2 Samuel 23:6
in 2 Samuel 23But the worthless are all like thorns raked aside, for they can never be gathered by hand.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away, Because they cannot be taken with the hand;
KJV
But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:
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This verse in 2 Samuel 23
Commentary
5 notes on this verseBut the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns - There is no word in the text for sons; it is simply Belial, the good-for-nothing man, and may here refer - first to Saul, and secondly to the enemies of our Lord. As thorns thrust away - A metaphor taken from hedging; the workman thrusts the thorns aside either with his bill or hand, protected by his impenetrable mitten or glove, till, getting a fair blow at the roots, he cuts them all down.
This site's exposition
as thorns thrust away
on 2 Samuel 23:6-7
The oracle ends with the counterpart: the sons of Belial are thorns that cannot be taken with hands, handled only with iron and the spear shaft, and burned where they lie. The just rule of verse 3 and the burning of verse 7 are one picture, not two, for a ruler in the fear of God is also the end of the ungovernable.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And those that will not repent, to give glory to God, shall, in the judgment-day (to which the Chaldee paraphrast refers this), be burnt with unquenchable fire. 8 These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-run:42w-of-70
But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
They resemble those prickly, thorny plants which are twisted together, whose spires point in every direction, and which are so sharp and strong that they cannot be touched or approached without danger; but hard instruments and violent means must be taken to destroy or uproot them. So God will remove or destroy all who are opposed to this kingdom.
The words behind it
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּבְלִיַּ֕עַל | uveliyaal | and a worthless person | H1100 → | 27 times |
| כְּק֥וֹץ | kekotz | [is] like thorn[s] | H6975 → | |
| מֻנָ֖ד | munad | [which is] chased away | H5074 → | |
| כֻּלָּ֑הַם | kulaham | all of them | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| בְיָ֖ד | veyad | in a hand | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| יִקָּֽחוּ׃ | yikachu | people will take | H3947 → | 966 times |
וּבְלִיַּ֕עַלand a worthless person
uveliyaalH1100 →27 times
כְּק֥וֹץ[is] like thorn[s]
kekotzH6975 →
מֻנָ֖ד[which is] chased away
munadH5074 →
כֻּלָּ֑הַםall of them
kulahamH3605 →5413 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
בְיָ֖דin a hand
veyadH3027 →1618 times
יִקָּֽחוּ׃people will take
yikachuH3947 →966 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
Ezekiel 2:6But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns surround you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 1:8
Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.
- Isaiah 51:12
“I, even I, am He who comforts you. Why should you be afraid of mortal man, of a son of man who withers like grass?
- 1 Peter 3:14
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken.”
- 2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
- Luke 10:19
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.
- Jeremiah 1:8
Through
Deuteronomy 13:13that wicked men have arisen from among you and have led the people of their city astray, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” (which you have not known),
it leads to
- 1 John 2:19
They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of…
- 1 John 2:19
Through
Genesis 3:18Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
it leads to
- Matthew 13:7
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings.
- Job 5:5
The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from the thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
- Matthew 13:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Samuel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.