21:1 During David’s reign there was a famine for three consecutive years. So David inquired of the Lord. 11 The Lord said, “It is because of Saul and his bloodstained family, 12 because he murdered the Gibeonites.”
1 tn Heb “and he struck him down there [in] the stomach.”
2 tn Heb “and he [i.e., Abner] died on account of the blood of Asahel his [i.e., Joab’s] brother.”
3 tn Heb “on his bed.”
4 tn See HALOT 146 s.v. II בער. Some derive the verb from a homonym meaning “to burn; to consume.”
5 tn 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.
6 tn Heb “let the king remember.”
7 tn Heb “of your son.”
7 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Amasa) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man who spoke up in v. 11) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn Heb “Amasa.” For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.
9 tn Heb “sought the face of the
10 tn Heb “and the house of bloodshed.”