2 Samuel 4:7

4:7 They had entered ¹  the house while Ish-bosheth ²  was resting on his bed in his bedroom. They mortally wounded him ³  and then cut off his head. ⁴  Taking his head, ⁵  they traveled on the way of the Arabah all that night.

2 Samuel 5:8

5:8 David said on that day, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites must approach the ‘lame’ and the ‘blind’ who are David’s enemies ⁶  by going through the water tunnel.” ⁷  For this reason it is said, “The blind and the lame cannot enter the palace.” ⁸ 

2 Samuel 16:21

16:21 Ahithophel replied to Absalom, “Have sex with ⁹  your father’s concubines whom he left to care for the palace. All Israel will hear that you have made yourself repulsive to your father. Then your followers will be motivated to support you.” ¹⁰ 

2 Samuel 19:5

19:5 So Joab visited ¹¹  the king at his home. He said, “Today you have embarrassed all your servants who have saved your life this day, as well as the lives of your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your concubines.

2 Samuel 20:3

20:3 Then David went to his palace ¹²  in Jerusalem. The king took the ten concubines he had left to care for the palace and placed them under confinement. ¹³  Though he provided for their needs, he did not have sexual relations with them. ¹⁴  They remained in confinement until the day they died, living out the rest of their lives as widows.

[4:7]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ish-bosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:7]  ³ tn Heb “they struck him down and killed him.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.

[4:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “and they removed his head.” The Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate lack these words.

[4:7]  ⁵ tc The Lucianic Greek recension lacks the words “his head.”

[5:8]  ⁶ 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. 4QSam^a 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “the house.” TEV takes this as a reference to the temple (“the Lord’s house”).

[16:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “go to”; NAB “have (+ sexual NCV) relations with”; TEV “have intercourse with”; NLT “Go and sleep with.”

[16:21]  ¹² tn Heb “and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”

[19:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “came to.”

[20:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “house.”

[20:3]  ²² tn Heb “and he placed them in a guarded house.”

[20:3]  ²³ tn Heb “he did not come to them”; NAB “has no further relations with them”; NIV “did not lie with them”; TEV “did not have intercourse with them”; NLT “would no longer sleep with them.”