2 Samuel 14:3

3 Then go to the king and tell him the story I am about to tell you.” Then Joab told her what to say.

2 Samuel 14:3 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 14:3

And come to the king
At his palace, in the above condition and circumstances:

and speak on this manner unto him;
something to the following purpose he dictated to her:

so Joab put the words in her mouth;
the substance of what she should say; the fable she was to deliver as her own case might be framed by Joab, and which she delivered word for word exactly as he put it, and the application of it; but as he knew not what questions the king would ask her, so he could not dictate to her what to reply, unless he supposed this and the other, and so formed answers; but this he left to her prudence, and for the sake of which he chose a wise woman to manage this affair.

2 Samuel 14:3 In-Context

1 Joab realized how much the king longed to see Absalom.

2 So he sent for a woman from Tekoa who had a reputation for great wisdom. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning; wear mourning clothes and don’t put on lotions. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time.

3 Then go to the king and tell him the story I am about to tell you.” Then Joab told her what to say.

4 When the woman from Tekoa approached the king, she bowed with her face to the ground in deep respect and cried out, “O king! Help me!”

5 “What’s the trouble?” the king asked. “Alas, I am a widow!” she replied. “My husband is dead.