2 Samuel 19 · Verse 21

2 Samuel 19:21

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?
2 Samuel 19:21, King James Version

2 Samuel 19:21 in other translations

BSBBut Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’s anointed?”
WEBBut Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’s anointed?”
ASVBut Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Jehovah’s anointed?
YLTAnd Abishai son of Zeruiah answereth and saith, ‘For this is not Shimei put to death--because he reviled the anointed of Jehovah?'
DARBYAnd Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Should not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Jehovah's anointed?
BBEBut Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said, Is not death the right fate for Shimei, because he has been cursing the one marked by the holy oil?
WebsterBut Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD'S anointed?

What does 2 Samuel 19:21 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 19:16-23

16-23. Shemei ... a thousand men of Benjamin with him--This display of [Shemei's] followers was to show what force he could raise against or in support of the king. Expressing the deepest regret for his former outrageous conduct, he was pardoned on the spot; and although the son of Zeruiah urged the expediency of making this chief a public example, his officiousness was repulsed by David with magnanimity, and with…

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 19:16-23 →

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 19:16-23

Those who now slight and abuse the Son of David, would be glad to make their peace when he shall come in his glory; but it will be too late. Shimei lost no time. His abuse had been personal, and with the usual right feeling of good men, David could more easily forgive it.

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 19:16-23 →

2 Samuel 19:21 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.

וַיַּ֨עַןvai.Ya.'anand he answeredH6030
אֲבִישַׁ֤י'a.vi.ShaiAbishaiH52
בֶּן\־ben-[the] son ofH1121
צְרוּיָה֙tze.ru.YahZeruiahH6870
וַיֹּ֔אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
הֲתַ֣חַתha.Ta.chat¿ in place ofH8478
זֹ֔אתZotthisH2063
לֹ֥אlo'notH3808
יוּמַ֖תyu.Matwill he be put to deathH4191
שִׁמְעִ֑יshim.'IShimeiH8096
כִּ֥יkiforH3588
קִלֵּ֖לki.Lelhe cursedH7043
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
מְשִׁ֥יחַme.Shi.ach[the] [one] anointed ofH4899
יְהוָֽה\׃\ \סYah.wehYahwehH3068

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

Cross references for 2 Samuel 19:21

  • Exodus 22:28

    Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.

  • 1 Samuel 26:9

    And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?

  • 1 Kings 21:10-11

    And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.

  • 1 Samuel 24:6

    And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.

  • 2 Samuel 16:5

    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.

  • 2 Samuel 16:7-8

    And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial: The Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the Lord hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man.

  • 2 Samuel 16:13

    And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill’s side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Shall not.
Ex 22:28; 1Ki 21:10,11
cursed.
16:5,7,13; 1Sa 24:6; 26:9

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

Context

  • 2 Samuel 19:20

    For thy servant doth know that I have sinned: therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.

  • 2 Samuel 19:21

    But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?

  • 2 Samuel 19:22

    And David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for do not I know that I am this day king over Israel?

Read all of 2 Samuel 19

2 Samuel 19:21 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y Abisai hijo de Sarvia respondió y dijo: ¿No ha de morir por esto Semei, que maldijo al ungido de Jehová?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Car moi, ton serviteur, je sais que j’ai péché; et voici, je suis venu aujourd’hui le premier de toute la maison de Joseph, pour descendre à la rencontre du roi, mon seigneur.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und Abisai, der Sohn der Zeruja, antwortete und sprach: Sollte nicht Simei dafür getötet werden, daß er dem Gesalbten Jehovas geflucht hat?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Respondens vero Abisai filius Sarviæ, dixit: Numquid pro his verbis non occidetur Semei, quia maledixit christo Domini?