translation_id: net-engnet

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “a hundred summer fruit.”


text: Heb “What are these to you?”


label: NET textual note

text: The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וְהַלֶּחֶם ( vÿhallekhem , “and the bread”) rather than וּלְהַלֶּחֶם ( ulÿhallekhem , “and to the bread”) of the Kethib . The syntax of the MT is confused here by the needless repetition of the preposition, probably taken from the preceding word.


text: The Hebrew text adds “to drink.”


text: Heb “son.”


text: For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: Heb “my father’s.”


text: Heb “came to.” The form of the verb in the MT is odd. Some prefer to read וַיַּבֹא ( vayyavo ’), preterite with vav consecutive) rather than וּבָא ( uva ’), apparently perfect with vav ), but this is probably an instance where the narrative offline vÿqatal construction introduces a new scene.


text: Heb “And look, from there a man was coming out from the clan of the house of Saul and his name was Shimei son of Gera, continually going out and cursing.”


text: Heb “man of worthlessness.”


text: Heb “has brought back upon you.”


text: Heb “What to me and to you?”


text: Heb “who came out from my entrails.” David’s point is that is his own son, his child whom he himself had fathered, was now wanting to kill him.


text: The Hebrew text is difficult here. It is probably preferable to read with the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate בְּעוֹנִי ( bÿ ’ onyi , “on my affliction”) rather than the Kethib of the MT בָּעַוֹנִי ( ba ’ avoni , “on my wrongdoing”). While this Kethib reading is understandable as an objective genitive (i.e., “the wrong perpetrated upon me”), it does not conform to normal Hebrew idiom for this idea. The Qere of the MT בְּעֵינֵי ( bÿ ’ eni , “on my eyes”), usually taken as synecdoche to mean “my tears,” does not commend itself as a likely meaning. The Hebrew word is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim , or “emendations of the scribes.”


text: Heb “and the Lord will restore to me good in place of his curse this day.”


text: Heb “and he cursed and threw stones, opposite him, pelting [them] with dirt.” The offline vÿqatal construction in the last clause indicates an action that was complementary to the action described in the preceding clause. He simultaneously threw stones and dirt.


text: Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “and all the people, the men of Israel.”


text: Heb “to Absalom.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “No for with the one whom the Lord has chosen, and this people, and all the men of Israel, I will be and with him I will stay.” The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew mss in reading לוֹ ( lo , “[I will be] to him”) rather than the MT לֹא ( lo ’, “[I will] not be”), which makes very little sense here.


text: Heb “Just as I served before your father, so I will be before you.”


text: Heb “go to”; NAB “have (+ sexual NCV) relations with”; TEV “have intercourse with”; NLT “Go and sleep with.”


text: Heb “and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”


text: Heb “went to”; NAB “he visited his father’s concubines”; NIV “lay with his father’s concubines”; TEV “went in and had intercourse with.”


text: Heb “And the advice of Ahithophel which he advised in those days was as when one inquires of the word of God.”


text: Heb “So was all the advice of Ahithophel, also to David, also to Absalom.”