Verse Lens · Concise explanation
2 Samuel 23:6 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 6. 6But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse advances the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence: “But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be….” Its responsible meaning belongs to the complete movement “The Last Words Define Just Rule.”
Read It With
- 2 Samuel 23:1–7
Read 2 Samuel 23:6 with 23:1–7. The wording “But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be…” supplies one step in the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence; the surrounding verses supply the causes, responses, and outcome summarized here: An oracle identifies David, attributes speech to the Spirit, pictures a just God-fearing ruler as morning light, invokes an everlasting covenant, and ends with severe thorn imagery.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “The Last Words Define Just Rule,” 2 Samuel 23:6 advances the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence through the wording “But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: 2 Samuel 22:47–51 establishes this prior movement: David blesses the living rock, attributes vengeance and deliverance to God, praises among nations, and closes with enduring loyal love to David and his seed. 2 Samuel 23:1–7 interprets or reframes what the preceding narrative has established; that demonstrated relationship, rather than sequence alone, explains its placement.
What Remains True
Covenant hope and durable promise remain joined to righteous rule, correction, discipline, and accountability rather than royal immunity. In this unit, that truth is tested by the concrete movement: An oracle identifies David, attributes speech to the Spirit, pictures a just God-fearing ruler as morning light, invokes an everlasting covenant, and ends with severe thorn imagery. In 2 Samuel 23:6, the concrete line “But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
How It Can Shape Life
- The evidence to keep visible in this verse is “But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be….” Evaluate leaders by truth, restraint, justice, consent, repair, and willingness to accept correction; do not let office, promise, success, or religious language override evidence of harm. This response follows from the unit's own pattern—An oracle identifies David, attributes speech to the Spirit, pictures a just God-fearing ruler as morning light, invokes an everlasting covenant, and ends with severe thorn imagery.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 2 Samuel 23:1–7 — The Last Words Define Just RuleSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 2 Samuel 23:1-7, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 2 Samuel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, repeated verbs, names, syntax, and the base text behind translation and textual discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/2Sam.xml, 23:1-7
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: 2 Samuel with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Unit-bounded wording, older-English clarification, textual witnesses, syntax, names, numbers, and major historical or literary notes actually printed for these verses.
Exact location: NET Bible 2 Samuel PDF, printed pp. 580–582, translation and all translator notes attached to 23:1-7
Open source ↗