The Meaning of 2 Samuel 20:3 Explained

2 Samuel 20:3

KJV: And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

YLT: And David cometh in unto his house at Jerusalem, and the king taketh the ten women-concubines -- whom he had left to keep the house, and putteth them in a house of ward, and sustaineth them, and unto them he hath not gone in, and they are shut up unto the day of their death, in widowhood living.

Darby: And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women, concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in a house of confinement and maintained them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

ASV: And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and provided them with sustenance, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And David  came  to his house  at Jerusalem;  and the king  took  the ten  women  [his] concubines,  whom he had left  to keep  the house,  and put  them in ward,  and fed  them, but went not in  unto them. So they were shut up  unto the day  of their death,  living  in widowhood. 

What does 2 Samuel 20:3 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 20:1-13 - Pursuing Another Rebel
Like Shimei, Sheba belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. The old Saul-faction was always breaking out in rebellion, and Nathan's prediction that the sword would never cease from David's house was literally fulfilled. We must always watch against the return of our old sins.
Amasa's appointment was a mistake. He had already proved his incompetence under Absalom, and now his delay threatened disaster. David had chosen him only because he wished, at any cost, to rid himself of Joab. He could not forgive that general for slaying Absalom. The proud spirit of the old leader, however, would not brook the division of the military command, and Joab treated Amasa as he had treated Abner. An attempt was afterward made to justify the deed by casting suspicion on Amasa's loyalty. See 2 Samuel 20:11. But jealousy will catch at a straw to justify its crimes.
We turn from these deeds of blood, mindful that the heart of man is still capable of them. We are daily taught in the present European crisis, to what lengths men will go. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Only God knows it, only God can cleanse it, and only God can create a clean heart and renew a right spirit. [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 20:3 mean?

And came David to his house at Jerusalem and took the king - ten the women his concubines whom he had left to keep the house and put them in seclusion and supported them but to them not did go in so they were shut up to the day of their death in widowhood living -
וַיָּבֹ֨א דָוִ֣ד אֶל־ בֵּיתוֹ֮ יְרֽוּשָׁלִַם֒ וַיִּקַּ֣ח הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ אֵ֣ת עֶֽשֶׂר־ נָשִׁ֣ים ׀ פִּלַגְשִׁ֡ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר הִנִּיחַ֩ לִשְׁמֹ֨ר הַבַּ֜יִת וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֤ם בֵּית־ מִשְׁמֶ֙רֶת֙ וַֽיְכַלְכְּלֵ֔ם וַאֲלֵיהֶ֖ם לֹא־ בָ֑א וַתִּהְיֶ֧ינָה צְרֻר֛וֹת עַד־ י֥וֹם מֻתָ֖ן אַלְמְנ֥וּת חַיּֽוּת ס

וַיָּבֹ֨א  And  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
דָוִ֣ד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
בֵּיתוֹ֮  his  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יְרֽוּשָׁלִַם֒  at  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
וַיִּקַּ֣ח  and  took 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אֵ֣ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
עֶֽשֶׂר־  ten 
Parse: Number, feminine singular construct
Root: עֶשֶׂר 
Sense: ten.
נָשִׁ֣ים ׀  the  women 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
פִּלַגְשִׁ֡ים  his  concubines 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: פִּלֶגֶשׁ  
Sense: concubine, paramour.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הִנִּיחַ֩  he  had  left 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מֻנָּח  
Sense: to rest.
לִשְׁמֹ֨ר  to  keep 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁמַר  
Sense: to keep, guard, observe, give heed.
הַבַּ֜יִת  the  house 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֤ם  and  put  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
מִשְׁמֶ֙רֶת֙  seclusion 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִשְׁמֶרֶת  
Sense: guard, charge, function, obligation, service, watch.
וַֽיְכַלְכְּלֵ֔ם  and  supported  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: כּוּל  
Sense: to seize, contain, measure.
וַאֲלֵיהֶ֖ם  but  to  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
בָ֑א  did  go  in 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
וַתִּהְיֶ֧ינָה  so  they  were 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
צְרֻר֛וֹת  shut  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, feminine plural
Root: צָרַר 
Sense: to bind, be narrow, be in distress, make narrow, cause distress, besiege, be straitened, be bound.
י֥וֹם  the  day  of 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
מֻתָ֖ן  their  death 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person feminine plural
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
אַלְמְנ֥וּת  in  widowhood 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אַלְמָנוּת  
Sense: widowhood.
חַיּֽוּת  living 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חַיּוּת  
Sense: living.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation

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