Discovery Box2 Samuel 1:1--8:18
Context1:1 After the death of Saul, 1 when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, 2 he stayed at Ziklag 3 for two days. 1:2 On the third day a man arrived from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 4 When he approached David, the man 5 threw himself to the ground. 6
1:3 David asked him, “Where are you coming from?” He replied, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 1:4 David inquired, “How were things going? 7 Tell me!” He replied, “The people fled from the battle and many of them 8 fell dead. 9 Even Saul and his son Jonathan are dead!” 1:5 David said to the young man 10 who was telling him this, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 11 1:6 The young man who was telling him this 12 said, “I just happened to be on Mount Gilboa and came across Saul leaning on his spear for support. The chariots and leaders of the horsemen were in hot pursuit of him. 1:7 When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me. I answered, ‘Here I am!’ 1:8 He asked me, ‘Who are you?’ I told him, ‘I’m 13 an Amalekite.’ 1:9 He said to me, ‘Stand over me and finish me off! 14 I’m very dizzy, 15 even though I’m still alive.’ 16 1:10 So I stood over him and put him to death, since I knew that he couldn’t live in such a condition. 17 Then I took the crown which was on his head and the 18 bracelet which was on his arm. I have brought them here to my lord.” 19
1:11 David then grabbed his own clothes 20 and tore them, as did all the men who were with him. 1:12 They lamented and wept and fasted until evening because Saul, his son Jonathan, the Lord’s people, and the house of Israel had fallen by the sword.
1:13 David said to the young man who told this to him, “Where are you from?” He replied, “I am an Amalekite, the son of a resident foreigner.” 21 1:14 David replied to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to reach out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 1:15 Then David called one of the soldiers 22 and said, “Come here and strike him down!” So he struck him down, and he died. 1:16 David said to him, “Your blood be on your own head! Your own mouth has testified against you, saying ‘I have put the Lord’s anointed to death.’”
1:17 Then David chanted this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan. 1:18 (He gave instructions that the people of Judah should be taught “The Bow.” 23 Indeed, it is written down in the Book of Yashar.) 24
1:19 The beauty 25 of Israel lies slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
1:20 Don’t report it in Gath,
don’t spread the news in the streets of Ashkelon, 26
or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,
the daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate!
1:21 O mountains of Gilboa,
may there be no dew or rain on you, nor fields of grain offerings! 27
For it was there that the shield of warriors was defiled; 28
the shield of Saul lies neglected without oil. 29
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 30 empty.
1:23 Saul and Jonathan were greatly loved 31 during their lives,
and not even in their deaths were they separated.
They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.
1:24 O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet 32 as well as jewelry,
who put gold jewelry on your clothes.
1:25 How the warriors have fallen
in the midst of battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your high places!
1:26 I grieve over you, my brother Jonathan!
You were very dear to me.
Your love was more special to me than the love of women.
1:27 How the warriors have fallen!
The weapons of war 33 are destroyed!
2:1 Afterward David inquired of the Lord, “Should I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” The Lord told him, “Go up.” David asked, “Where should I go?” The Lord replied, 34 “To Hebron.” 2:2 So David went up, along with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, formerly the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 2:3 David also brought along the men who were with him, each with his family. They settled in the cities 35 of Hebron. 2:4 The men of Judah came and there they anointed David as king over the people 36 of Judah.
David was told, 37 “The people 38 of Jabesh Gilead are the ones who buried Saul.” 2:5 So David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh Gilead and told them, “May you be blessed by the Lord because you have shown this kindness 39 to your lord Saul by burying him. 2:6 Now may the Lord show you true kindness! 40 I also will reward you, 41 because you have done this deed. 2:7 Now be courageous 42 and prove to be valiant warriors, for your lord Saul is dead. The people of Judah have anointed me as king over them.”
2:8 Now Abner son of Ner, the general in command of Saul’s army, had taken Saul’s son Ish-bosheth 43 and had brought him to Mahanaim. 2:9 He appointed him king over Gilead, the Geshurites, 44 Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel. 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 45 of Judah followed David. 2:11 David was king in Hebron over the people of Judah for seven and a half years. 46
2:12 Then Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 2:13 Joab son of Zeruiah and the servants of David also went out and confronted them at the pool of Gibeon. One group stationed themselves on one side of the pool, and the other group on the other side of the pool. 2:14 Abner said to Joab, “Let the soldiers get up and fight 47 before us.” Joab said, “So be it!” 48
2:15 So they got up and crossed over by number: twelve belonging to Benjamin and to Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. 2:16 As they grappled with one another, each one stabbed his opponent with his sword and they fell dead together. 49 So that place is called the Field of Flints; 50 it is in Gibeon.
2:17 Now the battle was very severe that day; Abner and the men of Israel were overcome by David’s soldiers. 51 2:18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there – Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. (Now Asahel was as quick on his feet as one of the gazelles in the field.) 2:19 Asahel chased Abner, without turning to the right or to the left as he followed Abner.
2:20 Then Abner turned and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?” He replied, “Yes it is!” 2:21 Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or to your left. Capture one of the soldiers 52 and take his equipment for yourself!” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him. 2:22 So Abner spoke again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me! I do not want to strike you to the ground. 53 How then could I show 54 my face in the presence of Joab your brother?” 2:23 But Asahel 55 refused to turn aside. So Abner struck him in the abdomen with the back end of his 56 spear. The spear came out his back; Asahel 57 collapsed on the spot and died there right before Abner. 58 Everyone who now comes to the place where Asahel fell dead pauses in respect. 59
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. 2:25 The Benjaminites formed their ranks 60 behind Abner and were like a single army, standing at the top of a certain hill.
2:26 Then Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will turn bitter in the end? When will you tell the people to turn aside from pursuing their brothers?” 2:27 Joab replied, “As surely as God lives, if you had not said this, it would have been morning before the people would have abandoned pursuit 61 of their brothers!” 2:28 Then Joab blew the ram’s horn and all the people stopped in their tracks. 62 They stopped chasing Israel and ceased fighting. 63 2:29 Abner and his men went through the Arabah all that night. They crossed the Jordan River 64 and went through the whole region of Bitron 65 and came to Mahanaim.
2:30 Now Joab returned from chasing Abner and assembled all the people. Nineteen of David’s soldiers were missing, in addition to Asahel. 2:31 But David’s soldiers had slaughtered the Benjaminites and Abner’s men – in all, 360 men had died! 2:32 They took Asahel’s body and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. 66 Joab and his men then traveled all that night and reached Hebron by dawn. 3:1 However, the war was prolonged between the house of Saul and the house of David. David was becoming steadily stronger, while the house of Saul was becoming increasingly weaker.
3:2 Now sons were born to David in Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, born to Ahinoam the Jezreelite. 3:3 His second son 67 was Kileab, born to Abigail the widow 68 of Nabal the Carmelite. His third son was Absalom, the son of Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur. 3:4 His fourth son was Adonijah, the son of Haggith. His fifth son was Shephatiah, the son of Abitail. 3:5 His sixth son was Ithream, born to David’s wife Eglah. These sons 69 were all born to David in Hebron.
3:6 As the war continued between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was becoming more influential 70 in the house of Saul. 3:7 Now Saul had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. Ish-bosheth 71 said to Abner, “Why did you have sexual relations with 72 my father’s concubine?” 73
3:8 These words of Ish-bosheth really angered Abner and he said, “Am I the head of a dog that belongs to Judah? This very day I am demonstrating 74 loyalty to the house of Saul your father and to his relatives 75 and his friends! I have not betrayed you into the hand of David. Yet you have accused me of sinning with this woman today! 76 3:9 God will severely judge Abner 77 if I do not do for David exactly what the Lord has promised him, 78 3:10 namely, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah all the way from Dan to Beer Sheba!” 3:11 Ish-bosheth 79 was unable to answer Abner with even a single word because he was afraid of him.
3:12 Then Abner sent messengers 80 to David saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make an agreement 81 with me, and I will do whatever I can 82 to cause all Israel to turn to you.” 3:13 So David said, “Good! I will make an agreement with you. I ask only one thing from you. You will not see my face unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal when you come to visit me.” 83
3:14 David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth son of Saul with this demand: 84 “Give me my wife Michal whom I acquired 85 for a hundred Philistine foreskins.” 3:15 So Ish-bosheth took her 86 from her husband Paltiel 87 son of Laish. 3:16 Her husband went along behind her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Finally Abner said to him, “Go back!” 88 So he returned home.
3:17 Abner advised 89 the elders of Israel, “Previously you were wanting David to be your king. 90 3:18 Act now! For the Lord has said to David, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save 91 my people Israel from 92 the Philistines and from all their enemies.’”
3:19 Then Abner spoke privately 93 with the Benjaminites. Abner also went to Hebron to inform David privately 94 of all that Israel and the entire house of Benjamin had agreed to. 95 3:20 When Abner, accompanied by twenty men, came to David in Hebron, David prepared a banquet for Abner and the men who were with him. 3:21 Abner said to David, “Let me leave so that I may go and gather all Israel to my lord the king so that they may make an agreement 96 with you. Then you will rule over all that you desire.” So David sent Abner away, and he left in peace.
3:22 Now David’s soldiers 97 and Joab were coming back from a raid, bringing a great deal of plunder with them. Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, for David 98 had sent him away and he had left in peace. 3:23 When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, Joab was told: “Abner the son of Ner came to the king; he sent him away, and he left in peace!”
3:24 So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner 99 has come to you! Why would you send him away? Now he’s gone on his way! 100 3:25 You know Abner the son of Ner! Surely he came here to spy on you and to determine when you leave and when you return 101 and to discover everything that you are doing!”
3:26 Then Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought him back from the well of Sirah. (But David was not aware of it.) 3:27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gate as if to speak privately with him. Joab then stabbed him 102 in the abdomen and killed him, avenging the shed blood of his brother Asahel. 103
3:28 When David later heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord of the shed blood of Abner son of Ner! 3:29 May his blood whirl over 104 the head of Joab and the entire house of his father! 105 May the males of Joab’s house 106 never cease to have 107 someone with a running sore or a skin disease or one who works at the spindle 108 or one who falls by the sword or one who lacks food!”
3:30 So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel in Gibeon during the battle.
3:31 David instructed Joab and all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes! Put on sackcloth! Lament before Abner!” Now King David followed 109 behind the funeral bier. 3:32 So they buried Abner in Hebron. The king cried loudly 110 over Abner’s grave and all the people wept too. 3:33 The king chanted the following lament for Abner:
“Should Abner have died like a fool?
3:34 Your hands 111 were not bound,
and your feet were not put into irons.
You fell the way one falls before criminals.”
All the people 112 wept over him again. 3:35 Then all the people came and encouraged David to eat food while it was still day. But David took an oath saying, “God will punish me severely 113 if I taste bread or anything whatsoever before the sun sets!”
3:36 All the people noticed this and it pleased them. 114 In fact, everything the king did pleased all the people. 3:37 All the people and all Israel realized on that day that the killing of Abner son of Ner was not done at the king’s instigation. 115
3:38 Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not realize that a great leader 116 has fallen this day in Israel? 3:39 Today I am weak, even though I am anointed as king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too much for me to bear! 117 May the Lord punish appropriately the one who has done this evil thing!” 118
4:1 When Ish-bosheth 119 the son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he was very disheartened, 120 and all Israel was afraid. 4:2 Now Saul’s son 121 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, 4:3 for the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have remained there as resident foreigners until the present time.) 122
4:4 Now Saul’s son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan arrived from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but in her haste to get away, he fell and was injured. 123 Mephibosheth was his name.
4:5 Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite – Recab and Baanah – went at the hottest part of the day to the home of Ish-bosheth, as he was enjoying his midday rest. 4:6 They 124 entered the house under the pretense of getting wheat and mortally wounded him 125 in the stomach. Then Recab and his brother Baanah escaped.
4:7 They had entered 126 the house while Ish-bosheth 127 was resting on his bed in his bedroom. They mortally wounded him 128 and then cut off his head. 129 Taking his head, 130 they traveled on the way of the Arabah all that night. 4:8 They brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David in Hebron, saying to the king, “Look! The head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life! The Lord has granted vengeance to my lord the king this day against 131 Saul and his descendants!”
4:9 David replied to Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered my life from all adversity, 4:10 when someone told me that Saul was dead – even though he thought he was bringing good news 132 – I seized him and killed him in Ziklag. That was the good news I gave to him! 4:11 Surely when wicked men have killed an innocent man as he slept 133 in his own house, should I not now require his blood from your hands and remove 134 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 135 near the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth 136 and buried it in the tomb of Abner 137 in Hebron. 138
5:1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron saying, “Look, we are your very flesh and blood! 139 5:2 In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the real leader in Israel. 140 The Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel; you will rule over Israel.’”
5:3 When all the leaders 141 of Israel came to the king at Hebron, King David made an agreement with them 142 in Hebron before the Lord. They designated 143 David as king over Israel. 5:4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign and he reigned for forty years. 5:5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem 144 he reigned for thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
5:6 Then the king and his men advanced to Jerusalem 145 against the Jebusites who lived in the land. The Jebusites 146 said to David, “You cannot invade this place! Even the blind and the lame will turn you back, saying, ‘David cannot invade this place!’”
5:7 But David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the city of David). 5:8 David said on that day, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites must approach the ‘lame’ and the ‘blind’ who are David’s enemies 147 by going through the water tunnel.” 148 For this reason it is said, “The blind and the lame cannot enter the palace.” 149
5:9 So David lived in the fortress and called it the City of David. David built all around it, from the terrace inwards. 5:10 David’s power grew steadily, for the Lord God 150 who commands armies 151 was with him. 152
5:11 King Hiram of Tyre 153 sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons. They built a palace 154 for David. 5:12 David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that he had elevated his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. 5:13 David married more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he arrived from Hebron. Even more sons and daughters were born to David. 5:14 These are the names of children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5:15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 5:16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
5:17 When the Philistines heard that David had been designated 155 king over Israel, they all 156 went up to search for David. When David heard about it, he went down to the fortress. 5:18 Now the Philistines had arrived and spread out in the valley of Rephaim. 5:19 So David asked the Lord, “Should I march up against the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord said to David, “March up, for I will indeed 157 hand the Philistines over to you.”
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. 158 5:21 The Philistines 159 abandoned their idols 160 there, and David and his men picked them up.
5:22 The Philistines again came up and spread out in the valley of Rephaim. 5:23 So David asked the Lord what he should do. 161 This time 162 the Lord 163 said to him, “Don’t march straight up. Instead, circle around behind them and come against them opposite the trees. 164 5:24 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, act decisively. For at that moment the Lord is going before you to strike down the army 165 of the Philistines.” 5:25 David did just as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines from Gibeon all the way to Gezer. 166
6:1 David again assembled 167 all the best 168 men in Israel, thirty thousand in number. 6:2 David and all the men who were with him traveled 169 to 170 Baalah 171 in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the name 172 of the Lord of hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim that are on it. 6:3 They loaded the ark of God on a new cart and carried it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart. 6:4 They brought 173 it with the ark of God up from the house of Abinadab on the hill. Ahio was walking in front of the ark, 6:5 while David and all Israel 174 were energetically celebrating before the Lord, singing 175 and playing various stringed instruments, 176 tambourines, rattles, 177 and cymbals.
6:6 When they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, 178 Uzzah reached out and grabbed hold of 179 the ark of God, 180 because the oxen stumbled. 6:7 The Lord was so furious with Uzzah, 181 he 182 killed him on the spot 183 for his negligence. 184 He died right there beside the ark of God.
