translation_id: net-engnet

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “the people said.”


text: Heb “march out.”


text: Heb “they will not place to us heart.”


label: NET textual note

text: The translation follows the LXX (except for the Lucianic recension), Symmachus, and Vulgate in reading אָתָּה (’ atta , “you”) rather than MT עָתָּה (’ atta , “now”).


text: Heb “servants” (also in v. 9 ).


text: Heb “the.”


text: Heb “the donkey.”


text: Heb “between the sky and the ground.”


text: lacks the word “one.”


text: Heb “Why did you not strike him down there to the ground.”


text: Heb “ten [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 4 ounces (114 grams) of silver by weight.


text: Heb “and a girdle” (so KJV); NIV “a warrior’s belt”; CEV “a special belt”; NLT “a hero’s belt.”


text: The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וְלוּ ( vÿlu , “and if”) rather than MT וְלֹא ( vÿlo ’, “and not”).


text: Heb “weighing out in my hand.”


text: Heb “a thousand [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 25 pounds (11.4 kg) of silver by weight.


text: Heb “extend my hand against.”


text: Heb “in our ears.”


text: The Hebrew text is very difficult here. The MT reads מִי ( mi , “who”), apparently yielding the following sense: “Show care, whoever you might be , for the youth Absalom.” The Syriac Peshitta reads li (“for me”), the Hebrew counterpart of which may also lie behind the LXX rendering μοι ( moi , “for me”). This reading seems preferable here, since it restores sense to the passage and most easily explains the rise of the variant.


text: The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss , and a number of the ancient versions in reading בְנַפְשִׁי ( vÿnafshi , “against my life”) rather than the MT בְנַפְשׁוֹ ( vÿnafsho , “against his life”).


text: Heb “stood aloof.”


text: There is a play on the word “heart” here that is difficult to reproduce in English. Literally the Hebrew text says “he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the heart of the oak tree.” This figure of speech involves the use of the same word in different senses and is known as antanaclasis. It is illustrated in the familiar saying from the time of the American Revolution: “If we don’t hang together, we will all hang separately.” The present translation understands “heart” to be used somewhat figuratively for “chest” (cf. TEV, CEV), which explains why Joab’s armor bearers could still “kill” Absalom after he had been stabbed with three spears through the “heart.” Since trees do not have “chests” either, the translation uses “middle.”


text: Heb “the shophar” (the ram’s horn trumpet).


text: Heb “and all Israel fled, each to his tent.” In this context this refers to the supporters of Absalom (see vv. 6-7, 16 ).


text: Heb “and.” This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) describes an occurrence that preceded the events just narrated.


text: Heb “a pillar.”


text: Heb “that the Lord has vindicated him from the hand of his enemies.”


text: Heb “but this day you will not bear good news.”


text: The words “but he said” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.


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


text: Heb “the two gates.”


text: Heb “good news is in his mouth.”


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


text: Heb “I am seeing the running of the first one like the running of Ahimaaz.”


text: Heb “Peace.”


text: Heb “delivered over.”


text: Heb “lifted their hand against.”


text: Heb “And look, the Cushite came and the Cushite said.”


text: Heb “for the Lord has vindicated you today from the hand of all those rising against you.”


text: Heb “and all those rising against you for evil.”


text: One medieval Hebrew ms , some mss of the LXX, and the Vulgate lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.


text: The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.