撒母耳记下 14:14

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

我們都是必死的，像水潑在地上不能收回來一樣；但　神並不取去人的命，反而設法使逃亡的人不致永遠離開他逃亡。

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
我 们 都 是 必 死 的 ， 如 同 水 泼 在 地 上 ， 不 能 收 回 。 　 神 并 不 夺 取 人 的 性 命 ， 乃 设 法 使 逃 亡 的 人 不 致 成 为 赶 出 、 回 不 来 的 。

Contextual Overview

¹ Joab son of Zeruiah knew that King David missed Absalom very much. ² So Joab sent messengers to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He said to her, "Pretend to be very sad. Put on funeral clothes and don't put lotion on yourself. Act like a woman who has been crying many days for someone who died. ³ Then go to the king and say these words." Then Joab told her what to say. ⁴ So the woman from Tekoa spoke to the king. She bowed facedown on the ground to show respect and said, "My king, help me!" ⁵ King David asked her, "What is the matter?" The woman said, "I am a widow; my husband is dead. ⁶ I had two sons. They were out in the field fighting, and no one was there to stop them. So one son killed the other son. ⁷ Now all the family group is against me. They said to me, ‘Bring the son who killed his brother so we may kill him for killing his brother. That way we will also get rid of the one who would receive what belonged to his father.' My son is like the last spark of a fire. He is all I have left. If they kill him, my husband's name and property will be gone from the earth." ⁸ Then the king said to the woman, "Go home. I will take care of this for you." ⁹ The woman of Tekoa said to him, "Let the blame be on me and my father's family. My master and king, you and your throne are innocent." ¹⁰ King David said, "Bring me anyone who says anything bad to you. Then he won't bother you again."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

we must: 2 Samuel 11:25, Job 30:23, Job 34:15, Psalms 90:3, Psalms 90:10, Ecclesiastes 3:19, Ecclesiastes 3:20, Ecclesiastes 9:5, Hebrews 9:27

as water: Job 14:7-12, Job 14:14, Psalms 22:14, Psalms 79:3

neither: etc. or, because God hath not taken away his life, he hath also devised means, etc. God. Deuteronomy 10:17, Job 34:19, Matthew 22:16, Acts 10:34, Romans 2:11, 1 Peter 1:17

he devise: Exodus 21:13, Leviticus 26:40, Numbers 35:15, Numbers 35:25, Numbers 35:28, Isaiah 50:1, Isaiah 50:2

Reciprocal: Genesis 5:5 - and he died Genesis 47:29 - must die Deuteronomy 1:17 - shall not 1 Samuel 7:6 - drew water 2 Samuel 12:1 - unto David 2 Kings 7:4 - we shall but die Job 7:9 - he Job 10:21 - I go whence Psalms 144:4 - his days Ecclesiastes 8:8 - is no Ezekiel 33:11 - I have Mark 13:7 - must Colossians 3:25 - and

Cross-References

Genesis 12:5
He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and everything they owned, as well as all the servants they had gotten in Haran. They set out from Haran, planning to go to the land of Canaan, and in time they arrived there.

Genesis 12:16
the king was kind to Abram because he thought Abram was her brother. He gave Abram sheep, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.

Genesis 13:8
Abram said to Lot, "There should be no arguing between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, because we are brothers.

Genesis 14:1
Now Amraphel was king of Babylonia, Arioch was king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer was king of Elam, and Tidal was king of Goiim.

Genesis 14:2
All these kings went to war against several other kings: Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela. (Bela is also called Zoar.)

Genesis 14:3
These kings who were attacked united their armies in the Valley of Siddim (now the Dead Sea).

Genesis 14:5
Then in the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings with him came and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, and the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim.

Genesis 14:11
Now Kedorlaomer and his armies took everything the people of Sodom and Gomorrah owned, including their food.

Genesis 14:12
They took Lot, Abram's nephew who was living in Sodom, and everything he owned. Then they left.

