Discovery Box2 Samuel 19:19-24
Context19:19 He said to the king, “Don’t think badly of me, my lord, and don’t recall the sin of your servant on the day when you, my lord the king, left 1 Jerusalem! 2 Please don’t call it to mind! 19:20 For I, your servant, 3 know that I sinned, and I have come today as the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.”
19:21 Abishai son of Zeruiah replied, “For this should not Shimei be put to death? After all, he cursed the Lord’s anointed!” 19:22 But David said, “What do we have in common, 4 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?” 19:23 The king said to Shimei, “You won’t die.” The king vowed an oath 5 concerning this.
19:24 Now Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, 6 came down to meet the king. From the day the king had left until the day he safely 7 returned, Mephibosheth 8 had not cared for his feet 9 nor trimmed 10 his mustache nor washed his clothes.
[19:19] 1 tn Though this verb in the MT is 3rd person masculine singular, it should probably be read as 2nd person masculine singular. It is one of fifteen places where the Masoretes placed a dot over each of the letters of the word in question in order to call attention to their suspicion of the word. Their concern in this case apparently had to do with the fact that this verb and the two preceding verbs alternate from third person to second and back again to third. Words marked in this way in Hebrew manuscripts or printed editions are said to have puncta extrordinaria, or “extraordinary points.”
[19:19] 2 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[19:20] 3 tn The Hebrew text has simply “your servant.”
[19:22] 5 tn Heb “what to me and to you.”
[19:23] 7 tn Heb “swore to him.”
[19:24] 10 tn Heb “in peace.” So also in v. 31.
[19:24] 11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Mephibosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
