Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 30th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
Attention!
For 10¢ a day you can enjoy StudyLight.org ads
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Bible in Basic English

2 Samuel 19:21

But Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said, Is not death the right fate for Shimei, because he has been cursing the one marked by the holy oil?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Abishai;   Amnesty;   Anointing;   Clemency;   David;   Treason;   Thompson Chain Reference - Abishai;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Anointing, Sacred;   Kings;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Shimel;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Abishai;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - David;   Samuel, First and Second, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prophet;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Abishai;   Court Systems;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Joram;   Names and Titles of Christ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Abishai ;   Shimei ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Abishai;   Shimei;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Abishai;   Messiah;   Samuel, Books of;   Shimei;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Benjamin;   Messiah;   Shimei;   Treason;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Abishai son of Zeruiah asked, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?”
Hebrew Names Version
But Avishai the son of Tzeru'yah answered, Shall Shim`i not be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD's anointed?
King James Version
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord 's anointed?
Lexham English Bible
Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah responded and said, "Because of this, should not Shimei be put to death, for he cursed the anointed one of Yahweh?"
English Standard Version
Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, "Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord 's anointed?"
New Century Version
But Abishai son of Zeruiah said, "Shimei should die because he cursed you, the Lord 's appointed king!"
New English Translation
Abishai son of Zeruiah replied, "For this should not Shimei be put to death? After all, he cursed the Lord 's anointed!"
Amplified Bible
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah said, "Should not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD'S anointed?"
New American Standard Bible
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah responded, "Should Shimei not be put to death for this, the fact that he cursed the LORD'S anointed?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
But Abishai the sonne of Zeruiah answered, and said, Shal not Shimei die for this, because he cursed the Lordes anoynted?
Legacy Standard Bible
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah said, "Should not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the anointed of Yahweh?"
Contemporary English Version
But Abishai shouted, "You should be killed for cursing the Lord 's chosen king!"
Complete Jewish Bible
For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, look — I am the first one of all the house of Yosef to come today and go down to meet my lord the king."
Darby Translation
And Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Should not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Jehovah's anointed?
Easy-to-Read Version
Abishai son of Zeruiah said, "Let's kill him for all the bad things he said about the Lord 's chosen king."
George Lamsa Translation
But Abishai the son of Zoriah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORDS anointed?
Good News Translation
Abishai son of Zeruiah spoke up: "Shimei should be put to death because he cursed the one whom the Lord chose as king."
Literal Translation
And Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the anointed of Jehovah?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Neuertheles Abisai the sonne of Zeru Ia answered and sayde: And shulde not Semei dye therfore, seynge he hath cursed ye anoynted of ye LORDE?
American Standard Version
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Jehovah's anointed?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But Abisai the sonne of Zaruia aunswered, and sayd: Shall not Simei dye for this, because he cursed the Lordes annoynted?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For thy servant doth know that I have sinned; therefore, behold, I am come this day the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.'
King James Version (1611)
But Abishai the sonne of Zeruiah answered, and sayd, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because hee cursed the Lords Anointed?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Abessai the son of Saruia answered and said, Shall not Semei therefore be put to death, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?
English Revised Version
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’S anointed?
Berean Standard Bible
But Abishai son of Zeruiah said, "Shouldn't Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD's anointed?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe Abisai, the sone of Saruye, answeride and seide, Whether Semei, that curside the crist of the Lord, schal not be slayn for these wordis?
Young's Literal Translation
And Abishai son of Zeruiah answereth and saith, `For this is not Shimei put to death -- because he reviled the anointed of Jehovah?'
Update Bible Version
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Yahweh's anointed?
Webster's Bible Translation
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD'S anointed?
World English Bible
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, Shall Shimei not be put to death for this, because he cursed Yahweh's anointed?
New King James Version
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, "Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD's anointed?"
New Living Translation
Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, "Shimei should die, for he cursed the Lord 's anointed king!"
New Life Bible
But Zeruiah's son Abishai answered, "Should not Shimei be put to death for this? He spoke against the Lord's chosen one."
New Revised Standard
Abishai son of Zeruiah answered, "Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord 's anointed?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then responded Abishai, son of Zeruiah, and said, For this, shall not Shimei be put to death, for that he cursed the Anointed of Yahweh?
Douay-Rheims Bible
But Abisai the son of Sarvia answering, said: Shall Semei for these words not be put to death, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?
Revised Standard Version
Abi'shai the son of Zeru'iah answered, "Shall not Shim'e-i be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD'S anointed?"
THE MESSAGE
Abishai son of Zeruiah interrupted, "Enough of this! Shouldn't we kill him outright? Why, he cursed God 's anointed!"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah said, "Should not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD'S anointed?"

