The Meaning of 2 Samuel 11:21 Explained

2 Samuel 11:21

KJV: Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

YLT: Who smote Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast on him a piece of a rider from the wall, and he dieth in Thebez? why drew ye nigh unto the wall? that thou hast said, Also thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.'

Darby: Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast the upper stone of a handmill from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why did ye go near the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Urijah the Hittite is dead also.

ASV: who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast an upper millstone upon him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? why went ye so nigh the wall? then shalt thou say, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Who smote  Abimelech  the son  of Jerubbesheth?  did not a woman  cast  a piece  of a millstone  upon him from the wall,  that he died  in Thebez?  why went ye nigh  the wall?  then say  thou, Thy servant  Uriah  the Hittite  is dead  also. 

What does 2 Samuel 11:21 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 11:14-27 - Adding Blood-Guiltiness To Adultery
Joab must have smiled grimly to himself when he received his master's letter. "This king of ours can sing psalms with the best, but I have to do his dirty work. He wants to rid himself of Uriah-I wonder why? Well, I'll help him to it. At any rate, he will not be able to talk to me about Abner!" 2 Samuel 3:27. It is an awful thing when the servants of God give the enemy such occasion to blaspheme.
Uriah was set in the battle-line and left to die. The king was duly notified and, on hearing the news, must have given a sigh of relief. The child could be born under cover of lawful wedlock. There was, however, a fatal flaw in the whole arrangement: The thing that David had done displeased the Lord. David and the world would hear of it again. But, oh, the bitter sorrow, that he who had spoken of walking in his house with a perfect heart, who had so great a faculty for divine fellowship, should have fallen into this double sin! The psalmist, king, lover of God-all trampled in the mud by one passionate act of self-indulgence! [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 11

1  While Joab besieges Rabbah, David commits adultery with Bathsheba
6  Uriah, sent for by David to cover the adultery, would not go home
14  He carries to Joab the letter of his death
18  Joab sends the news thereof to David
26  David takes Bathsheba as his wife

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 11:21 mean?

who struck - Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth Was it not a woman who cast on him a piece of a millstone from the wall so that he died in Thebez why did you go near the wall then you shall say also Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead
מִֽי־ הִכָּ֞ה אֶת־ אֲבִימֶ֣לֶךְ בֶּן־ ؟ יְרֻבֶּ֗שֶׁת הֲלֽוֹא־ אִשָּׁ֡ה הִשְׁלִ֣יכָה עָלָיו֩ פֶּ֨לַח רֶ֜כֶב מֵעַ֤ל הַֽחוֹמָה֙ וַיָּ֣מָת ؟ בְּתֵבֵ֔ץ לָ֥מָּה נִגַּשְׁתֶּ֖ם אֶל־ ؟ הַֽחוֹמָ֑ה וְאָ֣מַרְתָּ֔ גַּ֗ם עַבְדְּךָ֛ אוּרִיָּ֥ה הַחִתִּ֖י מֵֽת

הִכָּ֞ה  struck 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אֲבִימֶ֣לֶךְ  Abimelech 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲבִימֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king of Gerar in Abraham’s time.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
؟ יְרֻבֶּ֗שֶׁת  of  Jerubbesheth 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְרֻבֶּשֶׁת  
Sense: a variant name of Jerubbaal (the other name of Gideon [3378]) substituting the word ‘shame’ for the name of the pagan god ‘Baal’.
הֲלֽוֹא־  Was  it  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
אִשָּׁ֡ה  a  woman 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
הִשְׁלִ֣יכָה  who  cast 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁלַךְ  
Sense: to throw, cast, hurl, fling.
עָלָיו֩  on  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
פֶּ֨לַח  a  piece 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פֶּלַח  
Sense: cleavage, mill-stone, cut, slice, part cut off.
רֶ֜כֶב  of  a  millstone 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֶכֶב  
Sense: a team, chariot, chariotry, mill-stone, riders.
הַֽחוֹמָה֙  the  wall 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֹומָה  
Sense: wall.
וַיָּ֣מָת  so  that  he  died 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
؟ בְּתֵבֵ֔ץ  in  Thebez 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: תֵּבֵץ  
Sense: a town near Shechem.
לָ֥מָּה  why 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
נִגַּשְׁתֶּ֖ם  did  you  go 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: נָגַשׁ  
Sense: to draw near, approach.
אֶל־  near 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
؟ הַֽחוֹמָ֑ה  the  wall 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֹומָה  
Sense: wall.
וְאָ֣מַרְתָּ֔  then  you  shall  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
גַּ֗ם  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
עַבְדְּךָ֛  Your  servant 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
אוּרִיָּ֥ה  Uriah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אוּרִיָּה 
Sense: Hittite husband of Bathsheba.
הַחִתִּ֖י  the  Hittite 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: חִתִּי  
Sense: the nation descended from Heth, the 2nd son of Canaan; once inhabitants of central Anatolia (modern Turkey), later in north Lebanon.
מֵֽת  is  dead 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.