2 Samuel 17:2

I will attack him while he is weak and weary; I will throw him into a panic, and all the people with him will flee; I will strike down only the king

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Ahithophel addresses Absalom during a nighttime pursuit campaign, proposing a targeted strike against David before his forces can regroup.

The words — יָגֵ֙עַ֙ (ya.Ge.a') denotes being weary or exhausted, while וּ/רְפֵ֣ה (u./re.Peh) describes hands growing slack or limp.

The thread — The tactic of isolating the monarch aligns with the Aramean commanders' orders in 1 Kings 22:31, and the focus on striking a single leader resonates with Zechariah 13:7.

Why it lands — The text states that success comes from exploiting physical depletion and targeting the head, demanding a reader to recognize that decisive advantage often requires isolating the leader rather than defeating the entire force.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְאָב֣וֹאve./'a.Vo'so/ I may come עָלָ֗יו'a.La/von/ him וְה֤וּאve./Hu'and/ he יָגֵ֙עַ֙ya.Ge.a'[will be] weary וּרְפֵ֣הu./re.Pehand/ slack of יָדַ֔יִםya.Da.yimhands וְהַֽחֲרַדְתִּ֣יve./ha.cha.rad.Tiand/ I will terrify אֹת֔וֹ'o.T/o<obj.>/ him וְנָ֖סve./Nasand/ <it> will flee כָּל־kol-all הָעָ֣םha./'Amthe/ people אֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-which אִתּ֑וֹ'i.T/o[is] with/ him וְהִכֵּיתִ֥יve./hi.kei.Tiand/ I will strike down אֶת־'et-<obj.>הַמֶּ֖לֶךְha./Me.lekhthe/ king לְבַדּֽוֹ׃le./va.D/oto/ only/ him

King James Version

And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:

Cross-references

2 Samuel 16:14 Finally, the king and all the people with him arrived, exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.
1 Kings 22:31 Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.”
Zechariah 13:7 Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the man who is My Companion, declares the LORD of Hosts. Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn My hand against the little ones.
Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus said to them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of Me. For it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
John 11:50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
Deuteronomy 25:18 how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no fear of God.
Matthew 21:38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.’
John 18:4 Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon Him, stepped forward and asked them, “Whom are you seeking?”