1tn Heb “and I will come upon him.” 2tn Heb “exhausted and slack of hands.” 3tc 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 Heb “all of the people will be safe.” 5tn Heb “elders.” 6tc In the MT the verb is singular, but in the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate it is plural. 7tn Heb “what is in his mouth.” 8tn Heb “Not good is the advice which Ahithophel has advised at this time.” 9tc 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 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 Heb “commanded.” 12tn Heb “elders.” 13tn Heb “send quickly and tell David saying.” 14tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV). 15tn That is, “cross over the Jordan River.” 16tn Heb “swallowed up.” 17tn Heb “they”; the referents (Absalom’s men) have been specified in the translation for clarity. 18map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 19tn Heb “they”; the referents (Ahimaaz and Jonathan) have been specified in the translation for clarity. 20tn Heb “the water.” 21tn Heb “for thus Ahithophel has devised against you.” The expression “thus” is narrative shorthand, referring to the plan outlined by Ahithophel (see vv. 1-3). The men would surely have outlined the plan in as much detail as they had been given by the messenger. 22tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text here or in v. 24, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity. 23tc The Greek recensions of Origen and Lucian have here “house” for “grave.” 24tn Heb “come to.” 25tn Heb “and Israel.” 26tc The MT adds “roasted grain” וְקָלִי (v˙qali) 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. 27tn Heb “cheese of the herd,” probably referring to cheese from cow’s milk (rather than goat’s milk). 28tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT).
1tn Heb “and I will come upon him.”
2tn Heb “exhausted and slack of hands.”
3tc 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 Heb “all of the people will be safe.”
5tn Heb “elders.”
6tc In the MT the verb is singular, but in the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate it is plural.
7tn Heb “what is in his mouth.”
8tn Heb “Not good is the advice which Ahithophel has advised at this time.”
9tc 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 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 Heb “commanded.”
12tn Heb “elders.”
13tn Heb “send quickly and tell David saying.”
14tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV).
15tn That is, “cross over the Jordan River.”
16tn Heb “swallowed up.”
17tn Heb “they”; the referents (Absalom’s men) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
18map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
19tn Heb “they”; the referents (Ahimaaz and Jonathan) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
20tn Heb “the water.”
21tn Heb “for thus Ahithophel has devised against you.” The expression “thus” is narrative shorthand, referring to the plan outlined by Ahithophel (see vv. 1-3). The men would surely have outlined the plan in as much detail as they had been given by the messenger.
22tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text here or in v. 24, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
23tc The Greek recensions of Origen and Lucian have here “house” for “grave.”
24tn Heb “come to.”
25tn Heb “and Israel.”
26tc The MT adds “roasted grain” וְקָלִי (v˙qali) 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.
27tn Heb “cheese of the herd,” probably referring to cheese from cow’s milk (rather than goat’s milk).
28tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT).