2Samuel 15. Absalom Foments Revolution Against David

Transcription

1 2Samul 15 2Samul 15:1 37 Absalom Fomnts Rvolution Against David Ths studis ar dsignd for blivrs in Jsus Christ only. If you hav xrcisd faith in Christ, thn you ar in th right plac. If you hav not, thn you nd to hd th words of our Lord, Who said, For God so lovd th world that H gav His only-bgottn [or, uniquly-born] Son, so that vry [on] bliving [or, trusting] in Him shall not prish, but shall b hav trnal lif! For God did not snd His Son into th world so that H should judg th world, but so that th world shall b savd through Him. Th on bliving [or, trusting] in Him is not judgd, but th on not bliving has alrady bn judgd, bcaus h has not blivd in th Nam of th only-bgottn [or, uniquly-born] Son of God. (John 3:16 18). I am th Way and th Truth and th Lif! No on coms to th Fathr xcpt through [or, by mans of] M! (John 14:6). Evry study of th Word of God ought to b prcdd by a naming of your sins to God. This rstors you to fllowship with God (1John 1:8 10). If thr ar popl around, you would nam ths sins silntly. If thr is no on around, thn it dos not mattr if you nam thm silntly or whthr you spak aloud. Ths xgtical studis ar not dsignd for you to rad ach and vry word. For instanc, th Hbrw xgsis is put into gryish tabls, so that if you want to skip ovr thm, that is fin. If you qustion a translation, you can always rfr back to th appropriat Hbrw tabls to sort it all out. Th intnt is to mak this particular study th most complt and most accurat xamination of 2Samul 15 which is availabl in writing. Th ida is to mak vry phras, vrs and passag undrstandabl; and to mak application of all that is studid. Outlin of Chaptr 15: Introduction vv. 1 6 Absalom Lays th Groundwork for His Populist Rvolution vv Absalom s Rvolt Bgins in Hbron vv King David Lavs Jrusalm vv King David and His Immigrant Supportrs vv David Sts up th High Prists to Had His Insurgncy Ntwork vv God Answrs David s Prayr Addndum Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins: Introduction Th Principals of 2Sam. 15 Introduction Th Prqul of 2Samul 15 Introduction Th Abbrviatd David Timlin Introduction Syndin Nots from R. B. Thim, Jr. s Bibl Class Introduction A Synopsis of 2Samul 15 Introduction Altrnativ Outlin from Pool

2 6501 Th Book of Samul v. 3 A Summary of th Judicial Problms of th Davidic Court in Jrusalm v. 4 Tru Ladrship Vrsus Fals Ladrship v. 5 Th Importanc of 2Samual 14:33 v. 6 Guzik on How Absalom Stol th Harts of th Mn of Isral v. 8 Why W Know Absalom is Lying v. 8 Map of Gshur, Aram v. 10 How Can Isral Support Absalom ovr David? v. 10 Guzik on How Isral Bcam Dissatisfid with David and Allowd Absalom to Stal Thir Harts v. 10 How is David a Good King? v. 10 How is Absalom Potntially a Lousy King? v. 12 Th Doctrin of Rvolution v. 12 Th Absalom Rvolution v. 12 Th Citizns of Isral and th Rvolution v. 13 Clark s Rasons Why th Popl s Hart was with Absalom v. 14 David s Rtrat v. 14 God s Plan for th Blivr in National Disastr v. 14 Why David Rtrats v. 14 Map of U.S. bass v. 18 Who ar th Chrthits and th Plthits? v. 18 2Samul 15:18c Txt from th Grk Sptuagint v. 18 Sid-by-Sid Comparison of 2Samul 15:18 v. 19 Kil and Dlitzsch Obsss ovr th Lâmd Prposition v. 20 2Samul 15:20b Txt from th Grk Sptuagint v. 20 2Samul 15:20 Txt from th Grk Sptuagint v. 20 Grac and Truth [= Bibl doctrin] in th Bibl v. 21 Guzik on Ittai s Tstimony of Loyalty v. 22 Th Gographical Will of God v. 23 Th Vocabulary of Insurgncy and Countrinsurgncy v. 23 Map of Jrusalm v. 23 Map of th Absalom Rbllion v. 24 Som Background on Zadok th Prist v. 24 Th Doctrin of Abiathar Part I v. 24 Th Prists, th Ark and th Tabrnacl v. 26 Th Pulpit Commntary on David s Attitud v. 27 Thr Hbrw Words Dnoting a Propht v. 30 Th Pulpit Commntary s Ordr of Evnts v. 31 Th Pulpit Commntary Lays Out David s Prayr and How God Will Answr it v. 34 Comparing th Grk and Hbrw of 2Samul 15:34 v. 34 Commntators Who Don t Lik David s Covrt Warfar v. 34 David s Gratnss as a Man and as a King; Attstd to by th Word of God v. 36 Military Intllignc v. 36 Hushai and David v. 36 Hushai, th Countrinsurgnt v. 37 Hushai and Absalom Addndum Josphus History of this Tim Addndum Edrshim Summarizs 2Samul 15 Addndum A Complt Translation of 2Samul 15 Addndum Acknowldgmnts

3 2Samul Chaptr Outlin Forward Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Doctrins Covrd and Alludd to Chaptrs of th Bibl Alludd To Psalms Appropriatly Exgtd with this Chaptr Othr Chaptrs of th Bibl Appropriatly Exgtd with this Chaptr Dfinition of Trms Introduction Txt Addndum Exgtical Studis in Samul Doctrins Covrd and Alludd To Pr-Introduction Links Chaptrs of th Bibl Alludd To or Psalms Appropriatly Exgtd with this Chaptr Dfinition of Trms Doctrins Covrd Doctrins Alludd To Ark of th Covnant Davidic Timlin Th Gographical Will of God Rvolution Hathnism Laws of Divin Establishmnt Th Military Movmnt of th Ark and th Tabrnacl Polygamy Chaptrs of th Bibl Alludd To 2Samul 8 2Samul 11 2Samul 13 2Samul 14 2Samul 18 1Chron. 6 Psalm 3 Psalm 39 Psalms Appropriatly Exgtd with this Chaptr Othr Chaptrs of th Bibl Appropriatly Exgtd with this Chaptr Many who rad and study this chaptr ar 1 or 2 gnration studnts of R. B. Thim, Jr., so that much of st nd this vocabulary is scond natur. On of Bob s grat contributions to thology is a frsh vocabulary along with a numbr of concpts which ar thologically nw or rworkd, yt still orthodox. Thrfor, if you ar unfamiliar with his work, th dfinitions blow will hlp you to fully undrstand all that is bing said. In addition to this, I will us a numbr of othr mor traditional tchnical thological trms which will b usd and thrfor dfind as wll.

4 6503 Th Book of Samul Dfinition of Trms Clint Nation Cosmic systm thinking Criminal arroganc Crusadr arroganc Cycls of Disciplin (Stag of National Disciplin) Doctrinal rationals Flying column Laws of Divin Establishmnt th th 4 and 5 stags of national disciplin Clint-Nation, is a national ntity in which a crtain numbr of spiritually matur Christians (th salt of th arth) hav formd a pivot sufficint to sustain th nation and through which God spcifically protcts this nation so that blivrs can fulfill th divin mandats of vanglism, communication and custodianship of Bibl doctrin, providing a havn for Jws, and snding missionaris abroad. Th Unitd Stats is a clint-nation to God. A clint nation must hav frdom: Frdom to sk God, frdom to us on s own volition and slf-dtrmination to succd or fail, frdom from anarchy and tyranny, frdom for vanglism, frdom for blivrs to har Bibl taching without govrnmnt intrfrnc and, thrfor, to grow spiritually, and frdom to snd missionaris to othr nations. A prson s viwpoint is confusd with th thinking of Satan, who thinks in trms of human viwpoint, lis, and lgalism. This is xactly th opposit thinking of th gospl, Bibl doctrin, and th laws of divin stablishmnt. Criminal arroganc sks to solv problms by violnc and/or by criminal actions. Th modus oprandi of a prson in criminal arroganc is criminal bhavior. Blivrs ar suscptibl to this kind of arroganc just as unblivrs ar. Crusadr arroganc is th slf-rightousnss arroganc that tris to straightn th world from its rror and mistaks. A prson placs his prsonal standards abov th law or any form of stablishmnt or authority. Whn criminal arroganc intrlocks with crusadr arroganc, thr is trrorism or rvolution. A national ntity which is a clint nation to God is undr both God s protction and His disciplin (much lik th individual blivr). As a nation movs furthr and furthr from God, God may impos disciplinary masurs on that nation, which includ conomic disastr, illnss, civil unrst, military dfat, and vn invasion which may includ a slavry or disprsion of th popl. Ths cycls ar found in Lv. 26. Although ths warnings ar dsignd for Isral, all clint nations to God may fac similar downward historical trnds. You undrstand, from Bibl doctrin, th thinking, charactr and actions of God, and ar abl to apply God s ssnc and function to your day to day lif. A flying column is a forc of troops quippd and organizd to mov swiftly and indpndntly of a principal unit to which it is attachd. It is also a vry mobil military organization which ngags in gurilla tactics. Ths ar th laws, principls and morality which God has dsignd to prptuat vry socity or govrnmnt in such a way that frdom to vangliz, frdom to tach doctrin and th frdom to snd out missionaris ar maximizd. th Th 4 stag of national disciplin is whn a forign country coms in and both taxs and ruls ovr th prist nation to God. Th 5 stag of national disciplin involvs complt loss of prsonal and national th sovrignty, th dstruction of th family and th nation. Offrings to God ar unaccptabl. Nations which hav undrgon this dstruction hav xprincd slavry, cannibalism, and th assimilation of its surviving citizns into othr culturs.

5 2Samul Dfinition of Trms Pivot Blivrs with doctrin influnc a socity. A good xampl of this is th Roman Empir, which bgan as bing vry opposd to Christianity, but which bcam strongly influncd by Christianity. As th Christian Trtullian obsrvd: "W ar but of ystrday, yt w fill your citis, islands, forts, towns, councils, vn camps, tribs, dcuris, th palac, th snat, th forum; w hav lft you th tmpls alon." This was accomplishd without an armd insurrction against Rom. Th norms and standards of blivrs in Jsus Christ bgan to filtr into th socity. Abraham and his popl rprsntd a positiv influnc on th surrounding aras; Lot and his family had almost no influnc whatsovr. Prist nation Rbound (Rstoration to fllowship with God) Rvrsionism, rvrsionistic Sxual arroganc; sxual addiction Suprgrac blivr A prist nation is a nation through whom God works. Th Word of God will b prsrvd in a prist nation (and vn writtn in a prist nation); and vanglization will occur both within that prist nation, and mn will b snt out to vangliz (lik Jonah). In th Nw Tstamnt, this is naming your sins to God, so that you ar both rstord to tmporal fllowship with God and ar thn filld with th Spirit of God. In th Old Tstamnt, naming your sins to God would rsult in a rstoration of fllowship and, in som cass, th mpowrmnt of th Holy Spirit onc again (th Holy Spirit was not givn to all Old Tstamnt blivrs). Th blivr rvrts back to his sinful habits as an unblivr with grat rgularity. This can also rfr to a prson who is an unblivr who onc mbracd divin stablishmnt and now rjcts it. This is th points whr sxual dsir ovrrids all ls in a prson s psych. It ovrrids rason, compassion, protocol. Just as th drug addict might b willing to do narly anything for a fix; so th sxually addictd will b willing to do and vn risk anything in ordr to fulfill thir lusts. For th sxual addict, th objct of his sxual lust is simply an objct; his sxual lust dos not indicat any sort of lov is involvd; not vn lik. This is a trm originatd by R. B. Thim, Jr. to indicat that a prson is in spiritual maturity. Som of ths dfinitions ar takn from Winston Churchill on clandstin warfar: "In wartim, truth is so prcious that sh should b attndd by a bodyguard of lis." By th tim that w complt this chaptr, you will undrstand what Churchill was talking about. 1 From Lord Wolsly's "Soldir's Pockt-book" : "As a nation, w ar brought up to fl it a disgrac to succd by falshood; th word 'spy' convys in it somthing as rpulsiv as slav. W will kp hammring away with th conviction that honsty is th bst policy, and that truth always wins in th long run. Ths prtty littl 1 mid=27 accssd Octobr 18, 2012.

6 6505 Th Book of Samul sntncs do wll nough for a child's copybook, but th man who acts upon thm in war had bttr shath his sword for vr." Sun Tzu, All war is dcption. R. B. Thim, Jr., Who knw bfor Sun Tzu? 2Sam. 15:31b Thrfor, David prayd to God, saying, Frustrat, O Jhovah, th counsl and advic of Ahithophl. 2Sam. 17:14b For Y howah had ordaind [from trnity past] to dfat th good counsl of Ahithophl [through th tactics of clandstin warfar], to th intnt that H might bring vil on Absalom. An Introduction to 2Samul 15 I ntroduction: 2Sam. 15 is an incrdibl chaptr of Holy Writ. It covrs two primary narrativs: Absalom, David s son, organizs a rvolution against David; and David fls Jrusalm, and chooss to oppos th rvolution from outsid Judah. Thr ar quit a numbr of topics covrd in this chaptr, including politics (with vry modrn-day applications) and th concpt of clandstin warfar (also known as, whn is it okay for th blivr to li?). Lik vry portion of Scriptur, this is th Word of God inspird by God th Holy Spirit. God xpcts us to larn from what is found hr. Thr ar things in this chaptr found nowhr ls in th Word of God. This, and th chaptrs which immdiatly follow, giv us grat insight into covrt warfar. This chaptr continus th prssur that God puts upon David, but on could argu that, ths ar th natural rsults of what David has himslf don. That is, God did not rach into th volition of half of Isral and mak thm rbl against David. David, by his actions, causd much of that. W nd to know who th popl ar who populat this chaptr. Th Principals of 2Samul 31 Charactrs Absalom King David Ahithophl Ittai th Gittit Zadok and Abiathar Commntary Absalom is King David s son and h will rbl against his fathr in this chaptr. H will bcom th dfacto king. King David is still raping what h has sown, and h facs an all-out rvolution ld by 2 his ldst living son. Ahithophl is Bathshba s grandfathr and, apparntly, a brilliant stratgist who will sid with Absalom in th rvolt. 2Sam. 15:12 16:23 Som bliv that Ahithophl was th loyal frind who turnd against David, mntiond in Psalm 41:9 55:12 14 Ittai is a ladr of th 600 soldirs from Gath who hav chosn to follow David. As thir ladr, Ittai pldgs his loyalty and his lif to David. Th two high prists undr David. 2 Thr is actually an oldr son (Chilab), but w do not har anything about him. H is ithr dad, incapabl of govrning or disintrstd in it.

7 2Samul Th Principals of 2Samul 31 Charactrs Ahimaaz and Jonathan Hushai th Archit Commntary Two of th sons of th high prists who will act as courirs. Hushai is an oldr man, loyal to David, who will act as a mol in Absalom s innr circl. Thr ar also th Plthits and th Chrthits, who ar forign soldirs who act as David s bodyguards. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins It is important to undrstand what has gon bfor. Th Prqul of 2Samul 15 In th prvious chaptrs of 2Samul, David has st himslf up for a grat dal of prssur by God, at tims whil h is in fllowship and at tims whn h is not in fllowship. David, whn his soldirs wr at war, obsrvd from his hous rooftop th xquisit Bathshba bathing and h calld for hr to b brought to him and h had sx with hr (which appars to b rap, although th Bibl dos not xplicitly call it rap). Thn David, whn h finds that h has imprgnatd this woman, tris to gt hr husband to think that h is th fathr of th child. Whn this dos not work, David has this man killd in battl by Joab, his top gnral. In this, David has sunk to his lowst point of sxual lust rsulting in grat prsonal corruption, and th only way that God would b abl to rstor David s soul and his divin viwpoint thinking would b to apply constant prssur upon David for a priod of mayb tn yars. 2Samul 11 (HTML) (PDF). Part of this prssur includd on son (Amnon) raping David s daughtr, Tamar, and, whn David fails to do anything about this, hr brothr Absalom stps in and kills Amnon. Howvr, this mans that Absalom has to fl David s jurisdiction, so h lavs Jrusalm and gos to th country of his grandfathr, in Gshur, ast of th Jordan and north of Jrusalm. 2Samul 13 (HTML) (PDF). Joab, who mad a mistak to follow David s ordrs in th first plac, tris to mak all of this bttr by gtting David and his son Absalom back in th sam room with on anothr. This involvd a rathr convolutd plot on Joab s part, which did work, which did bring Absalom back to Jrusalm, but h livd in Jrusalm for two yars without bing abl to s th fac of his fathr. 2Samul 14 (HTML) (PDF). Absalom took th initiativ and got Joab to arrang a mting, but h rvald a criminal soul whn h did this, gtting Joab s attntion by burning down his fild. Howvr, whn David and Absalom got into th sam room togthr, many yars aftr Absalom had killd Amnon, all was forgivn. Absalom ndd this forgivnss; not bcaus his soul cravd his fathr David s affction, but bcaus h could not put his plot of rvolution into motion as a pariah to th palac. H must b abl to com and go as h plass, b known as th king s son, 1 and function as a king s son. This is ky. Without David s approval, Absalom cannot rvolt against him. Howvr, w ar going to find out that Absalom is not a man who liks to wait for anything; nor is h abov braking th law whn it suits his purpos. H may look at it from th standpoint of, if braking a fw laws has a good rsult, thn braking a fw laws is lgitimat. Th storylin for this narrativ gos back to 2Samul 11, whr David s adultry with Bathshba and his killing of hr husband st David up for all that follows (howvr, much of Absalom s charactr was probably moldd prior to this). All of th subsqunt chaptrs lad us to this point in tim.

8 6507 Th Book of Samul 1 I rad a numbr of commntators mayb as many as 15 and I do not rcall anyon apart from R. B. Thim, Jr. mak this point (and h mad it rathr quickly, almost as an asid). Howvr, 2Sam. 14:33 (Joab wnt to th king and told him. So David summond Absalom, who cam to th king and bowd down with his fac to th ground bfor th king. Thn th king kissd Absalom.) is why Absalom will b abl to lad a rvolt against his fathr. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins This timlin is simply a shortnd vrsion of th David Timlin (HTML) (PDF), with a fw principl vnts of David s lif rcordd, along with th vnts of this chaptr. Bracktd dats ar drivd from th Scriptur, basd upon author s original prmiss. Th Abbrviatd David Timlin Fnton-Farrar (F. L. Smith) Bibl Truth 4U Rs s Chronology Bibl Scriptur Narrativ [1085 B.C.] 1040 B.C. [1055 B.C.] Ruth 4:22 David is born B.C B.C. 1Sam. 17 David dfats Goliath B.C. (c B.C.) 1010 B.C B.C. 2Sam. 2:1 4 David bcoms king ovr Judah (th southrn kingdom). David is 30. 2Sam. 5:4 David was 30 yars old whn h bgan to rign. H rignd 40 yars B.C. (c B.C.) 1003 B.C B.C. 2Sam. 5:1 3 1Chron. 11:1 3 David bcoms king ovr all Isral. H is still ruling from Hbron. David is approximatly 37 yars old, according to Bibl Truth 4U B.C B.C. c B.C. (Klassn) 2Sam. 11:2 25 David s sin with Bathshba. H has hr husband, Uriah th Hittit, killd in battl B.C. 990 B.C B.C. 2Sam. 13:1 22 David s son, Amnon, raps David s daughtr, Tamar B.C. [ B.C.] B.C. 998 B.C. (Klassn dat was changd; typo in Rs) 2Sam. 13:23 39 David s son Absalom kills Amnon and fls. 2Sam. 13:23 And it happnd aftr 2 full yars Absalom had shpsharrs in Baal-hazor, bsid Ephraim. And Absalom invitd all th king's sons. 2Sam. 13:38 And Absalom fld and wnt to Gshur, and was thr 3 yars.

9 2Samul Th Abbrviatd David Timlin Fnton-Farrar (F. L. Smith) Bibl Truth 4U Rs s Chronology Bibl Scriptur Narrativ 1024 B.C B.C. (?) B.C. 2Sam. 15 Absalom rbls against David and David gos into xil. 2Sam. 15:6 10 And in this way Absalom did to all Isral that cam to th king for judgmnt. And Absalom stol th harts of th mn of Isral. And it happnd at th nd of 4 yars, Absalom said to th king, Plas lt m go and pay my vow which I hav vowd to Jhovah in Hbron. For your srvant vowd a vow whil I livd at Gshur in Syria, saying, If Jhovah will indd bring m again to Jrusalm, thn I will srv Jhovah. And th king said to him, Go in pac. And h aros and wnt to Hbron. But Absalom snt spis throughout all th tribs of Isral, saying, As soon as you har th sound of th ram's horn, thn you shall say, Absalom rigns in Hbron! Thr is a problm with th matrial abov; non of ths sourcs appar to tak into considration th 4 3 yars of this chaptr, during which Absalom will build up his support among Israli citizns. F.F. has no intrval; Bibl Truth has an 18 yar intrval and Rs has a 2 yar intrval. Givn thos problms, lt us conclud th following: David is around yars of ag. th 4 This placs him at th bginning of his 4 dcad as king. If w assum that Absalom is 15 whn his sistr is rapd (thy ar quit young), h is now still vry young, bing 23 or 24. Taking th 4 yars into account, that brings him to 27 or 28, which is not far from th NIV Study 5 Bibl s approximation of 30 yars. My ag approximation for Absalom is basd upon an assumption. Lt s approach Absalom s ag from a diffrnt way. H is born to David in Hbron, whn David would b rd (s 2Sam. 5:4 5). Absalom is th 3 son born to him in Hbron, whr 6 sons ar born to him ovr a priod of 7 yars (1Chron. 3:1 4). Sinc ths ar by diffrnt wivs, thy could hav all bn born in th sam yar; howvr, David sms to hav marrid Absalom s mothr whil h was rigning in Hbron, which marriag probably rprsntd a political allianc. Th puts Absalom somwhr btwn 24 and 32. If Absalom is born rd in th 3 yar, thn h is in his lat 20's. Thr is nothing magical about ths dats or ags. It somtims hlps you to gt a grasp of th diffrnc in ags. You know somon in thir arly 60's. Think of somon that ag who is vigorous, intllignt and drivn that would b David. Think of somon ls who is in his mid to lat 20's, who is spoild and blivs that h is ntitld; and h will do anything to stal what h blivs is rightfully his (or, lt s say, h is th kind of prson who will tak shortcuts to gt what h wants). That would b Absalom. Imagin now that ths ar fathr and son, and you hav a rough pictur of David and Absalom. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins 3 Also, this 4 yars is, in itslf, somwhat problmatic, which will b discussd in v Which comports with Th NIV Study Bibl; 1995 by Th Zondrvan Corporation; p. 441 (footnot), whr this is said to b th bginning of David s last dcad as king. 5 Th NIV Study Bibl; 1995 by Th Zondrvan Corporation; p. 441 (footnot).

10 6509 Th Book of Samul You may wondr, aftr th prvious chaptrs, why is David still gtting bat up ovr his sins by God? What has happnd throughout this priod of a dcad is (1) David is raping what h sowd. Th actions of his childrn wr all a mattr of his having too many wivs and too many familis to tak car of, and, thrfor, his childrn wr raisd, for all intnts and purposs, by singl mothrs with financial support from th stat. (2) God has to tak David to a point whr h will not fall into this sam gat of sxual arroganc. David had bcom obsssd with his own prsonal sxual satisfaction, and it had gottn to a point whr, h would litrally do anything. It had bcom an addiction which took ovr his lif. (3) David s sxual arroganc has affctd him in a numbr of aras. H is off his gam judicially: h was too indulgnt to th woman from Tkoa and h did not try Amnon or Absalom. H sons should hav bn dalt with judicially bcaus thy brok th law. Bing a king s son dos not giv anyon th right to brak th law. On th othr hand, this appars to b on of th most productiv tims of David s writing; h pnnd 6 or mor psalms during this tim priod (possibly as many as (10), and likly rcording th chaptrs w hav bn studying. To warm you up to Absalom s charactr, Clark writs (I think h is quoting Calmt?): [Absalom] was a bold, violnt, rvngful, haughty, ntrprising, magnificnt, loqunt, and popular princ; h was also rich, ambitious, and vain of his prsonal accomplishmnts: aftr th dath of Amnon, and his rconciliation to his fathr, h saw no hindranc in his way to th thron. H dspisd Solomon bcaus of th mannss of his birth, and his tndr yars. H was himslf of th blood royal, not only by his fathr David, but also by his mothr Maacah, daughtr to Talmai, king of Gshur: and, doubtlss, in his own apprhnsion, of sufficint ag, authority, and wisdom, to sustain th wight of govrnmnt. Thr was proprly now no comptitor in his way: Amnon, David s first born, was dad. Of Chilab, his scond son by Abigail, w har nothing; and Absalom was th third: s 2Sam. 3:2 5. H, thrfor, smd to stand narst to th thron; but his sin was, that h sought it during his 6 fathr s lif, and ndavord to dthron him in ordr to sit in his stad. Absalom, David s son, is not a man who has any patinc, and h will do what h blivs is right, no mattr who thinks diffrntly. H is vry much lik his fathr David, but probably unrgnrat and without intrst in David s Savior. Application: W hav Suprm Court justics who hav, ovr th past 100 yars, far ovrstppd th bounds of thir authority, and hav bn making law for yars now. Thir blif is, if what thy ar ruling on has a right rsult, in thir own stimation, thn it dos not mattr to thm how thy com to that right rsult. That is, a particular law may say X, but if thy bliv that not-x is th propr outcom, and th rightous outcom, thn thy will rul not-x. Thir propr rol is to intrprt th law in th light of th constitution, which is a rlativ short documnt. If a law passd by Congrss and signd by th prsidnt is contrary to th constitution, thy ar to strik that law down, no mattr how good it sms to thm. Th ida is and this, I bliv if th Fundamntal mistak of Chif Justic John Robrts in this yar 2012 no mattr how good a law happns to b, thr is a much lowr thrshold rquird for th passing of a law as opposd to th passing of a constitutional amndmnt. Thrfor, if a law violats th constitution, that law must b struck down, rquiring th Congrss to r-submit this law undr th strictr rquirmnts of bing a constitutional amndmnt, as th only thing which can ovrrid a constitutional amndmnt is a mor rcnt constitutional amndmnt. All of this taks a grat dal of tim, and that was th intnt of our founding fathrs, so that arbitrary laws and philosophical dirctions ar not dtrmind by a st of vry transitory ladrs, whos rul is ovrthrown in subsqunt lctions. Absalom blivd that his approach to govrning was suprior to his fathr s, and h blivd that h was right in supplanting his fathr as rulr of th land. Govrning always looks asir from th outsid. W saw this from our 2008 lction, whr our currnt prsidnt, Barack Obama, ssntially ran against th actions of policis of his prdcssor, Gorg W. Bush. On at last on occasions, Obama raild against th dbt that Bush ran up; and on many occasions, h indicatd grat prsonal disdain for our prisonr-of-war camp at Guantanamo Bay (which is prhaps th most plasant prisonr-of-war camp in th history of th world). Whn in offic, Prsidnt Obama could not control th dbt; in fact, it skyrocktd undr his managmnt; and, although h signd ordrs 6 Adam Clark, Commntary on th Bibl; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:1.

11 2Samul th to clos Guantanamo Bay Prison, it rmains opn in this 4 yar of his prsidncy (I writ this in th yar of our Lord, 2012). Absalom s approach will b, h will complain about Isral s judicial systm with his fathr as a judg of th land. This was a prsonal issu with Absalom, who was nvr subjctd to a trial (nor was his dgnrat brothr, Amnon). W hav witnssd this transformation in his prsonality and dirction in lif, from bing simply a concrnd and loving brothr, to finally ovrruling th law of th land by his own hand, bliving himslf to b right and David to b wrong. Absalom has now rachd a point whr h blivs that it is right ovr violntly ovrthrow th govrnmnt of his own fathr. Not how diffrnt this is from David s attitud toward Saul, th king of Isral. David had two chancs to kill Saul (1Sam ). Saul was at his mrcy, David s own mn ncouragd him to kill Saul, and yt h did not. Saul was th Lord s anointd and David was not going to lift his hand against th Lord s anointd. David did not hav this ovrpowring lust to b king and to hav authority ovr all Isral. So his judgmnt was not cloudd at that point in tim. David was willing to b on God s timtabl. By rblling against his fathr, Absalom fulfills th prophcy of 2Sam. 12:11a Thus says th LORD, Bhold, I will rais up vil against you out of your own hous. Actually, Absalom continus this vil, which was bgun by Amnon. In this chaptr, Absalom is going to first attack David whr h blivs his fathr to b wakst: in his judicial dcisions. David should hav ruld in favor of th xcution of Amnon, and h did not (which was a srious brch of David s judicial rsponsibility). Evn though David is wrong, that dos not giv Absalom th right to suprcd David s judgmnt. Application: It is my own blif that Chif Justic John Robrts chos to uphold th Affordabl Halthcar Law simply so that his court would not strik down a law basd on a 5 4 ruling. Howvr, vn though I bliv that h cam to th wrong conclusion in this cas, this dos not man I hav any rights to try to rmov Justic Robrts from th bnch through illgal mans. Along th sam lins, thr ar a lot of Congrssmn and our currnt Prsidnt (I writ this in 2012) that I think ar making a mss of our country, but it is not my prrogativ (or anyon ls s) to illgally rmov thm from offic. This includs anything from votr fraud to assassination (which could includ inaccurat charactr assassination). Wrong as ths ladrs may b, w must oprat within our systm of govrnmnt to corrct th problm, no mattr how srious w prciv that problm to b. Syndin has som brif introductory nots to Bob Thim s many lssons on this chaptr of 2Samul. Syndin Nots from R. B. Thim, Jr. s Bibl Class At th nd of Chaptr 14, w s David's timing is again off. H should hav forgivn Absalom if h was going to pardon him. But aftr two yars, RBT says th tim was not right for him to allow Absalom back in th palac whn in bittrnss, Absalom was plotting rvolution and was just using David. An addndum nds to b addd to this. Th ky was not that David did not fully forgiv Absalom, but that David did not dal with Absalom in justic. Thr wr svral outcoms from 2Sam. 14 which would hav involvd th application of justic by David. David would hav had to hav gon back to th original crim committd by Amnon and work forward from thr to Absalom s crim, and this should hav bn don in an opn court. Thn David would hav ndd to pronounc a just vrdict upon Absalom, vn if it wr a pardon, givn th circumstancs. Thr is an important paralll to our livs hr on this arth. W want God to dal with us in justic. W do not want God to abandon His justic in ordr to sav us othrwis, God is not God. W ar not savd on th basis of God s sntimntal natur God is not sntimntal. Bcaus, with sntimntality coms its countrpart, which is familial angr. As a prson with an old sin natur, I sin. I do not want God viwing m sntimntally on day, and thn aftr a grat failur in my spiritual lif, dstroying my lif. W ar savd on th basis of justic, bcaus Jsus Christ did for our sins. W ar not savd bcaus w lad som bttr-than-mdiocr

12 6511 Th Book of Samul Syndin Nots from R. B. Thim, Jr. s Bibl Class lif aftr bliving in Jsus. I can trust in my salvation, not bcaus I am som grat Christian, but bcaus Jsus paid for my sins. I can trust in my salvation bcaus God, in His justic, judgd His Son in my stad. In th David sris, RBT says thr ar thr basic groups in a rvolutionary situation: 1) Th cor conspirators, 2) th masss/hoi polloi, and 3) th biblical consrvativs opposing th rvolution. Th cor conspirators start out with th arrogant crusadrs. In all rality, a rvolution is th quintssnc of human arroganc. Th arrogant crusadrs bliv that thy hav a caus that warrants a rjction of God's laws for stablishmnt (nds justifis th mans). Popl with criminal arroganc stp forward and provid th brutality ndd to gt th rvolution going. Th common folk (th hoi polloi), ar dupd into following th ladrs basd on th ladrs charisma, prsonality, or som othr suprficial charactristic of th group. Th biblical consrvativs undrstand God's laws concrning rspct for authority - thy must b dstroyd by th conspirators for th rvolution to tak plac. Tchnically, a 'rvolution' is th ovrthrow of lgitimat authority by psudo-authority with no rspct for God's laws of authority. For xampl, th so calld 'Amrican Rvolution' was NOT a rvolution but instad of 'fight for frdom'. Without rprsntation in th govrnmnt, th colonis wr not undr God's laws for a stablishd nation undr Him. Th colonists fought for thir right to hav a say in thir own govrnmnts which is propr undr God's laws for stablishmnt. Vocabulary of Rvolutions: 1) A plot is th plan of th rvolution. 2) Th mans for carrying out th plot of a rvolution is calld 'intrigu'. 3) Th foot soldrs of th cor group RBT calls courirs. A 'courir' is on who carris a mssag or is an administrator. Hr w hav th bginning of th cor conspiracy. Ths mn ar imprssd by Absalom's looks and prsonality and intllignc and his apparnt authority. Thy will giv him thir loyalty. So, this is an xampl of how 'loyalty' can b vil - loyalty to psudo-authority is vil. 4) 'Cadr' is th word for thos who rally around somon, rgardlss of how arrogant and anti-stablishmnt that prson is. From: accssd Sptmbr 9, Thr has bn som modification mad to ths nots. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Hr is a complt synopsis of 2Sam. 15: A Synopsis of 2Samul 15 Although David finally forgav Absalom, it was all basd upon motion (2Sam. 14:33). Absalom bgan to liv th part of a king-in-waiting, hiring an ntourag and a strtch limousin (2Sam. 15:1). H also bgan to spak to popl who cam into Jrusalm to gt court cass sttld. H sympathizd with thos who wr unhappy, for whatvr rason, and always agrd with thm (vv. 2 4). That way, whn thy rturnd hom, thy always had somthing good to say about th king s son, Absalom. Whn Absalom spok to popl, h tratd thm as an qual or as an intimat frind, so that th popl of Isral rally got to lik him (vv. 5 6). H ran a political campaign not unlik thos that w s today. Aftr spnding four yars spaking to individuals and slling himslf as a man of th popl, Absalom mad his big mov, going down to Hbron but h told his fathr David that h was going to Hbron to fulfill a rligious vow (2Sam. 15:7 11). H did a coupl of things on this trip: h organizd mn to go all ovr Isral, so that, whn givn th signal, thy would cry out, Absalom is king in Hbron. (v. 10). H also got 200 mn probably of David s closst confidants to go with him to Hbron, so that David thought that Absalom had won thm ovr; howvr, thy wr unawar of Absalom s plot (v. 11). Absalom also managd to gt as his chif administrator and advisor, Ahithophl, who was a brilliant man, and was potntially th ky to Absalom s succss (v. 12).

13 2Samul A Synopsis of 2Samul 15 Evntually, somon told David about all of this (2Sam. 15:13), so David dcidd to lav Jrusalm, in part, to protct th popl of Jrusalm from bloodshd (vv ). Of his prsonal rlations, David lft bhind 10 of his mistrsss to kp th palac (v. 16). David has quit a numbr of forignrs who joind him (vv ), and, although David tris to talk at last on of thm out of following him, thy ar stadfast in thir loyalty to him. 2Sam. 15:17 22 Th two high prists had joind David, bringing with thm th Ark of God. Howvr, David snt thm back, stting thm up as an intllignc cll within Jrusalm. Thy wr to us thir sons as courirs. 2Sam. 15:24 29 Whn David finds out that Ahithophl has allid himslf with Absalom, David quickly prays that his counsl b nullifid (2Sam. 15:31). Within an hour of making this prayr, God answrs David in th form of Hushai th Archit, who is apparntly an oldr man with strong loyaltis to David. David will snd him back to Jrusalm to act as his mol in th Absalom organization. 2Sam. 15: Sam. 15 is Absalom fomnting rbllion against his fathr David. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Most of th outlins for this chaptr ar fairly similar. Altrnativ Outlin from Pool Scriptur 2Sam. 15:1 6 2Sam. 15:7 12 Absalom stals th harts of Isral Txt/Commntary Undr prtns of a vow obtains lav to go to Hbron: thr with Ahithophl s aid h conspirs to b king 2Sam. 15:13 37 David fls from Jrusalm with all his mn; and lavs tn of his concubins,. From Matthw Pool, English Annotations on th Holy Bibl; h1685; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:1 (Editd). Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Many blivrs ar quit confusd about warfar and what is allowd and what is not. Som blivrs undrstand that, killing in war is not just allowd, but xpctd of us whn w ar at war. In fact, th Christian ought to b th gratst killing machin in his unit. Howvr, anothr sticky thological point is spying; what can spis do? What can thy say? Can a spy who is a blivr li to somon? This chaptr and th 2Sam. 17 will answr ths qustions in th affirmativ. Spying is a lgitimat tactic in warfar, and lying as a spy is compltly lgitimat. Although ths things can b rasonably confirmd in Joshua, whn Rahab th prostitut allis hrslf with Joshua, this is vn mor clar in 2Sam. 15 and 17. And, vn though David ruld ovr Isral as a king, and Absalom attmptd to dpos him yt as a king, thr ar still many applications to our politics today. Sinc I writ this in 2012, th applications within will oftn b from th past dcad or so; but many tims, th principls found in th Bibl ar timlss, and can b adjustd and applid to narly any tim priod.

14 6513 Th Book of Samul This is fallow ground that lay unplowd for cnturis until R. B. Thim, Jr. xgtd it in th 1970's and 1980's. Svral pastors who hav com out of his church hav also taught it. Insofar as I know, this is th first tim that this chaptr is laid out clarly in grat dtail in writtn form. As in all prvious chaptrs of Samul, th gratr part of this xgsis was don indpndntly of nots from R. B. Thim, Jr. s Bibl classs. Howvr, thy wr consultd in th nd, just in cas an important principls wr lft out. In othr words, ths ar not Bob Thim s nots writtn out. As a prsonal tstimony, I cannot tll you just how wondrful it is to sit down with th Word of God and to dissct it. Evry chaptr sms to bcom mor vibrant and aliv to m, with gratr and gratr applications to ral lif. I only hop I can convy a portion of what a joy it is to m to b givn th grac to xamin ths things as you s hr. Rturn to Chaptr Outlin Rturn to Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Absalom Lays th Groundwork for His Populist Rvolution Slavishly litral: And so h is from aftr thn and so h maks for himslf Absalom a chariot and horss and fifty a man running to his facs. 2Samul 15:1 Modratly litral: And so it is aftr this [lit., thus] that Absalom acquirs for himslf a chariot and horss and fifty mn running bfor him. And it happns aftr all of this that Absalom acquird a chariot and horss and fifty mn to run bfor him. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Not: I compar th Hbrw txt to English translations of th Latin, Syriac and 7 Grk txts, using th Douay-Rhims translation ; Gorg Lamsa s translation, and Sir Lanclot Charls L Brnton s translation as rvisd and ditd by Paul W. Esposito, rspctivly. I oftn updat ths txts with non-substantiv changs (.g., you for thou, tc.). I oftn us th txt of th Complt Apostls Bibl instad of Brnton s translation, bcaus it updats th English txt. Th Sptuagint was th arlist known translation of a book (circa 200 B.C.). Sinc this translation was mad bfor th txtual criticism had bn dvlopd into a scinc and bcaus diffrnt books appar to b translatd by diffrnt mn, th Grk translation can somtims b vry unvn. Whn thr ar srious disparitis btwn my translation and Brnton s (or th txt of th Complt Apostls Bibl), I look at th Grk txt of th Sptuagint (th LXX) to s if a substantiv diffrnc actually xists (and I rflct ths changs in th English rndring of th Grk txt). I us th Grk LXX with Strong s numbrs and morphology availabl for -sword. Th only problm with this rsourc (which is a problm for similar rsourcs) is, thr is no way to furthr xplor Grk vrbs which ar not found in th Nw Tstamnt. Although I usually quot th Complt Apostls Bibl hr, I hav bgun to mak changs in th translation whn thir translation conflicts with th Grk and not what thos changs ar. 7 I hav bgun to doubt my -sword Douay-Rhims vrsion, so I now us

15 2Samul Th Masortic txt is th Hbrw txt with all of th vowls (vowl points) insrtd (th original Hbrw txt lackd vowls). W tak th Masortic txt to b th txt closst to th original. Howvr, diffrncs btwn th Masortic txt and th Grk, Latin and Syriac ar worth noting and, onc in a grat whil, rprsnt a mor accurat txt possssd by thos othr ancint translators. In gnral, th Latin txt is an outstanding translation from th Hbrw txt into Latin and vry trustworthy (I say this as a non-catholic). Unfortunatly, I do not rad Latin apart from som vry obvious words so I am dpndnt upon th English translation of th Latin (principally, th Douay-Rhims translation). Undrlind words indicat diffrncs in th txt. Bracktd portions of th Dad Sa Scrolls ar words, lttrs and phrass lost in th scroll du to various typs of damag. Undrlind words or phrass ar thos in th Dad Sa Scrolls but not in th Masortic txt. Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Brnton s Sptuagint Significant diffrncs: Now aftr ths things Absalom mad himslf chariots, and horsmn, and fifty mn to run bfor him. And so h is from aftr thn and so h maks for himslf Absalom a chariot and horss and fifty a man running to his facs. AND aftr this, Absalom prpard for himslf chariots and horsmn, and fifty mn to run bfor him. And it cam to pass aftr this that Absalom prpard for himslf chariots and horss, and fifty mn to run bfor him. And it cam to pass aftr this that Abssalom prpard for himslf chariots and horss, and fifty mn to run bfor him. Chariot is in th singular in th Hbrw; and apparntly in th plural in th othr languags (confirmd as plural in th Grk). Th diffrncs at th bginning of this vrs and at th nd ar simply lgitimat ways to translat th Hbrw. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English (Pocock) Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Lif Bibl Nw Living Translation Absalom plots rbllion Som tim latr, Absalom got a chariot and horss for his own us, along with fifty mn to run ahad of him. Som tim latr, Absalom got himslf a chariot with horss to pull it, and h had fifty mn run in front. Absalom maks a scrt plan against King David Aftr this, Absalom got a *chariot and som horss. H also got 50 mn who ran ahad of him. Aftr this, Absalom got a chariot [A small wagon usd in war.] and horss for himslf. H had 50 mn run in front of him {whil h drov th chariot}. Aftr this, Absalom providd a chariot and horss for himslf, and an scort of fifty mn. As tim wnt on, Absalom took to riding in a hors-drawn chariot, with fifty mn running in front of him. Absalom Plans to Tak David's Kingdom Aftr this, Absalom got a chariot and horss for himslf and fifty mn to run bfor him. Absalom Bcoms Frinds With Mn Of Isral Aftr this, Absalom got a warwagon and horss, and fifty mn to run in front of him. Absalom's Rbllion

16 6515 Th Book of Samul Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Aftr this, Absalom bought a chariot and horss, and h hird fifty bodyguards to run ahad of him. Amrican English Bibl God s Word Nw Amrican Bibl NIRV Nw Jrusalm Bibl Nw Simplifid Bibl Rvisd English Bibl Wll, thraftr, AbSalom obtaind som chariots and horsmn, and h rcruitd fifty mn to run in front of him. Soon aftr this, Absalom acquird a chariot, horss, and 50 mn to run ahad of him. Absalom's Ambition. Aftr this, Absalom providd himslf with chariots, horss, and a rtinu of fifty. 1Sam. 8:11 1Kings 1:5. Absalom Maks Scrt Plans Against David Som tim latr, Absalom got a chariot and horss for himslf. H also got 50 mn to run in front of him. Aftr this, Absalom procurd a chariot and horss, with fifty mn to run ahad of him. Absalom providd a chariot and horss for himslf. H had an scort of fifty mn to run ahad of him. Aftr this Absalom providd himslf with a chariot and horss and fifty outrunnrs. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Judaica Prss Complt T. NET Bibl NIV UK So aftrwards, Absalom was making a chariot with horss for fifty mn to run in front of him. Now aftr this, Absalom got for himslf a carriag and horss, and fifty runnrs to go bfor him. And it cam to pass aftr this, that Absalom mad for himslf a chariot and horss, and fifty mn wr running bfor him. Absalom Lads an Insurrction against David Som tim latr Absalom managd to acquir [Hb "acquird for himslf."] a chariot and horss, as wll as fifty mn to srv as his royal guard [Hb "to run ahad of him."]. Whn it coms to making an actual matrial chang to th txt, th NET Bibl is prtty good about indicating this. Sinc most of ths corrctions will b clar in th mor litral translations blow and within th Hbrw xgsis itslf, I will not continu to list vry NET Bibl footnot. Absalom's conspiracy In th cours of tim, Absalom providd himslf with a chariot and horss and with fifty mn to run ahad of him. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Concordant Litral Vrsion English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl Th Gnva Bibl Hbrw Nams Vrsion And it coms to pass aftrwards, that Absalom prpars for himslf a chariot, and horss, and fifty mn ar running bfor him;... Aftr this Absalom got himslf a chariot and horss, and fifty mn to run bfor him. THE CONSPIRACY OF ABI SHALOM And so b it, aftrward, Abi Shalom works him chariots and horss and fifty mn to run at his fac:... And it cam to pass aftr this, that Absalom prpard him chariots and horss, and fifty mn to [Which wr as a guard to st forth his stat.] run bfor him. It happnd aftr this, that Avshalom prpard him a chariot and horss, and fifty mn to run bfor him.

