The Meaning of 2 Samuel 11:25 Explained

2 Samuel 11:25

KJV: Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.

YLT: And David saith unto the messenger, 'Thus dost thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing be evil in thine eyes; for thus and thus doth the sword devour; strengthen thy warfare against the city, and throw it down -- and strengthen thou him.'

Darby: Then David said to the messenger, Thus shalt thou say to Joab: Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devours one as well as another: make thy battle strong against the city, and overthrow it; and encourage him.

ASV: Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another; make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then David  said  unto the messenger,  Thus shalt thou say  unto Joab,  Let not this thing  displease  thee, for the sword  devoureth  one as well as another:  make thy battle  more strong  against the city,  and overthrow  it: and encourage  thou him. 

What does 2 Samuel 11:25 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 11:25 mean?

And said David to the messenger thus you shall say Joab not do let displease you - thing this for as this and as this devours the sword Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it and encourage him
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר דָּוִ֜ד אֶל־ הַמַּלְאָ֗ךְ כֹּֽה־ תֹאמַ֤ר יוֹאָב֙ אַל־ יֵרַ֤ע בְּעֵינֶ֙יךָ֙ אֶת־ הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה כִּֽי־ כָזֹ֥ה וְכָזֶ֖ה תֹּאכַ֣ל הֶחָ֑רֶב הַחֲזֵ֨ק מִלְחַמְתְּךָ֧ אֶל־ הָעִ֛יר וְהָרְסָ֖הּ וְחַזְּקֵֽהוּ

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
דָּוִ֜ד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
הַמַּלְאָ֗ךְ  the  messenger 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַלְאָךְ  
Sense: messenger, representative.
כֹּֽה־  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
תֹאמַ֤ר  you  shall  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יוֹאָב֙  Joab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄואָב  
Sense: son of David’s sister Zeruiah and general of David’s army.
יֵרַ֤ע  do  let  displease 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מֵרֵעַ 
Sense: to be bad, be evil.
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.
הַדָּבָ֣ר  thing 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
הַזֶּ֔ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
כָזֹ֥ה  as  this 
Parse: Preposition-k, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄה  
Sense: this.
וְכָזֶ֖ה  and  as  this 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
תֹּאכַ֣ל  devours 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
הֶחָ֑רֶב  the  sword 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
הַחֲזֵ֨ק  Strengthen 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: חָזַק  
Sense: to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore.
מִלְחַמְתְּךָ֧  your  attack 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.
אֶל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הָעִ֛יר  the  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
וְהָרְסָ֖הּ  and  overthrow  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: הָרַס  
Sense: to tear down, break down, overthrow, beat down, break, break through, destroy, pluck down, pull down, throw down, ruined, destroyer, utterly.
וְחַזְּקֵֽהוּ  and  encourage  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: חָזַק  
Sense: to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore.