What Does 2 Samuel 3:3 Mean in the King James?

And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;

2 Samuel 3:3 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

This verse in the Selah Decoded Version

THE KEY

Absalom’s name embeds wholeness in the genealogy, joining “father” to the root behind Hebrew’s word for wholeness.

THE MEANING

This verse places each son within a web of kinship, naming mothers, fathers, and places alongside the children. Absalom’s name joins ⁨אָב⁩ (av, “father”) to ⁨שָׁלוֹם⁩ (shalom, “wholeness”), so the family record carries meaning as well as descent.

THE ROOT

אַבְשָׁלוֹם

Avshalom

GROWS FROM

שלם

The three-consonant root ⁨שלם⁩ (sh-l-m) carries the sense of being whole, complete, or sound.

“Absalom” in this verse is Avshalom. ⁨אַבְשָׁלוֹם⁩ (Avshalom) is commonly understood as “father of peace”; its second element is ⁨שָׁלוֹם⁩ (shalom, “wholeness”). The name becomes a compressed phrase, holding kinship and wholeness together in one person’s place in the family line.

ALSO GROWS

shalom: Wholeness, peace

שָׁלוֹם

This is the element in Absalom’s name, bringing the sense of wholeness into the family listing.

shalem: Whole, complete, sound

שָׁלֵם

This branch shows the root’s quality as completeness, a depth beneath the familiar sense of peace.

THE PATTERN

Scripture lets names carry meaning within a family line, so a genealogy can hold more than descent.

This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

Genesis 5:1 · KJVThe line begins with Adam, whose name is tied to ⁨אֲדָמָה⁩ (adamah, “ground”), giving the genealogy a name that carries a nature.

And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Ruth 4:17 · KJVThe women name the child and place him within the line from Naomi to Jesse and David, joining naming and lineage in one moment.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21 · KJVThe naming is tied directly to the name’s meaning: ⁨יָשַׁע⁩ (yasha, “deliver”) connects identity with deliverance.

THE THREAD

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

Psalm 122:6 · KJV

The word translated “peace” is ⁨שָׁלוֹם⁩ (shalom, “wholeness”), the same name element carried by Absalom. This verse opens that name toward wholeness sought for a whole city, beyond quiet between people.

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