17 2Samul LTHB Nw King Jams Vrsion Syndin/Thim World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: And it happnd aftrward that Absalom prpard a chariot for himslf, and horss, and fifty mn running bfor him. Absalom's Trason Aftr this it happnd that Absalom providd himslf with chariots and horss, and fifty mn to run bfor him. {Vrss 1-12: Conspiracy of Absalom} {Vrss 1-4: Absalom Undrmins David's Authority} And it cam to pass aftr this {aftr David's public display of 'forgiving' Absalom - popl tak it as David's 'approval' of Absalom making him th 'hir apparnt' - so Absalom can us 'psudo- authority' to ovrthrow tru authority}, that Absalom prpard him 'a chariot of stat' and horss... {mrkabah - spcial chariot hr capitalizing on David's public act of forgivnss - giving imprssion that Absalom is hir apparnt} and fifty mn 'acting as courirs' {idiom: litrally: 'to run bfor him'}. {carrying th mssag of th blooming rvolution}. It happnd aftr this, that Absalom prpard him a chariot and horss, and fifty mn to run bfor him. And it coms to pass aftrwards, that Absalom prpars for himslf a chariot, and horss, and fifty mn ar running bfor him. Absalom bgins th act th part of a king, to his own way of thinking, by gtting a chariot, horss and 50 mn to run bfor him. 2Samul 15:1a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 hâyâh (äèéèä) [pronouncd haw-yaw] to b, is, was, ar; to bcom, to com into bing; to com to pass rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #1961 BDB #224 Without a spcific subjct and objct, th vrb hâyâh oftn mans and it will com to b, and it will com to pass, thn it cam to pass (with th wâw conscutiv). It may b mor idiomatically rndrd subsquntly, aftrwards, latr on, in th cours of tim, aftr which. Gnrally, th vrb dos not match th gndr whatvr narby noun could b th subjct (and, as oftn, thr is no noun narby which would fulfill th conditions of bing a subjct). mê achar (îåàçççø) [pronouncd may-ah- KHAHR] from, from aftr, from (bing) aftr, from bhind, from following aftr compoundd prpositions Strong s #4480 BDB #577 and Strong s #310 BDB #29 This is spcially usd whn on lavs what on has bn following. kên (ëìåï) [pronouncd kan] so, thrfor, thus; thn, aftrwards; upright, honst; rightly, wll; [it is] so, such, so constitutd proprly, an activ participl; usd primarily as an advrb Strong's #3651 BDB #485

18 6517 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:1a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs All of th BDB manings ar listd hr: 1) so, thrfor, thus (advrb); 1a) thus, so; 1b) just so; 1c) thrfor; 1d) so... as (paird with advrb); 1) thn; 1f) forasmuch as (in phras); 1g) (with prposition); 1g1) thrfor, this bing so (spcific); 1g2) hithrto; 1g3) thrfor, on this ground (gnral); 1g4) aftrwards; 1g5) in such cas; 2) right, just, honst, tru, vritabl (adjctiv); 2a) right, just, honst; 2b) corrct; 2c) tru, vritabl; 2d) tru!, right!, corrct! (in assnt). Translation: And so it is aftr this [lit., thus]... In th prfac, th xact dtails of what has occurrd has alrady bn discussd. Howvr, Absalom, th king s son, has dvlopd somwhat of a criminal strak. H has dcidd that, if h has a plan, that h is going to carry it out, whthr it is lgitimat or not. So, h has livd in Jrusalm for two yars now, without his fathr proscuting him for killing his half-brothr Amnon, and h and his fathr David hav mt and com togthr as fathr and son, whr all is forgivn, but whr thr has bn no actual application of justic. W do not know how much tim has passd; w do not know xactly what rsponsibilitis that Absalom has; and w do not know what sort of accss h has to cash as on of th king s many sons. Howvr, h is th king s #1 son at this point, and a man who sms to b vry much lik his fathr, at last in th most suprficial ways. 2Samul 15:1b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 âsâh (òèùéèä) [pronouncd ìaw-sawh] to do, to mak, to construct, to fashion, to form, to prpar, to manufactur rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #6213 BDB #793 Th full st of Qal manings from BDB: to do, work, mak, produc; to do; to work; to dal (with); to act, act with ffct, ffct; to produc; to prpar; to mak (an offring); to attnd to, put in ordr; to obsrv, clbrat; to acquir (proprty); to appoint, ordain, institut; to bring about; to us; to spnd, pass. All of th BDB Qal manings for this word ar: 1a1) to do, work, mak, produc; 1a1a) to do; 1a1b) to work; 1a1c) to dal (with); 1a1d) to act, act with ffct, ffct; 1a2) to mak; 1a2a) to mak; 1a2b) to produc; 1a2c) to prpar; 1a2d) to mak (an offring); 1a2) to attnd to, put in ordr; 1a2f) to obsrv, clbrat; 1a2g) to acquir (proprty); 1a2h) to appoint, ordain, institut; 1a2i) to bring about; 1a2j) to us; 1a2k) to spnd, pass. lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition with th 3 rd prson masculin singular suffix BDB #510 Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5

19 2Samul Samul 15:1b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs An altrnat form of this word is Ab shâlôwm (àçáàùèìåéí) [pronouncd ahb -shaw-lohm]. mr kâbâh (îæøàëìèáèä) b [pronouncd mr -kaw - VAW] chariot, war chariot fminin singular noun Strong s #4818 BDB #939 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 çûwç (ñåìñ) [pronouncd soos] hors, chariot hors; swallow, swift masculin plural noun Strong s #5483 BDB #692 Translation:...that Absalom acquirs for himslf a chariot and horss... Absalom is David s third son (2Sam. 3:2 3), who appars to b th most politically motivatd of all David s sons. H wants powr and h wants it now, as this chaptr will mak clar. Whn spaking of him prsonally, th Bibl mphasizs his flawlss physical apparanc (2Sam. 14:25). Nowhr dos th Bibl spak of his fin charactr or of his dvotion to th God of Isral. Absalom has obsrvd his fathr and h has obsrvd his grandfathr, so h dos th things which mak him appar to b a rulr of mn. Whn Barack Obama first won his party s nomination and latr th prsidncy, all along th way, h did things to mak himslf sm as though h was a prsidnt. On th podium in front of him, h had an official sign saying, Offic of th Prsidnt Elct. Now thr is no such offic as th offic of Prsidnt Elct. But it lookd official and mad it sm as though h is an important govrnmnt official of sorts. H was attmpting to act th part of a prsidnt, back in Novmbr 2008 bfor h took offic, th ida bing, h could do official stuff as prsidnt 8 lct, dspit th fact that this was considrd by som to b illgal. This is what Absalom is doing. H is making himslf out to appar to b a king. H is making it sm as though h is royalty, that h is th natural succssor to David, and that, prhaps, h is sort of th unofficial king. H occupid th Offic of th King-in-Waiting. Or, if you would rathr, Th Crown Princ (a titl w ar mor familiar with). Barns confirms this: [Absalom dos this] to mak himslf look grand and rspctabl among th 9 popl; prhaps h got ths from his grandfathr at Gshur in Syria. First thing that h ndd was a chariot. Th vrb says that Absalom mad a chariot, and that is a possibility. Aftr all, w do not know what sort of skills Absalom acquird ovr th yars. H did not sm to b a lazy layabout lik his half-brothr Amnon, but h smd as though h was mor th sort of guy who wantd to appar to b king bcaus h wantd to b king, not bcaus h was th king. Th vrb suggsts that it is possibl that Absalom mad this chariot. Howvr, th vrb can also man to acquir, and Absalom also acquird horss, apparntly to powr th chariot. Intrstingly nough, Moss warnd against 8 Although I crtainly hav a political prsuasion, I find it instructiv to us contmporary politicians to illustrat what is going on politically in Scriptur. Most popl ar cognizant of this priod of a fw months whn thn Snator Obama occupid th offic of prsidnt lct. This is xactly what Absalom is doing. H is occupying th offic of king lct. 9 Albrt Barns, Barns Nots on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:1.

20 6519 Th Book of Samul a king acquiring too many horss (Dut. 17:16). Th ida was, a king should not us his offic in ordr to simply 10 collct walth (which is on of Solomon s grat failings ). Samul warnd against th sam thing in 1Sam. 8:11 ( Ths will b th ways of th king who will rign ovr you: h will tak your sons and appoint thm to his chariots and to b his horsmn and to run bfor his chariots. ). Part of th rason for such a warning is, th king of Isral was a kind of Christ, and God wantd our Lord to b sn not only as king, but as a mk and humbl man, as Jsus gav up His plac as God to dwll among us (John 1:1 3, 14 Philip. 2:8). This is th first instanc that w ar awar of, whr a mmbr of royalty put on such a show. 2Samul 15:1c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 chãmishîym (çèîäùäéí) [pronouncd khuh-mih- SHEEM] fifty plural numral Strong s #2572 BDB #332 îysh (àäéù) [pronouncd sh] a man, a husband; anyon; a crtain on; ach, ach on, vryon masculin singular noun (somtims found whr w would us a plural) Strong's #376 BDB #35 rûts (øåìõ) [pronouncd roots] to run, to hastn to; to mov quickly [and with purpos]; to rush upon [in a hostil mannr] Qal activ participl Strong s #7323 BDB #930 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 pânîym (ôìèðäéí) [pronouncd paw- NEEM] fac, facs countnanc; prsnc masculin plural noun (plural acts lik English singular); with th 3 rd prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #6440 BDB #815 Togthr, thy man bfor him, bfor his fac, in his prsnc, in his sight, in front of him. Translation:...and fifty mn running bfor him. Hr is th plac which causd m to wondr about Absalom s cash flow, bcaus h apparntly hirs 50 mn to run in front of him, so that, vrywhr h gos, in this chariot, Absalom appars to b royalty, with a staff of 50 mn at his bck and call at any instant. Ths mn also functiond as his bodyguards, bcaus th most important thing to Absalom, bsids looking lik a king, was his own prsonal safty. It is possibl that ths mn look at bing with Absalom as bing on th insid track. That is, whn Absalom taks ovr th kingship, thn ths mn will all gt fdral jobs. So, thy might b working for slav wags or for 11 nothing. Th ida is, thir invstmnt in tim will pay off in th long run. And it happns aftr all of this that Absalom acquird a chariot and horss and fifty mn to run bfor him. Prior to his mting, Absalom could not hav don this. As a man cut off from King David, Absalom could not act lik th king s son; or lik a king-in-waiting. Th final scn of 2Sam. 14 is ky to what Absalom is abl to do right Kings 10: S also Aps and Pacocks by R. B. Thim, Jr. Pun intndd.

21 2Samul hr. David kissd him and forgav him in opn court, so to spak. Absalom is no longr th king s strangd son, but th son that th king lovs. Thrfor, Absalom can gt a chariot and horss and 50 mn. David himslf ss Absalom as probably th nxt king, so all of this ntourag stuff is fin to him, th indulgnt fathr. Mor will b said about this onc w gt to v. 5. And it happns aftr all of this that Absalom acquird a chariot and horss and fifty mn to run bfor him. Such an ntourag for kings and political ladrs wr common in ancint history as wll as modrn history. Nro th Roman mpror nvr wnt on a journy with lss than a thousand calashs or chariots, and a grat numbr of 12 mn that ran bfor him. Whn Adonijah wants to assum David s kingship whn David is an old man, h will do much th sam thing (1Kings 1:5). Samul, Paul, and Elijah, among many othrs, travld by foot, oftn with just th barst of ncssitis. Application: This dos not man that a blivr cannot njoy som opulnc to som dgr; nor dos it man rd that a blivr must always travl 3 class. Thr ar many pastors lik Jol Ostn and Rick Warrn who ar wll-known, and I assum travl with a small ntourag, if for nothing ls but protction. I don t know this about ths mn, but if thy travld with bodyguards, or in first-class sating, that would b no rason to disparag thm. All blivrs hav various dutis and various stations in lif; and thy must do what is appropriat to thir own notority. Howvr, what Absalom is doing hr is putting on a show. H is making it sm as if h is th hir apparnt, whn h is not. Furthrmor, as w will continu to obsrv, Absalom has absolutly no spiritual dynamics. It is possibl that h is not vn a blivr in Y howah Elohim. Application: If you ar th avrag blivr with an avrag salary, do not disparag or covt th possssions or mannr in which anothr blivr travls. It is not up to you to judg thm. It is not up to you to dtrmin whthr thir lvl of opulnc is accptabl to God. I don t car if thy hav a diamond ring on vry fingr and driv th most xpnsiv car on this plant. Bfor thir own mastr, God, thy stand or fall. If you work up som mntal attitud sins ovr it, thn you nd to confss thos sins and mov right along. It dos not mattr if you liv in a cardboard box and thy liv in th biggst mansion in thir stat; what thy mak and what thy do with thir mony is a mattr of thir own prsonal frdom. If thy ar out of bounds, God is fully capabl of daling with that. Howvr, it is NEVER your job to pass judgmnt on anothr blivr (unlss that is your rsponsibility in your vocation or in som othr lgitimat mannr of valuating a prson,.g., on a job, mortgag, loan or rntal application). To b mor spcific, if you ar a mortgag officr and Rick Warrn is applying for a loan, you valuat him as you would anyon ls. You do not dny him a loan bcaus you think h is too rich alrady; nor do you giv him a loan simply bcaus h is a Christian. In a privat bank, and if you hav th authority to do so, and you want to tak his status as a blivr into account, that is fin; but his crdit rcord ought to back it up. Howvr, if you ar a blivr without that sort of connction to Warrn, thn it is non of your businss how h livs, how much mony h maks, what h ats, tc. H livs his lif bfor God; and you should rspct that. Rmmbr that svral blivrs in th Bibl wr walthy: Abraham, David and Solomon immdiatly com to mind. God did not com to thm, lik som phony libral, and tll thm to sll all thy had and giv that mony to th poor. At no tim did God tll thm that thy had too much mony and thy ndd to rdistribut it. So, similarly, it is non of your businss what som othr blivr maks or how h spnds his mony. Bfor his own mastr, h stands or falls (Rom. 14:4). Application: This is a tangnt from th prvious application, but not covrd nough in most churchs: as a blivr in Jsus Christ, you ought to hav th bst damn crdit you can hav. If you hav an unpaid bill, you should not b out buying nw stuff without daling with that bill first. As a blivr in Jsus Christ, your crdit should b impccabl, vn if you ow somon mony that you don t lik. You still fulfill your montary obligations. 12 Albrt Barns, Barns Nots on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:1. H took it from Sutonius in Vit. Nron. c. 30. Vid. Snca, Ep. 87. & 123.

22 6521 Th Book of Samul Our vrs rads: And it happns aftr all of this that Absalom acquird a chariot and horss and fifty mn to run bfor him. David lt Absalom off th hook and h did not dal with his criminal cas in a court of law, as h should hav. Howvr, Absalom is now clarly an adult, and, thrfor, whthr his upbringing was good or bad, h now stands on his own two ft. What h rvals in this chaptr, bginning with this first vrs, is a stunning lack of charactr, and this obsrvation will continu through this and chaptr 17, whr h will di as a failur. What David did, on svral occasions, was compltly wrong. What Absalom should ndavor to do is to larn from what David did wrong. Application: W hav many popl who influnc us in our livs. Sinc I was a tachr, I thought about many good and bad tachrs that I had in my past. I did my bst to mulat what I blivd to b th good points of th many grat tachrs I had, and to do th opposit of what my bad tachrs did. Whn it coms to morality and charactr, w will obsrv th sam things in our livs; and w nd to b abl to larn from both our good and bad influncs. Absalom had David, and David had many grat qualitis and many faults, and Absalom, as his son, probably knw most of thm. What David did right, Absalom should hav mulatd and what David did wrong, Absalom should hav avoidd. Application: Onc w ar adults, this is all on our shouldrs. W do not gt to blam our past and th lousy popl in our past for th lousy things that w do. And it happns aftr all of this that Absalom acquird a chariot and horss and fifty mn to run bfor him. What dos th Bibl say about this approach? Do not put yourslf forward in th king's prsnc or stand in th plac of th grat, for it is bttr to b told, "Com up hr," than to b put lowr in th prsnc of a nobl (Prov. 25:6 7a). Or, Lt anothr man prais you, and not your mouth; a strangr, and not your lips (Prov. 27:2). Absalom is trying to prtnd that h holds som kind of offic, but h dosn t; and h will act as though h is going to mak grat and wondrful changs in th systm, which h dos not hav th first clu as to what h is going to do. What did Jsus say? A modst approach is th ordr of th day: Whn you ar invitd by anyon to a wdding, do not rclin in th chif sat, lst a mor honorabl man than you may b invitd by him. And h who invitd you and him shall com and say to you, Giv plac to this man; and thn you bgin with sham to tak th last plac. But whn you ar invitd, go and rclin in th lowst plac, so that whn h who invitd you coms, h may say to you, Frind, go up highr. Thn glory shall b to you bfor thos rclining with you. For whovr xalts himslf shall b abasd, and h who humbls himslf shall b xaltd. (Luk 14:8 11). Or, as Ptr wrot: For whn thy spak grat swlling words of vanity, thy lur through th lusts of th flsh, by unbridld lust, th ons who wr scaping from thos who liv in rror; promising thm librty, thy thmslvs ar th slavs of corruption. For by whom anyon has bn ovrcom, vn to this on h has bn nslavd (2Ptr 2:18 19). As you will s in th nxt fw vrss, this dscribs Absalom to a t; h is just th prson that ths vrss ar saying, don t b lik that. On of th things which I hav pondrd, to which th Bibl dos not dirctly spak is, what did David think about this? No doubt, David knows about and has probably sn Absalom moving about town, looking important, with his grat ntourag. My ducatd guss is, at th vry worst, David was amusd. Howvr, it is not out of th ralm of possibility that David thought that this was good training or a good approach to bing king. Givn David s indulgnc toward his own childrn, it is vn possibl that David admird Absalom s initiativ, vn though this was mpty, maninglss initiativ. Sinc Absalom is his kid, David may not b looking carfully and thinking this ovr, wondring, Just what is h trying to accomplish? I think, mayb David was amusd; but that h did not raliz at all what Absalom was up to. If Absalom bcam king, h would b lading hundrds of mn; so bginning with 50 mn was a good start; so David might hav thought (rcall that David tndd to b vry indulgnt to his sons). That Absalom might us this to try to displac him, probably nvr cross David s mind.

23 2Samul And so has risn arly Absalom and has takn a stand upon a road of th gat and so is all th man who is to him a disput to com unto th king for th judgmnt. And so calls Absalom to him and so h says, Whr from this on a city you? And so h says, From on of tribs of Isral, your srvant. 2Samul 15:2 Furthrmor, Absalom usd to ris up arly and rmain by th road of th gat and [spak to] any man who had a lgal disput to bring to th king for a judgmnt. And Absalom calld out to him and said, Which city ar you from? And h would answr [lit., and so h says], Your srvant [is] from on of th tribs of Isral. Furthrmor, Absalom mad a habit of rising up arly and waiting by th road into th city to spak to any man who had a lgal disput to bring bfor th king for a rsolution. And Absalom would thn call out to him, saying, Which city ar you from? And h would answr, You srvants is from on of th tribs of Isral. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And Absalom rising up arly stood by th ntranc of th gat, and whn any man had businss to com to th king s judgmnt, Absalom calld him to him, and said: Of what city ar you? H answrd, and said: Your srvant is of such trib of Isral. And so has risn arly Absalom and has takn a stand upon a road of th gat and so is all th man who is to him a disput to com unto th king for th judgmnt. And so calls Absalom to him and so h says, Whr from this on a city you? And so h says, From on of tribs of Isral, your srvant. And Absalom ros up arly and stood bsid th king's gat; and it was so that whn any man had a cas to b trid bfor th king, thn Absalom calld him to him, and said, Of what city ar you? And h said, Your srvant is of on of th tribs of Isral. And Absalom ros arly, and stood by th sid of th way of th gat. And it cam to pass that vry man who had a caus cam to th king for judgmnt. And Absalom crid to him, and said to him, Of what city ar you? And h said, Your srvant is of on of th tribs of Isral. Th English translation of th Syriac has th king s gat rathr than th way (road) of th gat. Th English translation of th Latin has businss rathr than disput. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion H would gt up arly ach morning and wait by th sid of th road that ld to th city gat. Anyon who had a complaint to bring to King David would hav to go that way, and Absalom would ask ach of thm, "Whr ar you from?" If thy said, "I'm from a trib in th north,"... Absalom usd to gt up arly. H stood by th road that wnt to th gat of th city. If a prson had a problm, that prson somtims wnt to th king. Th king would b th judg. Whn somon wnt past Absalom h would say to thm, `Which town do you com from?' Th man would answr, `Your srvant is from on of th *tribs of *Isral.' Absalom got up arly and stood nar th gat [This was whr popl cam to do all of thir businss. This was also whr many court cass wr hld.]. Absalom watchd for any prson with problms who was going to King David for judgmnt. Thn Absalom would talk to that prson. Absalom would say, What city ar you from? Th man would answr, I am from such and such family group in Isral.

24 6523 Th Book of Samul Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Brkly Vrsion Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Lif Bibl H would gt up arly and go and stand by th road at th city gat. Whnvr somon cam thr with a disput that h wantd th king to sttl, Absalom would call him ovr and ask him whr h was from. And aftr th man had told him what trib h was from,... Early ach morning h would tak up his post bsid th road at th city gat. Whn anyon showd up with a cas to bring to th king for a dcision, Absalom would call him ovr and say, "Whr do you hail from?" And th answr would com, "Your srvant is from on of th tribs of Isral." Morovr, Absalom would gt up arly and stand by th ntranc to th gat, [Whr judicial cass wr dcidd (Dut. 21:19 22:15)] and whnvr a man had a suit to com bfor th king for judgmnt, Absalom would call out to him, From what city ar you? H would answr, Your srvant is from such and such of th tribs of Isral. Absalom would gt up arly and stand nar th city gat.[a] Anyon who had a problm for th king to sttl would com hr. Whn somon cam, Absalom would call out and say, "What city ar you from?" Th prson would answr, "I'm from on of th tribs of Isral."... H usd to gt up arly and stand bsid th way to th gat. Whn any man had a problm to b dcidd upon by th king, Absalom would call to him and say, "What city ar you from?" And h would answr, "Your srvant is from on of th familis of Isral."... Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl Christian Community Bibl God s Word Nw Amrican Bibl NIRV Nw Jrusalm Bibl Rvisd English Bibl Thn h would gt up arly ach morning and station himslf along th strt by th city gat. And whnvr h saw somon who was coming to try a cas bfor th king, h would call to him and ask, 'What city ar you coming from?' And if h rplid, 'Your srvant is from on of th tribs of IsraEl,... Absalom usd to ris arly and stand bsid th gatway. Whnvr a man with a grivanc cam bfor th king s tribunal, Absalom would call to him and say, From which city ar you? Should h say, Your srvant is from such and such a trib in Isral,... Absalom usd to gt up arly and stand by th road lading to th city gat. Whn anyon had a cas to b trid by King David, Absalom would ask, "Which city ar you from?" Aftr th prson had told him which trib in Isral h was from,... Morovr, Absalom usd to ris arly and stand alongsid th road lading to th gat. If somon had a lawsuit to b dcidd by th king, Absalom would call to him and say, "From what city ar you?" And whn h rplid, "Your srvant is of such and such a trib of Isral,"... H would gt up arly. H would stand by th sid of th road that ld to th city gat. Somtims a prson would com with a cas for th king to dcid. Thn Absalom would call out to him, "What town ar you from?" H would answr, "I'm from on of th tribs of Isral." H would gt up arly and stand bsid th road lading to th city gat; and whnvr a man with som lawsuit had to com bfor th king's tribunal, Absalom would call out to him and ask, 'Which town ar you from?' If h answrd, 'Your srvant is from on of th tribs of Isral,'... H mad it a practic to ris arly and stand by th road lading through th city gat, and would hail vryon who had a cas to bring bfor th king for judgmnt and ask him which town h cam from. Whn h answrd, I com, sir, from such and such a trib of Isral,... Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing):

25 2Samul Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Frar-Fnton Bibl HCSB Judaica Prss Complt T. Nw Advnt Bibl NET Bibl NIV UK Absalom aros and stood with a hand ovr th gat in th way. Any man that had an argumnt and was coming to th king for a vrdict, Absalom calld to him, saying, "Whr is your city?" H said, "Your srvant is from on of th staffs of Isral." And Absalom got up arly, morning aftr morning, and took his plac at th sid of th public mting-plac: and whn any man had a caus which had to com to th king to b judgd, thn Absalom, crying out to him, said, What is your town? and h would say, Your srvant is of on of th tribs of Isral....and arly in th mornings Absalom placd himslf at th sid of th strt of th High Court and whn any man had a law suit cam to th king for a dcision, Absalom would invitd him to himslf, and ask, From villag do you com? Whn h would answr, Your srvant is from on of th Tribs of Isral. H would gt up arly and stand bsid th road lading to th city gat. Whnvr anyon had a grivanc to bring bfor th king for sttlmnt, Absalom calld out to him and askd, "What city ar you from?" If h rplid, "Your srvant is from on of th tribs of Isral,"... And Absalom would ris up, and stand bsid th path of th gat; and it was whn any man that would hav a suit du to com to th king for judgmnt, thn Absalom calld to him and h said: "From what city ar you?" and h said: "Of on of th tribs of Isral is your srvant. And Absalom rising up arly stood by th ntranc of th gat, and whn any man had businss to com to th king's judgmnt, Absalom calld him to him, and said: Of what city ar you? H answrd, and said: Your srvant is of such trib of Isral. Now Absalom usd to gt up arly and stand bsid th road that ld to th city gat. Whnvr anyon cam by who had a complaint to bring to th king for arbitration, Absalom would call out to him, "What city ar you from?" Th prson would answr, "I, your srvant [Hb "your srvant." So also in vv. 8, 15, 21.], am from on of th tribs of Isral." H would gt up arly and stand by th sid of th road lading to th city gat. Whnvr anyon cam with a complaint to b placd bfor th king for a dcision, Absalom would call out to him, `What town ar you from?' H would answr, `Your srvant is from on of th tribs of Isral.' Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl Nw RSV Syndin And Absalom usd to ris arly and stand bsid th way of th gat. And whn any man had a disput to com bfor th king for judgmnt, Absalom would call to him and say, "From what city ar you?" And whn h said, "Your srvant is of such and such a trib in Isral,"......and Abi Shalom starts arly and stands at th hand by th way of th portal: and so b it, any man who has a controvrsy coms to th sovrign for judgmnt; and Abi Shalom calls to him and says, Of what city ar you? And h says, Your srvant is of on of th scions of Yisra El. Now Absalom would ris arly and stand bsid th way to th gat. So it was, whnvr anyon who had a lawsuit cam to th king for a dcision, that Absalom would call to him and say, "What city ar you from?" And h would say, "Your srvant is from such and such a trib of Isral." Now Absalom would ris up 'arly in th morning', and stand by th sid of th 'castl gat road' so that whn anyon had a grivanc/complaint and cam to th

26 6525 Th Book of Samul Third Millnnium Bibl Updatd Bibl Vrsion 2.11 World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: king for 'a judicial dcision'/judgmnt, thn Absalom calld out to him, and said, "Of what city ar... you?" {th dlay givs 'spcial attntion' to th malcontnt} And h would rply, "Your loyal subjct is... {would nam his trib - this is a 'contnt quotation'} 'of on of th tribs of Isral'. {Jwish narrativ dos not giv us vry on of ths discussions in dtail - ach man would nam his own trib - of Dan, of Judah, of Rubn, tc.} {Not: Th pictur hr is now Absalom is prmittd to b at th castl. H is standing by th road that lads to th King's Court room. As malcontnts com to ask for justic, h uss his grat looks, prsonality, and authority, to wo th malcontnts to bing loyal to him instad of David. For rvolution to succd, th law of th land must b disrspctd. Scond, a malcontnt is always imprssd whn somon in apparnt authority givs him 'spcial attntion' - it appals to thir arroganc.}. And Absalom ros up arly and stood bsid th way of th gat; and it was so that, whn any man who had a controvrsy cam to th king for judgmnt, thn Absalom calld unto him and said, "Of what city art thou?" And h said, "Thy srvant is of on of th tribs of Isral." And Absalom ros up arly, and stood bsid th way of th gat: and it was so, that, whn any man had a suit which should com to th king for judgmnt, thn Absalom calld to him, and said, Of what city ar you? And h said, Your slav is of on of th tribs of Isral. Absalom ros up arly, and stood bsid th way of th gat: and it was so, that whn any man had a suit which should com to th king for judgmnt, thn Absalom calld to him, and said, Of what city ar you? H said, Your srvant is of on of th tribs of Isral. And Absalom has risn arly, and stood by th sid of th way of th gat, and it coms to pass, vry man who has a plading to com unto th king for judgmnt, that Absalom calls unto him, and says, Of what city ar you? and h says, Of on of th tribs of Isral is your srvant. Absalom rgularly wnt to th road at th gat into Jrusalm, and h would spak to popl who had a court cas bfor his fathr David. Absalom would inquir as to which city h cam from and ngag ths mn in convrsations. 2Samul 15:2a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 shâkam ( ÈëÇí ) [pronouncd shaw- KAHM] to start, to ris, to ris arly, to mak an arly start; morning (in th Hiphil infinitiv absolut) rd 3 prson masculin singular, Hiphil prfct Strong s #7925 BDB #1014 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 âmad (òèîçã) [pronouncd ìaw-mahd] to tak a stand, to stand, to rmain, to ndur, to withstand rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal prfct Strong's #5975 BDB #763 al (òçì) [pronouncd ìahl] upon, byond, on, against, abov, ovr, by, bsid prposition of proximity Strong s #5921 BDB #752

27 2Samul Samul 15:2a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs drk (ãìæøæêó) [pronouncd DEH-rk ] way, distanc, road, path; journy, cours; dirction, towards; mannr, habit, way [of lif]; of moral charactr masculin singular construct Strong's #1870 BDB #202 sha ar (ùçòçø) [pronouncd SHAHìahr] gat [control of city can b implid]; ara insid front gat; ntranc masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl; pausal form Strong s #8179 BDB #1044 Translation: Furthrmor, Absalom usd to ris up arly and rmain by th road of th gat... Rathr than two imprfct vrbs hld togthr by two wâw conscutivs, w hav two prfct vrbs hld togthr by two wâw conscutivs. This apparntly is somthing which Absalom did rgularly. H would gt up arly and go stand by 13 th gat of th city. Th city gat is gnrally whr most lgal and commrcial transactions took plac; and this was oftn th plac of th king s court. Popl would com and hav thir cass hard by th city gat, so thy would hav to pass by Absalom. W larn svral things hr. First of all, Absalom apparntly dos not hav a job, but h has mony. Or, if th king has givn him rsponsibilitis, Absalom has farmd out that work to othrs to dal with. H has dlgatd ths rsponsibilitis. Howvr, Absalom dos not mind work. H is not a layabout lik Amnon was; h gts up arly and, apparntly, daily, to do this. Absalom apparntly has workd out a long-rang plan in his mind, and that plan involvs ingratiating himslf to th public. W know that Absalom is capabl of grand, long-trm schms; and h plays his cards clos to th vst. H it is also a man who can manipulat othrs. H managd to gt his fathr to snd Amnon up to a bbq with Absalom, giving Absalom th prfct opportunity to murdr his half-brothr Amnon. So, what Absalom is doing hr is right up his ally. Although w ar not told this spcifically, v. 1 suggsts that Absalom is taking a stand by th gat with his ntir ntourag of chariot, horss and 50 mn. It is not so powrful if som guy with nothing to do is out thr standing by th city gats, aftr you hav had a cas in court, starts ngaging you in convrsation. Howvr, whn th king son bgins to talk to you, and h is in full ntourag mod, surroundd by undrlings, minions and acolyts, it is rathr imprssiv. A man would walk by, Absalom would call to him, and th man would b thinking, You, th king s son; you want to talk to m? 2Samul 15:2b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 hâyâh (äèéèä) [pronouncd haw-yaw] to b, is, was, ar; to bcom, to com into bing; to com to pass rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #1961 BDB # Th Opn Bibl; th Nw Living Translation; Thomas Nlson Publishrs, Nashvill, TN; 1996, p. 424 (footnot).

28 6527 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:2b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] th whol, all of, th ntirty of, all; can also b rndrd any of masculin singular construct followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 îysh (àäéù) [pronouncd sh] a man, a husband; anyon; a crtain on; ach, ach on, vryon masculin singular noun (somtims found whr w would us a plural) with th dfinit articl Strong's #376 BDB #35 ãshr (àâéùæø) [pronouncd uh-sher] that, which, whn, who, whom rlativ pronoun Strong's #834 BDB #81 hâyâh (äèéèä) [pronouncd haw-yaw] to b, is, was, ar; to bcom, to com into bing; to com to pass rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #1961 BDB #224 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition with th 3 rd prson masculin singular suffix BDB #510 Litrally, this mans who is to him; but togthr, ths words man who has... rîyb (øäéá) [pronouncd b r v] strif, disput, controvrsy, lgal contntion, fornsic caus; an argumnt usd in a public discussion or dbat masculin singular noun Strong's #7379 BDB #936 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 bôw (áìåéà) [pronouncd boh] to com in, to com, to go in, to go, to ntr, to advanc Qal infinitiv construct Strong s #935 BDB #97 l (àæì) [pronouncd hl] unto; into, among, in; toward, to; against; concrning, rgarding; bsids, togthr with; as to dirctional prposition (rspct or dfrnc may b implid) Strong's #413 BDB #39 mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 mîsh pâþ (îäùàôìèè) [pronouncd mish - PAWT] judgmnt, justic, a vrdict rndrd by a judg, a judicial dcision, a judicial sntnc, a vrdict, a judgmnt of th court masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong's #4941 BDB #1048 Translation:...and [spak to] any man who had a lgal disput to bring to th king for a judgmnt. At th city gat, court cass ar trid; on might say it is an opn court. It was common for public mtings and court cass to all tak plac in an opn air forum right by th city gat. Psychologically, it was a good thing, bcaus it mad

29 2Samul th king appar busy, and popl coming in and out of th city gat saw th king at work solving disputs and making judgmnts. According to Jamison, Fausst and Brown, ths cass wr hard in th mornings only: Public businss in th East is always transactd arly in th morning--th kings sitting an hour or mor to har causs or rciv ptitions, in a court hld ancintly, and in many placs still, in th opn air at th city gatway; so that, as thos whos circumstancs ld thm to wait on King David rquird to b in attndanc on his morning lvs, Absalom had to ris up arly and stand bsid th way of th gat. Through th growing infirmitis of ag, or th occupation of his govrnmnt with forign wars, many privat causs had long lain undcidd, and a dp fling of discontnt prvaild among th popl. This dissatisfaction was artfully fomntd by Absalom, who addrssd himslf to th various suitors; and aftr brifly haring thir tal, h gratifid vryon with a favorabl opinion of his cas. Studiously concaling his ambitious dsigns, h xprssd a wish to b invstd with official powr, only that h might acclrat th cours of justic and advanc th public intrsts. His profssions had an air of x t r a o r d i n a r y g n r o s i t y a n d disintrstdnss, which, togthr with his fawning arts in lavishing civilitis on all, mad him a popular favorit. Thus, by forcing a contrast btwn his own display of public spirit and th dilatory procdings of th court, h cratd a growing disgust with his fathr's govrnmnt, as wak, carlss, or corrupt, and sducd th affctions of th multitud, who nithr pntratd th motiv nor 14 forsaw th tndncy of his conduct. From an 1871 commntary: This dissatisfaction was artfully fomntd by Snator Obama, who addrssd himslf to th various suitors; and aftr brifly haring thir tal, h gratifid vryon with a favorabl opinion of his cas...[h] had an air of xtraordinary gnrosity and disintrstdnss, which, togthr with his fawning arts in lavishing civilitis on all, mad him a popular favorit. I writ ths words in 2012, whn th lction of 2008 was still firmly in mmory. This was narly xactly th campaign of Barack Obama: This dissatisfaction was artfully fomntd by Snator Obama, who addrssd himslf to th various suitors; and aftr brifly haring thir tal, h gratifid vryon with a favorabl opinion of his cas...[h] had an air of xtraordinary gnrosity and disintrstdnss, which, togthr with his fawning arts in lavishing civilitis on all, mad him a popular favorit. Thus, by forcing a contrast btwn his own display of public spirit and th dilatory procdings of th court, h cratd a growing disgust with th Bush administration's govrnmnt, as wak, carlss, or corrupt, and sducd th affctions of th multitud, who nithr pntratd th motiv nor forsaw th tndncy 15 of his conduct. This is a commntary writtn circa Do you s how up-to-dat th Bibl is? Th Bibl is not som old dusty book writtn by a bunch of old guys who hav no ida what lif is lik today. This is th book of our tim and th book of th futur. Now, obviously, I mak application to rcnt Amrican politics bcaus that is what I know; howvr, any Bibl tachr who knows and undrstands ths various chaptrs can find illustrations from thir own politics, no mattr what th country, no mattr what th ra. Hr is what w hav so far: Furthrmor, Absalom usd to ris up arly and rmain by th road of th gat and [spak to] any man who had a lgal disput to bring to th king for a judgmnt. In vry court cas, just about, thr is a winnr and a losr. Absalom is thr, his minions ar thr (probably in th spctators for ach cas), 14 Robrt Jamison, A. R. Fausst and David Brown; Commntary Critical and Explanatory on th Whol Bibl; from -sword, 2Sam. 15: Quot, of cours, takn from Robrt Jamison, A. R. Fausst and David Brown; Commntary Critical and Explanatory on th Whol Bibl; 1871; from -sword, 2Sam. 15:2 6, but with substituting in th nams of contmporary politicians.

30 6529 Th Book of Samul and judgmnt is pronouncd. Oftn, onc a judgmnt has bn rndrd, on of th popl walks out of th court displasd. It is asy for on of ths minions to signal which party is last happy with th vrdict. 2Samul 15:2c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 qârâ ( ÈøÈà) [pronouncd kaw-raw] to call, to proclaim, to rad, to call to, to call out to, to assmbl, to summon; to call, to nam [whn followd by a lâmd] rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #7121 BDB #894 Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition with th 3 rd prson masculin singular suffix BDB #510 Translation: And Absalom calld to him... So, Absalom is not talking to vry singl prson who coms into court. But, ithr h is givn a signal or h can rad popl, and h calls out to thos who do not appar to b plasd with th final dcision. Now, with 50 mn undr him, Absalom dos not hav to b thr right in th court to know what is going on. H nds to know on thing: is Charli Brown, who just cam out of th court yard (so to spak), upst with King David? Hr is th ida: Absalom ss David as bing wak whn it coms to making court judgmnts, bcaus David did not call for th xcution of Amnon. So, in Absalom s mind, David is unabl to b objctiv (and, with rgards to David s sons, David is unabl to b objctiv). I hav bn to court many, many tims, and on on of thos occasions, I had a judg who was not th last bit objctiv, and his lack of objctivity stood out lik a sor thumb (h was latr rmovd as a judg). Most of th othr judgs that I hav sn in action smd to b rasonabl and objctiv. So Absalom is watching ths popl just coming out of court (from an opn air court). H knows how thy fl about this vrdict, and so h calls out to thm. H is simply going to chat with thm, as quals, as frinds, as citizns of Isral who ar concrnd about th sam things. 2Samul 15:2d Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253

31 2Samul Samul 15:2d Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #559 BDB #55 êy (àåé) [pronouncd ây] whr advrb; with a suffix, th vrb to b may b implid Strong s #335 BDB #32 min (îäï) [pronouncd mihn] from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of prposition of sparation Strong's #4480 BDB #577 zh (ææä) [pronouncd zh] hr, this, this on; thus; possibly anothr dmonstrativ adjctiv Strong s #2088, 2090 (& 2063) BDB #260 îyr (òäéø) [pronouncd ìr] ncampmnt, city, town fminin singular construct Strong's #5892 BDB #746 attâh (àçúìèä) [pronouncd aht-taw] you (oftn, th vrb to b is implid) nd 2 prson masculin singular, prsonal pronoun Strong s #859 BDB #61 Ths four particls togthr apparntly man whr [ar] you from? Whn adding in th word city, this mans, what city ar you from? Translation:...and said, Which city ar you from? Absalom dosn t talk to thm immdiatly about th vrdict; h gts to know thm. H asks thm a prsonal qustion or two. Thy hav a convrsation. H is warm and ngaging. Popl lik this young man Absalom. H looks important and royal; and yt, h is talking to m. So th passrs-by ar plasd to talk to somon. Thr is Absalom, th son of th king, standing in his chariot, poisd to rid out, with 50 soldirs standing in front of him, at attntion. And yt, h talks to th common man, and talks about normal things. If you hav vr bn to court and hav lost, thr is nothing you would rathr do than vnt. Now, if you can vnt to th son of th judg, that is vn bttr. Do you know what your low-lif fathr dcidd? H was just wrong. 2Samul 15:2 Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #559 BDB #55 min (îäï) [pronouncd mihn] from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of prposition of sparation Strong's #4480 BDB #577

32 6531 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:2 Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs châd (àæçèã) [pronouncd h- KHAWD] on, first, crtain, only; ach, vry; but it can also man a composit unity; possibly particular; anyon numral adjctiv construct form Strong's #259 BDB #25 shêbþ (ùåáæè) B [pronouncd SHAY -vt] rod, staff, club, scptr and figurativly for a trib, subdivision of a trib or family and for a rulr (scptr-barr), govrnor masculin plural construct Strong s #7626 BDB #986 Yis râ êl (éäùòàøçàåì) [pronouncd yis-raw- ALE] God prvails; contndr; soldir of God; translitratd Isral masculin propr noun Strong s #3478 & #3479 BDB #975 bd (òæáæã) [pronouncd B ÌE -vd] slav, srvant masculin singular noun nd with a 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #5650 BDB #713 Translation: And h would answr [lit., and so h says], Your srvant [is] from on of th tribs of Isral. So ths mn, unhappy with th rsults of thir court cas, would bgin ngaging in a convrsation with Absalom. Now, rmmbr: this man has a family. H has a wif, h was brothrs, h has childrn, h has a mothr and a fathr, and h has co-workrs. Most of thm know about him going to court and wondr about th disposition of his cas. Th whol ida is, Charli Brown is going to com hom and say, I am so upst with King David; I was right in my cas, but h ruld against m anyway. In fact, vn his son, Absalom, agrd with m. You spok to th king s son? Ys. In fact, h is a vry nic fllow; and, although h appard to b rady to go off somwhr, h took th tim to talk to m. And h agrs with m! H thought his fathr s ruling was wrong. So, you tak ach of ths mn, and multiply thm by 10 or by 100; and that is how many popl know about his court cas and about his convrsation with Absalom. How many court cass ar trid ach day? Mayb 5 10 and possibly mor, if th cass ar simpl. Bar in mind, for th past 10 yars, thr hav bn rumors flying all ovr about David and Bathshba, and about hr husband who was mystriously killd in th war. Ths popl also know about Amnon raping his half-sistr and how David was unabl to tak action against Amnon; and Absalom had to stp in and tak car of him. So, thr is talk flying all ovr th country about th royal family, and about what is going on. W hav th sam thing today. Popl can tll you about various tlvision shows and who is in thm and what thir social livs ar lik, and what movis thy ar also in. Wll, thr was on st of clbritis in David s day and tim: that was David and th royal family. Thy wr th rality stars of thir day; and popl talkd about David, and his wivs, and his affair with Bathshba. What you nd to undrstand hr is, vn though David was on of th gratst kings in human history, and vn though most of his dcisions and rulings wr good, h mad som grand mistaks, and popl knw about ths mistaks. In fact, many popl hatd David (as w will s in th nxt chaptr).

33 2Samul Application: On of th things which was difficult for m to grasp at first was th concpt of morality and kings. On many occasions, vn in th Nw Tstamnt, God dalt with immoral kings. I oftn wondrd, If thy ar halfway dcnt kings, why is God concrnd about a scond marriag or som random affair? But whn a king is immoral, and th popl know it, thy ract in two possibl ways: (1) thy rsnt th king and rvolution is fomntd, which mans a lack of stability in th rgion; or (2) th popl simply copy th bad bhavior of th king and also ngag in immorality thmslvs. W hav th most rcnt xampl of Prsidnt Bill Clinton who had an affair with a young intrn in th Whit Hous, and this changd th attituds of at last a gnration of young popl about sx rlations. Application: Lt s say that th popl in lif you admir all work hard, ar gnuinly humbl, and hav strong clos rlationships with thir spouss; thn you s that as what is good and right and th norm for living. Howvr, if th popl that you admir do drugs, coast on thir clbrityship, chat on thir wivs (or husbands), ar in and out of rlationships, and hav childrn scattrd all ovr, thn you hav a compltly diffrnt st of valus. Th valus of th popl that you admir hav an ffct upon your valus; what thy do actually impacts you and your thinking. And so says to him, Absalom, Look, your words good and just, and haring non to you from with th king. 2Samul 15:3 Thn Absalom said to him, Look, your mattr [is] good and just [and straightforward]. [Thr is] non to har you dirctly from th king. Thn Absalom would say to him, Look, it is clar that your claim is valid and just, but thr is no on dsignatd by th king to proprly listn to you. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And Absalom answrd him: Your words sm to m good and just. But thr is no man appointd by th king to har you. And so says to him, Absalom, Look, your words good and just, and haring non to you from with th king. And Absalom said to him, I s your argumnts ar good and just; but thr is no man dputd by th king to har you. And Absalom said to him, S, your affairs ar right and clar, yt you hav no on appointd of th king to har you. Th words argumnts and affairs ar rasonabl translations from th Hbrw. Th final phras (in th Latin, Syriac and Grk) appars to b a rasonabl undrstanding of what is said in th Hbrw. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion...thn Absalom would say to him, "No doubt your claims ar corrct and valid, but th king won't listn to you. Absalom would say, "You dsrv to win your cas. It's too bad th king dosn't hav anyon to har complaints lik yours. Thn Absalom would say to him, `Your situation is right. But th king dos not hav an assistant who can listn to you.' Thn Absalom would say to this man, Look, you ar right, but King David won t listn to you.

34 6533 Th Book of Samul Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Lif Bibl Nw Living Translation Absalom would say, "Look, th law is on your sid, but thr is no rprsntativ of th king to har your cas." Thn Absalom would say, "Look, you'v got a strong cas; but th king isn't going to listn to you." Thn Absalom would say, "Look, your claims ar right, but th king has no on to listn to you." Thn Absalom would say to him, "Your sid of th problm is good and right. But thr is no man to listn to you for th king." Thn Absalom would say, "You'v rally got a strong cas hr! It's too bad th king dosn't hav anyon to har it. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl...h would say, 'Look, you hav a good cas, but no on from th king will listn to it. Bck s Amrican Translation s, Absalom would say to him, your claims ar good and right, but th king hasn t appointd anyon to hr you. God s Word Absalom would say, "Your cas is good and propr, but th king hasn't appointd anyon to har it." NIRV Absalom would say, "Look, your claims ar basd on th law. So you hav vry right to mak thm. But th king dosn't hav anyon hr who can listn to your cas." Nw Jrusalm Bibl...thn Absalom would say, 'Look, your cas is sound and just, but not on of th king's dputis will listn to you.' Nw Simplifid Bibl Absalom would say:»my frind, th law is on your sid. Howvr, thr is no rprsntativ of th king to har your cas.«rvisd English Bibl...Absalom would say to him, I can s that you hav a vry good cas, but you will gt no haring from th king. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Complt Jwish Bibl Frar-Fnton Bibl HCSB Nw Advnt Bibl NET Bibl NIV UK Absalom said to him, "S, your words ar good and honst, but th king will not har you." And Absalom would say to him, S, your caus is tru and right; but no man has bn namd by th king to giv you a haring. Avshalom would say to him, "Look, your caus is good and just; but th king hasn't dputizd anyon to har your cas." Thn Absalom would say to him, Look! Your cas is good and right; but thr is no on appointd by th king to har it for you. Absalom said to him, "Look, your claims ar good and right, but th king dos not hav anyon to listn to you." And Absalom answrd him: Your words sm to m good and just. But thr is no man appointd by th king to har you. And Absalom said:... Absalom would thn say to him, "Look, your claims ar lgitimat and appropriat [Hb "good and straight."]. But thr is no rprsntativ of th king who will listn to you." Thn Absalom would say to him, `Look, your claims ar valid and propr, but thr is no rprsntativ of th king to har you.' Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Th Amplifid Bibl Absalom would say to him, Your claims ar good and right, but thr is no man appointd as th king's agnt to har you.

35 2Samul English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl LTHB NASB Syndin World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: Absalom would say to him, "S, your claims ar good and right, but thr is no man dsignatd by th king to har you." And Abi Shalom says to him, S, your words ar good and straight; but thr is no man of th sovrign to har you. And Absalom said to him, Bhold, your mattrs ar good and right. And thr is no listnr to you from th king. Thn Absalom would say to him, "S, your claims [Lit words] ar good and right, but no man listns to you on th part of th king." Furthrmor Absalom would say to him, "Look, your grivancs ar valid and lgitimat... but 'you hav no on authorizd by th king' {Idiom: litrally 'thr is no man for you'} to 'judg th cas' {implying th judicial systm is wrong - and attacking th laws of stablishmnt such as law nforcmnt, military, marriag, judicial systm - a tool of rvolutionists is to tak a prcivd rror and xploit it to ovrthrow th xisting govrnmnt}. {Insinuats Only Arrogant Absalom is Qualifid to Obtain Justic for th Popl}. Absalom said to him, Bhold, your mattrs ar good and right; but thr is no man dputizd of th king to har you. And Absalom says unto him, S, your mattrs ar good and straightforward and thr is non harkning to you from th king. Absalom agrs with th mrits of th cas, but suggsts that th king dosn t proprly assign out rsponsibilitis to har ths cass. 2Samul 15:3a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #559 BDB #55 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition with th 3 rd prson masculin singular suffix BDB #510 Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5 Translation: Thn Absalom said to him,... W ar givn th gist of on particular convrsation, but this took plac many tims on many days. W do not know how long that Absalom did this. But h talkd to nough popl to hlp fostr a rvolt against his fathr. Furthrmor, what w hav hr is probably a sampl of th sort of thing that Absalom would say. H is a smart young man, and h could tailor his mssag to whomvr h spok.

36 6535 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:3b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs râ âh (øèàèä) [pronouncd raw-awh] look, s, bhold, viw, s hr, listn up nd 2 prson masculin singular, Qal imprativ Strong's #7200 BDB #906 d bârîym (ãìàáèøäéí) b [pronouncd daw -vawr- EEM] words, sayings, doctrins, commands; things, mattrs, rports masculin plural noun nd with th 2 prson masculin plural suffix Strong's #1697 BDB #182 þôwb (èåéá) [pronouncd b toh v] plasant, plasing, agrabl, good, bttr; approvd masculin plural adjctiv which can act lik a substantiv Strong s #2896 BDB #373 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 nakoach (ðèëéçç) [pronouncd naw-kohahkh] straight, right, straightnss; upright, just; straightforward; to b in front of masculin plural adjctiv/substantiv; Strong s #5228 & #5229 BDB #647 Translation:... Look, your mattr [is] good and just [and straightforward]. At som point, Absalom listnd to th cas that Charli Brown brought bfor th court, and h agrs with Charli Brown. It is obvious; your court cas is vry straightforward. You hav a good cas and you ar right in your claims. Th guy could b th biggst idiot in Isral, but if Absalom could agr with him, h would. Absalom is only looking to ingratiat himslf to ach man who has a cas. This is somthing that Absalom probably said on many occasions. Whn h spok to any man coming out of court, if things did not go his way, no mattr what th rason, Absalom listns to his cas and agrs that it is a good on. If you ar trying to gain favor, you do not listn to a cas and thn suggst, Okay, I har what you r tlling m, but your cas is a losr from th word go. Absalom was not rally intrstd in th cas, nor did h hav any intrst in invstigating th validity of ach man s claims. H is simply playing on th frustrations of thos who hav brought thir disput to Jrusalm. H wants ach of ths mn, who ar a littl turnd off by th systm at this tim alrady, to look upon Absalom as a frind that h could count on. 2Samul 15:3c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 shâma (ùèîçò) [pronouncd shaw- MAHÌ] haring, listning; on who listns [hars]; on paying attntion; to listning [and agring] Qal activ participl Strong's #8085 BDB #1033

37 2Samul Samul 15:3c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs êyn (àåéï) [pronouncd ân] nothing, not, [is] not; not prsnt, not rady; xprsss nonxistnc, absnc or nonpossssion; [thr is] no [non, not on, no on, not] particl of ngation; substantiv of ngation Strong s #369 BDB #34 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition with th 2 nd prson masculin singular suffix BDB #510 min (îäï) [pronouncd mihn] from, off, out from, out of, away from, on account of, sinc, than, mor than prposition of sparation Strong's #4480 BDB #577 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] with, at, nar, by, among, dirctly from prposition (which is idntical to th sign of th dirct objct) Strong's #854 BDB #85 Togthr, min êth man from proximity with, from with, from clos proximity to, to procd from somon. A good up-to-dat rndring might b dirctly from. Th ida is, th prson that ths prpositions rfr to is supposd to dirctly b involvd in th action or in whatvr is bing rqustd. mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 Translation: [Thr is] non to har you dirctly from th king. On som days, th king would b judging ths cass, and, apparntly, on othr days, h would appoint somon to dcid ths mattrs. It is vry likly that somon listnd to Charli Brown s claims and ruld against him. Charli Brown did not just show up, and thr was no on to judg his cas. This is an important function of th king. Thr ar othr possibilitis. Th dockt is too full and Charli Brown s cas is unsubstantial or thr is not nough tim to gt to it. Or, it is hard, and th judg throws his cas out, basd upon Charli Brown s tstimony alon (which ought to b don in mor cass in th Unitd Stats). Or, for whatvr rason, th cas is not hard; prhaps th judg did not show up on this day. What w hav hr is a particular instanc, which no doubt occurrd from tim to tim. But this was not Absalom s only rap. This is simply an xampl of what Absalom would say. Thn Absalom said to him, Look, your mattr [is] good and just [and straightforward]. [Thr is] non to har you dirctly from th king. In this cas, th plaintiv s cas was not hard. Judg did not show up; th dockt was too full; or his cas was thrown out on summary judgmnt. 16 Kil and Dlitzsch point out: Of cours th king himslf could not giv a haring to vry complainant, and mak a prsonal invstigation of his caus; nor could his judgs procur justic for vry complainant, howvr justly thy might act, though it is possibl that thy may not always hav 16 prformd thir duty conscintiously. Th Pulpit commntary suggsts what thy bliv to b th cas: Probably all causs btwn citizns wr trid by it, just as causs in th country wr trid by th mishpachah; (s not on Kil and Dlitzsch, Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword; 2Sam. 15:1 3.

38 6537 Th Book of Samul 2Sam. 14:7) but with an appal in wighty mattrs to th king. It is a mistak to suppos that David altogthr nglctd his judicial functions. On th contrary, th woman of Tkoah obtaind an audinc, as a mattr of cours; and Absalom would not hav risn up thus arly unlss David had also takn his sat in th arly morning on th royal divan to administr justic. It was th suitors on thir way to th king whom Absalom accostd, and mad bliv that h would b mor assiduous in his dutis than his fathr, and that h would hav dcidd vry suit in favour of th prson to whom h was talking, whras rally on sid alon can gain th caus. Still, w may wll bliv that, guilty himslf of adultry and murdr, and with his two idr sons staind with such trribl crims, David"s administration of justic had bcom half hartd. And thus his sin again found him out, and brought strn punishmnt. For Absalom usd this waknss against his fathr, and, intrcpting th suitors on thir way, would ask thir city and trib, and listn to thir complaint, and assur thm of th goodnss of thir caus, and lamnt that, as th king could not har all causs asily himslf, h did not appoint othrs to aid him in his dutis. It was dlay and procrastination of which Absalom complaind; and as many of th litigants had probably com day aftr day, and not succdd in gtting a haring, thy wr alrady in ill humour and prpard to find fault. Now, as David possssd grat powrs of organization, w may wll bliv that h would hav takn masurs for th adquat administration of law had it not bn for th moral malady which nfbld his will. In th appointmnt of Jhoshaphat and Sraiah (2Sam. 8:16 17) h had mad a bginning, 17 but soon his hands grw fbl, and h did no mor. So, bcaus of th prvious chaptr, w do know for a fact that David sat as judg on som court harings, and that h listnd patintly and with intrst, and mad valid rulings. Howvr, as w also saw in th prvious chaptr and in th on bfor that, sitting as th judg ovr th suprm court of th land was not David s fort. H could not rul proprly if a cas was too clos to him (.g, it involvd any of his sons) and h was too asily influncd by womn (2Sam. 14). David no doubt should not hav bn trying all of th cass which cam bfor him. In fact, lik Moss (Ex. 18:14 26), h should hav dlgatd this particular duty to othr popl. It is possibl in fact, it is implid hr that David was not doing nough by way of stocking th courts with judgs to har th cass which cam to Jrusalm. W do not know if this was a waknss in David s govrnmnt in gnral, or if this was a mor rcnt problm which had com to pass. W do know a coupl of things: David had an y for th ladis, and whn his soldirs wr out of town, David apparntly mad us of this tim (2Sam. 11). W also know that, whn it cam tim to judg Amnon, David was unwilling to do that (h did gt mad, but h nvr took it any furthr than that 2Sam. 12:21). Application: Whn you ar in a position of powr, you nd to know what your waknsss ar, and you nd to put somon in your plac to shor up your lack of knowldg or ability in that ara. Application: In many cass, a prsidnt has littl forign diplomacy xprinc, and h is to b ngotiating with mn who, in many cass, hav bn ruling for 20 or mor yars, and thrfor, hav som knowldg of how to manipulat othr ladrs. A prsidnt, thrfor, nds to hav forign advisors and a Scrtary of Stat who has ral undrstanding of th go-politics that our nation facs. A prsidnt nds to hav a fw, asily discrnabl forign-policy principls, and h nds to find popl who know nough to carry out ths principls. Although w hav covrd ths problms, lt s just summariz thm quickly. A Summary of th Judicial Problms of th Davidic Court in Jrusalm 1. David did prsonally har cass, but it is clar that h was swayd by hlplss fmals. 2Sam. 14: David was unwilling to proscut his own sons, whn thy should hav bn proscutd. Emotion is no substitut whn action is rquird. 2Sam. 13:21 3. Som popl wr turnd away from th Jrusalm court. 2Sam. 15: Th Pulpit Commntary; ; by Josph S. Exll, Hnry Donald Mauric Spnc-Jons, courtsy of -sword, 2Sam. 15:2.

39 2Samul A Summary of th Judicial Problms of th Davidic Court in Jrusalm 1) W hav alrady spculatd that David did not appoint nough judgs, that cass got thrown out of court on a prliminary haring (which is not a bad thing), or that th dockt was too full from tim to tim. 2) Kil and Dlitzsch suggstd th following: Of cours th king himslf could not giv a haring to vry complainant, and mak a prsonal invstigation of his caus; nor could his judgs procur justic for vry complainant, howvr justly thy might act, though it is possibl that thy may not 1 always hav prformd thir duty conscintiously. 3) Is it possibl that, onc Amnon had rapd his half-sistr, that David avoidd th court systm for awhil? Amnon should hav bn proscutd, and David nvr did this. 4. Whatvr th othr problms wr, Absalom was clarly abl to xploit thm to his own bnfit. 2Sam. 15: It is likly that Absalom usd othr approachs in daling with popl who had complaints, and that w ar viwing on particular xampl hr. What w find hr is not ncssarily typical of th Davidic administration. 2Sam. 8:15 tlls us that: David rignd ovr all Isral, and David xcutd justic and rightousnss to all his popl. Whn a govrnmnt has both providd protction for its popl from outsid forcs and has administrd justic and rightousnss to its popl insid th country, that govrnmnt is doing what it ought to b doing. Application: In any lction, whn it coms to rmoving on administration and rplacing it with anothr, you must considr, is th prsnt administration kping you protctd from outsid forcs and is thr a good and honst judicial systm functioning in th Unitd Stats (not prfct, mind you, but good and just). Anything ovr and abov that is gravy. 1 Kil and Dlitzsch, Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword; 2Sam. 15:1 3. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Absalom is carfully blaming th systm by mphasizing to ths victims that h would b doing a bttr job. H is carful not to attack his fathr prsonally and outright. By th way, David was capabl of farming out rsponsibilitis. Joab was his commanding gnral in charg of all warfar, blow David. Joab was his man in th fild at all tims. It was not that David was unabl to do this; but David was oldr, gtting past his prim, and h had othr rsponsibilitis. W ar not givn any spcifics on David s judicial appointmnts, apart from th complaint mad hr. Did h appoint infrior judgs? Did thy not show up? Did h not hir nough judgs to har th cass which cam in? What w do know is, thr ar tims whn a cas was not hard or fully hard; that David did sit in on court cass, and that David was clarly influncd by womn who wr plaintiffs or dfndants. H smd lss likly to do follow-up or invstigations of cass involving womn complainants. This vrs rads: Thn Absalom would say to him, Look, it is clar that your claim is valid and just, but thr is no on dsignatd by th king to proprly listn to you. Thr ar a numbr of things at work hr. Probably, som cass wr not hard; som cass might b thrown out whn th prliminary statmnt of th complainant is givn; som cass may not gt on th dockt in tim or thr is not nough tim to gt to thm. And, of cours, thr is always th losr in vry cas. What is implid hr, but not statd outright, is, th prson who hard th cas did not gt it. H was not qualifid to har Charli Brown s cas. His car was straightforward and should hav obviously bn dcidd and Charli s favor, but it was not. Thrfor, th prson at th bnch was not rally qualifid. Absalom has to b carful about what h says. H cannot just com out and say, Th judg is crookd. H got paid off. Or, Th judg is a drunk and h just cam off th 3 month bndr. Or, King David is too lazy to com to court today, so h just snt

40 6539 Th Book of Samul som unqualifid flunky to sit in for him. Thr is a crtain dcorum hr, and Absalom cannot b sn to b sditious. What w hav hr is just on xampl of on judicial problm. Thr wr no doubt many. I hav bn in court, and, although I hav found most judgs to b honst, forthright, and dsirous to follow th law; I hav sn othrs who hav not bn fair-mindd or unbiasd. This was a wondrful tim in Isral; and thy had a grat judicial systm. Howvr, that dos not man that it was not flawd; that dos not man that thr wr no mistaks that wr mad. And, vn in a narly flawlss systm, on half of a lawsuit is going to b unhappy with th rsult. Absalom pryd upon any waknss that h could s, ral or blivd by th prson to whom h spok. Whn w har xactly what w want to har particularly from a politician thn w nd to rmmbr David s own words from Psalm 12:2 Popl spak lis to on anothr. Thy spak with flattring lips and with doublhart (i.., Thy say on thing but man anothr). (NSB). Or Psalm 36:3 4 Th words of his mouth ar troubling and dcitful; h has casd to act wisly and do what is right. H plots troubl bfor h falls aslp; h maks himslf look good whn h rally isn t; h dos not rjct vil [human viwpoint thinking]. Jr. 9:8 Thir tongu is a murdrous arrow; it spaks dcitfully; with his mouth ach spaks pac and frindship to his nighbor, but in his hart h plans an ambush for him. Application: Do not listn to popl s words simply bcaus thy sound good or vn if thy sound sincr. You nd to valuat thir actions as wll. This should b th ordr of th day whn listning to a politician. In th tim that I writ this, thr has rarly bn a bttr xampl of this than our currnt Prsidnt Barack Obama. Part of th rason that his transgrssions hav bn so grgious is that, w hav mor accss to th things that h has said than any othr prsidnt in prvious history. H has said many things, particularly in th 2008 lction, which swayd hug numbrs of popl, bcaus h lookd and soundd good. Howvr, 10 or mor yars prvious to this, w did not hav asy accss to promiss mad by prsidnts. Thr was no YouTub; thr was no altrnativ mdia. If th prss did not want to rcall what Bill Clinton promisd as a candidat, thn w nvr hard it aftr th campaign. Howvr, if th prss wantd to rmind us of what Prsidnt Gorg H. W. Bush promisd in his campaign ( Rad my lips: no nw taxs ), thn w saw it ovr and ovr again. W ar in a position, post th yar of our Lord 2000, to compar what a politician says with what h dos. Vv. 2 3: Furthrmor, Absalom mad a habit of rising up arly and waiting by th road into th city to spak to any man who had a lgal disput to bring bfor th king for a rsolution. And Absalom would thn call out to him, saying, Which city ar you from? And h would answr, You srvants is from on of th tribs of Isral. Thn Absalom would say to him, Look, it is clar that your claim is valid and just, but thr is no on dsignatd by th king to proprly listn to you. Thr is anothr unstatd narrativ bhind all of what Absalom is saying. Absalom s own sistr, Tamar, had bn rapd by thir n r-do-wll half-brothr Amnon. Absalom and Tamar did not gt th justic that thy ought to hav gottn (2Sam. 14:1 21). Absalom vntually had Amnon killd, and this was no doubt on th minds of many citizns in Isral. Absalom was th kind of man who saw that a job got don. H was th kind of man who would s justic don, no mattr what th cost. Absalom is not going to b 18 thr bragging, on th stps of th courthous, how h killd his half-brothr Amnon. But, this would b on th minds of many of th mn who spok with him. Absalom was a dor. H didn t just talk a good gam; h followd through. And so says Absalom, Who placs m judging in th land? And upon m coms vry man who is to him a disput and a judgmnt, and I hav brought him justic. 2Samul 15:4 Thn Absalom would say, Who will [or, O that on might] appoint m a judg in th land? Thn coms any man to m who has a disput or a judicial dcision and I will giv him justic [or, I will vindicat him]. 18 This is just an xprssion; in ancint Isral, thr was no courtroom; thr wr no stps.

41 2Samul Thn Absalom would thn say, O that I would b appointd as a judg in th land! Thn any man could com to m with a disput or an appal and I would s to it that h rcivd a just outcom. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And Absalom said: O that thy would mak m judg ovr th land, that all that hav businss might com to m, that I might do thm justic. And Absalom said: is actually a part of v. 3 in th Latin. And so says Absalom, Who placs m judging in th land? And upon m coms vry man who is to him a disput and a judgmnt, and I hav brought him justic. Absalom said morovr, Oh that I wr mad a judg in th land, that vry man who has a lawsuit or a caus might com to m, and I would do him justic! And Absalom said, O that on would mak m a judg in th land; thn vry man who had a disput or a caus would com to m, and I would judg him! In th first part of Absalom s quotation, it appars that th words h usd could b so translatd into English (s th Hbrw xgsis blow). Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Lif Bibl Nw Living Translation If only I wr mad a judg in th land," Absalom would continu, "thn anyon with a lawsuit could com to m, and I would giv thm justic." I wish somon would mak m th judg around hr! I would b fair to vryon." Thn Absalom would say, `I wish that somon would appoint m as th judg of this nation. Thn vryon who has problms could com to m. I would mak sur that ach prson gts a fair judgmnt.' Absalom would also say, Oh, I wish somon would mak m a judg in this country! Thn I could hlp vry man who coms to m with a problm. I would hlp him gt a fair solution to his problm. And h would add, "How I wish I wr a judg! Thn anyon who had a disput or a claim could com to m, and I would giv him justic." Thn h'd say, "Why dosn't somon mak m a judg for this country? Anybody with a cas could bring it to m and I'd sttl things fair and squar." Absalom would also say, "I wish somon would mak m judg in this land! Thn popl with problms could com to m, and I could hlp thm gt justic." And Absalom would say, "If only I wr chosn to b th on to b judg in th land! Thn vry man who has a problm could com to m. And I would do for him what is right and fair." I wish I wr th judg. Thn vryon could bring thir cass to m for judgmnt, and I would giv thm justic!" Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl God s Word Nw Amrican Bibl So, why dosn't h appoint m as th judg of th land and lt m handl th disputs and cass, for I will giv you justic. H would add, "I wish somon would mak m judg in th land. Thn anyon who had a cas to b trid could com to m, and I would mak sur that h got justic." And h would continu: "If only I could b appointd judg in th land! Thn vryon who has a lawsuit to b dcidd might com to m and I would rndr him justic."

42 6541 Th Book of Samul NIRV Nw Jrusalm Bibl Rvisd English Bibl Absalom would continu, "I wish I wr appointd judg in th land! Thn anyon who has a cas or a claim could com to m. I would mak sur h is tratd fairly." Absalom would say, 'Oh, who will appoint m judg in th land? Thn anyon with a lawsuit or a pla could com to m and I should s h had justic!' H would add, If only I wr appointd judg in th land, it would b my businss to s that vryon with a lawsuit or claim got justic from m. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Complt Jwish Bibl Frar-Fnton Bibl HCSB JPS (Tanakh 1985) NET Bibl NIV, 2011 Th Scripturs 1998 Absalom said, "Who st m as judg in th land? Any man having an argumnt coms ovr to m for rightous vrdicts!" And mor than this, Absalom said, If only I was mad judg in th land, so that vry man who has any caus or qustion might com to m, and I would giv a right dcision for him! Thn Avshalom would continu, "Now if I wr mad judg in th land, anyon with a suit or othr caus could com to m, and I would s that h gts justic!" Nxt h would xclaim, If I wr appointd as a judg in th country, and any man cam to m who had a wrong, I would dcid and rctify it for you! H addd, "If only somon would appoint m judg in th land. Thn anyon who had a grivanc or disput could com to m, and I would mak sur h rcivd justic." And Absalom wnt on, If only I wr appointd judg in th land and vryon with a lgal disput cam bfor m, I would s that h got his rights. Absalom would thn say, "If only thy would mak m [Hb "Who will mak m?"] a judg in th land! Thn vryon who had a judicial complaint [Hb "a complaint and a judgmnt." Th xprssion is a hndiadys] could com to m and I would mak sur h rcivs a just sttlmnt." And Absalom would add, "If only I wr appointd judg in th land! Thn vryon who has a complaint or cas could com to m and I would s that thy rciv justic." And Ab?shalom would say, Oh, that I wr mad judg in th land, and vryon who has any complaint or cas would com to m, and I shall lt right b don to him. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Concordant Litral Vrsion Darby Translation English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl LTHB Syndin World English Bibl And Absalom said, `Who dos mak m a judg in th land, that unto m dos com vry man who has a pla and judgmnt? --thn I hav dclard him rightous. And Absalom said, Oh that I wr mad judg in th land, that vry man who has any controvrsy and caus might com to m, and I would do him justic! Thn Absalom would say, "Oh that I wr judg in th land! Thn vry man with a disput or caus might com to m, and I would giv him justic." And Abi Shalom says, Who st m judg in th land, that vry man who has any pla or judgmnt coms to m to justify him?. And Absalom said, Who shall mak m a judg in th land, that vry man who has a disput, I will thn dclar him right, vn with justic? Thn Absalom would add, "Who will appoint m a judg in th land, {Absalom's arroganc and slf-cntrdnss xposd} that vry man which has any suit or caus might com unto m, and I would s to h, that h rcivs justic!. Absalom said morovr, Oh that I wr mad judg in th land, that vry man who has any suit or caus might com to m, and I would do him justic!

43 2Samul Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: And Absalom says, Who dos mak m a judg in th land, that unto m dos com vry man who has a pla and judgmnt? thn I hav dclard him rightous. Absalom claims that if h wr judg in Isral, h would s to it that vryon got a fair shak. 2Samul 15:4a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #559 BDB #55 Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5 mîy (îäé) [pronouncd m] who, whom; whos, whomvr; what; occasionally rndrd how, in what way pronominal intrrogativ; th vrb to b may b implid Strong s #4310 BDB #566 Undr som circumstancs, th mîy pronominal intrrogativ can xprss a wish or a dsir, as in 2Sam. 15:4 19 or 23:15. sîym (ùòäéí) [pronouncd sm]; also splld sûwm (ùòåìí) [pronouncd soom] to put, to plac, to st; to mak; to appoint rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct st with th 1 prson singular suffix Strong's #7760 BDB #962 shâphaþ (ùèôçè) [pronouncd shaw- FAHT] judging, govrning; a judg, govrnor Qal activ participl Strong s #8199 BDB #1047 h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 rts (àæøæõ) [pronouncd EH-rts] arth (all or a portion throf), land, trritory, country, continnt; ground, soil; undr th ground [Shol] fminin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong's #776 BDB #75 Translation: Thn Absalom would say, Who will [or, O that on might] appoint m a judg in th land? Now, you will not that Absalom dos not call for this discontntd prson to support him in a rvolution. H simply sms to b musing to himslf. Now, in th prvious vrs, Absalom said to him; but in this vrs, thr is no to him. Th ida is, Absalom would ngag thm in som convrsation, usually about thir disput, but thn Absalom would kind of look out in th distanc and say, Who will appoint m as a judg? Or, O that I would b a judg in Isral. Or words to that ffct. As if, this is what God has calld him to do. 19 Th Brown-Drivr-Briggs Hbrw and English Lxicon; Hndrickson Publishrs; h1996; p. 566.

44 6543 Th Book of Samul Now, bar in mind, it dos not appar that Absalom actually has a public offic or a rsponsibility. H looks quit kingly, with his grat ntourag, but that is all for show. Howvr, th popl who talk to him don t know that. Thy don t look up at him and say, You phony so-and-so. Absalom looks lik h s important; h looks lik h is sombody. H looks succssful and powrful. That is what h wants. Howvr, h is apparntly just a man living off th taxpayr dol. If David has givn him any rsponsibility, h has sloughd that off on somon ls. Popl ar supposd to look at him and think that h is rally somthing, but h s not. H s rally not much diffrnt than today s wlfar mom; xcpt that h gts a much highr pay to do nothing. H apparntly has som kind of an xpns account which allows him to buy frivolous things, such as a chariot and horss, and to hir mn. And this man, who has just bn abl to blow off a littl stam bcaus of his own court cas to th king s son, who is surroundd by this grat ntourag, and h thinks of Absalom in a vry favorabl way. H also thinks, If only Absalom had bn my judg. H obviously undrstands th cas and would rndr th corrct dcision. 2Samul 15:4b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 al (òçì) [pronouncd ìahl] upon, byond, on, against, abov, ovr; on th ground of, bcaus of, according to, on account of, on bhalf of, with, by, bsids, in addition to, to, toward, togthr with, in th mattr of, concrning, as rgards to prposition of proximity st with th 1 prson singular suffix Strong s #5921 BDB #752 W would hav xpctd to s th lâmd prposition hr, which would man to m; but that is not what w hav. bôw (áìåéà) [pronouncd boh] to com in, to com, to go in, to go, to ntr, to advanc rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #935 BDB #97 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] vry, ach, all of, all; any of, any masculin singular construct not followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 îysh (àäéù) [pronouncd sh] a man, a husband; anyon; a crtain on; ach, ach on, vryon masculin singular noun (somtims found whr w would us a plural) Strong's #376 BDB #35 ãshr (àâéùæø) [pronouncd uh-sher] that, which, whn, who, whom rlativ pronoun Strong's #834 BDB #81 hâyâh (äèéèä) [pronouncd haw-yaw] to b, is, was, ar; to bcom, to com into bing; to com to pass rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #1961 BDB #224 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition with th 3 rd prson masculin singular suffix BDB #510

45 2Samul Samul 15:4b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs Th combination of is and to m can b rndrd to hav. rîyb (øäéá) [pronouncd b r v] strif, disput, controvrsy, lgal contntion, fornsic caus; an argumnt usd in a public discussion or dbat masculin singular noun Strong's #7379 BDB #936 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and; vn; in particular, namly; whn, sinc, sing, though; so, thn, thrfor; or, but yt; who, which; or; that, in that; with simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 mîsh pâþ (îäùàôìèè) [pronouncd mish - PAWT] judgmnt, justic, a vrdict rndrd by a judg, a judicial dcision, a judicial sntnc, a vrdict, a judgmnt of th court masculin singular noun Strong's #4941 BDB #1048 Translation: Thn coms any man to m who has a disput or a judicial dcision... W do not hav th normal Hbrw word for to hr. Th prposition found hr usually mans upon, ovr, abov; and th ida is, any man coms to Absalom and h shifts his burdn upon Absalom. H bring his cas and placs it upon Absalom. So, vn though a strict translation sounds goofy (And upon m coms vry man who is to him a disput and a judgmnt); th ida convyd hr is, a man coms to Absalom with a burdn, a burdn that h can lay upon Absalom s shouldrs. So, vn though Absalom talks about justic, h rally mans that h, as th govrnmnt, will tak upon himslf that man s burdn. Now, hav you vr hard a politician who talks about justic, but, what h ssntially mans is, govrnmnt will tak your burdn on its shouldrs? Essntially, that is what Absalom was offring. So far, this is what w hav: on might] appoint m a judg in th land? Thn coms any man to m who has a disput or a judicial dcision... Thr ar two kinds of cass discussd hr. Th first is a disput or a lgal controvrsy. Howvr, th scond appars to b a judgmnt which has alrady bn rachd. So, in anothr court or anothr forum, a judgmnt has bn rachd, but it is th wrong judgmnt. Thn any man can bring that vrdict to Absalom to b rxamind. In othr words, Absalom is suggsting that appals b brought to him as wll. Barns on what w hav so far: To flattr ach man by pronouncing a favorabl vrdict in his cas, to xcit a sns of grivanc and discontnt by cnsuring th king for rmissnss in trying th causs brought bfor him by his subjcts, and to suggst a sur and asy rmdy for all such grivancs, namly, to mak Absalom king; all this, coupld with grat affability and courtsy, which his prsonal bauty and high rank mad all th mor ffctiv, wr th arts by which Absalom 20 workd his way into favor with th popl, who wr light and fickl as himslf. 2Samul 15:4c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB # Albrt Barns, Barns Nots on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:3.

46 6545 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:4c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs tsâdaq (öèãç ) [pronouncd tsaw- DAHK] to do or bring to justic (in administrating th law); to dclar rightous [just, innocnt]; to justify; to vindicat th caus [of somon]; to mak [somon] rightous (just); to turn to (toward) rightousnss and intgrity st 1 prson singular, Hiphil prfct with th 3 rd prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #6663 BDB #842 Translation:...and I will giv him justic [or, I will vindicat him]. Absalom, at this point, has th confidnc and th ar of th disgruntld citizn, and Absalom assurs him that, if any man brought him a cas, h would vindicat him; h would s that h rciv a propr judicial vrdict. And this man lavs thinking, If only Absalom had bn my judg. And h will go hom and h will tll all of his frinds and nighbors and family about his tim in court, how h got scrwd ovr by th systm, but that thr is th king s son, Absalom. A vry important man, but a man who took tim out of his busy schdul to har th facts of his cas and to unofficially adjudicat this cas corrctly and in his favor. If only Absalom wr my judg, th man would tll his frinds and rlativs. Pool s commnt: I should rfus no man, and dclin no pains to do any man good. So h prtnds 21 to a vry public spirit. Now, in cas you did not know, thr ar svral political campaigns in th Bibl. Thr is anothr on in Judgs 9. So thr is no misundrstanding, it dos not mattr that ths ar kingships and w liv in a dmocracy; no on can bcom king without bing a ladr and having popular support. Th ntir vrs rads: Thn Absalom would say, Who will [or, O that on might] appoint m a judg in th land? Thn coms any man to m who has a disput or a judicial dcision and I will giv him justic [or, I will vindicat him]. Absalom indicats that providing justic for all that is what h was calld to do. That is his spcialty. H is a man of th popl and a man of justic. Not that vn Absalom s languag is carful. H dos not tll ths popl, You nd to rvolt against David and proclaim m as your king. H can t do that. H can t say what h wants or what h will do. H has to couch vrything in trms of what sounds good to th avrag prson. Dos that sound somwhat modrn to you? Do you know any politician lik that? Or, should I ask, do you know any politician who is not lik that? As David wrot in Psalm 55:21 His buttry words ar smooth, but war is in his hart. His words ar softr than oil, but thy ar drawn swords. Or w rad in Prov. 26:25 28 Whn h spaks graciously, don't bliv him, for thr ar svn abominations in his hart. Though his hatrd is concald by dcption, his vil will b rvald in th assmbly. Th on who digs a pit will fall into it, and whovr rolls a ston--it will com back on him. A lying tongu hats thos it crushs, and a flattring mouth causs ruin. (Both HCSB) Application: This is not all that dp: just bcaus somon says thy ar your frind or looking out for you or on your sid, dos not man that thy ar. Just bcaus thy say thy ar for th poor or th downtroddn, dos not man that thy will always look our for th poor and th downtroddn. In fact, for som politicians, it is bttr for thm to hav poor and downtroddn in larg numbrs that will vot for thm. It dos thm no good to tak a poor and downtroddn prson and mov thm up into th middl or uppr class. Thy might los a vot if that 21 Matthw Pool, English Annotations on th Holy Bibl; h1685; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:4.

47 2Samul happns. In any cas, politicians as oftn as possibl try to mak it sm if thy ar on th sid of th lctorat whn thy ar not. V. 4 rads: Thn Absalom would thn say, O that I would b appointd as a judg in th land! Thn any man could com to m with a disput or an appal and I would s to it that h rcivd a just outcom. Th NIV Study Bibl commnts: Absalom prsnts himslf as th solution to th popl s lgal grivancs. In th cas of Amnon, h had takn mattrs into his own hands bcaus of his fathr s laxity. H has found, h blivs, th waknss of his fathr s rign, and h capitalizs on it 22 with political astutnss. Hr is what w hav so far in vv. 2 4: Furthrmor, Absalom usd to ris up arly and rmain by th road of th gat and [spak to] any man who had a lgal disput to bring to th king for a judgmnt. And Absalom calld out to him and said, Which city ar you from? And h would answr [lit., and so h says], Your srvant [is] from on of th tribs of Isral. Thn Absalom said to him, Look, your mattr [is] good and just [and straightforward]. [Thr is] non to har you dirctly from th king. Thn Absalom would say, Who will [or, O that on might] appoint m a judg in th land? Thn coms any man to m who has a disput or a judicial dcision and I will giv him justic [or, I will vindicat him]. David had a failing in som spcific instancs of judgmnt: h did not proscut Amnon and h did not try his son Absalom in court for th murdr of Amnon (h should hav dalt with his sons in justic and not in sntimntality). Howvr, that dos not man that David s courts wr unjust or unrsponsiv. Rmmbr th woman from Tkoa rcivd a trial by King David. Hr, in this contxt, Absalom is rising up arly in ordr to spak to ths various litigants. If David is not holding court or if ths popl ar bing turnd away in drovs, thn why is it that thy show up day aftr day aftr day? If David s court was infficint, unjust or shut down, thn, aftr awhil, no mor popl would b coming to him for judgmnt. W know that Absalom is doing all of this for himslf. H has no concrn for othr popl. H is not a man of th popl. Rcall that, whn h could not gt Joab s attntion, h just burnd his fild down (2Sam. 14:29 30). Absalom would rsort to criminal activity whnvr h ndd to. Thn nds justifid to mans, in Absalom s mind. Joab was th man who sponsord Absalom s rturn to Isral, and Absalom, in a ptulant slf-cntrd fit, dstroyd Joab s proprty. So w know that justic is not at th top of Absalom s list whn it coms to anything. Application: Whn a politician wants your support, h will mak a varity of promiss to you as to what h will provid. What charactrizd th Dmocratic approach to th 2008 lctions is thir parad of victims. On right aftr anothr of popl who hav bn victimizd by th systm, whos lif is difficult. Th implication was, lct th Dmocrats, and ths popl (along with thos with similar problms) will hav thir problms solvd by th govrnmnt. Your halthcar costs too much? Govrnmnt will lowr th cost and giv you fr halthcar if ncssary (as if govrnmnt has lowrd th cost of anything). You want to go to school? Govrnmnt will pay for it. Funds will b providd. You nd daycar whil you ar at work. Look to th govrnmnt; w will tak car of you. Th 2012 lction was vn mor ridiculous. If you ar going to a school that costs in xcss of $30,000 a yar, thn thr was vn th promis to forc thm to pay for your birth control. So, making a prson fl as though thy hav bn victimizd by on political party, and promising that thy, of th othr party, will fix that that s nothing nw. This narrativ taks plac 4000 yars ago, and that is xactly what Absalom is doing. Eccls. 1:9 11 What has bn is what will b, and what has bn don is what will b don; thr is nothing nw undr th sun. Can on say about anything, "Look, this is nw"? It has alrady xistd in th ags bfor us. Thr is no mmory of thos who cam bfor; and of thos who will com aftr thr will also b no mmory among thos who follow thm. Of, as was latr xprssd by Gorg Santayana, "Thos who cannot rmmbr th past, ar condmnd to rpat it," Or, as Gorg Brnard Shaw said, W larn from history that w larn nothing from history. King David and son Absalom both rprsnt two kinds of ladrship: David is a tru ladr, who articulats a vision and a dirction, and lads his popl in that dirction (although, h would listn to othrs). Absalom s vision for th futur is Absalom as king that is th sum total of his vision for Isral s futur. 22 Th NIV Study Bibl; 1995 by Th Zondrvan Corporation; p. 441 (footnot).

48 6547 Th Book of Samul Tru Ladrship Vrsus Fals Ladrship 1. A fals ladr tlls you what you want to har. A tru ladr tlls you what you nd to har. 2. A fals ladr will flattr th public; a tru ladr will mak clar his goals and objctivs. 3. So far, Absalom has intimatd that h would mak things bttr; but you will notic, h always agrd with thos whom h spok to and h nvr laid out a clar st of principls for popl to accpt or rjct. It is as if h was offring hop and chang as his fundamntal principls, which is maninglss. 4. A fals ladr dos vrything h can to obscur his goals and objctivs; a tru ladr particularly in a dmocracy will stat his tru goals and objctivs and attmpt to sll thm basd upon principl. 5. Ronald Ragan was continually spouting ovrarching principls which most Amricans agr with. Thrfor, among consrvativs, you will s him quotd oftn (as wll as our founding fathrs). On Facbook, for instanc, I can s postd by on prson or anothr, a Ragan quot almost daily. Similarly, I will s quotations from various founding fathrs almost daily postd on on wall or anothr. Ths quots xprss stablishmnt truth; and popl post thm bcaus thy s Ragan and th founding fathrs as bing tru ladrs. 6. Absalom has bn informally listning to ths court cass and agring with all of thm. Thy got scrwd and it was th fault of th Davidic courts. 7. W had this in th 2008 lction, whr Dmocrats had thir parad of victims anyon who had a difficult tim in 2008 and prior, and thn proclaiming it was Gorg W. Bush s fault. 8. Thir candidat, Barack Obama, had a similar approach. Whn running in th primary, h prsntd himslf as bing solidly to th lft. In th gnral lction, almost ovrnight, h bgan to prsnt himslf as a vry modrat candidat. H prsntd th Barack Obama most accptabl to his audinc at that tim. 9. You cannot simultanously agr with a crowd and lad that crowd. You cannot simply listn to public opinion in ordr to lad that sam public. Somtims public opinion is wrong, and you hav to shap public opinion. 10. A man who catrs to you is not a ladr. 11. In our dmocracy, whn you hav a st of principls that you bliv ar corrct, but th public is against you, you attmpt to sll th public on ths principls. You xplain your principls and you lay out carful justification for thm. Gorg W. Bush should hav don this whn h was trying to push through Social Scurity rform or looking into th practics of FNMA and FHLMC. Evn though h was corrct on both principls, h mad littl or no attmpt to inform and sway th public. 1) As an asid, librals oftn push back against Gorg Bush for his dsir to privatiz Social Scurity, saying, "And look what would hav happnd to vryon's mony had thy put it in th markt. It would hav lost narly half its valu." This is bcaus thr was a dramatic crash in th stock markt at th nd of Bush's trm. Two points nd to b mad: (1) This crash cam about bcaus of horribl practics in FNMA and FHLMC, which, in part, tankd th markt; and (2) social scurity invstors would still hav som mony. Th mony that you pay into social scurity is not put into som kind of lockbox somwhr and savd for you whn you rach ag 65 thr is no lockbox; thr is no govrnmnt savings account with your nam on it. Congrss spnds vry dim that you snd thm, no mattr what thy claim it is for, and thn som. Evry dim you hav put into social scurity has alrady bn spnt. It is gon. All of it. Your social scurity dpnds upon th nxt fw gnrations agring that social scurity is a good thing and that thy should continu to pay into it. 12. A tru ladr can function among thos h agrs with and disagrs with. Ronald Ragan workd oftn with th othr sid and hammrd out dals. Whn Bill Clinton was facd with a Congrss of th othr party, h workd with thm and hammrd out dals (although it was difficult to ascrtain what h rally blivd in). Our currnt prsidnt, Barack Obama, almost nvr contacts mmbrs of th opposing party, and has vn calld thm in ssntially to lctur thm. Early on in his prsidncy, whn working with consrvativs with whom h disagrd, ssntially said, I won and you lost; on at last two occasions. 13. Whn th blind lads th blind, thy both fall into th ditch. Luk 6: A tru ladr spouss principls of divin stablishmnt; a fals ladr, whn quoting th Bibl, will narly always tak a quot out of its contxt or giv it a maning diffrnt than what is found in Scriptur.

49 2Samul Tru Ladrship Vrsus Fals Ladrship I am my brothr s kpr as Barack Obama has quotd on svral occasions, actually rfrs to th fact that w ought to b willing to hlp thos who ar around us. H uss this quot to suggst that th rich should b paying mor in taxs. H has not hlpd out his own half-brothr. 15. A tru ladr has spcific idas and principls, which, in a dmocracy, is a part of his platform. A fals ladr in a dmocracy will attmpt to obscur his idas and principls, or watr thm down to mak th palatabl to th hoi polloi. 16. Socialists ar naturally dishonst. Whatvr th public is subjctd to bcaus of thir politicizs, thy will not subjct thmslvs to. Lnin and Stalin do not s thmslvs as qual to th rabbl. 17. In th Unitd Stats, a tru prsidnt is simultanously a ladr and a man who is a srvant of th popl. Jsus illustratd that H Himslf was a srvant -ladr in Matt. 20:25 28 John 13: A prson who simply wants to boss vryon around is not a ladr. A prson who is not willing to dbat th argumnts of th past is not a ladr. Paul dscribs th attitud that w ought to hav: Don't act out of slfish ambition or b concitd. Instad, humbly think of othrs as bing bttr than yourslvs. Don't b concrnd only about your own intrsts, but also b concrnd about th intrsts of othrs. Hav th sam attitud that Christ Jsus had. Although h was in th form of God and qual with God, h did not tak advantag of this quality. Instad, h mptid himslf by taking on th form of a srvant, by bcoming lik othr humans, by having a human apparanc. H humbld himslf by bcoming obdint to th point of dath, [vn His] dath on a cross (Philip. 2:3 8; God s Word mostly). 19. Absalom is slling himslf as king of Isral basd upon two things: his good looks and his ability to connct wll with popl, nithr of which is maningful as good ladrship qualitis. On thing I hav noticd, particularly in th past dcad or so is, both Dmocratic and Rpublican candidats ar looking mor and mor attractiv (I am rfrring not only to th prsidnt, but to govrnors, thos in high offic blow th govrnor; and mmbrs of Congrss I writ this in 2012 whn this is particularly tru of th Rpublican party). 20. If th popl ar arrogant, thn thy will follow an arrogant man who is not truly a ladr. Absalom s ntir platform in his rign as king ovr Isral, albit short, will simply b to gt rid of his fathr. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins And h was in coming a man to bow down to him, and h strtchd out his hand, and h taks a hold to him, and h kisss to him. 2Samul 15:5 And it was whn a man cam to bow down to him, that Absalom [lit., h] would rach out his hand [to lift thm up], or h would mbrac him, or h would kiss him. And it was whnvr a man cam to bow bfor Absalom that h would, instad, rach out his hand or h would mbrac him or h would kiss him. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Morovr whn any man cam to him to salut him, h put forth his hand, and took him, and kissd him. And h was in coming a man to bow down to him, and h strtchd out his hand, and h taks a hold to him, and h kisss to him. And whnvr a man aros to do him obisanc, h hld him by his hand and kissd him.

50 6549 Th Book of Samul Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And it cam to pass that whn a man cam nar to bow down to him, that h strtchd out his hand, and took hold of him, and kissd him. Th first vrbs in th Grk and Syriac ar not xactly what is found in th Hbrw, but thy ar clos in maning. Th Syriac lavs out th phras that follows Absalom strtching out his hand. That is a ky phras, bcaus it suggsts that Absalom dos not just shak his hand, but h is raching down to pull th man up. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Brkly Vrsion Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Lif Bibl Nw Living Translation Whnvr anyon cam nar to Absalom, bowing low out of rspct, h would rach his hand out, grab thm, and kiss thm. Whnvr anyon would com to Absalom and start bowing down, h would rach out and hug and kiss thm. Popl wnt to bnd down in front of Absalom, in ordr to show him honour. But Absalom rachd out his hand to ach prson and hld him. Thn Absalom kissd th prson. And if a prson cam to Absalom and startd to bow down to him, Absalom would {trat him lik a clos frind} Absalom would rach out and touch that prson and kiss him. Whn th man would approach Absalom to bow down bfor him, Absalom would rach out, tak hold of him, and kiss him. Whnvr somon would trat him with spcial honor, h'd shrug it off and trat him lik an qual, making him fl important. Furthrmor, whnvr a man approachd to prostrat himslf bfor him, h would xtnd his hand, lift him up, and kiss him. Popl would com nar Absalom to bow to him. Whn thy did, Absalom would rach out his hand and tak hold of thm and kiss thm. Whn a man cam nar to put his fac to th ground in front of him, Absalom would put out his hand and tak hold of him and kiss him. Whn popl trid to bow bfor him, Absalom wouldn't lt thm. Instad, h took thm by th hand and kissd thm. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl Nw Amrican Bibl Nw Jrusalm Bibl And whnvr som man would com and bow bfor him, h would rach out and grab him, thn kiss him. Whnvr a man approachd him to show homag, h would xtnd his hand, hold him, and kiss him. And whnvr anyon cam up to him to prostrat himslf, h would strtch out his hand, draw him to him and kiss him. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Frar-Fnton Bibl Judaica Prss Complt T. Nw Advnt Bibl As a man was bowing nar to him, h snt his hand to fortify him, and kissd him. And if any man cam nar to giv him honour, h took him by th hand and gav him a kiss. And whn a prson approachd to bow to him, h would strtch out his hand, and siz his, and salut him,... And it would b, whn a man cam nar to prostrat himslf bfor him, that h put forth his hand and took hold of him, and kissd him. Morovr whn any man cam to him to salut him, h put forth his hand, and took him, and kissd him.

51 2Samul NET Bibl Nw Hart English Bibl NIV, 2011 Whn somon approachd to bow bfor him, Absalom [Hb "h"; th rfrnt (Absalom) has bn spcifid in th translation for clarity.] would xtnd his hand and mbrac him and kiss him. It was so, that whn any man cam nar to do him obisanc, h put forth his hand, and took hold of him, and kissd him. Also, whnvr anyon approachd him to bow down bfor him, Absalom would rach out his hand, tak hold of him and kiss him. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Concordant Litral Vrsion English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl Syndin World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: And it has com to pass, in th drawing naring of any on to bow himslf to him, that h has put forth his hand, and laid hold on him, and givn a kiss to him;"... And whnvr a man cam nar to pay homag to him, h would put out his hand and tak hold of him and kiss him. And so b it, whn any man approachs to prostrat to him, h snds his hand and holds him and kisss him:... {Absalom's Condscnsion/Politicking} Now it cam to pass, whn anyon approachd to 'salut'/'do obisanc'/grt him, h {Absalom} put xtnd his hand, and tak hold of him, and 'kiss him'/'giv him th customary warm grting of th day'. {Not: Th Principal is th bibl must b intrprtd in conjunction with th tim in which it was writtn. Th normal grting in this cultur (and still in th Middl East today) was for mn to kiss whn thy grtd ach othr. Orintal culturs tnd to bow rspctfully. Wstrnrs shak hands. It is all th sam thing.}. It was so, that whn any man cam nar to do him obisanc, h put forth his hand, and took hold of him, and kissd him. And it has com to pass, in th drawing naring of any on to bow himslf to him, that h has put forth his hand, and laid hold on him, and givn a kiss to him. It appars that Absalom would not allow mn to do obisanc to him, but to lift th man up to his lvl, as if to say, W ar all qual in this land. 2Samul 15:5a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 hâyâh (äèéèä) [pronouncd haw-yaw] to b, is, was, ar; to bcom, to com into bing; to com to pass rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal prfct Strong's #1961 BDB #224 Without a spcific subjct and objct, th vrb hâyâh oftn mans and it will com to b, and it will com to pass, thn it cam to pass (with th wâw conscutiv). It may b mor idiomatically rndrd subsquntly, aftrwards, latr on, in th cours of tim, aftr which. Gnrally, th vrb dos not match th gndr whatvr narby noun could b th subjct (and, as oftn, thr is no noun narby which would fulfill th conditions of bing a subjct). h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88

52 6551 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:5a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs qârab ( ÈøÇá) [pronouncd B kaw-ra V] to com nar, to approach, to draw nar Qal infinitiv construct Strong #7126 BDB #897 îysh (àäéù) [pronouncd sh] a man, a husband; anyon; a crtain on; ach, ach on, vryon masculin singular noun (somtims found whr w would us a plural) Strong's #376 BDB #35 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 shâchah (ùèççä) [pronouncd shaw- KHAW] to bow down, to prostrat onslf, to do obisanc to; to honor [with prayrs]; to do homag to, to submit to Hiphil infinitiv construct Strong s #7812 BDB #1005 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition with th 3 rd prson masculin singular suffix BDB #510 Th manings of th lâmd prposition brokn down into groups: to, towards, unto; it is usd both to turn on s hart toward somon as wll as to sin against somon; to, vn to; in this sns, it can b usd with a numbr to indicat th uppr limit which a multitud might approach (narly). Lâmd can b quivalnt to th Grk prposition is (å ò), maning into, as in transforming into somthing ls, changing into somthing ls (Gn. 2:7). This us of lâmd aftr th vrb hâyâh (äèéèä) [pronouncd haw-yaw] (Strong s #1961 BDB #224) is on thing bcoming anothr (Gn. 2:7). Its fourth us is th mark of a dativ, aftr vrbs of giving, granting, dlivring, pardoning, consulting, snding, tc. This typ of dativ is brokn down into svral catgoris, but on includs th translation by, which would b apropos hr. With rgards to, as to. Similar to th Grk prposition is (å ò) plus th dativ. [Numbring from Gsnius]. On account of, bcaus, proptr, usd of caus and rason (proptr mans bcaus; Gsnius usd it). Concrning, about, usd of a prson or thing mad th objct of discours, aftr vrbs of saying. On bhalf of anyon, for anyon. As applid to a rul or standard, according to, according as, as though, as if. Whn associatd with tim, it rfrs to th point of tim at which or in which anything is don; or it can rfr to th spac of tim during which somthing is don (or occurs); at th tim of. Translation: And it was whn a man cam to bow down to him,... Absalom bcam wll known. H travld with this ntourag. Popl would com to mt him. It was protocol to bow down bfor royalty, and thrfor, bow down thy did. But Absalom is going to do somthing which is going to mak him sm lik a diffrnt kind of royal prsonag. 2Samul 15:5b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251

53 2Samul Samul 15:5b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs shâlach (ùèìçç) [pronouncd shaw- LAKH] to snd, to snd for [forth, away], to dismiss, to dploy, to put forth, to strtch out, to rach out rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal prfct Strong s #7971 BDB #1018 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] untranslatd gnrally; occasionally to, toward indicats that th following substantiv is a dirct objct Strong's #853 BDB #84 yâd (éèã) [pronouncd yawd] hand; figurativly for strngth, powr, control fminin singular noun rd with th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong's #3027 BDB #388 Translation:...that Absalom [lit., h] would rach out his hand [to lift thm up],... Howvr, Absalom did not want thm to fl as though thy ndd to bow bfor him. H would rach out to thm. W might think of this as a handshak, although that is not ncssarily what is going on. What Absalom was doing was raching out to lift thm up to his lvl. Thr was no uppr class in his country; Absalom was qual to th popl whom h wantd to rul ovr. Try to s this in your mind s y. A subjct coms along, ss Absalom, and thn bows down low bfor him. So, h is on th ground, ithr on his kns and bowing or sprawld out bfor Absalom, and Absalom rachs out his hand, prsumably to lift him up. W do not know whn handshaking bgan, but som of th origin storis bgin in mdival tims, which is 2000 yars aftr this priod of tim. Howvr, thr ar status and stls with handshaking occurring that go th back to th 4 cntury B.C. For all w know, w might vn b in on th first handshaking to occur in human history right in this passag. 2Samul 15:5c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and; vn; in particular, namly; whn, sinc, sing, though; so, thn, thrfor; or, but yt; who, which; or; that, in that; with simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 châzaq (çèæç ) [pronouncd khaw- ZAHK] to tak hold [of somthing], to grab, to hold fast, to gain [tak] possssion of; to strngthn, to mak strong, to support; to rpair; to display strngth [powr]; to prvail [upon] rd 3 prson masculin singular, Hiphil prfct Strong s #2388 BDB #304 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition with th 3 rd prson masculin singular suffix BDB #510 Th lâmd prposition hr acts vry much lik th sign of a dirct objct.

54 6553 Th Book of Samul Translation:...or h would mbrac him,... H might mbrac th prson who has com to him. Hav you sn politicians do this? Many tims. W do not know if Absalom dos th lifting up and thn th mbracing, or, somtims h dos on, but not th othr. But, again, th concpt of quality is radiatd. Th mbrac tlls th man, W r qual, my brothr; I am not highr than you as royalty. So that thr is no misundrstanding, Absalom dos not s himslf qual to any of ths popl. This is salsmanship, not ladrship. This is a rus to win thir favor. Rcall that Satan attmptd to sll th woman on quality as wll. If you at th fruit, you will know what God knows. 2Samul 15:5d Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and; vn; in particular, namly; whn, sinc, sing, though; so, thn, thrfor; or, but yt; who, which; or; that, in that; with simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 nâshaq (ðèùç ) [pronouncd naw- SHAHK] to kiss, to touch, to hav clos contact with rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal prfct Strong s #5401 BDB #676 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition with th 3 rd prson masculin singular suffix BDB #510 Th lâmd prposition hr acts vry much lik th sign of a dirct objct. Translation:...or h would kiss him. And, in thos days, you kissd your parnts and clos frinds and rlativs; and that is what Absalom would do with his potntial subjcts. A littl gross to m, but that was th cultur of th day. Again, Absalom is convying th ida of quality. It is hr whr th lss litral translations ar hlpful. Whn I was first savd, I bliv that th most litral, most carful word-for-word translation was always th bst. I hav sinc changd my mind about this. Hr, w can rad what th mor lax translations hav don, and w gt a bttr ida what is going on, dspit th cultural diffrncs. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Living Translation Popl wnt to bnd down in front of Absalom, in ordr to show him honour. But Absalom rachd out his hand to ach prson and hld him. Thn Absalom kissd th prson. And if a prson cam to Absalom and startd to bow down to him, Absalom would {trat him lik a clos frind} Absalom would rach out and touch that prson and kiss him. Whn th man would approach Absalom to bow down bfor him, Absalom would rach out, tak hold of him, and kiss him. Whnvr somon would trat him with spcial honor, h'd shrug it off and trat him lik an qual, making him fl important. Whn popl trid to bow bfor him, Absalom wouldn't lt thm. Instad, h took thm by th hand and kissd thm.

55 2Samul In th translations abov, it is clar that many of ths words ar not found in th Hbrw. Howvr, this givs us a bttr ida about what is going on. Absalom is convying th ida, W ar all qual hr, brothr; I am no bttr than you ar. W ar all comrads hr. Now, this is not what Absalom blivs. This is what h dos in ordr to manipulat th masss. So, popl who mt Absalom would com back and tll thir frinds and family, Lt m tll you, this Absalom fllow, h s approachabl. H s just a rgular guy. Othrs would say, You know, h s th kind of guy you could hav a br with. This is a point that nds to b drivn hom, bcaus thr ar no writtn commntaris that I am awar of 23 which mak this connction. Th Importanc of 2Samual 14: Sam. 14:33 rads: Joab wnt to th king and told him. So David summond Absalom, who cam to th king and bowd down with his fac to th ground bfor th king. Thn th king kissd Absalom. 2. Prior to this, Absalom was strangd from King David. David allowd Absalom back into Jrusalm, but h would not s him. David would not forgiv him; David would not bring him into court for a final adjudication; David just mad it known that Absalom was not to com to th palac. This wnt on for 2 yars. Absalom liv in Jrusalm, but h could not com and s th king. 2Sam. 14:28 3. W know that Absalom is a clvr man of plots; for two yars h hatchd a plot to kill his half-brothr Amnon and carrid it out with th unwitting hlp of his fathr. 2Sam. 13: So, Absalom, who is far lss sntimntal than his fathr, thought about his plac in Jrusalm, and dcidd that h could bcom king as a young man, and so h hatchd a plot to bring that to pass. 5. H has to hav a fr hand to bring this plot to fruition. H could not do this as th strangd son of David. H ndd accss to castl Zion; h ndd to b abl to talk frly to th popl of Isral as thy walkd in and out of th courtroom (it was an opn courtroom at th gat of th city). And Absalom ndd an ntourag to mak himslf appar to b a king. H could not do this as David s strangd son; that would arous suspicions. 6. As David s favord son, h could bgin acting lik th king s son; lik a king-in-waiting. David, th ovrindulgnt fathr, would notic this, but not think much about it. 7. So, onc Absalom rcognizd that h ndd to b clos to his fathr David, h ndd to s his fathr. 8. Absalom had on ally insid Castl Zion and that was Joab. Whn Joab rfusd to answr his mssags, Absalom took what appars to b a ptulant act. Howvr, givn what Absalom ndd from Joab and thn David, this was not an act of angry frustration, but an act calculatd to gt him into th palac with his fathr David. 9. Onc Absalom was in th palac with David, h, with vry littl ffort, was abl to play his fathr. Absalom figurd h could show up, do obisanc, and his fathr David would b unabl to hlp himslf. H would hav to accpt Absalom back as his blovd son. 10. In othr words, Absalom was not thinking 2 or 3 stps ahad; h was thinking 5 or 6 stps ahad. Whatvr you may think of Absalom prsonally, do not undrstimat his intllignc or his forthought. So thr is no misundrstanding, Absalom is not th prodigal son hr. Th prodigal son cam back in tru humility, willing and abl to work as a srvant for his fathr. Absalom just fakd it. H would not b claning out hors or mul barns; h would not b drawing watr or mptying out wast containrs. Absalom was not willing to do srvil work; h ndd his fathr s approval and affction in ordr to procd. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Quit obviously, Absalom dos not hav anywhr nar th sam affction for David as David has for him. David is just a mans to an nd, and h no doubt anticipats killing his fathr in battl. This is what is in Absalom s soul right hr, right now; and whn his fathr kissd him. 23 It is crtainly possibl that I skimmd ovr a commntator who mad this point and missd it.

56 6555 Th Book of Samul On could mak th cas that Absalom is a victim of injustic, and that David did not dal with him proprly. This was taught in th prvious chaptr. Th ky was not a full forgivnss but a just vrdict rndrd in an opn court by David. But, rgardlss of David s shortcomings and failur as a fathr, Absalom is now an adult. Thrfor, Absalom is rsponsibl for his own dcisions. Application: You may hav had th worst hom lif and th lousist parnts in th human rac. And many popl ar willing to giv you slack bcaus of this mayb up to ag 16. Howvr, thr is a point at which you nd to assum rsponsibility for your own lif, no mattr what has happnd to you. Absalom is, without a doubt, an adult, and th dcisions that h maks will bring him to his own violnt dath. Onc you ar an adult, you hav to grow up, lousy parntal guidanc or not. Application: Evryon has stbacks in thir lif; vryon has facd injustic; vryon has had a bad brak. What can God do about it? H can mix all things togthr for good to thos who lov Him (Rom. 8:28). Lt m suggst a rathr odd paralll hr: Satan, whn h is lt out of his bondag aftr th arth has bn njoying 1000 yars of prfct nvironmnt, will com to th popl of th world and offr thm a bttr dal, if thy would just rvolt against Jsus Christ, who will b ruling th world on David s thron from Jrusalm. Thr will b prfct nvironmnt at this tim (Isa. 11:1 13). And still, Satan will com in and sway th popl of th arth to turn against God and to rvolt against Him in th Gog/Magog rvolution (Rv. 19:11 16). Popl, vn undr prfct nvironmnt, can b ld astray. And so dos Abraham as th word th this to all Isral who cam for judgmnt unto th king. And so stals Absalom a hart of mn of Isral. 2Samul 15:6 So, according to this mannr, Absalom dalt with all Isral who cam to th king for judgmnt. Thrfor, Absalom dcivd th harts of th mn of Isral. As so dscribd, Absalom intractd with all Isral who cam to th king for judgmnt. In this way, Absalom dcivd th mn of Isral. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And this h did to all Isral that cam for judgmnt, to b hard by th king, and h nticd th harts of th mn of Isral. And so dos Abraham as th word th this to all Isral who cam for judgmnt unto th king. And so stals Absalom a hart of mn of Isral. And in this mannr did Absalom to all th Isralits who cam to th king for judgmnt; so Absalom stol th harts of th mn of Isral. And Absalom did aftr this mannr to all Isral that cam to th king for judgmnt; and Absalom gaind th harts of th mn of Isral. Th English translation from th Syriac has Isralits rathr than all Isral. Although th final vrbs notd abov ar slightly diffrnt, thy ar not that diffrnt. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. This is how Absalom tratd vry Isralit who cam to th king sking justic. This is how Absalom stol th harts of th Isralits. That's how h tratd vryon from Isral who brought a complaint to th king. Soon vryon in Isral likd Absalom bttr than thy likd David.

57 2Samul Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Brkly Vrsion Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Lif Bibl Absalom did that to all th Isralits who cam to King David for judgmnt. In this way, Absalom won th harts of all th popl of Isral. Absalom did this with vry Isralit who cam to th king for judgmnt, and so h won thir loyalty. Absalom did this to vryon who cam to do businss with th king and stol th harts of vryon in Isral. Absalom actd lik this for all th Isralits who wr coming to th king for judgmnt, and so h stol away th loyalty of th mn of Isral. Absalom did this to all th *Isralits who cam to th king for a dcision. It was as if Absalom stol th popl of *Isral. Thy lovd him and thy bcam loyal to him. H actd this way toward all thos of Isral who cam with a problm for th king to judg. So Absalom bcam frinds with th mn of Isra. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl Christian Community Bibl God s Word Nw Amrican Bibl NIRV Nw Jrusalm Bibl Nw Simplifid Bibl Rvisd English Bibl Wll, AbSalom was doing this to vryon from IsraEl who cam to th king for a judgmnt, and h was winning th harts of th mn of IsraEl. Absalom did this to all Isralits who cam to th tribunal of th king, winning thir harts for himslf. This is what h did for all Isralits who cam to th king to hav him try thir cas. So Absalom stol th harts of th popl of Isral. By bhaving in this way toward all th Isralits who cam to th king for judgmnt, Absalom was staling th hart of Isral. Absalom did that to all of th popl of Isral who cam to th king with thir cass or claims. That's why th harts of th popl wr turnd toward him. Absalom actd lik this with vry Isralit who appald to th king's tribunal, and so Absalom won th Isralits' harts. Absalom did this with vry Isralit who cam to th king for judgmnt. That way h won thir loyalty. By bhaving lik this to vry Isralit who sought justic from th king, Absalom stol th affctions of th popl. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Frar-Fnton Bibl HCSB Nw Advnt Bibl NET Bibl Nw Hart English Bibl NIV UK Th Scripturs 1998 Absalom did this word for anyon in Isral that cam to th king for vrdicts. Absalom stol th hart of th mn of Isral. And this Absalom did to vryon in Isral who cam to th king to hav his caus judgd: so Absalom, lik a thif, took away th harts of th mn of Isral....and by this mans, Absalom mad himslf popular to all Isral who cam for justic to th king. Thus Absalom stol th harts of th popl of Isral. Absalom did this to all th Isralits who cam to th king for a sttlmnt. So Absalom stol th harts of th mn of Isral. And this h did to all Isral that cam for judgmnt, to b hard by th king, and h nticd th harts of th mn of Isral. Absalom actd this way toward vryon in Isral who cam to th king for justic. In this way Absalom won th loyalty [Hb "stol th hart."] of th citizns [Hb "th mn."] of Isral. Absalom did this sort of thing to all Isral who cam to th king for judgmnt. So Absalom stol th harts of th mn of Isral. Absalom bhavd in this way towards all th Isralits who cam to th king asking for justic, and so h stol th harts of th popl of Isral. And Ab?shalom did this to all Yisra l who cam to th sovrign for right-ruling. And Ab?shalom stol th harts of th mn of Yisra l.

58 6557 Th Book of Samul Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Grn s Litral Translation LTHB Syndin World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: And Absalom actd this way to all Isral who cam in to th king for judgmnt. And Absalom stol th hart of th mn of Isral. And Absalom actd this way to all Isral who cam in to th king for judgmnt. And Absalom stol th hart of th mn of Isral. Consquntly, Absalom bhavd in th mannr, to all Isral who cam to th king for justic and so Absalom stol th harts/'right lobs' of th mn of Isral. {Not: Apparntly th judicial systm at this point was ovrwork and possibly vn unjust. Incomptncy in th govrnmnt and th building of a hug incomptnt buraucracy is a govrnmnt asking for rvolution.}. In this mannr Absalom did to all Isral who cam to th king for judgmnt: so Absalom stol th harts of th mn of Isral. And Absalom dos according to this thing to all Isral who com in for judgmnt unto th king, and Absalom stals th harts of th mn of Isral. By ths simpl acts, Absalom got many popl to think that h was rally a grat guy and potntially a grat ladr. 2Samul 15:6a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 âsâh (òèùéèä) [pronouncd ìaw-sawh] to do, to mak, to construct, to fashion, to form, to prpar, to manufactur rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #6213 BDB #793 Th full st of Qal manings from BDB: to do, work, mak, produc; to do; to work; to dal (with); to act, act with ffct, ffct; to produc; to prpar; to mak (an offring); to attnd to, put in ordr; to obsrv, clbrat; to acquir (proprty); to appoint, ordain, institut; to bring about; to us; to spnd, pass. All of th BDB Qal manings for this word ar: 1a1) to do, work, mak, produc; 1a1a) to do; 1a1b) to work; 1a1c) to dal (with); 1a1d) to act, act with ffct, ffct; 1a2) to mak; 1a2a) to mak; 1a2b) to produc; 1a2c) to prpar; 1a2d) to mak (an offring); 1a2) to attnd to, put in ordr; 1a2f) to obsrv, clbrat; 1a2g) to acquir (proprty); 1a2h) to appoint, ordain, institut; 1a2i) to bring about; 1a2j) to us; 1a2k) to spnd, pass. Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5 kaph or k (ëìà) [pronouncd k ] lik, as, just as; according to, aftr; about, approximatly; combind with an infinitiv, it can also tak on th maning as, oftn, whn, as soon as prposition of comparison, rsmblanc or approximation BDB #453 dâbâr (ãìèáèø) [pronouncd b daw -VAWR] word, saying, doctrin, thing, mattr, command; businss, occupation; cas; somthing; mannr masculin singular noun Strong's #1697 BDB #182

59 2Samul Samul 15:6a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs zh (ææä) [pronouncd zh] hr, this, this on; thus; possibly anothr masculin singular dmonstrativ adjctiv with a dfinit articl Strong s #2088, 2090 (& 2063) BDB #260 Togthr, dâbâr zh man this thing, this mattr, this command. lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] vry, ach, all of, all; any of, any masculin singular construct not followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 Yis râ êl (éäùòàøçàåì) [pronouncd yis-raw- ALE] God prvails; contndr; soldir of God; translitratd Isral masculin propr noun Strong s #3478 & #3479 BDB #975 Translation: So, according to this mannr, Absalom dalt with all Isral... Absalom found this to b a profitabl plac to spak to fllow Isralits. It was a frtil fild in which to find supportrs. Thy walkd out of court mad, wanting to vnt; and thy spok to Absalom. This mad thm fl a bit bttr. Thy bliv h is a rgular guy and h is a guy who cars. H is right thr, right whr thy fac a court that is stackd against thm, and h cars. Th implication is, thr was a problm in th courts; a backlog, and it is possibl that not all mn got a fair haring for thir grivancs. Howvr, as notd bfor, in any court cas, all you nd to do is just talk to th losr, and thy ll b glad to tll you how thy fl, and happy to har that you agr with thm. Application: Hav you vr votd for a politician bcaus you bliv that h cars for you and is concrnd about your problms? Absalom appard to car about thos who walkd out of th court. 2Samul 15:6b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs ãshr (àâéùæø) [pronouncd uh-sher] that, which, whn, who, whom rlativ pronoun Strong's #834 BDB #81 bôw (áìåéà) [pronouncd boh] to com in, to com, to go in, to go, to ntr, to advanc rd 3 prson masculin plural, Qal imprfct Strong s #935 BDB #97 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 mîsh pâþ (îäùàôìèè) [pronouncd mish - PAWT] judgmnt, justic, a vrdict rndrd by a judg, a judicial dcision, a judicial sntnc, a vrdict, a judgmnt of th court masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong's #4941 BDB #1048

60 6559 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:6b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs l (àæì) [pronouncd hl] unto; into, among, in; toward, to; against; concrning, rgarding; bsids, togthr with; as to dirctional prposition (rspct or dfrnc may b implid) Strong's #413 BDB #39 mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 Translation:...who cam to th king for judgmnt. Th popl that Absalom focusd on wr thos who had to go to court. In many cass, this mans thy travls 20 or 40 or vn 60 mils; and thn, onc thy arriv, thy los thir court cas, or thy ar not givn a haring, for whatvr rason. So ths ar popl who ar upst. So Absalom spok with th malcontnts; h shot th brz with thm. H tratd thm as quals; and h sympathizd with thir problms and agrd with thir grivancs. In this way, thos who spok to Absalom walkd away imprssd by him. Now, rcall that Absalom was a handsom young man; and h was apparntly vry prsonabl whn h chos to b. H knw how to work a room, as it wr. So ths popl that h mt and spok with, wnt back hom, and thy told all of thir frinds and family what a nic young man Absalom is, and how h would mak a grat judg, or mayb king. 2Samul 15:6c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 gânab (âìèðçá) [pronouncd B gaw-nah V] to stal [away]; to dciv rd 3 prson masculin singular, Pil imprfct Strong s #1589 BDB #170 Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] untranslatd gnrally; occasionally to, toward indicats that th following substantiv is a dirct objct Strong's #853 BDB #84 lêb (ìåá) [pronouncd b lay v] hart, innr man, mind, will, thinking; midst masculin singular construct Strong's #3820 BDB #524 ãnâshîym (àâðèùäéí) [pronouncd uh-nawshm]; also splld îyshîym (àäéùäéí) [pronouncd -SHEEM] mn; inhabitants, citizns; companions; soldirs, followrs masculin plural construct Strong's #376 BDB #35

61 2Samul Samul 15:6c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs Yis râ êl (éäùòàøçàåì) [pronouncd yis-raw- ALE] God prvails; contndr; soldir of God; translitratd Isral masculin propr noun Strong s #3478 & #3479 BDB #975 Translation: Thrfor, Absalom dcivd th harts of th mn of Isral. Th vrb hr can man to stal, to dciv. Absalom dcivd th thinking of all thos who talkd with him. Thy lft th court yard bliving Absalom to b a kind man, a ral guy, somon who was not so hoity-toity, and a guy you could hav a br with. In this way, h dcivd th thinking of th popl. Absalom wantd powr and h wantd it now. H did not car how h got it. Th popl who spok to him wr dcivd; and h did not arn thir loyalty, h stol it. Clark writs: His mannr of doing this is circumstantially rlatd abov. H was thoroughly vrsd in th arts of th dmagogu; and th common popl, th vil mass, hard him gladly. H usd th patriot s argumnts, and was vry thing of th kind, as far as promis could go. H found fault with mn in powr; and h only wantd thir plac, lik all othr prtndd patriots, that h might act as 24 thy did, or wors. Or, as Pool put it: [Absalom] scrtly and subtlty undrmind his fathr, and robbd his fathr of th good opinions and affctions of his popl, that h might gain thm to himslf, by such 25 insinuations into thir affctions, by his plausibl and ovr-civil carriag. And J. Vrnon McG said: Absalom is a tru politician, isn t h? That is th way man mn gt lctd to offic today. Thy hav no qualifications othr than thy fact that thy ar good at 26 handshaking and back slapping. Guzik sums this up quit wll. Guzik on How Absalom Stol th Harts of th Mn of Isral H carfully cultivatd an xciting, nticing imag (chariots and horss, and fifty mn to run bfor him) H workd hard (Absalom would ris arly) H knw whr to position himslf (bsid th way to th gat) H lookd for troubld popl (anyon who had a lawsuit) H rachd out to troubld popl (Absalom would call to him) H took a prsonal intrst in th troubld prson (What city ar you from?) H sympathizd with th prson (your cas is good and right) H nvr attackd David dirctly (no dputy of th king to har you) H lft th troubld prson mor troubld (no dputy of th king to har you) Without dirctly attacking David, Absalom promisd to do bttr (Oh, that I wr mad judg in th land, and vryon who has any suit or caus would com to m; thn I would giv him justic) Lt m appnd this with two vrss: Rom. 16:18 For such popl do not srv our Lord Christ but thir own apptits, and by smooth talk and flattring words thy dciv th harts of th unsuspcting. 2Ptr 2:3 In thir grd [for powr, in Absalom s cas] thy will xploit you with dcptiv words. Thir condmnation, pronouncd [by God] long ago, is not idl, and thir dstruction dos not slp. (Both HCSB) Adam Clark, Commntary on th Bibl; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:6. Matthw Pool, English Annotations on th Holy Bibl; h1685; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:6. J. Vrnon McG; I & II Samul; Thru th Bibl Books; hetrnal lif Camino Prss, 1976, La Vrn, CA; p. 246.

62 6561 Th Book of Samul From: David Guzik s Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; courtsy of -sword; 2006; 2Sam. 15:1 37. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins I want you to think back about David and his rising to th thron. As long as Saul was aliv, Saul was king, and David always showd him propr dfrnc (with on xcption on on occasion). David had two chancs whr h could hav killd Saul, and it would hav bn so asy for him to rationaliz such an act (as Saul was forvr chasing him and trying to kill him). It would hav bn so asy for David to say, Th Lord has dlivrd Saul to m; blssd b th nam of th Lord. And thn plung his sword into Saul s blly. But David did not do that. H would not lift his hand against th Lord s anointd. But Absalom? That is a whol diffrnt story. If Absalom had a chanc to kill his fathr, h would hav don it in an instant. Thr would b no thought to God; no thought to what is right or wrong; thr is just powr, and it is thr for him to tak, so h would tak it. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Absalom's Rvolt Bgins in Hbron And so h is from an nd of forty [probably four] a yar and so says Absalom unto th king, Lt m go, plas, and so I complt my vow which I vowd to Y howah in Hbron. 2Samul 15:7 And it is aftr [lit., from] th nd of four yars that Absalom said to th king, Lt m go, plas, so that I can complt in Hbron my vow that I vowd to Y howah. And aftr four yars passd, Absalom said to th king, Plas allow m to go to Hbron, so that I can complt my vow that I vowd to th Lord. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Brnton s Sptuagint Significant diffrncs: And aftr forty yars, Absalom said to king David: Lt m go, and pay my vows which I hav vowd to th Lord in Hbron. And so h is from an nd of forty [probably four] a yar and so says Absalom unto th king, Lt m go, plas, and so I complt my vow which I vowd to Y howah in Hbron. And it cam to pass aftr four yars Absalom said to th king, Lt m go and fulfil my vow which I hav vowd to th LORD, in Hbron;... And it cam to pass aftr forty yars, that Absalom said to his fathr, I will go now, and pay my vows, which I vowd to th Lord in Hbron. And it cam to pass aftr forty yars, that Abssalom said to his fathr, I will go now, and pay my vows, which I vowd to th Lord in Chbron. Both th Syriac and, apparntly, on vrsion of th LXX, hav four yars rathr than forty. Most ancint vrsions undrstand that Absalom is making a rqust. In th English translation from th Grk, it appars as if Absalom is simply informing his fathr of what h is going to do. W hav pay my vows rathr than complt my vows in th English translation from th Grk and Latin. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass:

63 2Samul Contmporary English V. Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Living Translation Four yars latr, Absalom said to David, "Plas, lt m go to Hbron. I hav to kp a promis that I mad to th LORD,... Aftr four yars [Som ancint writings say "40 yars."], Absalom said to King David, Plas lt m go to complt my spcial promis that I mad to th Lord at Hbron. Aftr four yars Absalom said to King David, "Sir, lt m go to Hbron and kp a promis I mad to th LORD. Aftr four yars of this, Absalom spok to th king, "Lt m go to Hbron to pay a vow that I mad to GOD. Aftr four yars Absalom said to King David, "Plas lt m go to Hbron. I want to carry out my promis that I mad to th LORD... Aftr four yars [As in Grk and Syriac vrsions; Hbrw rads forty yars.], Absalom said to th king, "Lt m go to Hbron to offr a sacrific to th LORD and fulfill a vow I mad to him. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: God s Word Nw Amrican Bibl Nw Simplifid Bibl Four yars latr Absalom said to th king, "Lt m go to Hbron and kp th vow I mad to th LORD. Conspiracy in Hbron. Aftr a priod of four yars, Absalom said to th king: "Plas lt m go to Hbron and fulfill a vow I mad to th LORD. Aftr four yars Absalom said to King David:»My lord lt m go to Hbron and kp a promis I mad to Jhovah. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English HCSB JPS (Tanakh 1985) Judaica Prss Complt T. NET Bibl NIV UK It was in th nd of forty yars: Absalom said to th king, "Plas, I go to rpay my vow which I vowd to Yahwh in Hbron. Now at th nd of four yars, Absalom said to th king, Lt m go to Hbron and giv ffct to th oath which I mad to th Lord:... Whn four yars had passd, Absalom said to th king, "Plas lt m go to Hbron to fulfill a vow I mad to th Lord. Aftr a priod of forty [Som Sptuagint manuscripts and Syriac rad four. ] yars had gon by, Absalom said to th king, Lt m go to Hbron and fulfill a vow that I mad to th LORD. And it cam to pass at th nd of forty yars; and Absalom said to th king; "Allow m to go, I bg you, and pay my vow which I hav vowd to th Lord in Hbron. Aftr four yars Absalom said to th king, "Lt m go and rpay my vow that I mad to th LORD whil I was in Hbron. Th MT has hr forty, but this is prsumably a scribal rror for four. Th contxt will not tolrat a priod of forty yars prior to th rbllion of Absalom. Th Lucianic Grk rcnsion (ôýóóáñá ôç, tssara t), th Syriac Pshitta ( arba sanin), and Vulgat (post quattuor autm annos) in fact hav th xpctd rading four yars. Most English translations follow th vrsions in rading four hr, although som (.g. KJV, ASV, NASB, NKJV), following th MT, rad forty. At th nd of four [Som Sptuagint manuscripts, Syriac and Josphus; Hbrw forty] yars, Absalom said to th king, `Lt m go to Hbron and fulfil a vow I mad to th LORD. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Th Amplifid Bibl And aftr [four] yars, Absalom said to th king, I pray you, lt m go to Hbron [his birthplac] and pay my vow to th Lord.

64 6563 Th Book of Samul English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl Frd Millr s Rvisd KJV Th Gnva Bibl Nw King Jams Vrsion Syndin World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: And at th nd of four [Sptuagint, Syriac; Hbrw forty] yars Absalom said to th king, "Plas lt m go and pay my vow, which I hav vowd to th LORD, in Hbron. And so b it, at th nd of forty yars, Abi Shalom says to th sovrign, I pray you, that I may go, and shalam th vow I vowd to Yah Vh in Hbron:... And it was at th nd four yars, (Hb. Forty yars) that Absalom said to th king, I bsch you, lt m go and pay my vow, which I hav vowd to th LORD, in Hbron. And it cam to pass aftr forty yars [Counting from th tim that th Isralits had askd a king of Samul.], that Absalom said unto th king, I pray th, lt m go and pay my vow, which I hav vowd unto th LORD, in Hbron. Now it cam to pass aftr forty [Sptuagint manuscripts, Syriac, and Josphus rad four.] yars that Absalom said to th king, "Plas, lt m go to Hbron and pay th vow which I mad to th LORD. {vv. 7-8 Absalom Dcivs His Fathr to Start Rvolution} Now it cam to pass aftr four yars {introducs nw subjct}, that Absalom spok to th king {David}, " 'Plas sir'/'i pray you', lt m go to Hbron and fulfill my vow,. It happnd at th nd of forty yars, that Absalom said to th king, plas lt m go and pay my vow, which I hav vowd to Yahwh, in Hbron. And it coms to pass, at th nd of forty yars, that Absalom says unto th king, Lt m go, I pray you, and I complt my vow, that I vowd to Jhovah in Hbron. Absalom asks th king if h can tak off to Hbron to fulfill a vow that h had mad arlir. 2Samul 15:7a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 hâyâh (äèéèä) [pronouncd haw-yaw] to b, is, was, ar; to bcom, to com into bing; to com to pass rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #1961 BDB #224 Without a spcific subjct and objct, th vrb hâyâh oftn mans and it will com to b, and it will com to pass, thn it cam to pass (with th wâw conscutiv). It may b mor idiomatically rndrd subsquntly, aftrwards, latr on, in th cours of tim, aftr which. Gnrally, th vrb dos not match th gndr whatvr narby noun could b th subjct (and, as oftn, thr is no noun narby which would fulfill th conditions of bing a subjct). min (îäï) [pronouncd mihn] from, off, out from, out of, away from, on account of, sinc, than, mor than prposition of sparation Strong's #4480 BDB #577 qêts (õ ) [pronouncd kayts] nd [usually of tim]; nd [of spac] masculin singular construct Strong s #7093 BDB #893

65 2Samul Samul 15:7a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs ar bâ îym (àçøàáèòäéí) [pronouncd ar -BAW- ÌEEM] forty undclinabl plural noun Strong s #705 BDB #917 Th masculin and fminin forms of four ar shown blow. Th ky hr ar th consonants, and not th vowls. Th vowl points wr addd to Old Tstamnt Scriptur aftr th fact. ar ba (àçøàáìçò) [pronouncd ahr -BAHÌ] four masculin singular noun; numral Strong s #702 BDB #916 ar bâ âh (àçøàáìçòèä) [pronouncd ahr -baw- ÌAW] four fminin singular noun; numral Strong s #702 BDB #916 Thr ar crtainly problms with th word hr bing forty and not four. Josphus and th Syriac vrsion and, apparntly, som vrsions of th LXX, hav four. In th Dad Sa Scrolls, this word cannot b rad, so my c a copy of th Dad Sa Scrolls has a footnot which rads: 4QSam and 4QSam prsumably had four, just as L B 27 th LXX, th Syriac, and Josphus hav. Forty is found in th MT and LXX. Most of th availabl txts B mad from th Grk ar basd up LXX (which would suggst that it is th most accurat or th bst availabl manuscript). shânâh (ùèðèä) [pronouncd shaw-naw] yar fminin singular noun Strong s #8141 BDB #1040 Translation: And it is aftr [lit., from] th nd of four yars... Thr ar a lot of problms with this vrs. If you will notic in th Hbrw xgsis abov, th Hbrw actually has forty, and a fw translations hav four. Forty yars dos not mak sns. Howvr, this would hav bn an unusual rror for a copyist to mak. H would hav had to hav addd two lttrs, éí, for this to nd up bing a forty. Now, all it taks is for this to happn on tim and for this to nd up bing th manuscript which is usd in th futur. Lt m add that, of th books of th Bibl, Samul is known for having an abundanc of rrors. Tylr Cronk (apparntly a thological studnt): Th original Masortic txts that xist hav th most rrors, omissions, and transmission rrors than any othr book in th Bibl.5 Th txts thmslvs 28 ar in bad shap and unintlligibl in many aras. First of all, 40 yars maks vry littl sns, as David will rul for 40 yars, and Absalom was born nar th bginning of David s rign. On commntator trid to masur 40 yars from som oddball, unnamd dat, but that would mak littl sns in a narrativ. Although on commntator xplains this as forty yars sinc Saul; thr ar othr masurmnts of tim as rlatd to David and Absalom which hav alrady bn usd (2Sam. 13:22, 38 14:28), so w know th tim fram of what has gon down btwn David and Absalom; it is wll laid out. So, insrting a forty hr with rfrnc to som wird tim fram would simply not fit with what has gon bfor. 27 Th Dad Sa Scrolls Bibl; translation and commntary by Martin Abgg Jr., Ptr Flint and Eugn Ulrich; Harpr SF, 1999, p From: accssd Sptmbr 27, 2012, to which h sourcs Ronald F. Youngblood, Th Expositor's Bibl Commntary: Dutronomy through 2 Samul, with th Nw Intrnational Vrsion of th Holy Bibl d. Frank Ely Gablin (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondrvan, 1992), p. 559.

66 6565 Th Book of Samul 29 Anothr rsarchr has put togthr manuscripts with 40 days instad of 40 yars (4 days, in th Hbrw, is vry clos to 40). Now, this is crtainly possibl, and allows for Absalom to spak to prhaps 300 or mor popl concrnd about thir court cass. Howvr, taking 4 yars to build up a following sms mor rasonabl to 30 m (Absalom had a larg following vry arly on 2Sam. 17:1). Our only xplanation is, this is an rror in copying, and a srious on. W hav had, so far, 3 or 4 srious rrors in th book of Samul. This rror would throw all of th othr numbrs out of whack. Now, quit likly, this was noticd by som copyists and translators. Thr ar on st of manuscripts of th Sptuagint (th arly Grk translation of th Bibl) and th much latr translation into th Syriac (at last, our copis of th Syriac ar not vry ancint). W do not know if thy workd from manuscripts that had th word four in thm or if thy just knw it could not b forty. I think th lattr is th most likly cas. This is an odd rror, but it is an rror which accomplishs nothing. That is, thr is no thological constituncy out thr who has this or that doctrin xplaind by having th word forty hr. So, thr would b no rason for somon to intntionally chang this into forty. Th only xplanation is, for whatvr rason, a copyist wrot forty instad of four. Givn what Absalom is doing slowly appaling to th popl of Isral to look upon him as th nxt king a 4 yar priod of tim sms quit rasonabl. Furthrmor w ar givn a glimps of what Absalom did to prpar for this rvolution. Thr must hav bn prparations mor xtnsiv than what w hav rad. W ar givn a fw highlights, so that w undrstand both Absalom s purpos and his ruthlssnss. Now, having bn a math tachr, I do gt into th numbrs angl now and again. W lookd at th Abbrviatd Davidic Timlin, and cam up with th follow conclusions: David is around yars of ag. This placs him th 31 at th bginning of his 4 dcad as king. If w assum that Absalom is 15 whn his sistr is rapd (thy ar quit young), h is now still vry young, bing 23 or 24. Taking th 4 yars into account, that brings him to 27 or 32 28, which is not far from th NIV Study Bibl s approximation of 30 yars. My ag approximation for Absalom is basd upon an assumption. If w assum that Absalom is 15 whn his sistr is rapd (thy ar quit young), h is now still vry young, bing 23 or 24. Taking th 4 yars into account, that brings him to 27 or 28, which is 33 not far from th NIV Study Bibl s approximation of 30 yars. My ag approximation for Absalom is basd upon an assumption. Th only problm with th rfrncs that I usd is, non of thm sm to tak ths 4 yars into 34 account. 2Samul 15:7b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB # Dr. Knnicott; s nots from Adam Clark, Commntary on th Bibl; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:7. 30 And only on commntator out of mor than a dozn that I rfr to discusss this option sriously. Kil and Dlitzsch mntion it, but dismiss it out of hand. 31 Which comports with Th NIV Study Bibl; 1995 by Th Zondrvan Corporation; p. 441 (footnot), whr this is said to b th bginning of David s last dcad as king. 32 Th NIV Study Bibl; 1995 by Th Zondrvan Corporation; p. 441 (footnot). 33 Th NIV Study Bibl; 1995 by Th Zondrvan Corporation; p. 441 (footnot). 34 I rpat this, bcaus this vrs brings tim into th quation.

67 2Samul Samul 15:7b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #559 BDB #55 Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5 l (àæì) [pronouncd hl] unto; into, among, in; toward, to; against; concrning, rgarding; bsids, togthr with; as to dirctional prposition (rspct or dfrnc may b implid) Strong's #413 BDB #39 mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 Translation:...that Absalom said to th king,... So a priod of tim gos by. Absalom hr is spaking to th king, so it indicats that h was abl to approach th king now and to talk about whatvr. W hav no ida what King David thought about Absalom s ntourag, and h may not hav ralizd that Absalom was fomnting rvolution all ths past 4 yars. His convrsation, whn takn suprficially, looks innocnt nough. On might vn undrstand that Absalom, who would somday b king, was gtting to know th judicial systm and talking to th plaintiffs and dfndants in ordr to undrstand th procss bttr. With his own childrn, David was always ovrindulgnt and h nvr gav thm th clos scrutiny that thy should hav gottn. 2Samul 15:7c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs hâlak (äèìçêà) [pronouncd haw-lahk ] to go, to com, to dpart, to walk; to advanc st 1 prson singular, Qal imprfct; voluntativ hê Strong s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 st Th hê at th nd of a 1 prson vrb is calld a cohortativ hê. W oftn add a word lik lt, may, might, ought, should. nâ (ðèà) [pronouncd naw] now; plas, I pray you, I rspctfully implor (ask, or rqust of) you, I urg you a primitiv particl of incitmnt and ntraty Strong's #4994 BDB #609 Nâ is usd for a submissiv and modst rqust. It is usd to xprss a wish (Job 32:21: Oh, that I may not nd rspct any man s prson ); to incit or to urg (Jr. 5:24); it is dprciatory whn affixd to th 2 prson with a particl of ngation (do not, I implor you s Gn. 33:10 19:18); with th it xprsss a wish or rqust (Psalm :1 SOS 7:9), a challng (Jr. 17:15), asking lav (Gn. 18:4), and dprciation with a ngation (Gn. 18:32). In many of ths xampls, w would xprss this with th addition of th word lt. Translation:... Lt m go, plas,... Clarly, Absalom could not just com and go as h plasd, but this dos not man that h cam to David vry tim h wantd to mov to th lft or to th right. Going out of town would b somthing that would rquir th king s prmission.

68 6567 Th Book of Samul 35 It ought to b notd that thr ar mn watching Absalom (s 2Sam. 15:13). Mayb thy wr assignd by David and mayb thy hav don this on thir own initiativ, but mn loyal to David know what Absalom is up to, and thy hav, no doubt, bn giving rports to David. Now, unlss David has spcifically said from th thron, Listn, guys, I know you man wll, but I don t want to har this any mor; h is gtting priodic rports on Absalom. Howvr, David is who h is, an ovrindulgnt fathr, and, no doubt, has mad xcuss for Absalom for much of this tim. H has an ntourag? Look, h s a young kid who wants to b king. H is intrviwing 36 popl nar th courthous? Mayb that is what h is intrstd in. And w hav notd that Absalom has bn vry carful about what h has said and don, acting vry circumspctly. David would hav don bttr to b mor suspicious and lss trusting. Absalom had approachd him bfor about a bbq at his ranch, which rqust ndd in th murdr of Amnon (2Sam. 13:24 27). 2Samul 15:7d Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 shâlêm ( ÒùÈì)Åí [pronouncd shaw- LAHM to mak scur, to kp saf; to complt (finish); to mak good; to rstor, to rquit, to rcompns (pay) st 1 prson singular, Pil imprfct Strong s #7999 BDB #1022 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] untranslatd gnrally; occasionally to, toward indicats that th following substantiv is a dirct objct Strong's #853 BDB #84 nêdr (ðåãæø) [pronouncd NAY-dr] a vow, a promis, a prsonal guarant, th giving of on s word of assuranc, a commitmnt masculin singular noun st with th 1 prson singular suffix Strong s #5088 BDB #623 ãshr (àâéùæø) [pronouncd uh-sher] that, which, whn, who, whom rlativ pronoun Strong's #834 BDB #81 nâdar (ðèãçø) [pronouncd naw-dahr] to vow, to mak a promis, to mak a commitmnt, to giv a word of assuranc concrning a mattr, to giv on s prsonal and honorabl guarant, to mak a solmn oath or pldg to do or not to do a thing st 1 prson singular, Qal prfct Strong s #5087 BDB #623 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 YHWH (éäåä) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-wah] translitratd variously as Jhovah, Yahwh, Y howah propr noun Strong s #3068 BDB # Although it is crtainly possibl that David will hav mn bgin to watch Absalom whn h gos to Hbron, or that this is just som frind who rports back to David; it is mor likly that popl hav bn doing this all along. 36 Again, thr is no courthous, but an opn ara nar th gat whr court cass wr hard and adjudicatd.

69 2Samul Samul 15:7d Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 Chb rôwn (çæáàøåéï) b [pronouncd kh v- ROHN] association, lagu, joind; translitratd Hbron propr noun; location Strong s #2275 BDB #289 Translation:...so that I can complt in Hbron my vow that I vowd to Y howah. David appard to xrcis som suprvision ovr Absalom, but it was limitd. At this point in tim, David sms to b as oblivious to Absalom s plans as h was whn Absalom dtrmind to kill Amnon. David is just not thinking that somthing lik this could b taking plac. What Absalom says hr is slightly problmatic, but it can b xplaind. Absalom mad this vow whn in Gshur. Howvr, h will complt th vow in Hbron. So, in Hbron ssntially is connctd to complting th vow and not rally to I vowd. I movd that phras to whr it ought to b, but it may vn suggst that Absalom is a littl nrvous bfor his fathr. I fudgd a bit on th translation for th loosr translation and cam up with: And aftr four yars passd, Absalom said to th king, Plas allow m to go to Hbron, so that I can complt my vow that I vowd to th Lord. Hbron is whr Absalom wants to go; h did not mak a vow in Hbron bcaus Hbron is south of Jrusalm, and, for svral yars, h was north of Jrusalm. Hbron was th capitol of th southrn kingdom whn David first took control of th southrn kingdom, and 37 Absalom was born thr (2Sam. 5:4 5 1Chron. 3:1 2). Thrfor, as Barns suggsts, thr will b som malcontnts living thr who wish that th capitol city was still Hbron, and som of Absalom s boyhood frinds 38 would liv thr, who might b natural allis to him. But, mostly Absalom is going thr to mor asily organiz an army which could war against David; which is somthing that h could not hav don in Jrusalm. Dspit whatvr warnings David may hav hard, th ida that his son had mad a vow and was going to Hbron to fulfill that vow was a grat thing, in David s ys. Mayb his boy was growing up and bginning to rcogniz that which is spiritual. Absalom sms to know David s blind sids: his sons and spiritual things. Hr, Absalom combins thm both, and David gos along with it. What Absalom is saying will b xplaind mor fully in th nxt vrs. For a vow vowd your srvant in my living in Gshur in Aram, to say, If rturning, rturns m Y howah [to] Jrusalm, and I hav srvd Y howah. 2Samul 15:8 For your srvant vowd a vow whn living in Gshur, in Aram (Syria), saying, If indd Y howah rturns m [to] Jrusalm, thn I will srv Y howah. For your srvant mad a vow whil living in Gshur in Aram, saying, If Jhovah indd rturns m to Jrusalm, thn I will srv Him by complting this vow. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: 37 Albrt Barns, Barns Nots on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:7. 38 Howvr, sinc David spnt only 7 yars thr, ths boyhood frinds would hav bn, at most, 7 yars old whn Absalom knw thm last.

70 6569 Th Book of Samul Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: For your srvant mad a vow, whn h was in Gssur of Syria, saying: If th Lord shall bring m again into Jrusalm, I will offr sacrific to th Lord. For a vow vowd your srvant in my living in Gshur in Aram, to say, If rturning, rturns m Y howah [to] Jrusalm, and I hav srvd Y howah. For your srvant mad a vow whil I abod at Gshur and in Aram, saying. If th LORD will bring m again indd to Jrusalm, thn I will srv th LORD. For your srvant vowd a vow whn I dwlt at Gshur in Syria, saying, If th Lord should indd rstor m to Jrusalm, thn will I srv th Lord. Th final vrb mans to srv rathr than to offr a sacrific. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Contmporary English V. Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Brkly Vrsion Nw Living Translation...whn I was living with th Aramans in Gshur. I promisd that if th LORD would bring m back to liv in Jrusalm, I would worship him in Hbron." I mad that promis whil I was still living in Gshur, Aram. I said, If th Lord brings m back to Jrusalm, thn I will srv th Lord. Whil I was living in Gshur in Syria, I promisd th LORD that if h would tak m back to Jrusalm, I would worship him in Hbron." Your srvant mad a vow whn I was living in Gshur in Aram saying, 'If GOD will bring m back to Jrusalm, I'll srv him with my lif.'" For your srvant mad a vow whil I was living at Gshur in Syria, If th LORD will rstor, will surly rstor m to Jrusalm, thn I will srv th LORD. A hypocritical li. For whil your srvant was at Gshur in Aram, I promisd to sacrific to th Lord in Hbron [As in som Grk manuscripts; Hbrw lacks in Hbron.] if h would bring m back to Jrusalm." Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Christian Community Bibl God s Word Nw Amrican Bibl NIRV Nw Jrusalm Bibl Nw Simplifid Bibl For whil I livd at Gshur in Aram, I mad this vow: If Yahwh will rally bring m back to Jrusalm, I shall go thr to worship him! I mad a vow whil I was living at Gshur in Aram. I said, 'If th LORD will bring m back to Jrusalm, I will srv th LORD.'" For whil living in Gshur in Aram, your srvant mad this vow: `If th LORD vr brings m back to Jrusalm, I will worship him in Hbron.'" 2 Sm 3:3; 13:37. Whn I was living at Gshur in Aram, I mad a promis. I said, `If th Lord taks m back to Jrusalm, I'll go to Hbron and worship him thr.'"...for, whn I was in Gshur, in Aram, your srvant mad this vow, "If Yahwh brings m back to Jrusalm, I shall pay my dvotions to Yahwh in Hbron." '»Whn I livd at Gshur in Syria (Aram), I promisd Jhovah that if h would tak m back to Jrusalm, I would worship him in Hbron.«Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Bibl in Basic English Complt Jwish Bibl Frar-Fnton Bibl For whil I was living in Gshur in Aram, your srvant mad an oath, saying, If vr th Lord lts m com back to Jrusalm, I will giv him worship in Hbron. Your srvant mad a vow whil I was staying at G'shur in Aram to th ffct that if ADONAI would bring m back to Yrushalayim, thn I would srv ADONAI." For your srvant vowd a vow whil I rsidd in Ghshur, in th land of Edom, saying, If th EVER-LIVING will rstor m to Jrusalm I will srv th EVER-LIVING.

71 2Samul HCSB JPS (Tanakh 1985) NET Bibl NIV UK For your srvant mad a vow whn I livd in Gshur of Aram, saying: If th LORD rally brings m back to Jrusalm, I will worship th LORD in Hbron." For your srvant mad a vow whn I livd in Gshur of Aram: If th LORD vr brings m back to Jrusalm, I will worship th LORD. Som Sptuagint manuscripts add in Hbron. For I mad this vow [Hb "for your srvant vowd a vow." Th formal court styl of rfrring to on's slf in third prson ("your srvant") has bn translatd hr as first prson for clarity.] whn I was living in Gshur in Aram: 'If th LORD rally dos allow m to rturn to Jrusalm, I will srv th LORD.' " Whil your srvant was living at Gshur in Aram, I mad this vow: "If th Lord taks m back to Jrusalm, I will worship th Lord in Hbron [Som Sptuagint manuscripts; Hbrw dos not hav in Hbron.]." ' Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Th Amplifid Bibl Concordant Litral Vrsion Contxt Group Vrsion English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl Th Gnva Bibl Syndin World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: For your srvant vowd whil I dwlt at Gshur in Syria, If th Lord will bring m again to Jrusalm, thn I will srv th Lord [by offring a sacrific]....for a vow has your srvant vowd in my dwlling in Gshur, in Aram, saying, If Yahwh dos crtainly bring m back to Jrusalm, thn I hav srvd Yahwh. For your slav vowd a vow whil I abod at Gshur in Syria, saying, If YHWH shall indd bring m again to Jrusalm, thn I will srv YHWH. For your srvant vowd a vow whil I livd at Gshur in Aram, saying, 'If th LORD will indd bring m back to Jrusalm, thn I will offr worship to [Or will srv] th LORD.'"...for your srvant vowd a vow whil I sttld at Gshur in Aram, saying, If in rturning, Yah Vh rturns m to Yru Shalm, thn I srv Yah Vh. For thy srvant vowd a vow whil I abod at Gshur in Syria, saying, If th LORD shall bring m again indd to Jrusalm, thn I will srv th LORD [By offring a pac-offring, which was lawful to do in any plac.]....for your srvant vowd a vow whil I abod at Gshur in Syria, thinking, "If Jhovah/God rstors m and brings m back to Jrusalm, thn I will worship Jhovah/God {in Hbron}." {Absalom is lying about th vow to God - Absalom nvr had a chang of hart this is th sin of lying + arroganc = vil... and rvolution} {Not: Th KJV says 40 yars, but RBT says 4 is th corrct numbr in th Hbrw.} {Not: Absalom nds to gt outsid of Jrusalm to start th rvolution, but still stay clos to Jrusalm so h can gathr his forcs and quickly captur Jrusalm. So it took 2 yars to gt Absalom pardond (and h formd th hard cor conspirators) and back in Jrusalm. Now aftr 4 mor yars th sds of Rvolution had takn root (th gnral public malcontnts mislad to b for Absalom and against David). Coming up, w will s that Ahithophl - th grandfathr of Bathshba - is th ral brains bhind th rvolution. Hbron was th first capital of Isral and th citizns wr dissatisfid that David movd th capital to Jrusalm. It was a prfct location to brw rvolution. Hbron is also only 20 mils from th Southrn boardr if th rvolution fails and Absalom nds to fl.}. For your srvant vowd a vow whil I abod at Gshur in Syria, saying, If Yahwh shall indd bring m again to Jrusalm, thn I will srv Yahwh....for a vow has your srvant vowd in my dwlling in Gshur, in Aram, saying, If Jhovah dos crtainly bring m back to Jrusalm, thn I hav srvd Jhovah. Absalom claims that h mad a vow whn in Gshur that h would srv th Lord if H brought Absalom back to Jrusalm.

72 6571 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:8a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs kîy (ëìäé) [pronouncd k] for, that, bcaus; whn, at that tim, which, what tim xplanatory or tmporal conjunction; prposition Strong's #3588 BDB #471 nêdr (ðåãæø) [pronouncd NAY-dr] a vow, a promis, a prsonal guarant, th giving of on s word of assuranc, a commitmnt masculin singular noun Strong s #5088 BDB #623 nâdar (ðèãçø) [pronouncd naw-dahr] to vow, to mak a promis, to mak a commitmnt, to giv a word of assuranc concrning a mattr, to giv on s prsonal and honorabl guarant, to mak a solmn oath or pldg to do or not to do a thing rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal prfct Strong s #5087 BDB #623 bd (òæáæã) [pronouncd B ÌE -vd] slav, srvant masculin singular noun nd with a 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #5650 BDB #713 h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 yâshab (éèùçá) [pronouncd yaw- B SHAH V] to rmain, to stay; to dwll, to liv, to inhabit; to sit Qal infinitiv construct st with th 1 prson singular suffix Strong's #3427 BDB #442 Th infinitiv construct, whn combind with th bêyth prposition, can oftn tak on a tmporal maning and may b rndrd whn [such and such happns]. It can srv as a tmporal markr that dnots an vnt which occurs simultanously with th action of th main vrb. h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 G shûwr (âìàùåìø) [pronouncd g sh-oor] to join; a bridg, a land of bridgs and is translitratd Gshur masculin singular propr noun Strong s #1650 BDB #178 h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 Ãrâm (àâøèí) [pronouncd uh-rawm] th highland, high rgion; xaltd; and is translitratd Aram; somtims rndrd Syria, Msopotamia propr noun, singular Strong s #758 BDB #74 Translation: For your srvant vowd a vow whn living in Gshur, in Aram (Syria),... Absalom is quit adpt at lying to David, and h lis to David hr. H claims that, whil living in Gshur (rmaining outsid of Isral, bcaus h orchstratd and ordrd th killing of his half-brothr, Amnon), h mad a vow to God.

73 2Samul If David is not suspicious of Absalom, w ought to b. Why W Know Absalom is Lying 1. Absalom making such a vow is not rcordd in Scriptur. 2. Absalom fulfilling such a vow is not rcordd in Scriptur, xcpt for a slight mntion in v. 12, which would hav bn in conjunction with his conspiracy. 3. Th txt tlls us that 4 yars hav gon by; so, if Absalom mad a vow to God if God brought him back to Jrusalm, why is h just gtting around to fulfilling this vow now? Wouldn t that hav bn at th top of his list of things to do. 4. Absalom simply nds a rason to go to Hbron so that h can mor asily organiz his rbllion against David. This organizing is rcordd in vv of this chaptr. 5. Thrfor, what Absalom dos is simply to function as covr for his organizing a rbllion. 6. Absalom shows littl intrst in God, and, insofar as I can rcall, this is th only plac Absalom spaks of God and hr, h uss God as a covr for his rvolution. 7. Absalom cannot simply lav town without this arousing suspicions in his fathr; thrfor, in making such a mov, h nds to go to his fathr first. Saying that this is all about a rligious vow is just th right thing to blind-sid his fathr David. Absalom is a mastr manipulator, and h knows this will caus David to agr to him going to Hbron, if it is for rligious rasons. 8. Thr is nothing in Hbron which is particularly rlatd to th worship of Y howah. Th Ark is in Jrusalm and th Tabrnacl is in Gibon. 2Sam Chron. 15:1 3, 12 16:1, 37 1Chron. 15:26 1Kings 3:4 1Chron. 16:39 21:29 2Chron. 1:3 9. Th last tim that Absalom cam to David to ask about going out of town, h usd that xcus to lur Amnon up to a BBQ at his ranch to kill him. 2Sam. 13:24 27 Absalom is abl to do two things wll: li and manipulat othrs. Put thos togthr, and you hav a con man, which is what Absalom is. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins 39 Map of Gshur, Aram: Now, on 40 commntator maks a big dal about how this cannot b Gshur of Aram (Syria). Howvr, this is a portion of a map from around this sam tim priod. Th bordrs of countris changs from tim to tim, and, during othr ras, Syria was prtty much du north of Isral. Hr, thr trritory is northast of Isral, which Gshur bing at its southwst cornr. Now, as an asid, you may ask, Why us a sourc who msss up somthing lik this? Whras all Bibl commntators crtainly do not hav qual valu, vry commntator has mad a mistak at som point in tim. Aftr rfrring to commntators ovr and ovr, it bcoms obvious that som ar almost narly always mistakn whil othrs hav vry littl to say that is hlpful Map is from Bibl Atlas Maps providd in E-sword. Map 051a David s Conqust of Canaan. Adam Clark, Commntary on th Bibl; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:8.

74 6573 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:8b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think Qal infinitiv construct Strong s #559 BDB #55 îm (àäí) [pronouncd m] if, though; lo, bhold; oh that, if only; whn, sinc, though whn (or, if followd by a prfct tns which rfrs to a past vnt) primarily an hypothtical particl Strong's #518 BDB #49 yâshab (éèùçá) [pronouncd yaw- B SHAH V] to rmain, to stay; to dwll, to liv, to inhabit; to sit Qal infinitiv absolut Strong's #3427 BDB #442 Th infinitiv absolut can act as a noun, a vrb or an advrb. It taks th part of a noun, but with anothr vrb (which may or may not b in th sam stm), and it intnsifis th vrb s maning, whr it functions ithr as a complmnt of affirmation, and thrfor translatd surly or indd; or it may act as a complmnt of 41 condition, and thrfor b translatd at all, frly or indd. Th primary us of th infinitiv absolut whn found bfor its vrb is to strngthn or mphasiz. Its us dos not simply intnsify th maning of a vrb, as would a Pil, but applis an intnsification to th ntir phras. Thrfor, th infinitiv absolut strngthns th not of crtain in affirmations and in promiss or thrats, and of contrast in advrsativ or concssionary statmnts, whil it rinforcs any sns of supposition or doubt or volition prsnt in conditional clauss or qustions or wishs. For this rason, it is a charactristic of grammar gnrally not found in th narrativ. This would b usd in spch and in lttrs in ordr to mak a point. Th us of th English advrbs indd, surly, of cours, vn, rally, at all or by th addition of th modals should, could, must, may might catch th nuanc, 42 but actually ar oftn unncssarily strong. E-sword lists this as th Qal imprfct of th nxt vrb, which would b unusual. W normally do not hav two vrbs togthr unlss on is a Qal infinitiv absolut and th othr on an imprfct. Thr dos appar to b a problm with th rading of this vrb, in any cas, thr bing a qr and a kthiv rading. Most logically, this would simply b an infinitiv absolut of th following vrb, followd by th Hiphil imprfct of that sam vrb. shûwb (ùåìá) b [pronouncd shoo v] to caus to rturn, to bring, to b causd to turn back mntally, rminisc, to rturn somthing, to rstor, to bring back, to snd back, to rgain, to rcovr, to mak rstitution, rconsidr, think again, to b causd to rturn rd 3 prson masculin singular, Hiphil imprfct st with th 1 prson singular suffix Strong's #7725 BDB #996 YHWH (éäåä) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-wah] translitratd variously as Jhovah, Yahwh, Y howah propr noun Strong s #3068 BDB # Paraphrasd from Th Complt Word Study Old Tstamnt; Dr. S. Zodhiats; 1994 AMG Publishrs; p th Quotd or paraphrasd from J.C.L. Gibson, Davidson s Introductory Hbrw Grammar~Syntax; 4 Edition, T&T Clark Ltd., 1994, pp

75 2Samul Samul 15:8b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs Y rûwshâlayim (éàøåìùèìçéäí) [pronouncd y roo-shaw- LAH-yim] possibly mans foundd upon pac or city of th Jbusits (or both); it is translitratd Jrusalm propr singular noun, location Strong s #3389 BDB #436 Translation:...saying, If indd Y howah rturns m [to] Jrusalm,... Th txt hr is all mssd up, bcaus both of th radings hr ar problmatic. Th Qal infinitiv absolut of yâshab appars to b a mix up of th vrb which ought to b hr, and th vrb whn it was prviously usd in this vrs. It is rar to hav two imprfct vrbs following on anothr in quick succssion with no intrvning words, but it is vry common for a vrb to b found with is infinitiv absolut, which intnsifis th maning of that vrb (I usd th word indd). You may wondr why, in ths two rrors of this chaptr, having 40 instad of 4 and hr having th wrong vrb in this vrs should hav bn fixd. This is not what scribs did. Errors occurrd, and somtims thy would mak a notation off on th sid, Hy, I think that this ought to b instad. But, what thy would not do is fix th txt, vn whn it smd obvious that it ndd fixing. So, what w hav, mor oftn than not, ar clar rrors which bgin in on txt and continu with that txt and all of thos copid from it. Th scribs would copy xactly what was in front of thm, msstup or not. Thy would lav it to othrs to fix, xplain or whatvr in th futur. So, what I bliv should hav bn hr is th infinitiv absolut of shûwb followd by th Hiphil imprfct of th sam, as that is what w would xpct to find hr. So, Absalom is saying that h mad a vow to God, if God brought him back to Jrusalm. Bar in mind that all of this is bullcrap; Absalom mad no such vow. H nds to lav Jrusalm; h nds to lav with his ntourag, and h nds th king s prmission to do so. Absalom knows that David is a rligious man, so h figurs th bst thing to offr up in a rligious xcus. Absalom simply knows how to work his fathr, just as h can work individuals who com out of a courthous. Absalom is adpt at bing manipulativ. 2Samul 15:8c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 âbad (òèáçã) [pronouncd b ìaw -VAHD] to work, to srv, to labor; to b a slav to rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal prfct Strong's #5647 BDB #712 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] untranslatd gnrally; occasionally to, toward indicats that th following substantiv is a dirct objct Strong's #853 BDB #84 YHWH (éäåä) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-wah] translitratd variously as Jhovah, Yahwh, Y howah propr noun Strong s #3068 BDB #217

76 6575 Th Book of Samul Translation:...thn I will srv Y howah. Srving Jhovah dos not man that Absalom is going to bcom som sort of vry rligious typ of guy lik a monk; it simply mans that h is going to fulfill th rquirmnts of his vow. Thrfor, h would go to Hbron in ordr to do this. H dos not sm to giv a rason why it is Hbron that h would go to. Logically, if Absalom knw anything, h would hav said, I m going to Gibon bcaus that is whr th Tabrnacl was at this tim. S th Movmnt of th Ark and th Tabrnacl (HTML) (PDF). Or, h would hav worshipd in Jrusalm, bcaus that is whr th Ark of God was. I do not know that thr was any spiritual significanc in going to Hbron. V. 8 rads: For your srvant mad a vow whil living in Gshur in Aram, saying, If Jhovah indd rturns m to Jrusalm, thn I will srv Him by complting this vow. This is phony pious languag, as wll as a phony xcus. Absalom knw how to rad David and h knw what to say in ordr to manipulat him, and ths wr th magic words. And so says to him th king, Go in pac. And so h riss up and so h gos Hbronward. 2Samul 15:9 So th king said to him, Go in pac [and prosprity]. Thrfor, Absalom [lit., h] ros up and wnt to Hbron. So th king said to him, Go in pac and prosprity. Thrfor, Absalom got up and wnt to Hbron. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And king David said to him: Go in pac. And h aros, and wnt to Hbron. And so says to him th king, Go in pac. And so h riss up and so h gos Hbron-ward. And th king said to him, Go in pac. So h aros and wnt to Hbron. And th king said to him, Go in pac. And h aros and wnt to Hbron. Th nam David appars to b insrtd into th Latin txt. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Th Mssag Nw Brkly Vrsion Nw Living Translation "Go in pac," th king said. So Absalom lft and wnt to Hbron. David gav his prmission, and Absalom wnt to Hbron. King David said, Go in pac. Th king said, "Go with my blssing." And h got up and st off for Hbron. Th king gav him prmission, God in pac. So h lft and wnt to Hbron. "All right," th king told him. "Go and fulfill your vow." So Absalom wnt to Hbron. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: God s Word Nw Amrican Bibl Nw Jrusalm Bibl Today s NIV "Go in pac," th king told him. So h wnt to Hbron. Th king said to him, "Go in pac," and h wnt off to Hbron. Th king said to him, 'Go in pac.' So h st off and wnt to Hbron. Th king answrd, You may go ; so h st off and wnt to Hbron. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Bibl in Basic English And th king said to him, Go in pac. So h got up and wnt to Hbron.

77 2Samul Complt Jwish Bibl Frar-Fnton Bibl NET Bibl Th king said to him, "Go in pac."so h st out and wnt to Hvron. So th king rplid, God in pac! H thrfor aros and wnt. Th king rplid to him, "Go in pac." So Absalom [Hb "h"; th rfrnt (Absalom) has bn spcifid in th translation for clarity] got up and wnt to Hbron. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Emphasizd Bibl English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl Syndin Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: And th king said unto him Go and prospr! So h aros and wnt to Hbron. Th king said to him, "Go in pac." So h aros and wnt to Hbron. And th sovrign says to him, Go in shalom. And h riss and gos to Hbron:... {Criminal Manipulation} And th king rplid to him, "Go in pac/prosprity." So h {Absalom} got up {quwm - indicats 'action undr motivation' - so h statd on motivation but h had anothr motivation}, and wnt to Hbron.. And th king says to him, Go in pac; and h riss and gos to Hbron. King David allows Absalom to go to Hbron. 2Samul 15:9a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #559 BDB #55 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition with th 3 rd prson masculin singular suffix BDB #510 mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 hâlak (äèìçêà) [pronouncd haw-lahk ] go, com, dpart, walk; advanc nd 2 prson masculin singular, Qal imprativ Strong s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 shâlôwm (ùèìåéí) or shâlôm (ùèìéí) [pronouncd shaw- LOHM] compltnss, soundnss, halth and wlfar, pac, prosprity, saf, scur, tranquil, undisturbd, unagitatd masculin singular noun Strong s #7965 BDB #1022 Translation: So th king said to him, Go in pac [and prosprity]. Thr dos not appar to b any halthy suspicion in what David says hr. H simply tlls Absalom to go in pac.

78 6577 Th Book of Samul Think about this for a momnt. Absalom has bn in Jrusalm for 4 yars now; and now, h is gtting around to fulfilling som vow h mad prhaps 5 yars ago? Rally? David should hav bn xtrmly suspicious about this rqust. You will notic that, again, lik th last chaptr, w do not hav David s nam, but th titl, th king instad. David, at this point, ought to b thinking lik a king, and not lik a fathr. So th king said to Absalom, Go in pac [and prosprity]. Ths will b th last words that David vr says to Absalom. 2Samul 15:9b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 qûwm ( åìí) [pronouncd koom] to stand, to ris up, to gt up; to stablish, to stablish a vow, to caus a vow to stand, to confirm or to fulfill a vow rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #6965 BDB #877 wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 hâlak (äèìçêà) [pronouncd haw-lahk ] to go, to com, to dpart, to walk; to advanc rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 Chb rôwn (çæáàøåéï) b [pronouncd kh v- ROHN] association, lagu, joind; translitratd Hbron propr noun; location with th locativ hê Strong s #2275 BDB #289 Translation: Thrfor, Absalom [lit., h] ros up and wnt to Hbron. This is what Absalom wantd, so h got up and wnt to Hbron. Th vrb qûwm ( åìí) [pronouncd koom] litrally mans to stand up, to gt up; but this dos not man that Absalom was sitting or laying on th ground bfor David. This word is oftn usd bfor a prson going off to do what h intnds to do. And so snds Absalom spis in all tribs of Isral, to say, In your haring a sound of th trumpt, and you hav said, Rignd Absalom in Hbron. 2Samul 15:10 H [lit., Absalom] also snt rvolutionaris throughout all th tribs of Isral, tlling [thm] [lit., to say], Whn you har th sound of th trumpt, thn you will say, Absalom rigns at Hbron. H thn snt rvolutionaris throughout all th tribs of Isral, tlling thm, Whn you har th sound of th trumpt, thn cry out, Absalom rigns as king at Hbron. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts:

79 2Samul Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And Absalom snt spis into all th tribs of Isral, saying: As soon as you shall har th sound of th trumpt, say y: Absalom rigns in Hbron. And so snds Absalom spis in all tribs of Isral, to say, In your haring a sound of th trumpt, and you hav said, Rignd Absalom in Hbron. But Absalom snt spis throughout all th tribs of Isral, saying, As soon as you har th sound of th trumpt, thn you shall say, Absalom rigns in Hbron. And Absalom snt spis throughout all th tribs of Isral, saying, Whn you har th sound of th trumpt, thn shall you say, Absalom has bcom king in Hbron. Th diffrncs ar quit slight. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Lif Bibl Nw Living Translation But Absalom snt scrt agnts throughout th tribs of Isral with this mssag: "Whn you har th sound of th trumpt, thn say, `Absalom has bcom king in Hbron!'" H took two hundrd mn from Jrusalm with him, but thy had no ida what h was going to do. Absalom offrd sacrifics in Hbron and snt somon to Gilo to tll David's advisor Ahithophl to com. Mor and mor popl wr joining Absalom and supporting his plot. Manwhil, Absalom had scrtly snt som mssngrs to th northrn tribs of Isral. Th mssngrs told vryon, "Whn you har th sound of th trumpts, you must shout, 'Absalom now ruls as king in Hbron!' " Thn Absalom scrtly snt mn to all th *tribs of *Isral with a mssag. Th mn said, `Whn you har th *trumpts you must say, "Absalom is th king in Hbron." ' But Absalom snt spis through all th family groups of Isral. Ths spis told th popl, Whn you har th trumpt, thn say, Absalom has bcom th king at Hbron! But h snt mssngrs to all th tribs of Isral to say, "Whn you har th sound of trumpts, shout, 'Absalom has bcom king at Hbron!' " Thn Absalom snt undrcovr agnts to all th tribs of Isral with th mssag, "Whn you har th blast of th ram's horn trumpt, that's your signal: Shout, 'Absalom is king in Hbron!'" But Absalom snt mn to go in scrt through all th familis of Isral. H said to thm, "As soon as you har th sound of th horn, thn say, 'Absalom is king at Hbron.' " But whil h was thr, h snt scrt mssngrs to all th tribs of Isral to stir up a rbllion against th king. "As soon as you har th ram's horn," his mssag rad, "you ar to say, `Absalom has bn crownd king in Hbron.'" Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl Now, AbSalom had snt spis among all th tribs of IsraEl, who wr told, 'Whn you har th sound of trumpts blowing, you must shout: AbSalom is now rigning as king in HbRon.' Bck s Amrican Translation But scrtly Absalom snt mssngrs to all th tribs of Isral, saying: Whn you har th sound of th horn, say, Absalom is now king in Hbron. Christian Community Bibl Absalom snt spis through - out th tribs of Isral with this instruction, As soon as you har th trumpt sound, proclaim: Absalom is king in Hbron! NIRV Thn Absalom snt mssngrs scrtly to all of th tribs of Isral. Thy said, "Listn for th sound of trumpts. As soon as you har thm, say, `Absalom has bcom king in Hbron.'"

80 6579 Th Book of Samul Nw Jrusalm Bibl Absalom snt courirs throughout th tribs of Isral to say, 'Whn you har th trumpt sound, you ar to say, "Absalom is king at Hbron!" ' Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Complt Jwish Bibl Frar-Fnton Bibl JPS (Tanakh 1985) NET Bibl But Absalom snt spis in all th staffs of Isral, saying, "Whn you har th voic of th shofar, you say, 'Absalom rigns in Hbron!" But Absalom at th sam tim snt watchrs through all th tribs of Isral to say, At th sound of th horn you ar to say, Absalom is king in Hbron. But Avshalom snt spis through all th tribs of Isra'l to say, "Th momnt you har th sound of th shofar, thn start proclaiming, 'Avshalom is king in Hvron.'" Absalom thn snt scrt agnts to all th Tribs of Isral to say, Whn you har th sound of th trumpt, thn xclaim, Absalom rigns in Hbron! But Absalom snt agnts to all th tribs of Isral to say, Whn you har th blast of th horn, announc that Absalom has bcom king in Hbron. Thn Absalom snt spis through all th tribs of Isral who said, "Whn you har th sound of th horn, you may assum [Hb "say."] that Absalom ruls in Hbron." Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Concordant Litral Vrsion...and Absalom snds spis through all th tribs of Isral, saying, `At your haring th voic of th trumpt, thn you hav said, Absalom has rignd in Hbron. Darby Translation And Absalom snt missaris into all th tribs of Isral, saying, Whn y har th sound of th trumpt, y shall say, Absalom rigns in Hbron. English Standard Vrsion But Absalom snt scrt mssngrs throughout all th tribs of Isral, saying, "As soon as you har th sound of th trumpt, thn say, 'Absalom is king at Hbron!'" xgss companion Bibl...and Abi Shalom snds spis throughout all th scions of Yisra El, saying, As soon as you har th voic of th shophar, say, Abi Shalom rigns in Hbron. Grn s Litral Translation And Absalom snt spis among all th tribs of Isral, saying, Whn you har th sound of th ram's horn, thn you shall say, Absalom is king in Hbron. LTHB And Absalom snt spis among all th tribs of Isral, saying, Whn you har th sound of th ram's horn, thn you shall say, Absalom is king in Hbron. Syndin {Hbron Stratgy for Rvolution} Manwhil Absalom snt slandrrs/propagandists {ragal - hiphil stm} throughout all th tribs of Isral, commanding, "As soon as you har th sound of th trumpt, thn you will shout, 'Absalom is king in Hbron'." {Not: To start a rvolution slandr must start it. But unlss th popl ar in arroganc, th slandr will not b blivd. Popl must accpt th li as truth, for th rvolution to occur. Lgitimat systms of stablishmnt ar th victims of th slandr - hr David and his lgal systm.}. World English Bibl But Absalom snt spis throughout all th tribs of Isral, saying, As soon as you har th sound of th trumpt, thn you shall say, Absalom is king in Hbron. Young s Updatd LT And Absalom snds spis through all th tribs of Isral, saying, At your haring th voic of th trumpt, thn you hav said, Absalom has rignd in Hbron. Th gist of this vrs: Absalom snds out mssngrs to all th tribs of Isral, so that whr a trumpt was soundd, thy will call out, Absalom rigns in Hbron.

81 2Samul Samul 15:10a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 shâlach (ùèìçç) [pronouncd shaw- LAKH] to snd, to snd for [forth, away], to dismiss, to dploy, to put forth, to strtch out, to rach out rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #7971 BDB #1018 Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5 râgal (øèâçì) [pronouncd raw-gahl] spis, xplorrs; thos who mov about by foot; scrt mssngrs; slandrrs masculin plural, Pil participl Strong s #7270 BDB #920 A mor modrn tak on this word might b propagandists, rvolutionaris, political oprativs. h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] vry, ach, all of, all; any of, any masculin singular construct not followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 shêbþ (ùåáæè) B [pronouncd SHAY -vt] rod, staff, club, scptr and figurativly for a trib, subdivision of a trib or family and for a rulr (scptr-barr), govrnor masculin plural construct Strong s #7626 BDB #986 Yis râ êl (éäùòàøçàåì) [pronouncd yis-raw- ALE] God prvails; contndr; soldir of God; translitratd Isral masculin propr noun Strong s #3478 & #3479 BDB #975 Translation: H [lit., Absalom] also snt rvolutionaris throughout all th tribs of Isral,... Th common translation for th masculin plural Pil participl of râgal (øèâçì) [pronouncd raw-gahl] is, spis, xplorrs. This is a fairly commonly usd word in th Old Tstamnt, bing found 24 tims (Gn. 42:9, 11 Joshua 6:23 Judgs 18:2, 14). Howvr, ths mn ar not primarily snt out by Absalom to gathr information. W might call thm political oprativs. Thy hav a vry spcific rsponsibility, which is dscribd blow. 2Samul 15:10b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510

82 6581 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:10b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think Qal infinitiv construct Strong s #559 BDB #55 h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 shâma (ùèîçò) [pronouncd shaw- MAHÌ] to listn [intntly], to har, to listn and oby, [or, and act upon, giv hd to, tak not of], to harkn to, to b attntiv to, to listn and b cognizant of Qal infinitiv construct nd with th 2 prson masculin plural suffix Strong's #8085 BDB #1033 Th infinitiv construct, whn combind with th bêyth prposition, can oftn tak on a tmporal maning and may b rndrd whn [such and such happns]. It can srv as a tmporal markr that dnots an vnt which occurs simultanously with th action of th main vrb. êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] untranslatd gnrally; occasionally to, toward indicats that th following substantiv is a dirct objct Strong's #853 BDB #84 qôwl ( åéì) [pronouncd kohl] sound, voic, nois; loud nois, thundring masculin singular noun Strong s #6963 BDB #876 shôwphâr (ùåéôèø) (also ùéôèø) [pronouncd shoh- FAWR] horn, trumpt; translitratd shophar masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #7782 BDB #1051 Translation:...tlling [thm] [lit., to say], Whn you har th sound of th trumpt,... This tlls us how information was broadcast ovr a distanc. Sinc most of thm could not afford an iphon, a trumpt was usd instad to communicat ovr a distanc. Thr was probably a particular cod usd hr as wll. This would imply that, at som point in tim, trumptrs would also b snt throughout th land, and, at a particular tim, thy would trumpt, and ths rvolutionaris would b thr waiting to har th trumpt. Th sound of th trumpt could b hard at distancs far away. No doubt a stratgic tim would b chosn, so that a maximum numbr of popl would har this announcmnt. Som commntator said h was not sur how on trumpt could b hard throughout th land. Duh! Whn givn th signal, on trumptr sounds his trumpt from Hbron; thn 3 or 4 othrs who har this sound thir trumpts; thn 15 or 20 can har that in citis furthr away, and thy sound thir trumpts. I don t know how far a distanc th sound of a trumpt can travl, but, my guss is, within 10 sts of trumpt blasts, all of Isral has hard ths trumpts, and, within a priod of 5 10 minuts, many popl hav hard th rfrain, Absalom is king in Hbron. 2Samul 15:10c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251

83 2Samul Samul 15:10c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think nd 2 prson masculin plural, Qal prfct Strong s #559 BDB #55 mâlak (îèìçêó) [pronouncd maw LAHK ] to rign, to bcom king or qun rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal prfct Strong s #4427 BDB #573 Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5 h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 Chb rôwn (çæáàøåéï) b [pronouncd kh v- ROHN] association, lagu, joind; translitratd Hbron propr noun; location Strong s #2275 BDB #289 Translation:...thn you will say, Absalom rigns at Hbron. Th rvolutionaris would thn cry out, Absalom rigns at Hbron. So, for vryon who can har (and thy would b at vry major villag and thr would b an opportun tim whn most could har it), thy would all say this. H [lit., Absalom] also snt rvolutionaris throughout all th tribs of Isral, tlling [thm] [lit., to say], Whn you har th sound of th trumpt, thn you will say, Absalom rigns at Hbron. On trumpt out of Hbron would b all that would b ncssary to bgin this procss. Thn, thos who could har that trumpt blast would blow thir trumpts as wll many of ths trumptrs on mountains and in high placs and so on and so forth 43 throughout all of Isral, using th trumpt as sort of a tlgraph systm. So, within prhaps 20 minuts or lss, all Isral will hav hard this cry: Absalom is now king in Hbron. Ths mn, snt out throughout th citis of Isral, could gaug by th raction, if Absalom had widsprad support. Although th Bibl dos not tll us, this mssag would hav bn wll-rcivd throughout much of Isral, bcaus Absalom stol th harts of th mn of Isral. Thr may hav bn a trumpt blast rturnd, to indicat how this was rcivd (that is not rcordd in Scriptur but is conjctur on my part). 44 Guzik: Absalom countd on th hop that most of Isral would s this as succssion not trason. Or, as w calld it in 2008, hop and chang. Essntially, Absalom is offring an altrnativ to his fathr, and h will gathr up malcontnts from all of ths town and villags to join him, as wll as thos who ar just rady for a chang w may want to call this, hop and chang. Th mn snt throughout Isral to mak this proclamation would listn to th popl to s what sort of a rspons thy got, and this would likly b rportd back to Absalom. Bar in mind, thr ar svral things that would caus th popl to support Absalom ovr David Clark suggstd th analogy to a tlgraph. Adam Clark, Commntary on th Bibl; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:10. David Guzik s Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; courtsy of -sword; 2006; 2Sam. 15:7 10.

84 6583 Th Book of Samul How Can Isral Support Absalom ovr David? 1. In God s viw, David was th gold standard, and all kings who followd wr compard to him. 1Kings 15:1 3, 11 2Kings 14:1 3 16:1 2 18:1 3 22: Basd upon God viwing David is th gold standard, w know that h was th gratst king of Isral. 3. Howvr, Absalom is th nwr modl. David is th old. 4. Popl knw that, whil his troops wr at war, David usd to chas skirt around Jrusalm (h has sinc stoppd doing that). Thy knw about Bathshba; and thy most crtainly knw about Uriah, hr husband. Thy wr suspicious of him dying in battl right whn David taks his wif. It is vry likly that most popl put all of ths things togthr and undrstood th narrativ as wll as w do. 5. Also, David did nothing whn Amnon rapd his half-sistr Tamar. Sh wandrd through th strts in a daz waring som clothing which idntifid hr as th king s daughtr. Womn sympathizd with hr; mn could not undrstand how David could not punish a man who would do this. 6. Th popl of Isral knw that Absalom killd Amnon, and this providd thm with a crtain romanticism about Absalom. What David would not do, Absalom would. Evn though vigilantism is wrong, whn you kill somon as awful as Amnon, who had rcivd no punishmnt at all, it is hard not to chr on th vigilant. 7. Thn Absalom spnd day aftr day outsid th courthous (which was actually an opn-air typ forum whr court cass wr adjudicatd), and h would find th losr in th cas and sympathiz with thm and say, If I wr in charg, you would hav won that cas. You caus is obviously just. Anyon can s that. 8. And thn thr was this ntourag. Absalom was in his chariot riding around th city of Jrusalm. H just lookd kingly. H just lookd lik a man in charg. 9. Absalom had no rcord to run on; h just had his promiss and that on act of vigilantism. H was not old nough to hav accumulatd som awful sins. Ths ar th things that w know about. Evn for us, who hav bn studying ths chaptrs of Samul hav dvlopd a vry ngativ attitud toward David. Howvr, this failing in David s lif and God took it vry sriously was dalt with by God. For 10 yars, God will kick David s butt all ovr th plac for his lchry and for his murdr, to a point that, h would nvr do anything lik this again. And th amazing grac part of this is, th son of David by Bathshba will rul in his stad. Application: Whn a blivr has sinnd, and you ar not in charg of handling that sin (assuming that you ar not th parnt or th tachr or th law officr or whatvr), thn you stp asid and you lt God handl th problm. Whn your child sins, you dal with th problm; if you ar a polic officr, and somon has brokn a law, you dal with th problm; if you hav somon who has workd for you, and an appraisal is ndd, you giv an honst appraisal. Thr ar lgitimat instancs whr anothr prson s sin bcoms your businss (as a parnt, tachr, coach, polic officr, tc.); but if it is just two indpndnt blivrs and Charli Brown dos somthing that you do not lik, thn just stp asid and lt th justic of God dal with him. His sins ar non of your businss, vn if thy offnd you in som way. Nwsflash: God is capabl of handling his own. Now, thr ar tims that you might act. A Christian coupl that you know asks you to join a sx club with thm; undr thos circumstancs, you might stop sing that coupl. Or thy offr your drugs. You larn from Bibl doctrin how to dal with a myriad of situations. If you simply think that mayb th husband is chating in businss, but you hav no dirct proof, thn you do not ncssarily gt involvd (apart from mayb mntioning it to him prsonally). It is Bibl doctrin in your soul that guids you in your actions. Howvr, thr is no justification for som mmbr of th church following up on anothr mmbr of th church spcifically to criticiz his lif or to tll him what to do with his lif. Evryon sins, and you must tak that into account; and vryon stands or falls bfor God. Thr ar many tims whn you may want to put yourslf in btwn God and that prson, and that would b a mistak.

85 2Samul Rvolution is always wrong (a topic that w will dal with). Th popl should not hav supportd Absalom for this rason. Application: W say this in th 2008 prsidntial lction. For about 7 yars, I rcivd mail from popl who disparagd Prsidnt Bush, and in a varity of ways. Somtims, h or th vic prsidnt would b in cartoons, or thr would b som sort of a movi som of thm obscn, and vry thing that h did that was portrayd as qustionabl, and thr would b a flurry of mails go out saying what was wrong with what h did. By th tim that 2007 rolld around, thr was a havy sntimnt in favor of th Dmocratic candidat, no mattr who that prson was going to b. It just turnd out that this candidat was Barack Obama, who was wll-spokn and kpt to th simplst and vagust of mssags. So, dspit th fact that this man had nvr run a lmonad stand bfor, h bcam th most powrful man in th world, running th largst buraucracy on arth, with absolutly no xprinc whatsovr in running any sort of corporat body of any siz bfor. Thr wr a sris or rasons why Obama was victorious, but on of thm was this constant attack of Prsidnt Bush, which wnt on for most of th tim that h was in offic. Such mail campaigns wr spcious and unchristian. Now, this dos not man that you cannot hav political discussions with your frinds; but thy should b honst discussions, basd upon th facts as much as possibl. And your political lanings should nvr ovrshadow your spiritual lanings. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins H [lit., Absalom] also snt rvolutionaris throughout all th tribs of Isral, tlling [thm] [lit., to say], Whn you har th sound of th trumpt, thn you will say, Absalom rigns at Hbron. Th Bibl says nothing mor about th trumptrs bing snt throughout; so thr ar likly many things which Absalom did which ar not rcordd in Scriptur. I mad such a good cas against David as king, so I nd to mak an qually good cas in his favor: How is David a Good King? 1. First and formost, David was God s chosn man to b king. 1Sam. 16: Scondly, h was th king by which all othr kings would b masurd. 1Kings 15:1 3, 11 2Kings 14:1 3 16:1 2 18:1 3 22: Thirdly, th rason that th Jws wantd a king is to protct thm from outsid powrs who wantd to plundr Isral; to judg thir disputs; and so that thy could b lik othr nations. 1Sam. 8:4 6, David prformd th dutis th popl rquird of him; and his rcord as a war hro was indisputabl. 1Sam. 18:7 2Sam Dspit what is allgd, David, for th most part, did administr justic and good judgmnt as king ovr Isral. And David rignd ovr all Isral, and David xcutd justic and rightousnss to all his popl (2Sam. 8:15; LTHB). That is God s appraisal of his rcord. 6. David studid and knw th Word of God. 1Chron. 15:2 (on man did whn David first had th Ark movd; so h studid th Scripturs in ordr to figur out how to mov it proprly). 7. David had th original thought of building a Tmpl for God in Isral. This was a vry big dal. 1Chron. 17: God had a covnant which H mad with David, which includd that his lin would vntually lad us to th Lord Jsus Christ. 2Sam. 7: David was ddicatd in th worship of Y howah. 2Sam. 12:20 15: David wrot most of th psalms and possibly much of Samul. 11. David continud in a rlationship with God, from bing a young boy watching th shp, to his final yars as his body bgan to giv way. 12. It should b pointd out that vn th gratst of ladrs hav bn rjctd by th public: 1) Moss was rjct on many occasions by th Exodus gnration. Num. 16:3, ) Winston Churchill, on of th gratst mn of all tim, was dfatd in a dmocratic lction hld th right aftr WWII. On May 8, 1945, h announcd Grmany s surrndr to his nation; and thn was

86 6585 Th Book of Samul How is David a Good King? th dfatd in a rlction bid on July 5 of that sam yar. 13. And th public has chosn many lousy ladrs. 1) FDR is a prim xampl. H was not a bad man; nor wr his motivs wrong. And thr wr som things that h was vry right about (lik publically dclaring that th Unitd Stats is whr th Word of God is taught). But, what h did for our conomy was to tak a rcssion and turn it into th Grat Dprssion. H was rlctd 3x. 2) Hitlr and Mao wr both popular ladrs. I know on adult prson to this day who thinks that Mao was a grat ladr and dos not bliv that h killd millions of popl. 45 Clark: Bhold a king, th gratst that vr livd, a profound politician, an abl gnral, a brav soldir, a pot of th most sublim gnius and charactr, a propht of th Most High God, and th dlivrr of his country, drivn from his dominions by his own son, abandond by his fickl popl." Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Guzik approachs this in a slightly diffrnt way: Guzik on How Isral Bcam Dissatisfid with David and Allowd Absalom to Stal Thir Harts Bcaus David was gtting oldr Bcaus David's sins diminishd his standing Bcaus popl lik chang and Absalom was xciting Bcaus Absalom was vry skilld and cunning Bcaus David had to ntr into th fllowship of His suffrings, and b rjctd lik th Son of David would latr b rjctd From David Guzik s Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; courtsy of -sword; 2006; 2Sam. 15:1 37. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins And sinc w ar looking at, ssntially, a choic btwn David and Absalom, w ought to xamin Absalom s crdntials as a king. How is Absalom Potntially a Lousy King? 1. Absalom is clarly impatint, and is not willing to wait for much of anything. H was logically nxt in lin to b king; howvr, h was not willing to wait for his fathr to di. 2. Absalom was willing to us God s nam in ordr to dciv his fathr. 2Sam. 15: Bcaus Isral is a nation formd by God and ruld ovr ultimatly by God, having an unblivr in th thron is th wrong way to go. 4. Absalom was willing to glad-hand and dciv th popl in ordr to gain thir support. 2Sam. 15: Absalom had on plank in his platform, and that was to rform th judicial systm in Isral. This is somthing that h could hav don as th king s son. If this was an issu nar and dar to his hart, thn Absalom should hav com to his fathr David and said, Hr is what th problm is with our judicial systm and hr is how I propos to fix it. H did not do that. H simply usd th problms in th judicial systm for his own bnfit. 6. All that Absalom focusd on was suprficial in ordr to gain him what h wantd. H was a man who 45 David Guzik s Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; courtsy of -sword; 2006; 2Sam. 15:1 37.

87 2Samul How is Absalom Potntially a Lousy King? skatd through lif mostly basd upon his good looks and winning prsonality. 2Sam. 14: :5 7. At no tim did Absalom vr consult God or a propht of God. 8. Absalom is good at thr things: lying, manipulation and plotting. This maks him an ffctiv rvolutionary, but not a good king. 9. Absalom dsirs th powr, but h is not willing to b traind or guidd by his fathr. With powr or authority coms rsponsibility, and Absalom has no clu as to what rsponsibility is. Dos this sound modrn to you? Ar thr politicians who bring forward a parad of victims to prov thr ar problms that thy can solv? Do thy thmslvs champion issus that thy will not solv? Ar th candidats thmslvs suprficlal and attmpt to gt your vot bcaus thy look attractiv and sound good? Ar thr candidats for high offic who lack any training in that ara? Absalom is th pitom of th hop and chang candidat. This chaptr of th Bibl should hav bn taught in th pulpits of all churchs in Octobr of Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins So, ar th popl of Isral rally that stupid and suprficial to support Absalom? In a word, ys. This is th natur of th lctorat. Popl support candidats and politicians for a numbr of rasons, most of thm bing vry suprficial. Application: In th yar 2008, th Unitd Stats lctd th last qualifid prson vr to th offic of prsidnt as opposd to a man who had svrd th country faithfully ovr a vry long priod of tim, a man who was fiscally consrvativ, which is xactly what Amrica ndd at this tim. Why? Wll, you put th two mn nxt to ach othr: Candidat Obama and candidat McCain, th Mr. Obama is far mor attractiv; h is nw, h is frsh, and so many kids saw him as cool and somon who was mor lik thm. His policis will ngativly impact th popl who votd for him for dcads, bcaus, although h lookd good and soundd smart, Prsidnt Obama nvr had a clu as to how to lad or how to lad opposing partis on a path to som sort of compromis. 46 Furthrmor, h himslf was unwilling, if not unabl, to compromis or vn modrat his own viws. Now, I do not writ this out of sour graps, or simply bcaus Obama is a libral. H simply had no xprinc whatsovr to prpar him for th offic of prsidncy; and that combind with his anti-stablishmnt idas mad for a disastrous prsidncy. W could not hav xpctd anything ls. Application: Howvr, so thr is no confusion on this issu, w as Amricans got th prsidnt that w dsrvd. God ss to it that appropriat rulrs rul ovr thir own countris. Not just a fw tims hav infrior candidats won th prsidncy in th Unitd Stats. This is bcaus, w, as a corporat ntity had turnd away from God. In th 2008 prsidntial dbats, on of th most important issus was halthcar, and how govrnmnt was going to improv and vn fix halthcar. Many popl votd for candidat Obama bcaus thy blivd that h would simply provid thm with fr halthcar. Most had no ida that, not only would h mandat that vry prson buy th xpnsiv insuranc policy that h mandatd, but that, potntially, you would b thrown in jail if you did not (as a rsult of rfusing to pay th pnalty). Whn a popl think that govrnmnt is going to giv thm somthing for nothing and that govrnmnt can provid thm with thir vry nd, thn thy ar making govrnmnt into God, and violating th commandmnt, You will hav no gods bfor M. So w dsrvd Barack Obama as a corporat ntity and w dsrvd his halthcar plan, which hird mor IRS agnts to nforc it, but no nw doctors. Application: My point hr is not to go off on som consrvativ rant, but to show how w, as a nation, dsrvd Prsidnt Obama as our prsidnt. Popl lookd to th govrnmnt as a way of fixing our halthcar insuranc problms, without vr considring that govrnmnt was not ncssarily abl to fix somthing lik halthcar. 46 I writ this in 2012 a month or so bfor th upcoming lction.

88 6587 Th Book of Samul Govrnmnt is not a god; govrnmnt is not omnipotnt. If w trat govrnmnt as an ntity which is lik a god to us, thn w rap what w hav sown. H [lit., Absalom] also snt rvolutionaris throughout all th tribs of Isral, tlling [thm] [lit., to say], Whn you har th sound of th trumpt, thn you will say, Absalom rigns at Hbron. So, for 4 yars, Absalom had this concrtd ffort going on to supplant David as king, and David ithr did not raliz it or h ignord it. As w hav sn alrady, David had a blind spot whn daling with his own childrn. H was th parnt that whn I calld and told him of th vil his child was doing, would xclaim, Oh, no! Not my littl Johnny! H s an angl. H dos wll in all of his classs. H gts along with all of his tachrs xcpt you. So, th problm must b with you. Th problm was, th parnts did not viw thir son objctivly; and David s problm is, h is not abl to viw his own son objctivly. This is David s chif waknss at this tim, and h will ndur a grat many trials and difficultis bcaus h is not objctiv about Absalom. Rmmbr that David has a plthora of sons, and many of thm want to rul ovr Isral whn h is gon (and Absalom wants this bfor David is gon). So David has to dal with this problm. And with Absalom, two hundrd a man from Jrusalm calld ons and travlrs to thir simplicity. And thy did not know any word. 2Samul 15:11 Two hundrd mn from Jrusalm [wnt] with Absalom, thos who had bn invitd. And thos going, [wnt] in innocnc; thy did not know anything. Absalom also invitd two hundrd mn from Jrusalm who wr ignorant of his plot. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: Now thr wnt with Absalom two hundrd mn out of Jrusalm that wr calld, going with simplicity of hart, and knowing nothing of th dsign. And with Absalom, two hundrd a man from Jrusalm calld ons and travlrs to thir simplicity. And thy did not know any word. And with Absalom wnt two hundrd mn from Jrusalm, but thy wnt innocntly, not knowing anything of th plot. And thr wnt with Absalom two hundrd chosn mn from Jrusalm; and thy wnt in thir simplicity, and knw not anything. Th English translation from th Syriac lacks chosn, calld ons. Th English translation of th Latin adds in of hart. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Two hundrd invitd gusts wnt with Absalom from Jrusalm. Thy wr innocnt and knw nothing of this mattr whn thy wnt. H took two hundrd mn from Jrusalm with him, but thy had no ida what h was going to do. Thn Absalom invitd 200 mn from Jrusalm and thy wnt with him. But thy wr innocnt. Thy did not know what h was going to do. Absalom invitd 200 mn to go with him. Thos mn lft Jrusalm with him, but thy did not know what h was planning. Thr wr two hundrd mn who at Absalom's invitation had gon from Jrusalm with him; thy knw nothing of th plot and wnt in all good faith. Two hundrd mn wnt with Absalom from Jrusalm. But thy had bn calld togthr knowing nothing of th plot and mad th trip innocntly.

89 2Samul Nw Brkly Vrsion Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Living Translation With Absalom, howvr, thr wnt two hundrd mn from Jrusalm who had bn invitd and accompanid him innocntly, knowing nothing of th plot. Absalom had invitd two hundrd mn to go with him. So thy wnt from Jrusalm with him, but thy didn't know what h was planning. H took 200 mn from Jrusalm with him as gusts, but thy knw nothing of his intntions. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl Christian Community Bibl God s Word NIRV Nw Jrusalm Bibl Nw Simplifid Bibl Rvisd English Bibl Today s NIV So, AbSalom lft JruSalm along with two hundrd mn, who rally didn't suspct anything. Two hundrd mn from Jrusalm had lft with Absalom as invitd gusts. But nothing of his purpos dawnd on thm. Two hundrd mn invitd from Jrusalm wnt with Absalom. Thy wnt innocntly, knowing nothing about Absalom's plans. Absalom had takn 200 mn from Jrusalm with him to Hbron. H had invitd thm to b his gusts. Thy wnt without having any ida what was going to happn. With Absalom wnt two hundrd mn from Jrusalm; thy had bn invitd and had gon in all innocnc, unawar of what was going on. Absalom had two hundrd mn who at his invitation travld from Jrusalm with him. Thy knw nothing of th plot and wnt in good faith. Two hundrd mn accompanid Absalom from Jrusalm; thy wr invitd as gusts and wnt in all innocnc, ingoing nothing of th affair. Two hundrd mn from Jrusalm had accompanid Absalom. Thy had bn invitd as gusts and wnt quit innocntly, knowing nothing about th mattr. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Complt Jwish Bibl Frar-Fnton Bibl HCSB JPS (Tanakh 1985) NET Bibl NIV UK Th Scripturs 1998 Two-hundrd mn calld from Jrusalm wnt with Absalom. Thy wnt with intgrity, not knowing any word. And with Absalom, at his rqust, wnt two hundrd mn from Jrusalm, who wr compltly unconscious of his dsigns. With Avshalom wnt 200 mn from Yrushalayim who had bn invitd; thy wnt innocntly, knowing nothing about th schm. Thr wnt also two hundrd prsons from Jrusalm with Absalom, invitd gusts and honst mn, who knw nothing about all th affair. Two hundrd mn from Jrusalm wnt with Absalom. Thy had bn invitd and wr going innocntly, for thy knw nothing about th whol mattr. Two hundrd mn of Jrusalm accompanid Absalom; thy wr invitd and wnt in good faith, suspcting nothing. Now two hundrd mn had gon with Absalom from Jrusalm. Sinc thy wr invitd, thy wnt naivly and wr unawar of what Absalom was planning [Hb "bing invitd and going naivly and thy did not know anything."]. Two hundrd mn from Jrusalm had accompanid Absalom. Thy had bn invitd as gusts and wnt quit innocntly, knowing nothing about th mattr. And with Ab?shalom wnt two hundrd mn from Yrushalayim who wr invitd, and thy wnt along unsuspctingly, and did not know th mattr at all. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Th Amplifid Bibl With Absalom wnt 200 mn from Jrusalm, who wr invitd [as gusts to his sacrificial fast]; and thy wnt in thir simplicity, and thy knw not a thing.

90 6589 Th Book of Samul English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl Th Gnva Bibl LTHB Nw RSV Syndin Young's Litral Translation Th gist of this vrs: With Absalom wnt two hundrd mn from Jrusalm who wr invitd gusts, and thy wnt in thir innocnc and knw nothing. And two hundrd mn from Yru Shalm who ar calld go with Abi Shalom; and thy go in thir intgrity and thy know not a word. And with Absalom wnt two hundrd mn out of Jrusalm, [that wr] calld [And bid to his fast in Hbron]; and thy wnt in thir simplicity, and thy knw not any thing. And two hundrd mn wnt out of Jrusalm with Absalom, chosn ons. And thy wnt out in thir simplicity and did not know anything. Two hundrd mn from Jrusalm wnt with Absalom; thy wr invitd gusts, and thy wnt in thir innocnc, knowing nothing of th mattr. Incidntly, two hundrd mn/'aristocratic mn' from Jrusalm who had bn invitd... followd Absalom. {Not: Ths wr 200 aristocrats who wr imprssd with Absalom's prsonality - th 'who you know' crowd - thy wr 'spcial' - Absalom invitd 'thm' - and this arroganc was thir downfall.}. And thy {th 200} followd in th sphr of thir sincrity {tom} {sincrity is nvr a virtu - it can b hypocrisy, arroganc, stupidity} and thy knw absolutly nothing {about th rvolution}. And with Absalom hav gon two hundrd mn, out of Jrusalm, invitd ons, and thy ar going in thir simplicity, and hav not known anything. Absalom will gt 200 mn to join him in Hbron who ar not allid with him and ar not awar of th plot h is hatching. 2Samul 15:11a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] with, at, nar, by, among, dirctly from prposition (which is idntical to th sign of th dirct objct) Strong's #854 BDB #85 Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5 mâ thayim (îèàúçéäí) [pronouncd maw-thah- YIM] two hundrd fminin dual numral (not crtain about th splling) Strong s #3967 BDB #547 îysh (àäéù) [pronouncd sh] a man, a husband; anyon; a crtain on; ach, ach on, vryon masculin singular noun (somtims found whr w would us a plural) Strong's #376 BDB #35 min (îäï) [pronouncd mihn] from, off, out from, out of, away from, on account of, sinc, than, mor than prposition of sparation Strong's #4480 BDB #577

91 2Samul Samul 15:11a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs Y rûwshâlayim (éàøåìùèìçéäí) [pronouncd y roo-shaw- LAH-yim] possibly mans foundd upon pac or city of th Jbusits (or both); it is translitratd Jrusalm propr singular noun, location Strong s #3389 BDB #436 qârâ ( ÈøÈà) [pronouncd kaw-raw] th calld ons, th assmbld [summond] ons; th chosn ons; thos who hav bn invitd masculin plural, Qal passiv participl Strong's #7121 BDB #894 Translation: Two hundrd mn from Jrusalm [wnt] with Absalom, thos who had bn invitd. Although w do not know th xact circumstancs, in th past, Absalom thrw a hug bbq at his ranch in ordr to kill his halfbrothr Amnon. So, this was probably going to b a rligious clbration that is what was writtn on th invitation. Absalom fulfills his vows to God in Hbron; you hav bn invitd to attnd. Last chaptr, w studid Absalom inviting his half-brothrs to his ranch in ordr to kill Amnon, so that is still frsh in our minds. Howvr, sinc thn, Absalom spnt 2+ yars living in Gshur and thn four yars hav passd sinc h rturnd. Th popl who knw about this thought that Amnon had it coming to him, so that plot was not that big of a dal to most popl. And, it was 6 yars ago! Furthrmor, many popl, knowing to som dgr what had happnd, did not mind that Amnon was killd. In fact, many popl wr glad to har that Amnon got his just rwards for his vil dd. As of lat, Absalom had bn making quit a splash in th clbrity circls with his ntourag going about. So, this first ovrt rligious act is to b clbratd, and Absalom invits many popl to attnd this with him. 2Samul 15:11b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 hâlak (äèìçêà) [pronouncd haw-lahk ] thos walking, thos going, thos who ar dparting; walkrs, travlrs masculin plural, Qal activ participl Strong s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to, with rfrnc to, as to, with rgards to; blonging to; by dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510

92 6591 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:11b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs Th manings of th lâmd prposition brokn down into groups: to, towards, unto; it is usd both to turn on s hart toward somon as wll as to sin against somon; to, vn to; in this sns, it can b usd with a numbr to indicat th uppr limit which a multitud might approach (narly). Lâmd can b quivalnt to th Grk prposition is (å ò), maning into, as in transforming into somthing ls, changing into somthing ls (Gn. 2:7). This us of lâmd aftr th vrb hâyâh (äèéèä) [pronouncd haw-yaw] (Strong s #1961 BDB #224) is on thing bcoming anothr (Gn. 2:7). Its fourth us is th mark of a dativ, aftr vrbs of giving, granting, dlivring, pardoning, consulting, snding, tc. This typ of dativ is brokn down into svral catgoris, but on includs th translation by, which would b apropos hr. With rgards to, as to. Similar to th Grk prposition is (å ò) plus th dativ. [Numbring from Gsnius]. On account of, bcaus, proptr, usd of caus and rason (proptr mans bcaus; Gsnius usd it). Concrning, about, usd of a prson or thing mad th objct of discours, aftr vrbs of saying. On bhalf of anyon, for anyon. As applid to a rul or standard, according to, according as, as though, as if. Whn associatd with tim, it rfrs to th point of tim at which or in which anything is don; or it can rfr to th spac of tim during which somthing is don (or occurs); at th tim of. tôm (úìéí) [pronouncd tohm] intgrity, compltnss, innocnc; safty, prosprity; fulnss [for numbr and masur] masculin singular noun rd with th 3 prson plural suffix Strong s #8537 BDB #1070 Various translators, in 2Sam. 15:11, suggst ths altrnat manings: unsuspctingly, naivly, in good faith. Translation: And thos going, [wnt] in innocnc;... No on of this group of 200 mn thought that thr was som nfarious plot afoot. This was Absalom growing up and turning toward th worship of Y howah. This was somthing to b clbratd; h was following in his fathr s footstps. So, thos of this 200 who wr invitd had no ida what Absalom rally had plannd. Our socity has bcom quit scularizd, but thr ar crtain holidays which ar spcial to most Amricans: th Christmas, Thanksgiving and th 4 of July. Ths mn had bn invitd to a holiday clbration, of sorts at th last to a clbration that might b lik gathring with a larg group of popl on th 4 of July (for us). 2Samul 15:11c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 lô (ìéà or ìåéà) [pronouncd low] not, no ngats th word or action that follows; th absolut ngation Strong s #3808 BDB #518 yâda (éèãçò) [pronouncd yaw-dahì] to know, to prciv, to acquir knowldg, to bcom acquaintd with, to know by xprinc, to hav a knowldg of somthing; to s; to larn; to rcogniz [admit, acknowldg, confss] rd 3 prson plural, Qal prfct Strong s #3045 BDB #393

93 2Samul Samul 15:11c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] vry, ach, all of, all; any of, any masculin singular construct not followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 dâbâr (ãìèáèø) [pronouncd b daw -VAWR] word, saying, doctrin, thing, mattr, command; businss, occupation; cas; somthing; mannr masculin singular noun Strong's #1697 BDB #182 Translation:...thy did not know anything. Absalom playd his cards clos to th vst. If thr was on thing h was good at, it was plotting and schming. H was capabl of putting togthr grat schms, and thos who ndd to know, knw; and thos who should not know, knw nothing. You may wondr, what ar ths 200 mn all about? What is th dal hr? Ths 200 mn ar som of David s top aids and most trustd confidants. Thy did not go with Absalom bcaus thy wr a part of this plot; thy had bn invitd for a fast, and that is why thy wnt. But, whn it bcoms clar that Absalom is taking David s crown, ths mn ar stuck in th middl. David is in castl Zion and h looks around, and ths mn ar not thr. Suddnly, his position appars vry prcarious to him, thinking that h has lost ths 200 mn. H dos not raliz that Absalom simply got thm to join him for this fast in Hbron; but thy did not go in opposition to David. You s, David has authorizd this trip, so thir going down thr is on David s authorization. So, no mattr what thy think of David or of Absalom, thy ar suddnly in th middl of all this. And David will lav castl Zion bfor thy or Absalom rturn. In fact, David s dcision to lav castl Zion was probably basd in part on ths mn bing with Absalom. Whn Absalom rigns in Hbron is announcd in th strts of Jrusalm, David no doubt assums that ths 200 mn ar with him. Hr is an intrsting proposition: what if Joab is among ths 200? Joab will not b namd in 2Sam (xcpt in passing in 2Sam. 17:25), but h dos bcom a clar part of th pictur in 2Sam. 18. Joab would b a logical prson to go down with Absalom. H advocatd on Absalom s part, and, although Absalom burnt down his fild, Absalom could hav com to him, had in hand, and askd forgivnss. And it is now 4 yars latr, so som hard flings tnd to bcom placatd with tim. Now, if Joab is with Absalom, David would surly b panickd militarily, worrid that Joab has allid himslf with Absalom. This is pur spculation; but thr ar crtainly mn lik Joab who wnt with Absalom down to Hbron, not knowing that Absalom was organizing a rvolt against David. W do not har about ths mn again. So w do not know what Absalom did. Did h, at th propr tim, say, Ar you with m or against m? W do not know if ths mn wr slaughtrd or if Absalom lt thm quitly rturn to Jrusalm (aftr David had lft). In any cas, thir chif purpos was to simply mak David think that thy had followd Absalom. And so snds Absalom [for] Ahithophl th Gilonit, a counslor of David from his city, from Giloh, in his slaughtr of th slaughtrd animals. And so is th conspiracy strong and th popl ar dparting and [bcoming] larg with Absalom. 2Samul 15:12 Furthrmor, Absalom snt [for] Ahithophl th Gilonit, a counslor [to] David from his city [of] Giloh, whil h was offring up [lit., slaughtring] animal sacrifics. Consquntly, th conspiracy bcam strong, whil popl ar dparting [from David] and [bcoming] grat with Absalom.

94 6593 Th Book of Samul Furthrmor, Absalom snt for Ahithophl, th Golonit, from his city of Giloh, whil h was making a show of offring up sacrifics in Hbron. Ahithophl had bn a brilliant counslor for David. Consquntly, th conspiracy grw in strngth as popl dpartd from David and wnt in larg numbrs to Absalom. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: Absalom also snt for Achitophl th Gilonit, David's counsllor, from his city Gilo. And whil h was offring sacrifics, thr was a strong conspiracy, and th popl running togthr incrasd with Absalom. And so snds Absalom [for] Ahithophl th Gilonit, a counslor of David from his city, from Giloh, in his slaughtr of th slaughtrd animals. And so is th conspiracy strong and th popl ar dparting and [bcoming] larg with Absalom. And Absalom snt for Ahithophl th Gilonit, David's counsllor, and brought him from his city, from Giloh, whil h was offring sacrifics. And th conspiracy grw strong; and th popl incrasd continually on th sid of Absalom. And Absalom snt to Ahithophl th Gilonit, th counslor of David, from his city, from Giloh, whr h was sacrificing. And thr was a strong conspiracy; and th popl with Absalom wr incrasingly numrous. Th English translation from th Syriac adds th words and brought him. Th English translation from th Latin associats whil h was offring sacrifics to th sntnc which follows, rathr than to what has com bfor. Th final fw phrass appar to b a summary of what has gon bfor. In th Syriac and Grk, thr dos not appar to b a paralll vrb for dparting. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Brkly Vrsion Whil Absalom was offring th sacrifics, h summond David's advisor Ahithophl, who was from Giloh, to com from his homtown. So th conspiracy grw strongr, and Absalom's following grw. Absalom offrd sacrifics in Hbron and snt somon to Gilo to tll David's advisor Ahithophl to com. Mor and mor popl wr joining Absalom and supporting his plot. Absalom gav *sacrifics. H also snt for Ahithophl from Giloh. H cam from his own town, calld Giloh. Ahithophl usd to giv wis advic to King David. Mor and mor popl joind Absalom's group. His plot was gtting strongr. Ahithophl was on of David s advisrs. Ahithophl was from th town of Giloh. Whil Absalom was offring sacrifics, [83] h calld Ahithophl to com from his city (Giloh). Absalom s plans wr working vry wll and mor and mor popl bgan to support him. And whil h was offring sacrifics, Absalom also snt to th town of Gilo for Ahithophl, who was on of King David's advisrs. Th plot against th king gaind strngth, and Absalom's followrs grw in numbr. Whil Absalom was offring sacrifics, h managd also to involv Ahithophl th Gilonit, David's advisor, calling him away from his homtown of Giloh. Th conspiracy grw powrful and Absalom's supportrs multiplid. At th tim of his offring th sacrifics, Absalom also summond Ahithophl of Giloh, David s counslor, from Giloh, his city. Thus th conspiracy sprad and th popl with Absalom kpt incrasing. Both Ahithophl and his opponnt, Hushai, had bn mmbrs of David s cabint [1Chron. 27:33]. Possibly Ahithophl s

95 2Samul Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Lif Bibl Nw Living Translation turning against David was bcaus h was Bathshba s grandfathr; s 2Sam. 11:3 23:34. Whil Absalom was offring sacrifics, h snt for Ahithophl, on of th popl who advisd David, to com from his homtown of Giloh. So Absalom's plans wr working vry wll. Mor and mor popl bgan to support him. Whil Absalom was giving gifts on th altar in worship, h snt for Ahithophl th Gilonit, from his city Giloh. H was th man who talkd with David about what to do. Th plans against David bcam strong. For mor and mor popl joind Absalom. Whil Absalom was offring th sacrifics, h snt for Ahithophl, on of David's counslors who livd in Giloh. Soon many othrs also joind Absalom, and th conspiracy gaind momntum. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl God s Word Nw Amrican Bibl NIRV Nw Jrusalm Bibl Rvisd English Bibl Thn, whil h was offring his sacrifics, AbSalom snt and calld for AhiThophl th Glamonit (David's advisor) from his city of Gola. And thr h formd a strong confdration, and many popl startd following AbSalom. Whil Absalom was offring sacrifics, h snt for Ahithophl, David's advisr, to com from his hom in Giloh. Manwhil, th conspiracy grw strongr, and th numbr of popl siding with Absalom kpt gtting largr. Absalom also snt to Ahithophl th Gilonit, David's counslor, an invitation to com from his town, Giloh, for th sacrifics h was about to offr. So th conspiracy gaind strngth, and th popl with Absalom incrasd in numbrs. 2Sam. 16:23 Whil Absalom was offring sacrifics, h snt for Ahithophl. Ahithophl was David's advisr. H cam to Absalom from Giloh, his homtown. Th numbr of popl who followd Absalom kpt growing. So h bcam mor and mor abl to carry out his plans against David. Absalom snt for Ahithophl th Gilonit, David's counsllor, from Giloh his town, and had him with him whil offring th sacrifics. Th conspiracy grw in strngth, sinc Absalom's supportrs grw in numbr. Absalom also snt to summon Ahithophl th Gilonit, David s counsllor, from Giloh his town, whr h was offring th customary sacrifics. Th conspiracy gathrd strngth, and Absalom s supportrs incrasd in numbr. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Complt Jwish Bibl Frar-Fnton Bibl HCSB Absalom snt for Ahithophl th Gilohit, David's advisor, from his city, Giloh, and sacrificd sacrifics. Th conspiracy was ncouragd, and th popl wnt in lgions with Absalom. And Absalom snt for Ahithophl th Gilonit, on of David's hlprs, from Giloh his town, whil h was making th offrings. And th dsign against David bcam strong, for mor and mor popl wr joind to Absalom. Avshalom snt for Achitofl th Giloni, David's counslor, to com from his town Giloh and b with him whil offring th sacrifics. Th conspiracy grw strong, bcaus th numbr of popl favoring Avshalom kpt incrasing. But Absalom had snt for Akhitophl, th Gilonit, th Counslor of David, from th town of Gihon, for him to sacrific th sacrifics; so thr was a powrful conspiracy, and th popl cam and crowdd to Absalom. Whil h was offring th sacrifics, Absalom snt for David's advisr Ahithophl th Gilonit, from his city of Giloh. So th conspiracy grw strong, and th popl supporting Absalom continud to incras.

96 6595 Th Book of Samul JPS (Tanakh 1985) Nw Advnt Bibl NET Bibl NIV UK a Absalom also snt [to ftch] [Som Sptuagint manuscripts and 4QSam rad snt and summond. ] Ahithophl th Gilonit, David s counslor, from his town, Giloh, whn th sacrifics wr to b offrd. Th conspiracy gaind strngth, and th popl supportd Absalom in incrasing numbrs. Absalom also snt for Achitophl th Gilonit, David's counsllor, from his city Gilo. And whil h was offring sacrifics, thr was a strong conspiracy, and th popl running togthr incrasd with Absalom. Whil h was offring sacrifics, Absalom snt for Ahithophl th Gilonit, David's advisr [Traditionally, "counslor," but this trm is mor oftn associatd with psychological counsling today, so "advisr" was usd in th translation instad.], to com from his city, Giloh [Hb "Absalom snt for Ahithophl th Gilonit, th advisr of David, from his city, from Giloh, whil h was sacrificing." It is not ntirly clar who (Absalom or Ahithophl) was offring th sacrifics.]. Th conspiracy was gaining momntum, and th popl wr starting to sid with Absalom. Whil Absalom was offring sacrifics, h also snt for Ahithophl th Gilonit, David's counsllor, to com from Giloh, his hom town. And so th conspiracy gaind strngth, and Absalom's following kpt on incrasing. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Darby Translation English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl NASB Syndin World English Bibl And Absalom snt for Ahithophl th Gilonit, David's counsllor, from his city, from Giloh, whil h offrd th sacrifics. And th conspiracy gathrd strngth; and th popl incrasd continually with Absalom. And whil Absalom was offring th sacrifics, h snt for Ahithophl th Gilonit, David's counslor, from his city Giloh. And th conspiracy grw strong, and th popl with Absalom kpt incrasing. And Abi Shalom snds for Achiy Thophl th Gilohiy th counsllor of David from his city - from Giloh as h sacrifics sacrifics: and th conspiracy is strong; for many popl walk with Abi Shalom. And Absalom snt for Ahithophl th Gilonit, David's counslor, from his city Giloh, whil h was offring th sacrifics. And th conspiracy was strong, for th popl incrasd continually with Absalom. Whil Absalom offrd sacrifics, {vry pious, vry rligious looking - inwardly h is rvrsionistic and arrogant} h {Absalom} snt for Ahithophl th Gilonit, David's 'scrtary of stat'/counslor, from his homtown of Giloh {about 5 mils from Hbron}. {Not: Ahithophl is th grandfathr of Bathshba and th tru brains bhind Absalom's rvolt just bginning his counsl was so good it was rfrrd to 'as from God' (2Samul 16:23). Ahithophl had a son who was on of David's gnrals. H most likly introducd Bathshba to Uriah th Hittit and nvr forgav David for th rap of his granddaughtr and murdr of his son-in-law.} Thrfor th conspiracy gaind momntum/strngth and th popl kpt coming to Absalom in constantly incrasing numbrs. {Not: If politics (lik unfair govrnmnt - 'taxation without rprsntation' or 'stats rights vrs national tyranny') is th caus of a civil war, th issu is frdom. If rvolution (vil turnovr of lgitimat govrnmnt) is th caus, thn th issu is truth. Hr th issu is truth.} {Not: David wrot 3 conspiracy psalms. Psalm 39 fits hr.}. Absalom snt for Ahithophl th Gilonit, David's counslor, from his city, vn from Giloh, whil h was offring th sacrifics. Th conspiracy was strong; for th popl incrasd continually with Absalom.

97 2Samul Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: And Absalom snds Ahithophl th Gilonit, a counslor of David, out of his city, out of Gilo, in his sacrificing sacrifics; and th conspiracy is strong, and th popl ar going and incrasing with Absalom. Absalom also snt to bring Ahithophl to him, a formr aid to David. A grat numbr of popl bcam awar of what Absalom was doing and agr with him. 2Samul 15:12a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 shâlach (ùèìçç) [pronouncd shaw- LAKH] to snd, to snd for [forth, away], to dismiss, to dploy, to put forth, to strtch out, to rach out rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #7971 BDB #1018 Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] untranslatd gnrally; occasionally to, toward indicats that th following substantiv is a dirct objct Strong's #853 BDB #84 Ãchîythôphl (àâçäéúéôæì) [pronouncd uhkh-- THOH-fl] my brothr is foolish; and is translitratd Ahithophl, Achitophl masculin singular propr noun Strong s #302 BDB #27 Gîylônîy (âìäéìéðäé) [pronouncd gh-loh- NEE] an inhabitant of Giloh; translitratd Gilonit masculin singular gntilic adjctiv Strong s #1526 BDB #162 Translation: Furthrmor, Absalom snt [for] Ahithophl th Gilonit,... Thr is a lot which is going on in this vrs. First of all, it appars that Ahithophl is probably Bathshba s grandfathr. W know this from two passags: 2Sam. 11:3 David snd and inquird aftr th woman. On said, Is not this Bathshba, th daughtr of Eliam, th wif of Uriah th Hittit? Now, intrstingly nough, dspit what David did, Eliam, Bathshba s fathr, rmaind faithful to David. Eliam, which mans God is my popl, was namd as on of th grat soldirs in David s army (2Sam. 23:34b). But w ar told somthing ls in that vrs:...eliam th son of Ahithophl th Gilonit,... It would b logical for th daughtr of a grat soldir to marry a soldir; aftr all, Bathshba did not want to fl as though sh was toughr than som non-soldir, so sh marrid Uriah th Hittit, on of David s grat soldirs (2Sam. 23:39). So, Bathshba was th daughtr of Eliam (who rmaind allid with David) and th granddaughtr of Ahithophl, who turnd against David. So, what w hav hr is, Bathshba was takn by David and David had hr husband killd (2Sam. 11). David imprgnatd Bathshba, so h took hr as his wif. Eliam, at som point, accptd this, and rmaind faithful to David; thus his citation in 2Sam. 23. Howvr, Ahithophl, his fathr, a brilliant stratgist (which will bcom apparnt as this narrativ is dvlopd), could not tak th immorality of David, and h has hld a grudg against David vr sinc. Absalom actually knows about this. Probably not from obsrvation, but from bing told by on of his nw followrs. Whatvr, Absalom calls for Ahithophl to com to him.

98 6597 Th Book of Samul Th Nw Advnt Bibl not on Achitophl: Achitopl was an abl and honourd counsllor of David, who joind th rbllion of Absalom. Th King was much affctd by this dsrtion. Haring that th man on whos word h had bn wont to rly as "on an oracl of God" was giving his advic to th nmy, h prayd th Lord to "infatuat th counsl of Achitopl." Som hav sn in Psalms 54:13-15 and 40:10, rflctions of David on this faithlss frind. It was on th advic of Achitopl that Absalom took possssion of his fathr's harm, thus cutting off all hop of rconciliation. Undrstanding th nd of nrgtic masurs, h urgd that 12,000 mn b snt from Jrusalm in pursuit of th King. H offrd to lad thm himslf. Chusai, a scrt frind of David, dfatd his purpos. Thrupon h proudly withdrw to his town of Gilo, put his hous in ordr, and strangld himslf. (S 2 Samul 15:12; 17:23; 1 Chronicls 27:33.) It would sm from a conjunction of 2 Samul 23:34, and 11:3, that Achitopl was th grandfathr of Bthsab, and it has bn suggstd, as an xplanation of his conduct towards David, that h had kpt a scrt grudg against th King for th way h had tratd Bthsab, and hr first husband, th unfortunat Urias. This, or som motiv of ambition, would b in kping with th haughty charactr of Achitopl. Drydn has usd this nam 47 in th titl of his famous satir against th Protstant Party, "Absalom and Achitophl." 2Samul 15:12b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs yâ ats (éèòçõ) [pronouncd yaw-ìahts] counslor, consultant; counsling; making a dtrmination [basd upon counsling] masculin singular, Qal activ participl Strong s #3289 BDB #419 Dâvid (ãìèåäã); also Dâvîyd (ãìèåäéã) [pronouncd daw- VEED] blovd and is translitratd David masculin propr noun Strong s #1732 BDB #187 This is th first occurrnc of David s nam sinc chaptr 13. Translation:...a counslor [to] David... At on tim, Ahithophl had bn a grat counslor to David, and part of what will sav David in this upcoming war is, h will s to it that Ahithophl s counsl to Absalom will b frustratd. David will us countrinsurgncy in ordr to nutraliz Ahithophl s advic to Absalom. It is prtty simpl: David cannot hav Ahithophl advising Absalom. Absalom, by himslf, is not a grat man of war. H has no xprinc whatsovr, insofar as w know, on th battlfild. H was not as bad as Amnon whn it cam to bing a layabout, but h just did not hav th xprinc. Howvr, his lack of xprinc can b compnsatd for if h has a scrtary of war who knows what h is doing. Application: Whn an incumbnt is running against a challngr for prsidnt of th Unitd Stats, th incumbnt oftn runs on his xprinc in world affairs and in ovrsing th gratst military in th world. Now, 3 yars prvious to this, th incumbnt oftn had littl or no military xprinc. Howvr, what is ky is, what is th philosophy of th challngr and can th challngr ovrs a larg organization maning, can h choos grat mn to work for him (which is on of th most important and undrratd componnts of a political rac). So, this novic, Absalom, can b a grat ladr thortically spaking if h has divin stablishmnt thinking and knows how to hir and listn to grat popl. 47 From accssd Sptmbr 28, Somthing ought to b said concrning th Catholic church, as this is a Catholic Bibl. Thr ar crtainly problms within th Catholic church and many problms with thir doctrins. Howvr, w cannot quat today s Catholic church with th church of th Dark Ags or th church which opposd th rformation. Thr sms to b a rnwd intrst in th taching of Scriptur within th Catholic church and in th rsourcs which thy mak availabl. That is a good thing, dspit th fact that thy hold to a fw horribl doctrins.

99 2Samul Application: W hav an lction coming up btwn Barack Obama and Mitt Romny (by th tim I hav compltd this chaptr of 2Samul, th lction will probably b ovr with). Thr ar a fw ignorant Christians who hav struggld btwn avowd Christian Barack Obama and Mormon Mitt Romny (who blivs that thr ar additional rvlations mad by God to Josph Smith, who wor magic glasss and usd thm to translat rformd Egyptian hiroglyphics from shts of mallabl gold (at last in apparanc) which hav 48 disappard. Now, this is som goofy stuff that th Mormons bliv, no doubt about it; and thir thology is, 49 as a rsult, cultic. Howvr, all of th Mormons I hav known hav stablishmnt valus. If you startd going ovr th Laws of Divin Establishmnt (HTML) (PDF) with thm, thy would, in narly vr ara, say, I agr with that. Our church tachs that. So, whn you compar somon who is against th basic principls of divin stablishmnt in th Bibl (th fr function of th soul, th importanc of work, th uniqu family unit of a mothr, fathr and so many childrn) and thy rjct th gratnss of th Unitd Stats, bcaus it is basd upon stablishmnt valus; to somon who favors stablishmnt valus, you vot for th man with stablishmnt valus. Application: Now, this dos not man that lcting a Mormon is not without its problms. Just as Prsidnt Bill Clinton changd a gnration s viws on oral copulation, Mitt Romny could turn millions of popl toward Mormonism, not basd upon what h says, but basd upon his function as prsidnt (whthr h is a poor, mdiocr, good or grat prsidnt). Back to Absalom and his lack of military xprinc. Absalom dos not hav to dirctly fight. H just has to tll his troops what to do. Now, if h givs thm good advic and good training (also undr somon ls s dirction), thn Absalom has a shot at bating David and Joab at war. As an asid, you may wondr, why dosn t God just lt Absalom tak ovr? Hasn t David suckd latly as a king? Didn t God giv David and chanc and his chancs ar long gon aftr bdding Bathshba and having hr husband killd? Hr is th diffrnc: Absalom is using God for covr. H is going through som rligious motions in ordr to hid what h is doing. H has no ral thought for God; h has no intrst in th Word of God. H just wants powr. If you could imagin Prsidnt Obama lading a rvolutionary army against th prsnt powrs-that-b, that would giv you a good ida of what is going on hr. Obama knows knowing about th military; but h has good gnrals to advis him. David, on th othr hand, rcognizs what h did was wrong. H has confssd that sin to God. H might not b in th bst spiritual shap right now, but h intnds to grow spiritually. Absalom has no intrst in growing spiritually. H may not vn b a blivr in Y howah Elohim. David also has a lot of writing to do. H still has to rcord much of what has happnd to him in th book of Samul, th vry words w ar studying (at last, I bliv that this is what David wrot). H has many psalms still to writ. David is a failur; a big fat failur with a capital F. And yt, David gts up, dusts himslf off, and h is moving forward in th spiritual lif. For Absalom, thr is no spiritual lif. Thr is Absalom, his lust for powr, and his dtrmination to hav that powr. Application: Try to imagin your own son turning against you, lying to your fac for yars, and thn taking vrything from you in an instant. This is what David facd. As, as you will rcall, David turnd to God. H will quickly pray to God about Ahithophl, and h will b worshiping God whn his prayr is answrd. 48 Thr ar claims that othrs saw ths goldn plaits. Th glasss ar no longr availabl to us ithr. 49 Howvr, I should point out that thir bhavior as a rligious organization is not cultic in th sns that w oftn think. That is, thy do not kidnap popl and convrt thm; thy do not isolat popl from thir family and frinds; and thy do not gt wird with popl who lav th Mormon church. Thy ar simply cultic in doctrin, taking othr books as bing inspird by God; and taching doctrins which contradict th Bibl (.g., God th Fathr as bing a corporal bing; thr bing no hll, but diffrnt lvls of xistnc).

100 6599 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:12c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs min (îäï) [pronouncd mihn] from, off, out from, out of, away from, on account of, sinc, than, mor than prposition of sparation Strong's #4480 BDB #577 îyr (òäéø) [pronouncd ìr] ncampmnt, city, town fminin singular noun rd with th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong's #5892 BDB #746 min (îäï) [pronouncd mihn] from, off, out from, out of, away from, on account of, sinc, than, mor than prposition of sparation Strong's #4480 BDB #577 Gîlôh (âìäìéä) [pronouncd gh-loh] xil; translitratd Giloh propr singular noun/location Strong s #1542 BDB #162 Translation:...from his city [of] Giloh,... Giloh is a town in th hills of Judah (Joshua 15:51); th nativ plac of Ahithophl (2Sam. 15:12 17:23). 2Samul 15:12d Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 zâbach (æèáçç) b [pronouncd zaw - VAHKH] to slaughtr [usually an animal for sacrific]; to sacrific [an animal]; to slay, to immolat [an animal sacrific] Qal infinitiv construct rd with th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #2076 BDB #256 Th infinitiv construct, whn combind with th bêyth prposition, can oftn tak on a tmporal maning and may b rndrd whn [such and such happns]. It can srv as a tmporal markr that dnots an vnt which occurs simultanously with th action of th main vrb. êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] untranslatd gnrally; occasionally to, toward indicats that th following substantiv is a dirct objct Strong's #853 BDB #84 zbach (ææáçç) B [pronouncd ZEH -vakh] slaughtrd animal [usd in a sacrificial offring], slaughtr, sacrific, slaughtrings, sacrificial animal masculin plural noun with th dfinit articl Strong's #2077 BDB #257 Translation:...whil h was offring up [lit., slaughtring] animal sacrifics. Although th txt dos not mak it clar who is offring up animal sacrifics, Absalom told David that is what h was going to do down in Hbron, and thr ar 200 gusts who hav gon with Absalom to Hbron, popl who ar unawar of what Absalom has plannd. Thrfor, Absalom cannot just go to Hbron and just sit around and work out his plots and machinations. H has to mak it look lik h is doing somthing. H said h was going to offr up som animal sacrifics, so that is what h is doing.

101 2Samul Th words hr focus on th actual slaughtring of th animals mor than thir bing offrd up to God. Although ths ar lgitimat words, th mphasis is upon th slaughtring. That is all that Absalom was doing slaughtring animals. This was just a show. H did this whil bringing his plans togthr. This thinking is spokn of in Prov. 21:27 Th sacrific of th wickd [= unrgnrat or rvrsionistic] is an abomination, how much mor whn h brings it with an vil intnt! This dscribs xactly what Absalom was doing. H was ithr unrgnrat or rvrsionistic and, whn offring up ths animals, h was filld with vil intnt (rvolution). Such mn profss to know God, but thy dny him by thir works. Thy ar dtstabl, disobdint, and unfit for any good work (Titus 1:16). Th first sntnc rads: Furthrmor, Absalom snt for Ahithophl, th Golonit, from his city of Giloh, whil h was making a show of offring up sacrifics in Hbron. Most sourcs say that Giloh is clos to Hbron, and this may hav had somthing to do with Absalom going down to Hbron (it is crtainly a city in Judah Joshua 15:51). What w hav sn so far shows a brilliant st up for th rvolution that will follow. It sms rasonabl that Ahithophl was on Absalom s radar for som tim now, as a good man to gt to countr Joab s military ability. If you hav vr sn Th Godfathr, Francis Ford Coppola (th dirctor) would hav intr-cut th offring of th animals, with th various moving parts of th rvolution which wr going on simultanously (as h did at th nd 50 of Th Godfathr with th infant baptism crmony ). So, as Absalom offrs up this animal and thn that, th trumptrs and th spis sprading out across th land; th mssngr that gos to Ahithophl and tlls him that Absalom wants to mt him in Hbron, th 200 who ar gathrd thr and discussing th crmonis; David is walking and crying up th mountain rang just outsid of Jrusalm; and th prists and Lvits, ar rturning from ths mountains, going back to Jrusalm. Th big problm with Absalom s offring up ths sacrifics is, it is all phony. It is all a covr. Absalom is in Hbron to gathr up his forcs and strngthn himslf militarily bfor rvolting against David. 2Samul 15:12 Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 hâyâh (äèéèä) [pronouncd haw-yaw] to b, is, was, ar; to bcom, to com into bing; to com to pass rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #1961 BDB #224 qshr ( ÆùÆø) [pronouncd KEH-shr] conspiracy, trason, unlawful allianc masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #7195 BDB #905 This is th first tim this word occurs in Scriptur. ammits (àçîìäõ) [pronouncd ahm- MEETS] (with an altrnat splling) strong, firm, mighty masculin singular adjctiv Strong s #533 BDB #55 Translation: Consquntly, th conspiracy bcam strong,... Absalom s conspiracy incrasd in strngth. Thr wr th popl on th insid, and thy knw what h was doing. Many cam to him. Th 200 just figurd ths wr mor popl in shar in th clbration of ths animal sacrifics, but Absalom usd that as a covr, so that h could intract with th conspirators without that bing noticd. 50 This was too gory and salacious to link to.

102 6601 Th Book of Samul Furthrmor, as alrady notd, David dos not know that ths 200 mn ar not with Absalom. That is what h will assum, and thy likly rprsnt som of his closst staff. 2Samul 15:12f Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and; vn; in particular, namly; whn, sinc, sing, though; so, thn, thrfor; or, but yt; who, which; or; that, in that; with simpl wâw conjunction BDB # Th wâw conjunction can b usd to man at th sam tim, whn, whil, simultanously. am (òçí) [pronouncd ìahm] popl; rac, trib; family, rlativs; citizns, common popl; companions, srvants; ntir human rac; hrd [of animals] masculin singular collctiv noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #5971 BDB #766 hâlak (äèìçêà) [pronouncd haw-lahk ] is walking, is going, is dparting, is advancing, is travling Qal activ participl Strong s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 Two wâw conjunctions may continu th thought of a compound conditional sntnc. Whn this happns, thn this will occur is th ida hr. rab (øçá) [pronouncd b rah v] many, much, grat (in th sns of larg or significant, not acclaimd) masculin singular adjctiv Strong's #7227 BDB #912 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] with, at, nar, by, among, dirctly from prposition (which is idntical to th sign of th dirct objct) Strong's #854 BDB #85 Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5 Translation:...whil popl ar dparting [from David] and [bcoming] grat with Absalom. Popl kpt dparting; and w may rasonably undrstand this to man that thy wr dparting from bing loyal to David, and walking to Absalom to show thir allgianc to him. Th numbr of popl who cam to Absalom kpt incrasing in siz. W hav alrady gon ovr som of th rasons back in v. 10, but on of thm might b slf-prsrvation. Popl look at th two ladrs, mak a dtrmination as to who will b standing at th vry nd, and ally thmslvs with that prson. Absalom crtainly looks youngr and mor powrful; and h is lik th David that David usd to b at last suprficially. At th sam tim coms from Th Brown-Drivr-Briggs Hbrw and English Lxicon; Hndrickson Publishrs; h1996; p. 252; 51 I addd in th synonyms.

103 2Samul You may rmmbr that whn David xild himslf from Saul, many, many popl bgan to com to him whil h was hiding out. Th sam is tru for Absalom, but h is not hiding out. H is in Hbron, out in th opn, offring up sacrifics, and rciving popl who will support him in his rvolution against David. Jamison, Fausst and Brown sums up why this chang of allgianc continud to grow: Th rapid accssion of on plac aftr anothr in all parts of th kingdom to th party of th insurgnts, shows that dp and gnral dissatisfaction xistd at this tim against th prson and govrnmnt of David. Th rmnant of Saul's partisans, th unhappy affair of Bath-shba, th ovrbaring insolnc and crims of Joab, nglignc and obstruction in th administration of justic--ths wr som of th 52 principal causs that contributd to th succss of this widsprad insurrction. Th two doctrins wr takn from lswhr on th intrnt, but thy appar to b rasonably accurat. Introduction: W sm to hav this romanticizd viw of rvolution in our cultur, which is probably a rsult of th communist conspiracy and th mislabling of our own War for Indpndnc as th Amrican Rvolution. Thrfor, whn w saw th so-calld Arab Spring, many nwsmn spok of it and a Jffrsonian Dmocracy in th sam brath (vn though many warnd, It is not going to b a Jffrsonian Dmocracy right off th bat ). Howvr, th Bibl tachs that rvolution is anti-stablishmnt and anti-god; and many Christians (and non-christians) rcogniz that th vnts in th Muslim world simply rprsnt a shift in powr from on vil dictator to an vn mor vil dictator, undr a thin vnr of dmocracy. Th Doctrin of Rvolution taks a look at rvolution from a mor Biblical prspctiv, so that, whn you obsrv such things taking plac, you do not mistaknly think that, things ar going to gt bttr bcaus th popl ar rvolting against tyranny. It s not lik that at all. This coms from pastor Robrt H. Krgr of th Mtropolitan Bibl Church. Bcaus of som of th vocabulary, it is likly that pastor Krgr has studid undr R. B. Thim, Jr. Th Doctrin of Rvolution 1. Dfinition of rvolution: rvolution is th ovrthrow by violnc of duly constitutd authority rsulting in fundamntal chang in political organization, constitution, or govrnmnt. Rvolution is a form of conspiracy to ovrthrow stablishmnt-typ govrnmnt to rmov th authority of stablishmnt by mans of violnc. 2. Th Word of God dos not justify rvolution undr any circumstancs. Th Frnch and Russian Rvolutions wr not justifid, and God did not condon thm. Rom 13:1-7 sums up bst th attitud of God."Evryon must submit himslf to th govrning authoritis, for thr is no authority xcpt that which God has stablishd. Th authoritis that xist hav bn stablishd by God. Consquntly, h who rbls against th authority is rblling against what God has institutd, and thos who do so will bring judgmnt on thmslvs. For rulrs hold no trror for thos who do right, but for thos who do wrong. Do you want to b fr from far of th on in authority? Thn do what is right and h will commnd you. For h is God's srvant to do you good. But if you do wrong, b afraid, for h dos not bar th sword for nothing. H is God's srvant, an agnt of wrath to bring punishmnt on th wrongdor. Thrfor, it is ncssary to submit to th authoritis, not only bcaus of possibl punishmnt but also bcaus of conscinc. This is also why you pay taxs, for th authoritis ar God's srvants, who giv thir full tim to govrning. Giv vryon what you ow him: if you ow taxs, pay taxs; if rvnu, thn rvnu; if rspct, thn rspct; if honor, thn honor." 1Ptr 2:13-17 "Submit yourslvs for th Lord's sak to vry authority institutd among mn: whthr to th king, as th suprm authority, or to govrnors, who ar snt by him to punish thos who do wrong and to commnd thos who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silnc th ignorant talk of foolish mn. Liv as fr mn, but do not us your frdom as a covr-up for vil; liv as srvants of God. Show propr rspct to vryon: lov th brothrhood of blivrs, far God, honor th king." Danil 2:21 "H changs tims and sasons; h sts up kings and dposs thm..." Robrt Jamison, A. R. Fausst and David Brown; Commntary Critical and Explanatory on th Whol Bibl; from -sword, 52 2Sam. 15:12.

104 6603 Th Book of Samul Th Doctrin of Rvolution 3. If rvolution is wrong, th most common qustion that coms up is "What about th Amrican Rvolution?" Tchnically th Amrican Rvolution was not a rvolution. It was a war for indpndnc. It was a fight for frdom, not an ovrthrow of stablishmnt. Thos who favord indpndnc hopd for a good rlationship with mothr England; thy did not sk to dstroy th English govrnmnt or powr structur. Thy did not sk to supplant England s govrnmnt. This dos not man that thr was no sin in th Amrican War for Indpndnc; it simply mans that it was not, strictly spaking, a rvolution. 4. Th Amrican Civil War, or th War Btwn th Stats was not a rbllion, or a rvolt. Th Confdracy was fighting against northrn aggrssion, and fighting for its indpndnc. It did not attmpt nor did it dsir to ovrthrow th govrnmnt in Washington. Rvolution, on th othr hand, has as its objctiv th dstruction of an organizd govrnmnt. That is why th Frnch and Russian Rvolutions wr vil and wrong. Thir ntir purpos was th dstruction of xisting govrnmnts. But a war for indpndnc, or a fight for frdom, is honorabl and just, and is not against God's standards. 5. Rvolution involvs both apostasy and a lack of Bibl doctrin. Isa. 1:3-5 "Th ox knows his mastr, th donky his ownr's managr, but Isral dos not know, my popl do not undrstand. Ah, sinful nation, a popl loadd with guilt, a brood of vildors, childrn givn to corruption. Thy hav forsakn th Lord; thy hav spurnd th Holy On of Isral and turnd thir backs on him." Isa. 59:13 "Rbllion and trachry against th Lord, turning your backs on your God, fomnting opprssion and rvolt, uttring lis your harts hav concivd." 6. Rvolution is anti-god. Isa. 31:6 "Rturn to him(litrally,'rturn to th On')you hav so gratly rvoltd against, O Isralits." 7. Rvolution is causd by failur in th thought pattrns of thos involvd. Jr. 5:23 "But ths popl hav stubborn and rbllious harts;(thinking) thy hav turnd asid and gon away." Thrfor, th rvolutionist always suffrs from mntal attitud sins and/or motional rvolt of th soul. Ths conditions mak on mntally ill and vry sinful. 8. Jalousy and powr lust ar primary motivators in rvolution. Isa. 11:13 compard to 1Kings 12:19. Isa. 11:13 says "Ephraim's jalousy will vanish, and Judah's nmis will b cut off; Ephraim will not b jalous of Judah, nor Judah hostil toward Ephraim." 1Kings 12:19 "So Isral has bn in rbllion against th hous of David to this day." S also 2Chron 10: Rvolution involvs two kinds of popl: th criminals, who want to siz powr; and th tru blivrs and idalists, who ar dupd into supporting th rvolution. W saw this in Egypt and Libya ovr th past coupl of yars (I writ this in 2012). In Egypt, thr wr all ths young popl in Tahrir Squar, posting on Facbook, twting and uploading vidos to YouTub. Thy wantd frdom and slfdtrmination, and many popl in th Unitd Stats saw this and just thought it was th most wondrful thing. Howvr, as this rvolution gaind momntum, and as th popl ovrran Mubarak, thir ladr; thn th criminals th hardcor rvolutionaris stppd in th Muslim Brothrhood. Up until th tim whn it bcam clar that Egypt was going to dvlop a nw govrnmnt, this organization hung back and did not tak any crdit for what was going on. Howvr, whn prliminary lctions wr hld, thn, suddnly, thy stppd up thir gam. Libya was much th sam way. Th tru blivr, th crusadr, actually providd th momntum and th ovrthrow of Ghaddafi; as wll as th propaganda. Howvr, onc th govrnmnt was ovrthrown, thn th criminal rvolutionaris stppd in, attmpting to tak powr and dmonizing and attacking th vry Unitd Stats who hlpd thm in thir rvolution. Thr was an outpouring of support in Amrica for ths and othr Arab Spring rvolutions, particularly from th lft, who think that rvolutions ar a good thing. 10. Criminal arroganc + crusadr arroganc = rvolution against an stablishmnt govrnmnt. Th nd rsult is narly always a govrnmnt which follows fwr stablishmnt principls. 11. In othr words, popl in a rvolution, no mattr whthr thy ar hardcor criminal rvolutionaris or sincr do-goodrs, thy ar motivatd by arroganc. 12. Aftr a crtain point, thos who ar criminals will assum th powr and, if nd b, crush thos who ar th crusadrs. 13. Although th gnral population nds to go along with a rvolution, if th rvolution is achivd and thr ar larg swaths of population who do not lik it, somtims thy ar incarcratd or killd, as has

105 2Samul Th Doctrin of Rvolution occurrd in most communist countris. 14. In th middl of any rvolution ar th popl in th country in which this rvolution taks plac. Hr, th hardcor rvolutionaris produc propaganda and thy dpnd upon th crusadrs to convinc th gnral population as wll. 15. Thr ar svral xampls of rvolution in th Bibl. a. Absalom rvolting against his fathr David. Absalom was clarly a criminal. H dstroyd proprty, h will rap David s mistrsss, and h dsirs to kill his fathr. 2Sam b. Th rvolt of Dathan and Abiram against Moss. Num. 16 c. Isral, a thocracy, frquntly sought to dpos God as thir ultimat rulr. Isa. 1:2 5 Listn, havns, and pay attntion, arth, for th LORD has spokn: "I hav raisd childrn and brought thm up, but thy hav rblld against M. Th ox knows its ownr, and th donky its mastr's fding-trough, but Isral dos not know; My popl do not undrstand." Oh--sinful nation, popl wighd down with iniquity, brood of vildors, dpravd childrn! Thy hav abandond th LORD; thy hav dspisd th Holy On of Isral; thy hav turnd thir backs on Him. Why do you want mor batings? Why do you kp on rblling? Th whol had is hurt, and th whol hart is sick. (HCSB) 16. Satan is th original rvolutionist, rvolting against God and taking a third of th angls with him. Isa. 14:12 15 Rv. 12:4 17. Mntal attitud sins on th part of ladrs hav a tndncy to caus mntal attitud sins among th citizns. Danil Th communication of Bibl doctrin is dsignd to stop rvolution. Ezk. 2:3-10 "H said to m, 'Son of man, stand up on your ft and I will spak to you.' As h spok, th Spirit cam into m and raisd m to my ft, and I hard him spaking to m. H said: 'Son of man, I am snding you to th Isralits, to a rbllious nation that has rblld against m; thy and thir fathrs hav bn in rvolt against m to this vry day. Th popl to whom I am snding you ar obstinat and stubborn. Say to thm, This is what th Sovrign Lords says, And whthr thy listn or fail to listn, for thy ar a rbllious hous, thy will know that a propht has bn among thm. And you, son of man, do not b afraid of thm or thir words. Do not b afraid though brirs and thorns ar all around you and you liv among scorpions. Do not b afraid of what thy say or trrifid by thm, though thy ar a rbllious hous. You must spak my words to thm, whthr thy listn or fail to listn, for thy ar rbllious. But you, son of man, listn to what I say to you. Do not rbl lik that rbllious hous; opn your mouth and at what I giv you." (God gav Ezkil Bibl doctrin.) 19. Hathnism is th rsult of rvolution. Rom. 1:19-26 "Sinc what may b known about God is plain to thm, bcaus God has mad it plain to thm. For sinc th cration of th world God's invisibl qualitis, his trnal powr and divin natur, hav bn clarly sn, bing undrstood from what has bn mad, so that mn ar without xcus. For although thy knw God, thy nithr glorifid him as God nor gav thanks to him, but thir thinking bcam futil and thir foolish harts wr darknd. Although thy claimd to b wis, thy bcam fools and xchangd th glory of th immortal God for imags mad to look lik mortal man and birds and animals and rptils. Thrfor, God gav thm ovr in th sinful dsirs of thir harts to sxual impurity for th dgrading of thir bodis with on anothr. Thy xchangd th truth of God for a li, and worshipd and srvd cratd things rathr than th Crator, who is forvr praisd. Amn. Bcaus of this, God gav thm ovr to shamful lusts. Evn thir womn xchangd natural rlations for unnatural ons." Th rsult of this rvolution is dgnration. Rom 1:27-31 "In th sam way th mn also abandond natural rlations with womn and wr inflamd with lust for on anothr. Mn committd indcnt acts with othr mn, and rcivd in thmslvs th du pnalty for thir prvrsion. Furthrmor, sinc thy did not think it worthwhil to rtain th knowldg of God, h gav thm ovr to a dpravd mind, to do what ought not to b don. Thy hav bcom filld with vry kind of wickdnss, vil, grd and dpravity. Thy ar full of nvy, murdr, strif, dcit and malic. Thy ar gossips, slandrrs, God-hatrs, insolnt, arrogant and boastful; thy invnt ways of doing vil; thy disoby thir parnts; thy ar snslss, faithlss, hartlss, ruthlss. Although thy know God's rightous dcrs and thos who do such things dsrv dath, thy not only continu to do ths vry things but also approv of thos who practic thm."

106 6605 Th Book of Samul Th Doctrin of Rvolution 20. Mntal attitud sins on a national lvl lads to instability and unrst in that nation. Danil chaptr In rvolution, approbation and powr lust sk to gain powr by th dstruction of frdom, rights, privacy, and prsonal proprty. 22. Thrfor, rvolution is a Satanic dvic that is usd to stablish his cosmic kingdom and to suprimpos his will ovr mankind. A govrnmnt can b dstroyd in on of two ways: a. By thos in powr who abus that powr and nd up dstroying th conomy, th military, or th judicial systm. b. By thos who ar supprssd by th govrnmnt, and thn ris up with wapons and violnc and ovrthrow thos in powr. 23. But vn though th citizns may hav bona fid grivancs against th govrnmnt, th Lord still dos not condon rvolution. Thr is no prfct systm of govrnmnt or corporat organization bcaus mn all hav sin naturs. So, no mattr what systm of govrnmnt is in plac, thr is always a potntial for corruption and victims. From: and ditd and appndd. Som matrial from th R. B. Thim, Jr. s 1972 David Sris, Lsson 631_0365 as wll as othr lssons from this ra. 1. Rvolution Is Forbiddn: Rom Ptr God's Attitud Toward Rvolution: Num Rvolution Is Apostasy: Isa Rvolution Is Anti-God: Isa It Coms From A Wayward Hart: Jr Rvolution Is Causd By Jalousy: Isa God's Word Can Stop Rvolution: Ezk Takn from Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Lt s apply som of ths principls to Absalom and th rvolution h is fomnting. Th Absalom Rvolution 1. Absalom, and his innr circl, ar th criminals. Som of thm can b tru blivrs. 2. Howvr, Absalom must build public support for his rvolution. H must convinc larg numbrs of popl to fight for his caus, which popl ar th tru blivrs or th dups of th rvolutionaris. 3. At no tim dos Absalom actually suggst a nw st of policis which ar suprior to th policis of David. H simply cultivats th victims of Isral s judicial systm and hops that thy will carry back th nws of Absalom s sincrly xprssd sympathis with thir caus. 2Sam. 15: Absalom offrd up a nw kind of quality, in th sns of, th citizns wr qual to th ladr. 2Sam. 15:5 5. Thos who hop to siz powr oftn suffr from criminal arroganc. At th hart of thir rvolution is not a bttr lif for th popl ovr whom thy hop to rul; but an insatiabl dsir for powr. Absalom has an insatiabl lust for powr. 6. Thos who ar dupd into supporting th rvolutionists ar thos suffring from crusadr arroganc. Thy bcom rvolutionaris thmslvs. 7. It is not ncssary for criminal arroganc to xist first and to stir up crusadr arroganc (which is what Absalom did). Crusadrs can rjct th prsnt systm of govrnmnt, which opns up a powr vacuum, which will suck in, gnrally spaking, a prson, prsons or organizations which ar far mor vil than that which is alrady in powr. 8. Many mn bliv, that by a nw prson coming in and taking ovr th systm, that thy can ffct tru and maningful chang which will improv lif immasurably.

107 2Samul Th Absalom Rvolution 9. Many mn hav unralistic faith in various man-mad systms of govrnmnt and organization whn thy ky is th souls of th popl within that systm. 10. Absalom pryd on th disnchantmnt of som with justic in Isral, vn though it was probably good (David s waknss alrady notd). Thos out of powr oftn parad victims bfor th public, implying that, if thy wr in powr, ths victims would not xist. 11. Absalom prsntd himslf as a king, riding around in a chariot with horss and an ntourag of prsonal guards. 12. Absalom has st up a ntwork of supportrs who, at th sound of a trumpt, will proclaim him king in Hbron. This will b rpatd in citis throughout all Isral. Thr ar also thos who do not hav strong political lanings, who simply want to gt along. Thy will support whomvr sms strongr to thm, so that thy can b on th right sid of history. Som of ths principls com from th taching of R. B. Thim, Jr. s 1972 David Sris, lsson 631_0365. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Our vrs rads: Furthrmor, Absalom snt [for] Ahithophl th Gilonit, a counslor [to] David from his city [of] Giloh, whil h was offring up [lit., slaughtring] animal sacrifics. Consquntly, th conspiracy bcam strong, whil popl ar dparting [from David] and [bcoming] grat with Absalom. Th Citizns of Isral and th Rvolution 1. W incorrctly idntify rvolution as a good thing in our country. Howvr, it is a sign that th popl of that country hav takn a wrong turn. 2. God allows a rvolution hr for svral rasons; and on of thos rasons is, th popl of Isral hav rjctd on or mor of ths truths: th gospl, Bibl doctrin, and/or th laws of divin stablishmnt. 3. W know this bcaus som of th popl support Absalom. Thy wr asily swayd away from David. That shows a clar rjction of God s authority ovr thm. 4. David was rjctd, in part, bcaus of his sins; but also, bcaus th popl of Isral clarly gossipd about him and malignd him and thought vicious things about David. Th gratst king in Isral s history, and th popl of Isral think that thy ar bttr than h is. 5. Whn thy rjct David, thy also rjct David s God. David clarly rpntd of his sin and of th way that h was acting. 6. It should also b pointd out that ths popl ar choosing Absalom as thir man. Now, if David is a bad king in thir ys, what is it that Absalom offrs that is somhow bttr? H has nothing bttr to offr thm. 7. Thr is nothing a clint nation can bnfit from a rvolution. 8. For many popl, thy must switch from norms and standards which apply in a routin; to norms and standards which apply in a disastr. 9. Th popl who hav followd David hav lft vrything bhind. Thy stppd out of thir hous and walkd away from all thy had workd for all of thir livs. Ths popl hav loyalty to David and loyalty to God, which is honor. It is only bcaus of th honor of King David that many of Absalom s supportrs will not b dstroyd in this rvolution. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Th ky to a good govrnmnt is th souls of th popl undr that govrnmnt. In som ways, this is what Bnjamin Franklin mant, whn h said th Unitd Stats was "A Rpublic, if you can kp it."

108 6607 Th Book of Samul No mattr what form of govrnmnt thr is, th popl must hav intgrity; othrwis, that systm will not work. W saw this in Afghanistan and Iraq. Th popl wr vry nthusiastic about voting, but if thir souls ar filld with th fals doctrin of Islam, nothing good can com of it. You cannot rjct truth and xpct to thriv. Thr ar 3 catgoris of truth: th gospl of Jsus Christ, Bibl doctrin; and th laws of divin stablishmnt. If ths ar all rjctd by a population, no mattr what form of govrnmnt is in plac, thir livs will b misrabl. Gorg W. Bush thought that th ky to a grat Iraq would b installing a dmocracy. But th ky to Iraq bcoming a grat country again would hav bn th gospl and th protction of th librtis of th popl, to accpt or rjct th gospl and to frly har th taching of th Word of God. What good is majority rul, if th majority of popl hav souls filld with hat and falshood? On mor thing nds to b said. If th gospl of Jsus Christ and Bibl doctrin ar rjctd, thn th laws of divin stablishmnt will b rjctd as wll. Mn whos souls hav rjctd truth hav a vacuum in thir souls which such in fals doctrin, which, for th unblivr, ar laws which ar against divin stablishmnt. Eph. 4:17 18 Thrfor, I communicat this, and bcaus of th Lord, I insist that you no longr walk as Gntils [unblivrs] walk in th vacuum of thir mind. Thy ar darknd in thir way of thinking; thy hav bn alinatd from th lif of God bcaus of ignoranc which is in thm, bcaus of th scar tissu of thir right lobs. Unblivrs hav a vacuum in thir mind, which, whn it rjcts th truth (th gospl or th laws of divin stablishmnt), it thn sucks in fals doctrin. Thir thinking bcoms darknd with cosmic systm thinking. Thy rjct th gospl of Jsus Christ and ithr choos rligion, humanism, athism or agnostic humanism. Thy rjct th doctrin of th Bibl as silly, old fashiond, out-of-dat, and inapplicabl to today s world. Thy rjct th laws of divin stablishmnt. This can com in many forms. For instanc, thy can bliv in govrnmnt staling from its citizns, which is xcssiv taxation. Thy can support grd of th poor, who want to hav what thir rich nighbor has. Thy rjct th family unit, instad supplanting it with both parnts working and th child bing brought up by govrnmnt workrs in pr-schools; or thy rjct traditional marriag, bliving that any combination of popl is fin, so long as thr is lov involvd. And, on point with our study, thy bliv that rvolution is a good thing; and th dstruction of th prsnt-day rulrs will bring about chang which is good. Thy look to chang that which is on th xtrior, whn th ky to lif is on th intrior (salvation through faith in Jsus Christ; and thn spiritual growth). Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins King David Lavs Jrusalm And so coms in a mssngr unto David, to say, Is a hart of a man of Isral aftr Absalom. 2Samul 15:13 And a mssngr cam into David, saying, Th harts of th mn of Isral ar [gon] aftr Absalom. Thn a mssngr cam to David, saying, Th mn of Isral hav had thir harts swayd by Absalom. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) And thr cam a mssngr to David, saying: All Isral with thir whol hart follows Absalom. And so coms in a mssngr unto David, to say, Is a hart of a man of Isral aftr Absalom. And thr cam a mssngr to David, saying, Th harts of th mn of Isral ar with Absalom.

109 2Samul Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And thr cam a mssngr to David, saying, th hart of th mn of Isral has gon aftr Absalom. Although thr ar diffrncs in th singular and plural forms of hart and man, in English, w would nvr us th singular of ths words as th Hbrw dos. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Lif Bibl Nw Living Translation A mssngr cam and told David, "Evryon in Isral is on Absalom's sid!" David scaps from Jrusalm A man cam and h gav David a mssag. `All th *Isralits hav bcom loyal to Absalom', h said. A man cam in to tll th nws to David. Th man said, Th popl of Isral ar bginning to follow Absalom. A mssngr rportd to David, "Th Isralits ar pldging thir loyalty to Absalom." Somon cam to David with th rport, "Th whol country has takn up with Absalom!" A mssngr cam to David, saying, "Th Isralits ar giving thir loyalty to Absalom." David Runs From Jrusalm Thn a man cam to David with nws, saying, "Th harts of th mn of Isral ar with Absalom." David Escaps from Jrusalm A mssngr soon arrivd in Jrusalm to tll David, "All Isral has joind Absalom in a conspiracy against you!" Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl Christian Community Bibl God s Word Nw Amrican Bibl NIRV Nw Jrusalm Bibl Nw Simplifid Bibl Rvisd English Bibl Wll, whn th rport cam to David that th harts of th mn of IsraEl had turnd toward AbSalom,... A mssngr cam to rport to David that th Isralits wr siding with Absalom. Somon cam to tll David, "Th harts of th popl of Isral ar with Absalom." David Fls Jrusalm. An informant cam to David with th rport, "Th Isralits hav givn thir harts to Absalom [Psalm 3], and thy ar following him." David Runs Away From Absalom A mssngr cam and spok to David. H told him, "Th harts of th popl ar turnd toward Absalom." A mssngr cam and told David, 'Th mn of Isral hav shiftd thir allgianc to Absalom.' A mssngr told David:»Absalom has th harts of th popl of Isral.«A mssngr brought th nws to David that th mn of Isral had transfrrd thir allgianc to Absalom. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Complt Jwish Bibl Frar-Fnton Bibl A tllr cam to David, saying, "Th harts of th mn of Isral ar aftr Absalom." And on cam to David and said, Th harts of th mn of Isral hav gon aftr Absalom. A mssngr cam to David saying, "Th mn of Isra'l hav alignd thmslvs with Avshalom." Information, howvr, cam to David, rporting, Th hart of th popl of Isral is gon aftr Absalom.

110 6609 Th Book of Samul HCSB JPS (Tanakh 1985) Nw Advnt Bibl NET Bibl Thn an informr cam to David and rportd, "Th harts of th mn of Isral ar with Absalom." Somon cam and told David, Th loyalty of th mn of Isral has vrd toward Absalom. And thr cam a mssngr to David, saying: All Isral with thir whol hart follows Absalom. David Fls from Jrusalm Thn a mssngr cam to David and rportd, "Th mn of Isral ar loyal to Absalom!" Hb "th hart of th mn of Isral is with Absalom." Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Concordant Litral Vrsion English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl Nw King Jams Vrsion Syndin World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: And h who is dclaring tidings coms in unto David, saying, `Th hart of th mn of Isral has bn aftr Absalom. And a mssngr cam to David, saying, "Th harts of th mn of Isral hav gon aftr Absalom." DAVID FLEES YERU SHALEM And a tllr coms to David, saying, Th harts of th mn of Yisra El ar aftr Abi Shalom. David Escaps from Jrusalm Now a mssngr cam to David, saying, "Th harts of th mn of Isral ar with Absalom." {Vrss 13-37: David's 3 Wis and Grat Dcisions} Now th 'intllignc agnt'/g2 cam to David and h rportd, {probably a man snt out by Joab to kp tabs on Absalom} "It has happnd. Th 'right lobs'/harts of th mn of Isral follow Absalom." {mans a rvolution has bgun}. Thr cam a mssngr to David, saying, Th harts of th mn of Isral ar aftr Absalom. And h who is dclaring tidings coms in unto David, saying, Th harts of th mn of Isral has bn aftr Absalom. A mssngr tlls David that th loyalty of th popl was toward Absalom. 2Samul 15:13a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 bôw (áìåéà) [pronouncd boh] to com in, to com, to go in, to go, to ntr, to advanc rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #935 BDB #97 nâgad (ðèâçã) [pronouncd naw-gahd] a mssngr, on who maks known, an informant; on who xpounds [xplains, dclars] masculin singular, Hiphil participl with th dfinit articl Strong's #5046 BDB #616 l (àæì) [pronouncd hl] unto; into, among, in; toward, to; against; concrning, rgarding; bsids, togthr with; as to dirctional prposition (rspct or dfrnc may b implid) Strong's #413 BDB #39

111 2Samul Samul 15:13a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs Dâvid (ãìèåäã); also Dâvîyd (ãìèåäéã) [pronouncd daw- VEED] blovd and is translitratd David masculin propr noun Strong s #1732 BDB #187 Translation: And a mssngr cam into David,... It is not clar whthr David had a G2 forc out watching Absalom, having an ida what h was up to; or whthr this is somon from Hbron, who was loyal to David, and 53 h obsrvd what was going on. Or, as Gill suggsts, this may hav bn on of th 200 who ralizd what Absalom was doing, and wantd to giv David a had s up. Givn David s blindrs with rgards to his own childrn, I would assum th lattr was th cas. As w hav obsrvd on othr occasions, whn somon wantd to find David, thy could; howvr, his nmis could not asily find him. Thos loyal to Absalom wr also abl to find him. Th ida is, if a prson is positiv toward knowing God, thn h will b abl to find God that is, h will har th gospl of Jsus Christ. Jsus Christ to him will b lik David out in th dsrt-wildrnss; thos who dsir to find Him, can. S th Doctrin of Hathnism (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). 2Samul 15:13b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to, with rfrnc to, as to, with rgards to; blonging to; by dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think Qal infinitiv construct Strong s #559 BDB #55 hâyâh (äèéèä) [pronouncd haw-yaw] to b, is, was, ar; to bcom, to com into bing; to com to pass rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal prfct Strong's #1961 BDB #224 lêb (ìåá) [pronouncd b lay v] hart, innr man, mind, will, thinking; midst masculin singular construct Strong's #3820 BDB #524 îysh (àäéù) [pronouncd sh] a man, a husband; anyon; a crtain on; ach, ach on, vryon masculin singular noun (somtims found whr w would us a plural) Strong's #376 BDB #35 Yis râ êl (éäùòàøçàåì) [pronouncd yis-raw- ALE] God prvails; contndr; soldir of God; translitratd Isral masculin propr noun Strong s #3478 & #3479 BDB #975 achar (àçççø) [pronouncd ah-khahr] aftr, following, bhind; aftrwards, aftr that prposition/advrb Strong s #310 BDB #29 Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5 53 Dr. John Gill, John Gill s Exposition of th Entir Bibl; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:13.

112 6611 Th Book of Samul Translation:...saying, Th harts of th mn of Isral ar [gon] aftr Absalom. Absalom had bn working on this for 4 yars in Jrusalm, and only for a fw wks, apparntly, in Hbron. Howvr, it bcam quit clar that h had a trmndous following. Thy did not car that Absalom was skin dp; that h had not vn th slightst clu as to how to rul or how to ngag his troops in battl (rmmbr, this is why Isral wantd a king ovr thm in th first plac 1Sam. 8:19 20). H was just so handsom and dynamic and smart; and h showd that h card about th popl. And h was nw and hip and cool. Although som of ths rasons might b a bit iffy, for th most part, this xplains how th popl of Isral could rjct th gratst king of Isral s history to tak on a poor substitut. Clark s Rasons Why th Popl s Hart was with Absalom 1. David was old or afflictd, and could not wll attnd to th administration of justic in th land. 2. It dos appar that th king did not attnd to th affairs of stat, and that thr wr no proprly appointd judgs in th land; s 2Sam. 15:3. 3. Joab s powr was ovrgrown; h was wickd and insolnt, opprssiv to th popl, and David was afraid to xcut th laws against him. 4. Thr wr still som partisans of th hous of Saul, who thought th crown not fairly obtaind by David. 5. David was undr th displasur of th Almighty, for his adultry with Bath-shba, and his murdr of Uriah; and God lt his nmis loos against him. 6. Thr ar always troublsom and disaffctd mn in vry stat, and undr vry govrnmnt; who can nvr rst, and ar vr hoping for somthing from a chang. 7. Absalom appard to b th ral and was th undisputd hir to th thron; David could not, in th cours of natur, liv vry long; and most popl ar mor disposd to hail th bams of th rising, than xult in thos of th stting, sun. From Adam Clark, Commntary on th Bibl; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:13. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Evn undr grat kings, popl hav th ability to b incrdibly shallow and stupid. Although w do not know who this mssngr is, h has confirmd many of David s worst fars. David knows all that h has don wrong; and h crtainly ralizs that th popl ar awar of ths things as wll. So David s appraisal of this situation is basd upon far mor than this on mssngr. And so says David to all his srvants who [ar] with him in Jrusalm, Ris up and lt us fl for is not to us an scap from facs of Absalom. And hastn to go lst h hastn and has ovrtakn us and has thrustd upon us th vil and has struck th city to a mouth of a sword. 2Samul 15:14 Thn David said to all of his srvants that [wr] with him in Jrusalm, Ris up and lt us fl for [thr] will not b to us an scap from th fac of Absalom. And lt us go quickly so that h dos not hastn and ovrtak us, and thrust vil upon us and strik th city with th dg of th sword. Thn David commandd all of his officials who wr with him in Jrusalm, Ris up as w must mov quickly or thr may not b a way to scap th attack of Absalom. W must lav quickly or h may hastn and ovrtak us, and bring vil upon us and strik th city with th dg of th sword. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts:

113 2Samul Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And David said to his srvants, that wr with him in Jrusalm: Aris and lt us fl: for w shall not scap ls from th fac of Absalom: mak hast to go out, lst h com and ovrtak us, and bring ruin upon us, and smit th city with th dg of th sword. And so says David to all his srvants who [ar] with him in Jrusalm, Ris up and lt us fl for is not to us an scap from facs of Absalom. And hastn to go lst h hastn and has ovrtakn us and has thrustd upon us th vil and has struck th city to a mouth of a sword. And David said to all his srvants who wr with him at Jrusalm, Aris and lt us fl; for w shall not ls scap from Absalom; mak hast to dpart, lst h ovrtak us suddnly and bring vil upon us and smit th city with th dg of th sword. And David said to all his srvants who wr with him in Jrusalm, Ris, and lt us fl, for w hav no rfug from Absalom. Mak hast and go, lst h ovrtak us spdily, and bring vil upon us, and smit th city with th dg of th sword. Th Grk has w hav no rfug from Absalom, which is similar to thr is no scap to us from th fac of Absalom. Thr ar two vrbs for hastn in th Hbrw; this is ignord in th English translation from th Latin, but incorporatd as advrbs in th English translations of th Syriac and Grk. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Living Translation Thn David told all th srvants who wr with him in Jrusalm, "Com on! W hav to run for it, or w won't b abl to scap Absalom. Hurry, or h will catch up with us in no tim, dstroy us [Hb uncrtain; LXXL bring th city down on top of us], and attack th city with th sword." David's officials wr in Jrusalm with him, and h told thm, "Lt's gt out of hr! W'll hav to lav soon, or non of us will scap from Absalom. Hurry! If h movs fast, h could catch us whil w'r still hr. Thn h will kill us and vryon ls in th city." Thn David spok to all th officials who wr with him in Jrusalm. `W must run away from Absalom. W must lav quickly so that w scap from him. Othrwis, h will catch us and h will dstroy our city. And h will kill th popl in Jrusalm.' Thn David said to all of his officrs who wr with him in Jrusalm, W must scap! {If w don t scap}, thn Absalom will not lt us gt away. Lt s hurry bfor Absalom catchs us. H will dstroy us all. And h will kill th popl of Jrusalm. So David said to all his officials who wr with him in Jrusalm, "W must gt away at onc if w want to scap from Absalom! Hurry! Or ls h will soon b hr and dfat us and kill vryon in th city!" "Up and out of hr!" calld David to all his srvants who wr with him in Jrusalm. "W'v got to run for our livs or non of us will scap Absalom! Hurry, h's about to pull th city down around our ars and slaughtr us all!" Thn David said to all his officrs who wr with him in Jrusalm, "W must lav quickly! If w don't, w won't b abl to gt away from Absalom. W must hurry bfor h catchs us and dstroys us and kills th popl of Jrusalm." "Thn w must fl at onc, or it will b too lat!" David urgd his mn. "Hurry! If w gt out of th city bfor Absalom arrivs, both w and th city of Jrusalm will b spard from disastr." Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations:

114 6613 Th Book of Samul Amrican English Bibl...David said to all his srvants in JruSalm, 'Lt's gt up and run from hr, bcaus nothing can sav us from AbSalom! Hurry, lt's go, so h dosn't ovrtak us and do bad things to us, thn dstroy th city with swords.' Bck s Amrican Translation Up and lt s fl, David told all his mn who wr with him in Jrusalm, othrwis w ll not scap from Absalom. Hurry and gt away, or h ll catch up with us and bring disastr on us whn h puts th city to th sword. Christian Community Bibl Thn David said to all his srvants who wr with him in Jrusalm, Lt us fl, for w cannot rsist Absalom. Go quickly, lst h com hurridly and ovrtak us. Surly h will put th city to th sword if h can bring disastr upon us. God s Word David told all his mn who wr with him in Jrusalm, "Lt's fl immdiatly, or non of us will scap from Absalom. Lt's lav right away, or h'll catch up to us and bring disastr on us whn h massacrs th city." Nw Amrican Bibl At this, David said to all his srvants who wr with him in Jrusalm: "Gt up, lt us fl, or non of us will scap from Absalom. Lav at onc, or h will quickly ovrtak us, and thn bring disastr upon us, and put th city to th sword." NIRV Thn David spok to all of his officials who wr with him in Jrusalm. H said, "Com on! W hav to lav right away! If w don't, non of us will scap from Absalom. H'll mov quickly to catch up with us. H'll dstroy us. His mn will kill vryon in th city with thir swords." Nw Jrusalm Bibl David said to all his rtinu thn with him in Jrusalm, 'Up, lt us fl, or w shall not scap from Absalom! Lav as quickly as you can, in cas h mounts a suddn attack, ovrcoms us and puts th city to th sword.' Nw Simplifid Bibl David told all his mn who wr with him in Jrusalm:»W must run away quickly, or non of us will scap from Absalom. Lav right away or h will catch up to us and bring ruin upon us whn h massacrs th city.«rvisd English Bibl Th king said to thos who wr with him in Jrusalm, W must gt away at onc, or thr will b no scap from Absalom for any of us. Mak hast, or ls h will soon b upon us, bringing disastr and putting th city to th sword. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Complt Jwish Bibl Frar-Fnton Bibl HCSB JPS (Tanakh 1985) Nw Advnt Bibl David said to all his srvants with him in Jrusalm, "Ris and disappar, for w will not b rfugs in front of Absalom. Hastn to go, othrwis h will ovrtak us, and outcast us in hast and do vil ovr us, smiting th city with th mouth of th sword." And David said to all his srvants who wr with him at Jrusalm, Com, lt us go in flight, or not on of us will b saf from Absalom: lt us go without loss of tim, or h will ovrtak us quickly and snd vil on us, and put th town to th sword. David said to all his srvants with him in Yrushalayim, "Gt up! W must fl! Othrwis non of us will scap from Avshalom. Hurry, and lav; or h will soon ovrtak us, attack us and put th city to th sword." Consquntly David said to all his ministrs who wr with him in Jrusalm, Lt us aris and fly, for thr will b no safty for us bfor Absalom. Expdit th journy, for far h should hastn and rush, and driv on to us with frodicty, and assail th city with th sword. David said to all th srvants with him in Jrusalm, "Gt up. W hav to fl, or w will not scap from Absalom! Lav quickly, or h will ovrtak us, hap disastr on us, and strik th city with th dg of th sword." Whrupon David said to all th courtirs who wr with him in Jrusalm, Lt us fl at onc, or non of us will scap from Absalom. W must gt away quickly, or h will soon ovrtak us and bring down disastr upon us and put th city to th sword. And David said to his srvants, that wr with him in Jrusalm: Aris and lt us fl: for w shall not scap ls from th fac of Absalom: mak hast to go out,

115 2Samul NET Bibl NIV UK lst h com and ovrtak us, and bring ruin upon us, and smit th city with th dg of th sword. So David said to all his srvants who wr with him in Jrusalm, "Com on [Hb "Aris!"]! Lt's scap [Hb "lt's fl."]! Othrwis no on will b dlivrd from Absalom! Go immdiatly, or ls h will quickly ovrtak us and bring [Hb "thrust."] disastr on us and kill th city's rsidnts with th sword [Hb "and strik th city with th dg of th sword."]." Thn David said to all his officials who wr with him in Jrusalm, `Com! W must fl, or non of us will scap from Absalom. W must lav immdiatly, or h will mov quickly to ovrtak us and bring ruin on us and put th city to th sword.' Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Concordant Litral Vrsion A Consrvativ Vrsion Darby Translation xgss companion Bibl Th Gnva Bibl LTHB Syndin And David said to all his srvants who [ar] with him in Jrusalm, `Ris, and w fl, for w hav no scap from th fac of Absalom; hast to go, lst h hastn, and hav ovrtakn us, and forcd on us vil, and smittn th city by th mouth of th sword. And David said to all his srvants who wr with him at Jrusalm, Aris, and lt us fl, for othrwis non of us shall scap from Absalom. Mak spd to dpart, lst h ovrtak us quickly, and bring down vil upon us, and smit th city with th dg of th sword. And David said to all his srvants that wr with him at Jrusalm, Ris up and lt us fl; for w shall not [ls] scap from Absalom. B quick to dpart, lst h ovrtak us quickly, and bring vil upon us, and smit th city with th dg of th sword. And David says to all his srvants with him at Yru Shalm, Ris! Fl! For in scaping, w scap not th fac of Abi Shalom. Hastn to go, lst h hastn and ovrtak us and driv vil on us and smit th city with th mouth of th sword. And David said unto all his srvants that [wr] with him at Jrusalm, Aris, and lt us fl; for w shall not [ls] scap from Absalom [Whos hart h saw that Satan had so possssd that h would lav no mischif unattmptd.]: mak spd to dpart, lst h ovrtak us suddnly, and bring vil upon us, and smit th city with th dg of th sword. And David said to all his srvants who wr with him in Jrusalm, Ris up, and w will fl; for w hav no scap from th fac of Absalom. Hurry to lav, that h not ovrtak us and bring vil down on us, and strik th city with th mouth of th sword. {Vrss 14-16: David's 1st Wis and Grat Dcision} Thn David commandd {'amar} {'amar is usd whn thought prcds dcision - h thought about it and thought about it and cam to th conclusion that h ndd to rtrat and organiz} all his 'loyal officials'/srvants who wr with him in Jrusalm, "Gt up!/aris {Rd Alrt!}, bcaus w must rtrat/withdraw/fl for 'non of us will scap from Absalom'. {idiom: litrally 'thr will not b to us an scap from th fac of Absalom} B rady to mov out rapidly... lst h {Absalom} pursus rapidly and ovrtaks us 'and bring disastr to our caus'. {idiom: litrally 'and bring down on us th vil} and massacr/'b causd to strik/smit' {nakah} th city with violnc/'th dg of th sword'." {Not: If David stays in his castl, th battl will b fought in Jrusalm at th bas of th castl

116 6615 Th Book of Samul Updatd Bibl Vrsion 2.11 World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: and will caus much civilian dath and dstruction of prsonal proprty. David knows his caus is right and h will win in th nd. H has all it taks to mt th challng - h just nds tim to organiz. H movs out with thousands and thousands of citizns faithful to him - this is not just a movmnt of David's army.}. And David said to all his slavs who wr with him at Jrusalm, Aris, and lt us fl; for ls non of us will scap from Absalom: mak spd to dpart, or ls h will ovrtak us quickly, and bring down vil on us, and strik th city with th dg of th sword. David said to all his srvants who wr with him at Jrusalm, Aris, and lt us fl; for ls non of us shall scap from Absalom: mak spd to dpart, lst h ovrtak us quickly, and bring down vil on us, and strik th city with th dg of th sword. And David says to all his srvants who ar with him in Jrusalm, Ris, and w fl, for w hav no scap from th fac of Absalom; hast to go, lst h hastn, and hav ovrtakn us, and forcd on us vil, and smittn th city by th mouth of th sword. David dcids to lav Jrusalm with thos who ar faithful to him, in part bcaus h is worrid about what a war would do to th city. 2Samul 15:14a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #559 BDB #55 Dâvid (ãìèåäã); also Dâvîyd (ãìèåäéã) [pronouncd daw- VEED] blovd and is translitratd David masculin propr noun Strong s #1732 BDB #187 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] vry, ach, all of, all; any of, any masculin singular construct not followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 bd (òæáæã) [pronouncd B ÌE -vd] slav, srvant; undrling; subjct masculin singular noun rd with a 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #5650 BDB #713 ãshr (àâéùæø) [pronouncd uh-sher] that, which, whn, who, whom rlativ pronoun Strong's #834 BDB #81 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] with, at, nar, by, among, dirctly from prposition (which is idntical to th sign of th dirct objct); with rd th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong's #854 BDB #85

