2 Samuel 19:42

2Sa 19:42 And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king [is] near of kin to us: wherefore then be ye angry for this matter? have we eaten at all of the king’s [cost]? or hath he given us any gift?

Ver. 42. Have we eaten at all of the king’s cost?] Have we, as parasites, used our tongues to purvey for our teeth? have we sought ourselves in this service? were we hired or waged to do that we did?

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Sa 19:42. The king is near of kin to us — Of the same tribe with us, and therefore both oweth the more respect to us, and might expect more respect from us. Hath he given us any gift? — We have neither sought nor gained any advantage to ourselves hereby, but only discharged our duty and testified our love to the king, and used all expedition in bringing him back, which you also should have done, and not have come by halves, and so coldly as you have done.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 42. Wherefore then be ye angry for this matter?] We have not done this for our own advantage; we have gained nothing by it; we did it through loyal attachment to our king.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(42) Have we eaten.—Judah justifies its course by its nearness of relationship to the king, and repels the idea of having received any especial favours from him. In this, then, may be a taunt to the Benjamites on account of the partiality shown them by Saul. On the other hand, the Israelites urge their claim of numerical superiority. The whole dispute is a remarkable testimony to the fairness of David’s government as between the tribes.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

42. to us] Lit. to me: and so art thou angry: and in 2Sa_19:43 the pronouns are singular throughout; each party being as it were personified and regarded as a unit.

42. have we eaten at all of the king’s cost, &c.] They defend themselves by alleging the purity of their motives. Some see in the words a side-thrust at the Benjamites, who had enjoyed special privileges during Saul’s reign (1Sa_22:7).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel,.... Such of them as went down to fetch the king back, replied to the men of Israel that now met them, and objected to their conduct:

because the king is near of kin to us; being of their tribe, and his palace was within their borders, and therefore they were proper persons to bring him home:

wherefore then be ye angry for this matter? for bringing the king back, and being the first in it; for who so proper as they, not only to do their duty, but to show their affection to the king as early as possible?

have we eaten at all of the king's cost? they had maintained themselves at their own expense, going and returning; they had no self-interest or selfish views to serve, but on the contrary had been at a considerable charge to meet the king, and conduct him home:

or hath he given us any gift? no, he had not, nor did they expect any; it was not with a view to any reward that they had taken this step, but purely out of affection to the king, and for the good of their country.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Nearer related. (Haydock) --- Us. What advantage have we gained? or, what have you lost? (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Near of kin to us; of the same tribe with us, and therefore both oweth the more respect to us, and might expect and challenge more respect from us. Hath he given us any gift? we have neither sought nor gained any advantage to ourselves hereby, but only discharged our duty to the king, and used all expedition in bringing him back, which you also should have done, and not have come in by halves, and so coldly as you have done. See 2Sa 19:40.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

42. The king is near of kin to us — Of our tribe, and therefore descended from the same father. Compare 2Sa_19:12.

Have we eaten at all of the king’s — Have we received any special favours or honours?

Hath he given us any gift — Such as fields, vineyards, or offices, as Saul did to the Benjamites. See 1Sa_22:7.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The king is near of kin to us. The pronouns are singular throughout: "He is near of kin to me. Why art thou angry? Have I eaten... I have ten parts Why didst thou despise me?" and so everywhere. This is much more piquant; but such personification is contrary to the genius of our language. Have I eaten, etc.? Saul had boasted of enriching the Benjamites, (1Sa_22:7) but probably the speaker intended only to protest the purity of his motives.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Of kin - Of the same tribe with us, and therefore both oweth the more respect to us, and might expect more respect from us. Gifts - We have neither sought nor gained any advantage to ourselves hereby, but only discharged our duty to the king, and used all expedition in bringing him back, which you also should have done, and not have come in by halves, and so coldly as you have done.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Why then are you angry about this?

The men of Judah ask this rhetorical question to rebuke the men of Israel. This can be written as a statement. AT: "But you have no reason to be upset about this." (See: Rhetorical Question)

Have we eaten anything that the king had to pay for? Has he given us any gifts?

The men of Judah ask the question to express that they have not taken anything from the king. This can be written as a statement. AT: "The king has never paid for our food, and he has never given us any gifts." (See: Rhetorical Question)

we have even more right to David than you

"we have a greater claim to David than you do." It may be helpful to state clearly what having "more right" means. AT: "we have more right to serve the king and to be with the king than you do" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

Why then did you despise us?

The men of Israel ask this rhetorical question to express their anger. This can be written as a statement. AT: "You should not have despised us!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

Was not our proposal to bring back our king the first to be heard?

The men of Israel ask this question to remind and rebuke the people of Judah. This can be written as a statement. AT: "We were the first to suggest that we bring back the king!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

the words of the men of Judah were even more harsh than the words of the men of Israel

"the men of Judah spoke even more harshly than the men of Israel did"

translationWords

Judah

Israel

anger

gift

tribe

word

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.