2 Samuel 1:22

1:22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of warriors,

the bow of Jonathan was not turned away.

The sword of Saul never returned ¹  empty.

2 Samuel 3:34

3:34 Your hands ²  were not bound,

and your feet were not put into irons.

You fell the way one falls before criminals.”

All the people ³  wept over him again.

2 Samuel 14:24-25

14:24 But the king said, “Let him go over ⁴  to his own house. He may not see my face.” So Absalom went over ⁵  to his own house; he did not see the king’s face.

14:25 Now in all Israel everyone acknowledged that there was no man as handsome as Absalom. ⁶  From the sole of his feet to the top of his head he was perfect in appearance. ⁷ 

2 Samuel 16:18

16:18 Hushai replied to Absalom, “No, I will be loyal to the one whom the Lord, these people, and all the men of Israel have chosen. ⁸ 

¹ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form is used here to indicate repeated past action.

² tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew manuscripts and several ancient versions in reading “your hands,” rather than “your hand.”

³ tc 4QSam^a lacks the words “all the people.”

³ tn Heb “turn aside.”

⁴ tn Heb “turned aside.”

⁴ tn Heb “Like Absalom there was not a handsome man in all Israel to boast exceedingly.”

⁵ tn Heb “there was not in him a blemish.”

⁵ tn 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.