2 Samuel 23:6
New International Version
But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns, which are not gathered with the hand.

New Living Translation
But the godless are like thorns to be thrown away, for they tear the hand that touches them.

English Standard Version
But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away, for they cannot be taken with the hand;

Berean Standard Bible
But the worthless are all like thorns raked aside, for they can never be gathered by hand.

King James Bible
But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:

New King James Version
But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away, Because they cannot be taken with hands.

New American Standard Bible
“But the worthless, every one of them, are like scattered thorns, Because they cannot be taken in hand;

NASB 1995
“But the worthless, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns, Because they cannot be taken in hand;

NASB 1977
“But the worthless, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns, Because they cannot be taken in hand;

Legacy Standard Bible
But the vile men, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns, Because they cannot be taken in hand;

Amplified Bible
“But the wicked and worthless are all to be thrown away like thorns, Because they cannot be taken with the hand;

Christian Standard Bible
But all the wicked are like thorns raked aside; they can never be picked up by hand.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But all the wicked are like thorns raked aside; they can never be picked up by hand.

American Standard Version
But the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away, Because they cannot be taken with the hand;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And all of the evil ones are like hard thorns, because it is not with hands they are all taken

Brenton Septuagint Translation
All these are as a thorn thrust forth, for they shall not be taken with the hand,

Contemporary English Version
But evil people are pulled up like thornbushes. They are not dug up by hand,

Douay-Rheims Bible
But transgressors shall all of them be plucked up as thorns: which are not taken away with hands.

English Revised Version
But the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away, for they cannot be taken with the hand:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Worthless people are like thorns. All of them are thrown away, because they cannot be picked by hand.

Good News Translation
But godless people are like thorns that are thrown away; no one can touch them barehanded.

International Standard Version
But ungodly men are like thorns that are discarded because they cannot be safely handled.

JPS Tanakh 1917
But the ungodly, they are as thorns thrust away, all of them, For they cannot be taken with the hand;

Literal Standard Version
As for the worthless—All of them [are] driven away as a thorn, | For they are not taken away by hand;

Majority Standard Bible
But the worthless are all like thorns raked aside, for they can never be gathered by hand.

New American Bible
But the wicked are all like thorns to be cast away; they cannot be taken up by hand.

NET Bible
But evil people are like thorns--all of them are tossed away, for they cannot be held in the hand.

New Revised Standard Version
But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away; for they cannot be picked up with the hand;

New Heart English Bible
But all of the ungodly shall be as thorns to be thrust away, because they can't be taken with the hand,

Webster's Bible Translation
But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:

World English Bible
But all the ungodly will be as thorns to be thrust away, because they can’t be taken with the hand.

Young's Literal Translation
As to the worthless -- As a thorn driven away are all of them, For -- not by hand are they taken;

Additional Translations ...
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
Matthew 13:41
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness.

Isaiah 27:4
I am not angry. If only thorns and briers confronted Me, I would march and trample them, I would burn them to the ground.

Isaiah 33:12
The peoples will be burned to ashes, like thorns cut down and set ablaze.

Ezekiel 2:6
But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns surround you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their presence, though they are a rebellious house.

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.


Treasury of Scripture

But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:

the sons

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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Belial Cast Driven Evil Evil-Doers Gathered Godless Gripped Hand Hands Pushed Thorn Thorns Thrown Thrust Ungodly Worthless
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Belial Cast Driven Evil Evil-Doers Gathered Godless Gripped Hand Hands Pushed Thorn Thorns Thrown Thrust Ungodly Worthless
2 Samuel 23
1. David, in his last words, professes his faith in God's promises
6. The different state of the wicked
8. A catalogue of David's mighty men














(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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OT History: 2 Samuel 23:6 But all of the ungodly shall be (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 23:5
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