2 Samuel 18:13

13 Si yo me hubiera arriesgado,^[a] me habrían descubierto, pues nada se le escapa al rey; y usted, por su parte, me habría abandonado.

2 Samuel 18:13 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 18:13

Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own
life
Or "soul"; he should not only have exposed his life to danger, but acted falsely to the king, by going contrary to his orders; yea, would have done that which was contrary to his own conscience; and if he had buoyed himself up with the hope of impunity, or of a reward, he should have found himself mistaken; the textual reading is, "against his life" ^F12, or "soul", the life of Absalom, by taking it away:

for there is no matter hid from the king;
this, though done ever so secretly, would have come to his knowledge by some means or another, and then I should have incurred his displeasure, and suffered for it:

and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against [me];
to accuse and bring him to justice; he would have been so far from protecting him, that he would have been the first man that would have insisted on it that he should be punished for it; or why dost not thou thyself set thyself against him, and smite him? thou mayest if thou pleasest, yonder he hangs, go and smite him.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F12 (wvpnb) (en th quch autou) , Sept. "contra animam illius", Piscator.

2 Samuel 18:13 In-Context

11 —¡Cómo! —exclamó Joab—. ¿Lo viste y no lo mataste ahí mismo? Te habría dado diez monedas de plata y un cinturón.

12 Pero el hombre respondió:—Aun si recibiera mil monedas, yo no alzaría la mano contra el hijo del rey. Todos oímos cuando el rey les ordenó a usted, a Abisay y a Itay que no le hicieran daño al joven Absalón.

13 Si yo me hubiera arriesgado, me habrían descubierto, pues nada se le escapa al rey; y usted, por su parte, me habría abandonado.

14 —No voy a malgastar mi tiempo contigo —replicó Joab.Acto seguido, agarró tres lanzas y fue y se las clavó en el pecho a Absalón, que todavía estaba vivo en medio de la encina.

15 Luego, diez de los escuderos de Joab rodearon a Absalón y lo remataron.

Footnotes

• [a]. "me hubiera arriesgado" . Alt. "lo hubiera traicionado" .