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 14:6

14:6 Your servant ¹  has two sons. When the two of them got into a fight in the field, there was no one present who could intervene. One of them struck the other and killed him.

2 Samuel 18:20

18:20 But Joab said to him, “You will not be a bearer of good news today. You will bear good news some other day, but not today, ²  for the king’s son is dead.”

2 Samuel 12:1

Nathan the Prophet Confronts David

12:1 So the Lord sent Nathan ³  to David. When he came to David, ⁴  Nathan ⁵  said, ⁶  “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.

2 Samuel 14:20

14:20 Your servant Joab did this so as to change this situation. But my lord has wisdom like that of the angel of God, and knows everything that is happening in the land.” ⁷ 

2 Samuel 23:16

23:16 So the three elite warriors broke through the Philistine forces and drew some water from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate. They carried it back to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord

2 Samuel 2:13

2:13 Joab son of Zeruiah and the servants of David also went out and confronted them at the pool of Gibeon. One group stationed themselves on one side of the pool, and the other group on the other side of the pool.

2 Samuel 12:3

12:3 But the poor man had nothing except for a little lamb he had acquired. He raised it, and it grew up alongside him and his children. ⁸  It used to ⁹  eat his food, ¹⁰  drink from his cup, and sleep in his arms. ¹¹  It was just like a daughter to him.

2 Samuel 23:7

23:7 The one who touches them

must use an iron instrument

or the wooden shaft of a spear.

They are completely burned up right where they lie!” ¹² 

2 Samuel 7:22

7:22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God, for there is none like you! There is no God besides you! What we have heard is true! ¹³ 

2 Samuel 3:13

3:13 So David said, “Good! I will make an agreement with you. I ask only one thing from you. You will not see my face unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal when you come to visit me.” ¹⁴ 

2 Samuel 17:9

17:9 At this very moment he is hiding out in one of the caves or in some other similar place. If it should turn out that he attacks our troops first, ¹⁵  whoever hears about it will say, ‘Absalom’s army has been slaughtered!’

2 Samuel 22:32

22:32 Indeed, ¹⁶  who is God besides the Lord?

Who is a protector ¹⁷  besides our God? ¹⁸ 

2 Samuel 21:2

21:2 So the king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke with them. (Now the Gibeonites were not descendants of Israel; they were a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had made a promise to ¹⁹  them, but Saul tried to kill them because of his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.)

2 Samuel 16:18

16:18 Hushai replied to Absalom, “No, I will be loyal to the one whom the Lord, these people, and all the men of Israel have chosen. ²⁰ 

2 Samuel 7:23

7:23 Who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation ²¹  on the earth? Their God ²²  went ²³  to claim ²⁴  a nation for himself and to make a name for himself! You did great and awesome acts for your land, ²⁵  before your people whom you delivered for yourself from the Egyptian empire and its gods. ²⁶ 

2 Samuel 19:28

19:28 After all, there was no one in the entire house of my grandfather ²⁷  who did not deserve death from my lord the king. But instead you allowed me to eat at your own table! ²⁸  What further claim do I have to ask ²⁹  the king for anything?”

2 Samuel 12:11

12:11 This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on you ³⁰  from inside your own household! ³¹  Right before your eyes I will take your wives and hand them over to your companion. ³²  He will have sexual relations with ³³  your wives in broad daylight! ³⁴ 

2 Samuel 23:9

23:9 Next in command ³⁵  was Eleazar son of Dodo, ³⁶  the son of Ahohi. He was one of the three warriors who were with David when they defied the Philistines who were assembled there for battle. When the men of Israel retreated, ³⁷ 

2 Samuel 3:18

3:18 Act now! For the Lord has said to David, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save ³⁸  my people Israel from ³⁹  the Philistines and from all their enemies.’”

2 Samuel 4:2

4:2 Now Saul’s son ⁴⁰  had two men who were in charge of raiding units; one was named Baanah and the other Recab. They were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, who was a Benjaminite. (Beeroth is regarded as belonging to Benjamin,

2 Samuel 7:11

7:11 and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. Instead, I will give you relief ⁴¹  from all your enemies. The Lord declares ⁴²  to you that he himself ⁴³  will build a dynastic house ⁴⁴  for you.