6:8 David was angry because the Lord attacked 185 Uzzah; so he called that place Perez Uzzah, 186 which remains its name to this very day. 6:9 David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How will the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” 6:10 So David was no longer willing to bring the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. David left it in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 6:11 The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months. The Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his family. 187 6:12 David was told, 188 “The Lord has blessed the family of Obed-Edom and everything he owns because of the ark of God.” So David went and joyfully brought the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David. 6:13 Those who carried the ark of the Lord took six steps and then David 189 sacrificed an ox and a fatling calf. 6:14 Now David, wearing a linen ephod, was dancing with all his strength before the Lord. 190 6:15 David and all Israel 191 were bringing up the ark of the Lord, shouting and blowing trumpets. 192
6:16 As the ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked out the window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him. 193 6:17 They brought the ark of the Lord and put it in its place 194 in the middle of the tent that David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before the Lord. 6:18 When David finished offering the burnt sacrifices and peace offerings, he pronounced a blessing over the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. 6:19 He then handed out to each member of the entire assembly of Israel, 195 both men and women, a portion of bread, a date cake, 196 and a raisin cake. Then all the people went home. 197 6:20 When David went home to pronounce a blessing on his own house, 198 Michal, Saul’s daughter, came out to meet him. 199 She said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished 200 himself this day! He has exposed himself today before his servants’ slave girls the way a vulgar fool 201 might do!”
6:21 David replied to Michal, “It was before the Lord! I was celebrating before the Lord, who chose me over your father and his entire family 202 and appointed me as leader over the Lord’s people Israel. 6:22 I am willing to shame and humiliate myself even more than this! 203 But with the slave girls whom you mentioned let me be distinguished!” 6:23 Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, had no children to the day of her death.
7:1 The king settled into his palace, 204 for the Lord gave him relief 205 from all his enemies on all sides. 206 7:2 The king said to Nathan the prophet, “Look! I am living in a palace made from cedar, while the ark of God sits in the middle of a tent.” 7:3 Nathan replied to the king, “You should go 207 and do whatever you have in mind, 208 for the Lord is with you.” 7:4 That night the Lord told Nathan, 209 7:5 “Go, tell my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord says: Do you really intend to build a house for me to live in? 7:6 I have not lived in a house from the time I brought the Israelites up from Egypt to the present day. Instead, I was traveling with them and living in a tent. 210 7:7 Wherever I moved among all the Israelites, I did not say 211 to any of the leaders 212 whom I appointed to care for 213 my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house made from cedar?”’
7:8 “So now, say this to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of hosts says: I took you from the pasture and from your work as a shepherd 214 to make you leader of my people Israel. 7:9 I was with you wherever you went, and I defeated 215 all your enemies before you. Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth. 216 7:10 I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle 217 them there; they will live there and not be disturbed 218 any more. Violent men 219 will not oppress them again, as they did in the beginning 7:11 and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. Instead, I will give you relief 220 from all your enemies. The Lord declares 221 to you that he himself 222 will build a dynastic house 223 for you. 7:12 When the time comes for you to die, 224 I will raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you, 225 and I will establish his kingdom. 7:13 He will build a house for my name, and I will make his dynasty permanent. 226 7:14 I will become his father and he will become my son. When he sins, I will correct him with the rod of men and with wounds inflicted by human beings. 7:15 But my loyal love will not be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 7:16 Your house and your kingdom will stand before me 227 permanently; your dynasty 228 will be permanent.’” 7:17 Nathan told David all these words that were revealed to him. 229
7:18 King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, 230 that you should have brought me to this point? 7:19 And you didn’t stop there, O Lord God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family. 231 Is this your usual way of dealing with men, 232 O Lord God? 7:20 What more can David say to you? You have given your servant special recognition, 233 O Lord God! 7:21 For the sake of your promise and according to your purpose 234 you have done this great thing in order to reveal it to your servant. 235 7:22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God, for there is none like you! There is no God besides you! What we have heard is true! 236 7:23 Who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation 237 on the earth? Their God 238 went 239 to claim 240 a nation for himself and to make a name for himself! You did great and awesome acts for your land, 241 before your people whom you delivered for yourself from the Egyptian empire and its gods. 242 7:24 You made Israel your very own people for all time. 243 You, O Lord, became their God. 7:25 So now, O Lord God, make this promise you have made about your servant and his family a permanent reality. 244 Do as you promised, 245 7:26 so you may gain lasting fame, 246 as people say, 247 ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel!’ The dynasty 248 of your servant David will be established before you, 7:27 for you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have told 249 your servant, ‘I will build you a dynastic house.’ 250 That is why your servant has had the courage 251 to pray this prayer to you. 7:28 Now, O sovereign Lord, you are the true God! 252 May your words prove to be true! 253 You have made this good promise to your servant! 254 7:29 Now be willing to bless your servant’s dynasty 255 so that it may stand permanently before you, for you, O sovereign Lord, have spoken. By your blessing may your servant’s dynasty be blessed on into the future!” 256
8:1 Later David defeated the Philistines and subdued them. David took Metheg Ammah 257 from the Philistines. 258 8:2 He defeated the Moabites. He made them lie on the ground and then used a rope to measure them off. He put two-thirds of them to death and spared the other third. 259 The Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute. 260 8:3 David defeated King Hadadezer son of Rehob of Zobah when he came to reestablish 261 his authority 262 over the Euphrates 263 River. 8:4 David seized from him 1,700 charioteers 264 and 20,000 infantrymen. David cut the hamstrings of all but a hundred of the chariot horses. 265 8:5 The Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, but David killed 22,000 of the Arameans. 8:6 David placed garrisons in the territory of the Arameans of Damascus; the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The Lord protected 266 David wherever he campaigned. 267 8:7 David took the golden shields that belonged to Hadadezer’s servants and brought them to Jerusalem. 268 8:8 From Tebah 269 and Berothai, Hadadezer’s cities, King David took a great deal of bronze.
