2 Samuel 18:4
ESV
The king said to them, "Whatever seems best to you I will do." So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands.
NIV
The king answered, "I will do whatever seems best to you." So the king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands.
NASB
Then the king said to them, 'Whatever seems best to you I will do.' So the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and thousands.
CSB
"I will do whatever you think is best," the king replied to them. So he stood beside the city gate while all the troops marched out by hundreds and thousands.
NLT
If you think that’s the best plan, I’ll do it,' the king answered. So he stood alongside the gate of the town as all the troops marched out in groups of hundreds and of thousands.
KJV
And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.
NKJV
Then the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.
What does 2 Samuel 18:4 mean?
When Absalom won the hearts of the people, he also gained David's trusted advisor Ahithophel (2 Samuel 15:12). He asked Absalom for a force of soldiers to hunt David while he fled. They would kill only David and bring back the rest, as if rescuing Absalom's kidnapped bride (2 Samuel 17:1–4). David's friend Hushai managed to delay Ahithophel's attack (2 Samuel 17:5–14), but the goal remains the same. Absalom doesn't have to destroy David's servants, generals, or army. He just needs to kill David. The uprising and battle are about which of the two men will rule.So, when David declares he's joining the battle, his generals flatly refuse to allow it. They are fighting—literally going to war—so that David can remain king. David hasn't properly fought in years. They need David to remain in the walled city of Mahanaim and send them reinforcements if they call (2 Samuel 18:1–3).
David agrees with a surprisingly submissive attitude. He watches as his generals Joab and Abishai, and his Philistine mercenary commander Ittai, file out with their men. David's recklessness and passivity are both concerning. He isn't thinking about the safety of the army or the return to Jerusalem. He's thinking about Absalom. David understands that he is surrounded by enemies who want to kill him (Psalm 3). But on a deeper level, he doesn't want Absalom to come to harm (2 Samuel 18:5). Joab, however, has a reputation for revenge (2 Samuel 2:18–23; 3:26–27) and kills Absalom the first chance he gets (2 Samuel 18:14–15).
"Hundreds" and "thousands" probably refer to smaller and larger units that are orderly and disciplined, not exact numbers.
