When the woman from Tekoa approached the king, she bowed with her face to the ground in deep respect and cried out, “O king! Help me!”
Parallel translations
- WEB When the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, showed respect, and said, “Help, O king!”
- KJV And 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.
- BSB When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me, O king!”
- NKJV And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, “Help, O king!”
- NASB Now when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, “Help, O king!”
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
The woman of Tekoa comes before David, bows to the ground, and cries, 'Help, O king!' She begins the staged plea for the king's intervention.
Overview
Approaching as a humble petitioner, the woman appeals to David's role as supreme judge in Israel. Her dramatic posture and cry are calculated to engage the king's compassion and sense of duty. The scene parallels Nathan's parable, drawing David into a case whose true application he does not yet perceive.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 2 Sam 1:2on the third day, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes torn, and earth on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the earth, and showed respect.
- 2 Kgs 6:26–28As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”
- 1 Sam 25:23When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got off of her donkey, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground.
- Luke 18:3–5A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’
- 1 Sam 20:41As soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times. They kissed one another, and wept one with another, and David wept the most.
- Job 29:12–14Because I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless also, who had no one to help 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 14:4 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.