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


Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord , according to all which Uzziah his father had done.”


Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jotham, and that which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”


Heb “the Lord began to send against Judah Rezin…and Pekahiah….”


Heb “lay down with his fathers.”


Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord his God, like David his father.”


Heb “he walked in the way of.”


Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”


Heb “went up to Jerusalem for battle.”


That is, Jerusalem, Ahaz’s capital city.


Heb “they were unable to fight.” The object must be supplied from the preceding sentence. Elsewhere when the Niphal infinitive of לָחָם ( lakham ) follows the verb יָכֹל ( yakhol ), the infinitive appears to have the force of “prevail against.” See Num 22:11 ; 1 Sam 17:9 ; and the parallel passage in Isa 7:1 .


Some prefer to read “the king of Edom” and “for Edom” here. The names Syria ( Heb “Aram,” אֲרָם , ’ aram ) and Edom ( אֱדֹם , ’ edom ) are easily confused in the Hebrew consonantal script.


Heb “from Elat.”


The consonantal text ( Kethib ), supported by many medieval Hebrew mss , the Syriac version, and some mss of the Targum and Vulgate, read “Syrians” ( Heb “Arameans”). The marginal reading ( Qere ), supported by the LXX, Targums, and Vulgate, reads “Edomites.”


Heb “son.” Both terms (“servant” and “son”) reflect Ahaz’s subordinate position as Tiglath-pileser’s subject.


Heb “hand, palm.”


Heb “who have arisen against.”


Heb “that was found.”


Or “bribe money.”


Heb “listened to him.”


Heb “the king of Assyria.”


Heb “it.”


Heb “in Damascus.”


Heb “the likeness of the altar and its pattern for all its work.”


Heb “according to all that King Ahaz sent from Damascus.”


Heb “so Uriah the priest did, until the arrival of King Ahaz from Damascus.”


Heb “and the king.”


Heb “the altar.”


Or “ascended it.”


The word “new” is added in the translation for clarification.


That is, the newly constructed altar.


Heb “for me to seek.” The precise meaning of בָּקַר ( baqar ), “seek,” is uncertain in this context. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189.


Heb “according to all which.”


Heb “that [were] under it.”


The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מוּסַךְ ( musakh ; Qere ) / מִיסַךְ ( misakh ; Kethib ) is uncertain. For discussion see HALOT 557 s.v. מוּסַךְ and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189-90.


Heb “that they built.”


Heb “As for the rest of the events of Ahaz, and that which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”


Heb “lay down with his fathers.”


For location see Map2-B1 ; Map4-D3 ; Map5-E2 ; Map6-A4 ; Map7-C1 .


Heb “in the eyes of.”


Heb “went up against.”


Heb “and the king of Assyria found in Hoshea conspiracy.”


Heb “and bound him in the house of confinement.”


The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” as the object of the verb.


Heb “and from under the hand of.” The words “freed them” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “feared.”


Heb “walked in the customs.”


Heb “and [the practices of] the kings of Israel which they did.”


The meaning of the verb וַיְחַפְּאוּ ( vayÿkhappÿ ’ u ), translated here “said,” is uncertain. Some relate it to the verbal root חָפַה ( khafah ), “to cover,” and translate “they did it in secret” (see BDB 341 s.v. חָפָא ). However, the pagan practices specified in the following sentences were hardly done in secret. Others propose a meaning “ascribe, impute,” which makes good contextual sense but has little etymological support (see HALOT 339 s.v. חפא ). In this case Israel claimed that the Lord authorized their pagan practices.


Heb “and they did evil things, angering the Lord .”


Or “served.”


Heb “about which the Lord had said to them, ‘You must not do this thing.’”


Heb “obey my commandments and rules according to all the law which I commanded your fathers and which I sent to you by the hand of my servants the prophets.”


Heb and they stiffened their neck like the neck of their fathers.”


Or “and his warnings he had given them.”


Heb “They went [or, ‘followed’] after.” This idiom probably does not mean much if translated literally. It is found most often in Deuteronomy or in literature related to the covenant. It refers in the first instance to loyalty to God and to His covenant or His commandments ( 1 Kgs 14:8 ; 2 Chr 34:31 ) with the metaphor of a path or way underlying it ( Deut 11:28; 28:14 ). To “follow other gods” was to abandon this way and this loyalty (to “abandon” or “forget” God, Judg 2:12 ; Hos 2:13 ) and to follow the customs or religious traditions of the pagan nations ( 2 Kgs 17:15 ). The classic text on “following” God or another god is 1 Kgs 18:18, 21 where Elijah taunts the people with “halting between two opinions” whether the Lord was the true God or Baal was. The idiom is often found followed by “to serve and to worship” or “they served and worshiped” such and such a god or entity ( Jer 8:2; 11:10; 13:10; 16:11; 25:6; 35:15 ).


Heb “they followed after the worthless thing/things and became worthless.” The words “to the Lord ” are not in the Hebrew text but are implicit from the context. There is an obvious wordplay on the verb “became worthless” and the noun “worthless thing”, which is probably to be understood collectively and to refer to idols as it does in Jer 8:19; 10:8; 14:22 ; Jonah 2:8 .


Heb “and [they walked] after the nations which were around them, concerning which the Lord commanded them not to do like them.”


The phrase כָל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם ( khol tsÿva ’ hashamayim ), traditionally translated “all the host of heaven,” refers to the heavenly lights, including stars and planets. In 1 Kgs 22:19 these heavenly bodies are pictured as members of the Lord’s royal court or assembly, but many other texts view them as the illegitimate objects of pagan and Israelite worship.


Heb “they sold themselves to doing what was evil in the eyes of the Lord , angering him.”


Heb “very angry.”


Heb “turned them away from his face.”


Heb “they walked in the practices of Israel which they did.”


Or “afflicted.”


Heb “and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king.”


The consonantal text ( Kethib ) assumes the verb is נָדָא ( nada ’), an alternate form of נָדָה ( nadah ), “push away.” The marginal reading ( Qere ) assumes the verb נָדָח ( nadakh ), “drive away.”


Heb “a great sin.”


Heb “turn away from.”


Heb “until.”


Heb “the Lord turned Israel away from his face.”


Heb “just as he said.”


The object is supplied in the translation.


Heb “in the beginning of their living there.”


Heb “fear.”


Heb “and they said to the king of Assyria, saying.” The plural subject of the verb is indefinite.


Heb “Look they are killing them.”


The second plural subject may refer to the leaders of the Assyrian army. However, some prefer to read “whom I deported,” changing the verb to a first person singular form with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix. This reading has some support from Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic witnesses.


Heb “and let them go and let them live there, and let him teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” The two plural verbs seem inconsistent with the preceding and following contexts, where only one priest is sent back to Samaria. The singular has the support of Greek, Syriac, and Latin witnesses.


For location see Map4-G4 ; Map5-C1 ; Map6-E3 ; Map7-D1 ; Map8-G3 .


Heb “Samaritans.” This refers to the Israelites who had been deported from the land.


Heb “feared.”


Heb “and they appointed for themselves from their whole people priests for the high places and they were serving for them in the house[s] of the high places.”


Heb “fearing.”


Heb “commanded.”


Or “covenant.”


Heb “and outstretched arm.”


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


Heb “the name of his mother.”


The parallel passage in 2 Chr 29:1 has “Abijah.”


Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord , according to all which David his father had done.”


The term is singular in the MT but plural in the LXX and other ancient versions. It is also possible to regard the singular as a collective singular, especially in the context of other plural items. sn Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down ( Deut 12:3; 16:21 ; Judg 6:25, 28, 30 ; 2 Kgs 18:4 ).


Heb “until those days.”


In Hebrew the name sounds like the phrase נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת ( nÿkhash hannÿkhoshet ), “bronze serpent.”


Heb “and after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, and those who were before him.”


Heb “he hugged.”


Heb “and did not turn aside from after him.”


Heb “had commanded.”


Heb “in all which he went out [to do], he was successful.”


Heb “and did not serve him.”


Heb “went” (also in v. 13 ).


For location see Map2-B1 ; Map4-D3 ; Map5-E2 ; Map6-A4 ; Map7-C1 .


The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” as the object of the verb.


Heb “listen to the voice of.”


Heb “his covenant.”


Or “I have done wrong.”


Heb “Return from upon me; what you place upon me, I will carry.”


The Hebrew term כִּכָּר ( kikkar , “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 22,500 pounds of silver and 2,250 pounds of gold.


Heb “that was found.”


Heb “At that time Hezekiah stripped the doors of the Lord ’s temple, and the posts which Hezekiah king of Judah had plated.”


Heb “and they went up and came.”


Heb “the field of the washer.”


Heb “What is this object of trust in which you are trusting?”


Heb “you say only a word of lips, counsel and might for battle.” Sennacherib’s message appears to be in broken Hebrew at this point. The phrase “word of lips” refers to mere or empty talk in Prov 14:23 .


Heb “exchange pledges.”


Heb “How can you turn back the face of an official [from among] the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?” In vv. 23-24 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 21 . His reasoning seems to be as follows: “In your weakened condition you obviously need military strength. Agree to the king’s terms and I will personally give you more horses than you are capable of outfitting. If I, a mere minor official, am capable of giving you such military might, just think what power the king has. There is no way the Egyptians can match our strength. It makes much better sense to deal with us.”


Heb “Go.”


Or “Hebrew.”


Heb “To your master and to you did my master send me to speak these words?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer.


Heb “[Is it] not [also] to the men…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, it is.” sn The chief adviser alludes to the horrible reality of siege warfare, when the starving people in the besieged city would resort to eating and drinking anything to stay alive.


The Hebrew text also has, “and he spoke and said.”


The MT has “his hand,” but this is due to graphic confusion of vav ( ו ) and yod ( י ). The translation reads “my hand,” along with many medieval Hebrew mss , the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, Targum, and Vulgate.


Heb “make with me a blessing and come out to me.”


Heb “Have the gods of the nations really rescued, each his land, from the hand of the king of Assyria?” The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the main verb. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not!”


The parallel passage in Isa 36:19 omits “Hena and Ivvah.” The rhetorical questions in v. 34 a suggest the answer, “Nowhere, they seem to have disappeared in the face of Assyria’s might.”


Heb “that they rescued Samaria from my hand?” But this gives the impression that the gods of Sepharvaim were responsible for protecting Samaria, which is obviously not the case. The implied subject of the plural verb “rescued” must be the generic “gods of the nations/lands” (vv. 33, 35 ).


Heb “that the Lord might rescue Jerusalem from my hand?” The logic runs as follows: Since no god has ever been able to withstand the Assyrian onslaught, how can the people of Jerusalem possibly think the Lord will rescue them?


