The Meaning of 2 Samuel 14:7 Explained

2 Samuel 14:7

KJV: And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.

YLT: and lo, the whole family hath risen against thy maid-servant, and say, Give up him who smiteth his brother, and we put him to death for the life of his brother whom he hath slain, and we destroy also the heir; and they have quenched my coal which is left -- so as not to set to my husband a name and remnant on the face of the ground.'

Darby: And behold, the whole family is risen against thy bondmaid, and they say, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may put him to death, for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also: so they will quench my coal which is left, and will not leave to my husband a name or remnant on the earth.

ASV: And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they say, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew, and so destroy the heir also. Thus will they quench my coal which is left, and will leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And, behold, the whole family  is risen  against thine handmaid,  and they said,  Deliver  him that smote  his brother,  that we may kill  him, for the life  of his brother  whom he slew;  and we will destroy  the heir  also: and so they shall quench  my coal  which is left,  and shall not leave  to my husband  [neither] name  nor remainder  upon  the earth. 

What does 2 Samuel 14:7 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 14:7 mean?

Now has risen up whole the family against your maidservant and they said Deliver - him who struck his brother that we may execute him for the life of his brother whom he killed and we will destroy also the heir so they would extinguish my ember that is left and [neither] - leave to my husband name nor remnant on on the earth -
וְהִנֵּה֩ קָ֨מָה כָֽל־ הַמִּשְׁפָּחָ֜ה עַל־ שִׁפְחָתֶ֗ךָ וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ תְּנִ֣י ׀ אֶת־ מַכֵּ֣ה אָחִ֗יו וּנְמִתֵ֙הוּ֙ בְּנֶ֤פֶשׁ אָחִיו֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָרָ֔ג וְנַשְׁמִ֖ידָה גַּ֣ם הַיּוֹרֵ֑שׁ וְכִבּ֗וּ גַּֽחַלְתִּי֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִשְׁאָ֔רָה לְבִלְתִּ֧י [שום־] (שִׂים־) לְאִישִׁ֛י שֵׁ֥ם וּשְׁאֵרִ֖ית עַל־ פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָֽה פ

וְהִנֵּה֩  Now 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
קָ֨מָה  has  risen  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
כָֽל־  whole 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַמִּשְׁפָּחָ֜ה  the  family 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִשְׁפָּחָה  
Sense: clan, family.
עַל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
שִׁפְחָתֶ֗ךָ  your  maidservant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: שִׁפְחָה  
Sense: maid, maid-servant, slavegirl.
וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙  and  they  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
תְּנִ֣י ׀  Deliver 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
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.
מַכֵּ֣ה  him  who  struck 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular construct
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
אָחִ֗יו  his  brother 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
וּנְמִתֵ֙הוּ֙  that  we  may  execute  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual, first person common plural, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
בְּנֶ֤פֶשׁ  for  the  life 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
אָחִיו֙  of  his  brother 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הָרָ֔ג  he  killed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָרַג  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand.
וְנַשְׁמִ֖ידָה  and  we  will  destroy 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common plural
Root: שָׁמַד  
Sense: to destroy, exterminate, be destroyed, be exterminated.
גַּ֣ם  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
הַיּוֹרֵ֑שׁ  the  heir 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָרַשׁ  
Sense: to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir.
וְכִבּ֗וּ  so  they  would  extinguish 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: כָּבָה  
Sense: to quench, put out, be put out, be quenched, be extinguished.
גַּֽחַלְתִּי֙  my  ember 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: גַּחַל 
Sense: coal, burning coal, coals of fire, hot coals.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
נִשְׁאָ֔רָה  is  left 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁאַר  
Sense: to remain, be left over, be left behind.
לְבִלְתִּ֧י  and  [neither] 
Parse: Preposition-l
Root: בִּלְתִּי  
Sense: not, except adv.
[שום־]  - 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
(שִׂים־)  leave 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
לְאִישִׁ֛י  to  my  husband 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
שֵׁ֥ם  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
וּשְׁאֵרִ֖ית  nor  remnant 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁאֵרִית  
Sense: rest, residue, remainder, remnant.
הָאֲדָמָֽה  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֲדָמָה 
Sense: ground, land.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation