2 Samuel 14:17

17 I said to myself that your promise, sir, would make me safe, because the king is like God's angel and can distinguish good from evil. May the Lord your God be with you!" ¹

2 Samuel 14:17 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 14:17

Then thine handmaid said, the word of my lord the king shall
now be comfortable
Or, "for rest" ^F17; what will give ease and satisfaction not only to her, but to all the people of Israel, when they shall hear of the king's intention and resolution to bring back Absalom:

for as an angel of God, so [is] my lord the king;
as they are very wise, knowing, and understanding creatures, so was David:

to discern good and bad;
to hear both the one and the other, and to discern the difference between them, and choose and pursue what is right, as in all other things, so in the present case:

therefore the Lord thy God shall be with thee;
as to counsel and advise, so to assist in performance, and to prosper and succeed; the Targum is,

``the Word of the Lord thy God shall be for thine help.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 (hxnml) "ad requiem", Pagninus, Montanus; "ad tranquillitatem", Tigurine version; "ad quietem", Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

2 Samuel 14:17 In-Context

15 Now, Your Majesty, the reason I have come to speak to you is that the people threatened me, and so I said to myself that I would speak to you in the hope that you would do what I ask.

16 I thought you would listen to me and save me from the one who is trying to kill my son and me and so remove us from the land God gave his people.

17 I said to myself that your promise, sir, would make me safe, because the king is like God's angel and can distinguish good from evil. May the Lord your God be with you!"

18 The king answered, "I'm going to ask you a question, and you must tell me the whole truth." "Ask me anything, Your Majesty," she answered.

19 "Did Joab put you up to this?" he asked her. She answered, "I swear by all that is sacred, Your Majesty, that there is no way to avoid answering your question. It was indeed your officer Joab who told me what to do and what to say.

Cross References

• 1. 14.17 2 Samuel 19.27.

Footnotes

• [a]. can distinguish good from evil; [or] knows everything.