2 Samuel 6:20

Contextual Overview

²⁰When David returned home to bless his household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. “How the king of Israel honored himself today!” she said. “He exposed himself today in the sight of the slave girls of his subjects like a vulgar person would expose himself.”²⁰ Then David returned to bless his household. Mikhal the daughter of Sha'ul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Yisra'el today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself! ²⁰ Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! ²⁰ When David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David. She said, "How the king of Israel honored himself today by uncovering himself before the eyes of the maids of his servants, as the total exposure of a worthless one." ²⁰ And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!" ²⁰ David went back to bless the people in his home, but Saul's daughter Michal came out to meet him. She said, "With what honor the king of Israel acted today! You took off your clothes in front of the servant girls of your officers like one who takes off his clothes without shame!" ²⁰ When David went home to pronounce a blessing on his own house, Michal, Saul's daughter, came out to meet him. She said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself this day! He has exposed himself today before his servants' slave girls the way a vulgar fool might do!" ²⁰Then David returned to bless his household. But [his wife] Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How glorious and distinguished was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself and stripped [off his kingly robes] in the eyes of his servants' maids like one of the riffraff who shamelessly uncovers himself!"²⁰ But when David returned to bless his own household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How the king of Israel dignified himself today! For he exposed himself today in the sight of his servants' female slaves, as one of the rabble shamelessly exposes himself!"²⁰ The Dauid returned to blesse his house, and Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meete Dauid, and sayde, O howe glorious was the King of Israel this day, which was vncouered to day in the eyes of the maidens of his seruantes, as a foole vncouereth himselfe.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

bless: 2 Samuel 6:18, Genesis 18:19, Joshua 24:15, 1 Chronicles 16:43, Psalms 30:1, *title Psalms 101:2

Michal: 2 Samuel 6:16, Psalms 69:7-9, Mark 3:21

glorious: Nehemiah 4:3, Nehemiah 4:4, Isaiah 53:2, Isaiah 53:3, John 13:6, 1 Corinthians 4:10-13, Philippians 2:7, Philippians 2:8

uncovered: We are only to understand by this expression that David had divested himself of his royal robes, in order to appear humble before the Lord, by assimilating himself to the condition of one of the priests or Levites: for we find that he was "girded with a linen ephod;" and consequently no part of his body was exposed, having only put off his outer garments. The terms uncovered or naked frequently mean no more than this in Scripture. 2 Samuel 6:14, 2 Samuel 6:16, 1 Samuel 19:23, 1 Samuel 19:24

vain fellows: Judges 9:4, Job 30:8

shamelessly: or, openly

Reciprocal: Genesis 37:19 - Behold Joshua 22:6 - General 1 Samuel 14:49 - name of the firstborn 1 Samuel 24:14 - the king 2 Samuel 19:39 - blessed 1 Chronicles 15:29 - she despised Job 2:10 - as one Isaiah 20:2 - naked Matthew 5:22 - Raca John 21:7 - naked Hebrews 7:7 - the less

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them. God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the eretz, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the eretz."

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven, and over every animal that moves upon the earth."

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said, "Have many children and grow in number. Fill the earth and be its master. Rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground."

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth."

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said to them, Bring forth fruite and multiplie, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule ouer the fish of the sea, and ouer the foule of the heauen, & ouer euery beast that moueth vpon the earth.

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that creeps on the earth."

Genesis 1:28
God gave them his blessing and said: Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then David returned to bless his household,.... His wife, children, and servants, to wish all happiness to them on this occasion, and pray to God for blessings on them temporal and spiritual. This was done when he came from the place where the ark was set, and was come to his own palace:

and Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David; before he had gotten quite to his own house:

and said, how glorious was the king of Israel today; which she spoke in an ironical jeering way, meaning the reverse, how inglorious, mean, and despicable he had made himself to be, by his airs and gestures:

who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! because he had put off his royal robes, and put on a linen ephod; for that he had stripped himself naked cannot be supposed, nor do her words import so much though a passionate exaggeration of the case.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then David returned ... - He had passed his house to accompany the ark to the tabernacle he had pitched for it, when Michal saw him dancing. He now returns to bless his household. He had blessed the people 2 Samuel 6:18, but there were the inmates of his own house whom the customs of the age did not allow to be present, and so, with his usual considerate kindness and affection, David came to bless them also on this solemn occasion.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 6:20. To bless his household. — This was according to the custom of the patriarchs, who were priests in their own families. It is worthy of remark, that David is called patriarch by Stephen, Acts 2:29, though living upwards of four hundred years after the termination of the patriarchal age.

How glorious was the king of Israel — This is a strong irony. From what Michal says, it is probable that David used some violent gesticulations, by means of which some parts of his body became uncovered. But it is very probable that we cannot guess all that was implied in this reproach.