2 Samuel 15:1-18 – Lessons From Absalom’s Rebellion & David’s Retreat

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 17 July 2022

Introduction

v.1-9 Absalom’s Character Flaws

vs. 10-12 Absalom’s Coup

vs. 13-18 David’s Panicked Retreat

CONCLUSION

2 Samuel 15:1-18Side-by side comparison of versionsA

LXX

Brenton

DRB

KJV

NAW

MT

1 Καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἐποίησεν ἑαυτῷ Αβεσσαλωμ ἅρματα καὶ ἵππους καὶ πεντή­κοντα ἄνδρας παρατρέχειν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ.

1 And it came to pass after this that Abessalom prepared for himself chariot[s] and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

1 Now after these things Absalom made himself chari­ot[s], and horse­men, and fifty men to run before him.

1 And it came to pass after this, that Absa­lom prepared him chariot[s] and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

1 Now, after that, it happened that Absalom did up for himself a chariot with horses and 50 men to run before him.

(א)וַיְהִי מֵאַחֲרֵי כֵן וַיַּעַשׂ לוֹ אַבְשָׁלוֹם מֶרְכָּבָה וְסֻסִים וַחֲמִשִּׁים אִישׁ רָצִים לְפָנָיו.

2 καὶ ὤρθρισεν Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ ἔστη ἀνὰ χεῖρα τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς πύλης, καὶ ἐγέν­ετο πᾶς ἀνήρ, ᾧ ἐγένετο κρίσις, ἦλθεν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα εἰς κρίσιν, καὶ ἐβόησεν πρὸς αὐτὸν Αβεσ­σαλωμ καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτῷ Ἐκ ποίας πόλεως σὺ εἶ; καὶ εἶπεν [ὁ ἀνήρ] Ἐκ μιᾶς φυλῶν Ισραηλ ὁ δοῦλός σου.

2 And Abessalom rose early, and stood by the side of the way of the gate: and it came to pass that every man who had a cause, came to the king for judg­ment, and Abes­salom cried to him, and said to him, Of what city art thou? And heB said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.

2 And Absa­lom rising up early stood by the entrance X of the gate, and when any man had business to come to the king's judg­ment, Absalom called him to him, and said: Of what city art thou? He [answered, and] said: Thy servant is of such tribeX of Israel.

2 And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a contro­versy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.

2 And Absalom would get up early and stand at the gate at the side of the street, where every man would be who had a dispute that was to go to the king for judgment, and Absalom would call to him and say, “What town are you from?” And {the man} would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.”

(ב) וְהִשְׁכִּים אַבְשָׁלוֹם וְעָמַד עַל יַד דֶּרֶךְ הַשָּׁעַרC וַיְהִי כָּל Dהָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה לּוֹ רִיב לָבוֹא אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ לַמִּשְׁפָּט וַיִּקְרָא אַבְשָׁלוֹם אֵלָיו וַיֹּאמֶר אֵי מִזֶּה עִיר אַתָּהE וַיֹּאמֶר מֵאַחַד שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַבְדֶּךָ.

3 καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὸν Αβεσσαλωμ Ἰδοὺ οἱ λόγοι σου ἀγαθοὶ καὶ εὔκολοι, καὶ ἀκούων οὐκ ἔστιν σοι παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως·

3 And Abessalom said to him, See, thy affair[s] are right and clear, yet thou hast no one appointed of the king to hear thee.

3 And Absa­lom answered him: Thy word[s seem to] good and just. But there is no man [ap­pointed] by the king to hear thee.

3 And Absa­lom said unto him, See, thy matter[s] are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.

3 Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, there are good and straight­forward things about your case, but there is no one from the king who will give heed to you.”

(ג) וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אַבְשָׁלוֹם רְאֵה דְבָרֶךָ טוֹבִים וּנְכֹחִים וְשֹׁמֵעַ אֵין לְךָ מֵאֵת הַמֶּלֶךְ.

4 καὶ εἶπεν Αβεσσαλωμ Τίς με καταστήσει κριτὴν ἐν τῇ γῇ, καὶ ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ ἐλεύσεται πᾶς ἀνήρ, ᾧ ἐὰν ᾖ ἀντιλογία καὶ κρίσις, καὶ δικαιώσω αὐτόν;

4 And Abessalom said, O that one would make me a judge in the land; then every man who had a dispute or a cause would come to me, and I would judge him!

And Absalom said: 4 O that they would make me judge over the land, that all that have business X X might come to me, that I might do themF justice.

4 Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath [any] suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!

4 Then Absalom would say, “Who will install me as a judge in the land, so that every man who has a dispute or an adjudication might come to me and I will make things right for him?!”

(ד) וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְשָׁלוֹם מִי יְשִׂמֵנִי שֹׁפֵט בָּאָרֶץ וְעָלַיG יָבוֹא כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה לּוֹ רִיב וּמִשְׁפָּט וְהִצְדַּקְתִּיו.

5 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἐγγίζειν ἄνδρα τοῦ προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ καὶ ἐξέτει­νεν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπε­λαμβάνετο αὐτοῦ καὶ κατεφίλησεν αὐτόν.

5 And it came to pass when a man came near to do him obeisance, that he stretched out his hand, and took hold of him, and kissed him.

5 Moreover when [any] man came to him to salute him, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him.

5 And it was so, that when [any] man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him.

5 And when a man happened to be near to bow down to him, then he would thrust forth his hand and grab hold of him and kiss him.

(ה) וְהָיָה בִּקְרָב אִישׁ לְהִשְׁתַּחֲו‍ֹת לוֹ וְשָׁלַח אֶת יָדוֹ וְהֶחֱזִיק Hלוֹ וְנָשַׁק לוֹ.

6 καἐποίησεν Αβεσσαλωμ κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο παντὶ Ισραηλ τοῖς παραγινομένοις εἰς κρίσιν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ ἰδιοποιεῖτο Αβεσσαλωμ τὴν καρδίαν ἀνδρῶν Ισραηλ.

6 And Abessalom did after this manner to all Israel that came to the king for judgment; and Abessalom gained the heart[s] of the men of Israel.

6 And X X this he did to all Israel that came for judg­ment, to be heard by the king, and he enticed the heart[s] of the men of Israel.

6 And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judg­ment: so Absa­lom stole the heart[s] of the men of Israel.

6 And Absalom would do something like this to all the Israelites who came to the king for ajudication, thus Absalom stole the affection of the men of Israel.

(ו) וַיַּעַשׂ אַבְשָׁלוֹם כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יָבֹאוּ לַמִּשְׁפָּט אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיְגַנֵּב אַבְשָׁלוֹם אֶת לֵב אַנְשֵׁי יִשְׂרָאֵל.

7 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἀπὸ τέλους τεσσαρά­κοντα ἐτῶν καὶ εἶπεν Αβεσσαλωμ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ Πορεύ­σομαι δὴ καὶ ἀπο­τείσω τὰς εὐχάς μου, ἃς ηὐξάμην τῷ κυρίῳ, ἐν Χεβρων·

7 And it came to pass after forty years, that Abessalom said to his father, I will go now, and pay my vows, which I vowed to the Lord in Chebron.

7 And after forty Iyears, Absalom said to king David: Let me go, and pay my vows which I have vowed to the Lord in Hebron.

7 And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the LORD, in Hebron.

7 So it was, at the end of 40 years, that Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron and bring closure to my vow which I vowed to Yahweh,

(ז) וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ אַרְבָּעִיםJ שָׁנָה וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְשָׁלוֹם אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵלֲכָה נָּא וַאֲשַׁלֵּם אֶת נִדְרִי אֲשֶׁר נָדַרְתִּי לַיהוָה בְּחֶבְרוֹן.

8 ὅτι εὐχὴν ηὔξατο ὁ δοῦλός σου ἐν τῷ οἰκεῖν με ἐν Γεδσουρ ἐν Συρίᾳ λέγων Ἐὰν ἐπιστρέφων ἐπι­στρέψῃ με κύριος εἰς Ιερουσαλημ, καὶ λατρεύσω τῷ κυρίῳ.

8 For thy servant vowed a vow when I dwelt at Gedsur in Syria, saying, If the Lord should in­deed restore me to Jerusalem, then will I serve the Lord.

8 For thy ser­vant made a vow, when he was in Gessur of Syria, saying: If the Lord shall X bring me again into Jerusalem, X I will offer sacrifice to the Lord.

