The Meaning of 2 Samuel 14:13 Explained

2 Samuel 14:13

KJV: And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished.

YLT: And the woman saith, 'And why hast thou thought thus concerning the people of God? yea, the king is speaking this thing as a guilty one, in that the king hath not brought back his outcast;

Darby: And the woman said, Why then hast thou thought such a thing against God's people? and the king in saying this thing, is as one guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.

ASV: And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou devised such a thing against the people of God? for in speaking this word the king is as one that is guilty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished one.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the woman  said,  Wherefore then hast thou thought  such a thing against the people  of God?  for the king  doth speak  this thing  as one which is faulty,  in that the king  doth not fetch home again  his banished. 

What does 2 Samuel 14:13 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 14:1-17 - Joab's Plea For The Fugitive
Joab had ends of his own to serve in securing the return of Absalom. Were the two sworn together to hatch a great plot? Or was Absalom shrewdly using Joab to advance his own selfish interests? David hesitated. If he recalled Absalom without punishment, the foundations of law and order would be shaken throughout the kingdom. Joab saw that in some way he must satisfy this natural conflict in the royal mind; and it was for this purpose that he summoned from Tekoa, a village twelve miles south of Jerusalem, this woman of unusual intelligence. By an apt parable she showed that on occasions even murder might be condoned.
In her discourse she dropped the golden sentence that even God devises means that His banished be not expelled. Yes, God has devised means, but how much they cost! In David's case there was no attempt to meet the demands of a broken law, but God's means include this. In the person of the Son of His love, He has satisfied the demands of law and honored them by Jesus' obedience unto the death of the Cross! He is just and the Justifier! Righteousness and peace kissed each other at the cross of Jesus. See Psalms 85:10. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 14

1  Joab, suborning a widow of Tekoah to incline the king's heart to fetch Absalom,
21  brings him home to Jerusalem
25  Absalom's beauty, hair, and children
28  After two years, Absalom is brought into the king's presence by Joab

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 14:13 mean?

So said the woman then why have you schemed such as this against the people of God for speaks the king thing this as one who is guilty [in that] not does bring home again - his banished one
וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה וְלָ֧מָּה חָשַׁ֛בְתָּה כָּזֹ֖את עַל־ עַ֣ם ؟ אֱלֹהִ֑ים וּמִדַּבֵּ֨ר הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ הַדָּבָ֤ר הַזֶּה֙ כְּאָשֵׁ֔ם לְבִלְתִּ֛י הָשִׁ֥יב אֶֽת־ נִדְּחֽוֹ

וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙  So  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה  the  woman 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
וְלָ֧מָּה  then  why 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
חָשַׁ֛בְתָּה  have  you  schemed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: חָשַׁב 
Sense: to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count.
כָּזֹ֖את  such  as  this 
Parse: Preposition-k, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
עַל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
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.
עַ֣ם  the  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
؟ אֱלֹהִ֑ים  of  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וּמִדַּבֵּ֨ר  for  speaks 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
הַדָּבָ֤ר  thing 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
הַזֶּה֙  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
כְּאָשֵׁ֔ם  as  one  who  is  guilty 
Parse: Preposition-k, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: אָשֵׁם  
Sense: guilty, faulty (and obliged to offer a guilt-offering).
לְבִלְתִּ֛י  [in  that]  not 
Parse: Preposition-l
Root: בִּלְתִּי  
Sense: not, except adv.
הָשִׁ֥יב  does  bring  home  again 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
אֶֽת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
נִדְּחֽוֹ  his  banished  one 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: נָדַח 
Sense: to impel, thrust, drive away, banish.