2 Samuel 14:11

11 Then she said, "Please let the king remember the LORD your God, ¹so that the avenger of blood will not continue to destroy, otherwise they will destroy my son." And he said, "²As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground."

2 Samuel 14:11 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 14:11

Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the Lord thy
God
Who is a God gracious and merciful, and imitate him in showing mercy to the distressed; pitying their case, having compassion upon them, and relieving them, as she hoped he would commiserate her case, and provide for the safety of her son. Some think she desires not only to give his word, but his oath, for her son's safety: "remember the Lord thy God"; i.e. make mention of him, as men do when they swear by him; swear to me by the Lord thy God:

that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any
more, lest they destroy my son,
or, "from multiplying the avenger of blood" ^F15; that there might not rise one after another to destroy her son: her meaning is, that the king would swear to her, and give out a general prohibition, an universal edict, that no one should slay her son; otherwise if only the avenger of blood that was next of kin was forbidden, others would rise up one after another, so that he would never be in safety:

and he said, [as] the Lord liveth;
if she desired an oath, he granted her request, and swore by the living God:

there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth;
so far shall his life be from being touched, or taken away, that the least hurt shall not be done him, as this proverbial expression signifies.

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FOOTNOTES:

F15 (Mdh lag twbrhm) "a multiplicando redemptorem sanguinis", Montanus; so the Tigurine version.

2 Samuel 14:11 In-Context

9 The woman of Tekoa said to the king, "O my lord , the king, the iniquity is on me and my father's house, but the king and his throne are guiltless."

10 So the king said, "Whoever speaks to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you anymore ."

11 Then she said, "Please let the king remember the LORD your God, so that the avenger of blood will not continue to destroy, otherwise they will destroy my son." And he said, "As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground."

12 Then the woman said, "Please let your maidservant speak a word to my lord the king." And he said, "Speak."

13 The woman said, "Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.

Cross References

• 1. Numbers 35:19, 21; Deuteronomy 19:4-10
• 2. 1 Samuel 14:45; 1 Kings 1:52; Matthew 10:30