8 For thy ser­vant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the LORD shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD.

8 for your servant vowed a vow when I was residing in Geshur in Syria, saying, ‘If Yahweh really brings me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve Yahweh.’”

(ח)כִּי נֵדֶר נָדַר עַבְדְּךָ בְּשִׁבְתִּי בִגְשׁוּר בַּאֲרָם לֵאמֹר אִם ‎יָשִׁיבK יְשִׁיבֵנִי יְהוָה יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם וְעָבַדְתִּי אֶת יְהוָה.

9 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ βασιλεύς Βάδιζε εἰς εἰρή­νην· καὶ ἀναστὰς ἐπορεύθη εἰς Χεβρων.

9 And the king said to him, Go in peace. And he arose and went to Chebron.

9 And king David said to him: Go in peace. And he arose, and went to Hebron.

9 And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose, and went to Hebron.

9 So the king said to him, “Go in peace.” Then he got up and went to Hebron.

(ט) וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ לֵךְ בְּשָׁלוֹם וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ חֶבְרוֹנָה.

10 καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Αβεσσαλωμ κατασκόπους ἐν πάσαις φυλαῖς Ισραηλ λέγων Ἐν τῷ ἀκοῦσαι ὑμᾶς τὴν φωνὴν τῆς κερατίνης καὶ ἐρεῖτε Βεβασίλ­ευκεν βασιλεὺς Αβεσσαλωμ ἐν Χεβρων.

10 And Abessa­lom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, When ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then shall ye say, Abessalom is become king in Chebron.

10 And Absa­lom sent spies into all the tribes of Israel, saying: As soon as you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, say ye: Absalom reigneth in Hebron.

10 But Absa­lom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron.

10 Absalom, however, commissioned spies into all the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as y’all hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron!’”

(י) וַיִּשְׁלַח אַבְשָׁלוֹם מְרַגְּלִיםL בְּכָל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר כְּשָׁמְעֲכֶם אֶת קוֹל הַשֹּׁפָר וַאֲמַרְתֶּם מָלַךְ אַבְשָׁלוֹם בְּחֶבְרוֹן.

11 καὶ μετὰ Αβεσ­σαλωμ ἐπορεύθησαν διακόσιοι ἄνδρες ἐξ Ιερουσαλημ κλητοὶ καὶ πορευ­όμενοι τῇ ἁπλό­τητι αὐτῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν πᾶν ῥῆμα.

11 And there went with Abes­salom two hund­red chosen men from Jerusalem; and they went in their simplicity, and knew not anything.

11 Now there went with Absa­lom two hund­red men out of Jerusalem that were called, go­ing with simpli­city of heart, and knowing nothing X of the design.

11 And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went in their simpli­city, and they knew not any thing.

11 Now 200 men invited from Jerusalem went with Absalom, and they went with integrity, for they did not know the whole of the matter.

(יא) וְאֶת אַבְשָׁלוֹם הָלְכוּ מָאתַיִם אִישׁ מִירוּשָׁלַ‍ִם קְרֻאִים וְהֹלְכִים לְתֻמָּם וְלֹא יָדְעוּ כָּל דָּבָר.

12 καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Αβεσσαλωμ [καὶ ἐκάλεσεν]M τὸν Αχιτοφελ τὸν Γελμωναῖον τὸν σύμβουλον Δαυιδ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως αὐτοῦ ἐκ Γωλα ἐν τῷ θυσιάζειν αὐτόν. καὶ ἐγέν­ετο σύστρεμμα ἰσχυρόν, καὶ ὁ λαὸς πορευόμεν­ος καὶ πολὺς μετὰ Αβεσσαλωμ.

12 And Abes­salom sent to Achitophel the Theconite, the counsellor of David, from his city, from Gola, where he was sacrificing: and there was a strong conspira­cy; and the peo­ple with Abessa­lom were increas­ingly numerous.

12 Absalom also sent for Achitophel the Gilonite, Dav­id's counsellor, from his city Gilo. And while he was offering sacri­fices, there was a strong cons­piracy, and the people running together in­creased with Absalom.

12 And Absa­lom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, Dav­id's counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacri­fices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increas­ed continually with Absalom.

12 Also, while he was sacrificing the sacrifices, Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, a counselor of David’s, from his town of Giloh. So the conspiracy became strong, and the people were going along and becoming numerous with Absalom.

(יב) וַיִּשְׁלַח אַבְשָׁלוֹם אֶת אֲחִיתֹפֶל הַגִּילֹנִי יוֹעֵץ דָּוִד מֵעִירוֹ מִגִּלֹה בְּזָבְחוֹ אֶת הַזְּבָחִים וַיְהִי הַקֶּשֶׁר אַמִּץN וְהָעָם הוֹלֵךְ וָרָב אֶת אַבְשָׁלוֹם.

13 Καὶ παρεγέν­ετο ὁ ἀπαγγέλλων πρὸς Δαυιδ λέγων Ἐγενήθη ἡ καρδία ἀνδρῶνO Ισραηλ ὀπίσω Αβεσσαλωμ.

13 And there came a mes­senger to David, saying, the heart of the men of Israel is gone after Abessalom.

13 And there came a mes­senger to David, saying: All Israel with [their whole] heart followeth Absalom.

13 And there came a mes­senger to David, saying, The heart[s] of the men of Israel are after Absalom.

13 Presently, the communication came to David, saying that the heart of each Israelite was behind Absalom.

(יג) וַיָּבֹא הַמַּגִּיד אֶל דָּוִד לֵאמֹר הָיָה לֶב אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחֲרֵי אַבְשָׁלוֹם.

14 καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ πᾶσιν τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ τοῖς μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἐν Ιερουσαλημ Ἀνάστητε καὶ φύγωμεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν σωτηρία ἀπὸ προσώπου Αβεσσαλωμ· ταχύνατε τοῦ πορευθῆναι, ἵνα μὴ ταχύνῃ καὶ καταλάβῃ ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐξώσῃ ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς τὴν κακίαν καὶ πατάξῃ τὴν πόλιν στόματι μαχαίρης.

14 And David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, Rise, and let us flee, for X we have no refuge from X Abessalom: make haste and go, lest he overtake us speedily, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.

14 And David said to X his servants, that were with him in Jerusalem: Arise and let us flee: for we shall not X escape else from the face of Absalom: make haste to go out, lest he come and overtake us, and bring ruin upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.

14 And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusa­lem, Arise, and let us flee; X for we shall not X else escape from X Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.

14 Then David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, “Get up and let us flee, for there will be for us no escape from Absalom’s presence. Move quickly to go, otherwise he will move quickly and overtake us, and unleash what is evil upon us, and he will strike the city with the edge of a sword.”

(יד) וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד לְכָל עֲבָדָיו אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בִירוּשָׁלַ‍ִם קוּמוּ וְנִבְרָחָה כִּי לֹא תִהְיֶה לָּנוּ פְלֵיטָה מִפְּנֵי אַבְשָׁלוֹם מַהֲרוּ לָלֶכֶת פֶּן יְמַהֵר וְהִשִּׂגָנוּ וְהִדִּיחַ עָלֵינוּ אֶת הָרָעָה וְהִכָּה הָעִיר לְפִי חָרֶב.

15 καὶ εἶπον οἱ παῖδες τοῦ βασιλέως πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Κατὰ πάντα, ὅσα αἱρεῖται ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ὁ βασιλεύς, ἰδοὺ οἱ παῖδές σου.

15 And the king's servants said to the king, In all things which our lord the king chooses, behold we are thy servants.

15 And the king's servants said to him X: Whatsoever our lord the king shall command, we thy servants [will willingly execute].

15 And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint.

15 So the king’s servants said to the king, “As to what ever my lord the king chooses, here we are to be your servants!”

(טו) וַיֹּאמְרוּ עַבְדֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ הִנֵּה עֲבָדֶיךָ.

16 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ πᾶς ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτῶν· καὶ ἀφῆκεν ὁ βασιλεὺς δέκα γυναῖκας τῶν παλλακῶν [αὐ­τοῦ] φυλάσσειν τὸν οἶκον.

16 And the king and all his house went out on foot: and the king left ten women of [his] concubines to keep the house.

16 And the king went forth, and all his household on foot: and the king left ten women [his] concu­bines to keep the house:

16 And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, which were concubines, to keep the house.

16 And the king went out - along with all his household - on foot, although the king left ten women of {his} concubines to tend to the house.

(טז) וַיֵּצֵא הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכָל בֵּיתוֹ בְּרַגְלָיוP וַיַּעֲזֹב הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵת עֶשֶׂר נָשִׁים פִּלַגְשִׁים לִשְׁמֹר הַבָּיִת.

17 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ πάντες οἱ παῖδες [αὐτοῦ] πεζῇ καὶ ἔστησαν ἐν οἴκῳ τῷ μακράν.

17 And the king and all [his] servants went out on foot; and abode [in] a distant house.

17 And the king going forth and all Israel on foot, stood afar off from the house:

17 And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried [in] a place that was far off.

17 So, the king went out along with all his people on foot, and they took their stand at the house of the outpost.

(יז) וַיֵּצֵא הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכָל הָעָםQ בְּרַגְלָיו וַיַּעַמְדוּR בֵּית הַמֶּרְחָק.

18 καὶ πάντες οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ ἀνὰ χεῖρα αὐτοῦ παρῆγον καὶ πᾶς ὁ χεττι καὶ πᾶς ὁ φελετθι [καὶ ἔστησαν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐλαίας ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς παρεπορεύετο ἐχόμενος αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντες οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν καὶ πάντες οἱ ἁδροὶ καὶ πάντες οἱ μαχηταί, ἑξακόσιοι ἄνδρες, καὶ παρῆσαν ἐπὶ χεῖρα αὐτοῦ· καὶ πᾶς ὁ χερεθθι καὶ πᾶς ὁ φελεθθι] καὶ πάντες οἱ Γεθθαῖοι, ἑξακόσιοι ἄνδρες οἱ ἐλθόντες τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτῶν ἐκ Γεθ, πορευόμενοι ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τοῦ βασιλέως.

18 And all his servants passed on by his side, and every Chele­thite, and every Phelethite, [and they stood by the olive tree in the wilderness: and all the people marched near him, and all his court, and all the men of might, and all the men of warS, six hundred: and they were present at his side: and every Chelethite, and every Phelethite,] and all the six hundred Gittites that came on foot out of Geth, [and] they went on before the king.

18 And all his servants walked by him, and [the] bands [of] the Cerethi, and X the Phelethi, and all the Gethites, [valiant warriors], six hundred men who had followed [him] from Geth on foot, went before the king.

18 And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.

18 And all his servants crossed over on one side of him, and all the Kerethites and all the Pelethites (that is, all 600 men of the Gittites from Gath) went on foot, crossing over to the front of the king.

(יח) וְכָל עֲבָדָיו עֹבְרִים עַל יָדוֹ וְכָל הַכְּרֵתִי וְכָל הַפְּלֵתִי וְכָל הַגִּתִּים שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר בָּאוּ בְרַגְלוֹT מִגַּת עֹבְרִים עַל פְּנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ.


1And so did Theodoret, Gill, Keil & Delitzsch, and Jamieson.

21 Kings 2:11 The period that David reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. (NKJV)

3Including those by Osiander, Vatablus, Pellican, Luther, Willett, Henry, Lightfoot, Goldman, and the Talmud.

4Cited by Gill from Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 9. fol. 194. 4.

51 Chron. 11:3 “Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. Then they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.” (NKJV)

6Some commentators indicated that the Gittites were a separate group from the C’s and P’s and were under Ittai’s leadership. I don’t think that this chapter necessarily says that.

71 Sam. 27:2 “Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.”

8See Endnote P for more information on this.

AMy original chart includes the NASB and NIV, but their copyright restrictions have forced me to remove them from the publicly-available edition of this chart. I have included the ESV in footnotes when it employs a word not already used by the KJV, NASB, or NIV. (NAW is my translation.) When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics (or greyed-out text), I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I insert an X. (I also place an X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea Scrolls containing 2 Samuel 15 are 4Q51 Samuela containing parts of verses 1-7, 20-31 & 37, dated between 50-25 B.C., and 4Q53 Samuelc, containing verses 1-15, dated around 100 B.C. Where the DSS is legible and in agreement with the MT, the MT is colored purple. Where the DSS supports the LXX (or Vulgate or Syriac) with omissions or text not in the MT, I have highlighted with yellow the LXX and its translation into English, and where I have accepted that into my NAW translation, I have marked it with {pointed brackets}.

