And her husband went with her along weeping behind her to Bahurim. Then said Abner unto him, Go, return. And he returned.
Parallel translations
- WEB Her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go! Return!” and he returned.
- BSB Her husband followed her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back.” So he returned home.
- NKJV Then her husband went along with her to Bahurim, weeping behind her. So Abner said to him, “Go, return!” And he returned.
- NASB And her husband went with her, weeping as he went, following her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” So he returned.
- NLT Palti followed along behind her as far as Bahurim, weeping as he went. Then Abner told him, “Go back home!” So Palti returned.
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
Paltiel follows Michal in tears until Abner orders him to turn back. The scene poignantly captures the heartbreak woven through these political dealings.
Overview
Paltiel's weeping all the way to Bahurim shows genuine love and the real human suffering caused by Saul's original sin of giving away David's wife. Abner's curt command sends him home, and the grief is left unresolved in the text. Scripture records such sorrow honestly, neither glorifying nor excusing the tangled consequences of past wrongs among God's people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 2 Sam 19:16And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David.
- 2 Sam 16:5And 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 2:8And, 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 17:18Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man’s house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down.
- Prov 9:17–18Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.
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 3:16 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
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.