8:9 When King Toi 270 of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, 8:10 he 271 sent his son Joram 272 to King David to extend his best wishes 273 and to pronounce a blessing on him for his victory over Hadadezer, for Toi had been at war with Hadadezer. 274 He brought with him various items made of silver, gold, and bronze. 275 8:11 King David dedicated these things to the Lord, 276 along with the dedicated silver and gold that he had taken from 277 all the nations that he had subdued, 8:12 including 278 Aram, 279 Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amelek. This also included some of the plunder taken from 280 King Hadadezer son of Rehob of Zobah.
8:13 David became famous 281 when he returned from defeating the Arameans 282 in the Valley of Salt, he defeated 283 18,000 in all. 8:14 He placed garrisons throughout Edom, 284 and all the Edomites became David’s subjects. The Lord protected David wherever he campaigned. 8:15 David reigned over all Israel; he guaranteed justice for all his people. 285
8:16 Joab son of Zeruiah was general in command of 286 the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was secretary; 8:17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar 287 were priests; Seraiah was scribe; 8:18 Benaiah son of Jehoida supervised 288 the Kerithites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests. 289
[1:1] 1 sn This chapter is closely linked to 1 Sam 31. It should be kept in mind that 1 and 2 Samuel were originally a single book, not separate volumes. Whereas in English Bible tradition the books of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, and Ezra-Nehemiah are each regarded as two separate books, this was not the practice in ancient Hebrew tradition. Early canonical records, for example, counted them as single books respectively. The division into two books goes back to the Greek translation of the OT and was probably initiated because of the cumbersome length of copies due to the Greek practice (unlike that of Hebrew) of writing vowels. The present division into two books can be a little misleading in terms of perceiving the progression of the argument of the book; in some ways it is preferable to treat the books of 1-2 Samuel in a unified fashion.
[1:1] 2 sn The Amalekites were a nomadic people who inhabited Judah and the Transjordan. They are mentioned in Gen 36:15-16 as descendants of Amalek who in turn descended from Esau. In Exod 17:8-16 they are described as having acted in a hostile fashion toward Israel as the Israelites traveled to Canaan from Egypt. In David’s time the Amalekites were viewed as dangerous enemies who raided, looted, and burned Israelite cities (see 1 Sam 30).
[1:1] 3 sn Ziklag was a city in the Negev which had been given to David by Achish king of Gath. For more than a year David used it as a base from which he conducted military expeditions (see 1 Sam 27:5-12). According to 1 Sam 30:1-19, Ziklag was destroyed by the Amalekites while Saul fought the Philistines.
[1:2] 4 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] 5 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] 6 tn Heb “he fell to the ground and did obeisance.”
[1:4] 7 tn Heb “What was the word?”
[1:4] 8 tn Heb “from the people.”
[1:4] 9 tn Heb “fell and died.”
[1:5] 10 tn 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.
[1:5] 11 tc 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.”
[1:6] 12 tc The Syriac Peshitta and one
[1:8] 13 tc The present translation reads with the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[1:9] 14 tn 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.”
[1:9] 15 tn 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.
[1:9] 16 tn 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
[1:10] 17 tn Heb “after his falling”; NAB “could not survive his wound”; CEV “was too badly wounded to live much longer.”
[1:10] 18 tc 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”).
[1:10] 19 sn The claims that the soldier is making here seem to contradict the story of Saul’s death as presented in 1 Sam 31:3-5. In that passage it appears that Saul took his own life, not that he was slain by a passerby who happened on the scene. Some scholars account for the discrepancy by supposing that conflicting accounts have been brought together in the MT. However, it is likely that the young man is here fabricating the account in a self-serving way so as to gain favor with David, or so he supposes. He probably had come across Saul’s corpse, stolen the crown and bracelet from the body, and now hopes to curry favor with David by handing over to him these emblems of Saul’s royalty. But in so doing the Amalekite greatly miscalculated David’s response to this alleged participation in Saul’s death. The consequence of his lies will instead be his own death.
[1:11] 20 tc The present translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[1:13] 21 tn 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.
[1:18] 23 tn 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.
[1:18] 24 sn The Book of Yashar is a noncanonical writing no longer in existence. It is referred to here and in Josh 10:12-13 and 1 Kgs 8:12-13. It apparently was “a collection of ancient national poetry” (so BDB 449 s.v. יָשָׁר).
[1:19] 25 sn The word beauty is used figuratively here to refer to Saul and Jonathan.
[1:20] 26 sn The cities of Gath and Ashkelon are mentioned here by synecdoche of part for the whole. As major Philistine cities they in fact represent all of Philistia. The point is that when the sad news of fallen Israelite leadership reaches the Philistines, it will be for these enemies of Israel the occasion of great joy rather than grief.
[1:21] 27 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] 28 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] 29 tc It is preferable to read here Hebrew מָשׁוּחַ (mashuakh) with many Hebrew
[1:22] 30 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form is used here to indicate repeated past action.
[1:23] 31 tn Heb “beloved and dear.”
[1:24] 32 sn Clothing of scarlet was expensive and beyond the financial reach of most people.
[1:27] 33 sn The expression weapons of war may here be a figurative way of referring to Saul and Jonathan.
[2:1] 34 tn Heb “he said.” The referent (the
[2:3] 35 tc 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.
[2:4] 37 tn Heb “and they told David.” The subject appears to be indefinite, allowing one to translate the verb as passive with David as subject.
[2:6] 40 tn Or “loyalty and devotion.”
[2:6] 41 tn Heb “will do with you this good.”
[2:7] 42 tn Heb “let your hands be strong.”
[2:8] 43 sn The name Ish-bosheth means in Hebrew “man of shame.” It presupposes an earlier form such as Ish-baal (“man of the Lord”), with the word “baal” being used of Israel’s God. But because the Canaanite storm god was named “Baal,” that part of the name was later replaced with the word “shame.”
[2:9] 44 tc 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.
[2:11] 46 tn 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.”
[2:14] 47 tn 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.”
[2:14] 48 tn Heb “let them arise.”
[2:16] 49 tn Heb “and they grabbed each one the head of his neighbor with his sword in the side of his neighbor and they fell together.”
[2:16] 50 tn 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.”
[2:17] 51 tn Heb “servants.” So also elsewhere.
[2:21] 52 tn Heb “young men.” So also elsewhere.
[2:22] 53 tn Heb “Why should I strike you to the ground?”
[2:23] 55 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Asahel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:23] 56 tn Heb “the.” The article functions here as a possessive pronoun.
[2:23] 57 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Asahel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:23] 58 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:23] 59 tn Heb “and they stand.”
[2:25] 60 tn Heb “were gathered together.”
[2:27] 61 tn 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).
[2:28] 63 tn Heb “they no longer chased after Israel and they no longer fought.”
[2:29] 64 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[2:29] 65 tn 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.”
[2:32] 66 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[3:3] 67 tn The Hebrew text does not have the word “son.” So also in vv. 3-5.
[3:5] 69 tn The Hebrew text does not have “sons.”
[3:6] 70 tn 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.
[3:7] 71 tc 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
[3:7] 72 tn Heb “come to”; KJV, NRSV “gone in to”; NAB “been intimate with”; NIV “sleep with.”
[3:7] 73 sn This accusation against Abner is a very serious one, since an act of sexual infringement on the king’s harem would probably have been understood as a blatant declaration of aspirations to kingship. As such it was not merely a matter of ethical impropriety but an act of grave political significance as well.
[3:8] 76 tn Heb “and you have laid upon me the guilt of the woman today.”
[3:9] 77 tn Heb “So will God do to Abner and so he will add to him.”
[3:9] 78 tc Heb “has sworn to David.” The LXX, with the exception of the recension of Origen, adds “in this day.”
[3:11] 79 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ish-bosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:12] 80 tn The Hebrew text adds here, “on his behalf.”
[3:12] 81 tn Heb “cut a covenant.” So also in vv. 13, 21.
[3:12] 82 tn Heb “and behold, my hand is with you.”
[3:13] 83 tn 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.
[3:14] 84 tn Heb “to Ish-bosheth son of Saul saying.” To avoid excessive sibilance (especially when read aloud) the translation renders “saying” as “with this demand.”
[3:14] 85 tn Heb “whom I betrothed to myself.”
[3:15] 86 tn Heb “sent and took her.”
[3:15] 87 tn In 1 Sam 25:44 this name appears as “Palti.”
[3:16] 88 tn Heb “Go, return.”
[3:17] 89 tn Heb “the word of Abner was with.”
[3:17] 90 tn Heb “you were seeking David to be king over you.”
[3:18] 91 tc 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.
[3:18] 92 tn Heb “from the hand of.”
[3:19] 93 tn Heb “into the ears of.”
[3:19] 94 tn Heb “also Abner went to speak into the ears of David in Hebron.”
[3:19] 95 tn Heb “all which was good in the eyes of Israel and in the eyes of all the house of Benjamin.”
[3:21] 96 tn After the cohortatives, the prefixed verbal form with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[3:22] 97 tn Heb “And look, the servants of David.”
[3:22] 98 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:24] 99 tn Heb “Look, Abner.”
[3:24] 100 tc The LXX adds “in peace.”
[3:25] 101 tn 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.
[3:27] 102 tn Heb “and he struck him down there [in] the stomach.”
[3:27] 103 tn Heb “and he [i.e., Abner] died on account of the blood of Asahel his [i.e., Joab’s] brother.”
[3:29] 104 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] 105 tc 4QSama has “of Joab” rather than “of his father” read by the MT.
[3:29] 106 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] 107 tn Heb “and may there not be cut off from the house of Joab.”
[3:29] 108 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).
[3:31] 109 tn Heb “was walking.”
[3:32] 110 tn Heb “lifted up his voice and wept.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.
[3:34] 111 tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew manuscripts and several ancient versions in reading “your hands,” rather than “your hand.”
[3:34] 112 tc 4QSama lacks the words “all the people.”
[3:35] 113 tn Heb “Thus God will do to me and thus he will add.”
[3:36] 114 tn Heb “it was good in their eyes.”
[3:37] 115 tn Heb “from the king.”
[3:38] 116 tn Heb “a leader and a great one.” The expression is a hendiadys.
[3:39] 117 tn Heb “are hard from me.”
[3:39] 118 tn Heb “May the
[4:1] 119 tn The MT does not specify the subject of the verb here, but the reference is to Ish-bosheth, so the name has been supplied in the translation for clarity. 4QSama and the LXX mistakenly read “Mephibosheth.”
[4:1] 120 tn Heb “his hands went slack.”
[4:2] 121 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.
[4:3] 122 tn Heb “until this day.”
