2 Samuel 19 · Verse 8

2 Samuel 19:8

Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent.
2 Samuel 19:8, King James Version

2 Samuel 19:8 in other translations

BSBSo the king got up and sat in the gate, and all the people were told: “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” So they all came before the king. Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled, each man to his home.
WEBThen the king arose and sat in the gate. The people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” All the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled every man to his tent.
ASVThen the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king is sitting in the gate: and all the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled every man to his tent.
YLTAnd the king riseth, and sitteth in the gate, and to all the people they have declared, saying, ‘Lo, the king is sitting in the gate;' and all the people come in before the king, and Israel hath fled, each to his tents.
DARBYThen the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told all the people, saying, Behold, the king is sitting in the gate. And all the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled every man to his tent.
BBEThen the king got up and took his seat near the town-door. And word was given to all the people that the king was in the public place: and all the people came before the king. Now all the men of Israel had gone back in flight to their tents.
WebsterThen the king rose, and sat in the gate. And they told to all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent.

What does 2 Samuel 19:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
8. the king arose, and sat in the gate--He appeared daily in the usual place for the hearing of causes. all the people came before the king--that is, the loyal natives who had been faithful to his government, and fought in his cause. Israel had fled--that is, the adherents of Absalom, who, on his defeat, had dispersed and saved themselves by flight. 2Sa 19:9-43. The Israelites Bring the King Back.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 8 The king - sat in the gate - The place where justice was administered to the people.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 19:1-8

To continue to lament for so bad a son as Absalom, was very unwise, and very unworthy. Joab censures David, but not with proper respect and deference to his sovereign. A plain case may be fairly pleaded with those above us, and they may be reproved for what they do amiss, but it must not be with rudeness and insolence. Yet David took the reproof and the counsel, prudently and mildly. Timely giving way, usually…

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 19:1-8 →

2 Samuel 19:8 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.

וַיָּ֥קָםvai.Ya.komand he aroseH6965
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
וַיֵּ֣שֶׁבvai.Ye.shevand he satH3427
בַּשָּׁ֑עַרba.Sha.'arin the gateH8179
וּֽלְכָל\־u.le.khol-and to allH3605
הָעָ֞םha.'Amthe peopleH5971
הִגִּ֣ידוּhi.Gi.dupeople toldH5046
לֵאמֹ֗רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
הִנֵּ֤הhi.Nehhere!H2009
הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
יוֹשֵׁ֣בyo.Shev[is] sittingH3427
בַּשַּׁ֔עַרba.Sha.'arin the gateH8179
וַיָּבֹ֤אvai.ya.Vo'and it cameH935
כָל\־khol-allH3605
הָעָם֙ha.'Amthe peopleH5971
לִפְנֵ֣יlif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔לve.Yis.ra.'Eland IsraelH3478
נָ֖סnasit had fledH5127
אִ֥ישׁ'isheachH376
לְאֹהָלָֽיו\׃\ \סle.'o.ha.Lavto tents hisH168

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

Cross references for 2 Samuel 19:8

  • 2 Samuel 18:24

    And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man running alone.

  • 2 Samuel 18:4

    And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.

  • 2 Kings 14:12

    And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to their tents.

  • 2 Samuel 18:6-8

    So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim; Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men. For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

  • 2 Samuel 15:2

    And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.

  • 1 Kings 22:36

    And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country.

  • 2 Samuel 18:17

    And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.

  • 2 Samuel 19:3

    And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
sat in the gate.How prudently and mildly David took the reproof and counsel given him! He shook off his grief, anointed his head, and washed his face, that he might not appear unto men to mourn, and then made his appearance at the gate of the city, which was the public place of resort for the hearing of causes and giving judgment, as well as a place to ratify special bargains. Thither the people flocked to congratulate him on his and their safety, and that all was well. When we are convinced of a fault, we must amend, though we are told of it by our inferiors in a way which is peculiarly painful to our natural feelings. This ancient custom still obtains in the East; for when Dr. Pococke returned from viewing the town of ancient Byblus, he says, "The sheik and the elders were sitting in the gate of the city, after the ancient manner, and I sat awhile with them."
18:4,24
for Israel.
3; 18:6-8; 1Ki 22:36; 2Ki 14:12

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

Context

  • 2 Samuel 19:7

    Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the Lord, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now.

  • 2 Samuel 19:8

    Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent.

  • 2 Samuel 19:9

    And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom.

Read all of 2 Samuel 19

2 Samuel 19:8 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces se levantó el rey, y sentóse á la puerta; y fué declarado á todo el pueblo, diciendo: He aquí el rey está sentado á la puerta. Y vino todo el pueblo delante del rey; mas Israel había huído, cada uno á sus estancias.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et maintenant, lève-toi, sors, et parle au cœur de tes serviteurs; car je jure par l’ Éternel que si tu ne sors, pas un homme ne demeurera cette nuit avec toi; et ceci sera pire pour toi que tout le mal qui t’est arrivé depuis ta jeunesse jusqu’à maintenant.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Da machte der König sich auf und setzte sich in das Tor. Und man berichtete allem Volke und sprach: Siehe, der König sitzt im Tore! Da kam alles Volk vor den König. Israel aber war geflohen, ein jeder nach seinen Zelten.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Surrexit ergo rex et sedit in porta: et omni populo nuntiatum est quod rex sederet in porta. Venitque universa multitudo coram rege: Israël autem fugit in tabernacula sua.