Heb “elders of the priests.”


In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him.”


Or “rebuke,” “correction.”


Or “contempt.”


Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”


Heb “and rebuke the words which the Lord your God hears.”


Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”


Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ ( ruakh ), “spirit,” is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19 ), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the Lord ’s sovereignty over the king is apparent.


Heb “hear.”


Heb “cause him to fall,” that is, “kill him.”


Heb “and the chief adviser returned and he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.”


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


Heb “heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, ‘Look, he has come out to fight with you.’”


Heb “will not be given.”


Heb “Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, annihilating them.”


Heb “and will you be rescued?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No, of course not!”


Heb “Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed rescue them – Gozan and Haran, and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who are in Telassar?”


The MT has the plural, “letters,” but the final mem is probably dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular.


The MT has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”). The parallel passage in Isa 37:14 has the singular suffix.


Or “the heavens.”


Heb “Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”


Heb “and they put their gods in the fire.”


Heb “so they destroyed them.”


Heb “That which you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” The verb “I have heard” does not appear in the parallel passage in Isa 37:21 , where אֲשֶׁר (’ asher ) probably has a causal sense, “because.”


Heb “this is the word which the Lord has spoken about him.”


Heb “have you raised a voice.”


Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?”


The word is אֲדֹנָי (’ adonai ), “lord,” but some Hebrew mss have יְהוָה ( yehvah ), “ Lord .”


The consonantal text ( Kethib ) has בְּרֶכֶב ( bÿrekhev ), but this must be dittographic (note the following רִכְבִּי [ rikhbi ], “my chariots”). The marginal reading ( Qere ) בְּרֹב ( bÿrov ), “with many,” is supported by many Hebrew mss and ancient versions, as well as the parallel passage in Isa 37:24 .


Heb “the lodging place of its extremity.”


Heb “I dug and drank foreign waters.”


Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24 , the Lord now speaks to the king.


Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.


Heb “formed.”


Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְּהִי ( tÿhi ) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.


Heb “short of hand.”


Heb “they are plants in the field and green vegetation.” The metaphor emphasizes how short-lived these seemingly powerful cities really were. See Ps 90:5-6 ; Isa 40:6-8, 24 .


Heb “[they are] grass on the rooftops.” See the preceding note.


in Isa 37:27 ).


Heb “your going out and your coming in.” The MT also has here, “and how you have raged against me.” However, this line is probably dittographic (note the beginning of the next line).


Heb “and your complacency comes up into my ears.” The parallelism is improved if שַׁאֲנַנְךְ ( sha ’ anankh ), “your complacency,” is emended to שַׁאֲוַנְךְ ( sha ’ avankh ), “your uproar.” See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 237-38.


At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 21-28 ) ends and the Lord again directly addresses Hezekiah and the people (see v. 20 ).


Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ ot ), “sign,” is a future confirmation of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25 .


Heb “and in the second year.”


The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 29 b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity. See IBHS 572 §34.4.c.


Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”


Traditionally “the Lord of hosts.”


Heb “there.”


Heb “[with] a shield.” By metonymy the “shield” stands for the soldier who carries it.


Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”


This refers to the Israelites and/or the rest of the Assyrian army.


Heb “look, all of them were dead bodies.”


Heb “and Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went and returned and lived in Nineveh.”


Although “his sons” is absent in the Kethib , it is supported by the Qere , along with many medieval Hebrew mss and the ancient versions. Cf. Isa 37:38 .


Heb “was sick to the point of dying.”


Heb “will not live.”


Heb “walked before you.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254.


Heb “and with a complete heart.”


Heb “and that which is good in your eyes I have done.”


Heb “wept with great weeping.”


Heb “and Isaiah had not gone out of the middle courtyard, and the word of the Lord came to him, saying.” Instead of “courtyard” ( חָצֵר , khatser ), the marginal reading, ( Qere ), the Hebrew consonantal text ( Kethib ) has הָעִיר ( ha ’ ir ), “the city.”


Heb “on the third day.”


Heb “and they got [a fig cake].”


Heb “and he lived.”


The Hebrew הָלַךְ ( halakh , a perfect), “it has moved ahead,” should be emended to הֲיֵלֵךְ ( hayelekh , an imperfect with interrogative he [ ה ] prefixed), “shall it move ahead.”


Heb “the shadow.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.


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


Heb “on the steps which [the sun] had gone down, on the steps of Ahaz, back ten steps.” sn These steps probably functioned as a type of sundial. See HALOT 614 s.v. מַעֲלָה and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 256.


The MT has “Berodach-Baladan,” but several Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin witnesses agree with the parallel passage in Isa 39:1 and read “Merodach-Baladan.”


Heb “listened to.” Some Hebrew mss , as well as the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate versions agree with the parallel passage in Isa 39:2 and read, “was happy with.”


Heb “there was nothing which Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in all his kingdom.”


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


Heb “there was nothing I did not show them.”


Heb “days are.”


Heb “Some of your sons, who go out from you, whom you father.”


Heb “good.”


Heb “and he said.” Many English versions translate, “for he thought.” The verb אָמַר (’ amar ), “say,” is sometimes used of what one thinks (that is, says to oneself). Cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT.


Heb “Is it not [true] there will be peace and stability in my days?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, there will be peace and stability.”


Heb “and he brought.”


Heb “As for the rest of the events of Hezekiah, and all his strength, and how he made a pool and a conduit and brought water to the city, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”


Heb “lay down with his fathers.”


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


Heb “the name of his mother.”


Heb “in the eyes of.”


Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”


Or “served.”


Heb “In Jerusalem I will place my name.”


The LXX has the plural “his sons” here.


Heb “and he set up a ritual pit, along with conjurers.” The Hebrew אוֹב (’ ov ), “ritual pit,” refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. In 1 Sam 28:7 the witch of Endor is called a בַעֲלַת אוֹב ( ba ’ alat ’ ov ), “owner of a ritual pit.” See H. Hoffner, “Second millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew ’ OñBù ,” JBL 86 (1967), 385-401.


Heb “and he multiplied doing what is evil in the eyes of the Lord , angering.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix (“him”) has been accidentally omitted in the MT by haplography (note the vav that immediately follows).


Heb “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I chose from all the tribes of Israel, I will place my name perpetually (or perhaps “forever”).”


Heb “I will not again make the feet of Israel wander from the land which I gave to their fathers.”


Heb “listen.”


Heb “spoke by the hand of.”


Heb “these horrible sins.”


Heb “so that everyone who hears it, his two ears will quiver.”


For location see Map2-B1 ; Map4-D3 ; Map5-E2 ; Map6-A4 ; Map7-C1 .


Heb “I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab.” The measuring line and plumb line are normally used in building a structure, not tearing it down. But here they are used ironically as metaphors of judgment, emphasizing that he will give careful attention to the task of judgment.


Heb “just as one wipes a plate, wiping and turning [it] on its face.” The word picture emphasizes how thoroughly the Lord will judge the city.


Heb “the remnant of my inheritance.” In this context the Lord’s remnant is the tribe of Judah, which had been preserved when the Assyrians conquered and deported the northern tribes. See 17:18 and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 269.


Heb “they will become plunder and spoils of war for all their enemies.”


Heb “in my eyes.”


Heb “and also Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, until he filled Jerusalem from mouth to mouth.”


Heb “apart from his sin which he caused Judah to commit, by doing what is evil in the eyes of the Lord .”


Heb “As for the rest of the events of Manasseh, and all which he did, and his sin which he committed, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”


Heb “lay down with his fathers.”


Heb “the name of his mother.”


Heb “in the eyes of.”


Heb “walked in all the way which his father walked.”


Heb “and he served the disgusting idols which his father served and he bowed down to them.”


Heb “and did not walk in the way of the Lord .”


Heb “the people of the land.” The pronoun “they” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid the repetition of the phrase “the people of the land” from the beginning of the verse.


Heb “As for the rest of the things of Amon which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?” Many Hebrew mss have וְכָל ( vÿcol ), “and all,” before אֲשֶׁר (’ asher ). In this case we can translate, “As for the rest of the events of Amon’s reign, and all his accomplishments,….”


Heb “he buried him.” Here “he” probably refers to Amon’s son Josiah.


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


Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord .”


Heb “and walked in all the way of David his father.”


Heb “with these orders, saying.”


The MT has וְיַתֵּם ( vÿyattem ), “and let them add up” (Hiphil of תָּמָם [ tammam ], “be complete”), but the appearance of הִתִּיכוּ ( hitikhu ), “they melted down” (Hiphil of נָתַךְ [ natakh ], “pour out”) in v. 9 suggests that the verb form should be emended to וְיַתֵּךְ ( vÿyattekh ), “and let him melt down” (a Hiphil of נָתַךְ [ natakh ]). For a discussion of this and other options see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 281.


Heb “doers of the work.”


Heb “and let them give it to the doers of the work who are in the house of the Lord to repair the damages to the house.”


Heb “and to buy wood and chiseled stone to repair the house.”


Heb “only the silver that is given into their hand should not be reckoned with them, for in faithfulness they are acting.”


Heb “returned the king a word and said.”


Heb “that was found in the house.”


Or “inquire of.”


Heb “concerning.”


Heb “the keeper of the clothes.”


Or “second.” For a discussion of the possible location of this district, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 283.


Heb “and they spoke to her.”


Or “burned incense.”


Heb “angering me with all the work of their hands.” The translation assumes that this refers to idols they have manufactured (note the preceding reference to “other gods,” as well as 19:18 ). However, it is possible that this is a general reference to their sinful practices, in which case one might translate, “angering me by all the things they do.”


Heb “Because your heart was tender.”


Heb “how I said concerning this place and its residents to become [an object of] horror and [an example of] a curse.” The final phrase (“horror and a curse”) refers to Judah becoming a prime example of an accursed people. In curse formulations they would be held up as a prime example of divine judgment. For an example of such a curse, see Jer 29:22 .


Heb “Therefore, look, I am gathering you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your tomb in peace.”


Heb “your eyes will not see.”


Heb “and the king sent and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem gathered to him.” map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


Heb “read in their ears.”


Heb “cut,” that is, “made, agreed to.”


Heb “walk after.”


Or “soul.”


Heb “words.”


Heb “stood in the covenant.”


Heb “the priests of the second [rank],” that is, those ranked just beneath Hilkiah.


Or “doorkeepers.”


Heb “for.”


Heb “all the host of heaven” (also in v. 5 ).


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


Or “fields.” For a defense of the translation “terraces,” see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 285.


For location see Map4-G4 ; Map5-C1 ; Map6-E3 ; Map7-D1 ; Map8-G3 .


