So when Joab came to the king and told him, he summoned Absalom. Then Absalom came to the king and prostrated himself with his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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 king; and the king kissed Absalom.
- KJV 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 king: and the king kissed Absalom.
- BSB So Joab went and told the king, and David summoned Absalom, who came to him and bowed facedown before him. Then the king kissed Absalom.
- NKJV So Joab went 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. Then the king kissed Absalom.
- NLT So Joab told the king what Absalom had said. Then at last David summoned Absalom, who came and bowed low before the king, and the king kissed him.
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
Joab arranges the meeting, Absalom bows before David, and the king kisses him in restored favor. The reconciliation appears complete but lacks true justice.
Overview
David finally receives Absalom, and the kiss signals full restoration to the royal court. Yet there is no mention of repentance, justice for Amnon, or genuine reconciliation of heart. This outwardly tender scene masks an unresolved breach, and the restored Absalom will repay his father's kiss with conspiracy, much as Judas would later betray Christ with a kiss (Luke 22:48).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Gen 33:4Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept.
- Luke 15:20“He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
- Gen 27:26His father Isaac said to him, “Come near now, and kiss me, my son.”
- Gen 45:15He kissed all his brothers, and wept on them. After that his brothers talked with him.
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 14:33 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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