Heb “for [with] the love of his [own] life he loved him.”


Heb “you will do [something] a third time.” The translation assumes an emendation of the verb from שִׁלַּשְׁתָּ ( shillashta , “to do a third time”) to שִׁלִּישִׁית ( shillishit , “[on the] third [day]”).


Heb “you must go down greatly.” See Judg 19:11 for the same idiom.


Heb “on the day of the deed.” This probably refers to the incident recorded in 19:2 .


Heb “from you and here.”


Heb “from you and onward.”


Heb “the Lord [is] between me and between you forever.” The translation assumes that the original text read עֵד עַד־עוֹלָם (’ ed ’ ad- ’ olam ), “a witness forever,” with the noun “a witness” accidentally falling out of the text by haplography. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 338.


Heb “and Jonathan arose.” Instead of MT’s וַיָּקָם ( vayyaqam , “and he arose”; from the hollow verbal root קוּם , qum ), the translation assumes a reading וַיִּקַדֵּם ( vayyiqaddem , “and he was in front of”; from the verbal root קדם , qdm ). See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 338.


Heb “and Abner sat at the side of Saul.”


The words “about it” are not present in the Hebrew text, although they are implied.


Heb “said,” that is, to himself.


Heb “send me.”


Heb “commanded.”


Heb “be released [from duty].”


Many medieval Hebrew mss include the words “his son” here.


Heb “son of a perverse woman of rebelliousness.” But such an overly literal and domesticated translation of the Hebrew expression fails to capture the force of Saul’s unrestrained reaction. Saul, now incensed and enraged over Jonathan’s liaison with David, is actually hurling very coarse and emotionally charged words at his son. The translation of this phrase suggested by Koehler and Baumgartner is “bastard of a wayward woman” ( HALOT 796 s.v. עוה ), but this is not an expression commonly used in English. A better English approximation of the sentiments expressed here by the Hebrew phrase would be “You stupid son of a bitch!” However, sensitivity to the various public formats in which the Bible is read aloud has led to a less startling English rendering which focuses on the semantic value of Saul’s utterance (i.e., the behavior of his own son Jonathan, which he viewed as both a personal and a political betrayal [= “traitor”]). But this concession should not obscure the fact that Saul is full of bitterness and frustration. That he would address his son Jonathan with such language, not to mention his apparent readiness even to kill his own son over this friendship with David (v. 33 ), indicates something of the extreme depth of Saul’s jealousy and hatred of David.


Heb “all the days that.”


The words “some men” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “a son of death.”


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


Heb “knew.”


Heb “for he was upset concerning David for his father had humiliated him.” The referent of the pronoun “him” is not entirely clear, but the phrase “concerning David” suggests that it refers to David, rather than Jonathan.


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


Heb “called after” (also in v. 38 ).


Heb “knew the matter.”


The translation follows the LXX in reading “the mound,” rather than the MT’s “the south.” It is hard to see what meaning the MT reading “from beside the south” would have as it stands, since such a location lacks specificity. The NIV treats it as an elliptical expression, rendering the phrase as “from the south side of the stone (rock NCV).” This is perhaps possible, but it seems better to follow the LXX rather than the MT here.


Heb “fell.”


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


Heb “trembled to meet.”


Heb “let not a man know anything about the matter [for] which I am sending you and [about] which I commanded you.”


Heb “servants.”


The Hebrew expression here refers to a particular, but unnamed, place. It occurs in the OT only here, in 2 Kgs 6:8 , and in Ruth 4:1 , where Boaz uses it to refer to Naomi’s unnamed kinsman-redeemer. A contracted form of the expression appears in Dan 8:13 .


Heb “under your hand.”


Heb “have kept themselves from women” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “haven’t had sexual relations recently”; NLT “have not slept with any women recently.”


Heb “servants’.”


Heb “placed these matters in his heart.”


Heb “in their eyes.”


Heb “in their hand.”


Heb “house.”


Heb “bitter of soul.”


Heb “to.”


Heb “go forth.”


Heb “all the days.”


Heb “and Saul heard that David and the men who were with him were known.”


The MT has “to all of you.” If this reading is correct, we have here an example of a prepositional phrase functioning as the equivalent of a dative of advantage, which is not impossible from a grammatical point of view. However, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate all have “and.” A conjunction rather than a preposition should probably be read on the front of this phrase.


Heb “officers of a thousand and officers of a hundred.”


Heb “uncovers my ear.”


Heb “by giving.”


Heb “rises up against.”


Heb “set a matter against.”


Heb “small or great.”


Heb “runners.”


Heb “their hand is.”


Heb “to extend their hand to harm.”


The number is confused in the Greek ms tradition. The LXX, with the exception of the Lucianic recension, has the number 305. The Lucianic recension, along with a couple of Old Latin mss , has the number 350.


The translation follows the LXX, which reads “I am guilty,” rather than the MT, which has “I have turned.”


Or “the one who.” This may refer specifically to Saul, in which case David acknowledges that Abiathar’s life is endangered because of his allegiance to David. The translation assumes that the statement is more generalized, meaning that any enemy of Abiathar is an enemy of David. In other words, David promises that he will protect Abiathar with his very own life.


Heb “and struck them down with a great blow.”


Heb “an ephod went down in his hand.”


The MT reading (“God has alienated him into my hand”) in v. 7 is a difficult and uncommon idiom. The use of this verb in Jer 19:4 is somewhat parallel, but not entirely so. Many scholars have therefore suspected a textual problem here, emending the word נִכַּר ( nikkar , “alienated”) to סִכַּר ( sikkar , “he has shut up [i.e., delivered]”). This is the idea reflected in the translations of the Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate, although it is not entirely clear whether they are reading something different from the MT or are simply paraphrasing what for them too may have been a difficult text. The LXX has “God has sold him into my hands,” apparently reading מַכַר ( makar , “sold”) for MT’s נִכַּר . The present translation is a rather free interpretation.


Heb “with two gates and a bar.” Since in English “bar” could be understood as a saloon, it has been translated as an attributive: “two barred gates.”


Heb “So Saul mustered all his army for battle to go down to Keilah to besiege against David and his men.”


Heb “Saul was planning the evil against him.”


Heb “seeking.”


Heb “they went where they went.”


Heb “all the days.”


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


Heb “saw.”


Heb “strengthened his hand.”


Heb “to all the desire of your soul.”


Heb “know and see.” The expression is a hendiadys. See also v. 23 .


Heb “his place where his foot is.”


Heb “established.”


Heb “I will search him out.”


Heb “to search.”


Heb “to search [for].”


Heb “upon the face of.”


Or “the region of the Rocks of the Mountain Goats,” if this expression is understood as a place name (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV).


Heb “to cover his feet,” an idiom (euphemism) for relieving oneself (cf. NAB “to ease nature”).


Heb “is good in your eyes.”


Heb “the heart of David struck him.”


Heb “anointed.”


Or “for.”


Heb “went on.”


Heb “it had pity,” apparently with the understood subject being “my eye,” in accordance with a common expression.


Heb “there is not in my hand.”


Heb “lifted his voice and wept.”


Or “righteous” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “you are in the right”; NLT “are a better man than I am.”


Heb “by the Lord .”


Heb “cut off.”


Heb “and David swore an oath to Saul.”


The LXX reads “Maon” here instead of “Paran,” perhaps because the following account of Nabal is said to be in Maon (v. 2 ). This reading is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT). The MT, however, reads “Paran,” a location which would parallel this portion of David’s life with that of the nation Israel which also spent time in Paran ( Num 10:12 ). Also, the desert of Paran was on the southern border of Judah’s territory and would be the most isolated location for hiding from Saul.


Heb “great.”


Heb “good of insight”; KJV “of good understanding”; NAB, NIV, TEV “intelligent”; NRSV “clever.”


Heb “David”; for stylistic reasons the pronoun has been used in the translation.


Or “young men.”


Heb “and David said to the young men.”


Heb “and inquire concerning him in my name in regard to peace.”


The text is difficult here. The MT and most of the early versions support the reading לֶחָי ( lekhai , “to life,” or “to the one who lives”). Some of the older English versions (KJV, ASV; cf. NKJV) took the expression to mean “to him who lives (in prosperity),” but this translation requires reading a good deal into the words. While the expression could have the sense of “Long life to you!” (cf. NIV, NJPS) or perhaps “Good luck to you!” this seems somewhat redundant in light of the salutation that follows in the context. The Latin Vulgate has fratribus meis (“to my brothers”), which suggests that Jerome understood the Hebrew word to have an alef that is absent in the MT (i.e., לֶאֱחָי , le ’ ekhay ). Jerome’s plural, however, remains a problem, since in the context David is addressing a single individual, namely Nabal, and not a group. However, it is likely that the Vulgate witnesses to a consonantal Hebrew text that is to be preferred here, especially if the word were to be revocalized as a singular rather than a plural. While it is impossible to be certain about this reading, the present translation essentially follows the Vulgate in reading “my brother” (so also NJB; cf. NAB, RSV, NRSV).


The translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss in reading בָּאנוּ ( ba ’ nu , “we have come”) rather than the MT’s בָּנוּ ( banu , “we have built”).


This refers to the ten servants sent by David.


Heb “whatever your hand will find.”


Heb “bless.”


Heb “all the days we walked about with them when we were.”


Heb “all his house” (so ASV, NRSV); NAB, NLT “his whole family.”


Heb “he is a son of worthlessness.”


Heb “skins.”


Heb “said.”