2 Samuel 24:4

24:4 But the king’s edict stood, despite the objections of ⁴⁵  Joab and the leaders of the army. So Joab and the leaders of the army left the king’s presence in order to muster the Israelite army.

2 Samuel 11:9

11:9 But Uriah stayed at the door of the palace with all ⁴⁶  the servants of his lord. He did not go down to his house.

2 Samuel 22:1

David Sings to the Lord

22:1 ⁴⁷ David sang ⁴⁸  to the Lord the words of this song when ⁴⁹  the Lord rescued him from the power ⁵⁰  of all his enemies, including Saul. ⁵¹ 

2 Samuel 13:1

The Rape of Tamar

13:1 Now David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. In the course of time David’s son Amnon fell madly in love with her. ⁵² 

2 Samuel 2:30

2:30 Now Joab returned from chasing Abner and assembled all the people. Nineteen of David’s soldiers were missing, in addition to Asahel.

2 Samuel 5:23

5:23 So David asked the Lord what he should do. ⁵³  This time ⁵⁴  the Lord ⁵⁵  said to him, “Don’t march straight up. Instead, circle around behind them and come against them opposite the trees. ⁵⁶ 

2 Samuel 6:10

6:10 So David was no longer willing to bring the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. David left it in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

2 Samuel 10:10

10:10 He put his brother Abishai in charge of the rest of the army ⁵⁷  and they were deployed ⁵⁸  against the Ammonites.

2 Samuel 14:14

14:14 Certainly we must die, and are like water spilled on the ground that cannot be gathered up again. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways for the banished to be restored. ⁵⁹ 

2 Samuel 23:20

23:20 Benaiah son of Jehoida was a brave warrior ⁶⁰  from Kabzeel who performed great exploits. He struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab. ⁶¹  He also went down and killed a lion in a cistern on a snowy day.

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 12:4

12:4 “When a traveler arrived at the rich man’s home, ⁶²  he did not want to use one of his own sheep or cattle to feed ⁶³  the traveler who had come to visit him. ⁶⁴  Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked ⁶⁵  it for the man who had come to visit him.”

2 Samuel 21:19

21:19 Yet another battle occurred with the Philistines in Gob. On that occasion Elhanan the son of Jair ⁶⁶  the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, ⁶⁷  the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

2 Samuel 23:13

23:13 At the time of ⁶⁸  the harvest three ⁶⁹  of the thirty leaders went down to ⁷⁰  David at the cave of Adullam. A band of Philistines was camped in the valley of Rephaim.

2 Samuel 13:17

13:17 He called his personal attendant and said to him, “Take this woman out of my sight ⁷¹  and lock the door behind her!”

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 ⁷²  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. ⁷³ 

2 Samuel 12:31

12:31 He removed ⁷⁴  the people who were in it and made them do hard labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, putting them to work at the brick kiln. This was his policy ⁷⁵  with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem. ⁷⁶ 

2 Samuel 12:6

12:6 Because he committed this cold-hearted crime, he must pay for the lamb four times over!” ⁷⁷ 

2 Samuel 13:22

13:22 But Absalom said nothing to Amnon, either bad or good, yet Absalom hated Amnon because he had humiliated his sister Tamar.

2 Samuel 17:3

17:3 and will bring the entire army back to you. In exchange for the life of the man you are seeking, you will get back everyone. ⁷⁸  The entire army will return unharmed.” ⁷⁹ 

2 Samuel 17:6

17:6 So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?”

2 Samuel 21:8

21:8 So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah whom she had born to Saul, and the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab ⁸⁰  whom she had born to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

2 Samuel 24:24

24:24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you! I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.”

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver. ⁸¹ 

2 Samuel 20:21

20:21 That’s not the way things are. There is a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Sheba son of Bicri. He has rebelled ⁸²  against King David. Give me just this one man, and I will leave the city.” The woman said to Joab, “This very minute ⁸³  his head will be thrown over the wall to you!”

2 Samuel 13:27

13:27 But when Absalom pressed him, he sent Amnon and all the king’s sons along with him.

2 Samuel 17:16

17:16 Now send word quickly to David and warn him, ⁸⁴  “Don’t spend the night at the fords of the desert ⁸⁵  tonight. Instead, be sure you cross over, ⁸⁶  or else the king and everyone who is with him may be overwhelmed.” ⁸⁷ 

2 Samuel 19:9

19:9 All the people throughout all the tribes of Israel were arguing among themselves saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies. He rescued us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled from the land because of Absalom.

2 Samuel 8:8

8:8 From Tebah ⁸⁸  and Berothai, Hadadezer’s cities, King David took a great deal of bronze.

2 Samuel 11:17

11:17 When the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, some of David’s soldiers ⁸⁹  fell in battle. Uriah the Hittite also died.

2 Samuel 18:13

18:13 If I had acted at risk of my own life ⁹⁰  – and nothing is hidden from the king! – you would have abandoned me.” ⁹¹ 

2 Samuel 22:39

22:39 I wipe them out and beat them to death;

they cannot get up;

they fall at my feet.

2 Samuel 17:2

17:2 When I catch up with ⁹²  him he will be exhausted and worn out. ⁹³  I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king

2 Samuel 3:35

3:35 Then all the people came and encouraged David to eat food while it was still day. But David took an oath saying, “God will punish me severely ⁹⁴  if I taste bread or anything whatsoever before the sun sets!”

2 Samuel 15:12

15:12 While he was offering sacrifices, Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s adviser, ⁹⁵  to come from his city, Giloh. ⁹⁶  The conspiracy was gaining momentum, and the people were starting to side with Absalom.

2 Samuel 21:18

21:18 Later there was another battle with the Philistines, this time in Gob. On that occasion Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the descendants of Rapha.

2 Samuel 5:6

David Occupies Jerusalem

5:6 Then the king and his men advanced to Jerusalem ⁹⁷  against the Jebusites who lived in the land. The Jebusites ⁹⁸  said to David, “You cannot invade this place! Even the blind and the lame will turn you back, saying, ‘David cannot invade this place!’”

2 Samuel 14:9

14:9 The Tekoan woman said to the king, “My lord the king, let any blame fall on me and on the house of my father. But let the king and his throne be innocent!”

2 Samuel 17:8

17:8 Hushai went on to say, “You know your father and his men – they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs. ⁹⁹  Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army.

2 Samuel 3:22

Abner Is Killed

3:22 Now David’s soldiers ¹⁰⁰  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 ¹⁰¹  had sent him away and he had left in peace.

2 Samuel 7:14

7:14 I will become his father and he will become my son. When he sins, I will correct him with the rod of men and with wounds inflicted by human beings.

2 Samuel 19:17

19:17 There were a thousand men from Benjamin with him, along with Ziba the servant ¹⁰²  of Saul’s household, and with him his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They hurriedly crossed ¹⁰³  the Jordan within sight of the king.

2 Samuel 20:7

20:7 So Joab’s men, accompanied by the Kerethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors, left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bicri.

2 Samuel 21:7

21:7 The king had mercy on Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, in light of the Lord’s oath that had been taken between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

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 ¹⁰⁴  from the day that Amnon ¹⁰⁵  humiliated his sister Tamar.

2 Samuel 15:27

15:27 The king said to Zadok the priest, “Are you a seer? ¹⁰⁶  Go back to the city in peace! Your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan may go with you and Abiathar. ¹⁰⁷ 

2 Samuel 23:24

23:24 Included with the thirty were the following: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem, ¹⁰⁸ 

2 Samuel 1:21

1:21 O mountains of Gilboa,

may there be no dew or rain on you, nor fields of grain offerings! ¹⁰⁹ 

For it was there that the shield of warriors was defiled; ¹¹⁰ 

the shield of Saul lies neglected without oil. ¹¹¹ 

2 Samuel 4:1

Ish-bosheth is killed

4:1 When Ish-bosheth ¹¹²  the son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he was very disheartened, ¹¹³  and all Israel was afraid.

