2 Samuel 6:1

David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem

6:1 David again assembled ¹  all the best ²  men in Israel, thirty thousand in number.

2 Samuel 3:38

3:38 Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not realize that a great leader ³  has fallen this day in Israel?

2 Samuel 10:9

10:9 When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of Israel’s best men and deployed them against the Arameans. ⁴ 

2 Samuel 13:12

13:12 But she said to him, “No, my brother! Don’t humiliate me! This just isn’t done in Israel! Don’t do this foolish thing!

2 Samuel 20:19

20:19 I represent the peaceful and the faithful in Israel. You are attempting to destroy an important city ⁵  in Israel. Why should you swallow up the Lord’s inheritance?”

2 Samuel 24:1

David Displeases the Lord by Taking a Census

24:1 The Lord’s anger again raged against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go count Israel and Judah.” ⁶ 

2 Samuel 24:15

24:15 So the Lord sent a plague through Israel from the morning until the completion of the appointed time. Seventy thousand men died from Dan to Beer Sheba.

2 Samuel 13:13

13:13 How could I ever be rid of my humiliation? And you would be considered one of the fools ⁷  in Israel! Just ⁸  speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.”

2 Samuel 19:22

19:22 But David said, “What do we have in common, ⁹  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 21:4

21:4 The Gibeonites said to him, “We ¹⁰  have no claim to silver or gold from Saul or from his family, ¹¹  nor would we be justified in putting to death anyone in Israel.” David asked, ¹²  “What then are you asking me to do for you?”

¹ tn 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.

² tn Or “chosen.”

³ tn Heb “a leader and a great one.” The expression is a hendiadys.

⁵ tn Heb “and Joab saw that the face of the battle was to him before and behind and he chose from all the best in Israel and arranged to meet Aram.”

⁷ tn 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.

⁹ sn The parallel text in 1 Chr 21:1 says, “An adversary opposed Israel, inciting David to count how many warriors Israel had.” The Samuel version gives an underlying theological perspective, while the Chronicler simply describes what happened from a human perspective. The adversary in 1 Chr 21:1 is likely a human enemy, probably a nearby nation whose hostility against Israel pressured David into numbering the people so he could assess his military strength. See the note at 1 Chr 21:1.

¹¹ tn Heb “and you will be like one of the fools.”

¹² tn Heb “Now.”

¹³ tn Heb “what to me and to you.”

¹⁵ tc 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.

¹⁶ tn Heb “house.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.