נָ֨א הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֶת־ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ [מהרבית] (מֵהַרְבַּ֞ת) גֹּאֵ֤ל הַדָּם֙ לְשַׁחֵ֔ת וְלֹ֥א יַשְׁמִ֖ידוּ בְּנִ֑י וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ חַי־ יְהוָ֔ה אִם־ יִפֹּ֛ל מִשַּׂעֲרַ֥ת בְּנֵ֖ךְ אָֽרְצָה

וַתֹּאמֶר֩  And  she  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יִזְכָּר־  let  remember 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: זָכַר 
Sense: to remember, recall, call to mind.
נָ֨א  please 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
[מהרבית]  - 
Parse: Preposition-m, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
(מֵהַרְבַּ֞ת)  and  do  not  permit  anymore 
Parse: Preposition-m, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: הַרְבָּה 
Sense: be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous.
גֹּאֵ֤ל  the  avenger 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct
Root: גְּאוּלִים 
Sense: to redeem, act as kinsman-redeemer, avenge, revenge, ransom, do the part of a kinsman.
הַדָּם֙  of  blood 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.
לְשַׁחֵ֔ת  to  destroy 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁחַת  
Sense: to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay.
וְלֹ֥א  and  lest 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יַשְׁמִ֖ידוּ  they  destroy 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַד  
Sense: to destroy, exterminate, be destroyed, be exterminated.
בְּנִ֑י  my  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙  And  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
חַי־  [As]  lives 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
יִפֹּ֛ל  shall  fall 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
מִשַּׂעֲרַ֥ת  one  hair 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שַׂעֲרָה  
Sense: a single hair.
בְּנֵ֖ךְ  of  your  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אָֽרְצָה  to  the  ground 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.