Commentary - 2 Samuel 16:5-14

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, we find David at his absolute lowest point. He is fleeing for his life from his own son, Absalom, who has stolen the hearts of the people and usurped the throne. As David and his loyal followers make their way out of Jerusalem, they encounter a man named Shimei, a relative of the former king Saul. Shimei proceeds to unleash a torrent of curses and projectiles at the beleaguered king. The scene is a potent illustration of God's sovereign providence in the midst of deep personal affliction. David's reaction, particularly his rebuke of his own men who want to retaliate, is a master class in humility and submission to the hand of God, even when that hand is using a bitter enemy as its instrument. David sees past the secondary cause, Shimei, to the primary cause, Yahweh, and in so doing, opens the door for God to turn the curse into a blessing.

The passage divides neatly into three parts: Shimei's vicious curse (vv. 5-8), the contrast between Abishai's carnal reaction and David's spiritual one (vv. 9-11), and David's humble hope in God's ultimate vindication (vv. 12-14). It is a raw and realistic depiction of what it looks like to trust God when everything has fallen apart, and when insults are being added to a very grievous injury.

Outline

Context In 2 Samuel

This episode occurs in the immediate aftermath of Absalom's coup. David has just fled Jerusalem, barefoot and weeping as he crossed the Kidron Valley and ascended the Mount of Olives (2 Sam. 15:30). This is the great unraveling of David's kingdom, a direct consequence of his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. The prophet Nathan had told him that the sword would never depart from his house (2 Sam. 12:10). We are witnessing the fulfillment of that terrible prophecy. The chaos is not random; it is the fruit of David's own sin. This context is crucial for understanding David's response to Shimei. A man with a clear conscience might have reacted like Abishai. But David knows he is a great sinner, and this knowledge has produced a profound humility in him. He knows he deserves judgment from God, so he is in a spiritual frame to receive this lesser, misdirected judgment from a man.

Key Issues

A Covenantal Grudge Match

5 And King David came to Bahurim, and behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out cursing continually as he came.

Nothing happens in a vacuum. Shimei is not just some random madman on the side of the road. The text is very specific: he is "of the family of the house of Saul." This is not just a personal beef; it's a dynastic one. This is a covenantal grudge. From Shimei's perspective, David is a usurper who stole the throne that rightfully belonged to the tribe of Benjamin and the house of Saul. Years of simmering resentment are now boiling over at the first sign of David's weakness. Bahurim was in Benjaminite territory, so Shimei is on his home turf, and he feels emboldened. The cursing is "continual," a relentless barrage, not a single outburst.

6 He also threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were at his right hand and at his left.

The throwing of stones is more symbolic than effective. David is surrounded by his "mighty men," the elite special forces of Israel. A few stones from a man on a hillside are no real threat. But the insult is potent. It is an act of utter contempt. Shimei is treating the Lord's anointed like a stray dog. The contrast is stark: David, still flanked by immense military power, endures the impotent rage of his enemy. This is a picture of restraint. David could have ended this in a moment, but he doesn't.

7 And thus Shimei said when he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of bloodshed, and vile fellow! 8 Yahweh has returned upon you all the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and Yahweh has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And behold, you are taken in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!”

Here we get the substance of the curse. Shimei accuses David of being a "man of bloodshed" and a "vile fellow." Now, is this true? In one sense, yes. David was a man of war, and he had shed much blood, which is why God did not permit him to build the Temple (1 Chron. 28:3). And in the case of Uriah, he was most certainly a man of bloodshed. But Shimei's application is entirely wrong. He claims David's current trouble is God's vengeance for the "bloodshed of the house of Saul." This is slander. David had been remarkably merciful to Saul's house, sparing Saul's life multiple times and providing for Mephibosheth. Shimei is a classic example of someone who correctly identifies that God's hand of judgment is at work, but completely misunderstands and misrepresents the reason for it. He sees the providence but invents a false narrative to explain it. He is judging by outward appearances and old tribal loyalties.

Flesh and Spirit on the Roadside

9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me pass over now and remove his head.”

Enter the sons of Zeruiah. Abishai's response is predictable, loyal, and entirely carnal. He sees the insult to the king's honor and his immediate impulse is violence. "Dead dog" was a term of ultimate contempt. For Abishai, this is a simple problem with a simple solution: a sword. He is thinking in terms of honor, power, and retribution. He is not wrong to be loyal to David, but he is completely blind to what God is doing in this moment. His is the wisdom of the world, which is foolishness with God.

10 But the king said, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, and if Yahweh has told him, ‘Curse David,’ then who shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’ ”

This is one of the most profound statements in all of David's life. He rebukes Abishai, distancing himself from his hot-headed nephew's worldly mindset. David looks straight past the secondary cause, the screaming, stone-throwing Shimei, and sees the primary cause: the sovereign hand of Yahweh. He entertains the very real possibility that God Himself has commissioned this curse. This is not fatalism; it is robust, tough-minded faith. David understands that if God is behind this, then to silence Shimei would be to fight against God. Who is man to question God's methods? This is the heart of true submission.

11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my son who came forth from my body seeks my life; how much more now this Benjamite? Let him alone and let him curse, for Yahweh has told him.

David then applies some sanctified logic. He puts the present insult in perspective. "If my own son, from my own body, is trying to kill me, why should I be surprised that an old enemy is kicking me while I'm down?" The greater sorrow of Absalom's rebellion makes the lesser irritation of Shimei's curse easier to bear. A man who understands the depth of his own sin and the resulting judgment from God is not easily offended by the petty insults of men. He concludes with a command born of faith: "Let him alone... for Yahweh has told him." David is not being passive; he is actively choosing to submit to this trial as a divine ordinance.

The Hope of the Humble

12 Perhaps Yahweh will look on my affliction and return good to me instead of his cursing this day.”

Here is the fruit of such humility. Submission to God's difficult providence is the pathway to future blessing. David is not wallowing in self-pity. He is looking up in faith. He knows that God is a God who sees the affliction of His people. He is hoping that his humble acceptance of this curse will be the very thing that moves God to turn his situation around. He is entrusting his vindication to God. This is the gospel pattern: the cross before the crown, suffering before glory. By embracing the shame, David is positioning himself to receive God's grace.

13 So David and his men went on the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside parallel with him and as he went he cursed and cast stones and threw dust at him. 14 Then the king and all the people who were with him arrived weary and he refreshed himself there.

The scene is almost cinematic. David and his loyalists trudge along the road in the valley, while Shimei keeps pace on the ridge above, a constant, harassing presence, raining down curses, stones, and dust. The humiliation is total and unrelenting. And David just keeps walking. This is meekness, which is not weakness, but strength under control. Finally, they arrive at their destination, "weary." The toll of this day has been immense, physically and emotionally. But there, God provides a small mercy: he "refreshed himself." In the midst of the deepest trial, God provides moments of rest and grace for his weary servant.

Key Words

Man of Bloodshed

The Hebrew here is ish ha-damim. While Shimei applies this to David's supposed actions against Saul's house, the accusation would have stung David for a different reason. He knew that because of his sin with Uriah, he was indeed a man of blood. Shimei's accusation was slanderous in its intent, but it landed on a conscience that was already tender before God. A humble man can receive a false accusation because he knows he is guilty of other things that are far worse.

Dead Dog

This phrase, keleb ha-meth, was an expression of utter worthlessness and contempt in the ancient Near East. It is what Mephibosheth called himself before David (2 Sam. 9:8). For Abishai, for a "dead dog" to curse the king was an intolerable breach of honor that demanded immediate and lethal consequences. For David, who was in a state of deep humility, the insult was something he could absorb as part of God's chastening.

Application

This passage forces a question on all of us. When we are wronged, insulted, and falsely accused, how do we respond? Do we react like Abishai or like David? The default human reaction, the carnal reaction, is to reach for a sword. We want to defend our honor, silence our critics, and get even. This is the way of the sons of Zeruiah.

But the way of Christ, modeled here by his ancestor David, is to look past the person insulting us and ask what God might be doing through it. This requires a deep-seated belief in the meticulous providence of God over all things, including the sinful words and actions of our enemies. God is sovereign over traitors and loudmouths just as He is over everything else. Tough times demand tough thinking. We must learn to see His hand in hard providences.

This kind of response is only possible for a person who is acquainted with his own sin. David knew he deserved God's judgment. His sin with Bathsheba had laid him low. Because he had already accepted God's verdict on his life, he was not undone by the misinformed verdict of Shimei. When we know ourselves to be great sinners saved by grace, the smaller insults of men lose their sting. We can say, "Let him alone. Perhaps the Lord has sent him." And in that humble submission, we can trust that God, in His own time, will see our affliction and repay us with good. He will turn the curse into a blessing.