Perhaps, “destroyed.”


Or “burn incense.”


Or “burned incense.”


Heb “and he burned it in the Kidron Valley.”


Heb “on the grave of the sons of the people.” Some Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, Aramaic, and Latin witnesses read the plural “graves.” tn The phrase “sons of the people” refers here to the common people (see BDB 766 s.v. עַם ), as opposed to the upper classes who would have private tombs.


Or “cubicles.” Heb “houses.”


Heb “houses.” Perhaps tent-shrines made from cloth are in view (see BDB 109 s.v. בַּיִת ). M. Cogan and H. Tadmor ( II Kings [AB], 286) understand this as referring to clothes made for images of the goddess.


Heb “defiled; desecrated,” that is, “made ritually unclean and unusable.”


The Hebrew text reads “the high places of the gates,” which is problematic in that the rest of the verse speaks of a specific gate. The translation assumes an emendation to בָּמוֹת הַשְּׁעָרִים ( bamot hashÿ ’ arim ), “the high place of the goats” (that is, goat idols). Worship of such images is referred to in Lev 17:7 and 2 Chr 11:15 . For a discussion of the textual issue, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 286-87.


Heb “their brothers.”


The MT simply reads “the horses.” The words “statues of” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.


Heb “who/which was in the […?].” The meaning of the Hebrew term פַּרְוָרִים ( parvarim ), translated here “courtyards,” is uncertain. The relative clause may indicate where the room was located or explain who Nathan Melech was, “the eunuch who was in the courtyards.” See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 288-89, who translate “the officer of the precincts.”


Heb “and the chariots of the sun he burned with fire.”


The MT reads, “he ran from there,” which makes little if any sense in this context. Some prefer to emend the verbal form (Qal of רוּץ [ ruts ], “run”) to a Hiphil of רוּץ with third plural suffix and translate, “he quickly removed them” (see BDB 930 s.v. רוּץ , and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings [AB], 289). The suffix could have been lost in MT by haplography (note the mem [ מ ] that immediately follows the verb on the form מִשֳׁם , misham , “from there”). Another option, the one reflected in the translation, is to emend the verb to a Piel of רָצַץ ( ratsats ), “crush,” with third plural suffix.


Heb “their places.”


Heb “And also the altar that is in Bethel, the high place that Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin, also that altar and the high place he tore down.” The more repetitive Hebrew text is emphatic.


Heb “he burned the high place, crushing to dust, and he burned the Asherah pole.” High places per se are never referred to as being burned elsewhere. בָּמָה ( bamah ) here stands by metonymy for the combustible items located on the high place. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 289.


Heb “and he sent and took the bones from the tombs.”


Heb “the king”; this has been specified as “King Josiah” in the translation for clarity (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).


Heb “man of God.”


Heb “and they left undisturbed his bones, the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.” If the phrase “the bones of the prophet” were appositional to “his bones,” one would expect the sentence to end “from Judah” (see v. 17 ). Apparently the “prophet” referred to in the second half of the verse is the old prophet from Bethel who buried the man of God from Judah in his own tomb and instructed his sons to bury his bones there as well ( 1 Kgs 13:30-31 ). One expects the text to read “from Bethel,” but “Samaria” (which was not even built at the time of the incident recorded in ) is probably an anachronistic reference to the northern kingdom in general. See the note at 1 Kgs 13:32 and the discussion in M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 290.


Heb “which the kings of Israel had made, angering.” The object has been accidentally omitted in the MT. It appears in the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate versions.


Heb “and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel.” map For location see Map4-G4 ; Map5-C1 ; Map6-E3 ; Map7-D1 ; Map8-G3 .


The Hebrew text has simply “because.” The translation attempts to reflect more clearly the logical connection between the king’s order and the narrator’s observation. Another option is to interpret כִּי ( ki ) as asseverative and translate, “indeed.”


Heb “because there had not been observed [one] like this Passover from the days of the judges who judged Israel and all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.”


Here בִּעֵר ( bi ’ er ) is not the well attested verb “burn,” but the less common homonym meaning “devastate, sweep away, remove.” See HALOT 146 s.v. בער .


Heb “carrying out the words of the law.”


Heb “and like him there was not a king before him who returned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his being according to all the law of Moses, and after him none arose like him.” sn The description of Josiah’s devotion as involving his whole “heart, soul, and being” echoes the language of Deut 6:5 .


Heb “Yet the Lord did not turn away from the fury of his great anger, which raged against Judah, on account of all the infuriating things by which Manasseh had made him angry.”


Heb “Also Judah I will turn away from my face.”


Heb “My name will be there.”


Heb “As for the rest of the events of Josiah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”


Heb “went up to.” The idiom עַל … עָלָה (’ alah …’ al ) can sometimes mean “go up against,” but here it refers to Necho’s attempt to aid the Assyrians in their struggle with the Babylonians.


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


For location see Map1-D4 ; Map2-C1 ; Map4-C2 ; Map5-F2 ; Map7-B1 .


Heb “him, dead.”


Or “anointed him.”


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


Heb “the name of his mother.”


Heb “in the eyes of.”


Heb “according to all which his fathers had done.”


The consonantal text ( Kethib ) has “when [he was] ruling in Jerusalem,” but the marginal reading ( Qere ), which has support from Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin witnesses, has “[preventing him] from ruling in Jerusalem.”


Or “fine.”


The Hebrew term כִּכָּר ( kikkar , “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold (cf. NCV, NLT); CEV “almost four tons of silver and about seventy-five pounds of gold.”


Heb “and he took Jehoahaz, and he came to Egypt and he died there.”


Heb “And the silver and the gold Jehoiakim gave to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the silver at the command of Pharaoh, [from] each according to his tax he collected the silver and the gold, from the people of the land, to give to Pharaoh Necho.”


Heb “In his days.”


Heb “came up.” Perhaps an object (“against him”) has been accidentally omitted from the text. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 306.


The Hebrew text has “and he turned and rebelled against him.”


Heb “Certainly according to the word of the Lord this happened against Judah, to remove [them] from his face because of the sins of Manasseh according to all which he did.”


Heb “and also the blood of the innocent which he shed, and he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.”


Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehoiakim, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”


Heb “lay down with his fathers.”


Heb “servants.”


Heb “went up [to] Jerusalem and the city entered into siege.”


Heb “came out.”


Heb “him”; the referent (Jehoiachin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


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


Heb “and he deported Jehoiachin to Babylon; the mother of the king and the wives of the king and his eunuchs and the mighty of the land he led into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”


Heb “the entire [group], mighty men, doers of war.”


Heb “his.”


Heb “the name of his mother.”


Some textual witnesses support the consonantal text ( Kethib ) in reading “Hamital.”


Heb “in the eyes of.”


Heb “according to all which Jehoiakim had done.”


Heb “Surely [or, ‘for’] because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah until he threw them out from upon his face.”


Or “against.”


The MT has simply “of the month,” but the parallel passage in Jer 52:6 has “fourth month,” and this is followed by almost all English translations. The word “fourth,” however, is not actually present in the MT of 2 Kgs 25:3 . sn According to modern reckoning that would have been July 18, 586 b.c. The siege thus lasted almost a full eighteen months.


Heb “the people of the land.”


Heb “the city was breached.”


The Hebrew text is abrupt here: “And all the men of war by the night.” The translation attempts to capture the sense.


For location see Map5-B2 ; Map6-E1 ; Map7-E1 ; Map8-E3 ; Map10-A2 ; Map11-A1 .


The Hebrew text has the plural form of the verb, but the parallel passage in Jer 52:9 has the singular.


Heb “were killed before his eyes.”


Heb “he”; the referent (the king of Babylon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


The parallel account in Jer 52:12 has “tenth.”


For the meaning of this phrase see BDB 371 s.v. טַבָּח 2, and compare the usage in Gen 39:1 .


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


Heb “and every large house he burned down with fire.”


The MT has “the multitude.” But הֶהָמוֹן ( hehamon ) should probably be emended to הֶאָמוֹן ( he ’ amon ).


Heb “the captain of the royal guard.” However, the subject is clear from the preceding and contemporary English style would normally avoid repeating the proper name and title.


Heb “with which they served [or, ‘fulfilled their duty’].”


The MT lacks “the twelve bronze bulls under ‘the Sea,’” but these words have probably been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton. The scribe’s eye may have jumped from the וְהָ ( vÿha -) on וְהַבָּקָר ( vÿhabbaqar ), “and the bulls,” to the וְהָ on וְהַמְּכֹנוֹת ( vÿhammÿkhonot ), “and the movable stands,” causing him to leave out the intervening words. See the parallel passage in Jer 52:20 .


Heb “eighteen cubits.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about eighteen inches (45 cm) long.


Heb “three cubits.” The parallel passage in Jer 52:22 has “five.”


The parallel passage in Jer 52:25 has “seven.”


Heb “five seers of the king’s face.”


Heb “the people of the land.”


Heb “struck them down and killed them.”


Heb “land.”


Heb “And the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon left, he appointed over them Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan.”


Heb “of the army.” The word “Judahite” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.


The words “so as to give them…some assurance of safety” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


Heb “[was] from the seed of the kingdom.”


Heb “and they struck down Gedaliah and he died.”


Heb “arose and went to.”


Heb “lifted up the head of.”


The words “released him” are supplied in the translation on the basis of Jer 52:31 .


Heb “made his throne above the throne of.”


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


The words “until the day he died” do not appear in the MT, but they are included in the parallel passage in Jer 52:34 . Probably they have been accidentally omitted by homoioteleuton. A scribe’s eye jumped from the final vav ( ו ) on בְּיוֹמוֹ ( bÿyomo ), “in his day,” to the final vav ( ו ) on מוֹתוֹ ( moto ), “his death,” leaving out the intervening words.


The LXX reads “Noah; the sons of Noah [were] Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” Several English translations (e.g., NIV, NLT) follow the LXX. sn Shem, Ham, and Japheth were Noah’s three sons ( Gen 6:10 ).


Many medieval Hebrew mss , along with the LXX and Vulgate, read “Riphath” (see Gen 10:3 ). This is followed by several English translations (e.g., NAB, NIV, NLT), while others (e.g., ASV, NASB, NRSV) follow the MT reading (“Diphath”).


Or in this case, “descendants.”


The Kethiv has “Rodanim,” which probably refers to the island of Rhodes. The Qere has “Dodanim,” which refers to one of the most ancient and revered locations in ancient Greece. The MT and most medieval Hebrew mss of the parallel list in Gen 10:4 read “Dodanim,” but a few have “Rodanim.” tn Heb “Kittim and Rodanim.”


That is, “Egypt.”