Heb “Thus God will do to the enemies of David and thus he will add.” Most of the Old Greek ms tradition has simply “David,” with no reference to his enemies. In OT imprecations such as the one found in v. 22 it is common for the speaker to direct malediction toward himself as an indication of the seriousness with which he regards the matter at hand. In other words, the speaker invites on himself dire consequences if he fails to fulfill the matter expressed in the oath. However, in the situation alluded to in v. 22 the threat actually does not come to fruition due to the effectiveness of Abigail’s appeal to David in behalf of her husband Nabal. Instead, David is placated through Abigail’s intervention. It therefore seems likely that the reference to “the enemies of David” in the MT of v. 22 is the result of a scribal attempt to deliver David from the implied consequences of this oath. The present translation follows the LXX rather than the MT here.


Heb “one who urinates against a wall” (also in v. 34 ); KJV “any that pisseth against the wall.”


Heb “and foolishness is with him.”


Heb “my lord’s servants, whom you sent.”


Heb “blessing.”


Heb “are walking at the feet of.”


Cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV “bundle”; NLT “treasure pouch.”


Heb “according to all which he spoke, the good concerning you.”


Heb “appoint.”


Heb “and this will not be for you for staggering and for stumbling of the heart of my lord.”


Heb “and the Lord will do well for my lord.”


Heb “blessed” (also in vv. 33, 39 ).


Heb “blessed.”


Heb “up.”


Heb “your voice.”


Heb “I have lifted up your face.”


Heb “and the heart of Nabal was good upon him”; NASB, NRSV “Nabal’s heart was merry within him”; NIV “he was in high spirits”; NCV, TEV “was in a good mood”; CEV “was very drunk and feeling good.”


Heb “and she did not tell him a thing, small or large.”


Heb “when the wine had gone out from Nabal.”


Heb “and his heart died within him and he became a stone.” Cf. TEV, NLT “stroke”; CEV “heart attack.” For an alternative interpretation than that presented above, see Marjorie O’Rourke Boyle, “The Law of the Heart: The Death of a Fool (),” JBL 120 (2001): 401-27, who argues that a medical diagnosis is not necessary here. Instead, the passage makes a connection between the heart and the law; Nabal dies for his lawlessness.


Heb “who has argued the case of my insult from the hand of Nabal.”


Heb “his servant he has held back from evil, and the evil of Nabal the Lord has turned back on his head.”


Heb “Here is your maidservant, for a lowly servant to wash.”


Heb “going at her feet.”


Heb “taken.”


Heb “upon the face of.”


Heb “after.”


Heb “and David sent scouts and he knew that Saul had certainly come.”


Here “the spear” almost certainly refers to Saul’s own spear, which according to the previous verse was stuck into the ground beside him as he slept. This is reflected in a number of English versions: TEV, CEV “his own spear”; NLT “that spear.” Cf. NIV, NCV “my spear,” in which case Abishai refers to his own spear rather than Saul’s, but this is unlikely since (1) Abishai would probably not have carried a spear along since such a weapon would be unwieldy when sneaking into the enemy camp; and (2) this would not explain the mention of Saul’s own spear stuck in the ground beside him in the previous verse.


Heb “let me strike him with the spear and into the ground one time.”


Heb “anointed” (also in vv. 11, 16, 23 ).


Heb “Not good [is] this thing which you have done.”


Heb “you are sons of death.”


Heb “What in my hand [is] evil?”


Heb “may he smell.” The implication is that Saul should seek to appease God, for such divine instigation to evil would a sign of God’s disfavor. For a fuller discussion of this passage see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 19-21.


Heb “but if the sons of men.”


Heb “the calling [one],” which apparently refers to a partridge.


Heb “my life was valuable in your eyes.”


Heb “and I have erred very greatly.”


Heb “and the Lord returns to the man his righteousness and his faithfulness.”


Heb “your life was great this day in my eyes.”


Heb “may my life be great in the eyes of the Lord .”


Heb “blessed.”


Heb “you will certainly do and also you will certainly be able.” The infinitive absolutes placed before the finite verbal forms lend emphasis to the statement.


Heb “said to his heart.”


Heb “a man and his house.”


Heb “the number of the days.”


Heb “days.” The plural of the word “day” is sometimes used idiomatically to refer specifically to a year. In addition to this occurrence in v. 7 see also 1 Sam 1:3, 21; 2:19; 20:6 ; Lev 25:29 ; Judg 17:10 .


Heb “from where you come.”


Heb “the land.”


The translation follows the LXX ( ἐπι τίνα , epi tina ) and Vulgate ( in quem ) which assume אֶל מִי (’ el mi , “to whom”) rather than the MT אַל (’ al , “not”). The MT makes no sense here. Another possibility is that the text originally had אַן (’ an , “where”), which has been distorted in the MT to אַל . Cf. the Syriac Peshitta and the Targum, which have “where.”


Heb “all the days.”


Heb “saying.”


Heb “he really stinks.” The expression is used figuratively here to describe the rejection and ostracism that David had experienced as a result of Saul’s hatred of him.


Many medieval Hebrew mss lack the preposition “in.”


Heb “permanently.”


Heb “their camps.”


The translation follows the LXX ( εἰς πόλεμον , eis polemon ) and a Qumran ms מלחמה במלחמה ([ m ] lkhmh ) bammilkhamah (“in the battle”) rather than the MT’s בַמַּחֲנֶה ( bammakhaneh , “in the camp”; cf. NASB). While the MT reading is not impossible here, and although admittedly it is the harder reading, the variant fits the context better. The MT can be explained as a scribal error caused in part by the earlier occurrence of “camp” in this verse.


Heb “the guardian for my head.”


Heb “in Ramah, even in his city.”


The Hebrew term translated “mediums” actually refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits (see 2 Kgs 21:6 ). In v. 7 the witch of Endor is called the owner of a ritual pit. See H. Hoffner, “Second Millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew ’ OñBù ,” JBL 86 (1967): 385-401. Here the term refers by metonymy to the owner of such a pit (see H. A. Hoffner, TDOT 1:133).


Heb “he was afraid, and his heart was very terrified.”


Heb “an owner of a ritual pit.” See the note at v. 3 .


Heb “Use divination for me with the ritual pit and bring up for me the one whom I say to you.”


Heb “how he has cut off.”


See the note at v. 3 .


Heb “my life.”


Heb “in a great voice.”


Heb “gods.” The modifying participle (translated “coming up”) is plural, suggesting that underworld spirits are the referent. But in the following verse Saul understands the plural word to refer to a singular being. The reference is to the spirit of Samuel.


Heb “just as he said by my hand.”


Heb “listen to the voice of the Lord .”


Heb “And the Lord will give also Israel along with you into the hand of the Philistines.”


With the exception of the Lucianic recension, the LXX has here “and tomorrow you and your sons with you will fall.”


Heb “camp.”


Heb “also there was no strength in him.”


Heb “food.”


Heb “listened to your voice.”


Heb “listened to your words that you spoke to me.”


The translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וַיִּפְצְרוּ ( vayyiftseru , “and they pressed”; from the root פצר , psr ) rather than the MT’s וַיִּפְרְצוּ ( vayyifretsu , “and they broke forth”; from the root פרצ , prs ).


Heb “he listened to their voice.”


Heb “a calf of the stall.”


Heb “camps.”


Heb “passing by with respect to hundreds and thousands.” This apparently describes a mustering of troops for the purpose of inspection and readiness.


Heb “these days or these years.”


Heb “from the day of his falling [away] until this day.”


Heb “and the leaders of the Philistines said.”


Heb “so that he might not become.”


Or perhaps, “our men.” On this use of the demonstrative pronoun see Joüon 2:532 §143.e.


Heb “in dances.”


Heb “it is good in my eyes.” Cf. v. 7 .


Heb “your going forth and your coming in.” The expression is a merism.


Heb “camp.”


Heb “eyes.”


Heb “good.”


Heb “go.”


Heb “and you must not do evil in the eyes of the leaders of the Philistines.”


Heb “I know that you are good in my eyes.”


The LXX and a couple of Old Latin mss include here the following words: “and you shall go to the place that I have appointed you. Don’t place an evil thing in your heart, for you are good before me.”


Heb “when you get up early in the morning and you have light, go.”


Heb “to go in the morning to return.” With the exception of Origen and the Lucianic recension, the Old Greek tradition lacks the phrase “in the morning.” The Syriac Peshitta also omits it.


The Hebrew text adds “with fire.”


Heb “and David and his men came to the city, and look, it was burned with fire.”


Heb “people.”


Heb “lifted up their voice and wept.”


Heb “until there was no longer in them strength to weep.”


Heb “said to stone him.”


Heb “for bitter was the soul of all the people, each one.”


Heb “stood.” So also in v. 10 .


Heb “his spirit returned to him.”


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


Heb “because of all the large plunder.”


Heb “who rode on camels and fled.”


Heb “David.” The pronoun (“he”) has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “there was nothing missing to them, from the small even unto the great, and unto sons and daughters, and from loot even unto all which they had taken for themselves.”


Heb “David.” The pronoun (“him”) has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “with me.” The singular is used rather than the plural because the group is being treated as a singular entity, in keeping with Hebrew idiom. It is not necessary to read “with us,” rather than the MT “with me,” although the plural can be found here in a few medieval Hebrew mss . See also the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate, although these versions may simply reflect an understanding of the idiom as found in the MT rather than a different textual reading.


This clause is difficult in the MT. The present translation accepts the text as found in the MT and understands this clause to be elliptical, with an understood verb such as “look” or “consider.” On the other hand, the LXX seems to reflect a slightly different Hebrew text, reading “after” where the MT has “my brothers.” The Greek translation yields the following translation: “You should not do this after the Lord has delivered us.” Although the Greek reading should be taken seriously, it seems better to follow the MT here.


Heb “a statute and a judgment.” The expression is a hendiadys.


Heb “blessing.”


This sentence is not in the Hebrew text. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.


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


Heb “stuck close after.”


Heb “the Philistines.”


Heb “and the battle was heavy against Saul.”


Heb “the shooters, men with the bow.”


Heb “fallen.”


Heb “his”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity (likewise in the following verse).


The translation follows the MT, which vocalizes the verb as a Qal. The LXX, however, treats the verb as a Hiphil, “they brought.”


Heb “he”; the referent (the man mentioned at the beginning of v. 2 ) has been specified in the translation to avoid confusion as to who fell to the ground.


Heb “he fell to the ground and did obeisance.”


Heb “What was the word?”


Heb “from the people.”


Heb “fell and died.”


In v. 2 he is called simply a “man.” The word used here in v. 5 (so also in vv. 6, 13, 15 ), though usually referring to a young man or servant, may in this context designate a “fighting” man, i.e., a soldier.


Instead of the MT “who was recounting this to him, ‘How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?’” the Syriac Peshitta reads “declare to me how Saul and his son Jonathan died.”


The Syriac Peshitta and one ms of the LXX lack the words “who was telling him this” of the MT.


The present translation reads with the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss “and I said,” rather than the Kethib which has “and he said.” See the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate, all of which have the first person.


As P. K. McCarter ( II Samuel [AB], 59) points out, the Polel of the verb מוּת ( mut , “to die”) “refers to dispatching or ‘finishing off’ someone already wounded and near death.” Cf. NLT “put me out of my misery.”


Heb “the dizziness has seized me.” On the meaning of the Hebrew noun translated “dizziness,” see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 59-60. The point seems to be that he is unable to kill himself because he is weak and disoriented.


The Hebrew text here is grammatically very awkward ( Heb “because all still my life in me”). Whether the broken construct phrase is due to the fact that the alleged speaker is in a confused state of mind as he is on the verge of dying, or whether the MT has sustained corruption in the transmission process, is not entirely clear. The former seems likely, although P. K. McCarter understands the MT to be the result of conflation of two shorter forms of text (P. K. McCarter, II Samuel [AB], 57, n. 9). Early translators also struggled with the verse, apparently choosing to leave part of the Hebrew text untranslated. For example, the Lucianic recension of the LXX lacks “all,” while other witnesses (namely, one medieval Hebrew ms , codices A and B of the LXX, and the Syriac Peshitta) lack “still.”


Heb “after his falling”; NAB “could not survive his wound”; CEV “was too badly wounded to live much longer.”


The MT lacks the definite article, but this is likely due to textual corruption. It is preferable to read the alef ( א ) of אֶצְעָדָה (’ ets ’ adah ) as a ה ( he ) giving הַצְּעָדָה ( hatsÿ ’ adah ). There is no reason to think that the soldier confiscated from Saul’s dead body only one of two or more bracelets that he was wearing (cf. NLT “one of his bracelets”).


The present translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading “his garments,” rather than “his garment,” the reading of the Kethib .


The Hebrew word used here refers to a foreigner whose social standing was something less than that of native residents of the land, but something more than that of a nonresident alien who was merely passing through.


Heb “young men.”


Heb “be taught the bow.” The reference to “the bow” is very difficult here. Some interpreters (e.g., S. R. Driver, P. K. McCarter, Jr.) suggest deleting the word from the text (cf. NAB, TEV), but there does not seem to be sufficient evidence for doing so. Others (cf. KJV) understand the reference to be elliptical, meaning “ the use of the bow.” The verse would then imply that with the deaths of Saul and Jonathan having occurred, a period of trying warfare is about to begin, requiring adequate preparation for war on the part of the younger generation. Various other views may also be found in the secondary literature. However, it seems best to understand the word here to be a reference to the name of a song (i.e., “The Bow”), most likely the poem that follows in vv. 19-27 (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV, CEV, NLT); NIV “this lament of the bow.” To make this clear the words “the song of” are supplied in the translation.


Instead of the MT’s “fields of grain offerings” the Lucianic recension of the LXX reads “your high places are mountains of death.” Cf. the Old Latin montes mortis (“mountains of death”) .


This is the only biblical occurrence of the Niphal of the verb גָּעַל ( ga ’ al ). This verb usually has the sense of “to abhor” or “loathe.” But here it seems to refer to the now dirty and unprotected condition of a previously well-maintained instrument of battle.


It is preferable to read here Hebrew מָשׁוּחַ ( mashuakh ) with many Hebrew mss , rather than מָשִׁיחַ ( mashiakh ) of the MT. Although the Syriac Peshitta understands the statement to pertain to Saul, the point here is not that Saul is not anointed. Rather, it is the shield of Saul that lies discarded and is no longer anointed. In ancient Near Eastern practice a warrior’s shield that was in normal use would have to be anointed regularly in order to ensure that the leather did not become dry and brittle. Like other warriors of his day Saul would have carefully maintained his tools of trade. But now that he is dead, the once-cared-for shield of the mighty warrior lies sadly discarded and woefully neglected, a silent but eloquent commentary on how different things are now compared to the way they were during Saul’s lifetime.


The Hebrew imperfect verbal form is used here to indicate repeated past action.


Heb “beloved and dear.”


Heb “he said.” The referent (the Lord ) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.


The expression “the cities of Hebron” is odd; we would expect the noun to be in the singular, if used at all. Although the Syriac Peshitta has the expected reading “in Hebron,” the MT is clearly the more difficult reading and should probably be retained here.


Heb “house.”


Heb “and they told David.” The subject appears to be indefinite, allowing one to translate the verb as passive with David as subject.


Heb “men.”


Or “loyalty.”


Or “loyalty and devotion.”


Heb “will do with you this good.”


Heb “let your hands be strong.”


The MT here reads “the Ashurite,” but this is problematic if it is taken to mean “the Assyrian.” Ish-bosheth’s kingdom obviously was not of such proportions as to extend to Assyria. The Syriac Peshitta renders the word as “the Geshurite,” while the Targum has “of the house of Ashur.” We should probably emend the Hebrew text to read “the Geshurite.” The Geshurites lived in the northeastern part of the land of Palestine.


Heb “And the number of the days in which David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.”


Heb “play.” What is in view here is a gladiatorial contest in which representative groups of soldiers engage in mortal combat before the watching armies. Cf. NAB “perform for us”; NASB “hold (have NRSV) a contest before us”; NLT “put on an exhibition of hand-to-hand combat.”


Heb “let them arise.”


Heb “and they grabbed each one the head of his neighbor with his sword in the side of his neighbor and they fell together.”


The meaning of the name “Helkath Hazzurim” (so NIV; KJV, NASB, NRSV similar) is not clear. BHK relates the name to the Hebrew term for “side,” and this is reflected in NAB “the Field of the Sides”; the Greek OT revocalizes the Hebrew to mean something like “Field of Adversaries.” Cf. also TEV, NLT “Field of Swords”; CEV “Field of Daggers.”


Heb “servants.” So also elsewhere.


Heb “young men.” So also elsewhere.


Heb “Why should I strike you to the ground?”


Heb “lift.”


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


Heb “the.” The article functions here as a possessive pronoun.


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


Heb “and they stand.”


Heb “were gathered together.”


The Hebrew verb נַעֲלָה ( na ’ alah ) used here is the Niphal perfect 3rd person masculine singular of עָלָה (’ alah , “to go up”). In the Niphal this verb “is used idiomatically, of getting away from so as to abandon…especially of an army raising a siege…” (see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel , 244).


Heb “stood.”


Heb “they no longer chased after Israel and they no longer fought.”


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


Heb “and they went, all the Bitron.” The meaning of the Hebrew word “Bitron,” which is used only here in the OT, is disputed. The translation above follows BDB 144 s.v. בִּתְרוֹן in taking the word to be a proper name of an area east of the Jordan. A different understanding was advocated by W. R. Arnold, who took the word to refer to the forenoon or morning; a number of modern scholars and translations have adopted this view (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, CEV, NLT). See W. R. Arnold, “The Meaning of בתרון ,” AJSL 28 (1911-1912): 274-83. In this case one could translate “and they traveled all morning long.”


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


The Hebrew text does not have the word “son.” So also in vv. 3-5 .


Heb “wife.”


The Hebrew text does not have “sons.”


Heb “was strengthening himself.” The statement may have a negative sense here, perhaps suggesting that Abner was overstepping the bounds of political propriety in a self-serving way.


The Hebrew of the MT reads simply “and he said,” with no expressed subject for the verb. It is not likely that the text originally had no expressed subject for this verb, since the antecedent is not immediately clear from the context. We should probably restore to the Hebrew text the name “Ish-bosheth.” See a few medieval Hebrew mss , Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion, and Vulgate. Perhaps the name was accidentally omitted by homoioarcton. Note that both the name Ishbosheth and the following preposition אֶל (’ el ) begin with the letter alef .


Heb “come to”; KJV, NRSV “gone in to”; NAB “been intimate with”; NIV “sleep with.”


Heb “I do.”


Heb “brothers.”


Heb “and you have laid upon me the guilt of the woman today.”


Heb “So will God do to Abner and so he will add to him.”


Heb “has sworn to David.” The LXX, with the exception of the recension of Origen, adds “in this day.”


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


The Hebrew text adds here, “on his behalf.”


Heb “cut a covenant.” So also in vv. 13, 21 .


Heb “and behold, my hand is with you.”


The words “when you come to see my face,” though found in the Hebrew text, are somewhat redundant given the similar expression in the earlier part of the verse. The words are absent from the Syriac Peshitta.


Heb “to Ish-bosheth son of Saul saying.” To avoid excessive sibilance (especially when read aloud) the translation renders “saying” as “with this demand.”


Heb “whom I betrothed to myself.”


Heb “sent and took her.”


In 1 Sam 25:44 this name appears as “Palti.”


Heb “Go, return.”


Heb “the word of Abner was with.”


Heb “you were seeking David to be king over you.”


The present translation follows the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate in reading “I will save,” rather than the MT “he saved.” The context calls for the 1st person common singular imperfect of the verb rather than the 3rd person masculine singular perfect.


Heb “from the hand of.”


Heb “into the ears of.”


Heb “also Abner went to speak into the ears of David in Hebron.”


Heb “all which was good in the eyes of Israel and in the eyes of all the house of Benjamin.”


After the cohortatives, the prefixed verbal form with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.


Heb “And look, the servants of David.”


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


Heb “Look, Abner.”


The LXX adds “in peace.”


Heb “your going out and your coming in.” The expression is a merism. It specifically mentions the polar extremities of the actions but includes all activity in between the extremities as well, thus encompassing the entirety of one’s activities.


Heb “and he struck him down there [in] the stomach.”


Heb “and he [i.e., Abner] died on account of the blood of Asahel his [i.e., Joab’s] brother.”


Heb “and may they whirl over.” In the Hebrew text the subject of the plural verb is unexpressed. The most likely subject is Abner’s “shed blood” (v. 28 ), which is a masculine plural form in Hebrew. The verb חוּל ( khul , “whirl”) is used with the preposition עַל (’ al ) only here and in Jer 23:19; 30:23 .


has “of Joab” rather than “of his father” read by the MT.


Heb “the house of Joab.” However, it is necessary to specify that David’s curse is aimed at Joab’s male descendants; otherwise it would not be clear that “one who works at the spindle” refers to a man doing woman’s work rather than a woman.


Heb “and may there not be cut off from the house of Joab.”


The expression used here is difficult. The translation “one who works at the spindle” follows a suggestion of S. R. Driver that the expression pejoratively describes an effeminate man who, rather than being a mighty warrior, is occupied with tasks that are normally fulfilled by women (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel , 250-51; cf. NAB “one unmanly”; TEV “fit only to do a woman’s work”; CEV “cowards”). But P. K. McCarter, following an alleged Phoenician usage of the noun to refer to “crutches,” adopts a different view. He translates the phrase “clings to a crutch,” seeing here a further description of physical lameness ( II Samuel [AB], 118). Such an idea fits the present context well and is followed by NIV, NCV, and NLT, although the evidence for this meaning is questionable. According to DNWSI 2:915-16, the noun consistently refers to a spindle in Phoenician, as it does in Ugaritic (see UT 468).


Heb “was walking.”


Heb “lifted up his voice and wept.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.


The translation follows many medieval Hebrew manuscripts and several ancient versions in reading “your hands,” rather than “your hand.”


lacks the words “all the people.”


Heb “Thus God will do to me and thus he will add.”


Heb “it was good in their eyes.”


Heb “from the king.”


Heb “a leader and a great one.” The expression is a hendiadys.


Heb “are hard from me.”


Heb “May the Lord repay the doer of the evil according to his evil” (NASB similar).


and the LXX mistakenly read “Mephibosheth.”


Heb “his hands went slack.”


The present translation, “Saul’s son had two men,” is based on the reading “to the son of Saul,” rather than the MT’s “the son of Saul.” The context requires the preposition to indicate the family relationship.


Heb “until this day.”


Heb “and was lame.”


For the MT’s וְהֵנָּה ( vÿhennah , “and they,” feminine) read וְהִנֵּה ( vÿhinneh , “and behold”). See the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Targum.


Heb “and they struck him down.”


After the concluding disjunctive clause at the end of v. 6 , the author now begins a more detailed account of the murder and its aftermath.


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


Heb “they struck him down and killed him.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.


Heb “and they removed his head.” The Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate lack these words.


The Lucianic Greek recension lacks the words “his head.”


Heb “from.”


Heb “and he was like a bearer of good news in his eyes.”


Heb “on his bed.”


See HALOT 146 s.v. II בער . Some derive the verb from a homonym meaning “to burn; to consume.”


The antecedent of the pronoun “them” (which is not present in the Hebrew text, but implied) is not entirely clear. Presumably it is the corpses that were hung and not merely the detached hands and feet; cf. NIV “hung the (their NRSV, NLT) bodies”; the alternative is represented by TEV “cut off their hands and feet, which they hung up.”


mistakenly reads “Mephibosheth” here.


The LXX adds “the son of Ner” by conformity with common phraseology elsewhere.


Some mss of the LXX lack the phrase “in Hebron.”


Heb “look we are your bone and your flesh.”


Heb “you were the one leading out and the one leading in Israel.”


Heb “elders.”


Heb “and the king, David, cut for them a covenant.”


Heb “anointed.”


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


The Hebrew text has “he” rather than “the Jebusites.” The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. In the Syriac Peshitta and some mss of the Targum the verb is plural rather than singular.


has the Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular שָׂנְאָה ( sanÿ ’ ah , “hated”), the subject of which would be “the soul of David.” The difference is minor and the translation adopted above works for either the Kethib or the Qere .


The meaning of the Hebrew term has been debated. For a survey of various views, see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 139-40. sn If a water tunnel is in view here, it is probably the so-called Warren’s Shaft that extends up from Hezekiah’s tunnel. It would have provided a means for surprise attack against the occupants of the city of David. The LXX seems not to understand the reference here, translating “by the water shaft” as “with a small knife.”


Heb “the house.” TEV takes this as a reference to the temple (“the Lord’s house”).


and the LXX lack the word “God,” probably due to harmonization with the more common biblical phrase “the Lord of hosts.”


Traditionally, “the Lord God of hosts” (KJV, NASB); NIV, NLT “the Lord God Almighty”; CEV “the Lord (+ God NCV) All-Powerful.”


The translation assumes that the disjunctive clause is circumstantial-causal, giving the reason for David’s success.


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


Heb “a house.”


Heb “all the Philistines.”


The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the following verb.


The name means “Lord of the outbursts.”


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


For “idols” the LXX and Vulgate have “gods.”


The words “what to do” are not in the Hebrew text.


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


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


Some translate as “balsam trees” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NJB, NLT); cf. KJV, NKJV, ASV “mulberry trees”; NAB “mastic trees”; NEB, REB “aspens.” The exact identification of the type of tree or plant is uncertain.


Heb “camp” (so NAB).


Heb “from Gibeon until you enter Gezer.”


The translation understands the verb to be a defective spelling of וַיְּאֱסֹף ( vayyÿ ’ esof ) due to quiescence of the letter א ( alef ). The root therefore is אסף (’ sf , “to gather”). The Masoretes, however, pointed the verb as וַיֹּסֶף ( vayyosef ), understanding it to be a form of יָסַף ( yasaf , “to add”). This does not fit the context, which calls for a verb of gathering.


Or “chosen.”


Heb “arose and went.”


Heb “from,” but the following context indicates they traveled to this location.


This is another name for Kiriath-jearim (see 1 Chr 13:6 ).


The MT has here a double reference to the name ( שֵׁם שֵׁם , shem shem ). Many medieval Hebrew mss in the first occurrence point the word differently and read the adverb שָׁם ( sham , “there”). This is also the understanding of the Syriac Peshitta (Syr., taman ). While this yields an acceptable understanding to the text, it is more likely that the MT dittographic here. The present translation therefore reads שֵׁם only once.


Heb “lifted.”


Heb “all the house of Israel.”


Heb “were celebrating before the Lord with all woods of fir” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). If the text is retained, the last expression must be elliptical, referring to musical instruments made from fir wood. But it is preferable to emend the text in light of 1 Chr 13:8 , which reads “were celebrating before the Lord with all strength and with songs.”


Heb “with zithers [?] and with harps.”


That is, “sistrums” (so NAB, NIV); ASV, NASB, NRSV, CEV, NLT “castanets.”


1 Chr 13:9 has “Kidon.”


Or “steadied.”


Heb “and Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and grabbed it.”


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


Heb “God.”


Heb “there.” Since this same term occurs later in the verse it is translated “on the spot” here for stylistic reasons.


The phrase “his negligence” is absent from the LXX.


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


Heb “house,” both here and in v. 12 .


Heb “and it was told to David, saying.”


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


Heb “and David was dancing with all his strength before the Lord , and David was girded with a linen ephod.”


Heb “all the house of Israel.” A few medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac Peshitta lack the words “the house.”


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


The Hebrew text adds “in her heart.” Cf. CEV “she was disgusted (+ with him TEV)”; NLT “was filled with contempt for him”; NCV “she hated him.”


The Syriac Peshitta lacks “in its place.”


Heb “to all the people, to all the throng of Israel.”


The Hebrew word used here אֶשְׁפָּר (’ espar ) is found in the OT only here and in the parallel passage found in 1 Chr 16:3 . Its exact meaning is uncertain, although the context indicates that it was a food of some sort (cf. KJV “a good piece of flesh”; NRSV “a portion of meat”). The translation adopted here (“date cake”) follows the lead of the Greek translations of the LXX, Aquila, and Symmachus (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT).


Heb “and all the people went, each to his house.”


Heb “and David returned to bless his house.”


Heb “David.” The name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “honored.”


Heb “one of the foolish ones.”


Heb “all his house”; CEV “anyone else in your family.”


Heb “and I will shame myself still more than this and I will be lowly in my eyes.”


Heb “house” (also in the following verse).


Or “rest.”


The translation understands the disjunctive clause in v. 1 b as circumstantial-causal.


Several medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac Peshitta lack this word.


Heb “all that is in your heart.”


Heb “in a tent and in a dwelling.” The expression is a hendiadys, using two terms to express one idea.


Heb “Did I speak a word?” In the Hebrew text the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question.


Heb “tribes” (so KJV, NASB, NCV), but the parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:6 has “judges.”


Heb “whom I commanded to shepherd” (so NIV, NRSV).


Heb “and from after the sheep.”


Heb “cut off.”


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


Heb “plant.”


Heb “shaken.”


Heb “the sons of violence.”


In the Hebrew text the verb is apparently perfect with vav consecutive, which would normally suggest a future sense (“he will declare”; so the LXX, ἀπαγγελεῖ [ apangelei ]). But the context seems instead to call for a present or past nuance (“he declares” or “he has declared”). The synoptic passage in 1 Chr 17:10 has וָאַגִּד ( va ’ aggid , “and I declared”). The construction used in 2 Sam 7:11 highlights this important statement.


Heb “the Lord .”


Heb “house,” but used here in a metaphorical sense, referring to a royal dynasty. Here the Lord ’s use of the word plays off the literal sense that David had in mind as he contemplated building a temple for the Lord . To reflect this in the English translation the adjective “dynastic” has been supplied.


Heb , “when your days are full and you lie down with your ancestors.”


Heb “your seed after you who comes out from your insides.”


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


Heb “before you.” A few medieval Hebrew mss read instead “before me,” which makes better sense contextually. (See also the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta.) The MT reading is probably the result of dittography (note the כ [ kaf ] at the beginning of the next form), with the extra כ then being interpreted as a pronominal suffix.


Heb “throne.”


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 Lord God, so you spoke concerning the house of your servant for a distance.”


Heb “and this [is] the law of man”; KJV “is this the manner of man, O Lord God?”; NAB “this too you have shown to man”; NRSV “May this be instruction for the people, O Lord God!” This part of the verse is very enigmatic; no completely satisfying solution has yet been suggested. The present translation tries to make sense of the MT by understanding the phrase as a question that underscores the uniqueness of God’s dealings with David as described here. The parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:17 reads differently (see the note there).


Heb “and you know your servant.” The verb here refers to recognizing another in a special way and giving them special treatment (see 1 Chr 17:18 ). Some English versions take this to refer to the Lord’s knowledge of David himself: CEV “you know my thoughts”; NLT “know what I am really like.”


Heb “for the sake of your word and according to your heart.”


Heb “to make known, your servant.”


Heb “in all which we heard with our ears.” The phrase translated “in all” בְּכֹל ( bÿkhol ) should probably be emended to “according to all” כְּכֹל ( kÿkhol ).


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.


The verb is plural in Hebrew, agreeing grammatically with the divine name, which is a plural of degree.


Heb “redeem.”


Heb “and to do for you [plural form] the great [thing] and awesome [things] for your land.”


Heb “from Egypt, nations and their gods.” The LXX has “nations and tents,” which reflects a mistaken metathesis of letters in אֶלֹהָיו ( e ’ lohav , “its gods”) and אֹהָלָיו (’ ohalav , “its tents”).


Heb “and you established for yourself your people Israel for yourself for a people permanently.”


Heb “and now, O Lord God, the word which you spoke concerning your servant and concerning his house, establish permanently.”


Heb “as you have spoken.”


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.


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


Heb “the house.” See the note on “dynastic house” in the following verse.


Heb “have uncovered the ear of.”


Heb “a house.” This maintains the wordplay from v. 11 (see the note on the word “house” there) and is continued in v. 29 .


Heb “has found his heart.”


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


The translation understands the prefixed verb form as a jussive, indicating David’s wish/prayer. Another option is to take the form as an imperfect and translate “your words are true.”


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


Heb “house” (again later in this verse). See the note on “dynastic house” in v. 27 .


Or “permanently”; cf. NLT “it is an eternal blessing.”


Heb “the bridle of one cubit.” Many English versions treat this as a place name because the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:1 reads “Gath” (which is used by NLT here). It is possible that “the bridle of one cubit” is to be understood as “the token of surrender,” referring to the Philistine’s defeat rather than a specific place (cf. TEV, CEV).


Heb “from the hand [i.e., control] of the Philistines.”


Heb “and he measured [with] two [lengths] of rope to put to death and [with] the fullness of the rope to keep alive.”


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


The LXX has ἐπιστῆσαι ( episthsai , “cause to stand”). See the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:3 .


Heb “hand.”


The MT does not have the name “Euphrates” in the text. It is supplied in the margin ( Qere ) as one of ten places where the Masoretes believed that something was “to be read although it was not written” in the text as they had received it. The ancient versions (LXX, Syriac Peshitta, Vulgate) include the word. See also the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:3 .


The LXX has “one thousand chariots and seven thousand charioteers,” a reading adopted in the text of the NIV. See the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:4 .


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


Or “delivered.”


Or “wherever he went.”


. For a reconstruction of this poorly preserved Qumran text see E. C. Ulrich, Jr., The Qumran Text of Samuel and Josephus (HSM), 45-48. For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


Heb “Betah” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV), but the name should probably be corrected to “Tebah.” See the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:8 .


The name is spelled “Tou” in the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:9 . NIV adopts the spelling “Tou” here.


Heb “Toi.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun in the translation for stylistic reasons.


The name appears as “Hadoram” in the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:10 .


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 Toi.”


Heb “and in his hand were items of silver and items of gold and items of bronze.”


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


Heb “with the silver and the gold that he had dedicated from.”


Heb “from.”


The present translation follows the MT; a few Hebrew mss along with the LXX and Syriac read “Edom” (cf. 2 Sam 8:14 and 1 Chr 18:11 ). Many modern English versions read “Edom” here (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).


Heb “and from the plunder of.”


Heb “made a name.”


So NASB, NCV; NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “Edomites” (see the note on “Aram” in v. 12 ).


The words “he defeated” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.


The MT is repetitious here: “He placed in Edom garrisons; in all Edom he placed garrisons.” The Vulgate lacks “in all Edom”; most of the Greek tradition (with the exception of the Lucianic recension and the recension of Origen) and the Syriac Peshitta lack “he placed garrisons.” The MT reading appears here to be the result of a conflation of variant readings.


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


Heb “was over.”


Here Ahimelech is called “the son of Abiathar,” but NCV, CEV, and REB reverse this to conform with 1 Sam 22:20 . Most recent English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) retain the order found in the MT.


The translation follows the Syriac Peshitta, Targum, and Vulgate in reading “over,” rather than the simple conjunction that appears in MT. See also the parallel passage in 1 Chr 18:17 .


Heb “house.”


Heb “your servant.”


Heb “sent and took him.”


Heb “he fell on his face and bowed down.”


Heb “Look, your servant.”


Heb “and you will eat food over my table continually.”


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


Heb “What is your servant, that you turn to a dead dog which is like me?”


Heb “work.”


The Hebrew text implies, but does not actually contain, the words “its produce” here.


The words “it will be,” though present in the MT, are absent from the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate.


Heb “and he will eat it.”


Heb “eating.”


Heb “my table.” But the first person reference to David is awkward here since the quotation of David’s words has already been concluded in v. 10 ; nor does the “my” refer to Ziba, since the latter part of v. 11 does not seem to be part of Ziba’s response to the king. The ancient versions are not unanimous in the way that they render the phrase. The LXX has “the table of David” ( τῆς τραπέζης Δαυιδ , th" trapezh" Dauid ); the Syriac Peshitta has “the table of the king” ( patureh demalka ’); the Vulgate has “your table” ( mensam tuam ). The present translation follows the LXX.


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


Heb “reigned in his place.”


Heb “do loyalty.”


Heb “did loyalty.”


Heb “and David sent to console him by the hand of his servants concerning his father.”


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


Heb “Is it not to explore the city and to spy on it and to overthrow it [that] David has sent his servants to you?”


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


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


The words “what had happened” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.


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.”


Heb “the Ammonites.”


Or “Arameans of Beth Rehob and Arameans of Zobah.”


Or perhaps “the men of Tob.” The ancient versions (the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate) understand the name to be “Ish-tob.” It is possible that “Ish” is dittographic and that we should read simply “Tob,” a reading adopted by a number of recent English versions.


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


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 “people.”


Heb “he arranged.”


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 will do what is good in his eyes.”


Heb “and the army which was with him.”


Heb “and Joab returned from against the sons of Ammon and entered.”


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


Heb “were gathered together.”


Heb “and Hadadezer sent and brought out Aram which is.”


Heb “from beyond the River.” The name “Euphrates” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.


Heb “was before them.”


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


Heb “horsemen” (so KJV, NASB, NCV, NRSV, NLT) but the Lucianic recension of the LXX reads “foot soldiers,” as does the parallel text in 1 Chr 19:18 . Cf. NAB, NIV.


Heb “the servants of Hadadezer.”


Heb “and they served them.”


Codex Leningrad (B19A), on which BHS is based, has here “messengers” ( הַמַּלְאכִים , hammal ’ khim ), probably as the result of contamination from the occurrence of that word in v. 4 . The present translation follows most Hebrew mss and the ancient versions, which read “kings” ( הַמֶּלָאכִים , hammela ’ kim ).


Heb “go out.”


Heb “and his servants with him.”


Heb “all Israel.”


The disjunctive clause contrasts David’s inactivity with the army’s activity. map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


Heb “on the roof of the house of the king.” So also in vv. 8, 9 .


The disjunctive clause highlights this observation and builds the tension of the story.


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


Heb “and David sent messengers and he took her.”


Heb “he lay with her” (so NASB, NRSV); TEV “he made love to her”; NIV, CEV, NLT “he slept with her.”


The parenthetical disjunctive clause further heightens the tension by letting the reader know that Bathsheba, having just completed her menstrual cycle, is ripe for conception. See P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 286. Since she just had her period, it will also be obvious to those close to the scene that Uriah, who has been away fighting, cannot be the father of the child.


Heb “concerning the peace of Joab and concerning the peace of the people and concerning the peace of the battle.”


Heb “and wash your feet.”


Heb “and there went out after him the gift of the king.”


The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation lacks the word “all.”


Heb “and lay.”


Heb “as you live and as your soul lives.”


On the chronology involved here see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 287.


Heb “the valiant men.” This refers in context to the strongest or most valiant defenders of the city Joab and the Israelite army were besieging, so the present translation uses “the best enemy soldiers” for clarity.


Heb “some of the people from the servants of David.”


Heb “Joab sent and related to David all the matters of the battle.”


Heb “and came out to us.”


Heb “but we were on them.”


The translation follows the Qere (“your servants”) rather than the Kethib (“your servant”).


Heb “let not this matter be evil in your eyes.”


Heb “according to this and according to this the sword devours.”


Heb “overthrow.”


The Hebrew text does not have “with these words.” They are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.


Heb “for her lord.”


Heb “David sent and gathered her to his house.”


Heb “and the thing which David had done was evil in the eyes of the Lord .” Note the verbal connection with v. 25 . Though David did not regard the matter as evil, the Lord certainly did.


A few medieval Hebrew mss , the LXX, and the Syriac Peshitta add “the prophet.” The words are included in a few modern English version (e.g., TEV, CEV, NLT).


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


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


The Hebrew text repeats “to him.”


Heb “his sons.”


The three Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in this sentence have a customary nuance; they describe past actions that were repeated or typical.


Heb “from his morsel.”


Heb “and on his chest [or perhaps, “lap”] it would lay.”


Heb “came to the rich man.” In the translation “arrived at the rich man’s home” has been used for stylistic reasons.


Heb “and he refused to take from his flock and from his herd to prepare [a meal] for.”


Heb “who had come to him” (also a second time later in this verse). The word “visit” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.


Heb “and prepared.”


Heb “the man doing this [is] a son of death.” See 1 Sam 20:31 for another use of this expression, which must mean “he is as good as dead” or “he deserves to die,” as 1 Sam 20:32 makes clear.


With the exception of the Lucianic recension, the Old Greek translation has here “sevenfold” rather than “fourfold,” a reading that S. R. Driver thought probably to be the original reading (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel , 291). However, Exod 22:1 [21:37 HT] specifies fourfold repayment for a stolen sheep, which is consistent with 2 Sam 12:6 . Some mss of the Targum and the Syriac Peshitta exaggerate the idea to “fortyfold.” tn Heb “the lamb he must repay fourfold because he did this thing and because he did not have compassion.”


Heb “anointed.”


Heb “and the wives of your lord into your chest [or “lap”].” The words “I put” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.


So the Qere ; the Kethib has “his.”


Heb “to you for a wife.” This expression also occurs at the end of v. 10 .


Heb “raise up against you disaster.”


Heb “house” (so NAB, NRSV); NCV, TEV, CEV “family.”


Or “friend.”


Heb “will lie with” (so NIV, NRSV); TEV “will have intercourse with”; CEV, NLT “will go to bed with.”


Heb “in the eyes of this sun.”


Heb “and before the sun.”


Heb “removed.”


The MT has here “because you have caused the enemies of the Lord to treat the Lord with such contempt.” This is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim , or “emendations of the scribes.” According to this ancient tradition, the scribes changed the text in order to soften somewhat the negative light in which David was presented. If that is the case, the MT reflects the altered text. The present translation departs from the MT here. Elsewhere the Piel stem of this verb means “treat with contempt,” but never “cause someone to treat with contempt.”


Heb “and the Lord struck the child…and he was ill.” It is necessary to repeat “the child” in the translation to make clear who became ill, since “the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became very ill” could be understood to mean that David himself became ill.


Heb “sought” or “searched for.”


Heb “and David fasted.”


The three Hebrew verbs that follow in this verse are perfects with prefixed vav . They may describe repeated past actions or actions which accompanied David’s praying and fasting.


Heb “to our voice.”


Heb “he will do harm.” The object is not stated in the Hebrew text. The statement may be intentionally vague, meaning that he might harm himself or them!


Heb “David.” The name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.


For the MT בַּעֲבוּר ( ba ’ avur , “for the sake of”) we should probably read בְּעוֹד ( bÿ ’ od , “while”). See the Lucianic Greek recension, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum.


Heb “said.”


Heb “Who knows?”


Heb “and he lay with her.”


Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity. While some translations render the pronoun as third person plural (“they”), implying that both David and Bathsheba together named the child, it is likely that the name “Solomon,” which is related to the Hebrew word for “peace” (and may be derived from it) had special significance for David, who would have regarded the birth of a second child to Bathsheba as a confirming sign that God had forgiven his sin and was at peace with him.


Heb “him,” referring to the child.


Heb “people.” So also in vv. 29, 31 .


Part of the Greek tradition wrongly understands Hebrew מַלְכָּם ( malkam , “their king”) as a proper name (“Milcom”). Some English versions follow the Greek here, rendering the phrase “the crown of Milcom” (so NRSV; cf. also NAB, CEV). TEV takes this as a reference not to the Ammonite king but to “the idol of the Ammonite god Molech.”


Heb “and its weight [was] a talent of gold.” The weight of this ornamental crown was approximately 75 lbs (34 kg). See P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 313.


Heb “brought out.”


Heb “and so he would do.”


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Heb “Amnon the son of David loved her.” The following verse indicates the extreme nature of his infatuation, so the translation uses “madly in love” here. sn Amnon was the half-brother of Tamar; Absalom was her full blood-brother.


Heb “and there was distress to Amnon so that he made himself sick.”


Heb “and he said to him.”


An more idiomatic translation might be “Why are you of all people…?”


This verb is used in the Hitpael stem only in this chapter of the Hebrew Bible. With the exception of v. 2 it describes not a real sickness but one pretended in order to entrap Tamar. The Hitpael sometimes, as here, describes the subject making oneself appear to be of a certain character. On this use of the stem, see GKC 149-50 §54. e .


Heb “in his sight.”


Heb “the cakes.”


Heb “from upon me.”


A few medieval Hebrew mss have “and they removed everyone” (Hiphil preterite with vav consecutive 3cp, rather than Qal preterite with vav consecutive 3cp).


Heb “lie with me” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); NCV “come and have sexual relations with me.”


Heb “and you will be like one of the fools.”


Heb “Now.”


Heb “to her voice.”


Heb “and he humiliated her and lay with her.”


Heb “and Amnon hated her with very great hatred.”


Heb “for greater was the hatred with which he hated her than the love with which he loved her.”


Heb “No, because this great evil is [worse] than the other which you did with me, by sending me away.” Perhaps the broken syntax reflects her hysteria and outrage.


Heb “send this [one] from upon me to the outside.”


The Hebrew expression used here ( כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים , kÿtonet passim ) is found only here and in Gen 37:3, 23, 32 . Hebrew פַּס ( pas ) can refer to the palm of the hand or the sole of the foot; here the idea is probably that of a long robe reaching to the feet and having sleeves reaching to the wrists. The notion of a “coat of many colors” (KJV, ASV “garment of divers colors”), a familiar translation for the phrase in Genesis, is based primarily on the translation adopted in the LXX χιτῶνα ποικίλον ( citona poikilion ) and does not have a great deal of support.


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


The Hebrew verb is a perfect with nonconsecutive vav , probably indicating an action (locking the door) that complements the preceding one (pushing her out the door).


Heb “Don’t set your heart to this thing!”


The LXX and part of the Old Latin tradition include the following addition to v. 21 , also included in some English versions (e.g., NAB, NRSV, CEV): “But he did not grieve the spirit of Amnon his son, because he loved him, since he was his firstborn.” Note David’s attitude toward his son Adonijah in 1 Kgs 1:6 .


For location see Map1-D2 ; Map2-D3 ; Map3-A2 ; Map4-C1 .


Heb “your servant has sheepshearers.” The phrase “your servant” also occurs at the end of the verse.


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


ויצפר ( vayyitspar , “and he pressed”) rather than the MT וַיִּפְרָץ ( vayyiprats , “and he broke through”). This emended reading seems also to underlie the translations of the LXX ( καὶ ἐβιάσατο , kai ebiasato ), the Syriac Peshitta ( we ’ alseh ), and Vulgate ( cogeret eum ).


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


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


Heb “and not.”


Heb “when good is the heart of Amnon with wine.”


Heb “and become sons of valor.”


Heb “it was placed on the mouth of Absalom.”


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


Heb “behind him.”


Heb “and they lifted their voice and wept.”


Heb “with a great weeping.”


The Hebrew text leaves the word “David” to be inferred. The Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate add the word “David.” Most of the Greek tradition includes the words “King David” here.


in reading רוּחַ הַמֶּלֶךְ ( ruakh hammelekh , “the spirit of the king”) rather than the MT דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ ( david hammelekh , “David the king”). The understanding reflected in the translation above is that David, though alienated during this time from his son Absalom, still had an abiding love and concern for him. He longed for reconciliation with him. A rather different interpretation of the verse supposes that David’s interest in taking military action against Absalom grew slack with the passing of time, and this in turn enabled David’s advisers to encourage him toward reconciliation with Absalom. For the latter view, see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 344, and cf. CEV.


Heb “was consoled over Amnon, because he was dead.”


Heb “the heart of the king was upon.” The Syriac Peshitta adds the verb ’ ethre ’ i (“was reconciled”).


The Hebrew Hitpael verbal form here indicates pretended rather than genuine action.


Heb “these many days.”


Heb “put the words in her mouth” (so NASB, NIV).


The translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וַתַּבֹא ( vattavo ’, “and she went”) rather than the MT וַתֹּאמֶר ( vatto ’ mer , “and she said”). The MT reading shows confusion with וַתֹּאמֶר later in the verse. The emendation suggested here is supported by the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, some mss of the Targum, and Vulgate.


The word “me” is left to be inferred in the Hebrew text; it is present in the Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate.


Heb “What to you?”


Here and elsewhere (vv. 7, 12, 15 a, 17, 19) the woman uses a term which suggests a lower level female servant. She uses the term to express her humility before the king. However, she uses a different term in vv. 15 b-16. See the note at v. 15 for a discussion of the rhetorical purpose of this switch in terminology.


Heb “in exchange for the life.” The Hebrew preposition בְּ ( bÿ , “in”) here is the so-called bet pretii , or bet ( בְּ ) of price, defining the value attached to someone or something.


Heb “concerning you.”


The words “in that case” are not in the Hebrew text, but may be inferred from the context. They are supplied in the translation for the sake of clarification.


Heb “let the king remember.”


Heb “of your son.”


Heb “he devises plans for the one banished from him not to be banished.”


The LXX ( ὄψεταί με , opsetai me ) has misunderstood the Hebrew יֵרְאֻנִי ( yerÿ ’ uni , Piel perfect, “they have made me fearful”), taking the verb to be a form of the verb רָאָה ( ra ’ ah , “to see”) rather than the verb יָרֵא ( yare ’, “to fear”). The fact that the Greek translators were working with an unvocalized Hebrew text (i.e., consonants only) made them very susceptible to this type of error.


Here and in v. 16 the woman refers to herself as the king’s אָמָה (’ amah ), a term that refers to a higher level female servant toward whom the master might have some obligation. Like the other term, this word expresses her humility, but it also suggests that the king might have some obligation to treat her in accordance with the principles of justice.


Or “for.”


Or “will.” The imperfect verbal form can have either an indicative or modal nuance. The use of “perhaps” in v. 15 b suggests the latter here.


Heb “in order to deliver his maid.”


Heb “destroy.”


Heb “from the inheritance of God.” The expression refers to the property that was granted to her family line in the division of the land authorized by God.


Heb “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?”


Heb “to know all that is in the land.”


Many medieval Hebrew mss have “you” rather than “I.”


Heb “blessed.”


The present translation reads with the Qere “your” rather than the MT “his.”


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Heb “turn aside.”


Heb “turned aside.”


Heb “Like Absalom there was not a handsome man in all Israel to boast exceedingly.”


Heb “there was not in him a blemish.”


Heb “for it was heavy upon him.”


Heb “two hundred shekels.” The modern equivalent would be about three pounds (1.4 kg).


Heb “and there were born.”


The LXX adds here the following words: “And she became a wife to Rehoboam the son of Solomon and bore to him Abia.”


The LXX adds here the following words: “And the servants of Absalom burned them up. And the servants of Joab came to him, rending their garments. They said….”


The word “Joab’s” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.


Heb “saying.”


Heb “he.” Joab, acting on behalf of the king, may be the implied subject.


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


Heb “Absalom.” For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.


Heb “acquired for himself.”


Heb “to run ahead of him.”


Heb “your servant.” So also in vv. 8, 15, 21 .


Heb “good and straight.”


Heb “Who will make me?”


Heb “a complaint and a judgment.” The expression is a hendiadys.


Heb “stole the heart.”


Heb “the men.”


The MT has here “forty,” but this is presumably a scribal error for “four.” The context will not tolerate a period of forty years prior to the rebellion of Absalom. The Lucianic Greek recension ( τέσσαρα ἔτη , tessara ete ), the Syriac Peshitta (’ arba ’ sanin ), and Vulgate ( post quattuor autem annos ) in fact have the expected reading “four years.” Most English translations follow the versions in reading “four” here, although some (e.g. KJV, ASV, NASB, NKJV), following the MT, read “forty.”


Heb “for your servant vowed a vow.” The formal court style of referring to one’s self in third person (“your servant”) has been translated here as first person for clarity.


Heb “say.”


Heb “being invited and going naively and they did not know anything.”


Traditionally, “counselor,” but this term is more often associated with psychological counseling today, so “adviser” was used in the translation instead.


Heb “Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, the adviser of David, from his city, from Giloh, while he was sacrificing.” It is not entirely clear who (Absalom or Ahithophel) was offering the sacrifices.


Heb “the heart of the men of Israel is with Absalom.”


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Heb “Arise!”


Heb “let’s flee.”


Heb “thrust.”


Heb “and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”


Heb “according to all that my lord the king will choose, behold your servants!”


Heb “and all his house.”


Heb “women, concubines.”


Heb “and they stood.”


Heb “house.”


Heb “crossing over near his hand.”


Heb “crossing over near the face of.”


The word “new” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation to make it clear that David refers to Absalom, not himself.


Heb “place.”


Heb “brothers,” but see v. 22 .


Heb “loyal love and truth.” The expression is a hendiadys.


Heb “be with.”


Heb “whether for death or for life.”


Heb “Come and cross over.”


Heb “crossed over.”


Heb “all the little ones.”


Heb “with a great voice.”


Heb “crossing over.”


Heb “crossing near the face of.”


Heb “crossing from.”


Heb “as [is] good in his eyes.”


The Greek tradition understands the Hebrew word as an imperative (“see”). Most Greek mss have ἴδετε ( idete ); the Lucianic recension has βλέπε ( blepe ). It could just as well be taken as a question: “Don’t you see what is happening?” The present translation takes the word as a question, with the implication that Zadok is a priest and not a prophet (i.e., “seer”) and therefore unable to know what the future holds.


Heb “And Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar, two of your sons, with you.” The pronominal suffix on the last word is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.


The pronoun is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.


, part of the Greek tradition, the Syriac Peshitta, Targum, and Vulgate uldavid in reading “and to David,” rather than MT וְדָוִד ( vÿdavid , “and David”). As Driver points out, the Hebrew verb הִגִּיד ( higgid , “he related”) never uses the accusative for the person to whom something is told (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel , 316).


Heb “said.”


Heb “cross over.”


Heb “Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be there with you?” The rhetorical question draws attention to the fact that Hushai will not be alone.


Heb “from the house of the king.”


Heb “and you must send by their hand to me every word which you hear.” Both of the second person verb forms are plural with Zadok, Abiathar, and Hushai being the understood subjects.


Heb “a hundred summer fruit.”


Heb “What are these to you?”


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


The Hebrew text adds “to drink.”


Heb “son.”


Heb “my father’s.”


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


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


Heb “man of worthlessness.”


Heb “has brought back upon you.”


Heb “What to me and to you?”


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


Heb “and I will come upon him.”


Heb “exhausted and slack of hands.”


Heb “like the returning of all, the man whom you are seeking.” The LXX reads differently: “And I will return all the people to you the way a bride returns to her husband, except for the life of the one man whom you are seeking.” The other early versions also struggled with this verse. Modern translations are divided as well: the NAB, NRSV, REB, and NLT follow the LXX, while the NASB and NIV follow the Hebrew text.


Heb “all of the people will be safe.”


Heb “elders.”


In the MT the verb is singular, but in the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate it is plural.


Heb “what is in his mouth.”


Heb “Not good is the advice which Ahithophel has advised at this time.”


The LXX (with the exception of the recensions of Origen and Lucian) repeats the description as follows: “Just as a female bear bereft of cubs in a field.”


Heb “that he falls on them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] at the first [encounter]; or “that some of them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] fall at the first [encounter].”


Heb “commanded.”


Heb “send quickly and tell David saying.”


Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV).


That is, “cross over the Jordan River.”


Heb “swallowed up.”


Heb “they”; the referents (Absalom’s men) have been specified in the translation for clarity.


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Heb “they”; the referents (Ahimaaz and Jonathan) have been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “the water.”


Heb “for thus Ahithophel has devised against you.” The expression “thus” is narrative shorthand, referring to the plan outlined by Ahithophel (see vv. 1-3 ). The men would surely have outlined the plan in as much detail as they had been given by the messenger.


The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text here or in v. 24 , but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.


The Greek recensions of Origen and Lucian have here “house” for “grave.”


Heb “come to.”


Heb “and Israel.”


The MT adds “roasted grain” וְקָלִי ( vÿqali ) at the end of v. 28 , apparently accidentally repeating the word from its earlier occurrence in this verse. With the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and an Old Latin ms the translation deletes this second occurrence of the word.


Heb “cheese of the herd,” probably referring to cheese from cow’s milk (rather than goat’s milk).


Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT).


Heb “the people said.”


Heb “march out.”


Heb “they will not place to us heart.”


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


Heb “servants” (also in v. 9 ).


Heb “the.”


Heb “the donkey.”


Heb “between the sky and the ground.”


lacks the word “one.”


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


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


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


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


Heb “weighing out in my hand.”


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


Heb “extend my hand against.”


Heb “in our ears.”


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


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


Heb “stood aloof.”


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


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


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


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


Heb “a pillar.”


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


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


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


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


Heb “the two gates.”


Heb “good news is in his mouth.”


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


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


Heb “Peace.”


Heb “delivered over.”


Heb “lifted their hand against.”


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


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


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


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


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


Heb “with a great voice.”


Heb “came to.”


Heb “today.”


, and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading לוּ ( lu , “if”) rather than MT לֹא ( lo ’, “not”).


The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack “today.”


Heb “and speak to the heart of.”


Heb “all the people.”


The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” (see 18:16-17 ).


Heb “had fled, each to his tent.”


Heb “over us.”


The LXX includes the following words at the end of v. 11 : “And what all Israel was saying came to the king’s attention.” The words are misplaced in the LXX from v. 12 (although the same statement appears there in the LXX as well).


Heb “his house.”


The Hebrew text adds “to his house” (= palace), but the phrase, which also appears earlier in the verse, is probably accidentally repeated here.


Heb “my bone and my flesh.”


Heb “Thus God will do to me and thus he will add.”


The referent of “he” is not entirely clear: cf. NCV “David”; TEV “David’s words”; NRSV, NLT “Amasa.”


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


The Hebrew text has simply “Judah.”


Heb “the king.” The pronoun (“him”) has been used in the translation to avoid redundancy.


Heb “youth.”


Heb “rushed into.”


Though this verb in the MT rd person masculine singular, it should probably be read as 2nd person masculine singular. It is one of fifteen places where the Masoretes placed a dot over each of the letters of the word in question in order to call attention to their suspicion of the word. Their concern in this case apparently had to do with the fact that this verb and the two preceding verbs alternate from third person to second and back again to third. Words marked in this way in Hebrew manuscripts or printed editions are said to have puncta extrordinaria , or “extraordinary points.”


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


The Hebrew text has simply “your servant.”


Heb “what to me and to you.”


Heb “swore to him.”


Heb “son.”


Heb “in peace.” So also in v. 31 .


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


Heb “done his feet.”


Heb “done.”


Heb “your servant.”


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


Heb “father.”


Heb “and you placed your servant among those who eat at your table.”


Heb “to cry out to.”


Heb “take.”


Heb “in peace.”


The MT reading אֶת־בַיַּרְדֵּן (’ et-vayyarden , “in the Jordan”) is odd syntactically. The use of the preposition after the object marker אֶת (’ et ) is difficult to explain. Graphic confusion is likely in the MT; the translation assumes the reading מִיַּרְדֵּן ( miyyarden , “from the Jordan”). Another possibility is to read the definite article on the front of “Jordan” ( הַיַּרְדֵּן , hayyarden ; “the Jordan”).


Heb “great.”


Heb “Like a little your servant will cross the Jordan with the king.”


Heb “to his place.”


The MT in this instance alone spells the name with final ן ( nun , “Kimhan”) rather than as elsewhere with final ם ( mem , “Kimham”). As in most other translations, the conventional spelling (with ם ) has been used here to avoid confusion.


Heb “people.”


The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the Hiphil verb הֶעֱבִירוּ ( he ’ eviru , “they caused to pass over”) rather than the Qal verb וַיְעֱבִרוּ ( vay ’ ÿviru , “they crossed over”) of the MT.


Heb “from the king.”


The translation understands the verb in a desiderative sense, indicating the desire but not necessarily the completed action of the party in question. It is possible, however, that the verb should be given the more common sense of accomplished action, in which case it means here “Why have you cursed us?”


Heb “a man of worthlessness.”


The expression used here יְמִינִי ( yÿmini ) is a short form of the more common “Benjamin.” It appears elsewhere in 1 Sam 9:4 and Esth 2:5 . Cf. 1 Sam 9:1 .


Heb “the shophar” (the ram’s horn trumpet). So also v. 22 .


The MT reads לְאֹהָלָיו ( lÿ ’ ohalav , “to his tents”). For a similar idiom, see 19:9 . An ancient scribal tradition understands the reading to be לְאלֹהָיו ( le ’ lohav , “to his gods”). The word is a tiqqun sopherim , and the scribes indicate that they changed the word from “gods” to “tents” so as to soften its theological implications. In a consonantal Hebrew text the change involved only the metathesis of two letters.


Heb “went up from after.”


Heb “house.”


Heb “and he placed them in a guarded house.”


Heb “he did not come to them”; NAB “has no further relations with them”; NIV “did not lie with them”; TEV “did not have intercourse with them”; NLT “would no longer sleep with them.”


The present translation follows the Masoretic accentuation, with the major mark of disjunction (i.e., the atnach ) placed at the word “days.” However, some scholars have suggested moving the atnach to “Judah” a couple of words earlier. This would yield the following sense: “Three days, and you be present here with them.” The difference in meaning is slight, and the MT is acceptable as it stands.


Heb “find.” The perfect verbal form is unexpected with the preceding word “otherwise.” We should probably read instead the imperfect. Although it is possible to understand the perfect here as indicating that the feared result is thought of as already having taken place (cf. BDB 814 s.v. פֶּן 2), it is more likely that the perfect is simply the result of scribal error. In this context the imperfect would be more consistent with the following verb וְהִצִּיל ( vÿhitsil , “and he will get away”).


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


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


Heb “and he did not repeat concerning him, and he died.”


Heb “takes delight in.”


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


Heb “he”; the referent (the man who spoke up in v. 11 ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “Amasa.” For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.


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


In keeping with the form of the name in v. 15 , the translation deletes the “and” found in the MT.


The translation follows the Qere , many medieval Hebrew mss , and the ancient versions in reading וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ ( vayyiqqahalu , “and they were gathered together”) rather than the Kethib of the MT וַיִּקְלֻהוּ ( vayyiqluhu , “and they cursed him”). The Kethib is the result of metathesis.


Heb “they.” The following context makes it clear that this refers to Joab and his army.


The LXX has here ἐνοοῦσαν ( enoousan , “were devising”), which apparently presupposes the Hebrew word מַחֲשָׁבִים ( makhashavim ) rather than the MT מַשְׁחִיתִם ( mashkhitim , “were destroying”). With a number of other scholars Driver thinks that the Greek variant may preserve the original reading, but this seems to be an unnecessary conclusion (but see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel , 346).


Heb “a city and a mother.” The expression is a hendiadys, meaning that this city was an important one in Israel and had smaller cities dependent on it.


Heb “Far be it, far be it from me.” The expression is clearly emphatic, as may be seen in part by the repetition. P. K. McCarter, however, understands it to be coarser than the translation adopted here. He renders it as “I’ll be damned if…” ( II Samuel [AB], 426, 429), which (while it is not a literal translation) may not be too far removed from the way a soldier might have expressed himself.


Heb “lifted his hand.”


Heb “Look!”


Heb “they”; the referent (Joab’s men) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


Heb “his tents.”


Heb “Adoram” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV, CEV), but see 1 Kgs 4:6; 5:14 .


Heb “was over the forced labor.”


Heb “priest for David.” KJV (“a chief ruler about David”) and ASV (“chief minister unto David”) regarded this office as political.


Heb “sought the face of the Lord .”


Heb “and the house of bloodshed.”


Heb “swore an oath to.”


After the preceding imperfect verbal form, the subordinated imperative indicates purpose/result. S. R. Driver comments, “…the imper. is used instead of the more normal voluntative, for the purpose of expressing with somewhat greater force the intention of the previous verb” (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel , 350).


The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew mss in reading לָנוּ ( lanu , “to us”) rather than the MT לִי ( li , “to me”). But for a contrary opinion see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel , 53, 350.


Heb “house.”


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


The exact nature of this execution is not altogether clear. The verb יָקַע ( yaqa ’) basically means “to dislocate” or “alienate.” In Gen 32:26 it is used of the dislocation of Jacob’s thigh. Figuratively it can refer to the removal of an individual from a group (e.g., Jer 6:8 ; Ezek 23:17 ) or to a type of punishment the specific identity of which is uncertain (e.g., here and Num 25:4 ); cf. NAB “dismember them”; NIV “to be killed and exposed.”


The LXX reads “at Gibeon on the mountain of the Lord ” (cf. 21:9 ). The present translation follows the MT, although a number of recent English translations follow the LXX reading here (e.g., NAB, NRSV, NLT).


The MT reads “Michal” here, but two Hebrew manuscripts read “Merab,” along with some LXX manuscripts. Cf. 1 Sam 18:19 .


The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew mss in reading שְׁבַעְתָּם ( shÿva ’ tam , “the seven of them”) rather than MT שִׁבַעְתִּים ( shiva ’ tim , “seventy”).


Heb “fell.”


The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading בִּתְחִלַּת ( bithkhillat , “in the beginning”) rather than MT תְחִלַּת ( tÿkhillat , “beginning of”).


Heb “until water was poured on them from the sky.”


Heb “rest.”


Heb “the beasts of the field.”


Heb “David.” For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation.


Heb “the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son.” See also v. 13 .


Heb “lords.”


Heb “stolen.”


Against the MT, this word is better read without the definite article. The MT reading is probably here the result of wrong word division, with the letter ה ( he ) belonging with the preceding word שָׁם ( sham ) as the he directive (i.e., שָׁמָּה , samah , “to there”).


Heb “had hung them.”


Heb “in the day.”


Heb “Philistines.”


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


Many medieval Hebrew mss have here כְּכֹל ( kÿkhol , “according to all”).


Heb “was entreated.” The verb is an example of the so-called niphal tolerativum , with the sense that God allowed himself to be supplicated through prayer (cf. GKC 137 §51. c ).


Heb “his servants.”


This name has the definite article and may be intended to refer to a group of people rather than a single individual with this name.


This is the only occurrence of this Hebrew word in the OT. Its precise meaning is therefore somewhat uncertain. As early as the LXX the word was understood to refer to a “spear,” and this seems to be the most likely possibility. Some scholars have proposed emending the text of 2 Sam 21:16 to כוֹבַעוֹ ( khova ’ o ; “his helmet”), but in spite of the fact that the word “helmet” appears in 1 Sam 17:5 , there is not much evidence for reading that word here.


Either the word “shekels” should be supplied here, or the Hebrew word מִשְׁקַל ( mishqal , “weight”) right before “bronze” is a corrupted form of the word for shekel. If the latter is the case the problem probably resulted from another occurrence of the word מִשְׁקַל just four words earlier in the verse. sn Three hundred bronze shekels would have weighed about 7.5 pounds (3.4 kg).


The Hebrew text reads simply “a new [thing],” prompting one to ask “A new what ?” Several possibilities have been proposed to resolve the problem: perhaps a word has dropped out of the Hebrew text here; or perhaps the word “new” is the result of misreading a different, less common, word; or perhaps a word (e.g., “sword,” so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, CEV, NLT) is simply to be inferred. The translation generally follows the latter possibility, while at the same time being deliberately nonspecific (“weapon”).