King James Version

2 Samuel 14:14

For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

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Hebrew

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כִּיkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…מ֣וֹתmotdieמוּתverb, qal, infinitive absolute — “die”, the verb used for emphasisH4191to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill[idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), [idiom] must needs, slay, [idiom] surely, [idiom] very suddenly, [idiom] in (no) w…נָמ֔וּתnamutdieמוּתverb, qal, imperfect, 1st person, common, plural — “die”, an unfinished actionH4191to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill[idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), [idiom] must needs, slay, [idiom] surely, [idiom] very suddenly, [idiom] in (no) w…וְכַמַּ֨יִם֙vekhamayimand as waterמַיִםconjunction, preposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “and as water”, the ordinary formH4325water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen[phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).הַנִּגָּרִ֣יםhanigarimthe flow awayנָגַרdefinite article, verb, niphal, participle, absolute — “the flow away”, a verb used as a describing wordH5064to flow; figuratively, to stretch out; causatively, to pour out or down; figuratively, to deliver overfall, flow away, pour down (out), run, shed, spilt, trickle down.אַ֔רְצָהartsahearthאֶרֶץnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute, directional ending — “earth”, the ordinary formH776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.אֲשֶׁ֖רasherbecauseאֲשֶׁרparticle, relative — “because”H834who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.[idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever,…לֹ֣אlono , -r,לֹאparticle, negative — “no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…יֵאָסֵ֑פוּyeasefvdestroyאָסַףverb, niphal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “destroy”, an unfinished actionH622to gather for any purpose; hence, to receive, take away, i.e. remove (destroy, leave behind, put up, restore, etc.)assemble, bring, consume, destroy, felch, gather (in, together, up again), [idiom] generally, get (him), lose, put all together, receive, recover (another from leprosy), (be) rereward, [idiom] surely, take (away, into, up), [idiom] utterly…וְלֹֽאveloand no , -r,לֹאconjunction, particle, negative — “and no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…יִשָּׂ֤אyisalift upנָשָׂאverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “lift up”, an unfinished actionH5375to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relativeaccept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable…אֱלֹהִים֙elohimGodאֱלֹהִיםnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “God”, the ordinary formH430gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlativeangels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty.נֶ֔פֶשׁnefeshcreatureנֶפֶשׁnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “creature”, the ordinary formH5315properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, [idiom] dead(-ly), desire, [idiom] (dis-) contented, [idiom] fish, ghost, [phrase] greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, [idiom] jeopardy of) life ([idiom] in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally,…וְחָשַׁב֙vechashavand regardחָשַׁבconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and regard”, a completed action in a sequenceH2803properly, to plait or interpenetrate, i.e. (literally) to weave or (generally) to fabricate; figuratively, to plot or contrive (usually in a malicious sense); hence (from the mental effort) to think, regard, value, compute(make) account (of), conceive, consider, count, cunning (man, work, workman), devise, esteem, find out, forecast, hold, imagine, impute, invent, be like, mean, purpose, reckon(-ing be made), regard, think.מַֽחֲשָׁב֔וֹתmachashavotcunningמַחֲשָׁבָהnoun, common, feminine, plural, absolute — “cunning”, the ordinary formH4284a contrivance, i.e. (concretely) a texture, machine, or (abstractly) intention, plan (whether bad, a plot; or good, advice)cunning (work), curious work, device(-sed), imagination, invented, means, purpose, thought.לְבִלְתִּ֛יleviltito because unבִּלְתִּיpreposition, conjunction — “to because un”H1115properly, a failure of, i.e. (used only as a negative particle, usually with a prepositional prefix) not, except, without, unless, besides, because not, until, etc.because un(satiable), beside, but, [phrase] continual, except, from, lest, neither, no more, none, not, nothing, save, that no, without.יִדַּ֥חyidachbanishנָדַחverb, niphal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “banish”, an unfinished actionH5080to push off; used in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively (to expel, mislead, strike, inflict, etc.)banish, bring, cast down (out), chase, compel, draw away, drive (away, out, quite), fetch a stroke, force, go away, outcast, thrust away (out), withdraw.מִמֶּ֖נּוּmimenvfromמִןpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, plural — “from”H4480properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many sensesabove, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, [idiom] neither, [idiom] nor, (out) of, over, since, [idiom] then, through, [idiom] whether, with.נִדָּֽחnidachbanishנָדַחverb, niphal, participle, absolute — “banish”, a verb used as a describing wordH5080to push off; used in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively (to expel, mislead, strike, inflict, etc.)banish, bring, cast down (out), chase, compel, draw away, drive (away, out, quite), fetch a stroke, force, go away, outcast, thrust away (out), withdraw.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person; but let him devise means, that he that is banished be not an outcast from him.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God take away life, but deviseth means, that he that is banished be not an outcast from him.

Young’s Literal Translation

for we do surely die, and [are] as water which is running down to the earth, which is not gathered, and God doth not accept a person, and hath devised devices in that the outcast is not outcast by Him.

World English Bible

For we must die, and are like water spilled on the ground, which can’t be gathered up again; neither does God take away life, but devises means, that he who is banished not be an outcast from him.

Darby Translation

For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; and God has not taken away his life, but devises means that the banished one be not expelled from him.

Douay-Rheims

We all die, and like waters that return no more, we fall down into the earth: neither will God have a soul to perish, but recalleth, meaning that he that is cast off should not altogether perish.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

For we shall surely die, and be as water poured upon the earth, which shall not be gathered up, and God shall take the life, even as he devises to thrust forth from him his outcast.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ὅτι θανάτῳ ἀποθανούμεθα, καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ καταφερόμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὃ οὐ συναχθήσεται, καὶ λήψεται ὁ Θεὸς ψυχὴν, καὶ λογιζόμενος τοῦ ἐξῶσαι ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐξεωσμένον.