David said to him, "If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. David said to himThis phrase introduces us to a moment of personal interaction between King David and another individual. The context here is crucial; David is fleeing from his son Absalom, who has initiated a rebellion. The Hebrew root for "said" (אָמַר, 'amar) often conveys not just the act of speaking but also the intention and authority behind the words. David, as a king and a man after God's own heart, speaks with both authority and vulnerability in this moment. His words are not just commands but reveal his strategic and emotional state. If you go on with me
This conditional phrase indicates a choice and a potential path of action. The Hebrew word for "go" (יָלַךְ, yalak) implies movement and journeying, often used in the context of walking with God or following a path. Here, it suggests the physical and spiritual journey David is on, one fraught with danger and uncertainty. The phrase invites reflection on the cost of discipleship and the burdens of leadership, as David considers the implications of having this individual accompany him. you will be a burden to me
The word "burden" (מַשָּׂא, massa) in Hebrew can refer to a physical load or a more metaphorical weight, such as responsibility or emotional strain. David's acknowledgment of potential burden highlights his awareness of the practical challenges he faces. Historically, David's flight from Absalom was a time of great distress and logistical difficulty, and he needed to make strategic decisions about who could best support him. This phrase also invites reflection on the burdens we carry in our own lives and the wisdom needed to discern when to accept help and when to release it. Persons / Places / Events 1. DavidThe King of Israel, who is fleeing from his son Absalom's rebellion. David is a central figure in this account, demonstrating leadership and strategic thinking. 2. AbsalomDavid's son, who has initiated a rebellion against his father, seeking to usurp the throne of Israel. 3. Hushai the ArchiteA loyal friend and advisor to David. In this verse, David is speaking to Hushai, suggesting that his presence would be more beneficial in Jerusalem than in David's company. 4. JerusalemThe capital city of Israel, from which David is fleeing. It is a significant location as the center of political and spiritual life in Israel. 5. RebellionThe event of Absalom's uprising against King David, which sets the context for this passage. Teaching Points Strategic WisdomDavid's decision to send Hushai back to Jerusalem highlights the importance of strategic thinking and placing people where they can be most effective for God's purposes. Loyalty and ServiceHushai's willingness to serve David, even at personal risk, exemplifies true loyalty and the call to serve others selflessly. Trust in God's PlanDespite the immediate threat, David's actions reflect a trust in God's overarching plan, reminding us to rely on God's wisdom in times of crisis. The Burden of LeadershipDavid's acknowledgment of potential burdens teaches us about the weight of leadership and the need to make difficult decisions for the greater good. Bible Study Questions 1. How does David's interaction with Hushai in 2 Samuel 15:33 demonstrate the importance of strategic planning in leadership? 2. In what ways does Hushai's loyalty to David inspire us to serve others, even when it involves personal sacrifice? 3. How can we apply David's trust in God's plan during times of personal crisis or uncertainty in our own lives? 4. What does this passage teach us about the burdens of leadership, and how can we support those in leadership positions today? 5. How does the account of Absalom's rebellion and David's response connect with other biblical themes of trust and divine sovereignty? Connections to Other Scriptures 1 Samuel 16The anointing of David as king, which sets the stage for his leadership and the challenges he faces, including Absalom's rebellion. 2 Samuel 17Hushai's role in countering the counsel of Ahithophel, demonstrating his strategic importance to David's cause. Psalm 3A psalm attributed to David during his flight from Absalom, reflecting his trust in God amidst adversity. People Abiathar, Absalom, Ahimaaz, Ahithophel, Aram, Arkite, Cherethites, David, Gittites, Hushai, Israelites, Ittai, Jonathan, Kerethites, Levites, Pelethites, ZadokPlaces Aram, Gath, Geshur, Giloh, Hebron, Jerusalem, Kidron, Mount of OlivesTopics Burden, David, Hast, Pass, Passed, Passest, Trouble, WiltDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Samuel 15:31-34 5779 advice 2 Samuel 15:32-36 5088 David, character 2 Samuel 15:32-37 5691 friends, good Library A Loyal Vow
'And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint.'--2 SAMUEL xv. 15. We stand here at the darkest hour of King David's life. Bowed down by the consciousness of his past sin, and recognising in the rebellion of his favourite son the divine chastisement, his early courage and buoyant daring seem to have ebbed from him wholly. He is forsaken by the mass of his subjects, he is preparing to abandon Jerusalem, and to flee as an …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureIttai of Gath
'And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.'--2 SAMUEL xv. 21. It was the darkest hour in David's life. No more pathetic page is found in the Old Testament than that which tells the story of his flight before Absalom. He is crushed by the consciousness that his punishment is deserved--the bitter fruit of the sin that filled all his later life …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Pardoned Sin Punished