Heb “he began to be a mighty warrior in the earth.”


Heb “came forth.”


The words “the sons of Aram” do not appear in the Hebrew text. Apparently the phrase וּבְנֵי אֲרָם ( uvÿney ’ aram ) has accidentally dropped out of the text by homoioteleuton (note the presence of אֲרָם just before this). The phrase is included in Gen 10:23 .


The MT of the parallel geneaology in Gen 10:23 reads “Mash,” but the LXX there reads “Meshech” in agreement with 1 Chr 1:17 .


Some medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac read “Obal” (see Gen 10:28 ).


Some LXX mss read “Arphaxad, Cainan, Shelah” (see also the notes on Gen 10:24; 11:12-13 ).


The words “the others were” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Many medieval Hebrew mss , along with some LXX mss and the Syriac, read “Zepho” (see Gen 36:11 ).


The Hebrew text has simply, “and Timna and Amalek,” but Gen 36:12 indicates that Timna, a concubine of Eliphaz, was the mother of Amalek. See also v. 39 below, which states that Timna was the sister of Lotan.


Perhaps this is the Timna mentioned in v. 36 .


Some medieval Hebrew mss and a few LXX mss read “Alvan” (see Gen 36:23 ).


A few medieval Hebrew mss read “Shepho” (see Gen 36:23 ).


Heb “sons.” The Hebrew text has the plural, but only one son is listed. For stylistic reasons the singular “son” was used in the translation.


The parallel geneaology in Gen 36:26 has the variant spelling “Hemdan.” Some English versions follow the variant spelling here (e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT).


The parallel geneaology in Gen 36:27 has the variant spelling “Akan.” Among English versions that use the variant spelling here are NIV, NCV, NLT.


The MT reads “Dishon” here, but this should be emended to “Dishan.” See the list in v. 38 and Gen 36:28 .


Heb “ruled in his place,” here and in vv. 45-50 .


Or “near the river.” sn The river may refer to the Euphrates River (cf. NRSV, CEV, NLT).


Many medieval Hebrew mss , along with some LXX mss , the Syriac, and Vulgate, read “Pau.” See also Gen 36:39 .


The parallel genealogy in Gen 36:42 has the variant spelling “Temam.”


Each of the names in this list is preceded by the word “chief” in the Hebrew text. This has not been included in the translation because it would appear very redundant to the modern reader.


The groupings in the list that follows, as well as the conjunctions ( vav -consecutives in Hebrew), reflect those of the Hebrew text.


The name means “daughter of Shua.” Shua is identified in Gen 38:2 as a “Canaanite man.”


Heb “was evil in the eyes of the Lord , so he [i.e., the Lord ] killed him [i.e., Er].”


Heb “his”; the referent (Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Many medieval Hebrew mss , some LXX mss , and Syriac read “Darda” (see 1 Kgs 4:31 ET = 1 Kgs 5:11 HT).


Heb “sons.” The Hebrew text has the plural, but only one son is listed.


The Hebrew text has “Achar,” which means “disaster,” but a few medieval Hebrew mss read “Achan.” See Josh 7:1 .


Heb “the troubler of Israel who was unfaithful with respect to the devoted [things].”


The Hebrew text has “Celubai,” but see v. 18 , where Caleb is described as the son of Hezron.


The LXX reads “Salmon” (cf. Ruth 4:21 ) and is followed by some English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).


In 2 Sam 2:18 this name appears as “Abishai,” a spelling followed by many English versions here.


Heb “and Caleb son of Hezron fathered [children] with Azubah, a wife, and with Jerioth.” Jerioth could be viewed as a second wife (so NLT; cf. also NASB, NIV, NRSV), but the following context mentions only “her [presumably Azubah’s] sons.” Another option, the one chosen in the translation, is that Jerioth is another name for Azubah.


Heb “took for himself.”


Heb “Hezron went to.”


Heb “he took,” referring to taking in marriage.


Or “Havvoth Jair” (NIV, NRSV). Some translations do not translate the phrase (“havvoth” = “the towns of”), but treat it as part of the place name.


Heb “And after the death of Hezron in Caleb Ephrathah, and the wife of Hezron, Abijah, and she bore to him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.” Perhaps one could translate: “After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Abijah, Hezron’s wife, bore to him Ashhur, the father of Tekoa” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV). In this case the text suggests that Abijah was born after his father’s death. Because of the awkward syntax and the odd appearance of “Caleb Ephrathah” as a place name, some prefer to emend the text. Some alter בְּכָלֵב אֶפְרָתָה ( bÿkhalev ’ efratah , “in Caleb Ephrathah”) to בָּא כָלֵב אֶפְרָתָה ( bo ’ khalev ’ efratah , “Caleb had sexual relations with Ephrath”) and then change אֲבִיָּה (’ aviyyah , “Abijah”) to אָבִיהוּ (’ avihu , “his father”). This results in the following translation: “And after Hezron’s death, Caleb had sexual relations with Ephrath, his father Hezron’s wife, and she bore to him Ashhur the father of Tekoa” (cf. NAB). This would mean that Caleb’s second wife Ephrath had actually been his late father’s wife (probably Caleb’s stepmother). Perhaps the text was subsequently altered because Caleb’s actions appeared improper in light of the injunctions in Lev 18:8; 20:11 ; Deut 22:30; 27:20 (which probably refer, however, to a son having sexual relations with his stepmother while his father is still alive).


Heb “sons.” The Hebrew text has the plural “sons” in all three instances in this verse, even though the following lists have only one name each.


Heb “and the sons of Mareshah,” but this does not fit contextually. Perhaps the text originally had וּבְנוֹ מִשְׁנֶה מָרֵשָׁה ( uvÿno mishneh mareshah , “and his second son, Mareshah”), with מִשְׁנֶה (“second”) later accidentally falling out by homoioteleuton (cf. the note in BHS here).


Heb “son.” The Hebrew text has the singular, but the following list contains more than one name.


The Hebrew text reads “Ephrathah” here, but see v. 19 , which mentions “Ephrath” as the wife of Hur.


The Hebrew text has “Menuchites” here, but v. 54 has “Manachathites.”


Heb “from these went forth the Zorathites and Eshtaolites.”


Or perhaps “the Sopherim.” The NAB transliterates this term and treats it as a proper name.


Heb “came.”


Or (if בֵּית [ beth ] is translated as “house” rather than considered to be part of the name) “the father of the house [i.e., family] of Rechab.”


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


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


“Shimea” ( שִׁמְעָא , shim ’ a ’) is a variant spelling of “Shammua” ( שַׁמּוּעַ , shammua ’; see 2 Sam 5:14 ). Some English versions use the spelling “Shammua” here (e.g., NIV, NCV).


Most Hebrew mss read “Bathshua” here, but 2 Sam 12:24 makes it clear Bathsheba was Solomon’s mother. “Bathsheba” is read by one Hebrew ms and the Vulgate. Many English translations (e.g., NAB, NIV, NLT) render the name “Bathsheba” to avoid confusion.


In 2 Sam 11:3 Bathsheba is called “the daughter of Eliam,” while here her father’s name is given as “Ammiel.”


All but two Hebrew mss read “Elishama” here, but 1 Chr 14:5 lists the name as “Elishua,” and is followed by a number of English versions here (e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT). Another son named “Elishama” is listed in 3:8 .


The MT reads “Eliphelet” here, but 1 Chr 14:5 lists the name as “Elpelet” and is followed by some English versions here (e.g., TEV, NLT). Another son named “Eliphelet” is listed in 3:8 .


Heb “Jeconiah,” a variation of the name “Jehoiachin” (also in v. 17 ).


Heb “prisoner.” Jehoiachin was carried off to Babylon as a prisoner. See 2 Chr 36:10 .


In Hebrew the name יַעְבֵּץ ( ya ’ bets , “Jabez”) sounds like the noun עֹצֶב (’ otsev ) which means “pain.”


On the use of אִם (’ im , “if”) here, see HALOT 60 s.v.


Heb “and act from [i.e., so as to prevent] harm so that I might not be in pain.”


Heb “and God brought about what he had asked.”


Or “of the city of Nahash.”


“Meonothai” is read here by some mss of the LXX, along with the Vulgate. The name apparently was dropped from the Hebrew text by haplography. Note that the name appears at the beginning of the next verse as well.


Heb “the father of Ge Harashim, for they were craftsmen.” The name “Ge Harashim” means “valley of craftsmen.”


Heb “and the sons of Elah and Kenaz.” Kenaz was actually the son of Elah.


The Hebrew text has simply, “and she gave birth to,” without identifying the subject. The words “Mered’s wife Bithiah” are added in the translation for clarification. See v. 18 b, which mentions “Bethiah, whom Mered married.”


Heb “took,” referring to taking in marriage.


Or “and the son of Zoheth” (NAB). The word בֶּן ( ben ) in Hebrew means “son [of].”


Heb “and the words are old.”


Heb “and those who lived in Netaim and Gederah; with the king in his work they lived there.”


Some LXX mss read “Baalath” (cf. Josh 19:8 ). This is followed by some English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).


The words “their clan leaders were” are added in the translation for clarification. See v. 38 a, which makes this clear.


The Hebrew text reads “their tents,” apparently referring to those of the Hamites mentioned at the end of v. 40 . Some prefer to emend the text to read, “the tents of Ham.”


Heb “and they lived in place of them.”


Heb “and struck down the remnant that had escaped belonging to Amalek.”


Heb “and not to be listed in the genealogical records as (having) the right of the firstborn.”


Heb “and [one] for a leader [was] from him.” This probably refers to the Davidic king.


Heb “Tilgath-pilneser,” a variant spelling of Tiglath-pileser (also in v. 26 ).


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


Heb “and in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagrites and they fell by their hand and they lived in their tents unto all the face of the east of Gilead.”


Heb “and their brothers by the house of their fathers.”


Heb “was the head of the house of their fathers.”


Heb “unto their extremities.”


Heb “the sons of Reuben and the Gadites and half of the tribe of Manasseh, from the sons of bravery, men carrying a shield and sword and treading a bow and trained for war, 44,760 going out for warfare.”


Heb “made war with.”


Heb “and they were helped against them and they were given over into their hand, the Hagrites and all who were with them, for to God they cried out in the battle and he was entreated [or “allowed himself to be entreated”] by them for they trusted in him.”


Heb “their”; the referent (the Hagrites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “from God [was] the battle.”


Heb “many slain fell.”


Heb “and they lived in place of them until the exile.” The referent of “them” (the Hagrites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “and these [were] the heads of the house of their fathers.”


Heb “men of names.”


Heb “fathers.”


Heb “prostituted themselves after.”


Heb “the peoples of the land.”


Heb “stirred up the spirit of.”


Heb “and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria.” “Pul” and “Tilgath-pilneser” were names of the same Assyrian ruler, more commonly known as Tiglath-pileser (cf. 2 Kgs 15:29 ).


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


The words “the people of” are added in the translation for clarification.


The name “Gershom” (also in vv. 17, 20, 43, 62, 71 ) appears as “Gershon” in 1 Chr 6:1 .


Heb “by their fathers.”


Or perhaps, “descendants,” since the list differs from the one in v. 18 .


Heb “and Achimoth.”


The consonantal Hebrew text ( Kethib ) has, “Elkanah, his son, Elkanah.” The marginal reading ( Qere ) is “Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah.” The text probably originally read simply, “Elkanah his son.”


After the last named individual (“Elkanah” in v. 27 ) some LXX mss insert the words “Samuel his son” to facilitate a transition to the following verse, which beings “and the sons of Samuel.” Among the English versions that include this added phrase are NAB, NIV, and NLT.


The Hebrew text lacks the name יוֹאֵל ( yo ’ el , “Joel”), which has probably dropped out due to homoioteleuton (note the last three letters of the preceding name שְׁמוּאֵל ( shÿmuel , “Samuel”).


Heb “house.”


Heb “they were serving…with music.”


Or traditionally “tabernacle.”


Heb “and his brother Asaph, the one who stood at his right hand.”


A few Hebrew mss , one LXX ms , and the Syriac read “Maaseiah.”


Heb “and the sons of Merari, their brothers, on the left.”


Heb “their brothers, the Levites.”


Heb “were assigned to all the work of the tabernacle of the house of God.”


Heb “for all the work of the holy of holies.”


Heb “making atonement for Israel according to all which Moses the servant of God commanded.”


Heb “and these were their dwelling places according to their encampments in their territory to the sons of Aaron.”


Heb “to the clan of the Kohathites for to them was the lot.”


The parallel account in Josh 21:13 has the singular “city,” which apparently refers only to Hebron.


The MT reads “Hilez” here; the place name appears as “Holon” in Josh 21:15 .


The MT reads “Ashan” here; the place name appears as “Ain” in Josh 21:16 .


The LXX and Syriac (following the parallel list in Josh 21:16 ) add “Juttah and its pasturelands” here. Cf. NAB “Jetta”; also NIV, NCV, NLT “Juttah.”


The parallel passage in Josh 21:17 adds “Gibeon and its pasturelands” (cf. NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT). The words “they were allotted” are supplied in the translation for both clarity and stylistic reasons.


Heb “to the sons of Kohath who were left from the clan of the tribe, from the half of the tribe of the half of Manasseh by lot ten cities.”


Heb “and to the sons of Gershom by their clans from the tribe of Issachar, and from the tribe of Asher, and from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.”


Heb “and to the sons of Merari by their clans from the tribe of Reuben, and from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun by lot, twelve cities.”


Heb “and they gave by lot from the tribe of the sons of Judah, and from the tribe of the sons of Simeon, and from the tribe of the sons of Benjamin these cities, which they called them by names.”


Heb “and from [it is probably preferable to read “to” here] the clans of the sons of Kohath and there were the cities of their territory from the tribe of Ephraim.”


The parallel account in Josh 21:21 has the singular “city,” referring only to Shechem.


Heb “and from the half of the tribe of Manasseh, Aner and its pasturelands and Bileam and its pasturelands to the clan, to the sons of Kohath who were left.”


Heb “to the sons of Gershom.”


Heb “to the sons of Merari, who were left.”


Before “Rimmono” the LXX (following the parallel passage in Josh 21:34 ) adds “Jokneam and its pasturelands, Kartah and its pasturelands.” This addition is included in some English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT).


Heb “and from across the Jordan at Jericho, on the east of the Jordan, from the tribe of Reuben.” The word “River” is supplied in the translation for clarity. map For location see Map5-B2 ; Map6-E1 ; Map7-E1 ; Map8-E3 ; Map10-A2 ; Map11-A1 .


Many English versions spell this name “Ibsam.”


Many English versions retain a form of this name closer to the Hebrew, i.e., “Shemuel.”


Heb “heads of the house of their fathers.”


Heb “to Tola [there were] warriors by their generations, their number in the days of David [was] 22,600.”


The Hebrew text has the plural “sons,” but only one son is listed.


Heb “and unto them by their generations to the house of their fathers [were] troops of war of battle, 36,000, for they had many wives and sons.”


Heb “and their brothers, according to all the clans of Issachar, the warriors [were] 87,000 listed in the genealogical records for all.”


The Hebrew text has simply “Benjamin,” but בְּנֵי ( bÿney , “sons of”) has dropped out by haplography ( בְּנֵי בִּנְיָמִן , bÿney binyamin ).


The name “Aher” appears as “Ahiram” in Num 26:38 .


The name “Jahziel” appears as “Jahzeel” in Gen 46:24 .


Most Hebrew mss read “Shallum”; some Hebrew mss and some LXX mss read “Shillem,” the form of the name that appears in Gen 46:24 and Num 26:49 .


Some translations treat the terms שֻׁפִּים ( shuppim ) and חֻפִּים ( khuppim ) as proper names of individuals (“Huppim” and “Shuppim”), but others consider these forms to be plurals and refer to tribal or clan names.


Heb “and the name of the second was Zelophehad.”


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


Heb “because in tragedy there had come to his house.” The preposition prefixed to רָעָה ( ra ’ ah ) should probably be omitted. The Hebrew noun רָעָה (“tragedy”) should be understood as the subject of the feminine verb form that follows.


The antecedent of the pronoun “his” is not clear. The translation assumes that v. 25 resumes the list of Ephraim’s descendants (see vv. 20-21 a) after a lengthy parenthesis (vv. 21 b-24).


The Hebrew text has simply “Resheph,” but the phrase “his son” has probably been accidentally omitted, since the names before and after this one include the phrase.


Heb “Non” (so KJV, NASB; cf. Exod 33:11 , where the more familiar spelling “Nun” occurs).


For location see Map4-G4 ; Map5-C1 ; Map6-E3 ; Map7-D1 ; Map8-G3 .


“Beth Shean” is a variant spelling of “Beth Shan.”


For location see Map1-D4 ; Map2-C1 ; Map4-C2 ; Map5-F2 ; Map7-B1 .


The Hebrew text has אֲחִי (’ akhiy , “the brother of”), but this should probably be emended to אֲחִיו (’ akhiyv , “his brother”). Cf. v. 35 . Most English versions treat this Hebrew word as a proper name (“Ahi”) and list it before “Rohgah.”


Or “Shomer,” cf. v. 32 .


“Hubbah” is the marginal reading ( Qere ); the consonantal text ( Kethib ) has “Jachbah.”


Or “Hotham,” cf. v. 32 .


The name “Ithran” is sometimes understood to be another name for “Jether” (v. 38 ).


Heb “all these were the sons of Asher, heads of the house of the fathers, selected, warriors, heads of the leaders, and there was listed in the genealogical records in war, in battle, their number, men, 26,000.”


Heb “he”; the referent (Gera) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.


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


Some LXX mss supply the name “Jeiel,” which is not in the MT (cf. 1 Chr 9:35 ). The addition of the name here is followed by many English versions (e.g., ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).


Some LXX mss add “Ner” here (cf. 1 Chr 9:36 and v. 33 below, where Ner is mentioned as the father of Kish). The form וְנֵר ( vÿner ) could have been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton since each name in the list has the conjunction prefixed to it. Some English versions follow the LXX here and add “Ner” (e.g., NAB, NIV, NLT).


The Hebrew text omits the name “Mikloth,” but it may have fallen out accidentally by haplography. Note that the name immediately follows at the beginning of v. 32 ; cf. NAB.


Heb “and also they, opposite their brothers, lived in Jerusalem with their brothers.” This redundancy has been removed in the translation.


The Hebrew text has בֹּכְרוּ ( bokhÿru ), which some understand as a name: “Bocheru” (so, e.g., NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). But the form should probably be revocalized בְּכֹרוֹ ( bÿkhoru , “his firstborn”). A name has accidentally dropped from the list, and a scribe apparently read בֹּכְרוּ as one of the names.


The Lucianic recension of the LXX inserts another name here, καὶ Ἀζαριας ( kai Azarias , “and Azariah”), presumably to make up the six sons mentioned at the beginning of the verse (see the previous tc note on “firstborn”). Cf. NAB.


Heb “and the sons of Ulam were men, warriors and treaders of a bow.”


The Hebrew text has simply “Judah,” though the verb הָגְלוּ ( hoglu , “carried away”) is plural.


Heb “and the inhabitants, the first who [were] in their property in their cities, Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants.”


The words “the settlers included” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.


Heb “and all these men were heads of fathers for the house of their fathers.”


Heb “capable [for] the work of the task of the house of God.”


Heb “and his brothers belonging to the house of his father, the Korachites, to the work of the task, guardians of the threshold of the tent.”


Heb “and their fathers to the camp of the Lord , guardians of the entrance.” Here “fathers” is used in a more general sense of “forefathers” or “ancestors” and is not limited specifically to their fathers only.


The Hebrew term is רֹאֶה ( ro ’ eh , “seer”), an older word for נָבִיא ( navi ’, “prophet”).


Heb “they – David appointed, and Samuel the seer, in their position.”


Heb “and they and their sons to the gates of the house of the Lord , of the house of the tent, [were assigned] as guards.”


Heb “in the house of God.”


Heb “and from them over the articles of the task, for by number they would bring them in, and by number they would bring them out.”


Heb “holy place.”


The word “son” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.


Heb “were in rooms.” The words “at the sanctuary” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


Heb “and also they, opposite their brothers, lived in Jerusalem with their brothers.” This redundancy has been removed in the translation. map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


The name “Ahaz” is included in the Vulgate and Syriac, but omitted in the MT. It probably was accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the name appears at the beginning of the next verse. Cf. also 8:35 .


So MT; some Hebrew mss and the LXX read “Jadah” (cf. NIV, NCV, NLT) while in 8:36 the name “Jehoaddah’ appears (cf. NAB).


The Hebrew text has בֹּכְרוּ ( bokhÿru ), which some understand as a name: “Bocheru” (so, e.g., NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). But the form should probably be revocalized בְֹּכרוֹ ( bÿkhoro , “his firstborn”). A name has accidentally dropped from the list, and a scribe apparently read בֹּכְרוּ as one of the names. Cf. also 1 Chr 8:38 .


Heb “stuck close after.”


Heb “the Philistines.” The translation has substituted the pronoun “they” to avoid redundancy.


