For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

2 SAMUEL 14:16KJV
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2 Samuel 14:16 (KJV)

What does 2 Samuel 14:16 mean?

2 Samuel 14:16 shows a woman appealing to King David, expressing her hope that the king will listen to her and rescue her from someone threatening to destroy both her and her son, which would cut them off from their family inheritance given by God. She trusts that the king’s judgment will protect her family’s future.

In this verse, a woman from Tekoa is speaking directly to King David as part of a story crafted by Joab to convince David to bring back his son Absalom. The woman presents herself as a vulnerable servant ("handmaid") who needs the king’s help against a man trying to wipe out her family line. The verse highlights her faith in the king’s authority and justice to save her and her son from losing their God-given inheritance.

The Hebrew behind 2 Samuel 14:16

  • מֶלֶךְ (melek, "king"): This word emphasizes the authority and responsibility of David in the situation, showing that she is appealing to the highest earthly authority for justice.
  • שָׁמַע (shama, "hear"): The word often means more than just listening; it carries the sense of truly paying attention and responding, which underlines her hope that David will act on her plea.
  • נָצַל (natsal, "deliver"): This word means to rescue or save, stressing that the woman sees herself in real danger and is relying on David for active intervention.
  • נַחֲלָה (nachalah, "inheritance"): This term refers to the family property or portion given by God, making the threat not just about personal loss but about losing a sacred family legacy.

Why 2 Samuel 14:16 matters

  • This verse clarifies the woman’s desperation and dependence on the king, helping readers see the emotional and legal weight of her request.
  • The mention of "inheritance of God" connects her personal problem to the larger theme of God’s promises and the importance of family lines in Israel.
  • Understanding this plea helps explain why David is moved by the story, setting up the next steps in the narrative about Absalom’s return.

Where else these words appear

“handmaid” Hebrew H519 · used in 49 verses

  • Genesis 20:17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
  • Leviticus 25:44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.
  • 1 Samuel 25:31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.

“destroy” Hebrew H8045 · used in 86 verses

  • Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
  • Deuteronomy 31:3 The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
  • Esther 7:4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.

“together” Hebrew H3162 · used in 139 verses

  • Genesis 13:6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
  • Job 24:17 For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
  • Isaiah 41:1 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.