And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son.
Parallel translations
- WEB The victory that day was turned into mourning among all the people; for the people heard it said that day, “The king grieves for his son.”
- BSB And that day’s victory was turned into mourning for all the people, because on that day they were told, “The king is grieving over his son.”
- NKJV So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people. For the people heard it said that day, “The king is grieved for his son.”
- NASB So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, because the people heard it said that day, “The king is in mourning over his son.”
- NLT As all the people heard of the king’s deep grief for his son, the joy of that day’s victory was turned into deep sadness.
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's grief over Absalom turned the army's victory into mourning, dampening what should have been a day of celebration. It matters because a leader's emotions can dishearten those who served faithfully.
Overview
The troops who had risked their lives for David returned to find their king consumed by sorrow rather than gratitude. His private loss eclipsed the public deliverance God had granted, and the people sensed it deeply. The verse shows the tension between David's tender, even excessive, fatherly love and his duty to those who loved and protected him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Prov 19:12The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.
- Prov 16:15In the light of the king’s countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.
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 19:2 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.