2 Samuel 16:11

Contextual Overview

⁵When King David got to Bahurim, a man belonging to the family of the house of Saul was just coming out. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he was yelling curses as he approached. ⁵ When king David came to Bachurim, behold, a man of the family of the house of Sha'ul came out, whose name was Shim`i, the son of Gera. He came out, and cursed still as he came. ⁵ And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came. ⁵ King David came up to Bahurim and suddenly a man from there was coming out from the family of the house of Saul, and his name was Shimei the son of Gera. He was cursing as he came out. ⁵ When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually. ⁵ As King David came to Bahurim, a man came out and cursed him. He was from Saul's family group, and his name was Shimei son of Gera. ⁵ Then King David reached Bahurim. There a man from Saul's extended family named Shimei son of Gera came out, yelling curses as he approached. ⁵When King David came to Bahurim, a man named Shimei, the son of Gera, came out from there. He was of the family of Saul's household and he was cursing continually as he came out. ⁵ When King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man was coming out from there from the family of the house of Saul, and his name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he was coming out, cursing as he came. ⁵ And when king Dauid came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the familie of the house of Saul, named Shimei the sonne of Gera: and he came out, and cursed.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Behold: 2 Samuel 12:11, 2 Samuel 12:12

came forth: 2 Samuel 7:2, Genesis 15:4

seeketh: 2 Samuel 17:1-4, 2 Kings 19:37, 2 Chronicles 32:21, Matthew 10:21

the Lord: Isaiah 10:5-7, Ezekiel 14:9, Ezekiel 20:25

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 26:19 - stirred 2 Samuel 10:12 - the Lord 2 Samuel 18:5 - Deal gently 1 Kings 11:23 - God 1 Kings 12:16 - So Israel 1 Chronicles 19:13 - let the Lord 2 Chronicles 10:16 - So all Israel Esther 2:21 - and sought Psalms 25:19 - Consider Psalms 27:10 - When Psalms 109:16 - slay Psalms 131:2 - quieted Jeremiah 34:22 - I will command Jeremiah 50:21 - and do Micah 7:6 - son Micah 7:9 - bear Matthew 10:36 - General 1 Timothy 1:9 - murderers Philemon 1:12 - mine

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Yitzchak. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

Genesis 17:19
And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

Genesis 17:19
And God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear a son for you, and you shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant to his offspring after him.

Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him to be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants.

Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual covenant for his descendants after him.

Genesis 17:19
But God said, "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed, and you shall name him Isaac (laughter); and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him.

Genesis 17:19
But God said, "No, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

Genesis 17:19
Then God saide, Sarah thy wife shall beare thee a sonne in deede, and thou shalt call his name Izhak: and I will establish my couenant with him for an euerlasting couenant, and with his seede after him.

Genesis 17:19
But God said, "No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

Genesis 17:19
But God answered: No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David said to Abishai, and all his servants,.... In order to make them easy, and reconcile them to this usage of him:

behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life; meaning Absalom:

how much more now [may this] Benjamite [do it]? who was not only of the same tribe that Saul was, but of the same family, and so bore an ill will to David because of his succession in the throne:

let him alone, and let him curse; do nothing to restrain him, not even by words, and much less by any violent actions, and still less by taking away his life:

for the Lord hath bidden him; in the sense explained in 2 Samuel 16:10.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 16:11. Let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him. — No soul of man can suppose that ever God bade one man to curse another, much less that he commanded such a wretch as Shimei to curse such a man as David; but this is a peculiarity of the Hebrew language, which does not always distinguish between permission and commandment. Often the Scripture attributes to God what he only permits to be done; or what in the course of his providence he does not hinder. David, however, considers all this as being permitted of God for his chastisement and humiliation. I cannot withhold from my readers a very elegant poetic paraphrase of this passage, from the pen of the Rev. Charles Wesley, one of the first of Christian poets: -

"Pure from the blood of Saul in vain,

He dares not to the charge reply:

Uriah's doth the charge maintain,

Uriah's doth against him cry!

Let Shimei curse: the rod he bears

For sins which mercy had forgiven:

And in the wrongs of man reveres

The awful righteousness of heaven.

Lord, I adore thy righteous will,

Through every instrument of ill

My Father's goodness see;

Accept the complicated wrong

Of Shimei's hand and Shimei's tongue

As kind rebukes from THEE."