2 Samuel 17:2

2 Samuel 17:2 Meaning and Explanation

And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:

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Ahithophel proposes to fall on David while he is exhausted, frighten him so his people scatter, and kill the king alone.

What Does 2 Samuel 17:2 Mean?

Ahithophel continues laying out his strategy to Absalom. He aims to attack David precisely when he is 'weary and weak handed,' to spread panic so the followers flee, and then to strike down David himself, sparing everyone else.

The plan turns on terror and on cutting down one man. It is a chilling reminder of how a son's rebellion has hardened into a plot for a father's blood. Yet Scripture often shows the Lord guarding the life of the one marked for death until His purpose is done. The king the world means to 'smite only' is the very one God has chosen to preserve.

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What does 2 Samuel 17:2 mean?

Ahithophel proposes to fall on David while he is exhausted, frighten him so his people scatter, and kill the king alone.

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