2 Samuel 4:7 Meaning and Explanation
“For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The brothers kill the sleeping Ishbosheth, behead him, and carry his head away through the night.
What Does 2 Samuel 4:7 Mean?
The narrator retells the deed in full, sparing nothing: a man asleep in his own bedroom, struck down, killed, and beheaded, his head carried off as the brothers travel the plain all night toward Hebron. The piling up of verbs forces the reader to feel the brutality of what was done to a helpless king.
Scripture does not soften violence or look away from it; it names the horror plainly so that the conscience cannot excuse it. To murder a defenseless man on his bed is the very picture of cowardly evil. Such darkness only deepens the longing for the righteous King whose throne is established in justice and whose mercy answers the cruelty of men.
Frequently Asked Questions About 2 Samuel 4:7
What does 2 Samuel 4:7 mean?
The brothers kill the sleeping Ishbosheth, behead him, and carry his head away through the night.