2 Samuel 3:22-23

Abner Is Killed

3:22 Now David’s soldiers ¹  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 ²  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!”

2 Samuel 15:27

15:27 The king said to Zadok the priest, “Are you a seer? ³  Go back to the city in peace! Your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan may go with you and Abiathar. ⁴ 

2 Samuel 18:29

18:29 The king replied, “How is the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz replied, “I saw a great deal of confusion when Joab was sending the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was all about.”

2 Samuel 19:24

19:24 Now Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, ⁵  came down to meet the king. From the day the king had left until the day he safely ⁶  returned, Mephibosheth ⁷  had not cared for his feet ⁸  nor trimmed ⁹  his mustache nor washed his clothes.

[3:22]  ¹ tn Heb “And look, the servants of David.”

[3:22]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:27]  ³ tn The Greek tradition understands the Hebrew word as an imperative (“see”). Most Greek mss have ἴδετε (idete); the Lucianic recension has βλέπε (blepe). It could just as well be taken as a question: “Don’t you see what is happening?” The present translation takes the word as a question, with the implication that Zadok is a priest and not a prophet (i.e., “seer”) and therefore unable to know what the future holds.

[15:27]  ⁴ tn Heb “And Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar, two of your sons, with you.” The pronominal suffix on the last word is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.

[19:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “son.”

[19:24]  ⁶ tn Heb “in peace.” So also in v. 31.

[19:24]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Mephibosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:24]  ⁸ tn Heb “done his feet.”

[19:24]  ⁹ tn Heb “done.”