2 Samuel 20:3

2 Samuel 20:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.
• New International Version (NIV)When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them but had no sexual relations with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to care for the house and put them in a house under guard and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women, his concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in seclusion and supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.

Context of 2 Samuel 20:3

1There was a wicked man there in Gilgal. His name was Sheba. He was Bicri's son, who belonged to Benjamin's tribe. He made a loud noise with a trumpet and then he shouted, ‘Israelite people, we have nothing to do with Jesse's son, David! We do not belong to his kingdom! So we should all return to our homes.’ 2So the Israelites left David in Gilgal, and they went with Bicri's son, Sheba. But the men of Judah's tribe stayed with David. They helped him on his journey all the way from the Jordan River to Jerusalem. David returned to his palace in Jerusalem. Then he took the ten slave wives that he had left there to take care of his palace. Now he made them live in their own house, with guards to keep them safe. He gave them everything that they needed, but he did not sleep with them. They lived there on their own. They lived like widows until they died. 4The king said to Amasa, ‘Bring all the men of Judah's tribe here to me. Three days from now, I will meet with them. You must also be here yourself.’ 5Amasa went to fetch Judah's men, but he did not return in three days.

2 Samuel 20:3 word by word

וַיָּבֹ֨א דָוִ֣ד אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ֮ יְרֽוּשָׁלִַם֒ וַיִּקַּ֣ח הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ אֵ֣ת עֶֽשֶׂר־נָשִׁ֣ים׀ פִּלַגְשִׁ֡ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר הִנִּיחַ֩ לִשְׁמֹ֨ר הַבַּ֜יִת וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֤ם בֵּית־מִשְׁמֶ֙רֶת֙ וַֽיְכַלְכְּלֵ֔ם וַאֲלֵיהֶ֖ם לֹא־בָ֑א וַתִּהְיֶ֧ינָה צְרֻר֛וֹת עַד־י֥וֹם מֻתָ֖ן אַלְמְנ֥וּת חַיּֽוּת׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• to his houseבֵּיתbayith · betweenH1004
• at Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
• and the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• the tenעֶשֶׂר‛eώer ‛ăώârâh · tenH6235
• womenאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• concubinesפִּלֶ֫גֶשׁpîylegesh pilegesh · concubineH6370
• whom he had leftיָנַחyânach · to restH3240
• to keepשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: guardH8104
• and putנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
• them in wardמִשְׁמֶ֫רֶתmishmereth · chargeH4931
• and fedכּוּלkûl · to sustainH3557
• unto them. So they were shut upצָרַרtsârar · to constrainH6887
• unto the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• of their deathמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• livingחַיּוּתchayûth · livingH2424
• in widowhoodאַלְמָנוּת'almânûth · widowhoodH491

Cross-references for 2 Samuel 20:3

• 2 Samuel 15:16So the king left home. He took all his servants and family with him. But he left ten of his slave wives to take care of the palace.
• 2 Samuel 16:21Ahithophel answered, ‘Sleep with your father's slave wives that are here. He left them to take care of his palace. Then all the people in Israel will know that you have insulted your father. They will know that he must now hate you. That will help your own men to be strong.’
• Genesis 40:3Pharaoh put them in the same prison that Joseph was in. That was in the house of the captain of the king's guards.

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 20:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The ten women - He could not well divorce them; he could not punish them, as they were not in the transgression; he could no more be familiar with them, because they had been defiled by his son; and to have married them to other men might have been dangerous to the state: therefore he shut them up and fed them - made them quite comfortable, and they continued as widows to their death.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The ten concubines (2 Samuel 15:16) whom Absalom had publicly mistreated (16:21–22) faced a fate similar to Michal’s (see 6:23 and 2 Samuel 6:23).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. the king took the ten women his concubines--Jewish writers say that the widowed queens of Hebrew monarchs were not allowed to marry again but were obliged to pass the rest of their lives in strict seclusion. David treated his concubines in the same manner after the outrage committed on them by Absalom. They were not divorced, for they were guiltless; but they were no longer publicly recognized as his wives; nor was their confinement to a sequestered…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Samuel 20:3

• Abishai
• David

In the dictionaries

• David
• Jerusalem
• Heed
• Joab
• Sheba
• Wont
• Amasa
• Bible, the
• Israel, History of
• Judah, Kingdom of

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary