Bible Strands
2 Samuel 23:6
But the worthless are all like thorns raked aside, for they can never be gathered by hand.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David speaks these words at the close of his life, contrasting the security of God’s covenant with him against the inevitable fate of the worthless. The surrounding verses frame this as a direct comparison between divine faithfulness and human rebellion.
The words — The Hebrew בְלִיעַל (beliya'al) identifies a worthless person, while קוֹץ (qotz) denotes a thorn, describing how such individuals are cast aside like unusable brush. The text explicitly states they cannot be gathered by hand, emphasizing their inherent uselessness and rejection.
The thread — This thorn imagery recurs in Ezekiel 2:6 as a warning to prophets, Deuteronomy 13:13 regarding leaders who turn cities to wickedness, and Isaiah 33:12 where nations are burned like cut thorns. Each reference maintains the pattern of worthless or rebellious groups being marked for destruction or avoidance.
Why it lands — The verse demands a clear distinction between those bound to God’s covenant and those destined for rejection, requiring readers to identify with the former and reject the latter. It leaves no room for negotiation with the worthless, only for alignment with the established covenant.
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
But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 2:6 But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns surround you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their presence, though they are a rebellious house.
- Deuteronomy 13:13 that wicked men have arisen from among you and have led the people of their city astray, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” (which you have not known),
- Isaiah 33:12 The peoples will be burned to ashes, like thorns cut down and set ablaze.
- Genesis 3:18 Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
- 1 Samuel 2:12 Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD
- 2 Samuel 20:1 Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”
- Song of Solomon 2:2 Like a lily among the thorns is my darling among the maidens.
- Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness.