2 Samuel 11:20 Meaning and Explanation
“And if so be that the king’s wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Joab predicts David's angry question about why the army came so near the wall.
What Does 2 Samuel 11:20 Mean?
Joab rehearses the rebuke he expects: the king may rise in anger and demand why the army came so close to the wall, where archers could strike them down. It was a known folly of siege warfare to crowd the walls.
Joab counts on the king's wrath to be defused by a single piece of news, the death of Uriah. He understands that David's anger is a performance waiting to be silenced by the very outcome he secretly ordered. Sin makes hypocrites of us, ready to feign indignation at the cost of our own choices. But God reads the script and the heart together, and no staged surprise can deceive the One who knew the plan before it was written.
Frequently Asked Questions About 2 Samuel 11:20
What does 2 Samuel 11:20 mean?
Joab predicts David's angry question about why the army came so near the wall.