Bible Strands
2 Samuel 19:9
And all the people throughout the tribes of Israel were arguing, “The king rescued us from the hand of our enemies and delivered us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled the land because of Absalom.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The tribes of Israel speak among themselves while David waits at the city gate after the army has dispersed. Their dialogue occurs between David’s initial return to the gate and the courtiers’ prompt regarding Absalom’s death.
The words — נָדוֹן (na.Don) means quarrelling or disputing, marking the active friction among the populace. כָּל־עָם (khol-'am) specifies that the entire people, not a single faction, are engaged in this debate.
The thread — The passage directly references David’s earlier victory over the Philistines (2 Samuel 8:1) and his present flight from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:14). This juxtaposition of past deliverance and current displacement echoes the deflection pattern recorded in Genesis 3:12.
Why it lands — The text forces a reader to observe how quickly collective gratitude dissolves into political bargaining when authority is disrupted. It requires acknowledging the practical cost of silence when a recognized leader is removed from power.
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
King James Version
And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 15:14 And David said to all the servants with him in Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, or we will not escape from Absalom! We must leave quickly, or he will soon overtake us, heap disaster on us, and put the city to the sword.”
- Genesis 3:12 And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
- 2 Samuel 8:1 Some time later, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah from the hand of the Philistines.
- Exodus 32:24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, let him take it off,’ and they gave it to me. And when I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”
- 1 Samuel 17:50 Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
- 1 Samuel 18:5 So David marched out and prospered in everything Saul sent him to do, and Saul set him over the men of war. And this was pleasing in the sight of all the people, and of Saul’s officers as well.
- 1 Samuel 18:25 Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king desires no other dowry but a hundred Philistine foreskins as revenge on his enemies.’” But Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines.
- 1 Samuel 19:5 He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Philistine, and the LORD worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?”
- 2 Samuel 5:20 So David went to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, “Like a bursting flood, the LORD has burst out against my enemies before me.” So he called that place Baal-perazim.
- James 3:14 But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.