2 SAMUEL 14:19 — KING JAMES VERSION 0 1
“And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:”
The woman's admission that Joab has indeed orchestrated the case represents a transparent acknowledgment of the deception while simultaneously reinforcing the validity of the underlying argument. Her confirmation that Joab sent her reveals the extent of the general's commitment to the king's restoration and his willingness to employ strategic deception in service of that goal. The woman's acknowledgment that she was instructed to speak what the king would hear most persuasively suggests Joab's sophisticated understanding of how to move David's will, his recognition of the king's particular susceptibilities and the arguments most likely to touch his conscience. The verse demonstrates the persistence of deception within the royal court and the willingness of even the king's closest advisors to manipulate him, albeit in the service of goals they believe righteous.
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