The Meaning of 2 Samuel 6:23 Explained

2 Samuel 6:23

KJV: Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

YLT: As to Michal daughter of Saul, she had no child till the day of her death.

Darby: And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

ASV: And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Therefore Michal  the daughter  of Saul  had no child  unto the day  of her death. 

What does 2 Samuel 6:23 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 6:12-23 - The Ark Tabernacled In The City Of David
Josephus tells us that from the moment the Ark rested beneath Obed-edom's roof, a tide of golden prosperity set in, and he passed from poverty to wealth. But 1 Chronicles 26:4-10 sheds a new light on the subject, for there we learn that the whole family became attached to the service of the Lord's house, and even the grandchildren became mighty. If only we would open our homes to God's Ark-that is, if we maintained the observances of religion for our children and dependents-for us also there would be similar blessing. One likes to imagine the reverence and joy with which those boys and girls lay down to sleep at night, feeling that the symbol of God's presence was in the house.
This time the prescribed ritual was minutely observed. The warning given by Uzzah's death had aroused the entire nation to a realization of their indifference and neglect. The stroke had been terrible, but the effect was eminently salutary. It seemed as if the flood-gates of David's joy had been thrown wide open, and he could not contain his ecstasy. Then from an overflowing heart, he turned to bless his people. The one event that marred the day was poor Michal's bitter speech. There is no perfect joy in this world; every rose has its thorn. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 6

1  David fetches the ark from Kirjath Jearim on a new cart,
6  Uzzah is smitten at Perez Uzzah
9  God blesses Obed-Edom for the ark
12  David brings the ark into Zion with sacrifices, and dances before it;
16  for which Michal despises him
17  He places it in a tabernacle with great joy and feasting
20  Michal, reproving David for his joy, is childless to her death

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 6:23 mean?

Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul no had to children to the day of her death -
וּלְמִיכַל֙ בַּת־ שָׁא֔וּל לֹֽא־ הָ֥יָה לָ֖הּ יָ֑לֶד עַ֖ד י֥וֹם מוֹתָֽהּ פ

וּלְמִיכַל֙  Therefore  Michal 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִיכַל  
Sense: daughter of king Saul, sister of Jonathan, wife of king David, and mother of five; given to David as wife for the bride price of 00 Philistine foreskins; while still married to David, her father gave her in marriage to another, Phaltiel; at the death of Saul, David forced her to return.
בַּת־  the  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
שָׁא֔וּל  of  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
לֹֽא־  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יָ֑לֶד  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יֶלֶד  
Sense: child, son, boy, offspring, youth.
י֥וֹם  the  day 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
מוֹתָֽהּ  of  her  death 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation