2 Samuel 14:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?" The woman answered and said, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me; it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant.

NIV: The king asked, "Isn’t the hand of Joab with you in all this?" The woman answered, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything my lord the king says. Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this and who put all these words into the mouth of your servant.

NASB: So the king said, 'Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?' And the woman replied, 'As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. Indeed, it was your servant Joab who commanded me, and it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant.

CSB: The king asked, "Did Joab put you up to all this?" The woman answered. "As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or left from all my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave orders to me; he told your servant exactly what to say.

NLT: Did Joab put you up to this?' And the woman replied, 'My lord the king, how can I deny it? Nobody can hide anything from you. Yes, Joab sent me and told me what to say.

KJV: And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:

NKJV: So the king said, “ Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said, “ As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant.

Joab is convinced that Absalom's continuing exile is damaging Israel. His goal is to convince David to let his son Absalom come home. Absalom had killed his older brother Amnon for raping their sister. Before he could be caught, Absalom fled to his grandfather in another country. David mourned Amnon and misses Absalom (2 Samuel 13). Joab thinks it's time David ends Absalom's exile.

When God wanted to convict David of his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah, He sent Nathan the prophet with a parable that captured David's imagination and prepared him to repent (2 Samuel 12:1–7). Joab tries to do something similar. He recruits a wise woman to pretend to need David's help. She explains she's a widow and her remaining son is being hunted by her clan because he murdered his brother. Only David can pardon him and save her husband's legacy (2 Samuel 14:2–7).

When David agrees, the woman confronts him with his own decision to leave Absalom in Geshur despite God's reputation for grace. As if realizing she's been too bold before the king, she then inundates him with flattery (2 Samuel 14:12–17).

David realizes Joab is behind it all (2 Samuel 14:18). The woman increases the praises of David's wisdom. It's possible she's afraid of what David will do to her if he finds out she's lied to him. She's more than willing to place the responsibility on Joab.

Second Samuel 14:12–20 records David's realization that he's being manipulated. Joab sent a woman to ask David to pardon her son for murdering his brother; David agrees (2 Samuel 14:1–11). She pivots and tells David to forgive his own son, Absalom, for killing his brother Amnon. David recognizes Joab's hand in the situation but agrees to bring Absalom home from exile. Absalom takes the opportunity to win the people's loyalty and conspire to take the throne (2 Samuel 15).

Second Samuel 14 sets the scene for Absalom's rebellion against David. Joab wants David to forgive Absalom for murdering his brother and end his exile. Joab has a woman pretend to be a widow, who tells a story about a murderous son to convince David to pardon his own son. David brings Absalom home to Jerusalem, but not to the court or family. Joab eventually convinces David to see Absalom and the two are officially reconciled. With freedom, status, and ambition, Absalom starts a campaign to draw the people's hearts away from David and toward himself (2 Samuel 15:1–6).

Second Samuel 14 continues God's promise that tragedy will plague David's family. This is a curse for David's sin against Uriah and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:9–11). David's son Amnon raped his own half-sister Tamar. Tamar's full brother Absalom avenged her by killing Amnon, then fled to his maternal grandfather (2 Samuel 13). David thinks about Absalom, and Joab convinces David to bring him home and reconcile with him. Absalom wins the hearts of the people and takes the throne while David flees. Eventually, Absalom will be dead, and David will be a chastened man and wiser king. (2 Samuel 15–20).