2 Samuel 20:3 Meaning: When Consequences Fall on the Innocent
David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in custody and provided them with sustenance, but didn’t go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.
And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.
And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and provided them with sustenance, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.
And David cometh in unto his house at Jerusalem, and the king taketh the ten women-concubines--whom he had left to keep the house, and putteth them in a house of ward, and sustaineth them, and unto them he hath not gone in, and they are shut up unto the day of their death, in widowhood living.
And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women, concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in a house of confinement and maintained them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.
Meaning in one sentence
Why did David confine his concubines for life? The verse shows the painful aftermath of sin, where innocent people bear lifelong consequences and need care.
Context
David has just returned to Jerusalem after Absalom’s rebellion was crushed. During his flight, he left ten concubines to care for the palace. While he was gone, Absalom publicly violated them, a political act meant to seal his claim to the throne. Now David must face what that means. He cannot take these women back as his wives; they have been defiled. He cannot divorce them, for they are innocent. He cannot marry them off, because that could create political danger. So he does what he can: he puts them in a guarded house, provides food and care, but never sleeps with them again. They live as widows for the rest of their lives, protected, provided for, but permanently separated from normal life. The verse sits at the hinge between the end of the rebellion and the messy work of rebuilding a kingdom.
Key Words
Two Hebrew phrases carry the weight here. The women are called pilagshim, concubines, secondary wives with lower status than full wives, but still part of the royal household. They were not servants; they were David’s, bound to him. Then David put them in ward, or literally put them in a mishmeret, a house of confinement. The same word is used for Joseph’s prison in Genesis. But David does not throw them in a dungeon; he also provides them with sustenance (the verb kalkel means to support, nourish, hold together). He keeps them alive and safe. The most heartbreaking phrase is the last: living in widowhood. In Hebrew it is almanut chayyut, the widowhood of life. These women were widows though their husband still walked the earth. They had lost their place, their purpose, their future, through no fault of their own.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this verse with a mix of sadness and realism. Matthew Henry called it part of “the affliction to see his kingdom disturbed and his family disgraced.” John Gill suggested David confined them partly as a judgment on their easy surrender to Absalom, and partly to keep them from public sight, which would remind everyone of the sin. The Cambridge Bible notes that after being appropriated by Absalom, they could “no longer be regarded as members of the royal harem, nor could they be set at liberty.” Jewish tradition held that widowed queens were not allowed to remarry, so David treated his concubines the same way. None of the commentators celebrate this outcome. They simply acknowledge that sin sometimes forces decisions where nobody wins.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers think David cruelly abandoned or punished these women for something they could not prevent. In fact, he provided for them, he gave them shelter and food for life. He did not execute them, divorce them, or cast them out. They were confined because the situation could not be undone. The verse does not say David was harsh; it says he did what was possible in an impossible situation.
Living This Out
This verse asks you to look at the people caught in the fallout of someone else’s sin. Maybe it is a child whose parent made destructive choices. A spouse left to rebuild after betrayal. A coworker blamed for a failure they did not cause. You cannot undo the damage, and pretending everything is fine helps no one. But you can provide. A safe place. A steady meal. Regular kindness. David did not restore these women to their old life, but he did not abandon them either. This week, ask God to show you someone who needs that quiet, steady care, and then give it, without trying to fix what only God can heal.
Main takeaway: Innocent people can suffer lifelong consequences from others’ sins, and our calling is to care for them even when we cannot restore what was lost.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Some women took care of King David’s house. While he was away, someone hurt them. When David came back, he gave them a safe home and food, but they could not go back to their old life. It was very sad because they had done nothing wrong.
For ages 9, 12
These ten women were innocent victims. They had no choice in what happened to them. David couldn’t undo the wrong, so he gave them a place to live and food for the rest of their lives. This shows that sometimes people suffer because of someone else’s bad choices. When that happens, the best we can do is care for them and treat them with respect, even if we can’t make everything the way it was before.
Questions People Ask
Why did David confine the concubines instead of setting them free?
They had been violated by Absalom, which made them unfit to return to the royal harem. David could not divorce them because they were guiltless, and marrying them to other men could create political problems. So he provided for them in a guarded house for life, a middle path that protected them but left them permanently confined.
What does 'living in widowhood' mean in this verse?
The Hebrew phrase is 'almanut chayyut', literally 'widowhood of life.' It means they were like widows even though their husband (David) was still alive. They had lost their status and their marriage relationship, but they were not free to marry anyone else. It describes a limbo state that lasted until their death.
Was David punishing the concubines for what happened?
The text does not present it as punishment. David provided them with food and shelter, he 'fed them,' as the KJV says. Commentators note that they were not executed or divorced because they were innocent themselves. The confinement was a practical necessity given the irreparable nature of what Absalom had done.
Could these women have been married to someone else after David confined them?
No. In ancient Israel, the king's wives and concubines were considered his property even after his death. Jewish tradition held that royal widows could not remarry. Since David was still alive and they had been part of his household, marrying them to another man would have been politically dangerous and culturally unacceptable.
What does this verse teach us about the consequences of sin?
It shows that sin rarely hurts only the person who commits it. Absalom's rebellion damaged these women for life, even though they had no part in it. David himself suffered the loss of ten relationships and the reminder of his family's breakdown. The verse invites us to take sin seriously and to care for those caught in its collateral damage.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study