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.

2 SAMUEL 18:7KJV
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2 Samuel 18:7 (KJV)

What does 2 Samuel 18:7 mean?

2 Samuel 18:7 describes a devastating defeat for the people of Israel in battle against the servants of David, with twenty thousand men killed in a single day. The verse highlights the scale of the loss and the seriousness of the conflict between David’s forces and those loyal to Absalom.

This verse is part of the account where David’s army faces the forces of his son Absalom, who had rebelled and tried to take the throne. The passage reports the outcome of the battle, emphasizing the heavy casualties suffered by Absalom’s supporters and the decisive victory for David’s men.

The Hebrew behind 2 Samuel 18:7

  • The word for "people" is עָם (ʿam, H5971), which often refers to a nation or group united by common identity. Here, it points to the Israelites who followed Absalom.
  • "Slain" uses the word נָגַף (nāgaph, H5062), which can mean to strike or defeat, not just to kill. This highlights that the people were not only killed but also thoroughly beaten in battle.
  • "Great" is גָּדוֹל (gādōl, H1419), emphasizing the unusually large scale of the slaughter, not just a routine battle loss.
  • "Slaughter" is מַכָּה (makkāh, H4046), which means a blow, wound, or defeat, reinforcing the idea of a crushing, violent loss.

Why 2 Samuel 18:7 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the conflict between David and Absalom was not a minor skirmish but a major civil war with huge loss of life, showing the deep division in Israel.
  • The use of strong words for defeat and slaughter underscores how complete and tragic the loss was for Absalom’s followers.
  • Understanding the scale of this battle helps explain the emotional and political fallout in the chapters that follow, especially regarding David’s grief and the nation’s instability.

Where else these words appear

“slaughter” Hebrew H4046 · used in 25 verses

  • Exodus 9:14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.
  • Numbers 26:1 And it came to pass after the plague, that the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying,
  • 1 Chronicles 21:22 Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.

“slain” Hebrew H5062 · used in 46 verses

  • Exodus 8:2 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs:
  • Judges 20:39 And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.
  • 2 Chronicles 6:24 And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house;