And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.
Parallel translations
- WEB The king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give a command concerning you.”
- BSB “Go home,” the king said to the woman, “and I will give orders on your behalf.”
- NKJV Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.”
- NASB Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your home, and I will issue orders concerning you.”
- NLT “Leave it to me,” the king told her. “Go home, and I’ll see to it that no one touches 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
David tells the woman to go home and promises to give a command on her behalf. The king begins to take up her cause.
Overview
David's willingness to intervene shows his compassion for the apparently bereaved widow. His promise to issue a ruling moves the staged plea toward its intended outcome. Yet the woman presses further, seeking a firmer, oath-bound guarantee that will later be turned against David's own inaction toward Absalom.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Prov 18:13He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
- 2 Sam 12:5–6And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
- 2 Sam 16:4Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.
- Isa 11:3–4And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
- Job 29:16I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 14:8 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.