2 Samuel 16:8

8 The LORD has paid you back for all the blood of Saul's family, in whose place you rule, and the LORD has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You are in this trouble because you are a murderer!"

2 Samuel 16:8 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 16:8

The Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of
Saul
Which he would suggest was shed by David, or, however, that he was the cause of its being shed; as if he had stirred up the Philistines to that battle in which Saul and his sons were slain, and had an hand secretly in the deaths of Ishbosheth and Abner, all which were false insinuations; and it may be the seven sons of Saul before this time, though after related, were delivered into the hands of the Gibeonites to be hanged, to which respect may be had:

in whose stead thou hast reigned;
not by right, but by usurpation he suggests:

and the Lord hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy
son;
in this he seems to contradict himself; for if David had got the kingdom by usurpation, it would rather have, been delivered by the Lord into the hand of one of Saul's family, and not of David's:

and behold, thou [art taken] in thy mischief;
punished for his sins; the mischief he had brought on others was retaliated to him:

because thou [art] a bloody man;
guilty of slaying, as the Targum of shedding innocent blood, and so worthy of death.

2 Samuel 16:8 In-Context

6 He threw rocks at David and at all of King David's servants, even though the entire army and all the warriors were on either side of him.
7 This is what Shimei said as he cursed David: "Get out of here! Get out of here! You are a murderer! You are despicable!
8 The LORD has paid you back for all the blood of Saul's family, in whose place you rule, and the LORD has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You are in this trouble because you are a murderer!"
9 Zeruiah's son Abishai said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my master the king? Let me go over and cut his head off!"
10 But the king said, "My problems aren't yours, you sons of Zeruiah. If he is cursing because the LORD told him to curse David, then who is to question, ‘Why are you doing this?'"
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