2 Samuel 17:13

2 Samuel 17:13 Meaning and Explanation

Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there.

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And if David takes refuge in a city, Hushai says, all Israel will drag its very stones into the river.

What Does 2 Samuel 17:13 Mean?

Hushai caps his speech with an extravagant boast: should David flee into a walled city, all Israel will haul it with ropes into the valley until not one small stone remains. The picture is impossibly grand, and that is the point.

Such hyperbole feeds Absalom's appetite for spectacle and power. It promises a campaign worthy of a king, when a swift, modest strike would have served far better. Pride loves the magnificent gesture and despises the quiet, sufficient one. God lets the flattering vision do its work, and through it preserves His anointed servant.

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What does 2 Samuel 17:13 mean?

And if David takes refuge in a city, Hushai says, all Israel will drag its very stones into the river.

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