2 Samuel 23 · Verse 6

2 Samuel 23:6

But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:

2 Samuel 23:6, King James Version

2 Samuel 23:6 in other translations

BSB	But the worthless are all like thorns raked aside, for they can never be gathered by hand.
WEB	But all the ungodly will be as thorns to be thrust away, because they can’t be taken with the hand.
ASV	But the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away, Because they cannot be taken with the hand;
YLT	As to the worthless--As a thorn driven away are all of them, For--not by hand are they taken;
DARBY	But the sons of Belial are all of them as thorns thrust away, Because they cannot be taken with hands;
BBE	But the evil-doers, all of them, will be like thorns to be pushed away, because they may not be gripped in the hand:
Webster	But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:

What does 2 Samuel 23:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

6. But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns--that is, the wicked enemies and persecutors of this kingdom of righteousness. 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. 2Sa 23:8-39. A Catalogue of His Mighty Men.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 6 But 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. The man is fenced with iron, and the handle of his bill is like the staff of a spear. This is a good representation of the dubbing-bill, with which they slash the thorn hedge on each side before they level the tops by the pruning-shears. The handle is five or six feet long. This is a perfectly natural and intelligible image.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 23:1-7

These words of David are very worthy of regard. Let those who have had long experience of God's goodness, and the pleasantness of heavenly wisdom, when they come to finish their course, bear their testimony to the truth of the promise. David avows his Divine inspiration, that the Spirit of God spake by him. He, and other holy men, spake and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. In many things he had his own…

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 23:1-7 →

2 Samuel 23:6 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.

וּבְלִיַּ֕עַלu.ve.li.Ya.'aland a worthless personH1100

כְּק֥וֹץke.Kotz[is] like thorn[s]H6975

מֻנָ֖דmu.Nad[which is] chased awayH5074

כֻּלָּ֑הַםku.La.hamall of themH3605

כִּֽי\־ki-forH3588

לֹ֥אlo'notH3808

בְיָ֖דve.Yadin a handH3027

יִקָּֽחוּ\׃yi.Ka.chupeople will takeH3947

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

Cross references for 2 Samuel 23:6

Deuteronomy 13:13
Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;
Isaiah 33:12
And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.
Ezekiel 2:6
And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
2 Samuel 20:1
And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.
Genesis 3:18
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Song of Solomon 2:2
As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
1 Samuel 2:12
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.
Matthew 13:41
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

the sons.
20:1; De 13:13; 1Sa 2:12
thorns.
Ge 3:18; So 2:2; Isa 33:12; Eze 2:6

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

Context

2 Samuel 23:5
Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.
2 Samuel 23:6
But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:
2 Samuel 23:7
But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.

Read all of 2 Samuel 23

2 Samuel 23:6 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Mas los de Belial serán todos ellos como espinas arrancadas, las cuales nadie toma con la mano;
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Mais les fils de Bélial sont tous comme des épines qu’on jette loin, car on ne les prend pas avec la main,
German Elberfelder 1871	Aber die Söhne Belials sind allesamt wie Dornen, die man wegwirft; denn mit der Hand faßt man sie nicht an;
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Prævaricatores autem quasi spinæ evellentur universi, quæ non tolluntur manibus.