2 Samuel 14:7
ESV
And now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed.’ And so they would destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth."
NIV
Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir as well.’ They would put out the only burning coal I have left, leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth."
NASB
Now behold, the entire family has risen against your servant, and they have said, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed, and eliminate the heir as well.’ So they will extinguish my coal which is left, so as to leave my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.'
CSB
Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant and said, ‘Hand over the one who killed his brother so we may put him to death for the life of the brother he murdered. We will eliminate the heir!’ They would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on earth."
NLT
Now the rest of the family is demanding, ‘Let us have your son. We will execute him for murdering his brother. He doesn’t deserve to inherit his family’s property.’ They want to extinguish the only coal I have left, and my husband’s name and family will disappear from the face of the earth.'
KJV
And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.
NKJV
And now the whole family has risen up against your maidservant, and they said, ‘Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may execute him for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also.’ So they would extinguish my ember that is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the earth.”
What does 2 Samuel 14:7 mean?
The shrewd woman from Tekoa continues to tell David the story Joab gave her. She has told the king that her husband is dead, and one of her two sons has killed the other. Now she presents the problem for which she hopes the king will resolve.Her clan, her extended family around Tekoa, wants to execute her surviving son. They are not wrong to do so. Her son is guilty of violating God's commandment about murder (Exodus 21:12). The penalty for murder is death (Genesis 9:6). The law of Moses is also clear that the murderer cannot be convicted without the testimony of two witnesses (Numbers 35:30–31), though the guilt of the woman's son is not in question here.
This case is complicated by what might be a conflict of interest. Since the woman has no husband and would then have no more sons, her land would be given to her husband's closest male relative. That person and the clan in general would directly benefit from the execution of her son.
All the woman mentions, though, is that they want to kill the last remaining heir in her family. She would be left with nobody to take care of her. Her husband's name would not be passed on to future generations. The "coal" of their family would be quenched, go out completely, with the death of her last living son. Land and a familial legacy are two of the biggest blessings God promised Israel (Deuteronomy 28:1–6); her husband would have neither.
The story isn't true. Joab, David's military commander and nephew, chose the woman to tell David this story to help David decide whether his son Absalom can come home. Absalom killed his brother Amnon for raping their sister Tamar. David had two years to give Tamar justice—to "separate" the brothers (2 Samuel 14:6)—but did nothing. Now, David's acting like the clansmen, being content with the loss of a close family member.
After the woman reveals her story's true meaning, David recognizes Joab's influence. He allows Absalom to come home (2 Samuel 14:12–21).
