Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?”
Parallel translations
- WEB Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” The king said to him, “Why should he go with you?”
- KJV Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee?
- BSB “If not,” said Absalom, “please let my brother Amnon go with us.” “Why should he go with you?” the king asked.
- NASB Then Absalom said, “If not, please have my brother Amnon go with us.” But the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?”
- NLT “Well, then,” Absalom said, “if you can’t come, how about sending my brother Amnon with us?” “Why Amnon?” the king asked.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Absalom then asks that Amnon, at least, be allowed to go, prompting David's puzzled question. He maneuvers to ensure his intended victim attends.
Overview
Having secured the king's absence, Absalom specifically requests Amnon, the firstborn, whose presence is central to his plot. David's question, 'Why should he go with you?' hints at a faint unease, yet he does not perceive the danger. Absalom's persistence reveals his fixed determination to carry out his revenge.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 2 Sam 11:13–15When David had called him, he ate and drink before him; and he made him drunk. At evening, he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but didn’t go down to his house.
- 2 Sam 3:27When Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him quietly, and struck him there in the body, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
- 2 Sam 20:9Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.
- Ps 55:21His mouth was smooth as butter, but his heart was war. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 13:26 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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