The Meaning of 2 Samuel 14:17 Explained

2 Samuel 14:17

KJV: Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.

YLT: and thy maid-servant saith, Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be for ease; for as a messenger of God so is my lord the king, to understand the good and the evil; and Jehovah thy God is with thee.'

Darby: And thy bondmaid said, Let the word of my lord the king now be comfortable; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad; and Jehovah thy God will be with thee.

ASV: Then thy handmaid said, Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be comfortable; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: and Jehovah thy God be with thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then thine handmaid  said,  The word  of my lord  the king  shall now be comfortable:  for as an angel  of God,  so [is] my lord  the king  to discern  good  and bad:  therefore the LORD  thy God  will be with thee. 

What does 2 Samuel 14:17 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 14:17 mean?

And said Your maidservant will be now the word of my lord the king comforting for as the Angel of God so [is] my lord the king in discerning good and evil And Yahweh your God may be with you -
וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ שִׁפְחָ֣תְךָ֔ יִֽהְיֶה־ נָּ֛א דְּבַר־ אֲדֹנִ֥י הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ לִמְנוּחָ֑ה כִּ֣י ׀ כְּמַלְאַ֣ךְ הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים כֵּ֣ן אֲדֹנִ֤י הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ לִשְׁמֹ֙עַ֙ הַטּ֣וֹב וְהָרָ֔ע וַֽיהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ יְהִ֥י עִמָּֽךְ פ

וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
שִׁפְחָ֣תְךָ֔  Your  maidservant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: שִׁפְחָה  
Sense: maid, maid-servant, slavegirl.
יִֽהְיֶה־  will  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
נָּ֛א  now 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
דְּבַר־  the  word 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
אֲדֹנִ֥י  of  my  lord 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָדֹון  
Sense: firm, strong, lord, master.
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
לִמְנוּחָ֑ה  comforting 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מְנוּחָה 
Sense: resting place, rest.
כְּמַלְאַ֣ךְ  as  the  Angel 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַלְאָךְ  
Sense: messenger, representative.
הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים  of  God 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
כֵּ֣ן  so 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
אֲדֹנִ֤י  [is]  my  lord 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָדֹון  
Sense: firm, strong, lord, master.
הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
לִשְׁמֹ֙עַ֙  in  discerning 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
הַטּ֣וֹב  good 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
וְהָרָ֔ע  and  evil 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
וַֽיהוָ֥ה  And  Yahweh 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יְהִ֥י  may  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Jussive, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
עִמָּֽךְ  with  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation