2 Samuel 1:2

1:2 On the third day a man arrived from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. ¹  When he approached David, the man ²  threw himself to the ground. ³ 

2 Samuel 1:21

1:21 O mountains of Gilboa,

may there be no dew or rain on you, nor fields of grain offerings! ⁴ 

For it was there that the shield of warriors was defiled; ⁵ 

the shield of Saul lies neglected without oil. ⁶ 

2 Samuel 2:4

2:4 The men of Judah came and there they anointed David as king over the people ⁷  of Judah.

David was told, ⁸  “The people ⁹  of Jabesh Gilead are the ones who buried Saul.”

2 Samuel 2:10

2:10 Ish-bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he began to rule over Israel. He ruled two years. However, the people ¹⁰  of Judah followed David.

2 Samuel 2:24

2:24 So Joab and Abishai chased Abner. At sunset they came to the hill of Ammah near Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

2 Samuel 3:29

3:29 May his blood whirl over ¹¹  the head of Joab and the entire house of his father! ¹²  May the males of Joab’s house ¹³  never cease to have ¹⁴  someone with a running sore or a skin disease or one who works at the spindle ¹⁵  or one who falls by the sword or one who lacks food!”

2 Samuel 4:2

4:2 Now Saul’s son ¹⁶  had two men who were in charge of raiding units; one was named Baanah and the other Recab. They were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, who was a Benjaminite. (Beeroth is regarded as belonging to Benjamin,

2 Samuel 4:7

4:7 They had entered ¹⁷  the house while Ish-bosheth ¹⁸  was resting on his bed in his bedroom. They mortally wounded him ¹⁹  and then cut off his head. ²⁰  Taking his head, ²¹  they traveled on the way of the Arabah all that night.

2 Samuel 4:11-12

4:11 Surely when wicked men have killed an innocent man as he slept ²²  in his own house, should I not now require his blood from your hands and remove ²³  you from the earth?”

4:12 So David issued orders to the soldiers and they put them to death. Then they cut off their hands and feet and hung them ²⁴  near the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth ²⁵  and buried it in the tomb of Abner ²⁶  in Hebron. ²⁷ 

2 Samuel 5:3

5:3 When all the leaders ²⁸  of Israel came to the king at Hebron, King David made an agreement with them ²⁹  in Hebron before the Lord. They designated ³⁰  David as king over Israel.

2 Samuel 5:8

5:8 David said on that day, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites must approach the ‘lame’ and the ‘blind’ who are David’s enemies ³¹  by going through the water tunnel.” ³²  For this reason it is said, “The blind and the lame cannot enter the palace.” ³³ 

2 Samuel 5:17

Conflict with the Philistines

5:17 When the Philistines heard that David had been designated ³⁴  king over Israel, they all ³⁵  went up to search for David. When David heard about it, he went down to the fortress.

2 Samuel 5:20

5:20 So David marched against Baal Perazim and defeated them there. Then he said, “The Lord has burst out against my enemies like water bursts out.” So he called the name of that place Baal Perazim. ³⁶ 

2 Samuel 6:2

6:2 David and all the men who were with him traveled ³⁷  to ³⁸  Baalah ³⁹  in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the name ⁴⁰  of the Lord of hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim that are on it.

2 Samuel 7:11

7:11 and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. Instead, I will give you relief ⁴¹  from all your enemies. The Lord declares ⁴²  to you that he himself ⁴³  will build a dynastic house ⁴⁴  for you.

2 Samuel 7:27

7:27 for you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have told ⁴⁵  your servant, ‘I will build you a dynastic house.’ ⁴⁶  That is why your servant has had the courage ⁴⁷  to pray this prayer to you.

2 Samuel 9:7

9:7 David said to him, “Don’t be afraid, because I will certainly extend kindness to you for the sake of Jonathan your father. You will be a regular guest at my table.” ⁴⁸ 

2 Samuel 9:10-11

9:10 You will cultivate ⁴⁹  the land for him – you and your sons and your servants. You will bring its produce ⁵⁰  and it will be ⁵¹  food for your master’s grandson to eat. ⁵²  But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will be a regular guest at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

9:11 Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do everything that my lord the king has instructed his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth was a regular guest ⁵³  at David’s table, ⁵⁴  just as though he were one of the king’s sons.

2 Samuel 11:1

David Commits Adultery with Bathsheba

11:1 In the spring of the year, at the time when kings ⁵⁵  normally conduct wars, ⁵⁶  David sent out Joab with his officers ⁵⁷  and the entire Israelite army. ⁵⁸  They defeated the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed behind in Jerusalem. ⁵⁹ 

2 Samuel 11:20

11:20 if the king becomes angry and asks you, ‘Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you realize they would shoot from the wall?

2 Samuel 12:7

12:7 Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I chose ⁶⁰  you to be king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul.

2 Samuel 12:11

12:11 This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on you ⁶¹  from inside your own household! ⁶²  Right before your eyes I will take your wives and hand them over to your companion. ⁶³  He will have sexual relations with ⁶⁴  your wives in broad daylight! ⁶⁵ 

2 Samuel 13:5

13:5 Jonadab replied to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. ⁶⁶  When your father comes in to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come in so she can fix some food for me. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I can watch. Then I will eat from her hand.’”

2 Samuel 13:22

13:22 But Absalom said nothing to Amnon, either bad or good, yet Absalom hated Amnon because he had humiliated his sister Tamar.

2 Samuel 13:25

13:25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son. We shouldn’t all go. We shouldn’t burden you in that way.” Though Absalom ⁶⁷  pressed ⁶⁸  him, the king ⁶⁹  was not willing to go. Instead, David ⁷⁰  blessed him.

2 Samuel 14:2

14:2 So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He told her, “Pretend to be in mourning ⁷¹  and put on garments for mourning. Don’t anoint yourself with oil. Instead, act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for some time. ⁷² 

2 Samuel 14:26

14:26 When he would shave his head – at the end of every year he used to shave his head, for it grew too long ⁷³  and he would shave it – he used to weigh the hair of his head at three pounds ⁷⁴  according to the king’s weight.

2 Samuel 14:33

14:33 So Joab went to the king and informed him. The king ⁷⁵  summoned Absalom, and he came to the king. Absalom ⁷⁶  bowed down before the king with his face toward the ground and the king kissed him. ⁷⁷ 

2 Samuel 15:14

15:14 So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, ⁷⁸  “Come on! ⁷⁹  Let’s escape! ⁸⁰  Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom! Go immediately, or else he will quickly overtake us and bring ⁸¹  disaster on us and kill the city’s residents with the sword.” ⁸² 

2 Samuel 15:20

15:20 It seems like you arrived just yesterday. Today should I make you wander around by going with us? I go where I must go. But as for you, go back and take your men ⁸³  with you. May genuine loyal love ⁸⁴  protect ⁸⁵  you!”

2 Samuel 15:23

15:23 All the land was weeping loudly ⁸⁶  as all these people were leaving. ⁸⁷  As the king was crossing over the Kidron Valley, all the people were leaving ⁸⁸  on the road that leads to the desert.

2 Samuel 16:1

David Receives Gifts from Ziba

16:1 When David had gone a short way beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a couple of donkeys that were saddled, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred raisin cakes, a hundred baskets of summer fruit, ⁸⁹  and a container of wine.

2 Samuel 16:8

16:8 The Lord has punished you for ⁹⁰  all the spilled blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you rule. Now the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. Disaster has overtaken you, for you are a man of bloodshed!”

2 Samuel 17:21

17:21 After the men had left, Ahimaaz and Jonathan ⁹¹  climbed out of the well. Then they left and informed King David. They advised David, “Get up and cross the stream ⁹²  quickly, for Ahithophel has devised a plan to catch you.” ⁹³ 

2 Samuel 17:25

17:25 Absalom had made Amasa general in command of the army in place of Joab. (Now Amasa was the son of an Israelite man named Jether, who had married ⁹⁴  Abigail the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.)

2 Samuel 18:5

18:5 The king gave this order to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake deal gently with the young man Absalom.” Now the entire army was listening when the king gave all the leaders this order concerning Absalom.

2 Samuel 18:9

18:9 Then Absalom happened to come across David’s men. Now as Absalom was riding on his ⁹⁵  mule, it ⁹⁶  went under the branches of a large oak tree. His head got caught in the oak and he was suspended in midair, ⁹⁷  while the mule he had been riding kept going.

