2 Samuel 23:6 - David's Last Song

Audio Bible

Context

David's Last Song
…5Is not my house right with God? For He has established with me an everlasting covenant, ordered and secured in every part. Will He not bring about my full salvation and my every desire? 6But the worthless are all like thorns raked aside, for they can never be gathered by hand. 7The man who touches them must be armed with iron or with the shaft of a spear. The fire burns them to ashes in the place where they lie.”…

Cross References

Psalm 1:4
Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.Isaiah 33:12
The peoples will be burned to ashes, like thorns cut down and set ablaze.Matthew 3:12
His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”Malachi 4:1
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”Job 21:18
Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a storm?Psalm 37:20
But the wicked and enemies of the LORD will perish like the glory of the fields. They will vanish; like smoke they will fade away.Isaiah 5:24
Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.Matthew 13:30
Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”Isaiah 40:24
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble.Hosea 13:3
Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, like smoke through an open window.Luke 3:17
His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”Psalm 58:9
Before your pots can feel the burning thorns—whether green or dry—He will sweep them away.Isaiah 47:14
Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. There will be no coals to warm them or fire to sit beside.Nahum 1:10
For they will be entangled as with thorns and consumed like the drink of a drunkard—like stubble that is fully dry.John 15:6
If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.

2 Samuel 20:1
And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.

Deuteronomy 13:13
Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;

1 Samuel 2:12
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.

thorns

Genesis 3:18
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

Song of Solomon 2:2
As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

Isaiah 33:12
And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.

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2 Samuel 23

But the worthless are all like thorns raked aside
This phrase draws a vivid comparison between worthless individuals and thorns. In biblical times, thorns were a common metaphor for trouble and sin, as seen in Genesis 3:18, where thorns and thistles are part of the curse on the ground. Thorns are often associated with pain and difficulty, symbolizing those who reject God's ways. The act of raking aside suggests a deliberate separation, akin to the separation of the righteous from the wicked in Matthew 13:30, where the wheat is separated from the tares. This imagery emphasizes the ultimate fate of those who do not follow God's commandments, being cast aside and not included in the community of the faithful.

for they can never be gathered by hand
This part of the verse highlights the danger and futility of attempting to handle thorns directly. In ancient agricultural practices, thorns were often burned or disposed of carefully to avoid injury, as seen in Hebrews 6:8, where land that produces thorns is in danger of being cursed and burned. The inability to gather thorns by hand underscores the idea that the wicked are beyond redemption through human effort alone. This reflects the biblical theme that salvation and transformation are acts of divine grace, not human works, as emphasized in Ephesians 2:8-9. The imagery also points to the protective nature of God's judgment, ensuring that His people are not harmed by the influence of the wicked.

Persons / Places / Events

1. David
The speaker of this verse, King David, is delivering his final words, reflecting on his life and reign as the king of Israel. He is considered a man after God's own heart and a central figure in the Old Testament.

2. Worthless Men
This term refers to individuals who are morally and spiritually corrupt, often causing harm and disruption within the community of God's people.

3. Thorns
Used metaphorically to describe the worthless, thorns are a common biblical symbol for things that are harmful, painful, and ultimately destructive.

4. Israel
The nation over which David reigned, representing God's chosen people and the context in which these teachings are applied.

5. The Final Words of David
This event marks a significant moment where David reflects on his life, leadership, and the nature of righteousness versus wickedness.

Teaching Points

The Nature of Worthlessness
Worthlessness in God's eyes is not about lack of ability but a lack of moral and spiritual integrity. We must evaluate our lives to ensure we are not living in a way that is spiritually unproductive or harmful.

The Consequences of Wickedness
Just as thorns are raked aside and discarded, those who live in opposition to God's ways will face separation from His blessings. This serves as a warning to pursue righteousness.

The Importance of Discernment
Believers are called to discern between what is valuable and what is worthless in their lives, relationships, and communities. This discernment is crucial for spiritual growth and alignment with God's will.

The Role of Leadership
David's reflection as a leader highlights the responsibility of those in authority to guide others towards righteousness and away from worthlessness. Leaders must model integrity and godliness.

(6) The sons of Belial.--According to the Masoretic punctuation, Belial is not here in the common form, but in the stronger abstract form=worthlessness. The coming in of Divine righteousness leads not only to the assimilation of that which is holy, but also to the rejection of that which is evil, by a law as necessary and immutable as that of action and reaction in the material world. The figures used are to show that, although the wicked injure whatever touches them, means will yet be found by which they may safely be put out of the way.

Verses 6, 7. - The sons of Belial; Hebrew, belial; not a proper name, but a word signifying "worthlessness," and especially vicious worthlessness (see note on 1 Samuel 1:16). It is from this worthlessness that opposition arises to the just king, and he recognizes it as that which thwarts his efforts. The words may be rendered ?

"But the ungodly are as thorns, to be all of them thrust away;
For they may not be taken hold of with the hand.
And the man that would touch them
Must arm himself with iron and the staff of a spear;
And they shall be utterly burned with fire unto nothingness." The vicious worthlessness which opposes righteous government must be treated like thorns, too prickly and sharp pointed for gentle dealing. They must be torn up by an iron hook fixed to the end of a spear-handle, and then burnt. The word translated in the same place in the Authorized Version is rendered by Jerome "even to nothing;" and it is just the sort of phrase for which his authority is greatest; for he went to Palestine, and remained there several years, to study the language under Hebrew teachers on the spot. The Septuagint must have had a different reading, as it translates "their shame." Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

But the worthless
וּבְלִיַּ֕עַל (ū·ḇə·lî·ya·‘al)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1100: Without profit, worthlessness, destruction, wickedness

are all
כֻּלָּ֑הַם (kul·lā·ham)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

like thorns
כְּק֥וֹץ (kə·qō·wṣ)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6975: A thorn, thornbush

raked aside,
מֻנָ֖ד (mu·nāḏ)
Verb - Hofal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5074: To wave to and fro, to rove, flee, to drive away

for
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

they can never
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

be gathered
יִקָּֽחוּ׃ (yiq·qā·ḥū)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3947: To take

by hand.
בְיָ֖ד (ḇə·yāḏ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

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2 Samuel 23:6 Catholic BibleOT History: 2 Samuel 23:6 But all of the ungodly shall be (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)