2 Samuel 12:18

12:18 On the seventh day the child died. But the servants of David were afraid to inform him that the child had died, for they said, “While the child was still alive he would not listen to us ¹¹⁴  when we spoke to him. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He will do himself harm!” ¹¹⁵ 

2 Samuel 15:14

15:14 So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, ¹¹⁶  “Come on! ¹¹⁷  Let’s escape! ¹¹⁸  Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom! Go immediately, or else he will quickly overtake us and bring ¹¹⁹  disaster on us and kill the city’s residents with the sword.” ¹²⁰ 

2 Samuel 10:18

10:18 The Arameans fled before Israel. David killed 700 Aramean charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers. ¹²¹  He also struck down Shobach, the general in command of the army, who died there.

2 Samuel 8:2

8:2 He defeated the Moabites. He made them lie on the ground and then used a rope to measure them off. He put two-thirds of them to death and spared the other third. ¹²²  The Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute. ¹²³ 

2 Samuel 18:3

18:3 But the soldiers replied, ¹²⁴  “You should not do this! ¹²⁵  For if we should have to make a rapid retreat, they won’t be too concerned about us. ¹²⁶  Even if half of us should die, they won’t be too concerned about us. But you ¹²⁷  are like ten thousand of us! So it is better if you remain in the city for support.”

2 Samuel 10:3

10:3 the Ammonite officials said to their lord Hanun, “Do you really think David is trying to honor your father by sending these messengers to express his sympathy? ¹²⁸  No, David has sent his servants to you to get information about the city and spy on it so they can overthrow it!” ¹²⁹ 

2 Samuel 11:11

11:11 Uriah replied to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah reside in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and my lord’s soldiers are camping in the open field. Should I go to my house to eat and drink and have marital relations ¹³⁰  with my wife? As surely as you are alive, ¹³¹  I will not do this thing!”

2 Samuel 18:2

18:2 David then sent out the army – a third under the leadership of Joab, a third under the leadership of Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under the leadership of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, “I too will indeed march out with you.”

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 7:6

7:6 I have not lived in a house from the time I brought the Israelites up from Egypt to the present day. Instead, I was traveling with them and living in a tent. ¹³² 

2 Samuel 22:24

22:24 I was blameless before him;

I kept myself from sinning. ¹³³ 

2 Samuel 13:25

13:25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son. We shouldn’t all go. We shouldn’t burden you in that way.” Though Absalom ¹³⁴  pressed ¹³⁵  him, the king ¹³⁶  was not willing to go. Instead, David ¹³⁷  blessed him.

2 Samuel 22:23

22:23 For I am aware of all his regulations, ¹³⁸ 

and I do not reject his rules. ¹³⁹ 

2 Samuel 2:9

2:9 He appointed him king over Gilead, the Geshurites, ¹⁴⁰  Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel.

2 Samuel 11:13

11:13 Then David summoned him. He ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in the evening he went out to sleep on his bed with the servants of his lord; he did not go down to his own house.

2 Samuel 2:21

2:21 Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or to your left. Capture one of the soldiers ¹⁴¹  and take his equipment for yourself!” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him.

[14:6]  ¹ tn Here and elsewhere (vv. 7, 12, 15a, 17, 19) the woman uses a term which suggests a lower level female servant. She uses the term to express her humility before the king. However, she uses a different term in vv. 15b-16. See the note at v. 15 for a discussion of the rhetorical purpose of this switch in terminology.

[18:20]  ² tn Heb “but this day you will not bear good news.”

[12:1]  ³ tc A few medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and the Syriac Peshitta add “the prophet.” The words are included in a few modern English version (e.g., TEV, CEV, NLT).

[12:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Nathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:1]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text repeats “to him.”

[14:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “to know all that is in the land.”

[12:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “his sons.”

[12:3]  ⁹ tn The three Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in this sentence have a customary nuance; they describe past actions that were repeated or typical.

[12:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “from his morsel.”

[12:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and on his chest [or perhaps, “lap”] it would lay.”

[23:7]  ¹² tn Heb “and with fire they are completely burned up in [the place where they] remain.” The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb to emphasize that they are completely consumed by the fire.

[7:22]  ¹³ tn Heb “in all which we heard with our ears.” The phrase translated “in all” בְּכֹל (bÿkhol) should probably be emended to “according to all” כְּכֹל (kÿkhol).

[3:13]  ¹⁴ tn The words “when you come to see my face,” though found in the Hebrew text, are somewhat redundant given the similar expression in the earlier part of the verse. The words are absent from the Syriac Peshitta.

[17:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “that he falls on them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] at the first [encounter]; or “that some of them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] fall at the first [encounter].”

[22:32]  ¹⁶ tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.

[22:32]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor of protection.

[22:32]  ¹⁸ tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “No one.” In this way the psalmist indicates that the Lord is the only true God and reliable source of protection. See also Deut 32:39, where the Lord affirms that he is the only true God. Note as well the emphasis on his role as protector (צוּר, tsur, “rocky cliff”) in Deut 32:4, 15, 17-18, 30.

[21:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “swore an oath to.”

[16:18]  ²⁰ tn Heb “No for with the one whom the Lord has chosen, and this people, and all the men of Israel, I will be and with him I will stay.” The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew mss in reading לוֹ (lo, “[I will be] to him”) rather than the MT לֹא (lo’, “[I will] not be”), which makes very little sense here.

[7:23]  ²¹ tn Heb “a nation, one.”

[7:23]  ²² tn Heb “whose God” or “because God.” In the Hebrew text this clause is subordinated to what precedes. The clauses are separated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:23]  ²³ tn The verb is plural in Hebrew, agreeing grammatically with the divine name, which is a plural of degree.

[7:23]  ²⁴ tn Heb “redeem.”

[7:23]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and to do for you [plural form] the great [thing] and awesome [things] for your land.”

[7:23]  ²⁶ tn Heb “from Egypt, nations and their gods.” The LXX has “nations and tents,” which reflects a mistaken metathesis of letters in אֶלֹהָיו (e’lohav, “its gods”) and אֹהָלָיו (’ohalav, “its tents”).

[19:28]  ²⁷ tn Heb “father.”

[19:28]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and you placed your servant among those who eat at your table.”

[19:28]  ²⁹ tn Heb “to cry out to.”

[12:11]  ³⁰ tn Heb “raise up against you disaster.”

[12:11]  ³¹ tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NRSV); NCV, TEV, CEV “family.”

[12:11]  ³² tn Or “friend.”

[12:11]  ³³ tn Heb “will lie with” (so NIV, NRSV); TEV “will have intercourse with”; CEV, NLT “will go to bed with.”

[12:11]  ³⁴ tn Heb “in the eyes of this sun.”

[23:9]  ³⁵ tn Heb “after him.”

[23:9]  ³⁶ tc This follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading דֹּדוֹ (dodo) rather than the Kethib of the MT דֹּדַי (dodai; cf. ASV, NIV, NLT). But see 1 Chr 27:4.

[23:9]  ³⁷ tn Heb “went up.”

[3:18]  ³⁸ tc The present translation follows the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate in reading “I will save,” rather than the MT “he saved.” The context calls for the 1st person common singular imperfect of the verb rather than the 3rd person masculine singular perfect.

[3:18]  ³⁹ tn Heb “from the hand of.”

[4:2]  ⁴⁰ tc The present translation, “Saul’s son had two men,” is based on the reading “to the son of Saul,” rather than the MT’s “the son of Saul.” The context requires the preposition to indicate the family relationship.

[7:11]  ⁴¹ tn Or “rest.”

[7:11]  ⁴² tn In the Hebrew text the verb is apparently perfect with vav consecutive, which would normally suggest a future sense (“he will declare”; so the LXX, ἀπαγγελεῖ [apangelei]). But the context seems instead to call for a present or past nuance (“he declares” or “he has declared”). The synoptic passage in 1 Chr 17:10 has וָאַגִּד (va’aggid, “and I declared”). The construction used in 2 Sam 7:11 highlights this important statement.

[7:11]  ⁴³ tn Heb “the Lord.”

[7:11]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “house,” but used here in a metaphorical sense, referring to a royal dynasty. Here the Lord’s use of the word plays off the literal sense that David had in mind as he contemplated building a temple for the Lord. To reflect this in the English translation the adjective “dynastic” has been supplied.

[24:4]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “and the word of the king was stronger than.”

[11:9]  ⁴⁶ tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation lacks the word “all.”

[22:1]  ⁴⁷ sn In this long song of thanks, David affirms that God is his faithful protector. He recalls in highly poetic fashion how God intervened in awesome power and delivered him from death. His experience demonstrates that God vindicates those who are blameless and remain loyal to him. True to his promises, God gives the king victory on the battlefield and enables him to subdue nations. A parallel version of the song appears in Ps 18.

[22:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “spoke.”

[22:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “in the day,” or “at the time.”

[22:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “hand.”

[22:1]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and from the hand of Saul.”

[13:1]  ⁵² tn Heb “Amnon the son of David loved her.” The following verse indicates the extreme nature of his infatuation, so the translation uses “madly in love” here.

[13:1]  sn Amnon was the half-brother of Tamar; Absalom was her full blood-brother.

[5:23]  ⁵³ tn The words “what to do” are not in the Hebrew text.

[5:23]  ⁵⁴ tn The words “this time” are not in the Hebrew text.

[5:23]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:23]  ⁵⁶ tn Some translate as “balsam trees” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NJB, NLT); cf. KJV, NKJV, ASV “mulberry trees”; NAB “mastic trees”; NEB, REB “aspens.” The exact identification of the type of tree or plant is uncertain.

[10:10]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “people.”

[10:10]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “he arranged.”

[14:14]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “he devises plans for the one banished from him not to be banished.”

[23:20]  ⁶⁰ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading חַיִל (khayil, “valor”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, חַי (khay, “life”).

[23:20]  ⁶¹ tc Heb “the two of Ariel, Moab.” The precise meaning of אריאל is uncertain; some read “warrior.” The present translation assumes that the word is a proper name and that בני, “sons of,” has accidentally dropped from the text by homoioarcton (note the preceding שׁני).

[12:4]  ⁶² tn Heb “came to the rich man.” In the translation “arrived at the rich man’s home” has been used for stylistic reasons.

[12:4]  ⁶³ tn Heb “and he refused to take from his flock and from his herd to prepare [a meal] for.”

[12:4]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “who had come to him” (also a second time later in this verse). The word “visit” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.

[12:4]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “and prepared.”

[21:19]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “Jaare-Oregim,” but the second word, which means “weavers,” is probably accidentally included. It appears at the end of the verse. The term is omitted in the parallel account in 1 Chr 20:5, which has simply “Jair.”

[21:19]  ⁶⁷ sn The Hebrew text as it stands reads, “Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite.” Who killed Goliath the Gittite? According to 1 Sam 17:4-58 it was David who killed Goliath, but according to the MT of 2 Sam 21:19 it was Elhanan who killed him. Many scholars believe that the two passages are hopelessly at variance with one another. Others have proposed various solutions to the difficulty, such as identifying David with Elhanan or positing the existence of two Goliaths. But in all likelihood the problem is the result of difficulties in the textual transmission of the Samuel passage; in fact, from a text-critical point of view the books of Samuel are the most poorly preserved of all the books of the Hebrew Bible. The parallel passage in 1 Chr 20:5 reads, “Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath.” Both versions are textually corrupt. The Chronicles text has misread “Bethlehemite” (בֵּית הַלַּחְמִי, bet hallakhmi) as the accusative sign followed by a proper name אֶת לַחְמִי (’et lakhmi). (See the note at 1 Chr 20:5.) The Samuel text misread the word for “brother” (אַח, ’akh) as the accusative sign (אֵת, ’et), thereby giving the impression that Elhanan, not David, killed Goliath. Thus in all probability the original text read, “Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath.”

[23:13]  ⁶⁸ tn The meaning of Hebrew אֶל־קָצִיר (’el qatsir) seems here to be “at the time of harvest,” although this is an unusual use of the phrase. As S. R. Driver points out, this preposition does not normally have the temporal sense of “in” or “during” (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 366).

[23:13]  ⁶⁹ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading שְׁלֹשָׁה (shÿloshah, “three”) rather than the Kethib of the MT שְׁלֹשִׁים (shÿloshim, “thirty”). “Thirty” is due to dittography of the following word and makes no sense in the context.

[23:13]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “went down…and approached.”

[13:17]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “send this [one] from upon me to the outside.”

[14:2]  ⁷² tn The Hebrew Hitpael verbal form here indicates pretended rather than genuine action.

[14:2]  ⁷³ tn Heb “these many days.”

[12:31]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “brought out.”

[12:31]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “and so he would do.”

[12:31]  ⁷⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[12:6]  ⁷⁷ tc With the exception of the Lucianic recension, the Old Greek translation has here “sevenfold” rather than “fourfold,” a reading that S. R. Driver thought probably to be the original reading (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 291). However, Exod 22:1 [21:37 HT] specifies fourfold repayment for a stolen sheep, which is consistent with 2 Sam 12:6. Some mss of the Targum and the Syriac Peshitta exaggerate the idea to “fortyfold.”

[12:6]  tn Heb “the lamb he must repay fourfold because he did this thing and because he did not have compassion.”

[17:3]  ⁷⁸ tc Heb “like the returning of all, the man whom you are seeking.” The LXX reads differently: “And I will return all the people to you the way a bride returns to her husband, except for the life of the one man whom you are seeking.” The other early versions also struggled with this verse. Modern translations are divided as well: the NAB, NRSV, REB, and NLT follow the LXX, while the NASB and NIV follow the Hebrew text.

[17:3]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “all of the people will be safe.”

[21:8]  ⁸⁰ tc The MT reads “Michal” here, but two Hebrew manuscripts read “Merab,” along with some LXX manuscripts. Cf. 1 Sam 18:19.

[24:24]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “fifty shekels of silver.” This would have been about 20 ounces (568 grams) of silver by weight.

[20:21]  ⁸² tn Heb “lifted his hand.”

[20:21]  ⁸³ tn Heb “Look!”

[17:16]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “send quickly and tell David saying.”

[17:16]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV).

[17:16]  ⁸⁶ tn That is, “cross over the Jordan River.”

[17:16]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “swallowed up.”

[8:8]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “Betah” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV), but the name should probably be corrected to “Tebah.” See the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:8.

[11:17]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “some of the people from the servants of David.”

[18:13]  ⁹⁰ tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, and a number of the ancient versions in reading בְנַפְשִׁי (vÿnafshi, “against my life”) rather than the MT בְנַפְשׁוֹ (vÿnafsho, “against his life”).

[18:13]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “stood aloof.”

[17:2]  ⁹² tn Heb “and I will come upon him.”

[17:2]  ⁹³ tn Heb “exhausted and slack of hands.”

[3:35]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “Thus God will do to me and thus he will add.”

[15:12]  ⁹⁵ tn Traditionally, “counselor,” but this term is more often associated with psychological counseling today, so “adviser” was used in the translation instead.

[15:12]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, the adviser of David, from his city, from Giloh, while he was sacrificing.” It is not entirely clear who (Absalom or Ahithophel) was offering the sacrifices.

[5:6]  ⁹⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:6]  ⁹⁸ tn The Hebrew text has “he” rather than “the Jebusites.” The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. In the Syriac Peshitta and some mss of the Targum the verb is plural rather than singular.

[17:8]  ⁹⁹ tc The LXX (with the exception of the recensions of Origen and Lucian) repeats the description as follows: “Just as a female bear bereft of cubs in a field.”

[3:22]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “And look, the servants of David.”

[3:22]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:17]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “youth.”

[19:17]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “rushed into.”

[13:32]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “it was placed on the mouth of Absalom.”

[13:32]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amnon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:27]  ¹⁰⁶ 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]  ¹⁰⁷ 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.

[23:24]  ¹⁰⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[1:21]  ¹⁰⁹ tc Instead of the MT’s “fields of grain offerings” the Lucianic recension of the LXX reads “your high places are mountains of death.” Cf. the Old Latin montes mortis (“mountains of death”).

[1:21]  ¹¹⁰ tn This is the only biblical occurrence of the Niphal of the verb גָּעַל (ga’al). This verb usually has the sense of “to abhor” or “loathe.” But here it seems to refer to the now dirty and unprotected condition of a previously well-maintained instrument of battle.

[1:21]  ¹¹¹ tc It is preferable to read here Hebrew מָשׁוּחַ (mashuakh) with many Hebrew mss, rather than מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh) of the MT. Although the Syriac Peshitta understands the statement to pertain to Saul, the point here is not that Saul is not anointed. Rather, it is the shield of Saul that lies discarded and is no longer anointed. In ancient Near Eastern practice a warrior’s shield that was in normal use would have to be anointed regularly in order to ensure that the leather did not become dry and brittle. Like other warriors of his day Saul would have carefully maintained his tools of trade. But now that he is dead, the once-cared-for shield of the mighty warrior lies sadly discarded and woefully neglected, a silent but eloquent commentary on how different things are now compared to the way they were during Saul’s lifetime.

[4:1]  ¹¹² tn The MT does not specify the subject of the verb here, but the reference is to Ish-bosheth, so the name has been supplied in the translation for clarity. 4QSam^a and the LXX mistakenly read “Mephibosheth.”

[4:1]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “his hands went slack.”

[12:18]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “to our voice.”

[12:18]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “he will do harm.” The object is not stated in the Hebrew text. The statement may be intentionally vague, meaning that he might harm himself or them!

[15:14]  ¹¹⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[15:14]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “Arise!”

[15:14]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “let’s flee.”

[15:14]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “thrust.”

[15:14]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

[10:18]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “horsemen” (so KJV, NASB, NCV, NRSV, NLT) but the Lucianic recension of the LXX reads “foot soldiers,” as does the parallel text in 1 Chr 19:18. Cf. NAB, NIV.

[8:2]  ¹²² tn Heb “and he measured [with] two [lengths] of rope to put to death and [with] the fullness of the rope to keep alive.”

[8:2]  ¹²³ tn Heb “and the Moabites were servants of David, carriers of tribute.”

[18:3]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “the people said.”

[18:3]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “march out.”

[18:3]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “they will not place to us heart.”

[18:3]  ¹²⁷ tc The translation follows the LXX (except for the Lucianic recension), Symmachus, and Vulgate in reading אָתָּה (’atta, “you”) rather than MT עָתָּה (’atta, “now”).

[10:3]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “Is David honoring your father in your eyes when he sends to you ones consoling?”

[10:3]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “Is it not to explore the city and to spy on it and to overthrow it [that] David has sent his servants to you?”

[11:11]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “and lay.”

[11:11]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “as you live and as your soul lives.”

[7:6]  ¹³² tn Heb “in a tent and in a dwelling.” The expression is a hendiadys, using two terms to express one idea.

[22:24]  ¹³³ tn Heb “from my sin,” that is, from making it my own in any way. Leading a “blameless” life meant that the king would be loyal to God’s covenant, purge the government and society of evil and unjust officials, and reward loyalty to the Lord (see Ps 101).

[13:25]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:25]  ¹³⁵ tc Here and in v. 27 the translation follows 4QSam^a ויצפר (vayyitspar, “and he pressed”) rather than the MT וַיִּפְרָץ (vayyiprats, “and he broke through”). This emended reading seems also to underlie the translations of the LXX (καὶ ἐβιάσατο, kai ebiasato), the Syriac Peshitta (we’alseh), and Vulgate (cogeret eum).

[13:25]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:25]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:23]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “for all his regulations are before me.” The term מִשְׁפָּטָו (mishpatav, “his regulations”) refers to God’s covenantal requirements, especially those which the king is responsible to follow (cf Deut 17:18-20). See also Pss 19:9 (cf vv. 7-8); 89:30; 147:20 (cf v. 19), as well as the numerous uses of the term in Ps 119.

[22:23]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “and his rules, I do not turn aside from it.” Ps 18:22 reads, “and his rules I do not turn aside from me.” The prefixed verbal form is probably an imperfect; David here generalizes about his loyalty to God’s commands. The Lord’s “rules” are the stipulations of the covenant which the king was responsible to obey (see Ps 89:31; cf v. 30 and Deut 17:18-20).

[2:9]  ¹⁴⁰ tc The MT here reads “the Ashurite,” but this is problematic if it is taken to mean “the Assyrian.” Ish-bosheth’s kingdom obviously was not of such proportions as to extend to Assyria. The Syriac Peshitta renders the word as “the Geshurite,” while the Targum has “of the house of Ashur.” We should probably emend the Hebrew text to read “the Geshurite.” The Geshurites lived in the northeastern part of the land of Palestine.

[2:21]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “young men.” So also elsewhere.