Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 14:11
Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, [As] the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.
11. let the king remember the Lord thy God ] She presses for the further assurance of an oath in the name of God.
there shall not one hair, &c.] Cp. 1Sa 14:45; 1Ki 1:52; Mat 10:30; Luk 21:18; Act 27:34.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 11. Let the king remember the Lord thy God] Consider that when God is earnestly requested to show mercy, he does it in the promptest manner; he does not wait till the case is hopeless: the danger to which my son is exposed is imminent; if the king do not decide the business instantly, it may be too late.
And he said, As the Lord liveth] Thus he binds himself by a most solemn promise and oath; and this is what the woman wanted to extort.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Let the king remember the Lord thy God: the sense is, either, first, Make mention (as this Hebrew verb is oft rendered) of the name of the Lord thy God, to wit, in an oath, i.e. swear to me by God, that thou wilt protect me and my son against the revenger of blood; for so David did in compliance with this desire of hers. Only she was forced to express her mind in more general and ambiguous terms, because it had been presumption and rudeness for her in plain terms to desire the kings oath, as if she durst not trust his word; yet withal she insinuates her meaning so plainly that the king understood it; and yet so handsomely and elegantly, that the king was much pleased with her wisdom, and thereby inclined to grant her request. Or, secondly, this, Remember the gracious nature of thy God, who is not too severe and rigorous to mark at all that is amiss, nor doth cut off every man-slayer, as appears from Num 35, and from the example of Cain, and from thyself, O king; though this she expresseth not, but only useth such words which she knew would give so wise and good a king occasion to reflect upon himself, and upon the goodness of God in sparing him, though a wilful murderer, that thereby he might be obliged to imitate God, in sparing the person whom she designed. Or, thirdly, this, Remember the Lord in whose presence thou hast made me this promise, and who will be a witness against thee, if thou breakest it.
That thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, Heb. lest the avenger of blood multiply to destroy, i. e. lest they cause one destruction to another, and add my surviving son to him who is slain already. Or, lest thou dost multiply avengers of blood to destroy, i. e. lest by thy connivance at their cruel and malicious proceedings against my son, thou dost encourage avengers of blood to the like furious practices, and thereby increase the number of that sort of men, and upon that pretence occasion multitudes of murders.
Lest they destroy my son; or, and let them not destroy my son; the future tense being put for the imperative mood, as is frequent.
There shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth, i. e. he shall not suffer the least damage. We have the same phrase used 1Sa 14:45; 1Ki 1:52; Act 27:34; compare Mat 10:30.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
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” o; 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.
o “a multiplicando redemptorem sanguinis”, Montanus; so the Tigurine version.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Ruse Found Out, vs. 11-20
The woman of Tekoah seems to plead the law of the city of refuge on behalf of her son. There were “revengers of blood” seeking his death, and perhaps she leaves the impression that he had sought safety in the city of refuge. In “remembering the Lord God” there seems to be a reference to this law. The revengers were clamoring for his death even though he was temporarily sheltered there. The law provided that the guilty be given up even from the city of refuge. The law stated in Num 35:22-24 would cover his case. Though the brothers were quarreling it could be argued that the one did not intend to kill the other.
David finally promised the woman that her son would not be given to the avengers. When he had so done the woman then asked him why he was guilty of doing contrary to his own sentence, to go against the desires of the people in not recalling his own banished. It seems from her words that the people believed Absalom had the right to avenge the wrong done Tamar without suffering the penalty of the law against him. Her argument also implied that Amnon is dead, and his life cannot be restored, that all must die, and God has devised a law whereby the one banished can be restored. Thus she intends to apply the law of the city of refuge to the case of Absalom.
There is a good analogy in the woman’s words from verse 14. Man’s life is uncertain, and cannot be renewed after death. But the one banished can be restored to the Lord, for He is no respecter of persons. Whosoever will can be returned to Him (Joh 6:37). This is the means by which the banished by sin “be not expelled from him.”
The woman continued to flatter David as she prepared further to spring the trap which Joab was setting by her words. The people, she said, had made her afraid, but she knew the king would perform her request if she could speak to him. He would give her a comfortable word, for he was as an angel of God to discern good and bad. At this point the king perceived another motive in the woman’s words, and immediately suspected the connivance of Joab.
Her last argument, “that the Lord thy God will be with thee,” is intended to persuade David that the law of the city of refuge is on his side with respect to Absalom. So David asked her if Joab’s hand was not with her in this scheme. She admitted that Joab had given her the words to say, but again flattered the king, that one cannot hide anything from him, and that he “is wise according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.”
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(11) Let the king remember the Lord.Having thus far succeeded, the crafty woman still further leads on the king to bind himself with the solemnity of an oath.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. Let the king remember the Lord thy God She wishes to bind him by a solemn oath, and by this language indicates that desire.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Sa 14:11 Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, [As] the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.
Ver. 11. Let the king remember the Lord thy God. ] Whose viceregent thou art to do me right: which that thou wilt not fail to do, be pleased to swear to me: this she covertly desired, and he granted.
And he said, As the Lord liveth.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
remember = recall to mind: i.e. take an oath.
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4,
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.
revengers = avengers, or next of kin. Hebrew ga’al. See note on Exo 6:6, and compare Num 35:19, Num 35:21, Num 35:24, Num 35:25, Num 35:27,
not one hair, &c. Figure of speech Parcemia. App-6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
revengers Heb. goel, Redemp. (Kinsman type). (See Scofield “Isa 59:20”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
let the king: Gen 14:22, Gen 24:2, Gen 24:3, Gen 31:50, 1Sa 20:42
thou: etc. Heb. the revenger of blood do not multiply to destroy
the revengers: Num 35:19, Num 35:27, Deu 19:4-10, Jos 20:3-6
As the Lord: 1Sa 14:45, 1Sa 28:10, Jer 4:2
not one hair: 1Ki 1:52, Mat 10:30, Act 27:34
Reciprocal: 2Sa 14:21 – I have done 2Sa 16:4 – Behold 2Ki 25:24 – sware to them 2Ch 20:12 – we have Luk 12:7 – even Luk 21:18 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Sa 14:11. Let the king remember the Lord thy God In whose presence thou hast made me this promise, to stay the avenger of blood from causing any further destruction in my family. She intended to draw him thus distantly and insensibly into the obligation of an oath: and her address had the desired effect; for the king, to convince her of the integrity of his intentions, immediately answered, As the Lord liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the ground.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
14:11 Then said she, I pray thee, let the king {f} remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, [As] the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.
(f) Swear that they will not revenge the blood, which are many in number.