2 Samuel 15 · Verse 34

2 Samuel 15:34

But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father’s servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.
2 Samuel 15:34, King James Version

2 Samuel 15:34 in other translations

BSBBut you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me if you return to the city and say to Absalom: ‘I will be your servant, my king; in the past I was your father’s servant, but now I will be your servant.’
WEBbut if you return to the city, and tell Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king. As I have been your father’s servant in time past, so I will now be your servant; then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.’
ASVbut if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father’s servant in time past, so will I now be thy servant; then wilt thou defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.
YLTand if to the city thou dost turn back, and hast said to Absalom, Thy servant I am, O king; servant of thy father I am also hitherto, and now, I am also thy servant; then thou hast made void for me the counsel of Ahithophel;
DARBYbut if thou return to the city, and say to Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father's servant hitherto, so now will I be thy servant; then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.
BBEBut if you go back to the town and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king; as in the past I have been your father's servant, so now I will be yours: then you will be able to keep Ahithophel's designs against me from being put into effect.
WebsterBut if thou shalt return to the city, and say to Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father's servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.

What does 2 Samuel 15:34 mean?

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 15:31-37

David prays not against Ahithophel's person, but against his counsel. He prayed this, in firm belief that God has all hearts in his hand, and tongues also. But we must second our prayers with endeavours, and David did so, else we tempt God. But we do not find wisdom and simplicity so united in any mere man, that we can perceive nothing which needs forgiveness. Yet, when the Son of David was treated with all possible…

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 15:31-37 →

2 Samuel 15:34 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאִם\־ve.'im-and ifH518
הָעִ֣ירha.'Irthe cityH5892
תָּשׁ֗וּבta.Shuvyou will returnH7725
וְאָמַרְתָּ֤ve.'a.mar.Taand you will sayH559
לְאַבְשָׁלוֹם֙le.'av.sha.lOmto AbsalomH53
עַבְדְּךָ֨'av.de.Khaservant yourH5650
אֲנִ֤י'a.NiIH589
הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ha.Me.lekhO kingH4428
אֶֽהְיֶ֔ה'eh.YehI will beH1961
עֶ֣בֶד'E.ved[was] [the] servant ofH5650
אָבִ֤יךָ'a.Vi.khafather yourH1
וַֽאֲנִי֙va.'a.Ni<and> IH589
מֵאָ֔זme.'Azfrom thenH227
וְעַתָּ֖הve.'a.Tahand nowH6258
וַאֲנִ֣יva.'a.Ni<and> IH589
עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ'av.De.kha[will be] servant yourH5650
וְהֵפַרְתָּ֣הve.he.far.Tahand you will frustrateH6565
לִ֔יLifor <the> me
אֵ֖ת'et<obj.>H853
עֲצַ֥ת'a.Tzat[the] counsel ofH6098
אֲחִיתֹֽפֶל\׃'a.chi.To.felAhithophelH302

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Samuel 15:34

  • 2 Samuel 16:16-19

    And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, God save the king, God save the king. And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou not with thy friend? And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom the Lord, and this people, and all the men of Israel, choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide. And again, whom should I serve? should I not serve in the presence of his son? as I have served in thy father’s presence, so will I be in thy presence.

  • Joshua 8:2

    And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.

  • 2 Samuel 15:20

    Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee.

  • 2 Samuel 17:5-14

    Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith. And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do after his saying? if not; speak thou. And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time. For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people. …

  • Matthew 10:16

    Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
return.
20; Jos 8:2; Mt 10:16
as I have been.
16:16-19
then mayest.
17:5-14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Samuel 15:33

    Unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me:

  • 2 Samuel 15:34

    But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father’s servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.

  • 2 Samuel 15:35

    And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? therefore it shall be, that what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the king’s house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.

Read all of 2 Samuel 15

2 Samuel 15:34 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Mas si volvieres á la ciudad, y dijeres á Absalom: Rey, yo seré tu siervo; como hasta aquí he sido siervo de tu padre, así seré ahora siervo tuyo, entonces tú me disiparás el consejo de Achitophel.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Mais si tu retournes à la ville, et que tu dises à Absalom: Ô roi! je serai ton serviteur; comme j’ai été autrefois serviteur de ton père, maintenant aussi je serai ton serviteur, – alors tu annuleras pour moi le conseil d’Akhitophel.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Wenn du aber in die Stadt zurückkehrst und zu Absalom sagst: Dein Knecht, o König, will ich sein; wie ich von jeher der Knecht deines Vaters gewesen bin, so will ich jetzt dein Knecht sein: so wirst du mir den Rat Ahitophels zunichte machen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
si autem in civitatem revertaris, et dixeris Absalom: Servus tuus sum, rex: sicut fui servus patris tui, sic ero servus tuus: dissipabis consilium Achitophel.