2 Samuel 18:11

18:11 Joab replied to the man who was telling him this, “What! You saw this? Why didn’t you strike him down right on the spot? ⁹⁸  I would have given you ten pieces of silver ⁹⁹  and a commemorative belt!” ¹⁰⁰ 

2 Samuel 18:17-18

18:17 They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and stacked a huge pile of stones over him. In the meantime all the Israelite soldiers fled to their homes. ¹⁰¹ 

18:18 Prior to this ¹⁰²  Absalom had set up a monument ¹⁰³  and dedicated it to himself in the King’s Valley, reasoning “I have no son who will carry on my name.” He named the monument after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom’s Memorial.

2 Samuel 18:20

18:20 But Joab said to him, “You will not be a bearer of good news today. You will bear good news some other day, but not today, ¹⁰⁴  for the king’s son is dead.”

2 Samuel 18:32-33

18:32 The king asked the Cushite, “How is the young man Absalom?” The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who have plotted against you ¹⁰⁵  be like that young man!”

18:33 (19:1) ¹⁰⁶  The king then became very upset. He went up to the upper room over the gate and wept. As he went he said, “My son, Absalom! My son, my son, ¹⁰⁷  Absalom! If only I could have died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!” ¹⁰⁸ 

2 Samuel 19:9

19:9 All the people throughout all the tribes of Israel were arguing among themselves saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies. He rescued us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled from the land because of Absalom.

2 Samuel 19:22

19:22 But David said, “What do we have in common, ¹⁰⁹  you sons of Zeruiah? You are like my enemy today! Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t you realize that today I am king over Israel?”

2 Samuel 19:26

19:26 He replied, “My lord the king, my servant deceived me! I ¹¹⁰  said, ‘Let me get my donkey saddled so that I can ride on it and go with the king,’ for I ¹¹¹  am lame.

2 Samuel 20:15

20:15 So Joab’s men ¹¹²  came and laid siege against him in Abel of Beth Maacah. They prepared a siege ramp outside the city which stood against its outer rampart. As all of Joab’s soldiers were trying to break through ¹¹³  the wall so that it would collapse,

2 Samuel 20:22

20:22 Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice and they cut off Sheba’s head and threw it out to Joab. Joab ¹¹⁴  blew the trumpet, and his men ¹¹⁵  dispersed from the city, each going to his own home. ¹¹⁶  Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 21:1

The Gibeonites Demand Revenge

21:1 During David’s reign there was a famine for three consecutive years. So David inquired of the Lord. ¹¹⁷  The Lord said, “It is because of Saul and his bloodstained family, ¹¹⁸  because he murdered the Gibeonites.”

2 Samuel 23:8

David’s Warriors

23:8 These are the names of David’s warriors:

Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was head of the officers. ¹¹⁹  He killed eight hundred men with his spear in one battle. ¹²⁰ 

2 Samuel 23:18

23:18 Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was head of the three. ¹²¹  He killed three hundred men with his spear and gained fame among the three. ¹²² 

2 Samuel 24:4

24:4 But the king’s edict stood, despite the objections of ¹²³  Joab and the leaders of the army. So Joab and the leaders of the army left the king’s presence in order to muster the Israelite army.

2 Samuel 24:21

24:21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David replied, “To buy from you the threshing floor so I can build an altar for the Lord, so that the plague may be removed from the people.”

[1:2]  ¹ sn Tearing one’s clothing and throwing dirt on one’s head were outward expressions of grief in the ancient Near East, where such demonstrable reactions were a common response to tragic news.

[1:2]  ² tn 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.

[1:2]  ³ tn Heb “he fell to the ground and did obeisance.”

[1:21]  ⁴ tc 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”).

[1:21]  ⁵ tn 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.

[1:21]  ⁶ tc 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.

[2:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “house.”

[2:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “and they told David.” The subject appears to be indefinite, allowing one to translate the verb as passive with David as subject.

[2:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “men.”

[2:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “house.”

[3:29]  ¹¹ tn 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.

[3:29]  ¹² tc 4QSam^a has “of Joab” rather than “of his father” read by the MT.

[3:29]  ¹³ tn 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.

[3:29]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and may there not be cut off from the house of Joab.”

[3:29]  ¹⁵ tn 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).

[4:2]  ¹⁶ tc 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.

[4:7]  ¹⁷ tn 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.

[4:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ish-bosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:7]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “they struck him down and killed him.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.

[4:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and they removed his head.” The Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate lack these words.

[4:7]  ²¹ tc The Lucianic Greek recension lacks the words “his head.”

[4:11]  ²² tn Heb “on his bed.”

[4:11]  ²³ tn See HALOT 146 s.v. II בער. Some derive the verb from a homonym meaning “to burn; to consume.”

[4:12]  ²⁴ tn 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.”

[4:12]  ²⁵ tc 4QSam^a mistakenly reads “Mephibosheth” here.

[4:12]  ²⁶ tc The LXX adds “the son of Ner” by conformity with common phraseology elsewhere.

[4:12]  ²⁷ tc Some mss of the LXX lack the phrase “in Hebron.”

[5:3]  ²⁸ tn Heb “elders.”

[5:3]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and the king, David, cut for them a covenant.”

[5:3]  ³⁰ tn Heb “anointed.”

[5:8]  ³¹ tc There is some confusion among the witnesses concerning this word. The Kethib is the Qal perfect 3cp שָׂנְאוּ (sanÿ’u, “they hated”), referring to the Jebusites’ attitude toward David. The Qere is the Qal passive participle construct plural שְׂנֻאֵי (sÿnu’e, “hated”), referring to David’s attitude toward the Jebusites. 4QSam^a 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.

[5:8]  ³² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term has been debated. For a survey of various views, see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 139-40.

[5:8]  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.”

[5:8]  ³³ tn Heb “the house.” TEV takes this as a reference to the temple (“the Lord’s house”).

[5:17]  ³⁴ tn Heb “anointed.”

[5:17]  ³⁵ tn Heb “all the Philistines.”

[5:20]  ³⁶ tn The name means “Lord of the outbursts.”

[6:2]  ³⁷ tn Heb “arose and went.”

[6:2]  ³⁸ tn Heb “from,” but the following context indicates they traveled to this location.

[6:2]  ³⁹ tn This is another name for Kiriath-jearim (see 1 Chr 13:6).

[6:2]  ⁴⁰ tc 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.

[7:11]  ⁴¹ tn Or “rest.”

[7:11]  ⁴² tn 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.

[7:11]  ⁴³ tn Heb “the Lord.”

[7:11]  ⁴⁴ tn 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.

[7:27]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “have uncovered the ear of.”

[7:27]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “a house.” This maintains the wordplay from v. 11 (see the note on the word “house” there) and is continued in v. 29.

[7:27]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “has found his heart.”

[9:7]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and you will eat food over my table continually.”

[9:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “work.”

[9:10]  ⁵⁰ tn The Hebrew text implies, but does not actually contain, the words “its produce” here.

[9:10]  ⁵¹ tc The words “it will be,” though present in the MT, are absent from the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate.

[9:10]  ⁵² tn Heb “and he will eat it.”

[9:11]  ⁵³ tn Heb “eating.”

[9:11]  ⁵⁴ tc 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.

[11:1]  ⁵⁵ tc 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).

[11:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “go out.”

[11:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “and his servants with him.”

[11:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “all Israel.”

[11:1]  ⁵⁹ tn The disjunctive clause contrasts David’s inactivity with the army’s activity.

[11:1]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[12:7]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “anointed.”

[12:11]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “raise up against you disaster.”

[12:11]  ⁶² tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NRSV); NCV, TEV, CEV “family.”

[12:11]  ⁶³ tn Or “friend.”

[12:11]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “will lie with” (so NIV, NRSV); TEV “will have intercourse with”; CEV, NLT “will go to bed with.”

[12:11]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “in the eyes of this sun.”

[13:5]  ⁶⁶ tn 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.

[13:25]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:25]  ⁶⁸ tc Here and in v. 27 the translation follows 4QSam^a 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).

[13:25]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:25]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:2]  ⁷¹ tn The Hebrew Hitpael verbal form here indicates pretended rather than genuine action.

[14:2]  ⁷² tn Heb “these many days.”

[14:26]  ⁷³ tn Heb “for it was heavy upon him.”

[14:26]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “two hundred shekels.” The modern equivalent would be about three pounds (1.4 kg).

[14:33]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “he.” Joab, acting on behalf of the king, may be the implied subject.

[14:33]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:33]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “Absalom.” For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.

[15:14]  ⁷⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[15:14]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “Arise!”

[15:14]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “let’s flee.”

[15:14]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “thrust.”

[15:14]  ⁸² tn Heb “and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

[15:20]  ⁸³ tn Heb “brothers,” but see v. 22.

[15:20]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “loyal love and truth.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[15:20]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “be with.”

[15:23]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “with a great voice.”

[15:23]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “crossing over.”

[15:23]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “crossing near the face of.”

[16:1]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “a hundred summer fruit.”

[16:8]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “has brought back upon you.”

[17:21]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “they”; the referents (Ahimaaz and Jonathan) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:21]  ⁹² tn Heb “the water.”

[17:21]  ⁹³ tn 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.

[17:25]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “come to.”

[18:9]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “the.”

[18:9]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “the donkey.”

[18:9]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “between the sky and the ground.”

[18:11]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “Why did you not strike him down there to the ground.”

[18:11]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “ten [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 4 ounces (114 grams) of silver by weight.

[18:11]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “and a girdle” (so KJV); NIV “a warrior’s belt”; CEV “a special belt”; NLT “a hero’s belt.”

[18:17]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “and all Israel fled, each to his tent.” In this context this refers to the supporters of Absalom (see vv. 6-7, 16).

[18:18]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “and.” This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) describes an occurrence that preceded the events just narrated.

[18:18]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “a pillar.”

[18:20]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “but this day you will not bear good news.”

[18:32]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “and all those rising against you for evil.”

[18:33]  ¹⁰⁶ sn This marks the beginning of ch. 19 in the Hebrew text. Beginning with 18:33, the verse numbers through 19:43 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 18:33 ET = 19:1 HT, 19:1 ET = 19:2 HT, 19:2 ET = 19:3 HT, etc., through 19:43 ET = 19:44 HT. From 20:1 the versification in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible is again the same.

[18:33]  ¹⁰⁷ tc One medieval Hebrew ms, some mss of the LXX, and the Vulgate lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.

[18:33]  ¹⁰⁸ tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.

[19:22]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “what to me and to you.”

[19:26]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “your servant.”

[19:26]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “your servant.”

[20:15]  ¹¹² tn Heb “they.” The following context makes it clear that this refers to Joab and his army.

[20:15]  ¹¹³ tc 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).

[20:22]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:22]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Joab’s men) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:22]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “his tents.”

[21:1]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “sought the face of the Lord.”

[21:1]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “and the house of bloodshed.”

[23:8]  ¹¹⁹ tn The Hebrew word is sometimes rendered as “the three,” but BDB is probably correct in taking it to refer to military officers (BDB 1026 s.v. שְׁלִישִׁי). In that case the etymological connection of this word to the Hebrew numerical adjective for “three” can be explained as originating with a designation for the third warrior in a chariot.

[23:8]  ¹²⁰ tc The translation follows some LXX mss (see 1 Chr 11:11 as well) in reading הוּא עוֹרֵר אֶת־חֲנִיתוֹ (hu’ ’orer ’et khanito, “he raised up his spear”) rather than the MT’s הוּא עֲדִינוֹ הָעֶצְנִי (hu’ ’adino ha’etsni [Kethib = הָעֶצְנוֹ, ha’etsno]; “Adino the Ezenite”). The emended text reads literally “he was wielding his spear against eight hundred, [who were] slain at one time.”

[23:18]  ¹²¹ tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and Vulgate in reading הַשְּׁלֹשָׁה (hashÿlosa, “the three”) rather than the Kethib of the MT הַשָּׁלִשִׁי (hashalisi, “the third,” or “adjutant”). Two medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac Peshitta have “thirty.”

[23:18]  ¹²² tn Heb “and he was wielding his spear against three hundred, [who were] slain, and to him there was a name among the three.”

[24:4]  ¹²³ tn Heb “and the word of the king was stronger than.”