What Does 2 Samuel 13:36 Mean?
And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that behold, the king's sons came, and lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also, and all his servants, wept with a very great weeping.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king’s sons came, and lifted up their voice and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept very sore.THE KEY
The Hebrew repeats the root for weeping, “they wept a great weeping”, so grief becomes the sound shared by the whole household.
THE MEANING
When loss fills a household, grief moves from one voice into many. The sons lift their voices, and the king and all his servants weep too. Rank does not place anyone outside the shared ache.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
This undoes the belief that authority makes someone untouchable by grief: the king weeps with the rest.
THE ROOT
וַיִּבְכּוּ
vayivku
GROWS FROM
בכה
b-k-h
weep, lament by crying
The verse uses this root in the verb “they wept” and the noun “weeping” (בָּכוּ בְּכִי), then calls it a “great weeping.” The English carries the force with “very sore”; the Hebrew also lets the root repeat, making grief audible across the whole household.
ALSO GROWS
bekhi: weeping, a noun for the act of crying
בְּכִי
It follows the verb בָּכוּ in this verse, naming the weeping as well as showing it.
bokeh: one who is weeping
בֹּכֶה
This participle makes the root describe a person in the act of grief, echoing the sons, king, and servants gathered here.
וַיִּשְׂאוּ
vayis'u
GROWS FROM
נשא
n-s-ʾ
lift, carry, bear
“lifted up their voice” in this verse is vayis'u. The sons “lift” their voice, using a root that also means to carry or bear. Their grief becomes something carried aloud, and the king and servants join in bearing it.
ALSO GROWS
massa: burden, something carried
מַשָּׂא
This branch lets “lifted” carry an added image of grief borne by the household.
nasi: prince or leader, one elevated to lead
נָשִׂיא
The king’s presence makes the contrast vivid: a person elevated to rule is still drawn into the household’s grief.
THE PATTERN
Grief is not contained within one person; it gathers companions and crosses every rank.
And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is across Jordan, and there they wailed a great lamentation, heavy beyond measure. And he made a mourning for his father seven days.When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping with her, he snorted in his breath and was stirred within himself.Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.THE THREAD
Turn aside from me, all you workers of crookedness; for the LORD hears the voice of my weeping.Psalm 6:8 uses the same root, בכה (bakah), for “my weeping,” paired with קוֹל (qol), “voice.” Here the king’s household hears grief in one another; the psalm extends that same voiced sorrow into being heard by the LORD.
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