BVaticanus omits the explicit subject “the man” stated in the majority of LXX manuscripts.

CBoth DSS omit the word “gate” and put the definite article on the word for “way/road.”

DDSS omits the definite article, which doesn’t change the meaning.

EThere is extra space in this obliterated section of both DSS to include the explicit subject in the LXX “the man,” but it makes no difference in meaning. One DSS reduplicates the verb with “and he answered and said.”

FOld Latin reads singular iustificabo eum instead of the Vulgate iuste iudicem

G"עָלַי placed before יָבִא for the sake of emphasis, may be explained from the fact that a judge sat, so that the person who stood before him rose above him (comp. Ex. 18:13 with Gen. 18:8)” ~Keil & Delitzsch

HTargums and some other manuscripts read instead בו (“with him”) which is essentially synonymous.

IAlthough Douay rendered this number as 40, the Vulgate actually reads 4 (quattuor).

JSyriac, Vulgate, and Lucian Rescription of the Septuagint all read “four” instead of “forty.” The DSS is obliterated here, and, due to the paragraph break, the spacing isn’t certain, but if this verse started on a new line, the spacing might favor the shorter reading of 4.

KQere recommends this be read as an infinitive (יָשׁוֹב “He will do again”) rather than as the Hiphil Imperfect (“he will bring back”) in the Masoretic text. Vulgate omits it altogether, as do some Greek manuscripts, but Rohlfs edition of the Septuagint renders it as a participle, agreeing with the Qere, and with this the Syriac and Targums seem to agree. It doesn’t change the story at all either way. (Tsumura notes other instances where a Qal Infinitive absolute is used with a derived stem of a finite verb as here: Gen. 26:11, Ex. 19:13, 1 Sam. 23:22, and 2 Sam. 20:18.)

LDSS reads “from Jerusalem,” which has a lot of the same letters as “by foot” in Hebrew.

M“and called” is not in the MT or the Vaticanus or other versions, but it substitutes for “Absalom” in one of the two DSS. It basically means the same as the previous phrase “he sent for,” so it doesn’t add anything.

NRelatively rare word only found here and in Job 9:4&19, Job 17:9; Isa. 28:2 & 40:26; Amos 2:16, and Nah. 2:2.

OMT is singular. Lucian Rescription of the LXX reads “all” along with the Latin. But whether it is translated “each” or “all” or “men,” the gist still comes across the same.

POf the 11 other passages in the Hebrew Bible that use this term, only two others are interpreted by some English versions to mean “following” rather than “on foot,” namely Jdg. 4:10, and 5:15 . The other nine are interpreted by all English versions to mean “on his feet” (Judges 4:15, 17; 2 Sam. 2:18; 1 Kings 2:5; 2 Kings 4:27; 2 Chron. 16:12; Job 18:8; Isa. 41:3; Amos 2:15). Levi Ben Gershom, Andrew Willett, Matthew Henry, Tsumura (NICOT) and NET Bible supported “on foot.” Geneva, KJV, RV, NASB, NIV and ESV went for “after/with/following/accompanying him,” although, in another place, one of them interpreted it “at his heels.”

QThere are other Hebrew manuscripts which offer a synonym here, some which read עבדיו (“his servants”) with the Septuagint, and others which read ביתו (“his house”) with the text of the previous verse. Neither changes the story.

RThis could mean “to stand,” as in “come to a standstill,” or “to stand” as in “make a stand” or “serve” (For the latter see Psalm 134:1 “...who stand by night in the house of the LORD,” and Psalm 135:2.)

SThis long reading of the Greek appears to be a combination of the Septuagint tradition of both translating and transliterating obscure words (note the parallel between “servants… Chelethites... Pelethites... Gittites” – mostly transliterated, and the translations “the people… court… men of might… fighting men”) as well as a bit of haplography at the end, none of which introduces anything new or different from the traditional text. It is not in any other ancient versions, and the paragraph is too obliterated in the DSS to draw any conclusion from it.

THere the MT changes from plural “feet” to singular “foot,” and the Syriac follows suit, but there are multiple other Hebrew manuscripts which make this instance plural too, as the Septuagint does. Meanwhile, the Targums interpret figuratively with the preposition “with,” and that is the reading of most English versions.

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