1 sn (1:1) 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.
2sn (1:1) 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).
3sn (1:1) 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.
4sn (1:2) Tearing one's clothing and throwing dirt on one's head were outward expressions of grief in the ancient Near East, where such demonstrable reactions were a common response to tragic news.
5tn (1:2) Heb "he"; the referent (the man mentioned at the beginning of v. 2) has been specified in the translation to avoid confusion as to who fell to the ground.
6tn (1:2) Heb "he fell to the ground and did obeisance."
7tn (1:4) Heb "What was the word?"
8tn (1:4) Heb "from the people."
9tn (1:4) Heb "fell and died."
10tn (1:5) In v. 2 he is called simply a "man." The word used here in v. 5 (so also in vv. 6, 13, 15), though usually referring to a young man or servant, may in this context designate a "fighting" man, i.e., a soldier.
11tc (1:5) Instead of the MT "who was recounting this to him, `How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?'" the Syriac Peshitta reads "declare to me how Saul and his son Jonathan died."
12tc (1:6) The Syriac Peshitta and one MS of the LXX lack the words "who was telling him this" of the MT.
13tc (1:8) The present translation reads with the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS "and I said," rather than the Kethib which has "and he said." See the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate, all of which have the first person.
14tn (1:9) As McCarter points out, the Polel of the verb mut ("to die") "refers to dispatching or `finishing off' someone already wounded and near death." (See McCarter, II Samuel, 59.)
15tn (1:9) Heb "the dizziness has seized me." On the meaning of the Hebrew noun translated "dizziness," see McCarter, II Samuel, 59-60. The point seems to be that he is unable to kill himself because he is weak and disoriented.
16tn (1:9) The Hebrew text here is grammatically very awkward (Heb "because all still my life in me"). Whether the broken construct phrase is due to the fact that the alleged speaker is in a confused state of mind as he is on the verge of dying, or whether the MT has sustained corruption in the transmission process, is not entirely clear. The former seems likely, although McCarter understands the MT to be the result of conflation of two shorter forms of text (see II Samuel, 57, n. 9). Early translators also struggled with the verse, apparently choosing to leave part of the Hebrew text untranslated. For example, the Lucianic recension of the LXX lacks "all," while other witnesses (namely, one medieval Hebrew MS, codices A and B of the LXX, and the Syriac Peshitta) lack "still."
17tn (1:10) Heb "after his falling."
18tc (1:10) The MT lacks the definite article, but this is likely due to textual corruption. It is preferable to read the alef of `s´dh as a he' (hs´dh). 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.
19sn (1:10) The claims that the soldier is making here seem at variance with 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!
20tc (1:11) The present translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading "his garments," rather than "his garment," the reading of the Kethib.
21tn (1:13) The Hebrew word used here refers to a foreigner whose social standing was something less than that of native residents of the land, but something more than that of a non-resident alien who was merely passing through.
22tn (1:15) Heb "young men."
23sn (1:18) The reference to "The Bow" is very difficult here. Some interpreters (e.g., S. R. Driver, P. K. McCarter, Jr.) suggest deleting the word from the text, but there does not seem to be sufficient evidence for doing so. Others (cf. KJV) understand the reference to be elliptical, meaning "the use of the bow." The verse would then imply that with the deaths of Saul and Jonathan having occurred, a period of trying warfare is about to begin, requiring adequate preparation for war on the part of the younger generation. Various other views may also be found in the secondary literature. However, it seems best to understand the word here to be a reference to the name of a song (i.e., "The Bow"), most likely the poem that follows in vv. 19-27.
24sn (1:18) The Book of Yashar is a non-canonical writing no longer in existence. It is referred to here and in Josh 10:12-13 and 1 Kgs 8:12-13. It apparently was "a collection of ancient national poetry" (so BDB 449).
25sn (1:19) The word beauty is used figuratively here to refer to Saul and Jonathan.
26sn (1:20) The cities of Gath and Ashkelon are mentioned here by synecdoche of part for the whole. As major Philistine cities they in fact represent all of Philistia. The point is that when the sad news of fallen Israelite leadership reaches the Philistines, it will be for these enemies of Israel the occasion of great joy rather than grief.
27tc (1:21) 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").
28tn (1:21) This is the only biblical occurrence of the Niphal of the verb g´l. 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.
29tc (1:21) It is preferable to read here Hebrew masuah, with many Hebrew MSS, rather than masiah 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.
30tn (1:22) The Hebrew imperfect verbal form is used here to indicate repeated past action.
31tn (1:23) Heb "beloved and dear."
32sn (1:24) Clothing of scarlet was expensive and beyond the financial reach of most people.
33sn (1:27) The expression weapons of war may here be a figurative way of referring to Saul and Jonathan.
1tn (2:1) Heb "he said." The referent (the LORD) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
2tc (2:3) The expression "the cities of Hebron" is odd; we would expect the noun to be in the singular, if used at all. Although the Syriac Peshitta has the expected reading "in Hebron," the MT is clearly the more difficult reading and should probably be retained here.
3tn (2:4) Heb "house."
4tn (2:4) Heb "and they told David." The subject appears to be indefinite, allowing one to translate the verb as passive with David as subject.
5tn (2:4) Heb "men."
6tn (2:5) Or "loyalty."
7tn (2:6) Or "loyalty and devotion."
8tn (2:6) Heb "will do with you this good."
9tn (2:7) Heb "let your hands be strong."
10sn (2:8) The name Ish-bosheth means in Hebrew "man of shame." It presupposes an earlier form such as Ish-baal ("man of the Lord"), with the word "baal" being used of Israel's God. But because the Canaanite storm god was named "Baal," that part of the name was later replaced with the word "shame."
11tc (2:9) 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.
12tn (2:10) Heb "house."
13tn (2:11) Heb "And the number of the days in which David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months."
14tn (2:14) Heb "play." What is in view here is a gladiatorial contest in which representative groups of soldiers engage in mortal combat before the watching armies.
15tn (2:14) Heb "let them arise."
16tn (2:16) Heb "and they grabbed each one the head of his neighbor with his sword in the side of his neighbor and they fell together."
17tn (2:17) Heb "servants." So also elsewhere.
18tn (2:21) Heb "young men." So also elsewhere.
19tn (2:22) Heb "Why should I strike you to the ground?"
20tn (2:22) Heb "lift."
21tn (2:23) Heb "the." The article functions here as a possessive pronoun.
22tn (2:23) Heb "and they stand."
23tn (2:25) Heb "were gathered together."
24tn (2:27) The Hebrew verb (na´alah) used here is the Niphal perfect 3ms of ´lh ("to go up"). In the Niphal this verb "is used idiomatically, of getting away from so as to abandon...especially of an army raising a siege..." (see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 244).
25tn (2:28) Heb "stood."
26tn (2:28) Heb "they no longer chased after Israel and they no longer fought."
27tn (2:29) The word "River" is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
28tn (2:29) Heb "and they went, all the Bitron." The meaning of the Hebrew word "Bitron," which is used only here in the OT, is disputed. The translation above follows BDB in taking the word to be a proper name of an area east of the Jordan. A different understanding was advocated by W. R. Arnold, who took the word to refer to the forenoon or morning; a number of modern scholars and translations have adopted this view (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT). See W. R. Arnold, "The Meaning of btrwn," AJSL 28 (1911-12): 274-83. In this case one might translate "and they traveled all morning long."
1tn (3:3) The Hebrew text does not have the word "son." So also in vv. 3-5.
2tn (3:3) Heb "wife."
3tn (3:5) The Hebrew text does not have "sons."
4tn (3:6) Heb "was strengthening himself." The statement may have a negative sense here, perhaps suggesting that Abner was overstepping the bounds of political propriety in a self-serving way.
5tc (3:7) The Hebrew of the MT reads simply "and he said," with no expressed subject for the verb. It is not likely that the text originally had no expressed subject for this verb, since the antecedent is not immediately clear from the context. We should probably restore to the Hebrew text the name "Ish-bosheth." See a few medieval Hebrew MSS, Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion, and Vulgate. Perhaps the name was accidentally omitted by homoioarcton. Note that both the name Ishbosheth and the following preposition la begin with the letter alef.
6tn (3:7) Heb "come to."
7sn (3:7) This accusation against Abner is a very serious one, since an act of sexual infringement on the king's harem would probably have been understood as a blatant declaration of aspirations to kingship. As such it was not merely a matter of ethical impropriety but an act of grave political significance as well.
8tn (3:8) Heb "I do."
9tn (3:8) Heb "brothers."
10tn (3:8) Heb "and you have laid upon me the guilt of the woman today."
11tn (3:9) Heb "So will God do to Abner and so he will add to him."
12tc (3:9) Heb "has sworn to David." The LXX, with the exception of the recension of Origen, adds "in this day."
13tn (3:11) Heb "he"; the referent (Ish-bosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14tn (3:12) The Hebrew text adds here, "on his behalf."
15tn (3:12) Heb "cut a covenant." So also in vv. 13, 21.
16tn (3:12) Heb "and behold, my hand is with you."
17tn (3:13) 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.
18tn (3:14) Heb "to Ish-bosheth son of Saul saying." To avoid excessive sibilance (especially when read aloud) the translation renders "saying" as "with this demand."
19tn (3:14) Heb "whom I betrothed to myself."
20tn (3:15) Heb "sent and took her."
21tn (3:15) In 1 Sam 25:44 this name appears as "Palti."
22tn (3:16) Heb "Go, return."
23tn (3:17) Heb "the word of Abner was with."
24tn (3:17) Heb "you were seeking David to be king over you."
25tc (3:18) 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 1cs imperfect of the verb rather than the 3ms perfect.
26tn (3:18) Heb "from the hand of."
27tn (3:19) Heb "into the ears of."
28tn (3:19) Heb "also Abner went to speak into the ears of David in Hebron."
29tn (3:19) Heb "all which was good in the eyes of Israel and in the eyes of all the house of Benjamin."
30tn (3:21) After the cohortatives, the prefixed verbal form with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
31tn (3:22) Heb "And look, the servants of David."
32tn (3:22) Heb "he"; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
33tn (3:24) Heb "Look, Abner."
34tc (3:24) The LXX adds "in peace."
35tn (3:25) Heb "your going out and your coming in." The expression is a merism. It specifically mentions the polar extremities of the actions but includes all activity in between the extremities as well, thus encompassing the entirety of one's activities.
36tn (3:27) Heb "and he struck him down there [in] the stomach."
37tn (3:27) Heb "and he [i.e., Abner] died on account of the blood of Asahel his [i.e., Joab's] brother."
38tn (3:29) Heb "and may they whirl over." In the Hebrew text the subject of the plural verb is unexpressed. The most likely subject is Abner's "shed blood" (v. 28), which is a masculine plural form in Hebrew. The verb lwj ("whirl") is used with the preposition lu only here and in Jer 23:19; 30:23.
39tc (3:29) 4QSama has "of Joab" rather than "of his father" read by the MT.
40tn (3:29) Heb "and may there not be cut off from the house of Joab."
41tn (3:29) The expression used here is difficult. The translation "one who works at the spindle" follows a suggestion of S. R. Driver that the expression pejoratively describes an effeminate man who, rather than being a mighty warrior, is occupied with tasks that are normally fulfilled by women (see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 250-51). But McCarter, following an alleged Phoenician usage of the noun to refer to "crutches," adopts a different view. He translates the phrase "clings to a crutch," seeing here a further description of physical lameness (see P. K. McCarter, Jr., II Samuel, 118). Such an idea fits the present context well and is followed by NIV and NLT, although the evidence for this meaning is questionable. According to DNWSI (2:915-16), the noun consistently refers to a spindle in Phoenician, as it does in Ugaritic (see C. H. Gordon, UT 468).
42tn (3:31) Heb "was walking."
43tn (3:32) Heb "lifted up his voice and wept." The expression is a verbal hendiadys.
44tc (3:34) The translation follows many medieval Hebrew manuscripts and several ancient versions in reading "your hands," rather than "your hand."
45tc (3:34) 4QSama lacks the words "all the people."
46tn (3:35) Heb "Thus God will do to me and thus he will add."
47tn (3:36) Heb "it was good in their eyes."
48tn (3:37) Heb "from the king."
49tn (3:38) Heb"a leader and a great one." The expression is a hendiadys.
50tn (3:39) Heb "are hard from me."
51tn (3:39) Heb "May the LORD repay the doer of the evil according to his evil."
1tn (4:1) 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. 4QSama and the LXX mistakenly read "Mephibosheth."
2tn (4:1) Heb"his hands went slack."
3tc (4:2) The present translation reads "to the son of," rather than the MT "the son of." The context requires the preposition to indicate the family relationship.
4tn (4:3) Heb"until this day."
5tn (4:4) Heb "and was lame."
6tc (4:6) For the MT's wehennah ("and they," feminine) read wehinneh ("and behold"). See the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Targum.
7tn (4:6) Heb "and they struck him down."
8tn (4:7) After the concluding disjunctive clause at the end of v. 6, the author now begins a more detailed account of the murder and its aftermath.
9tn (4:7) That is, Ish-bosheth.
10tn (4:7) Heb"they struck him down and killed him." The expression is a verbal hendiadys.
11tn (4:7) Heb "and they removed his head." The Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate lack these words.
12tc (4:7) The Lucianic Greek recension lacks the words "his head."
13tn (4:8) Heb "from."
14tn (4:10) Heb "and he was like a bearer of good news in his eyes."
15tn (4:11) Heb "on his bed."
16tn (4:11) See HALOT, 146. Some derive the verb from a homonym meaning "to burn; to consume."
17tn (4:12) 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.
18tc (4:12) 4QSama mistakenly reads "Mephibosheth" here.
19tc (4:12) The LXX adds "the son of Ner" by conformity with common phraseology elsewhere.
20tc (4:12) Some MSS of the LXX lack the phrase "in Hebron."
1tn (5:1) Heb "look we are your bone and your flesh."
2tn (5:2) Heb "you were the one leading out and the one leading in Israel."
3tn (5:3) Heb "elders."
4tn (5:3) Heb "and the king, David, cut for them a covenant."
5tn (5:3) Heb "anointed."
6tn (5:6) 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.
7tn (5:8) The meaning of the Hebrew term has been debated. For a survey of various views, see P. K. McCarter, Jr., II Samuel, 139-40.
sn (5:8) If a water tunnel is in view here, it is probably the so-called Warren's Shaft that extends up from Hezekiah's tunnel. It would have provided a means for surprise attack against the occupants of the city of David. The LXX seems not to understand the reference here, translating "by the water shaft" as "with a small knife."
8tc (5:8) There is some confusion among the witnesses concerning this word. The Kethib is the Qal perfect 3cp sane'u ("they hated"), referring to the Jebusites' attitude toward David. The Qere is the Qal passive participle construct plural sanu'e ("hated"), referring to David's attitude toward the Jebusites. 4QSama has the Qal perfect 3fs sane'ah ("hated"), the subject of which would be "the soul of David." The difference is minor and the translation adopted above works for either the Kethib or the Qere.
9tn (5:8) Heb "the house."
10tc (5:10) 4QSama and the LXX lack the word "God," probably due to harmonization with the more common biblical phrase "the LORD of hosts."
11tn (5:10) Traditionally, "LORD God of hosts."
12tn (5:10) The translation assumes that the disjunctive clause is circumstantial-causal, giving the reason for David's success.
13tn (5:11) Heb "a house."
14tn (5:17) Heb "anointed."
15tn (5:17) Heb "all the Philistines."
16tn (5:19) The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the following verb.
17tn (5:20) The name means "Lord of the outbursts."
18tn (5:21) Heb "they"; the referent (the Philistines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19tc (5:21) For "idols" the LXX and Vulgate have "gods."
20tn (5:23) The words "what to do" are not in the Hebrew text.
21tn (5:23) The words "this time" are not in the Hebrew text.
22tn (5:23) Heb "he"; the referent (the LORD) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
23tn (5:23) Some translate "balsam trees" (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV).
24tn (5:24) Heb "camp."
25tn (5:25) Heb "from Gibeon until you enter Gezer."
1tn (6:1) The translation understands the verb to be a defective spelling of wayye'esop due to quiescence of the letter alef. The root therefore is `sp ("to gather"). The Masoretes, however, pointed the verb as wayyosep, understanding it to be a form of ysp ("to add"). This does not fit the context, which calls for a verb of gathering.
2tn (6:1) Or "chosen."
3tn (6:2) Heb "arose and went."
4tn (6:2) Heb "from," but the following context indicates they traveled to this location.
5tn (6:2) This is another name for Kiriath-jearim (see 1 Chr 13:6).
6tc (6:2) The MT has here a double reference to the name (sem sem). Many medieval Hebrew MSS in the first occurrence point the word differently and read the adverb sam ("there"). This is also the understanding of the Syriac Peshitta (Syr., taman). While this yields an acceptable understanding to the text, it is more likely that the MT dittographic here. The present translation therefore reads sem only once.
7tn (6:4) Heb "lifted."
8tn (6:5) Heb "all the house of Israel."
9tn (6:5) Heb "were celebrating before the LORD with all woods of fir." If the text is retained, the last expression must be elliptical, referring to musical instruments made from fir wood. But it is preferable to emend the text in light of 1 Chr 13:8, which reads "were celebrating before the LORD with all strength and with songs."
10tn (6:5) Heb "with zithers [?] and with harps."
11tn (6:5) That is, "sistrums."
12tn (6:6) 1 Chr 13:9 has "Kidon."
13tn (6:6) Or "steadied."
14tn (6:6) Heb "and Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and grabbed it."
15tn (6:7) Heb "and the anger of the LORD burned against Uzza."
16tn (6:7) Heb "God."
17tc (6:7) The phrase "his negligence" is absent from the LXX.
18tn (6:8) Heb "because the LORD broke out [with] a breaking out [i.e., an outburst] against Uzzah."
19sn (6:8) The name Perez Uzzah means in Hebrew "the outburst [against] Uzzah."
20tn (6:11) Heb "house," both here and in v. 12.
21tn (6:12) Heb "and it was told to David, saying."
22tn (6:13) Heb "he"; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
23tn (6:14) Heb "and David was dancing with all his strength before the LORD, and David was girded with a linen ephod."
24tc (6:15) Heb "all the house of Israel." A few medieval Hebrew MSS and the Syriac Peshitta lack the words "the house."
25tn (6:15) Heb "the shophar" (the ram's horn trumpet).
26tn (6:16) The Hebrew text adds "in her heart."
27tc (6:17) The Syriac Peshitta lacks "in its place."
28tn (6:19) Heb "to all the people, to all the throng of Israel."
29tn (6:19) The Hebrew word used here (`espar) is found in the OT only here and in the parallel passage found in 1 Chr 16:3. Its exact meaning is uncertain, although the context indicates that it was a food of some sort. The translation adopted above ("date cake") follows the lead of the Greek translations of the LXX, Aquila, and Symmachus.
30tn (6:19) Heb "and all the people went, each to his house."
31tn (6:20) Heb "and David returned to bless his house."
32tn (6:20) Heb "David." The name has been replaced by the pronoun ("him") in the translation for stylistic reasons.
33tn (6:20) Heb "honored."
34tn (6:20) Heb "one of the foolish ones."
35tn (6:22) Heb "and I will shame myself still more than this and I will be lowly in my eyes."
1tn (7:1) Heb "house."
2tn (7:1) Or "rest."
3tn (7:1) The translation understands the disjunctive clause in v. 1b as circumstantial-causal.
4tc (7:3) Several medieval Hebrew MSS and the Syriac Peshitta lack this word.
5tn (7:3) Heb "all that is in your heart."
6tn (7:4) Heb "the word of the LORD was [i.e., came] to Nathan."
7tn (7:6) Heb "in a tent and in a dwelling." The expression is a hendiadys, using two terms to express one idea.
8tn (7:7) Heb "Did I speak a word?" In the Hebrew text the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question.
9tn (7:7) Heb "tribes," but the parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:6 has "judges."
10tn (7:7) Heb "whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel."
11tn (7:8) Heb "from after the sheep."
12tn (7:9) Heb "cut off."
13tn (7:9) Heb "and I will make for you a great name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth."
14tn (7:10) Heb "plant."
15tn (7:10) Heb "shaken."
16tn (7:10) Heb "the sons of violence."
17tn (7:11) 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, 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 wa'aggid, ("and I declared"). The construction used in 2 Sam 7:11 highlights this important statement.
18tn (7:11) Heb "the LORD."
19sn (7:11) The word house is 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.
20tn (7:12) Heb, "when your days are full and you lie down with your ancestors."
21tn (7:12) Heb "your seed after you who comes out from your insides."
22tn (7:13) Heb "and I will establish the throne of his kingdom permanently."
23tc (7:16) Heb "before you." A few medieval Hebrew MSS read instead "before me," which makes better sense contextually. (See also the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta.) The MT reading is probably the result of dittography (note the kaf at the beginning of the next form), with the extra kaf then being interpreted as a pronominal suffix.
24tn (7:16) Heb "throne."
25tn (7:17) Heb "according to all these words and according to all this revelation, so Nathan said to David."
26tn (7:18) Heb "house."
27tn (7:19) Heb "and this was small in your eyes, O LORD God, so you spoke concerning the house of your servant for a distance."
28tn (7:19) Heb "and this [is] the law of man." 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).
29tn (7:20) Heb "and you know your servant." The verb here refers to recognizing another in a special way and giving them special treatment (see 1 Chr 17:18).
30tn (7:21) Heb "for the sake of your word and according to your heart."
31tn (7:21) Heb "to make known, your servant."
32tn (7:22) Heb "in all which we heard with our ears." The phrase translated "in all" (lkb) should probably be emended to "according to all" (lkk).
33tn (7:23) Heb "a nation, one."
34tn (7:23) 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.
35tn (7:23) The verb is plural in Hebrew, agreeing grammatically with the divine name, which is a plural of degree.
36tn (7:23) Heb "redeem."
37tn (7:23) Heb "and to do for you [plural form] the great [thing] and awesome [things] for your land."
38tn (7:23) Heb "from Egypt, nations and their gods." The LXX has "nations and tents," which reflects a mistaken metathesis of letters in `elohayw ("its gods") and `ohalayw ("its tents").
39tn (7:24) Heb "and you established for yourself your people Israel for yourself for a people permanently."
40tn (7:25) Heb "and now, O LORD God, the word which you spoke concerning your servant and concerning his house, establish permanently."
41tn (7:25) Heb "as you have spoken."
42tn (7:26) Heb "and your name might be great permanently." Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result.
43tn (7:26) Heb "saying." The words "as people" are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
44tn (7:26) Heb "house."
45tn (7:27) Heb "have uncovered the ear of."
46tn (7:27) Heb "house."
47tn (7:27) Heb "has found his heart."
48tn (7:28) Heb "the God." The article indicates uniqueness here.
49tn (7:28) The translation understands the prefixed verb form as a jussive, indicating David's wish/prayer. Another option is to take the form as an imperfect and translate "your words are true."
50tn (7:28) Heb "and you have spoken to your servant this good thing."
51tn (7:29) Heb "house."
52tn (7:29) Heb "house."
53tn (7:29) Or "permanently."
1tn (8:1) Heb "from the hand [i.e., control] of the Philistines."
2tn (8:2) Heb "and he measured [with] two [lengths] of rope to put to death and [with] the fullness of the rope to keep alive."
3tn (8:2) Heb "and the Moabites were servants of David, carriers of tribute."
4tc (8:3) The LXX has epistesai ("cause to stand"). See the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:3.
5tn (8:3) Heb "hand."
6tn (8:3) 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.
7tc (8:4) The LXX has "one thousand chariots and seven thousand charioteers," a reading adopted in the text of the NIV. See the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:4.
8tn (8:4) Heb "and David cut the hamstrings of all the chariot horses, and he left from them a hundred chariot horses."
9tn (8:6) Or "delivered."
10tn (8:6) Or "wherever he went."
11tc (8:7) The LXX includes seventeen words (in Greek) at the end of v. 7 that are not found in the MT. The LXX addition is as follows: "And Sousakim king of Egypt took them when he came up to Jerusalem in the days of Rehoboam the son of Solomon." This Greek reading now finds Hebrew support in 4QSama. For a reconstruction of this poorly preserved Qumran text see E. C. Ulrich, Jr., The Qumran Text of Samuel and Josephus, 45-48.
12tn (8:8) Heb "Betah," but the name should probably be corrected to "Tebah." See the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:8.
13tn (8:9) The name is spelled "Tou" in the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:9.
14tn (8:10) Heb "Toi."
15tn (8:10) The name appears as "Hadoram" in the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:10.
16tn (8:10) Heb "to ask concerning him for peace."
17tn (8:10) Heb "and to bless him because he fought with Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer was a man of battles with Toi."
18tn (8:10) Heb "and in his hand were items of silver and items of gold and items of bronze."
19tn (8:11) Heb "also them King David made holy to the LORD."
20tn (8:11) Heb "with the silver and the gold that he had dedicated from."
21tn (8:12) Heb "from."
22tc (8:12) The present translation follows the MT; a few Hebrew MSS along with the LXX and Syriac read "Edom" (cf. 2 Sam 8:14 and 1 Chr 18:11). Many modern translations read "Edom" here.
23tn (8:12) Heb "and from the plunder of."
24tn (8:13) Heb "made a name."
25tn (8:13) The words "he defeated" are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
26tc (8:14) The MT is repetitious here: "He placed in Edom garrisons; in all Edom he placed garrisons." The Vulgate lacks "in all Edom"; most of the Greek tradition (with the exception of the Lucianic recension and the recension of Origen) and the Syriac Peshitta lack "he placed garrisons." The MT reading appears here to be the result of a conflation of variant readings.
27tn (8:15) Heb "and David was doing what is just and fair for all his people."
28tn (8:16) Heb "over."
29tc (8:17) Here Ahimelech is called "the son of Abiathar," but the REB reverses this to conform with 1 Sam 22:20. Most recent English translations (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) retain the MT order.
30tc (8:18) The translation follows the Syriac Peshitta, Targum, and Vulgate in reading "over," rather than the simple conjunction that appears in MT. See also the parallel passage in 1 Chr 18:17.
31sn (8:18) That David's sons could have been priests, in light of the fact that they were not of the priestly lineage, is strange. One must assume either that the word "priest" (Heb., kohen) during this period of time could be used in a broader sense of "chief minister" (cf. NASB), or that in David's day members of the king's family could function as a special category of "priests." The latter option seems to be the more straightforward way of understanding the word in 2 Sam 8:18. On the other hand, the parallel passage in 1 Chr 18:17 has "the king's leading officials."
1sn (9:1) 2 Samuel 9-20 is known as the Succession Narrative. It is a literary unit that describes David's efforts at consolidating his own kingdom following the demise of King Saul; it also provides the transition to subsequent leadership on the part of David's successor Solomon.
2tn (9:1) Heb "house."
3tn (9:2) Heb "your servant."
4tn (9:3) Heb "house."
5tn (9:5) Heb "sent and took him."
6tn (9:5) Heb "from."
7tn (9:6) Heb "he fell on his face and bowed down."
8tn (9:6) Heb "Look, your servant."
9tn (9:7) Heb "and you will eat food over my table continually."
10tn (9:8) Heb "What is your servant, that you turn to a dead dog which is like me?"
11tn (9:10) Heb "work."
12tn (9:10) The Hebrew text implies, but does not actually contain, the words "its produce" here.
13tc (9:10) The words "it will be," though present in the MT, are absent from the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate.
14tn (9:10) Heb "and he will eat it."
15tn (9:11) Heb "eating."
16tc (9:11) Heb "my table." But the first person reference to David is awkward here since the quotation of David's words has already been concluded in v. 10; nor does the "my" refer to Ziba, since the latter part of v. 11 does not seem to be part of Ziba's response to the king. The ancient versions are not unanimous in the way that they render the phrase. The LXX has "the table of David" (tes trapezes Dauid); the Syriac Peshitta has "the table of the king" (patureh demalka'; the Vulgate has "your table" (mensam tuam). The present translation follows the LXX.
1tn (10:1) Heb "reigned in his place."
2tn (10:2) Heb "do loyalty."
3tn (10:2) Heb "did loyalty."
4tn (10:2) Heb "and David sent to console him by the hand of his servants concerning his father."
5tn (10:3) Heb "Is David honoring your father in your eyes when he sends to you ones consoling?"
6tn (10:3) 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?"
7tn (10:4) Heb "and he cut their robes in the middle unto their buttocks."
8tn (10:5) Heb "they"; the referent (the messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9tn (10:5) The words "what had happened" are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
10tn (10:6) Heb "that they were a stench [i.e., disgusting] with David."
11tn (10:6) Heb "the Ammonites."
12tn (10:6) Or "Arameans of Beth Rehob and Arameans of Zobah."
13tn (10:6) 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 translations.
14tn (10:7) The words "the news" and "to meet them" are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and clarification.
15tn (10:9) 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."
16tn (10:10) Heb "people."
17tn (10:10) Heb "he arranged."
18tn (10:11) Heb "he"; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19tn (10:11) Heb "if Aram is stronger than me."
20tn (10:11) Heb "if the sons of Ammon are stronger than you."
21tn (10:12) Heb "and the LORD will do what is good in his eyes."
22tn (10:13) Heb "and the army which was with him."
23tn (10:14) Heb "and Joab returned from against the sons of Ammon and entered."
24tn (10:15) Heb "were gathered together."
25tn (10:16) Heb "and Hadadezer sent and brought out Aram which is."
26tn (10:16) Heb "from beyond the River." The name "Euphrates" has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
27tn (10:16) Heb "was before them."
28tn (10:17) The word "River" is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
29tn (10:18) Heb "horsemen," but the Lucianic recension of the LXX reads "foot soldiers," as does the parallel text in 1 Chr. 19:18.
30tn (10:19) Heb "the servants of Hadadezer."
31tn (10:19) Heb "and they served them."
1tc (11:1) Manuscript B-19A, on which BHS is based, has here "messengers" (Heb., hammal'akim), probably as the result of contamination from the occurrence of that word in v. 4. The present translation follows most Hebrew MSS and the ancient versions, which read "kings" (Heb., hammelakim).
2tn (11:1) Heb "go out."
3tn (11:1) Heb "and his servants with him."
4tn (11:1) Heb "all Israel."
5tn (11:1) The disjunctive clause contrasts David's inactivity with the army's activity.
6tn (11:2) Heb "on the roof of the house of the king." So also in vv. 8, 9.
7tn (11:2) The disjunctive clause highlights this observation and builds the tension of the story.
8tn (11:3) Heb "he"; the referent (the messenger) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9tn (11:4) Heb "and David sent messengers and he took her."
10tn (11:4) Heb "he lay with her."
11tn (11:4) The parenthetical disjunctive clause further heightens the tension by letting the reader know that Bathsheba, having just completed her menstrual cycle, is ripe for conception. See McCarter, II Samuel, 286. Since she just had her period, it will also be obvious to those close to the scene that Uriah, who has been away fighting, cannot be the father of the child.
12tn (11:7) Heb "concerning the peace of Joab and concerning the peace of the people and concerning the peace of the battle."
13tn (11:8) Heb "and wash your feet."
14tn (11:8) Heb "and there went out after him the gift of the king."
15tc (11:9) The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation lacks the word "all."
16tn (11:11) Heb "and lay."
17tn (11:11) Heb "as you live and as your soul lives."
18tn (11:12) On the chronology involved here see McCarter, II Samuel, 287.
19tn (11:17) Heb "some of the people from the servants of David."
20tn (11:18) Heb "Joab sent and related to David all the matters of the battle."
21sn (11:21) 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.
22tn (11:23) Heb "and came out to us."
23tn (11:23) Heb "but we were on them."
24tc (11:24) The translation follows the Qere ("your servants") rather than the Kethib ("your servant").
25tn (11:25) Heb "let not this matter be evil in your eyes."
26tn (11:25) Heb "according to this and according to this the sword devours."
27tn (11:25) Heb "overthrow."
28tn (11:25) The Hebrew text does not have "with these words." They are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
29tn (11:26) Heb "for her lord."
30tn (11:27) Heb "David sent and gathered her to his house."
31tn (11:27) Heb "and the thing which David had done was evil in the eyes of the LORD." Note the verbal connection with v. 25. Though David did not regard the matter as evil, the LORD certainly did.
1tc (12:1) A few medieval Hebrew MSS, the LXX, and the Syriac Peshitta add "the prophet."
2tn (12:1) Heb "he"; the referent (Nathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3tn (12:1) The Hebrew text repeats "to him."
4tn (12:3) Heb "his sons."
5tn (12:3) The three Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in this sentence have a customary nuance; they describe past actions that were repeated or typical.
6tn (12:3) Heb "from his morsel."
7tn (12:3) Heb "and on his chest [or perhaps, "lap"] it would lay."
8tn (12:4) Heb "and he refused to take from his flock and from his herd to prepare [a meal] for."
9tn (12:4) Heb "and prepared it for."
10tn (12:5) Heb "the man doing this [is] a son of death." See 1 Sam. 20:31 for another use of this expression, which must mean "he is as good as dead" or "he deserves to die," as 1 Sam. 20:32 makes clear.
11tc (12:6) 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 (see 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."
tn (12:6) Heb "the lamb he must repay fourfold because he did this thing and because he did not have compassion."
12tn (12:7) Heb "anointed."
13tn (12:8) Heb "and the wives of your lord into your chest [or, "lap"]." The words "I put" are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.
14tc (12:9) So the Qere; the Kethib has "his."
15tn (12:9) Heb "to you for a wife." This expression also occurs at the end of v. 10.
16tn (12:11) Heb "raise up against you disaster."
17tn (12:11) Or "friend."
18tn (12:11) Heb "lie with."
19tn (12:11) Heb "in the eyes of this sun."
20tn (12:11) Heb "and before the sun."
21tn (12:13) Heb "removed."
22tc (12:14) The MT has here "because you have caused the enemies of the LORD to treat the LORD with such contempt." This is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or "emendations of the scribes." According to this ancient tradition, the scribes changed the text in order to soften somewhat the negative light in which David was presented. If that be the case, the MT reflects the altered text. The present translation departs from the MT here. Elsewhere the Piel stem of this verb means "treat with contempt," but never "cause someone to treat with contempt."
23tn (12:15) Heb "and the LORD struck the child...and he was ill." It is necessary to repeat "the child" in the translation to make clear who became ill, since "the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became very ill" could be understood to mean that David himself became ill.
24tn (12:16) Heb "sought" or "searched for."
25tn (12:16) Heb "and David fasted."
26tn (12:16) The three Hebrew verb that follow in this verse are perfects with prefixed vav. They may describe repeated past actions or actions which accompanied David's praying and fasting.
27tn (12:18) Heb "to our voice."
28tn (12:18) 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!
29tn (12:19) Heb "David." The name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun ("he") for stylistic reasons.
30tc (12:21) For the MT ba´abur ("for the sake of") we should probably read be´od ("while"). See the Lucianic Greek recension, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum.
31tn (12:22) Heb "said."
32tn (12:22) Heb "Who knows?"
33tn (12:24) Heb "and he lay with her."
34tn (12:24) Heb "he"; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity. While some translations render the pronoun as third person plural ("they"), implying that both David and Bathsheba together named the child, it is likely that the name "Solomon," which is related to the Hebrew word for "peace" (and may be derived from it) had special significance for David, who would have regarded the birth of a second child to Bathsheba as a confirming sign that God had forgiven his sin and was at peace with him.
35tn (12:24) Heb "him," referring to the child.
36sn (12:25) The name Jedidiah means "loved by the LORD."
37sn (12:26) Here the narrative resumes the battle story that began in 11:1 (see 11:25). The author has interrupted that story to give the related account of David's sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. He now returns to the earlier story and brings it to a conclusion.
38sn (12:27) The expression translated the water supply of the city (Heb "the city of the waters") apparently refers to that part of the fortified city that guarded the water supply of the entire city. Joab had already captured this part of the city, but he now defers to King David for the capture of the rest of the city. In this way the king will receive the credit for this achievement.
39tn (12:28) Heb "people." So also in vv. 29, 31.
40tn (12:30) Part of the Greek tradition wrongly understands Hebrew malkam ("their king") as a proper name ("Milkom"). The NRSV follows the Greek here, rendering the phrase "the crown of Milcom."
41tn (12:30) Heb "and its weight [was] a talent of gold." The weight of this ornamental crown was approximately 75 lbs (34 kg). See McCarter, II Samuel, 313.
42tn (12:31) Heb "brought out."
43tn (12:31) Heb "and so he would do."
1sn (13:1) Amnon was the half-brother of Tamar; Absalom was her full blood-brother.
2tn (13:2) Heb "and there was distress to Amnon so that he made himself sick."
3tn (13:4) Heb "and he said to him."
4tn (13:4) An more idiomatic translation might be "Why are you of all people...?"
5tn (13:5) 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 §54.e.
6tn (13:8) Heb "in his sight."
7tn (13:8) Heb "the cakes."
8tn (13:9) Heb "from upon me."
9tc (13:9) A few medieval Hebrew MSS have "and they removed everyone" (Hiphil preterite with vav consecutive 3cp, rather than Qal preterite with vav consecutive 3cp).
10tn (13:13) Heb "and you will be like one of the fools."
11tn (13:13) Heb "Now."
12tn (13:14) Heb "to her voice."
13tn (13:14) Heb "and he humiliated her and lay with her."
14tn (13:15) Heb "and Amnon hated her with very great hatred."
15tn (13:15) Heb "for greater was the hatred with which he hated her than the love with which he loved her."
16tn (13:16) Heb "No, because this great evil is [worse] than the other which you did with me, by sending me away." Perhaps the broken syntax reflects her hysteria and outrage.
17tn (13:17) Heb "send this [one] from upon me to the outside."
18tn (13:18) The Hebrew expression used here (ketonet passim) is found only here and in Gen 37:3, 23, 32. Hebrew pas can refer to the palm of the hand or the sole of the foot; here the idea is probably that of a long robe reaching to the feet and having sleeves reaching to the wrists. The notion of a "coat of many colors," a familiar translation for the phrase in Genesis, is based primarily on the translation adopted in the LXX (chitona poikilion) and does not have a great deal of support.
19tn (13:18) Heb "his"; the referent (Amnon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20tn (13:18) The Hebrew verb is a perfect with non-consecutive vav, probably indicating an action (locking the door) that complements the preceding one (pushing her out the door).
21tn (13:20) Heb "Don't set your heart to this thing!"
22tc (13:21) The LXX and part of the Old Latin tradition include the following addition to v. 21: "But he did not grieve the spirit of Amnon his son, because he loved him, since he was his firstborn." Note David's attitude toward his son Adonijah in 1 Kgs 1:6.
23tn (13:24) Heb "your servant's." So also at the end of the verse.
24tn (13:25) Heb "he"; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
25tc (13:25) Here and in v. 27 the translation follows 4QSama wayyispar ("and he pressed") rather than the MT wayyipras ("and he broke through"). This emended reading seems also to underlie the translations of the LXX (kai ebiasato), the Syriac Peshitta (we'alseh), and Vulgate (cogeret eum).
26tn (13:25) Heb "he"; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27tn (13:26) Heb "and not."
28tn (13:28) Heb "when good is the heart of Amnon with wine."
29tn (13:28) Heb "and become sons of valor."
30tn (13:32) Heb "it was placed on the mouth of Absalom."
31tn (13:32) Heb "he"; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32tn (13:34) Heb "behind him."
33tn (13:36) Heb "and they lifted their voice and wept."
34tn (13:36) Heb "with a great weeping."
35tc (13:37) The Hebrew text leaves the word "David" to be inferred. The Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate add the word "David." Most of the Greek tradition includes the words "King David" here.
36tc (13:39) The translation follows 4QSama in reading ruah hammelek ("the spirit of the king") rather than the MT david hammelek ("David the king"). The understanding reflected in the translation above is that David, though alienated during this time from his son Absalom, still had an abiding love and concern for him. He longed for reconciliation with him. A rather different interpretation of the verse supposes that David's interest in taking military action against Absalom grew slack with the passing of time, and this in turn enabled David's advisers to encourage him toward reconciliation with Absalom. For the latter view, see McCarter, II Samuel, 344.
37tn (13:39) Heb "was consoled over Amnon, because he was dead."
1tn (14:1) Heb "the heart of the king was upon." The Syriac Peshitta adds the verb `ethre´i ("was reconciled").
2tn (14:2) The Hebrew Hitpael verbal form here indicates pretended rather than genuine action.
3tn (14:2) Heb "these many days."
4tn (14:3) Heb "put the words in her mouth."
5tc (14:4) The translation follows many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading wattabo' ("and she went") rather than the MT watto'mer ("and she said"). The MT reading shows confusion with watto'mer later in the verse. The emendation suggested here is supported by the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, some MSS of the Targum, and Vulgate.
6tn (14:4) The word "me" is left to be inferred in the Hebrew text; it is present in the Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate.
7tn (14:5) Heb "What to you?"
8tn (14:6) 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.
9tn (14:7) Heb "in exchange for the life." The Hebrew preposition be ("in") here is the so-called bet pretii, or bet of price, defining the value attached to someone or something.
10sn (14:7) My remaining coal is here metaphorical language, describing the one remaining son as her only source of lingering hope for continuing the family line.
11tn (14:8) Heb "concerning you."
12tn (14:11) 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.
13tn (14:11) Heb "let the king remember."
14tn (14:11) Heb "of your son."
15tn (14:14) Heb "he devises plans for the one banished from him not to be banished."
16tc (14:15) The LXX (opsetai me) has misunderstood the Hebrew yere'uni (Piel perfect, "they have made me fearful"), taking the verb to be a form of the verb r'h ("to see") rather than the verb yr' ("to fear"). The fact that the Greek translators were working with an unvocalized Hebrew text (i.e., consonants only) made them very susceptible to this type of error.
17tn (14:15) Here and in v. 16 the woman refers to herself as the king's `amah, a term that refers to a higher level female servant toward whom the master might have some obligation. Like the other term, this word expresses her humility, but it also suggests that the king might have some obligation to treat her in accordance with the principles of justice.
18tn (14:16) Or "for."
19tn (14:16) Or "will." The imperfect verbal form can have either an indicative or modal nuance. The use of "perhaps" in v. 15b suggests the latter here.
20tn (14:16) Heb "in order to deliver his maid."
21tn (14:16) Heb "destroy."
22tn (14:16) Heb "from the inheritance of God." The expression refers to the property that was granted to her family line in the division of the land authorized by God.
23tn (14:19) Heb "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?"
24tn (14:20) Heb "to know all that is in the land."
25tc (14:21) Many medieval Hebrew MSS have "you" rather than "I."
26tn (14:22) Heb "blessed."
27tc (14:22) The present translation reads with the Qere "your" rather than the MT "his."
28tn (14:24) Heb "turn aside."
29tn (14:24) Heb "turned aside."
30tn (14:25) Heb "Like Absalom there was not a handsome man in all Israel to boast exceedingly."
31tn (14:25) Heb "there was not in him a blemish."
32tn (14:26) Heb "for it was heavy upon him."
33tn (14:26) Heb "two hundred shekels." The modern equivalent would be about three pounds (1.4 kg).
34tn (14:27) Heb "and there were born."
35tc (14:27) The LXX adds here the following words: "And she became a wife to Rehoboam the son of Solomon and bore to him Abia."
36tc (14:30) 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...."
37tn (14:30) The word "Joab's" is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
38tn (14:32) Heb "saying."
39tn (14:33) Heb "he." Joab, acting on behalf of the king, may the implied subject.
40tn (14:33) Heb "he"; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
41tn (14:33) Heb "Absalom." For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun ("him") in the translation.
1tn (15:1) Heb "acquired for himself."
2tn (15:1) Heb "to run ahead of him."
3tn (15:2) Heb "your servant." So also in vv. 8, 15, 21.
4tn (15:3) Heb "good and straight."
5tn (15:4) Heb "Who will make me?"
6tn (15:4) Heb "a complaint and a judgment." The expression is a hendiadys.
7tn (15:5) Heb "he"; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8tn (15:6) Heb "stole the heart."
9tn (15:6) Heb "the men."
10tc (15:7) The MT has here "forty," but this is presumably a scribal error for "four ." The context will not tolerate a period of forty years prior to the rebellion of Absalom. The Lucianic Greek recension (tessara ete), the Syriac Peshitta (`arba´ sanin), and Vulgate (post quattuor autem annos) in fact have the expected reading "four years." Most English translations follow the versions in reading "four" here, although some (e.g. NASB, NKJV), following the MT, read "forty."
11tn (15:8) Heb "for your servant vowed a vow." The formal court style of referring to one's self in third person ("your servant") has been translated here as first person for clarity.
12tn (15:10) Heb "say."
13tn (15:11) Heb "being invited and going naively and they did not know anything."
14tn (15:12) Traditionally, "counselor," but this term is more often associated with psychological counseling today, so "advisor" was used in the translation instead.
15tn (15:12) Heb "Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, the advisor of David, from his city, from Giloh, while he was sacrificing." It is not entirely clear who (Absalom or Ahithophel) was offering the sacrifices.
16tn (15:13) Heb "the heart of the men of Israel is with Absalom."
17tn (15:14) Heb "Arise!"
18tn (15:14) Heb "let's flee."
19tn (15:14) Heb "thrust."
20tn (15:14) Heb "and strike the city with the edge of the sword."
21tn (15:15) Heb "according to all that my lord the king will choose, behold your servants!"
22tn (15:16) Heb "and all his house."
23tn (15:16) Heb "women, concubines."
24tn (15:17) Heb "and they stood."
25tn (15:17) Heb "house."
26tn (15:18) Heb "crossing over near his hand."
27tn (15:18) Heb "crossing over near the face of."
28tn (15:19) 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.
29tn (15:19) Heb "place."
30tn (15:20) Heb "brothers," but see v. 22.
31tn (15:20) Heb "loyal love and truth." The expression is a hendiadys.
32tn (15:20) Heb "be with."
33tn (15:21) Heb "whether for death or for life."
34tn (15:21) Heb "your servant."
35tn (15:22) Heb "Come and cross over."
36tn (15:22) Heb "crossed over."
37tn (15:22) Heb "all the little ones."
38tn (15:23) Heb "with a great voice."
39tn (15:23) Heb "crossing over."
40tn (15:23) Heb "crossing near the face of."
41tn (15:24) Heb "crossing from."
42tn (15:26) Heb "as [is] good in his eyes."
43tn (15:27) The Greek tradition understands the Hebrew word as an imperative ("see"). Most Greek MSS have idete; the Lucianic recension has 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.
44tn (15:27) 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.
45tn (15:28) The pronoun is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.
46tc (15:31) The translation follows 4QSama, part of the Greek tradition, the Syriac Peshitta, Targum, and Vulgate uldavid in reading "and to David," rather than MT wedavid ("and David"). As Driver points out, the Hebrew verb higgid ("he related") never uses the accusative for the person to whom something is told (see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 316).
47tn (15:31) Heb "said."
48tn (15:33) Heb "cross over."
49tn (15:35) Heb "Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be there with you?" The rhetorical question draws attention to the fact that Hushai will not be alone.
50tn (15:35) Heb "from the house of the king."
51tn (15:36) Heb "and you must send by their hand to me every word which you hear." Both of the second person verb forms are plural with Zadok, Abiathar, and Hushai being the understood subjects.
1tn (16:1) Heb "a hundred summer fruit."
2tn (16:2) Heb "What are these to you?"
3tc (16:2) The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading wehallehem ("and the bread") rather than ulehallehem ("and to the bread") of the Kethib. The syntax of the MT is confused here by the needless repetition of the preposition, probably taken from the preceding word.
4tn (16:2) The Hebrew text adds "to eat."
5tn (16:2) The Hebrew text adds "to drink."
6tn (16:3) Heb "son."
7tn (16:3) Heb "my father's."
8tn (16:5) The form of the verb in the MT is odd. Some prefer to read wayyabo' (preterite with vav consecutive) rather than uba' (apparently perfect with vav), but this is probably an instance where the narratival offline weqatal construction introduces a new scene.
9tn (16:5) 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."
10tn (16:7) Heb "man of worthlessness."
11tn (16:8) Heb "has brought back upon you."
12tn (16:10) Heb "What to me and to you?"
13tc (16:12) The Hebrew text is difficult here. It is probably preferable to read with the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate be´onyi ("on my affliction") rather than the Kethib of the MT ba´awoni ("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 (be´ene, "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."
14tn (16:12) Heb "and the LORD will restore to me good in place of his curse this day."
15tn (16:13) Heb "and he cursed and threw stones, opposite him, pelting [them] with dirt." The offline weqatal construction in the last clause indicates an action that was complementary to the action described in the preceding clause. He simultaneously threw stones and dirt.
16tn (16:14) Heb "he"; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17tn (16:15) Heb "and all the people, the men of Israel."
18tn (16:18) 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 lo ("[I will be] to him") rather than the MT lo' ("[I will] not be"), which makes very little sense here.
19tn (16:19) Heb "Just as I served before your father, so I will be before you."
20tn (16:21) Heb "go to."
21tn (16:21) Heb "and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened."
22tn (16:22) Heb "went to."
23tn (16:23) Heb "And the advice of Ahitophel which he advised in those days was as when one inquires of the word of God."
24tn (16:23) Heb "So was all the advice of Ahitophel, also to David, also to Absalom."
1tn (17:2) Heb "and I will come upon him."
2tn (17:2) Heb "exhausted and slack of hands."
3tc (17:3) 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.
4tn (17:3) Heb "all of the people will be safe."
5tn (17:4) Heb "elders."
6tc (17:5) In the MT the verb is singular, but in the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate it is plural.
7tn (17:5) Heb "what is in his mouth."
8tn (17:7) Heb "Not good is the advice which Ahitophel has advised at this time."
9tc (17:8) 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."
10tn (17:9) 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]."
11tn (17:14) Heb "commanded."
12tn (17:15) Heb "elders."
13tn (17:16) Heb "swallowed up."
14tn (17:20) Heb "they"; the referents (Absalom's men) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
15tn (17:21) Heb "they"; the referents (Ahimaaz and Jonathan) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
16tn (17:21) Heb "the water."
17tn (17:21) Heb "for thus Ahitophel has devised against you." The expression "thus" is narratival shorthand, referring to the plan outlined by Ahitophel (see vv. 1-3). The men would surely have outlined the plan in as much detail as they had been given by the messenger.
18tn (17:22) The word "River" is not in the Hebrew text here or in v. 24, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
19tc (17:23) The Greek recensions of Origen and Lucian have here "house" for "grave."
20tn (17:25) Heb "come to."
21tc (17:28) The MT adds "roasted grain" (weqali) at the end of v. 28, apparently accidentally repeating the word from its earlier occurrence in this verse. With the LXX , the Syriac Peshitta, and an Old Latin MS the translation deletes this second occurrence of the word.
22tn (17:29) Heb "cheese of the herd," probably referring to cheese from cow's milk (rather than goat's milk).
1tn (18:3) Heb "march out."
2tn (18:3) Heb "they will not place to us heart."
3tc (18:3) The translation follows the LXX (except for the Lucianic recension), Symmachus, and Vulgate in reading `atta ("you") rather than MT `atta ("now").
4tn (18:7) Heb "servants" (also in v. 9).
5tn (18:9) Heb "the."
6tn (18:9) Heb "the donkey."
7tn (18:9) Heb "between the sky and the ground."
8tc (18:10) 4QSama lacks the word "one."
9tn (18:11) Heb "Why did you not strike him down there to the ground."
10tn (18:11) Heb "ten [shekels] of silver." This would have been about 4 ounces (114 grams) of silver by weight.
11tc (18:12) The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading welu ("and if") rather than MT welo' ("and not").
12tn (18:12) Heb "weighing out in my hand."
13tn (18:12) Heb "a thousand [shekels] of silver." This would have been about 25 pounds (11.4 kg) of silver by weight.
14tn (18:12) Heb "extend my hand against."
15tn (18:12) Heb "in our ears."
16tc (18:12) The Hebrew text is very difficult here. The MT reads mi ("who"), apparently yielding the following sense: "Show care, whoever you might be, for the youth Absalom." The Syriac Peshitta reads li ("for me"), the Hebrew counterpart of which may also lie behind the LXX rendering moi ("for me"). This reading seems preferable here, since it restores sense to the passage and most easily explains the rise of the variant.
17tc (18:13) The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew MSS, and a number of the ancient versions in reading benapsi ("against my life") rather than the MT benapso ("against his life").
18tn (18:13) Heb "stood aloof."
19sn (18:14) There is a play on the word heart here that is difficult to reproduce in translation. 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."
20tn (18:16) Heb "the shophar" (the ram's horn trumpet).
21tn (18:17) Heb "and all Israel fled, each to his tent." In this context this refers to the supporters of Absalom (see vv. 6-7, 16).
22tn (18:18) Heb "and." This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) describes an occurrence that preceded the events just narrated.
23tn (18:19) Heb "that the LORD has vindicated him from the hand of his enemies."
24tn (18:20) Heb "but this day you will not bear good news."
25tn (18:23) The words "but he said" are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
26tn (18:25) Heb "good news is in his mouth."
27tn (18:25) Heb "he"; the referent (the runner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
28tn (18:27) Heb "I am seeing the running of the first one like the running of Ahimaaz."
29tn (18:28) Heb "Peace."
30tn (18:28) Heb "delivered over."
31tn (18:28) Heb "lifted their hand against."
32tn (18:31) Heb "And look, the Cushite came and the Cushite said."
33tn (18:31) Heb "for the LORD has vindicated you today from the hand of all those rising against you."
34tn (18:32) Heb "and all those rising against you for evil."
35sn (19:1) 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.
36tc (19:1) One medieval Hebrew MS, some MSS of the LXX, and the Vulgate lack this repeated occurrence of "my son" due to haplography.
37tc (19:1) The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack this repeated occurrence of "my son" due to haplography.
1tn (19:4) Heb "with a great voice."
2tn (19:5) Heb "came to."
3tn (19:6) Heb "today."
4tc (19:6) The translation follows the Qere, 4QSama, and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading lu ("if") rather than MT lo' ("not").
5tc (19:6) The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack "today."
6tn (19:7) Heb "and speak to the heart of."
7tn (19:8) Heb "all the people."
8tn (19:8) The Hebrew text has simply "Israel" (see 18:16-17).
9tn (19:8) Heb "had fled, each to his tent."
10tn (19:10) Heb "over us."
11tc (19:10) The LXX includes the following words at the end of v. 11: "And what all Israel was saying came to the king's attention." The words are misplaced in the LXX from v. 12 (although the same statement appears there in the LXX as well).
12tn (19:11) Heb "his house."
13tc (19:11) The Hebrew text adds "to his house" (= palace), but the phrase, which also appears earlier in the verse, is probably accidentally repeated here.
14tn (19:12) Heb "my bone and my flesh."
15tn (19:13) Heb "my bone and my flesh."
16tn (19:13) Heb "Thus God will do to me and thus he will add."
17tn (19:15) The word "River" is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
18tn (19:15) The Hebrew text has simply "Judah."
19tn (19:15) Heb "the king." The pronoun ("him") has been used in the translation to avoid redundancy.
20tn (19:17) Heb "youth."
21tn (19:17) Heb "rushed into."
22tn (19:19) Though this verb in the MT is 3ms, it should probably be read as 2ms. It is one of fifteen places where the Masoretes placed a dot over each of the letters of the word in question in order to call attention to their suspicion of the word. Their concern in this case apparently had to do with the fact that this verb and the two preceding verbs alternate from third person to second and back again to third. Words marked in this way in Hebrew manuscripts or printed editions are said to have puncta extrordinaria, or "extraordinary points."
23tn (19:20) The Hebrew text has simply "your servant."
24tn (19:22) Heb "what to me and to you."
25tn (19:23) Heb "swore to him."
26tn (19:24) Heb "son."
27tn (19:24) Heb "in peace." So also in v. 31.
28tn (19:24) Heb "he"; the referent (Mephibosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
29tn (19:24) Heb "done his feet."
30tn (19:24) Heb "done."
31tn (19:26) Heb "your servant."
32tn (19:26) Heb "your servant."
33tn (19:27) Heb "and he"; the referent (the servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
34tn (19:27) Heb "your servant."
35tn (19:28) Heb "father."
36tn (19:28) Heb "and you placed your servant among those who eat at your table."
37tn (19:28) Heb "to cry out to."
38tn (19:30) Heb "take."
39tn (19:30) Heb "in peace."
40tc (19:31) The MT reading `et bayyarden ("in the Jordan") is odd syntactically. The use of the preposition after the object marker `et is difficult to explain. Graphic confusion is likely in the MT; the translation assumes the reading miyyarden ("from the Jordan"). Another possibility is to read the definite article on the front of "Jordan" (hayyarden, "the Jordan").
41tn (19:32) Heb "great."
42tn (19:35) Heb "your servant."
43tn (19:35) Heb "your servant."
44tn (19:36) Heb "Like a little your servant will cross the Jordan with the king."
45tn (19:37) Heb "your servant."
46tn (19:39) Heb "to his place."
47tn (19:40) The MT in this instance alone spells the name with final nun ("Kimhan") rather than as elsewhere with final mem ("Kimham"). As in most other translations, the conventional spelling (with mem) has been used here to avoid confusion.
48tn (19:40) Heb "people."
49tc (19:40) The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading the Hiphil verb he´ebiru ("they caused to pass over") rather than the Qal verb we´ebiru ("they crossed over") of the MT.
50tn (19:42) Heb "from the king."
51tn (19:43) The translation understands the verb in a desiderative sense, indicating the desire but not necessarily the completed action of the party in question. It is possible, however, that the verb should be given the more common sense of accomplished action, in which case it means here "Why have you cursed us?"
1tn (20:1) Heb "a man of worthlessness."
2tn (20:1) The expression used here (yemini) is a short form of the more common "Benjamin." It appears elsewhere in 1 Sam 9:14 and Esth 2:5. Cf. 1 Sam 9:1.
3tn (20:1) Heb "the shophar" (the ram's horn trumpet). So also v. 22.
4tc (20:1) The MT reads le'ohalayw ("to his tents"). (For a similar idiom, see 19:9.) An ancient scribal tradition understands the reading to be le'lohayw ("to his gods"). The word is a tiqqun sopherim, and the scribes indicate that they changed the word from "gods" to "tents" so as to soften its theological implications. In a consonantal Hebrew text the change involved only the metathesis of two letters.
5tn (20:2) Heb "went up from after."
6tn (20:2) The word "River" is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
7tn (20:3) Heb "house."
8tn (20:3) Heb "and he placed them in a guarded house."
9tn (20:3) Heb "he did not come to them."
10tn (20:4) The present translation follows the Masoretic accentuation, with the major mark of disjunction (i.e., the athnah) placed at the word "days." However, some scholars have suggested moving the athnah to "Judah" a couple of words earlier. This would yield the following sense: "Three days, and you be present here with them." The difference in meaning is slight, and the MT is acceptable as it stands.
11tn (20:6) Heb "find." The perfect verbal form is unexpected with the preceding word "otherwise." We should probably read instead the imperfect. Although it is possible to understand the perfect here as indicating that the feared result is thought of as already having taken place (cf. BDB 815 [a]), it is more likely that the perfect is simply the result of scribal error. In this context the imperfect would be more consistent with the following verb wehissil ("and he will get away").
12sn (20:8) 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. 7.284) 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.
13tn (20:10) Heb "he"; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14tn (20:10) Heb "his"; the referent (Amasa) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15tn (20:10) Heb "and he did not repeat concerning him, and he died."
16tn (20:11) Heb "takes delight in."
17tn (20:12) Heb "him"; the referent (Amasa) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18tn (20:12) Heb "he"; the referent (the man who spoke up in v. 11) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19tn (20:12) Heb "Amasa." For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun ("him") in the translation.
20tn (20:13) Heb "him"; the referent (Amasa) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
21tn (20:14) Heb "he"; the referent (Sheba) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22tc (20:14) In keeping with the form of the name in v. 15, the translation deletes the "and" found in the MT.
23tc (20:14) The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew MSS, and the ancient versions in reading wayyiqqahalu ("and they were gathered together") rather than the Kethib of the MT wayqilluhu ("and they cursed him"). The Kethib is the result of metathesis.
24tn (20:15) Heb "they." The following context makes it clear that this refers to Jaob and his army.
25tc (20:15) The LXX has here enoousan ("were devising"), which apparently presupposes the Hebrew word mehasebim rather than the MT mashitim ("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).
26tn (20:19) Heb "a city and a mother." The expression is a hendiadys, meaning that this city was an important one in Israel and had smaller cities dependent on it.
27tn (20:20) Heb "Far be it, far be it from me." The expression is clearly emphatic, as may be seen in part by the repetition. McCarter, however, understands it to be coarser than the translation adopted here. He renders it as "I'll be damned if...," which while it is not a literal translation may not be too far removed from the way a soldier might have expressed himself.
28tn (20:21) Heb "lifted his hand."
29tn (20:21) Heb "Look!"
30tn (20:22) Heb "he"; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
31tn (20:22) Heb "they"; the referent (Joab's men) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32tn (20:22) Heb "his tents."
33tn (20:24) Heb "Adoram," but see 1 Kgs 4:6; 5:14.
34tn (20:24) Heb "was over the forced labor."
35tn (20:26) Heb "priest for David."
1tn (21:1) Heb "sought the face of the LORD."
2tn (21:1) Heb "and the house of bloodshed."
3tn (21:2) Heb "swore an oath to."
4tn (21:3) After the preceding imperfect verbal form, the subordinated imperative indicates purpose/result. Driver comments, "...the imper. is used instead of the more normal voluntative, for the purpose of expressing with somewhat greater force the intention of the previous verb" (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 350).
5tc (21:4) The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew MSS in reading lanu ("to us") rather than the MT 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.
6tn (21:4) Heb "house."
7tn (21:4) Heb "and he said"; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8tn (21:6) The exact nature of this execution is not altogether clear. The verb yq´ basically means "to dislocate" or "alienate." In Gen 32:26 it is used of the dislocation of Jacob's thigh. Figuratively it can refer to the removal of an individual from a group (e.g., Jer 6:8; Ezek 23:17) or to a type of punishment the specific identity of which is uncertain (e.g., here and Num 25:4).
9tc (21:6) The LXX reads "at Gibeon on the mountain of the LORD" (cf. 21:9). The present translation follows the MT, although a number of recent English translations follow the LXX reading here (e.g., NAB, NRSV, NLT).
10tc (21:9) The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew MSS in reading seba´tam ("the seven of them") rather than MT seba´tim ("seventy").
11tn (21:9) Heb "fell."
12tc (21:9) The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading bithillat ("in the beginning") rather than MT tehillat ("beginning of").
13tn (21:10) Heb "until water was poured on them from the sky."
14tn (21:10) Heb "rest."
15tn (21:12) Heb "David." For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun ("he") in the translation.
16tn (21:12) Heb "the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son." See also v. 13.
17tn (21:12) Heb "lords."
18tn (21:12) Heb "stolen."
19tc (21:12) Against the MT, this word is better read without the definite article. The MT reading is probably here the result of wrong word division, with the letter he belonging with the preceding word sam as the he directive (i.e., samah, "to there").
20tn (21:12) Heb "had hung them."
21tn (21:12) Heb "in the day."
22tn (21:12) Heb "Philistines."
23tn (21:13) Heb "he"; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24tc (21:14) Many medieval Hebrew MSS have here kekol ("according to all").
25tn (21:14) 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 §51.c).
26tn (21:15) Heb "his servants."
27tn (21:16) 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.
28tn (21:16) 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 qoba´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.
29tn (21:16) Either the word "shekels" should be supplied here, or the Hebrew word misqal ("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 misqal just four words earlier in the verse.
sn (21:16) Three hundred bronze shekels would have weighed about 7.5 pounds (3.4 kg).
30tn (21:16) 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") is simply to be inferred. The translation generally follows the latter possibility, while at the same time being deliberately non-specific ("weapon").
31tn (21:19) 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."
32sn (21:19) 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" (bet hallahmi) as the accusative sign followed by a proper name (`et lahmi). (See the note at 1 Chr 20:5.) The Samuel text misread the word for "brother" (ja, `ah) as the accusative sign (ta, `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."
33tn (21:20) Heb "a man of stature."
34tn (21:22) Heb "they fell."
35tn (21:22) Heb "his servants."
1sn (22:1) 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.
2tn (22:1) Heb "spoke."
3tn (22:1) Heb "in the day," or "at the time."
4tn (22:1) Heb "hand."
5tn (22:1) Heb "and from the hand of Saul."
6tn (22:2) This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
7sn (22:2) My stronghold. David often found safety in such strongholds. See 1 Sam 22:4-5; 24:22; 2 Sam 5:9, 17; 23:14.
8tc (22:3) The translation follows the LXX in reading `elohi ("my God") rather than MT's `elohe ("the God of"). See Ps 18:2.
9tn (22:3) Or "in whom."
10tn (22:3) Heb, "the horn of my salvation," or "my saving horn."
sn (22:3) Though some see "horn" as referring to a horn-shaped peak of a hill, or to the "horns" of an altar where one could find refuge, it is more likely that the horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom "exalt the horn" signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that uses its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 135-36. 2 Sam 22:3 uses the metaphor of the horn in a slightly different manner. Here the Lord himself is compared to a horn. He is to the psalmist what the horn is to the ox, a source of defense and victory.
11tn (22:3) The parallel version of the song in Ps 18 does not include this last line.
12tn (22:4) In this song of thanksgiving, where David recalls how the Lord delivered him, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect.
13tn (22:4) Heb "worthy of praise, I cried out [to] the LORD." Some take lL*h%m= (m=h%L*l, "worthy of praise") with what precedes and translate, "the praiseworthy one," or "praiseworthy." However, the various epithets in vv. 1-2 have the first person pronominal suffix, unlike lL*h%m=. If one follows the traditional verse division and takes lL*h%m= with what follows, it is best understood as substantival and as appositional to hw´hy+ (y+hw´h, "Yahweh"), resulting in "[to the] praiseworthy one I cried out, [to the] LORD."
14tn (22:5) The noun lj^n~ (n~j^l) usually refers to a river or stream, but in this context the plural form likely refers to the currents of the sea (see vv. 15-16).
15tn (22:5) The noun lu^Y~l!b= (b=l!Y~u^l) is used here as an epithet for death. Elsewhere it is a common noun meaning "wickedness, uselessness" (see HALOT, 133-34). It is often associated with rebellion against authority and other crimes that result in societal disorder and anarchy. The phrase "man/son of wickedness" refers to one who opposes God and the order he has established. The term becomes an appropriate title for death, which, through human forces, launches an attack against God's chosen servant.
16tn (22:5) In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. (Note the perfect verbal form in the parallel/preceding line.) The verb tu^B* (B*u^t) sometimes by metonymy carries the nuance "frighten," but the parallelism (note "engulfed" in the preceding line) favors the meaning "overwhelm" here.
17tn (22:6) "Sheol," personified here as David's enemy, is the underworld, place of the dead in primitive Hebrew cosmology.
18tn (22:6) Heb "surrounded me."
19tn (22:6) Heb "confronted me."
20tn (22:7) In this poetic narrative the two prefixed verbal forms in v. 7a are best understood as preterites indicating past tense, not imperfects. Note the use of the vav consecutive with the prefixed verbal form that follows in v. 7b.
21tn (22:7) Heb "from his temple." Verse 10, which pictures God descending from the sky, indicates that the heavenly, not earthly, temple is in view.
22tn (22:7) Heb "and my cry for help [entered] his ears."
23tn (22:8) The earth heaved and shook. The imagery pictures an earthquake, in which the earth's surface rises and falls. The earthquake motif is common in Old Testament theophanies of God as warrior and in ancient Near eastern literary descriptions of warring gods and kings. See R. B. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 160-62.
24tn (22:8) Ps 18:7 reads "the roots of the mountains."
25tn (22:8) In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the three prefixed verbal forms with vav consecutive in the verse.
26tn (22:9) Heb "within" or "[from] within." For a discussion of the use of the preposition B= (bet) here, see R. B. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 163-64.
27tn (22:9) Or "in his anger." The noun [a^ (a^[) can carry the abstract meaning "anger," but the parallelism (note "from his mouth") suggests the more concrete meaning "nose" here. See also v. 16, "the powerful breath of your nose."
28tn (22:9) Heb "fire from his mouth devoured." In this poetic narrative the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the two perfect verbal forms in the verse.
sn (22:9) For other examples of fire as a weapon in Old Testament theophanies and ancient Near Eastern portrayals of warring gods and kings, see R. B. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 165-67.
29tn (22:9) Heb "coals burned from him." Perhaps the psalmist pictures God's fiery breath igniting coals (see Job 41:21), which he then hurls as weapons (see Ps 120:4).
30tn (22:10) The verb hf*n´ (n´f*h) can carry the sense "[to cause to] bend; [to cause to] bow down" (see HALOT, 693). For example, Gen 49:15 pictures Issachar as a donkey that "bends" its shoulder or back under a burden. Here the LORD causes the sky, pictured as a dome or vault, to sink down as he descends in the storm.
31tn (22:11) Or "rode upon."
32sn (22:11) Heb "a cherub." 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).
33tc (22:11) The translation follows very many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading wayyede' ("and he glided") rather than MT wayyera' ("and he appeared"). 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).
34sn (22:11) 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, JANESCU 5 (1973): 422-24.
35tc (22:12) Heb "he made darkness around him coverings." The parallel text in Ps 18:11 reads "he made darkness his hiding place around him, his covering." 2 Sam 22:12 omits "his hiding place" and pluralizes "covering." Ps 18:11 may include a conflation of synonyms ("his hiding place" and "his covering" ) or 2 Sam 22:12 may be the result of haplography/homoioarcton. Note that three successive words in Ps 18:11 begin with the letter samekh: otK*s% wyt*obyb!s= ort=s! (s!trW s=b!bOt*w s%K*to).
36tc (22:12) Heb "a sieve of water, clouds of clouds." The form tr~v=j^ (j^v=r^t) is a construct of hr´v=j^ (j^v=r*h, "sieve"), which occurs only here in the OT. A cognate Ugaritic noun means "sieve," and a related verb rvj ("to sift") is attested in post-biblical Hebrew and Aramaic (see HALOT, 363). The phrase <y]m^-tr~v=j^ (j^v=r^t-m^y]<) means literally "a sieve of water." It pictures the rain clouds as a sieve through which the rain falls to the ground. (See F. M. Cross and D. N. Freedman, Studies in Ancient Yahwistic Poetry, 146, note 33.)
37tc (22:13) The parallel text in Ps 18:12 reads "from the brightness in front of him his clouds came, hail and coals of fire." The Lucianic family of texts within the Greek tradition of 2 Sam 22:13 seems to assume the underlying Hebrew text: va@ yl@j&g~w+ dr´B* Wrb=u* oDg+n\ Hg~Nm! (m!Ng~H n\gDo u*brW B*r*d w+g~j&l@y a@v, "from the brightness in front of him came hail and coals of fire") which is the basis for the present translation. The textual situation is perplexing and the identity of the original text uncertain. The verbs Wrb=u* (Ps 18:12) and Wru&B* (2 Sam 22:13) appear to be variants involving a transposition of the first two letters. The noun wyb*u* ("his clouds"; Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the following Wrb=u*), or it could have accidentally dropped from the text of 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding Wru&B*, which might have originally read Wrb=u*). The term dr´B* (B*r*d, "hail"; Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the preceding Wrb=u*), or it could have dropped from 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding Wru&B*, which might have originally read Wrb=u*). For a fuller discussion of the text, see R. B. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 74-76.
38tn (22:14) The shortened theme vowel indicates that the prefixed verbal form is a preterite.
39tn (22:14) Heb "the Most High." This divine title (/oyl=u#, u#lyo/) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
40tn (22:14) Heb "offered his voice." In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the preterite form in the preceding line. The text of Ps 18:13 adds at this point, "hail and coals of fire." These words are probably accidentally added from v. 12b; they do not appear in 2 Sam 22:14.
sn (22:14) Thunder is a common motif in Old Testament theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. B. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 179-83.
41tn (22:15) Heb "sent."
42tn (22:15) The pronominal suffixes on the verbs "scattered" and "routed" (see the next line) refer to David's enemies. Some argue that the suffixes refer to the arrows, in which case one might translate "shot them far and wide" and "made them move noisily," respectively. They argue that the enemies have not been mentioned since v. 4 and are not again mentioned until v. 17. However, usage of the verbs Jwp ("scatter") and <mh ("rout") elsewhere in Holy War accounts suggests the suffixes refer to enemies. Enemies are frequently pictured in such texts as scattered and/or routed (see Exod 14:24; 23:27; Num 10:35; Josh 10:10; Judg 4:15; 1 Sam 7:10; 11:11; Ps 68:1).
43sn (22:15) Lightning is a common motif in OT theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. Arrows and lightning bolts are associated in other texts (see Pss 77:17-18; 144:6; Zech 9:14), as well as in ancient Near Eastern art. See R. B. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 187, 190-92.
44tn (22:16) Or "channels."
45tn (22:16) Or "foundations."
46tn (22:16) The noun is derived from the verb rug, 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 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.
47tn (22:16) 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, Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.
48tn (22:17) Heb "stretched." Perhaps "his hand" should be supplied by ellipsis (see Ps 144:7). In this poetic narrative context the three prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best understood as preterites indicating past tense, not imperfects.
49tn (22:17) Heb "mighty waters." The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist's powerful enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see v. 5 and Ps 144:7).
50tn (22:18) The singular refers either to personified death or collectively to the psalmist's enemies. The following line, which refers to "those [plural] who hate me," favors the latter.
51tn (22:19) The same verb is translated "trapped" in v. 6. In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect.
52tn (22:19) Heb "became my support."
53tn (22:20) Or "delighted in me."
54tn (22:21) In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect.
55tn (22:21) Heb "according to my righteousness." As vv. 22-25 make clear, David refers here to his unwavering obedience to God's commands. He explains that the Lord was pleased with him and willing to deliver him because he had been loyal to God and obedient to his commandments. Ancient Near Eastern literature contains numerous parallels. A superior (a god or king) would typically reward a subject (a king or the servant of a king, respectively) for loyalty and obedience. See R. B. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 211-13.
56tn (22:21) The unreduced Hiphil prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, in which case the psalmist would be generalizing. However, both the preceding and following contexts (see especially v. 25) suggest he is narrating his experience. Despite its unreduced form, the verb is better taken as a preterite. For other examples of unreduced Hiphil preterites, see Pss 55:14a; 68:9a, 10b; 80:8a; 89:43a; 107:38b; 116:6b.
57tn (22:21) Heb "according to the purity of my hands he repaid to me." Hands suggest activity and behavior.
58tn (22:22) Heb "for I have kept the ways of the LORD." The phrase "ways of the LORD" refers here to the "conduct required" by the LORD (see HALOT, 232). In Ps 25 the LORD `s "ways" are associated with his covenantal demands (see vv. 4, 9-10). See also Ps 119:3 (cf. vv. 1, 4), as well as Deut 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16.
59tn (22:22) Heb "I have not acted wickedly from my God." The statement is elliptical, the idea being, "I have not acted wickedly and, in so doing, departed from my God."
60tn (22:23) Heb "for all his regulations are before me." The term wf*P*v=m! (m!vP*f*w, "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.
61tn (22:23) 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).
62tn (22:24) 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).
63tn (22:25) Heb "according to my righteousness." See v. 21.
64tn (22:25) Heb "according to my purity before his eyes."
65tn (22:26) The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 26-30 draw attention to God's characteristic actions. Based on his experience, the psalmist generalizes about God's just dealings with people (vv. 26-28) and about the way in which God typically empowers him on the battlefield (vv. 29-30). The Hitpael stem is used in vv. 26-27 in a reflexive resultative (or causative) sense. God makes himself loyal, etc. in the sense that he conducts or reveals himself as such. On this use of the Hitpael stem, see GKC §54.e.
66tn (22:26) Or "to a faithful follower." A dys!j* (j*s!d, "faithful follower") is one who does what is right in God's eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
67tn (22:26) Or "innocent."
68tc (22:26) Heb "a warrior of innocence." The parallel text in Ps 18:25 reads, probably correctly, rbg ("man") instead of rwbg ("warrior").
69tn (22:27) Or "blameless."
70tc (22:27) The translation follows two medieval Hebrew MSS in reading titpattal (from the root ltp, "to twist") rather than the MT tittappal (from the root tpl, "to be tasteless," "behave silly"). See as well the parallel passage in Ps 18:26. The verb ltp is used in only three other texts. In Gen 30:8 it means literally "to wrestle," or "to twist." In Job 5:13 it refers to devious individuals, and in Prov 8:8 to deceptive words.
71tn (22:27) The adjective vQ@u! (u!Q}v) has the basic nuance "twisted; crooked," and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse. It appears frequently in Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20) and life styles (2:15; 28:6). A righteous king opposes such people (Ps 101:4). Verses 26-27 affirm God's justice. He responds to people in accordance with their moral character. His response mirrors their actions. The faithful and blameless find God to be loyal and reliable in his dealings with them. But deceivers discover he is able and willing to use deceit to destroy them. For a more extensive discussion of the theme of divine deception in the OT, see R. B. Chisholm, BSac 155 (1998): 11-28.
72tn (22:28) Or perhaps "humble" (note the contrast with those who are proud).
73tc (22:28) Heb "but your eyes are upon the proud, you bring low." Ps 18:27 reads "but proud eyes you bring low."
74tn (22:29) Or "for." The translation assumes that yk is asseverative here.
75tc (22:29) Many medieval Hebrew MSS, some LXX MSS, and the Syriac Peshitta support reading ta'ir ("you cause to shine") before the words "my lamp." See Ps 18:28. The metaphor, which likens the LORD to a lamp or light, pictures him as the psalmist's source of life. For other examples of "lamp" used in this way, see Job 18:6; 21:17; Prov 13:9; 20:20; 24:20. For other examples of "light" as a symbol for life, see Job 3:20; 33:30; Ps 56:13.
76tc (22:29) The Lucianic Greek recension and Vulgate understand this verb to be second person rather than third person as in the MT. But this is probably the result of reading the preceding word "LORD" as a vocative under the influence of the vocative in the first part of the verse.
77tn (22:29) Heb "my darkness."
78tn (22:30) Or "for." The translation assumes that yk is asseverative here.
79tn (22:30) Heb "by you."
80tn (22:30) Heb "I will run." The imperfect verbal forms in v. 30 indicate the subject's potential or capacity to perform an action. Though one might expect a preposition to follow the verb here, this need not be the case with the verb Jwr (see 1 Sam 17:22). Some emend the Qal to a Hiphil form of the verb and translate, "I put to flight [literally, "cause to run"] an army."
81tn (22:30) More specifically, the noun refers to a raiding party or to a contingent of troops (see HALOT, 177). The picture of a divinely empowered warrior charging against an army in almost superhuman fashion appears elsewhere in ancient Near Eastern literature. See R. B. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 228.
82tn (22:30) Heb "by my God."
83tn (22:30) David uses hyperbole to emphasize his God-given military superiority.
84tn (22:31) Heb "[As for] the God, his way is blameless." The term la@h* (h*a@l, "the God") stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on "way." The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (see BDB 42; Deut 33:26). God's "way" in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17).
85tn (22:31) Heb "the word of the LORD is purified." The LORD's "word" probably refers here to his oracle(s) of victory delivered to the psalmist before the battle(s) described in the following context. See also Pss 12:5-7 and 138:2-3. David frequently received such oracles before going into battle (see 1 Sam 23:2, 4-5, 10-12; 30:8; 2 Sam 5:19). The LORD's word of promise is absolutely reliable; it is compared to metal that has been refined in fire and cleansed of impurities. See Ps 12:6. In the ancient Near East kings would typically seek and receive oracles from their god(s) prior to battle. For examples, see R. B. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 241-42.
86tn (22:32) Or "for." The translation assumes that yk is asseverative here.
87tn (22:32) Heb "rocky cliff," which is a metaphor of protection.
88tn (22:32) 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 (rWx [xWr], "rocky cliff") in Deut 32:4, 15, 17-18, 30.
89tn (22:33) Heb "the God." See the note at v. 31.
90tc (22:33) 4QSama has me'azzereni ("the one girding me with strength") rather than the MT ma´uzzi ("my refuge"). See as well Ps 18:32.
91tn (22:33) The prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive here carries along the generalizing tone of the preceding line.
92tn (22:33) Heb "and he sets free [from the verb rt^n´] [the] blameless, his [Kethib; "my" (Qere)] way." The translation follows Ps 18:32 in reading "he made my path smooth." The term <ym!T* (T*m!<, "smooth") usually carries a moral or ethical connotation, "blameless, innocent." However, in Ps 18:33 it refers to a pathway free of obstacles. The reality underlying the metaphor is the psalmist's ability to charge into battle without tripping (see vv. 33, 36).
93tc (22:34) Heb "[the one who] makes his feet like [those of] a deer." The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading raglai ("my feet") rather than the MT raglo ("his feet"). See as well Ps 18:33.
94tn (22:34) Heb "and on my high places he makes me walk." The imperfect verbal form emphasizes God's characteristic provision. The psalmist compares his agility in battle to the ability of a deer to negotiate rugged, high terrain without falling or being injured. Habakkuk uses similar language to describe his faith during difficult times. See Hab 3:19.
