2 Samuel 23:15

23:15 David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate!”

2 Samuel 13:23

Absalom Has Amnon Put to Death

13:23 Two years later Absalom’s sheepshearers were in Baal Hazor, ¹  near Ephraim. Absalom invited all the king’s sons.

2 Samuel 20:11

20:11 One of Joab’s soldiers who stood over Amasa said, “Whoever is for ²  Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!”

2 Samuel 18:25

18:25 So the watchman called out and informed the king. The king said, “If he is by himself, he brings good news.” ³  The runner ⁴  came ever closer.

2 Samuel 20:17

20:17 When he approached her, the woman asked, “Are you Joab?” He replied, “I am.” She said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” He said, “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

2 Samuel 24:5

24:5 They crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, on the south side of the city, at ⁵  the wadi of Gad, near Jazer.

2 Samuel 2:16

2:16 As they grappled with one another, each one stabbed his opponent with his sword and they fell dead together. ⁶  So that place is called the Field of Flints; ⁷  it is in Gibeon.

2 Samuel 4:12

4:12 So David issued orders to the soldiers and they put them to death. Then they cut off their hands and feet and hung them ⁸  near the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth ⁹  and buried it in the tomb of Abner ¹⁰  in Hebron. ¹¹ 

2 Samuel 19:37

19:37 Let me ¹²  return so that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But look, here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever seems appropriate to you.”

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 24:16

24:16 When the angel ¹³  extended his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented from his judgment. ¹⁴  He told the angel who was killing the people, “That’s enough! Stop now!” ¹⁵  (Now the Lord’s angel was near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.)

2 Samuel 18:15

18:15 Then ten soldiers who were Joab’s armor bearers struck Absalom and finished him off.

2 Samuel 6:7

6:7 The Lord was so furious with Uzzah, ¹⁶  he ¹⁷  killed him on the spot ¹⁸  for his negligence. ¹⁹  He died right there beside the ark of God.

2 Samuel 8:3

8:3 David defeated King Hadadezer son of Rehob of Zobah when he came to reestablish ²⁰  his authority ²¹  over the Euphrates ²²  River.

2 Samuel 11:20

11:20 if the king becomes angry and asks you, ‘Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you realize they would shoot from the wall?

2 Samuel 15:5

15:5 When someone approached to bow before him, Absalom ²³  would extend his hand and embrace him and kiss him.

2 Samuel 15:17

15:17 The king and all the people set out on foot, pausing ²⁴  at a spot ²⁵  some distance away.

2 Samuel 15:28

15:28 Look, I will be waiting at the fords of the desert until word from you ²⁶  reaches me.”

2 Samuel 2:24

2:24 So Joab and Abishai chased Abner. At sunset they came to the hill of Ammah near Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

2 Samuel 16:5

Shimei Curses David and His Men

16:5 Then King David reached ²⁷  Bahurim. There a man from Saul’s extended family named Shimei son of Gera came out, yelling curses as he approached. ²⁸ 

2 Samuel 20:16

20:16 a wise woman called out from the city, “Listen up! Listen up! Tell Joab, ‘Come near so that I may speak to you.’”

2 Samuel 23:14

23:14 David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem. ²⁹ 

2 Samuel 11:21

11:21 Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone ³⁰  down on him from the wall so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?’ just say to him, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.’”

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 3:32

3:32 So they buried Abner in Hebron. The king cried loudly ³¹  over Abner’s grave and all the people wept too.

2 Samuel 5:25

5:25 David did just as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines from Gibeon all the way to Gezer. ³² 

2 Samuel 13:11

13:11 As she brought them to him to eat, he grabbed her and said to her, “Come on! Get in bed with me, ³³  my sister!”

2 Samuel 1:10

1:10 So I stood over him and put him to death, since I knew that he couldn’t live in such a condition. ³⁴  Then I took the crown which was on his head and the ³⁵  bracelet which was on his arm. I have brought them here to my lord.” ³⁶ 

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 17:13

17:13 If he regroups in a city, all Israel will take up ropes to that city and drag it down to the valley, so that not a single pebble will be left there!”

2 Samuel 19:8

19:8 So the king got up and sat at the city gate. When all the people were informed that the king was sitting at the city gate, they ³⁷  all came before him.

David Goes Back to Jerusalem

But the Israelite soldiers ³⁸  had all fled to their own homes. ³⁹ 

2 Samuel 20:8

20:8 When they were near the big rock that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to them. Now Joab was dressed in military attire and had a dagger in its sheath belted to his waist. When he advanced, it fell out. ⁴⁰ 

2 Samuel 1:6

1:6 The young man who was telling him this ⁴¹  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 3:26

3:26 Then Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought him back from the well of Sirah. (But David was not aware of it.)

2 Samuel 5:23

5:23 So David asked the Lord what he should do. ⁴²  This time ⁴³  the Lord ⁴⁴  said to him, “Don’t march straight up. Instead, circle around behind them and come against them opposite the trees. ⁴⁵ 

2 Samuel 11:19

11:19 He instructed the messenger as follows: “When you finish giving the battle report to the king,

2 Samuel 13:2

13:2 But Amnon became frustrated because he was so lovesick ⁴⁶  over his sister Tamar. For she was a virgin, and to Amnon it seemed out of the question to do anything to her.

2 Samuel 13:10

13:10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the cakes into the bedroom; then I will eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the cakes that she had prepared and brought them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom.

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 ⁴⁷  on a road beside the hill.

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.” ⁴⁸  So Absalom’s servants set Joab’s ⁴⁹  portion of the field on fire.

2 Samuel 21:16

21:16 Now Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, ⁵⁰  had a spear ⁵¹  that weighed three hundred bronze shekels, ⁵²  and he was armed with a new weapon. ⁵³  He had said that he would kill David.

2 Samuel 23:13

23:13 At the time of ⁵⁴  the harvest three ⁵⁵  of the thirty leaders went down to ⁵⁶  David at the cave of Adullam. A band of Philistines was camped in the valley of Rephaim.

2 Samuel 3:27

3:27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gate as if to speak privately with him. Joab then stabbed him ⁵⁷  in the abdomen and killed him, avenging the shed blood of his brother Asahel. ⁵⁸ 

2 Samuel 15:2

15:2 Now Absalom used to get up early and stand beside the road that led to the city gate. Whenever anyone came by who had a complaint to bring to the king for arbitration, Absalom would call out to him, “What city are you from?” The person would answer, “I, your servant, ⁵⁹  am from one of the tribes of Israel.”

2 Samuel 17:16

17:16 Now send word quickly to David and warn him, ⁶⁰  “Don’t spend the night at the fords of the desert ⁶¹  tonight. Instead, be sure you cross over, ⁶²  or else the king and everyone who is with him may be overwhelmed.” ⁶³ 

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 18:33

18:33 (19:1) ⁶⁴  The king then became very upset. He went up to the upper room over the gate and wept. As he went he said, “My son, Absalom! My son, my son, ⁶⁵  Absalom! If only I could have died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!” ⁶⁶ 

2 Samuel 20:15

20:15 So Joab’s men ⁶⁷  came and laid siege against him in Abel of Beth Maacah. They prepared a siege ramp outside the city which stood against its outer rampart. As all of Joab’s soldiers were trying to break through ⁶⁸  the wall so that it would collapse,

[13:23]  ¹ map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.

[20:11]  ² tn Heb “takes delight in.”

[18:25]  ³ tn Heb “good news is in his mouth.”

[18:25]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the runner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “in the middle of.”

[2:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “and they grabbed each one the head of his neighbor with his sword in the side of his neighbor and they fell together.”

[2:16]  ⁷ tn The meaning of the name “Helkath Hazzurim” (so NIV; KJV, NASB, NRSV similar) is not clear. BHK relates the name to the Hebrew term for “side,” and this is reflected in NAB “the Field of the Sides”; the Greek OT revocalizes the Hebrew to mean something like “Field of Adversaries.” Cf. also TEV, NLT “Field of Swords”; CEV “Field of Daggers.”

