2 Samuel 16:5
in 2 Samuel 16As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the family of the house of Saul was just coming out. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and as he approached, he kept yelling out curses.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out thence a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out, and cursed still as he came.
KJV
And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 16
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Bahurim - See 2Sa 3:16 note. It seems to have lain off the road, on a ridge 2Sa 16:13, separated from it by a narrow ravine, so that Shimei was out of easy reach though within hearing, and within a stone’s throw 2Sa 16:6, 2Sa 16:9. Shimei, the son of Gera - In the title to Ps. 7 he is apparently called “Cush the Benjamite.” On Gera, see Jdg 3:15 note.
This site's exposition
whose name was Shimei
on 2 Samuel 16:5-8
Shimei is of Saul's own house, and he meets the king at Bahurim with stones and a curse that names David a bloody man twice over. His charge blames David for the blood of Saul's line, though the text elsewhere lays that blood at other doors, and some read into thou bloody man an echo of Uriah, the innocent blood David actually shed. The curse is public and physical, thrown stones and dust alongside words, before David's own mighty men on his right hand and his left.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
(3.) Because now he thought that Providence justified his reproaches, and that David's present afflictions proved him to be as bad a man as he was willing to represent him. Job's friends condemned him upon this false principle. Those that are under the rebukes of a gracious God must not think it strange if these bring upon them the reproaches of evil men.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
on 2 Samuel 16:5-12
It is, however, only the confines of the district that are here meant. Shimei, . . . a man of the family of Saul--The misfortune of his family, and the occupation by David of what they considered their rightful possessions, afforded a natural, if not a justifiable cause for this ebullition of rude insults and violence.
The words behind it
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּבָ֛א | uva' | and he came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| דָּוִ֖ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| בַּֽחוּרִ֑ים | bachurim | Bahurim | H980 → | 5 times |
| וְהִנֵּ֣ה | vehineh | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| מִשָּׁם֩ | misham | from there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| אִ֨ישׁ | ʾish | a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| יוֹצֵ֜א | yotze' | [was] coming out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| מִמִּשְׁפַּ֣חַת | mimishpachat | from [the] clan of | H4940 → | |
| בֵּית־ | beit- | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| שָׁא֗וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| וּשְׁמוֹ֙ | ushemo | and name his | H8034 → | 864 times |
| שִׁמְעִ֣י | shimi | [was] Shimei | H8096 → | 43 times |
| בֶן־ | ven- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| גֵּרָ֔א | gera' | Gera | H1617 → | 9 times |
| יֹצֵ֥א | yotze' | [he was] coming out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| יָצ֖וֹא | yatzo' | continuously <to come> | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| וּמְקַלֵּֽל׃ | umekalel | and cursing | H7043 → | 82 times |
וּבָ֛אand he came
uva'H935 →2568 times
הַמֶּ֥לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
דָּוִ֖דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
עַד־to
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
בַּֽחוּרִ֑יםBahurim
bachurimH980 →5 times
וְהִנֵּ֣הand there!
vehinehH2009 →843 times
מִשָּׁם֩from there
mishamH8033 →834 times
אִ֨ישׁa man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
יוֹצֵ֜א[was] coming out
yotze'H3318 →1067 times
מִמִּשְׁפַּ֣חַתfrom [the] clan of
mimishpachatH4940 →
בֵּית־[the] house of
beit-H1004 →2046 times
שָׁא֗וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
וּשְׁמוֹ֙and name his
ushemoH8034 →864 times
שִׁמְעִ֣י[was] Shimei
shimiH8096 →43 times
בֶן־[the] son of
ven-H1121 →4930 times
גֵּרָ֔אGera
gera'H1617 →9 times
יֹצֵ֥א[he was] coming out
yotze'H3318 →1067 times
יָצ֖וֹאcontinuously <to come>
yatzo'H3318 →1067 times
וּמְקַלֵּֽל׃and cursing
umekalelH7043 →82 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
Exodus 22:28You must not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.
it leads to
- Acts 23:5
“Brothers,” Paul replied, “I was not aware that he was the high priest, for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”
- Ecclesiastes 10:20
Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your words, and a winged creature may report your…
- Jude 1:8
Yet in the same way these dreamers defile their bodies, reject authority, and slander glorious beings.
- Exodus 22:8–9
If the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges to determine whether he has taken his neighbor’s property.
- Exodus 21:17
Anyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death.
- Acts 23:5
Through
1 Samuel 17:43“Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 24:14
Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea?
- 2 Samuel 9:8
Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog like me?”
- 2 Samuel 3:8
Abner was furious over Ish-bosheth’s accusation. “Am I the head of a dog that belongs to Judah?” he asked. “All this time I have been loyal to the house of your father Saul, to…
- 1 Samuel 24:14
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Samuel
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonUnited MonarchyDavidSecond king of united Israel, shepherd-turned-monarch, ancestor of the Messiah, and traditional author of many Psalms.
- PersonUnited monarchySaulIsrael's first king, head and shoulders above the people; began in humility, ended in rejection — sparing what God devoted, consul…
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.