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2 Samuel 11:25

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 2 Samuel 11:25 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “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.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

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.
2 Samuel 11:25 — American Standard Version

Context — 2 Samuel 11

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
22So the messenger went, and came and showed David all that Joab had sent him for.
23And the messenger said unto David, The men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entrance of the gate.
24And the shooters shot at thy servants from off the wall; and some of the king`s servants are dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
25Then 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.
26And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she made lamentation for her husband.
27And when the mourning was past, David sent and took her home to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased Jehovah.
← 2 Samuel 11:242 Samuel 11:26 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Then David said to the messenger, etc.] Whom he dispatched again to Joab upon the delivery of his message: thus shall thou say to Joab; in the name of David: let not this thing displease thee; be not grieved, and cast down, and intimidated at the repulse he had met with, and the loss of so many brave men, and especially Uriah; for the sword devours one as well as another; officers as well as soldiers the strong as well as the weak, the valiant and courageous as well as the more timorous; the events of war are various and uncertain, and to be submitted to, and not repined at, and laid to heart. David’s heart being hardened by sin, made light of the death of his brave soldiers, to which he…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“11:25 The sword devours this one today and that one tomorrow! David’s callous attitude toward the unnecessary deaths he caused is chilling.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“displease thee: Heb. be evil in thine eyes for the sword: Jos 7:8, Jos 7:9; Sa1 6:9; Ecc 9:1-3, Ecc 9:11, Ecc 9:12 one: Heb. so and such, What abominable hypocrisy was here! He well knew that the death of this noble and gallant man was no chance-medley. he was by his own order thrust on the sword. make: Sa2 12:26 2 Kings (2 Samuel) 11:26”
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Related study paths

Read 2 Samuel 11 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification