There the people of Israel were defeated by David’s servants, and the slaughter was great that day—twenty thousand men.
Parallel translations
- WEB The people of Israel were struck there before David’s servants, and there was a great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men.
- KJV Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men.
- NKJV The people of Israel were overthrown there before the servants of David, and a great slaughter of twenty thousand took place there that day.
- NASB The people of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, twenty thousand men.
- NLT and the Israelite troops were beaten back by David’s men. There was a great slaughter that day, and 20,000 men laid down their lives.
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's army is decisively defeated with twenty thousand casualties. David's rebellion-torn kingdom wins a costly victory.
Overview
The forces of Israel under Absalom are routed by David's servants in a great slaughter. The heavy loss reflects the tragic cost of rebellion against God's appointed king. Even in victory, the bloodshed among God's own people is a grief, underscoring how sin's revolt brings death.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Prov 24:21My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
- 2 Chr 28:6For in one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 valiant men in Judah. This happened because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.
- Prov 11:21Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.
- 2 Sam 2:31but they had struck down 360 Benjamites who were with Abner.
- 2 Chr 13:16–17So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands.
- 2 Sam 15:6Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for justice. In this way he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
- 2 Sam 19:41–43Soon all the men of Israel came to the king and asked, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, take you away secretly and bring the king and his household across the Jordan, together with all of David’s men?”
- 2 Sam 2:17The battle that day was intense, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.
- 2 Sam 2:26Then Abner called out to Joab: “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not realize that this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?”
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 18:7 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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