Heb “heavy.”


Heb “and they found him, the ones who shoot with the bow, and he was in pain from the ones shooting.”


Heb “so these uncircumcised ones might not come and abuse me.”


Heb “all his house.” This is probably to be understood as a general summary statement. It could include other males in Saul’s household besides his three sons, cf. 1 Sam 31:6 . If it refers only to the male members of his household who would have stood in succession to the throne (cf. NLT, “bringing his dynasty to an end,”) even here there is an exception, since one of Saul’s sons, Eshbaal (or “Ishbosheth” in 2 Sam 2:8 ) was not killed in the battle and became king over Israel, which he ruled for two years ( 2 Sam 2:10 ) until he was assassinated by Rechab and Baanah ( 2 Sam 4:5-6 ). The tribe of Judah never acknowledged Ishbosheth as king; instead they followed David ( 2 Sam 2:10 ).


Heb “they”; the referent (the army) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Or “god.” The Hebrew term may be translated as singular or plural depending on the context.


Heb “arose and carried away the corpse of Saul and the corpses of his sons.”


Heb “their bones.”


Heb “and Saul died because of his unfaithfulness by which he acted unfaithfully against the Lord , concerning the word of the Lord which he did not keep, also to Saul, a ritual pit to seek.” The text alludes to the incident recorded in . The Hebrew term אוֹב (’ ov , “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. In 1 Sam 28:7 the witch of Endor is called a בַּעֲלַת־אוֹב ( ba ’ alat- ’ ov , “owner of a ritual pit”). See H. A. Hoffner, “Second Millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew áo‚b ,” JBL 86 (1967): 385-401.


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


Heb “look, your bone and your flesh [are] we.”


Heb “you were the one who led out and the one who brought in Israel.”


Heb “elders.”


Or “covenant.”


Heb “all Israel.”


Heb “and there [were] the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land.”


Or perhaps “strikes down.”


Heb “head and officer.”


Heb “went up.”


Heb “head.”


Heb “to that which surrounds.” On the referent here as “the surrounding walls,” see HALOT 740 s.v. סָבִיב .


Heb “and David went, going and becoming great, and the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, Lord of hosts] was with him.”


Heb “and these are the number of the warriors who were David’s.”


The marginal reading ( Qere ) has “officers;” the consonantal text ( Kethib ) has “the Thirty” (see v. 15 ).


Heb “he was wielding his spear against 300, [who were] slain at one time.”


Heb “after him.”


Some read here “Ephes Dammim.” See 1 Sam 17:1 .


Heb “delivered it.”


Heb “and the Lord delivered [with] a great deliverance.”


For location see Map5-B1 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-E2 ; Map10-B4 .


Heb “Who will give me water to drink?” On the rhetorical use of מִי ( mi ) here, see BDB 566 s.v. f.


Heb “the three,” referring to the three elite warriors mentioned in v. 12 .


Heb “Far be it to me from my God from doing this.”


Heb “with their lives.” The same expression occurs later in this verse.


Heb “These things the three warriors did.”


The Syriac reads “thirty” here and at the beginning of v. 21 ; this reading is followed by some English translations (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).


Heb “he was wielding his spear against three hundred, [who were] slain.”


Heb “and to him [reading with the Qere ] there was a name among the three.”


Or “more than.”


Heb “of the three.”


Heb “the two of Ariel, Moab.” The precise meaning of אֲרִיאֵל (’ ari ’ el ) is uncertain; some read “warrior.” The present translation assumes that the word is a proper name and that בְּנֵי ( bÿney , “sons of”) has accidentally dropped from the text by homoioarcton (note the preceding שְׁנֵי , shÿney ).


Heb “five cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, this individual would be 7.5 feet (2.3 m) tall.


Heb “went down to.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:25 has the variant spelling of “Shammah.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:26 has the variant spelling of “Paltite.”


In 2 Sam 23:27 this individual’s name is given as “Mebunnai.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:28 has the variant “Zalmon.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:29 has the variant spelling “Ittai.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:28 has the variant spelling “Hiddai.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:31 has the variant spelling “Abi-Albon.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:31 has the variant spelling “Barhumite.”


In 2 Sam 23:32 this individual’s name is given as “Jashen.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:33 has the variant spelling “Shammah.”


In 2 Sam 23:33 this individual’s name is given as “Sharar.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:34 has the variant “Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:35 has the variant spelling “Hezrai.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:36 has the variant “Igal son of Nathan from Zobah.”


Heb “kept from.”


Heb “ones armed with bow[s], using the right hand and the left hand with stones and with arrows with the bow, from the brothers of Saul from Benjamin.”


The words “These were” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons, because of the length of the intervening material since the beginning of the verse.


Heb “warriors, men of battle for war, prepared with shield and spear, and [like] the face of a lion were their faces, and like gazelles on the hills to hurry.”


Heb “one for a hundred the small, and the great for a thousand.” Another option is to translate the preposition - לְ ( lamed ) as “against” and to understand this as a hyperbolic reference to their prowess: “the least could stand against a hundred, the greatest against a thousand.”


The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity.


Heb “and they chased all the valleys to the east and to the west.”


Heb “and David went out before them and answered and said to them.”


Heb “there will be to me concerning you a heart for unity.”


Heb “with no violence in my hands.”


Heb “fathers.”


Perhaps “the Spirit,” but the text has simply רוּחַ ( ruakh ) with no article (suggesting an indefinite reference).


Heb “clothed.”


The words “and he said” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.


Heb “are with.”


Heb “Peace, peace to you.” The Hebrew term שָׁלוֹם ( shalom , “peace”) is repeated to emphasize degree.


Heb “and peace to the one who helps you.”


Or “for.”


Heb “fell upon,” here in a good sense.


Heb “and they did not help them for by counsel they sent him away, the lords of the Philistines, saying, ‘With our heads he will fall to his master Saul.’”


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


Heb “for at the time of day in a day they were coming to David to help him until [there was] a great camp like the camp of God.” The term אֱלֹהִים (’ elohim , “God”) is probably used idiomatically here to indicate the superlative.


Heb “these are the numbers of the heads of the forces armed for battle [who] came to David in Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him according to the mouth of the Lord .”


Heb “the sons of Judah, carrying shield and spear, [were] 6,800 armed for battle.”


Heb “from the sons of Benjamin, the brothers of Saul.”


Heb “and until then, the majority of them were keeping the charge of the house of Saul.”


Heb “men of names for the house of their fathers.”


Heb “from the sons of Issachar, knowers of understanding for times to know what Israel should do, their heads [were] 200, and all their brothers according to their mouth.”


Heb “from Zebulun, those going out for battle, prepared for war with all weapons of war, 50,000, and to help without a heart and a heart.”


Heb “all these [were] men of war, helpers of the battle line.” The present translation assumes an emendation of עֹדְרֵי (’ odÿrey , “helpers of”) to עֹרְכֵי , (’ orÿkhey , “prepared for”).


Heb “with a complete heart they came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel.”


Heb “and also all the rest of Israel [was of] one mind to make David king.”


Heb “eating and drinking.”


Heb “cattle and sheep.”


Heb “for there was joy in Israel.”


Heb “and David consulted with the officers of thousands and hundreds, to every ruler.”


Heb “If to you [it is] good and from the Lord our God.”


Heb “let us spread and let us send.” The words “the word” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


Heb “in the cities of their pasturelands.”


Heb “to us.”


Heb “him.” In this case, seeking God’s will is what is implied.


Heb “in the days of Saul.”


Heb “all the assembly said to do so.”


Heb “for right was the word in the eyes of all the people.”


The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity. sn The Shihor River was a river on the border of Egypt, probably the eastern branch of the Nile.


Or “the entrance to Hamath.”


Heb “the ark of God the Lord who sits [between] the cherubim which is called [by his] name.”


Heb “with all strength.”


Heb “with songs and with zithers [meaning uncertain] and with harps.” Due to the collocation with “harps,” some type of stringed instrument is probably in view.


Or “to steady.”


Heb “and the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah.”


Heb “because he stretched out his hand over the ark.”


Heb “because the Lord broke out [with] breaking out [i.e., an outburst] against Uzzah.”


For location see Map1-A2 ; Map2-G2 ; Map4-A1 ; JP3-F3 ; JP4-F3 .


Heb “craftsman of a wall,” that is, masons skilled at building stone walls.


Heb “was lifted upwards.”


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


Heb “took.”


In 1 Chr 3:8 and 2 Sam 5:16 this name appears as “Eliada.” The form here represents a variant spelling of the name.


Or “designated”; NCV “had been made king”; CEV “had become king.”


Heb “to seek David.”


Heb “went out before.”


Heb “stripped.”


Heb “by my hand.”


Heb “abandoned.”


Heb “gods.”


Heb “and David again asked God.”


The words “this time” are not in the Hebrew text.


The Hebrew word translated “trees” is defined by HALOT 129 s.v. בָּכָא as “shrubs.” Some translate “balsam trees” (see BDB 113 s.v. בָּכָא ), cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT.


Heb “go out in battle.”


Heb “camp.”


Heb “the name of David went out.”


Heb “and the Lord placed fear of him upon all the nations.”


Heb “because for what was at first [i.e., formerly] you [were] not, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him concerning the procedure.”


Heb “causing to be heard to lift up with a voice of joy.”


The Hebrew text adds, “their brothers.”


The Hebrew text adds בֶּן ( ben , “son”) here; the word is omitted in three Hebrew mss and most LXX mss . If the word is original, perhaps the name of Zechariah’s father was accidentally omitted. Some English versions treat the word as an additional name in the list (“Ben”; e.g., KJV, ASV, NASB).


The meaning of the Hebrew word עֲלָמוֹת (’ alamot ) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See HALOT 835-36 s.v. עַלְמָה .


The meaning of the Hebrew word שְׁמִינִית ( shÿminit ) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See HALOT 1562 s.v. שְׁמִינֹי .


Heb “for” or “according to.”


Heb “and Kenaniah, the leader of the Levites, with lifting up, supervising with lifting up, for he was well-informed.” The precise nuance of מַשָּׂא ( masa ’, “lifting up”) is unclear. Some understand it as a reference to supervising the singing and music (e.g., NIV: “Kenaniah…was in charge of the singing”; NEB: “Kenaniah…was precentor in charge of the music”).


Heb “gatekeepers.”


Heb “the leader, the lifting up, the musicians.” See also the note on the word “matter” in v. 22 .


The Hebrew text adds “in her heart.”


Or “tokens of peace”; NIV “fellowship offerings.”


Heb “face.”


Heb “and the judgments of his mouth.”


Heb “seed.”


Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “in all the earth [are] his judgments.”


The Hebrew text has a masculine plural imperative, addressed to the people. Some LXX mss harmonize the wording here to Ps 105:8 , which has זָכַר ( zakhar ), the perfect third masculine singular form of the verb, “He (the Lord ) remembers” (so NIV; NEB reads “He called to mind his covenant”).


Heb “[the] word he commanded.” The text refers here to God’s unconditional covenantal promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, as vv. 16-18 make clear.


Heb “which.”


Heb “his oath to Isaac.”


Or “eternal covenant.”


Heb “and from a kingdom to another nation.”


The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.


Heb “from day to day.”


The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).


Or “feared above.”


The Hebrew word אֱלִילִים (’ elilim , “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’ elohim , “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement. Many modern English translations render this term as “idols” here.


Or “the sky” (also in v. 31 ). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם ( shamayim ) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.


Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.”


Heb “strength and joy [are] in his place.”


Heb “the splendor of [i.e., due] his name.”


Or “in holy splendor.”


Heb “let them say among the nations.”


Or “is eternal.”


The words “this prayer” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.


Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.


Heb “to boast in your praise.”


Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”


This is the Hebrew term אָמֵן (’ amen , “surely”), traditionally transliterated “amen.”


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


Heb “according to the matter of the day in its day.”


The word “served” is supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.


Or “high place.”


Heb “which he commanded Israel.”


Perhaps this refers to the refrain of their songs of praise (see ). In this case one could translate, “to give thanks to the Lord with songs using the refrain, ‘For his loyal love endures.’”


Heb “and with them, Heman and Jeduthun, trumpets and cymbals for sounding, and the instrument of song of God, and the sons of Jeduthun [were] at the gate.”


Heb “to bless his house.” Elsewhere when “house” is the object of “bless,” it refers to a household or family. See, for example, 1 Chr 13:14; 17:27 . However, since בֵּית ( bet , “house”) refers to a literal house or home earlier in the verse and to David’s palace in 17:1 , one might translate here, “David went to pronounce a blessing on [i.e., dedicate] his house [i.e., palace].”


Heb “house.”


Heb “David.” The pronoun “he” has been used in the translation here to avoid redundancy in keeping with contemporary English style.


Heb “tent curtains.”


Heb “all which is in your heart.”


Heb “the word of God was [i.e., came] to Nathan the prophet.”


The words “from Egypt” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


Heb “and I was from tent to tent and from tabernacle.” The words אֶל־מִשְּׁכָּן (’ el-mishÿkan , “to tabernacle”) should probably be added at the end of the sentence to complete this prepositional phrase and produce symmetry with the preceding prepositional phrase. The words probably fell from the text by homoioteleuton. sn I have lived in a tent that has been in various places. The point here is that the Lord moved with the tabernacle as it moved from place to place; he did not confine himself to a particular location.


In the Hebrew text the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question (“Did I say?”) meaning “I did not say.”


Heb “to one of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people.”


Traditionally, “ Lord of hosts.”


Heb “and from after sheep.”


Heb “cut off.”


Heb “and I will make for you a name like the name of the great men who are in the earth.”


Heb “plant.”


Heb “shaken.”


Heb “and sons of violence will no longer consume them as in the beginning.”


Here the word “house” is used in a metaphorical sense, referring to a royal dynasty. The Lord ’s use of the word here plays off the literal sense that David had in mind as he contemplated building a temple (“house”) for the Lord . In the translation the adjective “dynastic” is supplied to indicate that the term is used metaphorically.


Heb “and it will be when your days are full to go with your ancestors.”


Heb “your seed.”


Heb “and I will establish his throne permanently.”


Heb “and his throne will be established permanently.”


Heb “according to all these words and according to all this revelation, so Nathan said to David.”


Heb “house.”


Heb “and this was small in your eyes, O God, so you spoke concerning the house of your servant for a distance.”


The translation “You have revealed to me what men long to know” is very tentative; the meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. The text appears to read literally, “and you see me like the searching of man, that which is upward,” which is nonsensical. The translation above assumes the following: (1) The Qal verb translated “you see me” is repointed as a Hiphil, “you showed me,” (2) תּוֹר ( tor ) is understood in the sense of “searching, exploring,” and (3) הַמַּעֲלָה ( hamma ’ alah ) is taken in a temporal sense of “that which lies beyond.” Thus one could translate, “you have shown me what men search for, what lies beyond.”


The word “say” is supplied in the translation for clarification.


Heb “for honoring your servant, and you, your servant, know.”


Heb “heart.”


Heb “to make known all the great deeds.”


The Hebrew text reads literally, “in all which we heard with our ears,” but בְּכֹל ( bÿkhol , “in all”) should probably be emended to כְּכֹל ( kÿkhol , “according to all”).


Heb “a nation, one.”


Heb “whose God,” or “because God.” In the Hebrew text this clause is subordinated to what precedes. The clauses are separated in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “redeem” or “deliver.”


Heb “to make for yourself a name [with] great and awesome [deeds].”


Heb “to drive out.”


Heb “from Egypt, nations.” The parallel text in 2 Sam 7:23 reads “from Egypt, nations and its gods.”


Heb “and you made your people Israel your own for a people permanently.”


Heb “and now, O Lord , the word which you spoke concerning your servant and concerning his house, may it be established permanently.”


Heb “as you have spoken.”


Following the imperative in v. 23 b, the prefixed verbal form with vav ( ו ) conjunctive indicates purpose/result: “so it might become a reality.”


Heb “so it might be established.”


Heb “and your name might be great permanently.” Following the imperative in v. 23 b, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result (parallel to the previous purpose/result clause): “[so]…you might gain lasting fame.”


Heb “saying.” The words “as people” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.


Heb “the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], the God of Israel, Israel’s God.” The phrases אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (’ elohey yisra ’ el , “God of Israel”) and אֱלֹהִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל (’ elohim lÿyisra ’ el , “Israel’s God”) are probably alternative readings that have been conflated in the text.


Heb “the house of David.”


Heb “house.”


Heb “That is why your servant found to pray before you.” Perhaps the phrase אֶת לִבּוֹ (’ et libbo , “his heart”) should be supplied as the object of the verb “found.”


Heb “the God.” The article indicates uniqueness here.


Heb “and you have spoken to your servant this good thing.”


Heb “for you, O Lord , have blessed and [it is] blessed permanently.”


2 Sam 8:1 identifies this region as “Metheg Ammah.”


Heb “from the hand of the Philistines.” Here “hand” is figurative language for “control.”


Heb “and the Moabites were servants of David, carriers of tribute.”


Heb “hand.”


Heb “when he went to set up his hand at the Euphrates River.” The Hebrew word יָד ( yad , “hand”) is usually understood to mean “control” or “dominion” here. However, since יָד does occasionally refer to a monument, perhaps one could translate, “to set up his monument at the Euphrates River” (i.e., as a visible marker of the limits of his dominion). For another example of the Hiphil of נָצַב ( natsav ) used with יָד (“monument”), see 1 Sam 15:12 .


Or “horsemen.”


Heb “his”; the referent (Hadadezer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “and David cut the hamstrings of all the chariot horses, and he left from them one hundred chariot horses.”


Heb “and David placed in Aram of Damascus.” The object נְצִיבִים ( nÿtsivim , “garrisons”) appears to have been accidentally omitted from the text. See v. 13 , as well as the parallel passage in 2 Sam 8:6 , which includes it.


Or “delivered.”


Or “wherever he went.”


Heb “which were upon the servants of Hadadezer.”


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


The MT reads “Tibhath” here, a variant name for Tebah (cf. 2 Sam 8:8 ). Some English translations substitute the other version of the name here (e.g., NIV, NLT), while others follow the reading of the Hebrew text at this point (e.g., NAB, NASB, NRSV).


The parallel text of 2 Sam 8:8 has the variant name “Berothai.”


Heb “the sea of bronze,” or “[the] sea, the bronze one.” See the note at 1 Kgs 7:23 .


The name is spelled “Toi” in the parallel text in 2 Sam 8:9 .


The name is spelled “Joram” in the parallel text in 2 Sam 8:10 .


Heb “to ask concerning him for peace.”


Heb “and to bless him because he fought with Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer was a man of battles with Tou.”


Heb “[along with] all items of gold and silver and bronze.”


Heb “also them King David made holy to the Lord .”


Heb “from.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 8:12 of the MT reads “Aram.” However, a few Hebrew mss along with the LXX and Syriac of 2 Sam 8:12 read “Edom” in agreement with 1 Chr 18:11 (cf. 2 Sam 8:14 ).


The parallel text of 2 Sam 8:13 attributes this victory to David.


Heb “and he was doing what is just and fair for all his people.”


Heb “over.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 8:17 has the variant spelling “Seraiah.”


Heb “[was] over.”


Heb “and the sons of David [were] the heads at the hand of David.” The parallel text of 2 Sam 8:18 identifies them as “priests” (see sn there on the word “priests”).


Heb “do loyalty.”


Heb “did loyalty.”


Heb “to console him concerning his father.”


Heb “and the servants of David came to the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun to console him.”


Heb “Is David honoring your father in your eyes when he sends to you ones consoling?”


Heb “Is it not to explore and to overturn and to spy out the land (that) his servants have come to you?” The Hebrew term לַהֲפֹךְ ( lahafakh , “to overturn”) seems misplaced in the sequence. Some emend the form to לַחְפֹּר ( lakhpor , “to spy out”). The sequence of three infinitives may be a conflation of alternative readings.


Heb “shaved them.” See v. 5 .


Heb “and he cut their robes in the middle unto the buttocks.”


Heb “they.” The logical referent, though not specified in the Hebrew text, has been supplied in the translation for clarity.


For location see Map5-B2 ; Map6-E1 ; Map7-E1 ; Map8-E3 ; Map10-A2 ; Map11-A1 .


Heb “that they were a stench [i.e., disgusting] with David.”


The Hebrew word כִּכַּר ( kikar , “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the Ammonites hired chariots and charioteers for about 33.7 tons (30,600 kg) of silver.


The parallel text of 2 Sam 10:6 has “Aram Beth Rehob and Aram Zobah.”


The words “the news” and “to meet them” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.


The parallel text of 2 Sam 10:10 has “the Ammonites” in place of “the Arameans” here. tn Heb “and Joab saw that the face of the battle was to him before and behind and he chose from all the best in Israel and arranged to meet Aram.”


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


Heb “if Aram is stronger than me.”


Heb “if the sons of Ammon are stronger than you.”


Heb “and the Lord , what is good in his eyes, he will do.”


Heb “and the army which was with him.”


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


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


Heb “the River,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “and Aram saw that they were struck down before Israel and they sent messengers and brought out Aram which is beyond the River, and Shophach the commander of the army of Hadadezer [was] before them.”


The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.


The parallel text of 2 Sam 10:17 “he came to Helam.” tn Heb “and he came to them and was deployed against them.”


Heb “and David was deployed to meet Aram [for] battle and they fought with him.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 10:18 has “seven hundred.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 10:18 has the variant spelling “Shobach.”


Heb “and it was at the time of the turning of the year, at the time of the going out of kings.”


The translation follows the MT, which reads “of their king”; the LXX and Vulgate read “of Milcom” (cf. 1 Kgs 11:5 ). Milcom, also known as Molech, was the god of the Ammonites.


Heb “and it was on the head of David.”


The Hebrew text reads “saws,” but since saws were just mentioned, it is preferable to emend מְגֵרוֹת ( mÿgerot , “saws”) to מַגְזְרוֹת ( magzÿrot , “axes”).


Heb “and so he would do.”


Heb “battle stood.”


The parallel text in 2 Sam 21:18 identifies this site as “Gob.”


The parallel text in 2 Sam 21:18 has the variant spelling “Saph.”


Heb “they”; the referent (the Philistines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


The Hebrew text reads, “Elchanan son of Jair killed Lachmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite.” But it is likely that the accusative marker in front of לַחְמִי ( lakhmiy , “Lachmi”) is a corruption of בֵּית ( bet ), and that אֶת־לַחְמִי (’ et-lakhmiy ) should be emended to בֵּית הַלַּחְמִי ( bet hallakhmiy , “the Bethlehemite”). See 2 Sam 21:19 .


See tc note on the parallel passage in 2 Sam 21:19 .


Heb “and there was another battle, in Gath.”


The parallel text in 2 Sam 21:21 has the variant spelling “Shimeah.”


Heb “they fell.”


Heb “his servants.”


Or “Satan.” The Hebrew word שָׂטָן ( satan ) can refer to an adversary in general or Satan in particular. There is no article accompanying the term here, which suggests it should be understood generally (cf. NAB “a satan”).


Heb “stood against.”


Heb “and incited David to count Israel.” As v. 5 indicates, David was not interested in a general census, but in determining how much military strength he had. sn The parallel text in 2 Sam 24:1 says, “The Lord ’s anger again raged against Israel and he incited David against them, saying: ‘Go, count Israel and Judah!’“ The version of the incident in the Book of 2 Samuel gives an underlying theological perspective, while the Chronicler simply describes what happened from a human perspective. Many interpreters and translations render the Hebrew שָׂטָן as a proper name here, “Satan” (NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). However, the Hebrew term שָׂטָן , which means “adversary,” is used here without the article. Elsewhere when it appears without the article, it refers to a personal or national adversary in the human sphere, the lone exception being Num 22:22, 32 , where the angel of the Lord assumes the role of an adversary to Balaam. When referring elsewhere to the spiritual entity known in the NT as Satan, the noun has the article and is used as a title, “the Adversary” (see Job 1:6-9, 12; 2:1-4, 6-7 ; Zech 3:1-2 ). In light of usage elsewhere the adversary in 1 Chr 21:1 is likely a human enemy, probably a nearby nation whose hostility against Israel pressured David into numbering the people so he could assess his military strength. For compelling linguistic and literary arguments against taking the noun as a proper name here, see S. Japhet, I & II Chronicles (OTL), 374-75.


Or “people.”


Heb “Go, count Israel.” See the note on “had” in v. 1 .


Heb “their number.”


Heb “Why should it become guilt for Israel?” David’s decision betrays an underlying trust in his own strength rather than in divine provision. See also 1 Chr 27:23-24 .


Heb “and the word of the king was stronger than Joab.”


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


Heb “and Joab gave to David the number of the numbering of the army [or “people”].”


Heb “a thousand thousands and one hundred thousand.”


The parallel text in 2 Sam 24:9 has variant figures: “In Israel there were eight hundred thousand sword-wielding warriors, and in Judah there were five hundred thousands soldiers.”


Heb “he”; the proper name (“Joab”) has been substituted for the pronoun here for stylistic reasons; the proper name occurs at the end of the verse in the Hebrew text, where it has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.


Heb “There was displeasure in the eyes of God concerning this thing.”


Heb “seer.”


Heb “Three I am extending to you; choose for yourself one of them and I will do it to you.”


The parallel text in the MT of 2 Sam 24:13 has “seven,” but LXX has “three” there.


Heb “or three months being swept away from before your enemies and the sword of your enemies overtaking.” The Hebrew term נִסְפֶּה ( nisppeh , Niphal participle from סָפָה , safah ) should probably be emended to נֻסְכָה ( nusÿkhah , Qal infinitive from נוּס [ nus ] with second masculine singular suffix). See 2 Sam 24:13 .


Heb “or three days of the sword of the Lord and plague in the land, and the messenger [or “angel”] of the Lord destroying in all the territory of Israel.”


Heb “There is great distress to me; let me fall into the hand of the Lord for his mercy is very great, but into the hand of men let me not fall.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 24:15 reports that God sent a plague, while 24:16-17 attributes this to the instrumentality of an angel.


Or “destroy.”


Heb “while he was destroying.”


Or “saw.”


Or “was grieved because of.”


Heb “concerning the calamity.”


For this nuance of the Hebrew word רַב ( rav ), see BDB 913 s.v. 1 .f.


Heb “Now, drop your hand.”


In the parallel text in 2 Sam 24:16 this individual is called אֲרַוְנָא (’ aravna ’, “Aravna”), traditionally “Araunah.” The form of the name found here also occurs in vv. 18-28 .


Heb “and David and the elders, covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces.”


“and doing evil I did evil.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite form of the verb for emphasis.


Heb “let your hand be on me and on the house of my father.”


Heb “but on your people not for a plague.”


Heb “that he should go up to raise up.”


Heb “and David went up by the word of Gad which he spoke in the name of the Lord .”


Heb “nostrils.”


Heb “the place of the threshing floor.”


Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav ( ו ) conjunctive here indicates the immediate purpose/result: “so I can build.”


Heb “For full silver sell to me.”


Following the imperative and first person prefixed verbal form with vav ( ו ) conjunctive, this third person prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive introduces the ultimate purpose/result: “so the plague may be removed.” Another option is subordinate this form to the preceding imperative, but the latter may be taken as a parenthetical expansion of the initial request.


Heb “take for yourself.”


Heb “what is good in his eyes.”


Heb “No, for buying I will buy for full silver.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.


The parallel text in 2 Sam 24:24 has the plural “burnt sacrifices.”


Or “without [paying] compensation.”


The parallel text of 2 Sam 24:24 says David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for “fifty pieces of silver.” This would have been about 20 ounces (568 grams) of silver by weight. tn Heb “six hundred shekels of gold.” This would have been about 15 lbs. (6.8 kg) of gold by weight.


Or “tokens of peace.”


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


Heb “spoke to the messenger.”


Or “high place.”


Heb “a young man and tender.”


Heb “and the house to build to make exceedingly great for a name and for splendor for all the lands.”


Heb “I was with my heart.”


Heb “for the name of.”


Heb “and the word of the Lord was [i.e., came] to me saying.”


Heb “man of rest.”


Heb “his enemies all around.”


Heb “in his days.”


Heb “for my name.”


Heb “and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel permanently.”


Heb “as he spoke concerning you.”


Or “keep.”


Heb “which the Lord commanded Moses concerning Israel.”


Or perhaps, “and don’t get discouraged.”


Heb “and look, in my affliction [or perhaps, “poverty”] I have supplied for the house of the Lord .”


See the note on the word “talents” in 19:6 .


Heb “a thousand thousands.”


Heb “craftsmen of stone and wood.”


Heb “and every kind of skilled one in all work, concerning gold, concerning silver, and concerning bronze, and concerning iron, there is no numbering.”


Or “help.”


The words “he told them” are added in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.


In the Hebrew text the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question, “Is not the Lord your God with you?” The question anticipates the response, “Of course he is!” Thus in the translation the positive statement “The Lord your God is with you!” has been used.


Heb “and he gives rest to you all around.”


Or “earth.”


Heb “now give your heart and your being to seek the Lord your God.”


Heb “to bring.”


Heb “items of holiness of God.”


Heb “for the name of the Lord .”


Heb “and full of years.”


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


Heb “and their number by their heads, by men, was 38,000.”


The words “David said” are supplied here in the translation for clarification. The appearance of the first person verb “I supplied” in v. 5 indicates that David is speaking here.


Heb “made to [or “for”] praise.”


The MT reads “Zina” here and “Zizah” in v. 11 . One Hebrew ms , the LXX, and the Vulgate, harmonizing the form of the name to that found in v. 11 , read “Zizah” here.


Heb “and Aaron was set apart to consecrate it, the most holy things, he and his sons, permanently, to sacrifice before the Lord , to serve him, and to bless his name permanently.”


Heb “and Moses the man of God, his sons were called to the tribe of Levi.”


The Hebrew text has the plural “sons,” but only one name appears after this. The attached phrase “the oldest” might indicate that Shebuel was not Gershom’s only son, but note v. 17 .


The LXX reads Σουβαηλ ( Soubahl ) here, a reading followed by NAB, NIV, NCV, CEV (“Shubael”); cf. 24:20 .


The Hebrew text has “the sons of Eliezer were,” but only one name appears after this in the verse, and we are specifically told that Eliezer had no other sons.


The Hebrew text has the plural “sons,” but only one name appears after this. The attached phrase “the oldest” might indicate that Shelomith was not Izhar’s only son, but note v. 17 .


Heb “the sons of Kish, their brothers [i.e., relatives/cousins] lifted them up.” For other uses of נָאָשׂ ( na ’ as , “lift up”) in the sense of “marry,” see BDB 671 s.v. Qal.3.d.


Heb “these were the sons of Levi according to the house of their fathers, heads of the fathers, according to their numberings, by number of names, according to their heads, doer[s] of the work for the service of the house of the Lord , from a son of twenty years and upwards.”


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


Heb “for by the final words of David, they were the number of the sons of Levi, from a son of twenty years and upward.”


Heb “For their assignment was at the hand of the sons of Aaron for the work of the house of the Lord concerning the courtyards and concerning the rooms and concerning the purification of all holiness and the work of the service of the house of God.”


Heb “with respect to.”


The Hebrew terms מְשׂוּרָה ( mÿsurah ) and מִדָּה ( middah ) refer to different types of measurements.


Heb “and to stand.”


Heb “by number according to the manner upon them, regularly before the Lord .”