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 6:13

6:13 Those who carried the ark of the Lord took six steps and then David ⁴  sacrificed an ox and a fatling calf.

2 Samuel 7:9

7:9 I was with you wherever you went, and I defeated ⁵  all your enemies before you. Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth. ⁶ 

2 Samuel 12:7

12:7 Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I chose ⁷  you to be king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul.

2 Samuel 12:21

12:21 His servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? While ⁸  the child was still alive, you fasted and wept. Once the child was dead you got up and ate food!”

2 Samuel 16:8

16:8 The Lord has punished you for ⁹  all the spilled blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you rule. Now the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. Disaster has overtaken you, for you are a man of bloodshed!”

[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.

[6:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “cut off.”

[7:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “and I will make for you a great name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.”

[12:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “anointed.”

[12:21]  ⁸ 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.

[16:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “has brought back upon you.”