Contextual Overview

16 And Shimei, the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, got up quickly and went down with the men of Judah for the purpose of meeting King David; 17 And with him a thousand men of Benjamin, and Ziba, the servant of Saul, with his fifteen sons and twenty servants, came rushing to Jordan before the king, 18 And kept going across the river to take the people of the king's house over, and to do whatever was desired by the king. And Shimei, the son of Gera, went down on his face in the dust before the king, when he was about to go over Jordan, 19 And said to him, Let me not be judged as a sinner in your eyes, O my lord, and do not keep in mind the wrong I did on the day when my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, or take it to heart. 20 For your servant is conscious of his sin: and so, as you see, I have come today, the first of all the sons of Joseph, for the purpose of meeting my lord the king. 21 But Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said, Is not death the right fate for Shimei, because he has been cursing the one marked by the holy oil? 22 And David said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you put yourselves against me today? is it right for any man in Israel to be put to death today? for I am certain today that I am king in Israel. 23 So the king said to Shimei, You will not be put to death. And the king gave him his oath.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Shall not: Exodus 22:28, 1 Kings 21:10, 1 Kings 21:11

cursed: 2 Samuel 16:5, 2 Samuel 16:7, 2 Samuel 16:13, 1 Samuel 24:6, 1 Samuel 26:9

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 18:12 - Moreover Job 31:31 - the men Job 34:17 - wilt Lamentations 4:20 - the anointed James 3:9 - therewith curse

Cross-References

Genesis 4:7
If you do well, will you not have honour? and if you do wrong, sin is waiting at the door, desiring to have you, but do not let it be your master.
Genesis 12:2
And I will make of you a great nation, blessing you and making your name great; and you will be a blessing:
Genesis 18:24
If by chance there are fifty upright men in the town, will you give the place to destruction and not have mercy on it because of the fifty upright men?
Genesis 19:8
See now, I have two unmarried daughters; I will send them out to you so that you may do to them whatever seems good to you: only do nothing to these men, for this is why they have come under the shade of my roof.
Genesis 19:9
And they said, Give way there. This one man, they said, came here from a strange country, and will he now be our judge? now we will do worse to you than to them; and pushing violently against Lot, they came near to get the door broken in.
Genesis 19:15
And when morning came, the angels did all in their power to make Lot go, saying, Get up quickly and take your wife and your two daughters who are here, and go, for fear that you come to destruction in the punishment of the town.
Genesis 19:16
But while he was waiting, the men took him and his wife and his daughters by the hand, for the Lord had mercy on them, and put them outside the town.
Psalms 34:15
The eyes of the Lord are on the upright, and his ears are open to their cry.
Psalms 102:17
When he has given ear to the prayer of the poor, and has not put his request on one side.
Psalms 145:19
To his worshippers, he will give their desire; their cry comes to his ears, and he gives them salvation.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said,.... The same person that would have taken off the head of Shimei at the time he cursed David, if he would have given him leave, 2 Samuel 16:9;

shall not Shimei be put to death for this? this humiliation and acknowledgment he has made, shall he be forgiven on that account? shall so small a matter as this atone for so great a crime he has been guilty of, as that he shall not die?

because or "though" l

he cursed the Lord's anointed; is asking pardon sufficient to expiate so foul an offence, for which according to the law he ought to die? or for this action which he has done, as the Arabic version, in cursing the Lord's anointed.

l כי, "quamvis, vel cum tamen", Piscator.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile