2 Samuel 1:7

1:7 When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me. I answered, ‘Here I am!’

2 Samuel 18:10

18:10 When one ¹  of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.

2 Samuel 7:17

7:17 Nathan told David all these words that were revealed to him. ² 

2 Samuel 13:35

13:35 Jonadab said to the king, “Look! The king’s sons have come! It’s just as I said!”

2 Samuel 13:34

13:34 In the meantime Absalom fled. When the servant who was the watchman looked up, he saw many people coming from the west ³  on a road beside the hill.

2 Samuel 24:20

24:20 When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants approaching him, he ⁴  went out and bowed to the king with his face ⁵  to the ground.

2 Samuel 10:15

10:15 When the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they consolidated their forces. ⁶ 

2 Samuel 18:26

18:26 Then the watchman saw another man running. The watchman called out to the gatekeeper, “There is another man running by himself.” The king said, “This one also is bringing good news.”

2 Samuel 7:2

7:2 The king said to Nathan the prophet, “Look! I am living in a palace made from cedar, while the ark of God sits in the middle of a tent.”

2 Samuel 18:21

18:21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” After bowing to Joab, the Cushite ran off.

2 Samuel 18:24

18:24 Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, ⁷  and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate at the wall. When he looked, he saw a man running by himself.

2 Samuel 24:11

24:11 When David got up the next morning, the Lord had already spoken ⁸  to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:

2 Samuel 20:12

20:12 Amasa was squirming in his own blood in the middle of the path, and this man had noticed that all the soldiers stopped. Having noticed that everyone who came across Amasa ⁹  stopped, the man ¹⁰  pulled him ¹¹  away from the path and into the field and threw a garment over him.

2 Samuel 10:9

10:9 When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of Israel’s best men and deployed them against the Arameans. ¹² 

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 ¹³  Jerusalem. ¹⁴ 

2 Samuel 12:19

12:19 When David saw that his servants were whispering to one another, he ¹⁵  realized that the child was dead. So David asked his servants, “Is the child dead?” They replied, “Yes, he’s dead.”

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 24:3

24:3 Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God make the army a hundred times larger right before the eyes of my lord the king! But why does my master the king want to do this?”

2 Samuel 6:16

6:16 As the ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked out the window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him. ¹⁶ 

2 Samuel 15:25

15:25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back to the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s sight he will bring me back and enable me to see both it and his dwelling place again.

2 Samuel 10:19

10:19 When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer ¹⁷  saw they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subjects of Israel. ¹⁸  The Arameans were no longer willing to help the Ammonites.

2 Samuel 17:18

17:18 But a young man saw them on one occasion and informed Absalom. So the two of them quickly departed and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. There was a well in his courtyard, and they got down in it.

2 Samuel 24:17

24:17 When he saw the angel who was destroying the people, David said to the Lord, “Look, it is I who have sinned and done this evil thing! As for these sheep – what have they done? Attack me and my family.” ¹⁹ 

2 Samuel 17:17

17:17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying in En Rogel. A female servant would go and inform them, and they would then go and inform King David. It was not advisable for them to be seen going into the city.

2 Samuel 18:11

18:11 Joab replied to the man who was telling him this, “What! You saw this? Why didn’t you strike him down right on the spot? ²⁰  I would have given you ten pieces of silver ²¹  and a commemorative belt!” ²² 

2 Samuel 1:6

1:6 The young man who was telling him this ²³  said, “I just happened to be on Mount Gilboa and came across Saul leaning on his spear for support. The chariots and leaders of the horsemen were in hot pursuit of him.

2 Samuel 17:23

17:23 When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and returned to his house in his hometown. After setting his household in order, he hanged himself. So he died and was buried in the grave ²⁴  of his father.

2 Samuel 13:5

13:5 Jonadab replied to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. ²⁵  When your father comes in to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come in so she can fix some food for me. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I can watch. Then I will eat from her hand.’”

2 Samuel 10:6

10:6 When the Ammonites realized that David was disgusted with them, ²⁶  they ²⁷  sent and hired 20,000 foot soldiers from Aram Beth Rehob and Aram Zobah, ²⁸  in addition to 1,000 men from the king of Maacah and 12,000 men from Ish-tob. ²⁹ 

2 Samuel 5:1

David Is Anointed King Over Israel

5:1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron saying, “Look, we are your very flesh and blood! ³⁰ 

2 Samuel 15:27

15:27 The king said to Zadok the priest, “Are you a seer? ³¹  Go back to the city in peace! Your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan may go with you and Abiathar. ³² 

2 Samuel 18:31

18:31 Then the Cushite arrived and said, ³³  “May my lord the king now receive the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today and delivered you from the hand of all who have rebelled against you!” ³⁴ 

2 Samuel 19:41

19:41 Then all the men of Israel began coming to the king. They asked the king, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, sneak the king away and help the king and his household cross the Jordan – and not only him but all of David’s men as well?”

2 Samuel 22:16

22:16 The depths ³⁵  of the sea were exposed;

the inner regions ³⁶  of the world were uncovered

by the Lord’s battle cry, ³⁷ 

by the powerful breath from his nose. ³⁸ 

2 Samuel 14:32

14:32 Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I sent a message to you saying, ‘Come here so that I can send you to the king with this message: ³⁹  “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.”’ Let me now see the face of the king. If I am at fault, let him put me to death!”

2 Samuel 24:13

24:13 Gad went to David and told him, “Shall seven ⁴⁰  years of famine come upon your land? Or shall you flee for three months from your enemy with him in hot pursuit? Or shall there be three days of plague in your land? Now decide ⁴¹  what I should tell the one who sent me.”

2 Samuel 11:2

11:2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace. ⁴²  From the roof he saw a woman bathing. Now this woman was very attractive. ⁴³ 

2 Samuel 22:6

22:6 The ropes of Sheol ⁴⁴  tightened around me; ⁴⁵ 

the snares of death trapped me. ⁴⁶ 

2 Samuel 22:11

22:11 He mounted ⁴⁷  a winged angel ⁴⁸  and flew;

he glided ⁴⁹  on the wings of the wind. ⁵⁰ 

2 Samuel 12:21

12:21 His servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? While ⁵¹  the child was still alive, you fasted and wept. Once the child was dead you got up and ate food!”

2 Samuel 13:4

13:4 He asked Amnon, ⁵²  “Why are you, the king’s son, ⁵³  so depressed every morning? Can’t you tell me?” So Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar the sister of my brother Absalom.”

2 Samuel 16:22

16:22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, ⁵⁴  and Absalom had sex with ⁵⁵  his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

2 Samuel 17:19

17:19 His wife then took the covering and spread it over the top of the well and scattered some grain over it. No one was aware of what she had done.

2 Samuel 18:27

18:27 The watchman said, “It appears to me that the first runner is Ahimaaz ⁵⁶  son of Zadok.” The king said, “He is a good man, and he comes with good news.”

2 Samuel 2:20

2:20 Then Abner turned and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?” He replied, “Yes it is!”

2 Samuel 3:36

3:36 All the people noticed this and it pleased them. ⁵⁷  In fact, everything the king did pleased all the people.

2 Samuel 14:24

14:24 But the king said, “Let him go over ⁵⁸  to his own house. He may not see my face.” So Absalom went over ⁵⁹  to his own house; he did not see the king’s face.

2 Samuel 15:3

15:3 Absalom would then say to him, “Look, your claims are legitimate and appropriate. ⁶⁰  But there is no representative of the king who will listen to you.”

2 Samuel 16:12

16:12 Perhaps the Lord will notice my affliction ⁶¹  and this day grant me good in place of his curse.” ⁶² 

2 Samuel 22:42

22:42 They cry out, ⁶³  but there is no one to help them; ⁶⁴ 

they cry out to the Lord, ⁶⁵  but he does not answer them.

2 Samuel 7:19

7:19 And you didn’t stop there, O Lord God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family. ⁶⁶  Is this your usual way of dealing with men, ⁶⁷  O Lord God?

2 Samuel 13:29

13:29 So Absalom’s servants did to Amnon exactly what Absalom had instructed. Then all the king’s sons got up; each one rode away on his mule and fled.

2 Samuel 14:30

14:30 So he said to his servants, “Look, Joab has a portion of field adjacent to mine and he has some barley there. Go and set it on fire.” ⁶⁸  So Absalom’s servants set Joab’s ⁶⁹  portion of the field on fire.

2 Samuel 15:24

15:24 Zadok and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. When they positioned the ark of God, Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving ⁷⁰  the city.

2 Samuel 18:14

18:14 Joab replied, “I will not wait around like this for you!” He took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the middle of Absalom while he was still alive in the middle of the oak tree. ⁷¹ 

2 Samuel 19:20

19:20 For I, your servant, ⁷²  know that I sinned, and I have come today as the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.”

2 Samuel 4:8

4:8 They brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David in Hebron, saying to the king, “Look! The head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life! The Lord has granted vengeance to my lord the king this day against ⁷³  Saul and his descendants!”

2 Samuel 13:6

13:6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. When the king came in to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come in so she can make a couple of cakes in my sight. Then I will eat from her hand.”

2 Samuel 13:20

13:20 Her brother Absalom said to her, “Was Amnon your brother with you? Now be quiet, my sister. He is your brother. Don’t take it so seriously!” ⁷⁴  Tamar, devastated, lived in the house of her brother Absalom.

2 Samuel 13:32

13:32 Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, said, “My lord should not say, ‘They have killed all the young men who are the king’s sons.’ For only Amnon is dead. This is what Absalom has talked about ⁷⁵  from the day that Amnon ⁷⁶  humiliated his sister Tamar.

2 Samuel 14:2

14:2 So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He told her, “Pretend to be in mourning ⁷⁷  and put on garments for mourning. Don’t anoint yourself with oil. Instead, act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for some time. ⁷⁸ 

2 Samuel 14:11

14:11 She replied, “In that case, ⁷⁹  let the king invoke the name of ⁸⁰  the Lord your God so that the avenger of blood may not kill! Then they will not destroy my son!” He replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, not a single hair of your son’s head ⁸¹  will fall to the ground.”

2 Samuel 15:19

15:19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come with us? Go back and stay with the new ⁸²  king, for you are a foreigner and an exile from your own country. ⁸³ 

2 Samuel 16:11

16:11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son, my very own flesh and blood, ⁸⁴  is trying to take my life. So also now this Benjaminite! Leave him alone so that he can curse, for the Lord has spoken to him.

2 Samuel 17:20

17:20 When the servants of Absalom approached the woman at her home, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman replied to them, “They crossed over the stream.” Absalom’s men ⁸⁵  searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem. ⁸⁶ 

2 Samuel 19:6

19:6 You seem to love your enemies and hate your friends! For you have as much as declared today that leaders and servants don’t matter to you. I realize now ⁸⁷  that if ⁸⁸  Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, ⁸⁹  it would be all right with you.

2 Samuel 20:10

20:10 Amasa did not protect himself from the knife in Joab’s other hand, and Joab ⁹⁰  stabbed him in the abdomen, causing Amasa’s ⁹¹  intestines to spill out on the ground. There was no need to stab him again; the first blow was fatal. ⁹²  Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bicri.

2 Samuel 21:4

21:4 The Gibeonites said to him, “We ⁹³  have no claim to silver or gold from Saul or from his family, ⁹⁴  nor would we be justified in putting to death anyone in Israel.” David asked, ⁹⁵  “What then are you asking me to do for you?”

2 Samuel 24:16

24:16 When the angel ⁹⁶  extended his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented from his judgment. ⁹⁷  He told the angel who was killing the people, “That’s enough! Stop now!” ⁹⁸  (Now the Lord’s angel was near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.)

2 Samuel 24:22

24:22 Araunah told David, “My lord the king may take whatever he wishes ⁹⁹  and offer it. Look! Here are oxen for burnt offerings, and threshing sledges ¹⁰⁰  and harnesses ¹⁰¹  for wood.

[18:10]  ¹ tc 4QSam^a lacks the word “one.”

[7:17]  ² tn Heb “according to all these words and according to all this revelation, so Nathan said to David.”

[13:34]  ³ tn Heb “behind him.”

[24:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “Araunah.” The name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.

[24:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “nostrils.”

[10:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “were gathered together.”

[18:24]  ⁷ tn Heb “the two gates.”

[24:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “and the word of the Lord came.”

[20:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Amasa) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man who spoke up in v. 11) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Amasa.” For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.

[10:9]  ¹² tn Heb “and Joab saw that the face of the battle was to him before and behind and he chose from all the best in Israel and arranged to meet Aram.”

[10:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “and Joab returned from against the sons of Ammon and entered.”

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

[12:19]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “David.” The name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.

[6:16]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew text adds “in her heart.” Cf. CEV “she was disgusted (+ with him TEV)”; NLT “was filled with contempt for him”; NCV “she hated him.”

[10:19]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the servants of Hadadezer.”

[10:19]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and they served them.”

[24:17]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “let your hand be against me and against the house of my father.”

[18:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Why did you not strike him down there to the ground.”

[18:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “ten [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 4 ounces (114 grams) of silver by weight.

[18:11]  ²² tn Heb “and a girdle” (so KJV); NIV “a warrior’s belt”; CEV “a special belt”; NLT “a hero’s belt.”

[1:6]  ²³ tc The Syriac Peshitta and one ms of the LXX lack the words “who was telling him this” of the MT.

[17:23]  ²⁴ tc The Greek recensions of Origen and Lucian have here “house” for “grave.”

[13:5]  ²⁵ tn This verb is used in the Hitpael stem only in this chapter of the Hebrew Bible. With the exception of v. 2 it describes not a real sickness but one pretended in order to entrap Tamar. The Hitpael sometimes, as here, describes the subject making oneself appear to be of a certain character. On this use of the stem, see GKC 149-50 §54.e.

[10:6]  ²⁶ tn Heb “that they were a stench [i.e., disgusting] with David.”

[10:6]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the Ammonites.”

[10:6]  ²⁸ tn Or “Arameans of Beth Rehob and Arameans of Zobah.”

[10:6]  ²⁹ tn Or perhaps “the men of Tob.” The ancient versions (the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate) understand the name to be “Ish-tob.” It is possible that “Ish” is dittographic and that we should read simply “Tob,” a reading adopted by a number of recent English versions.

[5:1]  ³⁰ tn Heb “look we are your bone and your flesh.”

[15:27]  ³¹ 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]  ³² 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.

[18:31]  ³³ tn Heb “And look, the Cushite came and the Cushite said.”

[18:31]  ³⁴ tn Heb “for the Lord has vindicated you today from the hand of all those rising against you.”

[22:16]  ³⁵ tn Or “channels.”

[22:16]  ³⁶ tn Or “foundations.”

[22:16]  ³⁷ tn The noun is derived from the verb גָעַר (nag’ar) which is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 9:5; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.

[22:16]  ³⁸ tn Heb “blast of the breath” (literally, “breath of breath”) employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.

[14:32]  ³⁹ tn Heb “saying.”

[24:13]  ⁴⁰ tc The LXX has here “three” rather than “seven,” and is followed by NAB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT. See 1 Chr 21:12.

[24:13]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “now know and see.”

[11:2]  ⁴² tn Heb “on the roof of the house of the king.” So also in vv. 8, 9.

[11:2]  ⁴³ tn The disjunctive clause highlights this observation and builds the tension of the story.

[22:6]  ⁴⁴ tn “Sheol,” personified here as David’s enemy, is the underworld, place of the dead in primitive Hebrew cosmology.

[22:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “surrounded me.”

[22:6]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “confronted me.”

[22:11]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “rode upon.”

[22:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “a cherub” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV); NIV “the cherubim” (plural); TEV “his winged creature”; CEV “flying creatures.”

[22:11]  sn A winged angel. Cherubs, as depicted in the Old Testament, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Pss 80:1; 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubs suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubs in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind (see the next line).

[22:11]  ⁴⁹ tc The translation follows very many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וַיֵּדֶא (vayyÿde’, “and he glided”; cf. NIV “soared”; NCV “raced”) rather than MT וַיֵּרָא (vayyera’, “and he appeared,” so NASB, CEV). See as well the Syriac Peshitta, Targum, Vulgate, and the parallel version in Ps 18:10, which preserves the original reading (see the note there).

[22:11]  ⁵⁰ sn The wings of the wind. Verse 10 may depict the Lord mounting a cherub, which is in turn propelled by the wind current. Another option is that two different vehicles (a cherub and the wind) are envisioned. A third option is that the wind is personified as a cherub. For a discussion of ancient Near Eastern parallels to the imagery in v. 10, see M. Weinfeld, “‘Rider of the Clouds’ and ‘Gatherer of the Clouds’,” JANESCU 5 (1973): 422-24.

[12:21]  ⁵¹ 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.

[13:4]  ⁵² tn Heb “and he said to him.”

[13:4]  ⁵³ tn An more idiomatic translation might be “Why are you of all people…?”

[16:22]  ⁵⁴ sn That is, on top of the flat roof of the palace, so it would be visible to the public.

[16:22]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “went to”; NAB “he visited his father’s concubines”; NIV “lay with his father’s concubines”; TEV “went in and had intercourse with.”

[18:27]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “I am seeing the running of the first one like the running of Ahimaaz.”

[3:36]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “it was good in their eyes.”

[14:24]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “turn aside.”

[14:24]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “turned aside.”

[15:3]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “good and straight.”

[16:12]  ⁶¹ tc The Hebrew text is difficult here. It is probably preferable to read with the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate בְּעוֹנִי (bÿ’onyi, “on my affliction”) rather than the Kethib of the MT בָּעַוֹנִי (ba’avoni, “on my wrongdoing”). While this Kethib reading is understandable as an objective genitive (i.e., “the wrong perpetrated upon me”), it does not conform to normal Hebrew idiom for this idea. The Qere of the MT בְּעֵינֵי (bÿ’eni, “on my eyes”), usually taken as synecdoche to mean “my tears,” does not commend itself as a likely meaning. The Hebrew word is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.”

[16:12]  ⁶² tn Heb “and the Lord will restore to me good in place of his curse this day.”

[22:42]  ⁶³ tc The translation follows one medieval Hebrew ms and the ancient versions in reading the Piel יְשַׁוְּעוּ (yÿshavvÿ’u, “they cry for help”) rather than the Qal of the MT יִשְׁעוּ (yish’u, “they look about for help”). See Ps 18:41 as well.

[22:42]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “but there is no deliverer.”

[22:42]  ⁶⁵ tn The words “they cry out” are not in the Hebrew text. This reference to the psalmists’ enemies crying out for help to the Lord suggests that the psalmist refers here to enemies within the covenant community, rather than foreigners. However, the militaristic context suggests foreign enemies are in view. Ancient Near Eastern literature indicates that defeated enemies would sometimes cry out for mercy to the god(s) of their conqueror. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 271.

[7:19]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and this was small in your eyes, O Lord God, so you spoke concerning the house of your servant for a distance.”

[7:19]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “and this [is] the law of man”; KJV “is this the manner of man, O Lord God?”; NAB “this too you have shown to man”; NRSV “May this be instruction for the people, O Lord God!” This part of the verse is very enigmatic; no completely satisfying solution has yet been suggested. The present translation tries to make sense of the MT by understanding the phrase as a question that underscores the uniqueness of God’s dealings with David as described here. The parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:17 reads differently (see the note there).

[14:30]  ⁶⁸ tc The LXX adds here the following words: “And the servants of Absalom burned them up. And the servants of Joab came to him, rending their garments. They said….”

[14:30]  ⁶⁹ tn The word “Joab’s” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:24]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “crossing from.”

[18:14]  ⁷¹ tn There is a play on the word “heart” here that is difficult to reproduce in English. Literally the Hebrew text says “he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the heart of the oak tree.” This figure of speech involves the use of the same word in different senses and is known as antanaclasis. It is illustrated in the familiar saying from the time of the American Revolution: “If we don’t hang together, we will all hang separately.” The present translation understands “heart” to be used somewhat figuratively for “chest” (cf. TEV, CEV), which explains why Joab’s armor bearers could still “kill” Absalom after he had been stabbed with three spears through the “heart.” Since trees do not have “chests” either, the translation uses “middle.”

[19:20]  ⁷² tn The Hebrew text has simply “your servant.”

[4:8]  ⁷³ tn Heb “from.”

[13:20]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “Don’t set your heart to this thing!”

[13:32]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “it was placed on the mouth of Absalom.”

[13:32]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amnon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:2]  ⁷⁷ tn The Hebrew Hitpael verbal form here indicates pretended rather than genuine action.

[14:2]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “these many days.”

[14:11]  ⁷⁹ tn The words “in that case” are not in the Hebrew text, but may be inferred from the context. They are supplied in the translation for the sake of clarification.

[14:11]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “let the king remember.”

[14:11]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “of your son.”

[15:19]  ⁸² tn The word “new” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation to make it clear that David refers to Absalom, not himself.

[15:19]  ⁸³ tn Heb “place.”

[16:11]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “who came out from my entrails.” David’s point is that is his own son, his child whom he himself had fathered, was now wanting to kill him.

[17:20]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “they”; the referents (Absalom’s men) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:20]  ⁸⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:6]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “today.”

[19:6]  ⁸⁸ tc The translation follows the Qere, 4QSam^a, and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading לוּ (lu, “if”) rather than MT לֹא (lo’, “not”).

[19:6]  ⁸⁹ tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack “today.”

[20:10]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:10]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Amasa) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:10]  ⁹² tn Heb “and he did not repeat concerning him, and he died.”

[21:4]  ⁹³ tc The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew mss in reading לָנוּ (lanu, “to us”) rather than the MT לִי (li, “to me”). But for a contrary opinion see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 53, 350.

[21:4]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “house.”

[21:4]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:16]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “messenger.”

[24:16]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “concerning the calamity.”

[24:16]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “Now, drop your hand.”

[24:22]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “what is good in his eyes.”

[24:22]  ¹⁰⁰ sn Threshing sledges were heavy boards used in ancient times for loosening grain from husks. On the bottom sides of these boards sharp stones were embedded, and the boards were then dragged across the grain on a threshing floor by an ox or donkey.

[24:22]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “the equipment of the oxen.”