2 Samuel Chapter 19 — David's Return to Jerusalem
David ends his public mourning for Absalom after a rebuke from Joab and begins his journey back to Jerusalem to reclaim his throne.
1Joab was told, “Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom.”
2The victory that day was turned into mourning among all the people, for the people heard it said that day, “The king grieves for his son.”
3The people sneaked into the city that day, as people who are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.
4The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, “My son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son!”
5Joab came into the house to the king, and said, “Today you have shamed the faces of all your servants who today have saved your life, and the lives of your sons and of your daughters, and the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines;
6in that you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have declared today that princes and servants are nothing to you. For today I perceive that if Absalom had lived and we had all died today, then it would have pleased you well.
7Now therefore arise, go out and speak to comfort your servants; for I swear by the LORD, if you don’t go out, not a man will stay with you this night. That would be worse to you than all the evil that has happened to you from your youth until now.”
8Then 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.
9All the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king delivered us out of the hand of our enemies, and he saved us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he has fled out of the land from Absalom.
10Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why don’t you speak a word of bringing the king back?”
11King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, “Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, ‘Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, since the speech of all Israel has come to the king, to return him to his house?
12You are my brothers. You are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?’
13Say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my bone and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if you aren’t captain of the army before me continually instead of Joab.’ ”
14He bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as one man, so that they sent to the king, saying, “Return, you and all your servants.”
15So the king returned, and came to the Jordan. Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to bring the king over the Jordan.
16Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David.
17There were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of Saul’s house, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went through the Jordan in the presence of the king.
18A ferry boat went to bring over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good.
19He said to the king, “Don’t let my lord impute iniquity to me, or remember that which your servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.
20For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore behold, I have come today as the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.”
21But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’s anointed?”
22David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be adversaries to me today? Shall any man be put to death today in Israel? For don’t I know that I am king over Israel today?”
23The king said to Shimei, “You will not die.” The king swore to him.
24Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king; and he had neither groomed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace.
25When he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why didn’t you go with me, Mephibosheth?”
26He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ because your servant is lame.
27He has slandered your servant to my lord the king, but my lord the king is as an angel of God. Therefore do what is good in your eyes.
28For all my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king; yet you set your servant among those who ate at your own table. What right therefore have I yet that I should appeal any more to the king?”
29The king said to him, “Why do you speak any more of your matters? I say, you and Ziba divide the land.”
30Mephibosheth said to the king, “Yes, let him take all, because my lord the king has come in peace to his own house.”
31Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim; and he went over the Jordan with the king to conduct him over the Jordan.
32Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even eighty years old. He had provided the king with sustenance while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very great man.
33The king said to Barzillai, “Come over with me, and I will sustain you with me in Jerusalem.”
34Barzillai said to the king, “How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?
35I am eighty years old, today. Can I discern between good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear the voice of singing men and singing women any more? Why then should your servant be a burden to my lord the king?
36Your servant will just go over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward?
37Please let your servant turn back again, that I may die in my own city, by the grave of my father and my mother. But behold, your servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good to you.”
38The king answered, “Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good to you. Whatever you request of me, that I will do for you.”
39All the people went over the Jordan, and the king went over. Then the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him; and he returned to his own place.
40So the king went over to Gilgal, and Chimham went over with him. All the people of Judah brought the king over, and also half the people of Israel.
41Behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, “Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away, and brought the king and his household, over the Jordan, and all David’s men with him?”
42All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is a close relative to us. Why then are you angry about this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s cost? Or has he given us any gift?”
43The men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, “We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more claim to David than you. Why then did you despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king?” The words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
2 Samuel 19:6
“in that you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have declared today that princes and servants are nothing to you.”
Joab's blunt rebuke highlights the tension between David's personal grief as a father and his responsibilities as a king.
2 Samuel 19:22
“David said, 'What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be adversaries to me today? Shall any man be put to death today in Israel?'”
This verse showcases David's choice to lead with clemency and unity rather than vengeance upon his return to power.
2 Samuel 19:30
“Mephibosheth said to the king, 'Yes, let him take all, because my lord the king has come in peace to his own house.'”
Mephibosheth demonstrates his selfless loyalty by prioritizing David's safe return over his own property and inheritance.
Chapter Summary
Following the death of Absalom, King David is consumed by grief until Joab warns him that his mourning is alienating his loyal soldiers. Joab insists that the king's behavior shames those who saved his life, prompting David to take his place at the city gate to reassure the people. As the tribes of Israel debate his return, the elders of Judah invite him back. During his journey across the Jordan, David shows mercy to Shimei, who had previously cursed him, and hears Mephibosheth's explanation regarding Ziba's potential deception. He also honors the elderly Barzillai for his previous support at Mahanaim. However, the chapter concludes with a heated dispute between the men of Israel and the men of Judah over who has the greater right to escort the king, highlighting the growing tribal divisions within the kingdom.
Frequently Asked Questions
Joab rebuked David because the king's intense mourning for Absalom made his victorious soldiers feel ashamed and unappreciated. Joab warned that if David did not encourage his men, they would abandon him, leaving him in a worse position than before.
Despite Shimei having cursed David during his flight from Jerusalem, David chose to forgive him and swore that he would not be put to death that day. David prioritized national reconciliation and peace over personal retribution.
Barzillai was an eighty-year-old man who had provided David with food and supplies during the rebellion. David offered to let him live in the palace in Jerusalem, but Barzillai declined due to his age, asking instead for his servant Chimham to go in his place.
The ten tribes of Israel felt excluded because the tribe of Judah had taken the lead in bringing David back across the Jordan. This dispute over who had a 'greater claim' to the king highlights the deep-seated tribal rivalries within the nation.
Study Note
The reference to the 'house of Joseph' in verse 20 is a collective term for the northern tribes, emphasizing Shimei's attempt to represent a broader reconciliation with David.
Related Chapters
2 Samuel 18
This chapter covers the battle in the forest of Ephraim and the death of Absalom which leads to David's grief.
2 Samuel 16
Explains the background of Shimei's curse and Ziba's initial report about Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 20
Shows the immediate consequences of the tribal dispute that began at the end of Chapter 19.
Continue in the App
Get the full experience — immersive audio, instant explanations, highlights, notes, and reading plans.