[4:4] 123 tn Heb “and was lame.”
[4:6] 124 tc For the MT’s וְהֵנָּה (vÿhennah, “and they,” feminine) read וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and behold”). See the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Targum.
[4:6] 125 tn Heb “and they struck him down.”
[4:7] 126 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] 127 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ish-bosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:7] 128 tn Heb “they struck him down and killed him.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.
[4:7] 129 tn Heb “and they removed his head.” The Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate lack these words.
[4:7] 130 tc The Lucianic Greek recension lacks the words “his head.”
[4:10] 132 tn Heb “and he was like a bearer of good news in his eyes.”
[4:11] 133 tn Heb “on his bed.”
[4:11] 134 tn See HALOT 146 s.v. II בער. Some derive the verb from a homonym meaning “to burn; to consume.”
[4:12] 135 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] 136 tc 4QSama mistakenly reads “Mephibosheth” here.
[4:12] 137 tc The LXX adds “the son of Ner” by conformity with common phraseology elsewhere.
[4:12] 138 tc Some
[5:1] 139 tn Heb “look we are your bone and your flesh.”
[5:2] 140 tn Heb “you were the one leading out and the one leading in Israel.”
[5:3] 142 tn Heb “and the king, David, cut for them a covenant.”
[5:5] 144 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[5:6] 145 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[5:6] 146 tn 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
[5:8] 147 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. 4QSama 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] 148 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] 149 tn Heb “the house.” TEV takes this as a reference to the temple (“the Lord’s house”).
[5:10] 150 tc 4QSama and the LXX lack the word “God,” probably due to harmonization with the more common biblical phrase “the
[5:10] 151 tn Traditionally, “the
[5:10] 152 tn The translation assumes that the disjunctive clause is circumstantial-causal, giving the reason for David’s success.
[5:11] 153 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[5:17] 156 tn Heb “all the Philistines.”
[5:19] 157 tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the following verb.
[5:20] 158 tn The name means “Lord of the outbursts.”
[5:21] 159 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Philistines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:21] 160 tc For “idols” the LXX and Vulgate have “gods.”
[5:23] 161 tn The words “what to do” are not in the Hebrew text.
[5:23] 162 tn The words “this time” are not in the Hebrew text.
[5:23] 163 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[5:23] 164 tn 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.
[5:24] 165 tn Heb “camp” (so NAB).
[5:25] 166 tn Heb “from Gibeon until you enter Gezer.”
[6:1] 167 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.
[6:2] 169 tn Heb “arose and went.”
[6:2] 170 tn Heb “from,” but the following context indicates they traveled to this location.
[6:2] 171 tn This is another name for Kiriath-jearim (see 1 Chr 13:6).
[6:2] 172 tc The MT has here a double reference to the name (שֵׁם שֵׁם, shem shem). Many medieval Hebrew
[6:5] 174 tn Heb “all the house of Israel.”
[6:5] 175 tc Heb “were celebrating before the
[6:5] 176 tn Heb “with zithers [?] and with harps.”
[6:5] 177 tn That is, “sistrums” (so NAB, NIV); ASV, NASB, NRSV, CEV, NLT “castanets.”
[6:6] 178 tn 1 Chr 13:9 has “Kidon.”
[6:6] 180 tn Heb “and Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and grabbed it.”
[6:7] 181 tn Heb “and the anger of the
[6:7] 183 tc Heb “there.” Since this same term occurs later in the verse it is translated “on the spot” here for stylistic reasons.
[6:7] 184 tc The phrase “his negligence” is absent from the LXX.
[6:8] 185 tn Heb “because the
[6:8] 186 sn The name Perez Uzzah means in Hebrew “the outburst [against] Uzzah.”
[6:11] 187 tn Heb “house,” both here and in v. 12.
[6:12] 188 tn Heb “and it was told to David, saying.”
[6:13] 189 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:14] 190 tn Heb “and David was dancing with all his strength before the
[6:15] 191 tc Heb “all the house of Israel.” A few medieval Hebrew
[6:15] 192 tn Heb “the shophar” (the ram’s horn trumpet).
[6:16] 193 tn 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.”
[6:17] 194 tc The Syriac Peshitta lacks “in its place.”
[6:19] 195 tn Heb “to all the people, to all the throng of Israel.”
[6:19] 196 tn 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).
[6:19] 197 tn Heb “and all the people went, each to his house.”
[6:20] 198 tn Heb “and David returned to bless his house.”
[6:20] 199 tn Heb “David.” The name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[6:20] 201 tn Heb “one of the foolish ones.”
[6:21] 202 tn Heb “all his house”; CEV “anyone else in your family.”
[6:22] 203 tn Heb “and I will shame myself still more than this and I will be lowly in my eyes.”
[7:1] 204 tn Heb “house” (also in the following verse).
[7:1] 206 tn The translation understands the disjunctive clause in v. 1b as circumstantial-causal.
[7:3] 207 tc Several medieval Hebrew
[7:3] 208 tn Heb “all that is in your heart.”
[7:4] 209 tn Heb “the word of the
[7:6] 210 tn Heb “in a tent and in a dwelling.” The expression is a hendiadys, using two terms to express one idea.
[7:7] 211 tn Heb “Did I speak a word?” In the Hebrew text the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question.
[7:7] 212 tn Heb “tribes” (so KJV, NASB, NCV), but the parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:6 has “judges.”
[7:7] 213 tn Heb “whom I commanded to shepherd” (so NIV, NRSV).
[7:8] 214 tn Heb “and from after the sheep.”
[7:9] 216 tn Heb “and I will make for you a great name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.”
[7:10] 219 tn Heb “the sons of violence.”
[7:11] 221 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] 223 tn Heb “house,” but used here in a metaphorical sense, referring to a royal dynasty. Here the
[7:12] 224 tn Heb, “when your days are full and you lie down with your ancestors.”
[7:12] 225 tn Heb “your seed after you who comes out from your insides.”
[7:13] 226 tn Heb “and I will establish the throne of his kingdom permanently.”
[7:16] 227 tc Heb “before you.” A few medieval Hebrew
[7:17] 229 tn Heb “according to all these words and according to all this revelation, so Nathan said to David.”
[7:19] 231 tn Heb “and this was small in your eyes, O
[7:19] 232 tn 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).
[7:20] 233 tn 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.”
[7:21] 234 tn Heb “for the sake of your word and according to your heart.”
[7:21] 235 tn Heb “to make known, your servant.”
[7:22] 236 tn 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).
[7:23] 237 tn Heb “a nation, one.”
[7:23] 238 tn 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.
[7:23] 239 tn The verb is plural in Hebrew, agreeing grammatically with the divine name, which is a plural of degree.
[7:23] 241 tn Heb “and to do for you [plural form] the great [thing] and awesome [things] for your land.”
[7:23] 242 tn 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”).
[7:24] 243 tn Heb “and you established for yourself your people Israel for yourself for a people permanently.”
[7:25] 244 tn Heb “and now, O
[7:25] 245 tn Heb “as you have spoken.”
[7:26] 246 tn Heb “and your name might be great permanently.” Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result.
[7:26] 247 tn Heb “saying.” The words “as people” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
[7:26] 248 tn Heb “the house.” See the note on “dynastic house” in the following verse.
[7:27] 249 tn Heb “have uncovered the ear of.”
[7:27] 250 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] 251 tn Heb “has found his heart.”
[7:28] 252 tn Heb “the God.” The article indicates uniqueness here.
[7:28] 253 tn 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.”
[7:28] 254 tn Heb “and you have spoken to your servant this good thing.”
[7:29] 255 tn Heb “house” (again later in this verse). See the note on “dynastic house” in v. 27.
[7:29] 256 tn Or “permanently”; cf. NLT “it is an eternal blessing.”
[8:1] 257 tn 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).
[8:1] 258 tn Heb “from the hand [i.e., control] of the Philistines.”
[8:2] 259 tn Heb “and he measured [with] two [lengths] of rope to put to death and [with] the fullness of the rope to keep alive.”
[8:2] 260 tn Heb “and the Moabites were servants of David, carriers of tribute.”
[8:3] 261 tc The LXX has ἐπιστῆσαι (episthsai, “cause to stand”). See the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:3.
[8:3] 263 tn 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.
[8:4] 264 tc 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.
[8:4] 265 tn Heb “and David cut the hamstrings of all the chariot horses, and he left from them a hundred chariot horses.”
[8:6] 267 tn Or “wherever he went.”
[8:7] 268 tc The LXX includes seventeen words (in Greek) at the end of v. 7 that are not found in the MT. The LXX addition is as follows: “And Sousakim king of Egypt took them when he came up to Jerusalem in the days of Rehoboam the son of Solomon.” This Greek reading now finds Hebrew support in 4QSama. For a reconstruction of this poorly preserved Qumran text see E. C. Ulrich, Jr., The Qumran Text of Samuel and Josephus (HSM), 45-48.
[8:8] 269 tn Heb “Betah” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV), but the name should probably be corrected to “Tebah.” See the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:8.
[8:9] 270 tn The name is spelled “Tou” in the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:9. NIV adopts the spelling “Tou” here.
[8:10] 271 tn Heb “Toi.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:10] 272 tn The name appears as “Hadoram” in the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:10.
[8:10] 273 tn Heb “to ask concerning him for peace.”
[8:10] 274 tn Heb “and to bless him because he fought with Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer was a man of battles with Toi.”
[8:10] 275 tn Heb “and in his hand were items of silver and items of gold and items of bronze.”
[8:11] 276 tn Heb “also them King David made holy to the
[8:11] 277 tn Heb “with the silver and the gold that he had dedicated from.”
[8:12] 279 tc The present translation follows the MT; a few Hebrew
[8:12] 280 tn Heb “and from the plunder of.”
[8:13] 281 tn Heb “made a name.”
[8:13] 282 tn So NASB, NCV; NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “Edomites” (see the note on “Aram” in v. 12).
[8:13] 283 tn The words “he defeated” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:14] 284 tc 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.
[8:15] 285 tn Heb “and David was doing what is just and fair for all his people.”
[8:17] 287 tc 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.
[8:18] 288 tc 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.
[8:18] 289 sn That David’s sons could have been priests, in light of the fact that they were not of the priestly lineage, is strange. One must assume either (1) that the word “priest” (כֹּהֵן, kohen) during this period of time could be used in a broader sense of “chief ruler” (KJV); “chief minister” (ASV, NASB), or “royal adviser” (NIV), perhaps based on the parallel passage in 1 Chr 18:17 which has “the king’s leading officials”, or (2) that in David’s day members of the king’s family could function as a special category of “priests” (cf. NLT “priestly leaders”). The latter option seems to be the more straightforward way of understanding the word in 2 Sam 8:18.