Genesis 15:3
Abram said, "Look, you have given me no son, so a slave born in my house will inherit everything I have."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For we must needs die,.... As all must, herself, the king, and his sons, and indeed all men; this is the common case and lot of men; particularly she insinuates that David must die, and that there must be a successor named, and perhaps a dispute would arise about one; which might be fatal, if Absalom was not recalled in his lifetime; and that Amnon must have died in a little time if he had not been killed by his brother; and Absalom, he must die also quickly, and therefore what signifies taking away his life? he may as well live a little longer; this, however plausible, was but bad reasoning in the case of a malefactor:

and [are] as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; which sinks into the earth, and cannot be got out of it again; so men, when they die, are buried in the earth, and cannot be gathered or restored to life again, until the resurrection of the dead; and since Amnon is dead, and he cannot be brought to life again, it is best to be easy, and not seek to take away the life of another; which is to bring him into the same irrecoverable state and condition:

neither doth God respect [any] person; the words in the original are, "God doth not take away the soul or life" p; of every offender, but spares them notwithstanding the crimes they have committed; and therefore it became the king to be sparing and merciful to offenders, and particularly to his own son; and perhaps she any tacitly have respect to David himself who had been guilty both of murder and adultery, either of which deserved death; and yet God had not taken away his life, but in his great mercy had spared him; and therefore, since he had received mercy, he should show it: or "God hath not taken away [his] soul or life"; the life of Absalom; he had not cut him off himself by his immediate hand, nor suffered the king's sons to take away his life, nor any other to seize upon him, and bring him to justice, whom David might have employed; but had by his providence protected and preserved him; so that it seemed to be his will and pleasure that he should not be put to death:

yet doth he devise means that his banished be not expelled from him; from his word, worship, and ordinances, as Absalom was; and by protecting him by his providence, it looked as if it was his will, and he would find out ways and means for bringing him back to his country, his father's court, and the sanctuary of the Lord; even as, by the law concerning the cities of refuge for the manslayer, provision was made that at the death of the high priest the exiled person might return to his country.

p ולא ישא אלהים נפש "et non tollet Deus animam", Montanus; so the Tigurine version.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

His banished - The use of the word as applied to one of the people of God driven into a pagan land, is well illustrated by Deuteronomy 30:4-5; Jeremiah 40:12; Micah 4:6; Zephaniah 3:19.

Neither doth God respect any person - Some prefer the margin: “And God does not take away life, in the case of every sin that deserves death, e. g. David’s own case 2 Samuel 12:13, but devises devices that the wanderer may not be forever expelled from him, i. e., for the return of penitent sinners.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 14:14. For we must needs die — Whatever is done must be done quickly; all must die; God has not exempted any person from this common lot. Though Amnon be dead, yet the death of Absalom cannot bring him to life, nor repair this loss. Besides, for his crime, he justly deserved to die; and thou, in this case didst not administer justice. Horrible as this fratricide is, it is a pardonable case: the crime of Amnon was the most flagitious; and the offense to Absalom, the ruin of his beloved sister, indescribably great. Seeing, then, that the thing is so, and that Amnon can be no more recalled to life than water spilt upon the ground can be gathered up again; and that God, whose vicegerent thou art, and whose example of clemency as well as justice thou art called to imitate, devises means that those who were banished from him by sin and transgression, may not be finally expelled from his mercy and his kingdom; restore thy son to favour, and pardon his crime, as thou hast promised to restore my son, and the Lord thy God will be with thee. This is the sum and sense of the woman's argument.

The argument contained in this 2 Samuel 14:14 verse is very elegant, and powerfully persuasive; but one clause of it has been variously understood, Neither doth God respect any person; the Hebrew is, ולא ישא אלהים נפש velo yissa Elohim nephesh, "And God doth not take away the soul." The Septuagint has it, Και ληψεται ὁ Θεος την ψυχην; And God will receive the soul. This intimates that, after human life is ended, the soul has a state of separate existence with God. This was certainly the opinion of these translators, and was the opinion of the ancient Jews, at least three hundred years before the incarnation; about which time this translation was made. The Vulgate has, Nec volt Deus perire animam, "Nor does God will the destruction of the soul." God is not the author of death; neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living; imitate him; pardon and recall thy son.