The big picture
2 Samuel 14 opens in verse 1 with “Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom.”, reaches its middle movement near verse 17 with “Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as…”, and closes in verse 33 with “So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to…” Repeated or prominent terms include king, Joab, LORD, Absalom, woman. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
2 Samuel · King James Version · 332 Samuel 14:1-7
1–7: Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward…
2 Samuel 14:1–7 opens with “Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom.” and reaches “And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 2 Samuel 14 develops its own movement around king, Joab, LORD, Absalom, woman, with particular weight carried by king, woman, Joab.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom.” Naming Absalom and Joab keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a…” Naming Joab and Tekoah keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.” Naming Joab keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
2 Samuel 14:1-7
King James Version1Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom.
2And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:
3And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.
5And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.
6And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him.
7And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.
2 Samuel 14:8-14
8–14: The king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge…
2 Samuel 14:8–14 opens with “And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.” and reaches “For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 2 Samuel 14 develops its own movement around king, Joab, LORD, Absalom, woman, with particular weight carried by king, LORD, woman.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house: and the…” Naming Tekoah keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
2 Samuel 14:8-14
King James Version8And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.
9And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.
10And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.
11Then 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.
12Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.
13And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished.
14For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.
2 Samuel 14:15-21
15–21: Therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king…
2 Samuel 14:15–21 opens with “Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the…” and reaches “And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 2 Samuel 14 develops its own movement around king, Joab, LORD, Absalom, woman, with particular weight carried by king, LORD, handmaid.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me…” The line’s distinctive content terms include king, handmaid, afraid. Its relationship to verses 16 shows what work it does in this passage.
“For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
“Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
2 Samuel 14:15-21
King James Version15Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid.
16For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
17Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.
18Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.
19And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:
20To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.
21And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.
2 Samuel 14:22-28
22–28: Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the…
2 Samuel 14:22–28 opens with “And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said…” and reaches “So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king’s face.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 2 Samuel 14 develops its own movement around king, Joab, LORD, Absalom, woman, with particular weight carried by Absalom, face, king.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant…” Naming Joab keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
“And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house…” Naming Absalom keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
2 Samuel 14:22-28
King James Version22And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant.
23So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king’s face.
25But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
26And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year’s end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king’s weight.
27And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
28So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king’s face.
2 Samuel 14:29-33
29–33: Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he…
2 Samuel 14:29–33 opens with “Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and…” and reaches “So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 2 Samuel 14 develops its own movement around king, Joab, LORD, Absalom, woman, with particular weight carried by king, Absalom, Joab.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 2 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
2 Samuel 14:29-33
King James Version29Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.
30Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
31Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?
32And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king’s face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me.
33So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
2 Samuel 14:1 begins with “Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom.”
Where the chapter turns
2 Samuel 14:17 forms a natural hinge: “Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad…”
The final note
2 Samuel 14:33 leaves the reader with “So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words king, Joab, LORD, Absalom, woman, handmaid help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What contrasts the two royal encounters?
Melchizedek blesses God as the source of victory; Abram refuses a financial arrangement that would let Sodom claim credit for his wealth.
How does Abram treat Lot after their separation?
He risks resources to rescue him rather than treating earlier disagreement as a reason for abandonment.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.