[4:12]  ⁸ tn The antecedent of the pronoun “them” (which is not present in the Hebrew text, but implied) is not entirely clear. Presumably it is the corpses that were hung and not merely the detached hands and feet; cf. NIV “hung the (their NRSV, NLT) bodies”; the alternative is represented by TEV “cut off their hands and feet, which they hung up.”

[4:12]  ⁹ tc 4QSam^a mistakenly reads “Mephibosheth” here.

[4:12]  ¹⁰ tc The LXX adds “the son of Ner” by conformity with common phraseology elsewhere.

[4:12]  ¹¹ tc Some mss of the LXX lack the phrase “in Hebron.”

[19:37]  ¹² tn Heb “your servant.”

[24:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “messenger.”

[24:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “concerning the calamity.”

[24:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Now, drop your hand.”

[6:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah.”

[6:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “God.”

[6:7]  ¹⁸ tc Heb “there.” Since this same term occurs later in the verse it is translated “on the spot” here for stylistic reasons.

[6:7]  ¹⁹ tc The phrase “his negligence” is absent from the LXX.

[8:3]  ²⁰ tc The LXX has ἐπιστῆσαι (episthsai, “cause to stand”). See the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:3.

[8:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “hand.”

[8:3]  ²² tn The MT does not have the name “Euphrates” in the text. It is supplied in the margin (Qere) as one of ten places where the Masoretes believed that something was “to be read although it was not written” in the text as they had received it. The ancient versions (LXX, Syriac Peshitta, Vulgate) include the word. See also the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:3.

[15:5]  ²³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:17]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and they stood.”

[15:17]  ²⁵ tn Heb “house.”

[15:28]  ²⁶ tn The pronoun is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.

[16:5]  ²⁷ tn Heb “came to.” The form of the verb in the MT is odd. Some prefer to read וַיַּבֹא (vayyavo’), preterite with vav consecutive) rather than וּבָא (uva’), apparently perfect with vav), but this is probably an instance where the narrative offline vÿqatal construction introduces a new scene.

[16:5]  ²⁸ tn Heb “And look, from there a man was coming out from the clan of the house of Saul and his name was Shimei son of Gera, continually going out and cursing.”

[23:14]  ²⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[11:21]  ³⁰ sn The upper millstone (Heb “millstone of riding”) refers to the heavy circular stone that was commonly rolled over a circular base in order to crush and grind such things as olives.

[3:32]  ³¹ tn Heb “lifted up his voice and wept.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.

[5:25]  ³² tn Heb “from Gibeon until you enter Gezer.”

[13:11]  ³³ tn Heb “lie with me” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); NCV “come and have sexual relations with me.”

[1:10]  ³⁴ tn Heb “after his falling”; NAB “could not survive his wound”; CEV “was too badly wounded to live much longer.”

[1:10]  ³⁵ tc The MT lacks the definite article, but this is likely due to textual corruption. It is preferable to read the alef (א) of אֶצְעָדָה (’ets’adah) as a ה (he) giving הַצְּעָדָה (hatsÿ’adah). There is no reason to think that the soldier confiscated from Saul’s dead body only one of two or more bracelets that he was wearing (cf. NLT “one of his bracelets”).

[1:10]  ³⁶ sn The claims that the soldier is making here seem to contradict the story of Saul’s death as presented in 1 Sam 31:3-5. In that passage it appears that Saul took his own life, not that he was slain by a passerby who happened on the scene. Some scholars account for the discrepancy by supposing that conflicting accounts have been brought together in the MT. However, it is likely that the young man is here fabricating the account in a self-serving way so as to gain favor with David, or so he supposes. He probably had come across Saul’s corpse, stolen the crown and bracelet from the body, and now hopes to curry favor with David by handing over to him these emblems of Saul’s royalty. But in so doing the Amalekite greatly miscalculated David’s response to this alleged participation in Saul’s death. The consequence of his lies will instead be his own death.

[19:8]  ³⁷ tn Heb “all the people.”

[19:8]  ³⁸ tn The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” (see 18:16-17).

[19:8]  ³⁹ tn Heb “had fled, each to his tent.”

[20:8]  ⁴⁰ sn The significance of the statement it fell out here is unclear. If the dagger fell out of its sheath before Joab got to Amasa, how then did he kill him? Josephus, Ant. 7.11.7 (7.284), suggested that as Joab approached Amasa he deliberately caused the dagger to fall to the ground at an opportune moment as though by accident. When he bent over and picked it up, he then stabbed Amasa with it. Others have tried to make a case for thinking that two swords are referred to – the one that fell out and another that Joab kept concealed until the last moment. But nothing in the text clearly supports this view. Perhaps Josephus’ understanding is best, but it is by no means obvious in the text either.

[1:6]  ⁴¹ tc The Syriac Peshitta and one ms of the LXX lack the words “who was telling him this” of the MT.

[5:23]  ⁴² tn The words “what to do” are not in the Hebrew text.

[5:23]  ⁴³ tn The words “this time” are not in the Hebrew text.

[5:23]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:23]  ⁴⁵ 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.

[13:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and there was distress to Amnon so that he made himself sick.”

[13:34]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “behind him.”

[14:30]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ tn The word “Joab’s” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[21:16]  ⁵⁰ tn This name has the definite article and may be intended to refer to a group of people rather than a single individual with this name.

[21:16]  ⁵¹ tn This is the only occurrence of this Hebrew word in the OT. Its precise meaning is therefore somewhat uncertain. As early as the LXX the word was understood to refer to a “spear,” and this seems to be the most likely possibility. Some scholars have proposed emending the text of 2 Sam 21:16 to כוֹבַעוֹ (khova’o; “his helmet”), but in spite of the fact that the word “helmet” appears in 1 Sam 17:5, there is not much evidence for reading that word here.

[21:16]  ⁵² tn Either the word “shekels” should be supplied here, or the Hebrew word מִשְׁקַל (mishqal, “weight”) right before “bronze” is a corrupted form of the word for shekel. If the latter is the case the problem probably resulted from another occurrence of the word מִשְׁקַל just four words earlier in the verse.

[21:16]  sn Three hundred bronze shekels would have weighed about 7.5 pounds (3.4 kg).

[21:16]  ⁵³ tn The Hebrew text reads simply “a new [thing],” prompting one to ask “A new what?” Several possibilities have been proposed to resolve the problem: perhaps a word has dropped out of the Hebrew text here; or perhaps the word “new” is the result of misreading a different, less common, word; or perhaps a word (e.g., “sword,” so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, CEV, NLT) is simply to be inferred. The translation generally follows the latter possibility, while at the same time being deliberately nonspecific (“weapon”).

[23:13]  ⁵⁴ 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]  ⁵⁵ 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]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “went down…and approached.”

[3:27]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “and he struck him down there [in] the stomach.”

[3:27]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and he [i.e., Abner] died on account of the blood of Asahel his [i.e., Joab’s] brother.”

[15:2]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “your servant.” So also in vv. 8, 15, 21.

[17:16]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “send quickly and tell David saying.”

[17:16]  ⁶¹ tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV).

[17:16]  ⁶² tn That is, “cross over the Jordan River.”

[17:16]  ⁶³ tn Heb “swallowed up.”

[18:33]  ⁶⁴ sn This marks the beginning of ch. 19 in the Hebrew text. Beginning with 18:33, the verse numbers through 19:43 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 18:33 ET = 19:1 HT, 19:1 ET = 19:2 HT, 19:2 ET = 19:3 HT, etc., through 19:43 ET = 19:44 HT. From 20:1 the versification in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible is again the same.

[18:33]  ⁶⁵ tc One medieval Hebrew ms, some mss of the LXX, and the Vulgate lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.

[18:33]  ⁶⁶ tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.

[20:15]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “they.” The following context makes it clear that this refers to Joab and his army.

[20:15]  ⁶⁸ tc The LXX has here ἐνοοῦσαν (enoousan, “were devising”), which apparently presupposes the Hebrew word מַחֲשָׁבִים (makhashavim) rather than the MT מַשְׁחִיתִם (mashkhitim, “were destroying”). With a number of other scholars Driver thinks that the Greek variant may preserve the original reading, but this seems to be an unnecessary conclusion (but see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 346).