2 Samuel 14:10
ESV
The king said, "If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again."
NIV
The king replied, "If anyone says anything to you, bring them to me, and they will not bother you again."
NASB
So the king said, 'Whoever speaks to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you anymore.'
CSB
"Whoever speaks to you," the king said, "bring him to me. He will not trouble you again!"
NLT
If anyone objects,' the king said, 'bring him to me. I can assure you he will never harm you again!'
KJV
And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.
NKJV
So the king said, “Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you anymore.”
What does 2 Samuel 14:10 mean?
Joab, David's nephew and the commander of his army, wants to help David focus. After David's son Absalom murdered his brother Amnon for raping their sister, Absalom fled to his maternal grandfather, the king of Geshur. It's been three years, and David's grief for Amnon has changed to longing (2 Samuel 13). Joab believes it's time for Absalom to come home.Joab enlists the help of a clever woman from a nearby town. She dresses like a mourning widow and tells David that her husband died, and then one of her sons killed the other. Her clansmen want to execute her remaining son, leaving her husband without an heir. David agrees to think about it. To pardon a murderer is difficult in the face of God's laws (Genesis 9:6; 2 Samuel 14:2–9). It overrides the authority of the local town elders. When she offers to take his guilt, he tells her that if anyone has a problem with the stay of execution, they can come to him.
The woman pushes a little further and get what she wants: David promises her son will not be killed (2 Samuel 14:11). Now she can reveal her true purpose. If David can forgive a murderer he's never met, surely he can bring his own son Absalom back from exile (2 Samuel 14:12–13). Through her manipulative words, David recognizes Joab's direction. She admits Joab put her up to the charade, and David tells Joab to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 14:18–21).
