2 Samuel 13:35
ESV
And Jonadab said to the king, "Behold, the king 's sons have come; as your servant said, so it has come about."
NIV
Jonadab said to the king, "See, the king’s sons have come; it has happened just as your servant said."
NASB
And Jonadab said to the king, 'Behold, the king’s sons have come; so it has happened according to your servant’s word.'
CSB
Jonadab said to the king, "Look, the king’s sons have come! It’s exactly like your servant said."
NLT
Look!' Jonadab told the king. 'There they are now! The king’s sons are coming, just as I said.'
KJV
And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king's sons come: as thy servant said, so it is.
NKJV
And Jonadab said to the king, “Look, the king’s sons are coming; as your servant said, so it is.”
What does 2 Samuel 13:35 mean?
David is overwhelmed with grief. His son Absalom asked if his brothers would meet him in Ephraim to celebrate the wool harvest. David let them go. Before long, David received word that Absalom had killed all of them (2 Samuel 13:24–30).David's nephew, his brother Shimeah's son, tried to speak reason. Absalom had no reason to kill his brothers: except for Amnon (2 Samuel 13:32–33). Two years prior, Amnon had raped Absalom's sister, Tamar (2 Samuel 13:14, 23). The event is fresh in Jonadab's mind because he was the one who came up with the plan to get Tamar to visit Amnon (2 Samuel 13:1–5).
While David mourns, the watchman sees a crowd of people coming toward Jerusalem on the road (2 Samuel 13:34). Jonadab again assures David that most of his sons are well. By the time he's done talking, he's proved right (2 Samuel 13:36).
Absalom, of course, isn't there. He has fled across the Jordan to his mother's father, Talmai, the king of Geshur. He waits there three years to hear from David. David spends that time mourning Amnon and softening his heart toward Absalom (2 Samuel 13:37–39).
David loves his sons deeply on an emotional level, but he has a hard time holding them accountable. He never punishes Amnon for Tamar's rape (2 Samuel 13:21). Although David takes a long time to meet with Absalom and restore their relationship, he doesn't punish him for killing his brother, either.
Part of his reluctance may be that he understands that these events are God's judgment on him. For his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba, God cursed David, telling him, "the sword shall never depart from your house" (2 Samuel 12:10). David likely understands that Absalom wields that sword. He doesn't know that Absalom's not done swinging it.
