Now it was while they were on the way that the report came to David, saying, “Absalom has struck and killed all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left.”
Parallel translations
- WEB While they were on the way, the news came to David, saying, “Absalom has slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them left!”
- KJV And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that tidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them left.
- BSB While they were on the way, a report reached David: “Absalom has struck down all the sons of the king; not one of them is left!”
- NKJV And it came to pass, while they were on the way, that news came to David, saying, “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left!”
- NLT As they were on the way back to Jerusalem, this report reached David: “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons; not one is left alive!”
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
While the brothers are still on the road, a false report reaches David that Absalom has killed all the king's sons. The exaggerated news brings David to the depths of grief.
Overview
The garbled report magnifies the disaster, convincing David that all his sons are dead. This moment of overwhelming sorrow shows the king bearing the bitter harvest of sin in his household. The false report sets up Jonadab's clarifying counsel and the eventual return of the surviving sons.
Cross-references & the web
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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 13:30 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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