2 Samuel 4:7

For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
came	וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ vai.ya.Vo.'u	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
house	הַבַּ֗יִת ha.Ba.yit	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
lay	שֹׁכֵ֤ב sho.Khev	H7901	to lie down (for rest · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
bed	מִטָּתוֹ֙ mi.ta.To	H4296	a bed (as extended) forsleeping or eating · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
bedchamber	בַּחֲדַ֣ר ba.cha.Dar	H2315	an apartment (usually literal) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
smote	וַיַּכֻּ֙הוּ֙ vai.ya.Ku.hu	H5221	to strike (lightly or severely · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
slew	וַיְמִתֻ֔הוּ vay.mi.Tu.hu	H4191	to die (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
beheaded	וַיָּסִ֖ירוּ vai.ya.Si.ru	H5493	to turn off (literal or figurative) · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
took	וַיִּקְחוּ֙ vai.yik.Chu	H3947	to take (in the widest variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
head	רֹאשׁ֑וֹ ro.Sho	H7218	the head (as most easily shaken) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
away	יָלַךְ yâlak	H3212	to walk (literally or figuratively)
through	דֶּ֥רֶךְ De.rekh	H1870	a road (as trodden) · noun, common both genders singular construct
plain	הָעֲרָבָ֖ה ha.'a.ra.Vah	H6160	a desert · definite article + proper noun, a place name
night	הַלָּֽיְלָה ha.La.ye.lah	H3915	properly · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Samuel 17:54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.
1 Samuel 31:9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of…
2 Samuel 2:29 And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahana…
2 Kings 10:6-7 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men yo…
Matthew 14:11 And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
Mark 6:28-29 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 4:1-8

Here is, I. The weakness of Saul's house. Still it grew weaker and weaker. 1. As for Ishbosheth, who was in possession of the throne, his hands were feeble, Sa2 4:1. All the strength they ever had was from Abner's support, and now that he was dead he had no spirit left in him. Though Abner had, in a passion, deserted his interest, yet he hoped, by his means, to make good terms with David; but now even this hope fails him, and he sees himself forsaken by his friends and at the mercy of his enemies. All the Israelites that adhered to him were troubled and at a loss what to do, whether to proceed in their treaty with David or no. 2. As for Mephibosheth, who in the right of his father Jonathan h…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 4:7

when they came into the house, he lay on his bed--Rechab and Baanah came in the heat of the day, when they knew that Ish-bosheth, their master, would be resting on his divan; and as it was necessary, for the reason just given, to have the corn the day before it was needed, their coming at that time, though it might be a little earlier than usual, created no suspicion, and attracted no notice [HARMER]. gat them away through the plain--that is, the valley of the Jordan, through which their way lay from Mahanaim to Hebron.

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 4:6

As though they would have fetched wheat - The king's stores were probably near his own dwelling; and these men were accustomed to go thither for provisions for themselves, their cattle, and their men. This supposition which is natural, renders unnecessary all the emendations of Houbigant and others. As these men were accustomed to bring wheat from these stores, from which it appears there was an easy passage to the king's chamber, (especially if we consider this a summer-house, as it most probably was), no man would suspect their present errand, as they were in the habit of going frequently to that place.

John Gill on 2 Samuel 4:7

For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber,.... This is repeated to give a more particular account of the murder; though Abarbinel thinks they went in twice; when they went in first they smote him under the fifth rib, and made their escape; but fearing they had not left him dead, they returned, and did as follows: and they smote him, and slew him; so that it was out of all doubt with them that he was dead: and beheaded him; to make sure work of it: and took his head; along with them, perhaps in one of the sacks they had to fetch wheat in, and so passed undiscovered, to carry to David, to curry favour with him: and gat them away through the plain all night; thr…

Dictionary and topics

Arabah — Plain, in the Revised Version of 2 Kings 14:25; Josh. 3:16; 8:14; 2 Sam. 2:29; 4:7 (in all these passages the A.V. has “plain”); Amos 6:14 (A.V. “wilderness”). This word is found in the Authorized…
Ish-bosheth — Man of shame or humiliation, the youngest of Saul’s four sons, and the only one who survived him (2 Sam. 2-4). His name was originally Eshbaal (1 Chr. 8:33; 9:39). He was about forty years of age…
Mahanaim — Two camps, a place near the Jabbok, beyond Jordan, where Jacob was met by the “angels of God,” and where he divided his retinue into “two hosts” on his return from Padan-aram (Gen. 32:2). This name…
Assassination · .Ish-bosheth, by the — .Ish-bosheth, by the
Homicide · .Rechab and Baanah — .Rechab and Baanah
Ish-Bosheth · Assassinated — Assassinated
Murder · Exemplified: Rechab — Exemplified: Rechab
Rechab · .Mur — .Mur
Regicide · Of Ish-bosheth — Of Ish-bosheth

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

2 Samuel 4:7

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 4:1-8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 4:7

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 4:6

John Gill on 2 Samuel 4:7

Dictionary and topics

2 Samuel 4:7

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 4:1-8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 4:7

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 4:6

John Gill on 2 Samuel 4:7

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 4:7-8

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Samuel 4:6

Rashi on 2 Samuel 4:6