2 Samuel 1:1

David Learns of the Deaths of Saul and Jonathan

1:1 After the death of Saul, ¹  when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, ²  he stayed at Ziklag ³  for two days.

2 Samuel 3:22

Abner Is Killed

3:22 Now David’s soldiers ⁴  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 ⁵  had sent him away and he had left in peace.

2 Samuel 5:13

5:13 David married more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he arrived from Hebron. Even more sons and daughters were born to David.

2 Samuel 6:13

6:13 Those who carried the ark of the Lord took six steps and then David ⁶  sacrificed an ox and a fatling calf.

2 Samuel 10:14

10:14 When the Ammonites saw the Arameans flee, they fled before his brother Abishai and went into the city. Joab withdrew from fighting the Ammonites and returned to ⁷  Jerusalem. ⁸ 

2 Samuel 12:21

12:21 His servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? While ⁹  the child was still alive, you fasted and wept. Once the child was dead you got up and ate food!”

2 Samuel 13:9

13:9 But when she took the pan and set it before him, he refused to eat. Instead Amnon said, “Get everyone out of here!” ¹⁰  So everyone left. ¹¹ 

2 Samuel 13:15

13:15 Then Amnon greatly despised her. ¹²  His disdain toward her surpassed the love he had previously felt toward her. ¹³  Amnon said to her, “Get up and leave!”

2 Samuel 15:10

15:10 Then Absalom sent spies through all the tribes of Israel who said, “When you hear the sound of the horn, you may assume ¹⁴  that Absalom rules in Hebron.”

2 Samuel 18:27

18:27 The watchman said, “It appears to me that the first runner is Ahimaaz ¹⁵  son of Zadok.” The king said, “He is a good man, and he comes with good news.”

2 Samuel 21:5

21:5 They replied to the king, “As for this man who exterminated us and who schemed against us so that we were destroyed and left without status throughout all the borders of Israel –

2 Samuel 21:14

21:14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin at Zela in the grave of his father Kish. After they had done everything ¹⁶  that the king had commanded, God responded to their prayers ¹⁷  for the land.

[1:1]  ¹ sn This chapter is closely linked to 1 Sam 31. It should be kept in mind that 1 and 2 Samuel were originally a single book, not separate volumes. Whereas in English Bible tradition the books of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, and Ezra-Nehemiah are each regarded as two separate books, this was not the practice in ancient Hebrew tradition. Early canonical records, for example, counted them as single books respectively. The division into two books goes back to the Greek translation of the OT and was probably initiated because of the cumbersome length of copies due to the Greek practice (unlike that of Hebrew) of writing vowels. The present division into two books can be a little misleading in terms of perceiving the progression of the argument of the book; in some ways it is preferable to treat the books of 1-2 Samuel in a unified fashion.

[1:1]  ² sn The Amalekites were a nomadic people who inhabited Judah and the Transjordan. They are mentioned in Gen 36:15-16 as descendants of Amalek who in turn descended from Esau. In Exod 17:8-16 they are described as having acted in a hostile fashion toward Israel as the Israelites traveled to Canaan from Egypt. In David’s time the Amalekites were viewed as dangerous enemies who raided, looted, and burned Israelite cities (see 1 Sam 30).

[1:1]  ³ sn Ziklag was a city in the Negev which had been given to David by Achish king of Gath. For more than a year David used it as a base from which he conducted military expeditions (see 1 Sam 27:5-12). According to 1 Sam 30:1-19, Ziklag was destroyed by the Amalekites while Saul fought the Philistines.

[3:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “And look, the servants of David.”

[3:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “and Joab returned from against the sons of Ammon and entered.”

[10:14]  ⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[12:21]  ⁹ tc For the MT בַּעֲבוּר (ba’avur, “for the sake of”) we should probably read בְּעוֹד (bÿ’od, “while”). See the Lucianic Greek recension, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum.

[13:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “from upon me.”

[13:9]  ¹¹ tc A few medieval Hebrew mss have “and they removed everyone” (Hiphil preterite with vav consecutive 3cp, rather than Qal preterite with vav consecutive 3cp).

[13:15]  ¹² tn Heb “and Amnon hated her with very great hatred.”

[13:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “for greater was the hatred with which he hated her than the love with which he loved her.”

[15:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “say.”

[18:27]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “I am seeing the running of the first one like the running of Ahimaaz.”

[21:14]  ¹⁶ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss have here כְּכֹל (kÿkhol, “according to all”).

[21:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “was entreated.” The verb is an example of the so-called niphal tolerativum, with the sense that God allowed himself to be supplicated through prayer (cf. GKC 137 §51.c).