And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David.
Parallel translations
- WEB Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David.
- BSB Then Shimei son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David,
- NKJV And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, who was from Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David.
- NASB Then Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite who was from Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David.
- NLT Shimei son of Gera, the man from Bahurim in Benjamin, hurried across with the men of Judah to welcome King David.
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
Shimei the Benjamite, who had cursed David in his flight, hurried with the men of Judah to meet him. It matters because the man who had reviled the king now sought his favor.
Overview
Shimei, who had earlier cursed and stoned David during his retreat, now rushed to greet him, hoping for mercy. His haste reveals fear of judgment now that David's fortunes had turned. The verse begins a scene that tests David's willingness to show grace to a former enemy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 1 Kgs 2:8And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.
- 2 Sam 16:5–13And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came.
- 1 Kgs 2:36–46And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither.
- Matt 5:25Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
- Prov 6:4–5Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
- Job 2:4And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
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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 19:16 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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