'And It came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2. And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. 3. And Absalom said unto him. See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Loyal to the Core
On the other hand, look at Ittai, perfectly free to go, but in order to end the controversy once for all, and to make David know that he does not mean to leave him, he takes a solemn oath before Jehovah his God, and he doubles it by swearing by the life of David that he will never leave him; in life, in death, he will be with him. He has cast in his lot with him for better and for worse, and he means to be faithful to the end. Old Master Trapp says, "All faithful friends went on a pilgrimage years …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 26: 1880 Following Christ
"And Ittai answered the king, and said, as the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be."--2 Samuel 15:21. SOME men have a very remarkable power of creating and sustaining friendship in others. David was a man brimming over with affection--a man, notwithstanding all his rough soldier-life, of an exceedingly tender heart--a man, I was about to say--the word was on my tongue--a man of vast …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 62: 1916 The Will of God
"Here am I, let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him."--2 Sam. xv. 26. G. Ter Steegen. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 Thou sweet beloved Will of God, My anchor ground, my fortress hill, The Spirit's silent fair abode, In Thee I hide me and am still. O Will, that willest good alone, Lead Thou the way, Thou guidest best; A silent child, I follow on, And trusting, lean upon Thy Breast. God's Will doth make the bitter sweet, And all is well when it is done; Unless His Will doth hallow it, The glory …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series) A Light to Lighten the Gentiles
P. G. 2 Sam. xv. 19-22; John xii. 26 "Wherefore goest thou with me?" Said the king disowned-- Said the king despised, rejected, Disenthroned. "Go, return unto thy place, To thy king of yore-- Here a pilgrim and a stranger, Nothing more. "Not for thee the cities fair, Hills of corn and wine-- All was portioned ere thou camest, Nought is thine. "Wandering forth where'er I may, Exiled from mine own, Shame, rejection I can grant thee; That alone. "Turn and take thy brethren back, With thy people …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others The Daily Walk with Others (iii. ).
Thrice happy they who at Thy side, Thou Child of Nazareth, Have learnt to give their struggling pride Into Thy hands to death: If thus indeed we lay us low, Thou wilt exalt us o'er the foe; And let the exaltation be That we are lost in Thee. Let me say a little on a subject which, like the last, is one of some delicacy and difficulty, though its problems are of a very different kind. It is, the relation between the Curate and his Incumbent; or more particularly, the Curate's position and conduct …
Handley C. G. Moule—To My Younger Brethren And V the Kingdom Undivided and the Kingdom Divided
THE HISTORICAL BOOKS: I and II Samuel. I and II Kings. I and II Chronicles. NOTE.--As these three pairs of books are so closely related in their historical contents, it is deemed best to study them together, though they overlap the two divisions of IV and V. I. CHARTS Chart A. General Contents +--+ " I AND II SAMUEL " +-------------+-----+------+ "Samuel "Saul "David " +-------------+-----+------+----------+ " " " " I AND II KINGS "NOTE.--Biblical …
Frank Nelson Palmer—A Bird's-Eye View of the Bible That Whereas the City of Jerusalem had Been Five Times Taken Formerly, this was the Second Time of Its Desolation. A Brief Account of Its History.
1. And thus was Jerusalem taken, in the second year of the reign of Vespasian, on the eighth day of the month Gorpeius [Elul]. It had been taken five [34] times before, though this was the second time of its desolation; for Shishak, the king of Egypt, and after him Antiochus, and after him Pompey, and after them Sosius and Herod, took the city, but still preserved it; but before all these, the king of Babylon conquered it, and made it desolate, one thousand four hundred and sixty-eight years and …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem King of Kings and Lord of Lords
And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, K ING OF K INGS AND L ORD OF L ORDS T he description of the administration and glory of the Redeemer's Kingdom, in defiance of all opposition, concludes the second part of Messiah Oratorio. Three different passages from the book of Revelation are selected to form a grand chorus, of which Handel's title in this verse is the close --a title which has been sometimes vainly usurped by proud worms of this earth. Eastern monarchs, in particular, …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 Samuel
Alike from the literary and the historical point of view, the book[1] of Samuel stands midway between the book of Judges and the book of Kings. As we have already seen, the Deuteronomic book of Judges in all probability ran into Samuel and ended in ch. xii.; while the story of David, begun in Samuel, embraces the first two chapters of the first book of Kings. The book of Samuel is not very happily named, as much of it is devoted to Saul and the greater part to David; yet it is not altogether inappropriate, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 2 Samuel 15:33 NIV2 Samuel 15:33 NLT2 Samuel 15:33 ESV2 Samuel 15:33 NASB2 Samuel 15:33 KJV
2 Samuel 15:33 Commentaries
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