2 Samuel 16:11

11 And the king said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Lo! my son, that went out of my womb, seeketh my life; how much more now this son of Benjamin? Suffer ye him, that he curse (me) by [the] commandment of the Lord;

2 Samuel 16:11 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 16:11

And David said to Abishai, and all his servants
In order to make them easy, and reconcile them to this usage of him:

behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life;
meaning Absalom:

how much more now [may this] Benjamite [do it]?
who was not only of the same tribe that Saul was, but of the same family, and so bore an ill will to David because of his succession in the throne:

let him alone, and let him curse;
do nothing to restrain him, not even by words, and much less by any violent actions, and still less by taking away his life:

for the Lord hath bidden him;
in the sense explained in ( 2 Samuel 16:10 ) .

2 Samuel 16:11 In-Context

9 And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king, Why curseth this dog, that shall die, my lord the king? I shall go, and I shall gird off his head. (And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king, Why let this dead dog curse my lord the king? I shall go, and I shall cut off his head!)

10 And the king said, Ye sons of Zeruiah, what is (it) to me and to you? Suffer ye him, that he curse (But the king said, Ye sons of Zeruiah, what is it to me, or to you? Allow ye him to curse me); forsooth the Lord hath commanded to him, that he should curse David; and who is he that dare say, Why did he so?

11 And the king said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Lo! my son, that went out of my womb, seeketh my life; how much more now this son of Benjamin? Suffer ye him, that he curse (me) by [the] commandment of the Lord;

12 if in hap the Lord behold my tormenting, and yield good to me for this day's cursing. (perhaps the Lord shall behold my torments, and shall yield good to me for this day's curses.)

13 Therefore David went forth, and his fellows, by the way with him; but Shimei went aside by the slade of the hill (over) against David; and cursed David, and threw stones against him, and sprinkled earth. (And so David, and his fellows, went forth by the way; but Shimei went alongside by the ridge of the hill opposite David; and cursed David, and threw stones at him, and threw dirt.)