² tc 4QSam^a mistakenly reads “Mephibosheth” here.

² tn Heb “the.” The article functions here as a possessive pronoun.

¹ tn The Hebrew text adds here, “on his behalf.”

¹ tn Heb “house,” both here and in v. Kir+Heres+AND+book%3A10&tab=notes" ver="">12.

¹ tn Heb “the God.” The article indicates uniqueness here.

¹ sn The word beauty is used figuratively here to refer to Saul and Jonathan.

¹ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form is used here to indicate repeated past action.

² tn The Hebrew text implies, but does not actually contain, the words “its produce” here.

¹ tn On the chronology involved here see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 287.

¹ tn The Hebrew Hitpael verbal form here indicates pretended rather than genuine action.

¹ tc The Greek recensions of Origen and Lucian have here “house” for “grave.”

¹ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss have here כְּכֹל (kÿkhol, “according to all”).

¹ tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.

¹ tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.

¹ tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.

¹ sn The expression weapons of war may here be a figurative way of referring to Saul and Jonathan.

¹ tn “Sheol,” personified here as David’s enemy, is the underworld, place of the dead in primitive Hebrew cosmology.

³ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive here carries along the generalizing tone of the preceding line.

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).

³ tc Heb “there.” Since this same term occurs later in the verse it is translated “on the spot” here for stylistic reasons.