2 Samuel 14:33
in 2 Samuel 14So Joab went and told the king, and David summoned Absalom, who came to him and bowed facedown before him. Then the king kissed Absalom.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
So Joab came to the king, and told him; and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.
KJV
So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 14
Commentary
6 notes on this verseDid the bowels of a father prevail to reconcile him to an impenitent son, and shall penitent sinners question the compassion of him who is the Father of mercy? If Ephraim bemoan himself, God soon bemoans him, with all the kind expressions of a fatherly tenderness: He is a dear son, a pleasant child, Jer. xxxi.
This site's exposition
Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire
on 2 Samuel 14:31-33
Absalom protests his own innocence to Joab, it had been good for me to have been there still, and demands the king's face on his own terms, let him kill me if I am guilty. Joab carries the demand, and David answers with a kiss, the physical seal of reconciliation after three years of exile and two more years of silence. The chapter closes on the gesture rather than on any change in Absalom's heart, and the sword promised at 12:10 will fall from that same unaddressed heart within a few chapters.
This site's exposition
the king kissed Absalom
Joab told the king, and David called for Absalom, who bowed low before him. Then the king kissed him, as Joseph kissed his brothers in Genesis 45:15. Matthew Henry notes that Absalom showed no sorrow for his sin.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
5 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead. 6 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.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
So Joab came to the king, and told him,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Kissed - This was the pledge of reconciliation. (See the marginal references and Gen 45:15.)
The words behind it
22 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּבֹ֨א | vaiyavo' | and he went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| יוֹאָ֣ב | yoav | Joab | H3097 → | 144 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַמֶּלֶךְ֮ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| וַיַּגֶּד־ | vaiyaged- | and he told | H5046 → | 370 times |
| לוֹ֒ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| וַיִּקְרָ֤א | vaiyikra' | and he summoned | H7121 → | 733 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | <to> | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ | ʾavshalom | Absalom | H53 → | 110 times |
| וַיָּבֹ֣א | vaiyavo' | and he came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| וַיִּשְׁתַּ֨חוּ | vaiyishtachu | and he bowed down | H7812 → | 172 times |
| ל֧וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אַפָּ֛יו | ʾapav | face his | H639 → | 276 times |
| אַ֖רְצָה | ʾartzah | [the] ground towards | H776 → | 2504 times |
| לִפְנֵ֣י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| וַיִּשַּׁ֥ק | vaiyishak | and he kissed | H5401 → | 35 times |
| הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| לְאַבְשָׁלֽוֹם׃ פ | leavshalom | <to> Absalom | H53 → | 110 times |
וַיָּבֹ֨אand he went
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
יוֹאָ֣בJoab
yoavH3097 →144 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַמֶּלֶךְ֮the king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
וַיַּגֶּד־and he told
vaiyaged-H5046 →370 times
לוֹ֒to <the> him
lo
וַיִּקְרָ֤אand he summoned
vaiyikra'H7121 →733 times
אֶל־<to>
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙Absalom
ʾavshalomH53 →110 times
וַיָּבֹ֣אand he came
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
וַיִּשְׁתַּ֨חוּand he bowed down
vaiyishtachuH7812 →172 times
ל֧וֹto <the> him
lo
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
אַפָּ֛יוface his
ʾapavH639 →276 times
אַ֖רְצָה[the] ground towards
ʾartzahH776 →2504 times
לִפְנֵ֣י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
הַמֶּ֑לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
וַיִּשַּׁ֥קand he kissed
vaiyishakH5401 →35 times
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
לְאַבְשָׁלֽוֹם׃ פ<to> Absalom
leavshalomH53 →110 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Luke 15:20So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and…
it leads to
- Psalms 103:10–13
He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities.
- Psalms 86:5
For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.
- Psalms 86:15
But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.
- Ephesians 2:13
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
- Deuteronomy 30:2–4
and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today,
- Psalms 103:10–13
Through
Genesis 33:4Esau, however, ran to him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.
it leads to
- Luke 15:20
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 45:14–15
Then Joseph threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept as they embraced.
- Acts 20:37
They all wept openly as they embraced Paul and kissed him.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Luke 15:20
About 2 Samuel

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
