2 Samuel 15:19 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, 'Why are you coming with us too? Go back to your home and stay with the king, because you are a foreigner and someone who was forced to leave your own country.'

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

King David is telling a foreign ally that he doesn't need to risk his safety by staying loyal during this dangerous time of rebellion.

📚 Historical Context

This occurs during Absalom's rebellion when David is fleeing Jerusalem to avoid civil war with his own son. Ittai was a Philistine commander from Gath who had recently joined David's forces. David is being gracious by releasing foreign allies from their oath of loyalty during this personal family crisis.

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2 Samuel 15:18

All of David's servants walked alongside him, and all the Cherethites, Pelethites, and Gittites—six hundred men who had followed him from the city of Gath—marched in front of the king.

2 Samuel 15:22

And David said to Ittai, 'Go and cross over with us.' So Ittai the Gittite crossed over, along with all his men and all the children who were with him.

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