95tn (22:35) Heb "teaches."
96tn (22:35) The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enabling. Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.
97tn (22:35) Heb "and a bow of bronze is bent by my arms." The verb tj@n´ apparently means "to pull back; to bend" here (see HALOT, 692). The bronze bow referred to here was probably laminated with bronze strips, or a purely ceremonial or decorative bow made entirely from bronze. In the latter case the language is hyperbolic, for such a weapon would not be functional in battle.
98tn (22:36) Another option is to translate the prefixed verb with vav consecutive with a past tense, "you gave me." Several prefixed verbal forms with vav consecutive also appear in vv. 38-44. The present translation understands this section as a description of what generally happened when the author charged into battle, but another option is to understand the section as narratival and translate accordingly.
99tc (22:36) Ps 18:35 contains an additional line following this one, which reads "your right hand supports me." It may be omitted here due to homoioarcton. See the note at Ps 18:35.
tn (22:36) Heb "and you give me the shield of your deliverance." Ancient Near Eastern literature often refers to a god giving a king special weapons. See R. B. Chisholm, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 260-61.
100tn (22:36) Heb "your answer makes me great." David refers to God's willingness to answer his prayer.
101tn (22:37) Heb "step." "Step" probably refers metonymically to the path upon which the psalmist walks. Another option is to translate, "you widen my stride." This would suggest that God gives him the capacity to run quickly.
102tn (22:37) Heb "lower legs." On the meaning of the Hebrew noun, which occurs only here, see H. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena, 112. A cognate Akkadian noun means "lower leg."
103tn (22:40) Heb "you clothed me with strength for battle."
104tn (22:40) Heb "you make those who rise against me kneel beneath me."
105tn (22:41) Heb "and [as for] my enemies, you give to me [the] back [or, "neck" ]." The idiom "give [the] back" means "to cause [one] to turn the back and run away." See Exod 23:27 and HALOT, 888.
106tc (22:42) The translation follows one medieval Hebrew MS and the ancient versions in reading the Piel yesawwe´u ("they cry for help") rather than the Qal of the MT yis´u ("they look about for help"). See Ps 18:41 as well.
107tn (22:42) Heb "but there is no deliverer."
108tn (22:42) 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, Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22, 271.
109tn (22:43) Or "mud." See HALOT 374.
110tn (22:44) Heb "from the strivings of my people." In this context byr] (r!b, "striving") probably has a militaristic sense (as in Judg 12:2; Isa 41:11), and <u^ (u^<, "people") probably refers more specifically to an army (for other examples, see the verses listed in BDB 766 [2.d]). The suffix "my" suggests David is referring to attacks by his own countrymen, the "people" being Israel. However, the parallel text in Ps 18:43 omits the suffix.
111tn (22:44) Heb "a people whom I did not know serve me." In this context the verb "know" (ud~y´, y´d^u) probably refers to formal recognition by treaty. People who were once not under the psalmist's authority now willingly submit to his rulership to avoid being conquered militarily (see vv. 45-46). The language may recall the events recorded in 2 Sam 8:9-10 and 10:19.
112tn (22:45) For the meaning "to be weak; to be powerless" for the verb vj^K* (K*j^v), see Ps 109:24. Verse 46, which also mentions foreigners, favors this interpretation. Another option is to translate "cower in fear" (see Deut 33:29; Pss 66:3; 81:15).
113tn (22:45) Heb "at a report of an ear they submit to me." The report of David's exploits is so impressive that those who hear it submit to his rulership without putting up a fight.
114tn (22:46) Heb "wither, wear out."
115tc (22:46) The translation assumes a reading weyahregu ("and they quaked") rather than the MT weyahgeru ("and they girded themselves"). See the note at Ps 18:45.
116tn (22:46) Heb "from."
117tn (22:46) Heb "prisons." Their besieged cities are compared to prisons.
118tn (22:47) Elsewhere the construction hw´hy+-yj^ (j^y-y+hw´h) as used exclusively as an oath formula, but this is not the case here, for no oath follows. Here the statement is an affirmation of the LORD's active presence and intervention. In contrast to pagan deities, he demonstrates he is living God by rescuing and empowering the psalmist.
119tn (22:47) Heb "my rocky cliff," which is a metaphor for protection.
120tn (22:47) Or "blessed [i.e., praised] be."
121tn (22:47) Heb "the God of the rock of my deliverance." The term rWx (xWr, "rock") is probably accidentally repeated from the previous line. The parallel version in Ps 18:46 has simply "the God of my deliverance."
122tn (22:47) The words "as king" are supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Psalms the verb <Wr (rW<, "be exalted") when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 46:10; 57:5, 11).
123tn (22:48) Heb "The God is the one who grants vengeance to me." The plural form of the noun "vengeance" indicates degree here, suggesting complete vengeance or vindication. In the ancient Near East military victory was sometimes viewed as a sign that one's God had judged in favor of the victor, avenging and/or vindicating him. See, for example, Judg 11:27, 32-33, 36.
124tn (22:48) Heb "and [is the one who] brings down nations beneath me."
125tn (22:49) Heb "and [the one who] brings me out from my enemies."
126tn (22:49) Heb "you lift me up." In light of the preceding and following references to deliverance, the verb <Wr (rW<) probably here refers to being rescued from danger (see Ps 9:13). However, it could mean "exalt; elevate" here, indicating that the LORD has given him victory over his enemies and forced them to acknowledge the psalmist's superiority.
127tn (22:49) Heb "from those who rise against me."
128sn (22:50) This probably alludes to the fact that David will praise the LORD in the presence of the defeated nations when they, as his subjects, bring their tribute payments. Ideally God's chosen king was to testify to the nations of God's greatness. See J. Eaton, Kingship in the Psalms, 182-85.
129tn (22:50) Heb "to your name." God's "name" refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case "LORD," the primary name of Israel's covenant God which suggests his active presence with his people (see Exod 3:12-15).
130tc (22:51) The translation follows the Kethib and the ancient versions in reading magdil ("he magnifies") rather than the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS of the MT which read migdol ("tower"). See Ps 18:50.
131tn (22:51) Heb "[the one who] does loyalty to his anointed one."
1tn (23:1) Heb "the anointed one of the God of Jacob."
2tn (23:1) Or "pleasant."
3tn (23:3) Heb "rock," used as a metaphor of divine protection.
4tn (23:5) Heb "For not thus [is] my house with God?"
5tn (23:5) Heb "for all my deliverance and every desire, surely does he not make [it] grow?"
6tn (23:7) Heb "and with fire they are completely burned up in [the place where they] remain." The infinitive absolutely is used before the finite verb to emphasize that they are completely consumed by the fire.
7tn (23:8) The Hebrew word is sometimes rendered as "the three," but BDB is probably correct in taking it to refer to military officers (BDB 1026). In that case the etymological connection of this word to the Hebrew numerical adjective for "three" can be explained as originating with a designation for the third warrior in a chariot.
8tc (23:8) The translation follows some LXX MSS (see 1 Chr 11:1 as well) in reading hu' `orer `et hanito ("he raised up his spear") rather than the MT's hu' `adino ha´esni [Kethib = ha´esno] ("`Adino the Ezenite"). The emended text reads literally "he was wielding his spear against eight hundred, [who were] slain at one time."
9tn (23:9) Heb "after him."
10tc (23:9) This follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading dodo rather than the Kethib of the MT dodai. But see 1 Chr 27:4.
11tn (23:9) Heb "went up."
12tn (23:10) Heb "arose."
13tn (23:10) Heb "his hand."
14tn (23:11) Heb "after him."
15tn (23:11) The Hebrew text is difficult here. The MT reads lahayyah, which implies a rare use of the word hayyah. The word normally refers to an animal, but if the MT is accepted it would here have the sense of a troop or community of people. BDB 312 (b), for example, understands the similar reference in v. 13 to be to "a group of allied families, making a raid together." But this works better in v. 13 than it does in v. 11, where the context seems to suggest a particular staging location for a military operation. (See 1 Chr 11:15.) It therefore seems best to understand the word in v. 11 as a place name with he directive. In that case the Masoretes mistook the word for the common term for an animal and then tried to make sense of it in this context.
16tn (23:12) Heb "delivered."
17tn (23:13) The meaning of Hebrew `el qasir seems here to be "at the time of harvest," although this is an unusual use of the phrase. As Driver points out, this preposition does not normally have the temporal sense of "in" or "during" (see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 366).
18tc (23:13) The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading selosa ("three") rather than the Kethib of the MT selosim ("thirty"). "Thirty" is due to dittography of the following word and makes no sense in the context.
19tn (23:13) Heb "went down...and approached."
20tn (23:17) Heb "Far be it to me, O LORD, from doing this."
21tn (23:17) Heb "[Is it not] the blood of the men who were going with their lives?"
22tn (23:17) Heb "These things the three warriors did."
23tc (23:18) The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew MSS, the LXX, and Vulgate in reading hasselosa ("the three") rather than the Kethib of the MT hassalisi ("the third," or "adjutant"). Two medieval Hebrew MSS and the Syriac Peshitta have "thirty."
24tn (23:18) Heb "and he was wielding his spear against three hundred, [who were] slain, and to him there was a name among the three."
25tn (23:19) Or "more than."
26tc (23:20) The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading hayil ("valor") rather than the Kethib of the MT, hay ("life").
27tc (23:20) See the textual note at 1 Chr 1:22.
28tc (23:21) The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading `is ("man") rather than the Kethib of the MT, `aser ("who").
29tn (23:21) Heb "and he went down to."
30tn (23:23) Or "more than."
31tc (23:29) The translation follows many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading heled rather than the MT heleb.
32tn (23:33) The Hebrew text does not have "the son of."
33tc (23:35) The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading Hesrai rather than the Kethib of the MT, Hesro.
34tc (23:37) The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew MSS in reading the singular rather than the plural of the Kethib of the MT.
1sn (24:1) The parallel text in 1 Chr 21:1 says, "An adversary opposed Israel, inciting David to count how many warriors Israel had." The Samuel version gives an underlying theological perspective, while the Chronicler simply describes what happened from a human perspective. The adversary in 1 Chr 21:1 is likely a human enemy, probably a nearby nation whose hostility against Israel pressured David into numbering the people so he could assess his military strength. See the note at 1 Chr 21:1.
2tn (24:4) Heb "and the word of the king was stronger than."
3tn (24:5) Heb "in the middle of."
4tn (24:9) Heb "and Joab gave the number of the numbering of the people."
5tn (24:10) Heb "and the heart of David struck him."
6tn (24:11) Heb "and the word of the LORD came."
7tc (24:13) The LXX has here "three" rather than "seven." See 1 Chr 21:12.
8tn (24:13) Heb "now know and see."
9tn (24:14) Heb "There is great distress to me. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for great is his mercy, but into the hand of man let me not fall."
10tn (24:16) Heb "messenger."
11tn (24:16) Heb "concerning the calamity."
12tn (24:16) Heb "Now, drop your hand."
13tn (24:17) Heb "let your hand be against me and against the house of my father."
14tn (24:20) Heb "Araunah." The name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun ("he") for stylistic reasons.
15tn (24:20) Heb "nostrils."
16tn (24:22) Heb "what is good in his eyes."
17sn (24:22) 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.
18tn (24:22) Heb "the equipment of the oxen."
19tc (24:23) The Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation reads `ebed `adoni ("the servant of my lord") rather than the MT's "Araunah." In normal court etiquette a subject would not use his own name in this way, but would more likely refer to himself in the third person. The MT probably first sustained loss of `ebed ("servant"), leading to confusion of the word for "my lord" with the name of the Jebusite referred to here.
20tn (24:24) Heb "fifty shekels of silver." This would have been about 20 ounces (568 grams) of silver by weight.