Discovery Box2 Samuel 6:18-23
Context6:18 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, 1 both men and women, a portion of bread, a date cake, 2 and a raisin cake. Then all the people went home. 3 6:20 When David went home to pronounce a blessing on his own house, 4 Michal, Saul’s daughter, came out to meet him. 5 She said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished 6 himself this day! He has exposed himself today before his servants’ slave girls the way a vulgar fool 7 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 8 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! 9 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.
[6:19] 1 tn Heb “to all the people, to all the throng of Israel.”
[6:19] 2 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] 3 tn Heb “and all the people went, each to his house.”
[6:20] 4 tn Heb “and David returned to bless his house.”
[6:20] 5 tn Heb “David.” The name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[6:20] 7 tn Heb “one of the foolish ones.”
[6:21] 8 tn Heb “all his house”; CEV “anyone else in your family.”
[6:22] 9 tn Heb “and I will shame myself still more than this and I will be lowly in my eyes.”
