The Meaning of 2 Samuel 14:6 Explained

2 Samuel 14:6

KJV: And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him.

YLT: and thy maid-servant hath two sons; and they strive both of them in a field, and there is no deliverer between them, and the one smiteth the other, and putteth him to death;

Darby: And thy bondmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other and slew him.

ASV: And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and killed him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And thy handmaid  had two  sons,  and they two  strove together  in the field,  and [there was] none to part  them, but the one  smote  the other,  and slew  him. 

What does 2 Samuel 14:6 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 14:6 mean?

And your maidservant had two sons and fought with each other the two in the field and [there was] no one to part them but struck the one - the [other] one and killed him
וּלְשִׁפְחָֽתְךָ֙ שְׁנֵ֣י בָנִ֔ים וַיִּנָּצ֤וּ שְׁנֵיהֶם֙ בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה וְאֵ֥ין מַצִּ֖יל בֵּֽינֵיהֶ֑ם וַיַּכּ֧וֹ הָאֶחָ֛ד אֶת־ הָאֶחָ֖ד וַיָּ֥מֶת אֹתֽוֹ

וּלְשִׁפְחָֽתְךָ֙  And  your  maidservant  had 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: שִׁפְחָה  
Sense: maid, maid-servant, slavegirl.
שְׁנֵ֣י  two 
Parse: Number, mdc
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
בָנִ֔ים  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וַיִּנָּצ֤וּ  and  fought  with  each  other 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָצָה 
Sense: (Qal) to fly.
שְׁנֵיהֶם֙  the  two 
Parse: Number, mdc, third person masculine plural
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה  in  the  field 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
וְאֵ֥ין  and  [there  was]  no  one 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
מַצִּ֖יל  to  part 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָצַל  
Sense: to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder.
וַיַּכּ֧וֹ  but  struck 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
הָאֶחָ֛ד  the  one 
Parse: Article, Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
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.
הָאֶחָ֖ד  the  [other]  one 
Parse: Article, Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
וַיָּ֥מֶת  and  killed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.

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