117 2Samul Samul 15:14a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 Y rûwshâlayim (éàøåìùèìçéäí) [pronouncd y roo-shaw- LAH-yim] possibly mans foundd upon pac or city of th Jbusits (or both); it is translitratd Jrusalm propr singular noun, location Strong s #3389 BDB #436 Translation: Thn David said to all of his srvants that [wr] with him in Jrusalm,... Thr was obviously mor in th rport than is rcordd in th Bibl (And a mssngr cam into David, saying, Th harts of th mn of Isral ar [gon] aftr Absalom. ). Th Bibl givs us th gist of th rport. David gathrs all of thos who ar faithful to him, and spaks to thm. Ths would b his officials and his soldirs, which would includ th palac guard and anyon ls who was stationd in Jrusalm. This would b a formidabl army, but David is not quit rady to go to war against his own son. Furthrmor, h dos not know xactly what sort of support that Absalom has nor dos h know how passionat thy ar about his caus. 2Samul 15:14b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs qûwm ( åìí) [pronouncd koom] stand, ris up, gt up nd 2 prson masculin singular, Qal imprativ Strong s #6965 BDB #877 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 bârach (áìèøçç) [pronouncd baw- RAHKH] to go [pass] through, to fl [away]; to hastn, to com quickly; to rach across st 1 prson plural, Qal imprfct with th voluntativ hê Strong s #1272 BDB #137 st Th hê at th nd of a 1 prson vrb is calld a cohortativ hê. W oftn add a word lik lt, may, might, ought, should. kîy (ëìäé) [pronouncd k] for, that, bcaus; whn, at that tim, which, what tim xplanatory or tmporal conjunction; prposition Strong's #3588 BDB #471 lô (ìéà or ìåéà) [pronouncd low] not, no ngats th word or action that follows; th absolut ngation Strong s #3808 BDB #518 hâyâh (äèéèä) [pronouncd haw-yaw] to b, is, was, ar; to bcom, to com into bing; to com to pass rd 3 prson fminin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #1961 BDB #224 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition with th 1 st prson plural suffix BDB #510

118 6617 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:14b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs plêyþâh (ôìæìåéèèä) [pronouncd phl-ay- TAW] (thr is an altrnat splling) scap; dlivranc; scapd rmnant; who or what has scapd fminin singular noun Strong s #6413 BDB #812 min (îäï) [pronouncd mihn] from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of, sinc, abov, than, so that not, byond, mor than prposition of sparation Strong's #4480 BDB #577 pânîym (ôìèðäéí) [pronouncd paw- NEEM] fac, facs, countnanc; prsnc masculin plural construct (plural acts lik English singular) Strong s #6440 BDB #815 Togthr, min pânîym man from bfor th fac of; out from bfor th fac, from th prsnc of. Howvr, togthr, thy can also b a rfrnc to th caus, whthr nar or rmot, and can thrfor b rndrd bcaus of, bcaus that; by. Ãbîyshâlôwm (àâáäéùèìåéí) [pronouncd ub-shaw-lohm] my fathr is pac and is translitratd Absalom masculin singular propr noun Strong s #53 BDB #5 Translation:... Ris up and lt us fl for [thr] will not b to us an scap from th fac of Absalom. Although th gist of this vrs may sound lik, Gt up, run for your livs; vry man for himslf; it is much mor organizd than that. First of all, thy had to ris up (this is th word which indicats that thy would all participat in a st of actions in othr words, it dos not man that vryon is sitting, but it mans that thy will now mov with a purpos). R. B. Thim, Jr. said that David would organiz a flying column, which is a forc of troops quippd and organizd to mov swiftly and indpndntly of a principal unit to which it is attachd. What David dos hr rvals that h is rcovring from his arroganc. David s Rtrat 1. David is th lgitimat king of Isral. Howvr, with what is going on, David dcids to rtrat, which is a grat dcision. 2. David dos not hold onto his thron, his sat of powr, growling, If Absalom wants this crown, thn lt him com tak it from my cold dad hands. 3. Bar in mind that David, as king, has a grat many matrial things as wll, which h will lav bhind. 4. Howvr, David is a flxibl prson. Most of us lad livs of routin, which is normal. Howvr, w hav to b smart nough and awar nough to look at varying circumstancs and mak dcisions which match th changing circumstancs. 5. As things stand, David is 100% right and Absalom is 100% wrong; and yt David is still flxibl nough to lav all his possssions bhind. Bing right dos not man that you gt things your way. 6. David is bing disciplind, flxibl and thoughtful of th popl in Jrusalm. 7. Rvolutionary armis ar oftn half-traind and lacking in disciplin. Evn though David could likly dfat this rvolutionary army, many innocnt civilians would suffr or di bcaus of Abraham s army. Thy would hav bn all ovr town raping and pillaging. Rvolutionary armis can b vry brutal. 8. David s mn ar disciplind, and h will organiz thm bfor thy mov. Thy must b organizd in ordr to mov quickly and undr David s dirction. 9. Arrogant popl ar inflxibl. Whn thy fac circumstancs that thy do not lik, thy ract in

119 2Samul David s Rtrat inappropriat ways. Somtims somon nforcs a claus thy don t lik on a contract that thy hav signd. Thy argu and complain. Somon cuts thm off in traffic, and thy driv lik idiots so that thy might cut off th prson who cut thm off. W all fac circumstancs that w do not lik; and w all fac difficult circumstancs. God has promisd us that H will not tst us mor than w can bar. 10. Most of us hav bn fird at on tim or anothr. I hav bn fird on svral occasions; somtims I dsrvd it and somtims I did not. Howvr, I had to bcom flxibl at that point. Bing fird rprsnts a brak in th routin. Just bcaus th routin has com to a halt, that dos not man that you stop thinking. It is bcaus of th brak in th routin that you nd to b abl to think and to mak appropriat dcisions. 11. Although w do not s into David s brain for this dcision, w ar going to obsrv, throughout th rst of th chaptr, that David is making xcllnt dcisions, dspit th fact that vrything has changd. 12. Bibl doctrin in th soul allows a prson to think undr prssur and to think undr unusual circumstancs. David s brain is firing on all 12 cylindrs. 13. David, bcaus h has doctrin in his soul, is abl to think during this crisis. You do not wait for th crisis to occur, and thn opn your Bibl to a miscllanous pag and drop your fingr down and rad whatvr vrs you land upon. Doctrin nds to b in your soul; not tuckd away safly in th Bibl. 14. David taks many things into considration. Fighting a rvolution in th middl of Jrusalm would potntially dstroy his palac and th livs of th 1000's of popl who liv in Jrusalm. So David, thinking of popl othr than himslf, maks th dcision to lav Jrusalm, and to rgroup outsid of Jrusalm. 15. Rcall that ths popl ar David s subjcts and, as king, h is rsponsibl for thm. Thrfor, it is bttr for him to withdraw from Jrusalm so that thy might liv in pac. On th othr hand, Absalom, who wants to assum David s thron, just walks right into Jrusalm, lading his army. H shows no concrn for th popl ovr whom h dsirs to rul. If David is hol up in his palac, Absalom will attack. 16. Finally, vn though David has nvr rad Rom. 8:28, h knows by mans of doctrinal rationals that All things work togthr for good to thos who lov God. 17. Only a man with grat humility and flxibility can do what David is doing hr. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Most blivrs will fac a national, gographical or prsonal disastr at som tim in our livs. God s Plan for th Blivr in National Disastr 1. Most of our livs ar routin, and thr is nothing wrong with this. It is God s plan for us to work and it is gnrally His plan for us to gt marrid, hav childrn, and oby th law. And, so that w undrstand what w ar doing, it is God s plan for us to larn Bibl doctrin. 2. A national or rgional disastr (.g., war, rcssion, riots, rvolution, widsprad disas, arthquaks, floods or storms) dos not man that w st th plan of God asid until that disastr has subsidd. That is a part of God s plan and w ar to function within th framwork of that disastr. 3. What oftn changs is th blivr s scal of valus. That is, what usd to b important has to b st asid. Whn Hurrican Katrina hadd for th Louisiana coast, th popl of that ara wr to hop in th cars and lav. Thr was not nough tim to pack up your lif and lav. An approaching hurrican is tratd diffrntly than popl going on vacation or popl going to mov to anothr city. 4. Many tims, in a disastr, popl must abandon matrial things which thy njoy. Popl must abandon thm physically, mntally and motionally. 5. You may los som matrial blssings, but you still hav th sourc of thos blssings in God. 6. Popl who ar dstroyd in a disastr ar oftn dstroyd bcaus thy ar inflxibl. Also, God

120 6619 Th Book of Samul God s Plan for th Blivr in National Disastr rmovs som popl from lif by disastr. 7. Shifting gars in a local or national disastr is flxibility. 8. David lft bhind a palac and 10 of his mistrsss and a hug amount of stuff. Whn Absalom dclard himslf king in Isral, David s scal of valus had to dramatically chang. 9. Howvr, Bibl doctrin rmains a constant; it nds to b at th top of you scal of valus in tims of tranquility and tims of disastr. It is Bibl doctrin which hlps you to b objctiv and flxibl. 10. For th unblivr, th laws of divin stablishmnt hlp to guid thm. So, th honorabl unblivr, whn thr is a riot in his city, h dos not us this xcus to gt workd up and go stal lctronics quipmnt from a local stor that is bing brokn into during th rioting. Th blivr or unblivr with principls undrstands that staling is wrong; and just bcaus a riot givs you covr dos not mak th staling right. Now, thr ar tims, vn during a national disastr, whn routin is important, particularly with young childrn. Prayrs at maltim, Bibl study, or rading th child a book bfor slp oftn provid a confusd child with som structur or som continuity. Som of ths points cam from R. B. Thim, Jr. s 1972 David Sris, lsson #631_0423. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins First thing is, thy hav to gt out of Jrusalm bfor Absalom arrivs with whatvr army h has. Now, rmmbr thos 200 mn who wnt with Absalom, who did not know what was going on (v. 11)? That is, thy wr not part of Absalom s supportrs; but h mad thm a part of his grand plot. Absalom would hav takn with him som of David s gratst military mn and advisors probably a lot of young mn closr in ag to Absalom so that David thinks that ths mn ar all with Absalom. David dos a quick had count, and h knows many of th mn who ar gon, who wnt with Absalom to Hbron, and h assums that ths mn ar with Absalom. This is what Absalom wantd. H wantd David to think that ths mn lft with him bcaus thy wr following Absalom as a military ladr and in rbllion against David. This is how this plot wnt: Absalom wnt down to Hbron, ostnsibly to offr up som sacrifics to fulfill som vows which h mad. H took with him mn who wr loyal to him and knw that Absalom was plotting against David. But h also took 200 mn with him who did not know that thr was any plot. Th ida is, at whatvr point David ralizs what is going on, h will look around and 200 of his bst soldirs, administrators and frinds ar with Absalom. 200 of his most loyal mn ar with Absalom. This is ky; this is what tiltd th scals in Absalom s favor. This is why David is somwhat panickd. Aftr all, if Absalom has ths mn, who dosn t h hav in nation Isral? David has to stp back; h has to gt th big pictur and s who Absalom s supportrs ar. Thrfor, h has to lav Jrusalm in ordr to rgroup and figur out if Absalom can b dfatd or not. 2Samul 15:14c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253

121 2Samul Samul 15:14c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs mâhar (îèççø) [pronouncd maw- HAHR] to hastn, to hurry, to mak hast; its transitiv us is to prpar quickly, to bring quickly, to do quickly nd 2 prson masculin plural, Pil imprativ Strong s #4116 BDB #554 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to, with rfrnc to, as to, with rgards to; blonging to; by dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 hâlak (äèìçêà) [pronouncd haw-lahk ] to go, to com, to dpart, to walk; to advanc Qal infinitiv construct Strong s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 Th lâmd with an infinitiv construct gnrally xprsss purpos or rsult, although it can hav thr othr common uss with th infinitiv: (1) It can hav a grundial or advrbial sns to xplain th circumstancs of a prvious action; (2) it can act as a priphrastic futur in nominal clauss; and, (3) it can bhav as a grund, in th sns of is to b, must b, ought to b. (4) Lâmd with th infinitiv can connot shall or must. pn (ôìæï) [pronouncd pn] lst, pradvntur, or ls, in ordr to prvnt, or, so that [plus a ngativ] conjunction Strong's #6435 BDB #814 mâhar (îèççø) [pronouncd maw- HAHR] to hastn, to hurry, to mak hast; its transitiv us is to prpar quickly, to bring quickly, to do quickly rd 3 prson masculin singular, Pil imprfct Strong s #4116 BDB #554 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 nâsag (ðèùòçâ) [pronouncd naw-sahg] to rach, to attain, to ovrtak; to caus to rach; to b abl to b scur; to hav nough rd 3 prson masculin singular, Hiphil prfct st with th 1 prson plural suffix Strong s #5381 BDB #673 Translation: And lt us go quickly so that h dos not hastn and ovrtak us,... David tlls his officrs that thy nd to mov quickly nough, so that Absalom, with his army, dos not follow thm and strik thm from bhind. David nds to gathr information bfor confront Absalom militarily. At this point, David blivs that Absalom is probably strongr than h is. Application: Part of bing a grat ladr is bing abl to surround yourslf with popl who ar brilliant, undrstand thir ara of xprtis, and ar loyal to you. Th most intllignt, charismatic prsidnt in th world is nothing without an xcllnt staff. This is probably what Absalom had in thos 200 mn h invitd was an xcllnt staff. David knw that Absalom was not inhrntly a military man. H had don nothing in this particular ralm, insofar as w know. Howvr, 54 th th bulk of this was paraphrasd from J.C.L. Gibson, Davidson s Introductory Hbrw Grammar~Syntax; 4 Edition, T&T Clark Ltd., 1994, pp and from Biblical Hbrw; by Pag Klly; William B. Erdmans Publishing Co., 1992, p Kil & Dlitzsch s Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; 1966 Hndrickson Publishrs, Inc.; Vol. 2, p. 438.

122 6621 Th Book of Samul if h has som brilliant military minds with him and w may rasonably assum that h dos, vn if thy ar not actually with Absalom thn David knows that Absalom could b a formidabl military fo. 2Samul 15:14d Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 nâdach (ðèãçç) [pronouncd naw- DAHKH] to thrust [out, away, asid], to xpl; to mov to impl; to banish; to draw away, to sduc; to bring down; to draw down rd 3 prson masculin singular, Hiphil prfct Strong's #5080 BDB #623 al (òçì) [pronouncd ìahl] upon, byond, on, against, abov, ovr, by, bsid prposition of proximity st with th 1 prson plural suffix Strong s #5921 BDB #752 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] untranslatd gnrally; occasionally to, toward indicats that th following substantiv is a dirct objct Strong's #853 BDB #84 râ âh (øçäòçä) [pronouncd raw-ìaw] vil, misry, distrss, disastr, injury, iniquity, abrration, that which is morally rprhnsibl fminin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #7451 BDB #949 Translation:...and thrust vil upon us... Absalom is potntially capabl of bringing grat injury, misry, distrss and disastr upon David and his army. H could com from any dirction, h is possibly ruthlss, and would do anything to dfat David in battl. His army and supportrs ar an unknown to David, and thrfor, David is smart nough not to immdiatly fac off Absalom in battl. 2Samul 15:14 Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 nâkâh (ðèëèä) [pronouncd naw-kawh] to smit, to assault, to hit, to strik, to strik [somthing or somon] down, to dfat, to conqur, to subjugat rd 3 prson masculin singular, Hiphil prfct Strong #5221 BDB #645 îyr (òäéø) [pronouncd ìr] ncampmnt, city, town fminin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong's #5892 BDB #746 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to, with rfrnc to, as to, with rgards to; blonging to; by dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510

123 2Samul Samul 15:14 Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs ph (ôìæä) [pronouncd ph] mouth [of man, animal; as an organ of spch]; opning, orific [of a rivr, wll, tc.]; dg; xtrmity, nd masculin singular construct Strong s #6310 BDB #804 chrb (çæøæá) B [pronouncd kh-re V] sword, knif, daggr; any sharp tool fminin singular noun; pausal form Strong s #2719 BDB #352 Translation:...and strik th city with th dg of th sword. What is xtrmly important in undrstanding David s motivation is with this final portion of v. 14, which is tid with a wâw conjunction to th prvious portion. Th vil that Absalom would bring down upon David and his mn would b to strik this city with th dg of th sword. David s wivs and family ar all hr; his frinds ar all hr; thr ar popl in Jrusalm who dpnd upon David for protction; and thr is no tlling what Absalom might do in ordr to gain an advantag. Thr is no tlling how many innocnt livs would b lost if Absalom attackd. Again, rcall that many of David s ky mn ar gon, with Absalom, not knowing that Absalom is using thm. So David has a military thr, but many of th ky mn ar gon, which is what Absalom wantd. Thr ar nough ky mn gon whr David ss nothing but bloodshd in th city of Jrusalm if h rmains. This suggsts to us that David has a clar had, that h is thinking of th livs of thos in his city, and that h nds to gt out of th city in ordr to mak his nxt mov. David ovrss on of th gratst armis of all tim, commandd by on of th gratst gnrals of all tim (Joab). Why dosn t h march into Hbron? Why dosn t h kp and hold Jrusalm? Why David Rtrats 1. Although th Bibl dos not giv us any information on David s suspicions, at som point, h must hav bn abl to bgin to put togthr all of Absalom s schms to som dgr. 2. David has a mssngr who has com to him and told him that th harts of th mn of Isral ar aftr Absalom of David s top and most trustd aids appar to b with Absalom (thy arn t, ncssarily, but David dos not know this). 4. Normally, a rvolutionary army is quit infrior to th stablishmnt s army. Thy rjct disciplin, cannot handl logistic, and ar asily confusd by stratgy and tactics. Howvr, lik a woundd bar, that may mak a rvolutionary army mor dangrous. If thr ar som of David s military mn among this 200 (lik Joab), David would hav rason to far that this rvolutionary army might b mor formidabl than on would assum at first. 5. All ovr th countrysid, David has probably rcivd rports of th proclamation, Absalom is king in Hbron. David would hav prsonally hard th trumpt blast, and it would hav bn ominous, as it would not b indicativ of cods that Joab has prviously dvisd (this is rasonabl conjctur). 6. Although Jrusalm is an asy plac to dfnd, David dos not know how many Absalom supportrs liv within th city. That would hav a grat ffct upon thir ability to dfnd th city. 7. David did not want to put th popl of Jrusalm right in th middl of a rvolution. Again, h had no ida how many popl within Jrusalm supportd Absalom. Thrfor, a civil war of brothr against brothr could brak out right in th middl of Jrusalm. 8. Probably, David did not want to s his palac and th city of Jrusalm dstroyd in th rvolution itslf. 9. David appars to rcogniz that Absalom is prpard and rady for a fight; and that h probably is not. His own troops hav nvr bn involvd in countrinsurgncy warfar bfor.

124 6623 Th Book of Samul Why David Rtrats 10. Laving Jrusalm givs David a chanc to stp back and tak an ovrall viw of th situation. It is likly that David wantd to mak an assssmnt of his army and Absalom s army bfor committing to war. Dspit Absalom s thatrics, with th trumpts going off, David rally has no ida how many popl support him. Intllignc is vitally ncssary for any war ffort. Th nmy s strngth and waknsss must b ascrtaind. As w will s, David will st up a spy ntwork in Jrusalm. David will us information coming out of Jrusalm to dtrmin what his nxt mov will b. 11. As Clark put it, H ss th storm, and h yilds to what h concivs to b th tmpst of th 1 Almighty. Although thr is much motion in what David is doing (h is crying as h ascnds th mountain), thr is a point at which h taks control of his motions and h starts thinking. H will nd intllignc to figur out what h should do nxt. This is, by th way, David s way of doing things. W saw this 3 dcads ago whn h rturnd to his camp in Ziklag and it has bn raidd by th Amalkits, with all of th womn and childrn takn. Thr was a lot of motion flt by all of th popl thr, but David got vryon calmd down, formd a plan, and thn thy actd on it. 1Sam Adam Clark, Commntary on th Bibl; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:14. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Application: Th purpos of a military, idally spaking, is to kp harm from coming to th population of a country. Thy want to mt th nmy on th nmy s trritory or far away from whr population cntrs ar. Th military of th Unitd Stats has bn wondrful in this rgard ovr th past cntury or so. W hav st up military bass all ovr th world, so that w could mt and dfat th nmy on thir land. Map of U.S. bass all ovr th world, takn from: ZcE/Tfw5YZoRlHI/AAAAAAAAAp4/7 NRNf8k7Eh8/s1600/aa-Amrican- mpir-map-of-bass-around-world.j pg Application: This is xactly th sort of thing that w, as Amricans, out to s and b proud of that w hav military bass scattrd throughout th world, bcaus it is ths military bass which kp us saf. It is ths bass which qull small problms bfor thy bcom major problms. It is ths bass which hav prvntd World War III. Thr is all kinds of propaganda out thr that w nd to cut back on our military, and that w nd to bring mn back from Europ, from th Middl East, or whrvr; but ths viwpoints ar propaganda from communists and from radical Islam. It is ths military bass that hav put out this littl fir and that littl fir, and say to our nmis, W will bring hllfir down upon you if you start anything. It is bcaus of ths military bass that Amricans sit at hom and worry vry littl about a military attack on thir city.

125 2Samul Application: Whn you viw a map lik this, your inclination ought to b, if you undrstand th Word of God, to giv thanks to God for what you s. Thr hav only bn a fw limitd occasions whn war has bn wagd in our own citis bcaus th Unitd Stats has bass all ovr th world. It is th mn and womn in ths bass who hav tampd down problms throughout th glob, and providd safty and scurity for us hr at hom. Application: Howvr, ky to this is th spiritual condition of th Unitd Stats. W hav had a high prcntag of blivrs and a numbr of blivrs who undrstand much of th Word of God. Without this, our bass all ovr th world ar maninglss, and subjct to attack. Thn David commandd all of his officials who wr with him in Jrusalm, Ris up as w must mov quickly or thr may not b a way to scap th attack of Absalom. W must lav quickly or h may hastn and ovrtak us, and bring vil upon us and strik th city with th dg of th sword. So, David is going to pull his clos aids and his military out of Jrusalm, so that thr is not a war in th midst of Jrusalm, which would bring grat harm to th innocnt population thr. W know that David is a grat ladr bcaus h lavs Jrusalm with his staff intact. W do not har of dsrtions; w do not rad about popl who thought about joining David, but thn, changd thir minds. Now, David will snd a fw popl back to Jrusalm, but as intllignc gathrrs. It should b pointd out that, God has promisd David s thron to him: This is what th LORD of Hosts says: I took you from th pastur and from following th shp to b rulr ovr My popl Isral. I hav bn with you whrvr you hav gon, and I hav dstroyd all your nmis bfor you. I will mak a nam for you lik that of th gratst in th land. I will stablish a plac for My popl Isral and plant thm, so that thy may liv thr and not b disturbd again. Evildors will not afflict thm as thy hav don vr sinc th day I ordrd judgs to b ovr My popl Isral. I will giv you rst from all your nmis. Th LORD Himslf will mak a hous for you. Whn your tim coms and you rst with your fathrs, I will rais up aftr you your dscndant, who will com from your body, and I will stablish his kingdom. H will build a hous for My nam, and I will stablish th thron of his kingdom forvr. I will b a fathr to him, and h will b a son to M. Whn h dos wrong, I will disciplin him with a human rod and with blows from othrs. But My grac will nvr lav him as I rmovd it from Saul; I rmovd him from your way. Your hous and kingdom will ndur bfor M forvr, and your thron will b stablishd forvr. (2Sam. 7:8b 16; HCSB mostly). So, idally spaking, David knows this; but h also ralizs that h has gratly sinnd against God, so that h must sort ths things out away from Jrusalm, so that no civilian is harmd in this war with Absalom. And so says srvants of th king unto th king, As all that chooss my lord th king, bhold, [w ar] your srvants. 2Samul 15:15 Thn th srvants of th king said to David [lit., th king], According to all that my lord th king chooss, obsrv, [w ar] your srvants. Thn th srvants of th king said to David, Listn, whatvr you want us to do, that w will do. W ar your obdint srvants. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) And th king s srvants said to him: Whatsovr our lord th king will command, w your srvants will willingly xcut. And so says srvants of th king unto th king, As all that chooss my lord th king, bhold, [w ar] your srvants. And th king's srvants said to th king, Bhold, your srvants ar rady to do whatvr our lord th king wants to do.

126 6625 Th Book of Samul Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And th king's srvants said to th king, In all things which our lord th king chooss, bhold, w ar your srvants. Th English translation of th Latin has him rathr than th scond mntion of th king. Th final sntnc is lliptical, so th English translation from th Latin and Syriac complt th thought. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Brkly Vrsion Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Living Translation Th king's srvants said to him, "Your srvants ar rady to do whatvr our mastr th king dcids." Th officials said, "Your Majsty, w'll do whatvr you say." Th king's officials answrd, `W ar your srvants. You ar our mastr and king. W will do whatvr you tll us.' Th king s officrs told him, W will do anything you tll us. "Ys, Your Majsty," thy answrd. "W ar rady to do whatvr you say." Th king's srvants said, "Whatvr our mastr, th king, says, w'll do; w'r with you all th way!" Th king s srvants thn rspondd to thir rulr, Whatvr my mastr th king dcids, w ar at your srvic. Th king's officrs said to him, "W will do anything you say." "W ar with you," his advisrs rplid. "Do what you think is bst." Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl Christian Community Bibl God s Word NIRV Nw Jrusalm Bibl Nw Simplifid Bibl Rvisd English Bibl Today s NIV And th king's srvants rplid, 'W'll do whatvr our lord th king says, bcaus {Look!} w ar your srvants.' Th king s srvants answrd him, Your srvants ar with you in whatvr my lord th king dcids. Th king's srvants told him, "No mattr what happns, w ar Your Majsty's srvants." Th king's officials answrd him, "You ar our king and mastr. W'r rady to do anything you want." Th king's rtinu rplid, 'Whatvr my lord th king dcids, w ar at your srvic.' Th king s srvants told him:»no mattr what happns, w ar Your Majsty s srvants.«th king s srvants said to him, Whatvr your majsty thinks bst; w ar rady. Th king's officials answrd him, "Your srvants ar rady to do whatvr our lord th king chooss." Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Bibl in Basic English Frar-Fnton Bibl HCSB Nw Advnt Bibl NET Bibl And th king's srvants said to th king, S, your srvants ar rady to do whatvr th king says is to b don. And th King s ministrs answrd th king, Whatvr his Majsty th King chooss, his ministrs will do it. Th king's srvants said to him, "Whatvr my lord th king dcids, w ar your srvants." And th king's srvants said to him: Whatsovr our lord th king shall command, w your srvants will willingly xcut. Th king's srvants rplid to th king, "W will do whatvr our lord th king dcids [Hb "according to all that my lord th king will choos, bhold your srvants!"]."

127 2Samul Th Scripturs 1998 And th sovrign s srvants said to th sovrign, Look, your srvants shall do according to all my mastr th sovrign chooss. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Amrican KJV Concordant Litral Vrsion Contxt Group Vrsion English Standard Vrsion LTHB Nw King Jams Vrsion Syndin World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: And th king's srvants said to th king, Bhold, your srvants ar rady to do whatvr my lord th king shall appoint. And th srvants of th king say unto th king, `According to all that my lord th king chooss--lo, your srvants [do]. And th king's slavs said to th king, Look, your slavs ar rady to do whatvr my lord th king shall choos. And th king's srvants said to th king, "Bhold, your srvants ar rady to do whatvr my lord th king dcids." And th king's srvants said to th king, According to all that my lord th king dsirs, bhold, your srvants will do. And th king's srvants said to th king, "W ar your srvants, rady to do whatvr my lord th king commands." {Rspons to Establishmnt Authority} And th king's staff rplid to th king, "Bhold, your loyal staff ar rady to do whatvr my lord th king dcids." {idiom: litrally 'According to all which my lord th king shall dcid, hr ar your loyal subjcts"}. Th king's srvants said to th king, Bhold, your srvants ar rady to do whatvr my lord th king shall choos. And th srvants of th king say unto th king, According to all that my lord th king chooss lo, your srvants do. Thos who ar with th king pldg thir loyalty to him. 2Samul 15:15a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think rd 3 prson masculin plural, Qal imprfct Strong s #559 BDB #55 bd (òæáæã) [pronouncd B ÌE -vd] slav, srvant; undrling; subjct masculin plural construct Strong s #5650 BDB #713 mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 l (àæì) [pronouncd hl] unto; into, among, in; toward, to; against; concrning, rgarding; bsids, togthr with; as to dirctional prposition (rspct or dfrnc may b implid) Strong's #413 BDB #39 mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 Translation: Thn th srvants of th king said to David [lit., th king],... David is surroundd by his top officials. Probably svral of thm spak, but this is th gist of what is said.

128 6627 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:15b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs kaph or k (ëìà) [pronouncd k ] lik, as, according to; about, approximatly prposition BDB #453 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] vry, ach, all of, all; any of, any masculin singular construct not followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 ãshr (àâéùæø) [pronouncd ash-er] that, which, whn, who, whom rlativ pronoun Strong's #834 BDB #81 K kôl ashr (ëìàëéì) appars to man as all, according to all that, just as all that, xactly as all which. bâchar (áìèççø) [pronouncd baw- KHAHR] to choos; Gsnius also lists to prov, to try, to xamin, to approv, to choos, to slct; to lov, to dlight in [somthing], to dsir rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #977 BDB #103 ãdônây (àâãéðèé) [pronouncd uh-doh- NAY] Lord (s), Mastr (s), my Lord (s), Sovrign; my lord [mastr]; can rfr to th Trinity or to an intnsification of th noun; translitratd Adonai, adonai masculin plural noun st with th 1 prson singular suffix Strong s #113 & #136 BDB #10 Thr ar actually 3 forms of this word: ãdônây (àâãéðèé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nay]; ãdônay (àâãéðçé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nay]; and ãdônîy (àâãéðäé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nee]. This is a form of Strong s #113, whr thr ar thr xplanations givn for th yodh nding: (1) this is a shortnd form of th plural nding, usually writtn -îym (ðäéí) [pronouncd m], an oldr form of th pluralis xcllntiæ (th plural of xcllnc), whr God s sovrignty and lordship ar mphasizd by th us of th plural; (2) this is th actual, but ancint, plural of th noun, which rfrs to th Trinity; or (3) this is th addition st of th 1 prson singular suffix, hnc, my Lord (th long vowl point at th nd would distinguish this from my lords). Thr ar points of grammar which spak to th options abov, but not so that w may unquivocally choos btwn th thr. (1) Whn w find ãdônay (àâãéðèé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nah] (not th diffrnc of th vowl nding), it always mans my lords. (2) Jhovah calls Himslf ãdônây (àâãéðèé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nay] in Job 28:28 Isa. 8:7; howvr, many of th Job manuscripts rad Y howah and 8 ancint Isaiah manuscripts rad Y howah instad. This suggsts, that ithr ancint Scribs wr confusd about this form of Adonai or that thy simply substitutd Adonai for Y howah, which was not an abnormal practic (in oral radings, th ancint Ttragrammaton was not spokn, but Lord was said instad). And vn If vry manuscript rad Adonai, thn w may also rasonably conclud that on mmbr of th Trinity is addrssing anothr mmbr of th Trinity (although th ida of God saying my Lord would b thologically confusing, vn if addrssing anothr mmbr of th Trinity; although Jsus did rfr to God th Fathr as our Fathr). Almost vry singl translator rndrs this Lord, th Lord, or Adonai. On occasion, howvr, this is rndrd my Lord. mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572

129 2Samul Translation:... According to all that my lord th king chooss,... Although w do not hav a complt thought hr, thr is th implication that, whatvr th king asks us to do, that w will do. This is known as an llipsis. A complt thought or sntnc is not givn, but its intnt is clar. You tll your kid to clan his room and h rsponds, Whatvr. That is an llipsis. It is not a complt thought or a complt answr, but you know prtty much how h fls about that dirctiv. David s srvants do not rspond with, Whatvr. Thy rspond with, What th king dtrmins... indicating that, thy would do whatvr David askd thm to do. Thy do not say, W stand hr rady to do whatvr it is that you ask of is. Howvr, th lliptical natur of this phras indicats that is th maning. 2Samul 15:15c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs hinnêh (ääðìåä) [pronouncd hin-nay] lo, bhold, or mor frly, obsrv, look hr, look, listn, not, tak not; pay attntion, gt this, chck this out intrjction, dmonstrativ particl Strong s #2009 (and #518, 2006) BDB #243 bd (òæáæã) [pronouncd B ÌE -vd] slav, srvant; undrling; subjct masculin plural noun nd with a 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #5650 BDB #713 Translation:...obsrv, [w ar] your srvants. Ths ar grat military mn and palac staff; Joab is among thm. By saying, Look, w ar your srvants thy ar both spaking lliptically, bcaus David wants thm up and making an organizd rtrat immdiatly, and indicating whr thy stand: with David. Th KJV has had a trmndous ffct upon all othr translations. Th KJV rads: And th king's srvants said unto th king, Bhold, thy srvants ar rady to do whatsovr my lord th king shall appoint. Notic th 3 words in italics; that mans thy ar not found in th Hbrw. Howvr, this shapd narly vry litral translation to follow. Only a smattring of ths litral translations (th CLV, th MKJV, th LTHB and a fw othrs) actually list thos thr words or thir approximation as not in th txt. In fact, th most accurat translation of this vrs is th HCSB: Th king's srvants said to him, "Whatvr my lord th king dcids, w ar your srvants." David says, Quickly w nd to lav Jrusalm. Th rspons is lliptical, clar as to its maning, but short in lngth, bcaus David is in a hurry. Thn th srvants of th king said to David [lit., th king], According to all that my lord th king chooss, obsrv, [w ar] your srvants. H is not looking for a roll call vot as to who is with him and who is not; thr is not tim for that. So ths mn rspond quickly so that thy can act quickly. Th clar statmnt is, thy will do whatvr David asks of thm. Quit obviously, I hav spnt a far longr tim trying to xplain this statmnt than thy took making it. And so gos out th king and all his hous in his ft and so lavs th king tn womn mistrsss to kp th hous. 2Samul 15:16 Thrfor, th king wnt out with all his houshold at his ft, but h [lit., th king] lft [bhind] [his] tn mistrsss [lit., 10 womn mistrsss] to kp th palac. Thrfor, th king lft quickly with all of his houshold bhind him, but h lft bhind his 10 mistrsss to kp and watch ovr th palac. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs:

130 6629 Th Book of Samul Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And th king wnt forth, and all his houshold on foot: and th king lft tn womn his concubins to kp th hous. And so gos out th king and all his hous in his ft and so lavs th king tn womn mistrsss to kp th hous. So th king wnt forth and all his houshold aftr him. And th king lft tn womn who wr concubins to kp his hous. And th king and all his hous wnt out on foot. And th king lft tn womn from among his concubins to kp th hous. All thos of David s palac go out at his ft; th English translation from th Latin rd and Grk both hav on foot. Thr is no 3 prson masculin singular suffix in th scond sntnc. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Lif Bibl Nw Living Translation So th king lft, with his ntir houshold following him, but h lft tn scondary wivs bhind to tak car of th palac. David lft bhind tn of his wivs to tak car of th palac, but th rst of his family and his officials and soldirs wnt with him. So th king, his family and his officials all st out. Th king lft 10 *concubins in th palac to look aftr it. King David wnt out with all of th popl in his hous. Th king lft tn of his wivs [Litrally, "concubins," womn srvants that wr lik wivs.] to tak car of th hous. So th king lft, accompanid by all his family and officials, xcpt for tn concubins, whom h lft bhind to tak car of th palac. So th king and his ntir houshold scapd on foot. Th king lft tn concubins bhind to tnd to th palac. Th king st out with vryon in his hous, but h lft tn slav womn to tak car of th palac. So th king lft with all thos of his hous. But h lft tn of his womn to tak car of th hous. So th king and all his houshold st out at onc. H lft no on bhind xcpt tn of his concubins to look aftr th palac. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl Nw Amrican Bibl NIRV Nw Jrusalm Bibl Today s NIV So, th king and his whol hous just walkd away. but h lft tn of his concubins bhind to guard th hous. Thn th king st out, accompanid by his ntir houshold, xcpt for tn concubins whom h lft bhind to car for th palac. 2Sam. 16:21-22; 20:3. Th king startd out. Evryon in his whol family wnt with him. But h lft tn concubins bhind to tak car of th palac. Th king st out on foot with his whol houshold, laving tn concubins to look aftr th palac. Th king st out, with his ntir houshold following him; but h lft tn concubins to tak car of th palac. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Th king procdd with all his hous on foot. Th king lft tn womn concubins to kp th hous.

131 2Samul Bibl in Basic English Frar-Fnton Bibl JPS (Tanakh 1985) NET Bibl Th Scripturs 1998 So th king wnt out, taking with him all th popl of his hous, but for tn of his womn, who wr to tak car of th hous. Th king and all of his family, thrfor wnt out on thir ft, but th king lft tn of his slav-wivs to tak car of th palac. So th king lft, followd by his ntir houshold, xcpt for tn concubins whom th king lft to mind th palac. So th king and all th mmbrs of his royal court [Hb "and all his hous."] st out on foot, though th king lft bhind tn concubins [Hb "womn, concubins."] to attnd to th palac. And th sovrign wnt out, and all his houshold at his ft. But th sovrign lft tn womn, concubins, to look aftr th hous. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: xgss companion Bibl LTHB Syndin World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: And th sovrign gos forth with all his houshold at his ft: and th sovrign lavs tn womn concubins to guard th hous:... And th king wnt out, and all his houshold at his ft. And th king lft tn womn, concubins, to kp th hous. And th king dpartd with all of his family and his train xcpt th king lft bhind tn womn, who wr his formr concubins/mistrsss, to kp th palac. Th king wnt forth, and all his houshold aftr him. Th king lft tn womn, who wr concubins, to kp th hous. And th king gos out, and all his houshold at his ft, and th king lavs tn womn concubins to kp th hous. David quickly lavs th palac with his staff and soldirs with him. H lavs bhind his 10 mistrsss to watch ovr th palac and to act as cartakrs. 2Samul 15:16a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 yâtsâ (éèöèà) [pronouncd yaw-tzawh] to go [com] out, to go [com] forth; to ris; to flow, to gush up [out] rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #3318 BDB #422 mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] vry, ach, all of, all; any of, any masculin singular construct not followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481

132 6631 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:16a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs bayith (áìçéäú) [pronouncd BAH-yith] hous, rsidnc; houshold, habitation as wll as inward masculin singular noun rd with th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong's #1004 BDB #108 h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 rgl (øæâæì) [pronouncd REH-gl] foot, ft fminin dual noun with rd th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #7272 BDB #919 Translation: Thrfor, th king wnt out with all his houshold at his ft,... Although thr ar no words hr to indicat that David lft in a hurry, th prvious fw vrss suggst that h did. Th vrbiag hr suggsts that David ld this rtrat out of th city, and that all who wr with him followd. It is possibl that this hug procssion drw followrs along as thy travld. Rmmbr, this was a big vnt, markd by trumpts and popl crying out that Absalom is king. So, vryon in town has som ida as to what is going on. Thy hav hard th trumpts, and if thy missd th announcmnt, thn somon rlayd th mssag to thm. 2Samul 15:16b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 âzab (òèæçá) [pronouncd B ìaw-za V] to loosn ons bands; to lt go [on from bing in bonds]; to lav [forsak, dsrt]; to lav off, to cas from [anything] rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #5800 BDB #736 mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] untranslatd gnrally; occasionally to, toward indicats that th following substantiv is a dirct objct Strong's #853 BDB #84 sr (òæùòæø) [pronouncd ÌEH-sr] tn masculin numral Strong s #6235 BDB #796 nâshîym (ðèùäéí) [pronouncd naw- SHEEM] womn, wivs fminin plural noun; irrgular plural of Strong s #802 Strong s #802 BDB #61

133 2Samul Samul 15:16b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs pîylgsh (ôìäéìæâæù) [pronouncd p-lehgsh] mistrss, paramour, illicit lovr, liv-in lovr, concubin fminin plural noun Strong s #6370 BDB #811 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 shâmar (ùèîçø) [pronouncd shaw-mar] to kp, to guard, to protct, to watch, to prsrv Qal infinitiv construct Strong's #8104 BDB #1036 bayith (áìçéäú) [pronouncd BAH-yith] hous, rsidnc; houshold, habitation as wll as inward masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong's #1004 BDB #108 Translation:...but h [lit., th king] lft [bhind] [his] tn mistrsss [lit., 10 womn mistrsss] to kp th palac. It probably nvr occurrd to David what might happn. H simply assumd that Absalom would lav th palac and th womn alon. H did not think that his son Absalom would b so callous as to harm thm. Ths mistrsss wr not quit wivs; but thy wr known to vryon as David s mistrsss. Thy wr not scrt lovrs or anything lik that. Howvr, ths wr, in ssnc, additional wivs, and this was a grat problm to David, as has bn discussd on othr occasions. S th Doctrin of Polygamy (HTML) (PDF). David is going to mak th wrong assumption that Absalom would not harm innocnt womn. W know, from th woman from Tkoa trial, that David will bnd ovr backwards to protct womn who may not b abl to protct thmslvs. H is assuming that his son Absalom will hav th sam valus. David s assumption hr will turn out to b mistakn. Absalom will rap ths womn in ordr to show his disdain for his fathr (2Sam. 16:21 22). So, this is anothr ara whr David misjudgs his own son and dos not grasp th dpths of his dpravity. Lt m rmind you of what Nathan th propht said to David, spaking as if God: Why hav you dspisd th Word of Jhovah, to do vil in His sight? You hav strickn Uriah th Hittit with th sword, and hav takn his wif to b your wif, and hav killd him with th sword of th sons of Ammon. And thrfor, th sword shall nvr dpart from your hous, bcaus you hav dspisd M and hav takn th wif of Uriah th Hittit to b your wif. So says Jhovah, Bhold, I will rais up vil against you out of your own hous, and I will tak your wivs bfor your ys and giv thm to your intimat [frind]. And h shall li with your wivs in th sight of this sun. (2Sam. 12:9 11). Th wivs that would b givn to David s intimat; that is, Absalom, who would publically rap all 10 of thm. And gos out th king and all th popl at his ft. And so rmaind [at] Bth-mrhak [or, th hous of th distanc]. 2Samul 15:17 And th king wnt out with all th popl at his ft. Thy latr rmaind [at] Bth-mrhak [possibly, th hous of th distanc]. And th king wnt out with all th popl bhind him. Thy latr stoppd at Bth-mrhak (or, th last hous). Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat And th king going forth and all Isral on foot, stood afar off from th hous.

134 6633 Th Book of Samul Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And gos out th king and all th popl at his ft. And so rmaind [at] Bthmrhak [or, th hous of th distanc]. And th king wnt forth and all th popl aftr him, and thy haltd in a plac at a distanc from th city. And th king and all his srvants wnt out on foot; and abod in a distant hous. Th English translation from th Syriac, aftr him, is probably closr to th maning of th Hbrw than on foot. Th final fw words ar difficult and will b discussd in th Hbrw and English xgsis. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Brkly Vrsion Nw Cntury Vrsion Thy stoppd at th last hous at th dg of th city. So th king st out. All th popl wr following him. Thy stoppd aftr thy had gon a short distanc. Th king wnt out with all of his popl following him. Thy stoppd at th last hous. As th king and all his mn wr laving th city, thy stoppd at th last hous. And so thy lft, stp by stp by stp, and thn pausd at th last hous... But as th king and all th popl that wr at his hls lft, thy pausd at th last hous. Th king lft with all his popl following him, and thy stoppd at a hous far away. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: God s Word Nw Amrican Bibl NIRV Nw Jrusalm Bibl Nw Simplifid Bibl Rvisd English Bibl As th king and his troops wr laving th city on foot, thy stoppd at th last hous. As th king lft th city, with all his officrs accompanying him, thy haltd opposit th ascnt of th Mount of Olivs, at a distanc,... So th king and all thos who wr with him lft. Thy stoppd at a plac that wasn't vry far away. Th king st out on foot with vryon following, and thy haltd at th last hous. Th king and his troops lft th city on foot. Thy stoppd at th city limits. At th Far Hous th king and all th popl who wr with him haltd. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Bibl in Basic English Complt Jwish Bibl Frar-Fnton Bibl HCSB JPS (Tanakh 1985) Judaica Prss Complt T. Nw Advnt Bibl NET Bibl NIV UK And th king wnt out, and all his srvants wnt aftr him, and mad a stop at th Far Hous. Th king st out with all th popl aftr him, but thy waitd at th last hous... Thus th king with all his forcs wnt out on thir ft, and haltd at Bth Mrkhak,... So th king st out, and all th popl followd him. Thy stoppd at th last hous... Th king lft, followd by all th popl [Sptuagint rads his courtirs. ], and thy stoppd at th last hous [Maning of Hbrw uncrtain]. And th king wnt forth, and all th popl wr right bhind him: and thy rmaind standing at th farthst hous. And th king going forth and all Isral on foot, stood afar off from th hous:... Th king and all th popl st out on foot, pausing [Hb "and thy stood."] at a spot [Hb "hous."] som distanc away. So th king st out, with all th popl following him, and thy haltd at th dg of th city.

135 2Samul Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Amrican KJV Darby Translation English Standard Vrsion Th Gnva Bibl LTHB Nw King Jams Vrsion Syndin Updatd Bibl Vrsion 2.11 A Voic in th Wildrnss World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: And th king wnt forth, and all th popl aftr him, and tarrid in a plac that was far off. And th king wnt forth, and all th popl aftr him, and stayd at th rmot hous. And th king wnt out, and all th popl aftr him. And thy haltd at th last hous. And th king wnt forth, and all th popl aftr him, and tarrid in a plac that was far off [That is, from Jrusalm.]. And th king wnt out, and all th popl at his ft. And thy stood still at th hous farthst away. And th king wnt out with all th popl aftr him, and stoppd at th outskirts. {Vrss 17-18: Ordrly Withdraw and Rviw of Brigad of Guards} Thrfor th king dpartd/movd out, with all th {loyal} popl in his train. And thy haltd 'th last outpost/fort'. {idiom: litrally: 'at th hous of th distanc'} {Not: Bfor David could dpart from th Mount of Olivs, h had th popl stop at th Eastrn fort in th vally of Kidron. H st up an organizd systm for moving out of th land with flanks and rar guardd. That is why h stoppd hr at th last fort. This small fort guards th ford at th rivr/brook of Kidron - its dpth dpnds on th sason of th yar - w don't know th sason hr.}. And th king wnt forth, and all th popl aftr him; and thy tarrid in Bthmrhak. And th king wnt out with all th popl at his ft, and stoppd at th last hous of th sttlmnt. Th king wnt forth, and all th popl aftr him; and thy stayd in Bth Mrhak. And th king gos out, and all th popl at his ft, and thy stand still at th farthst off hous. Th king and th popl with him stop at th last hous on th dg of Jrusalm. 2Samul 15:17a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 yâtsâ (éèöèà) [pronouncd yaw-tzawh] to go [com] out, to go [com] forth; to ris; to flow, to gush up [out] rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #3318 BDB #422 mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] th whol, all of, th ntirty of, all; can also b rndrd any of masculin singular construct followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481

136 6635 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:17a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs am (òçí) [pronouncd ìahm] popl; rac, trib; family, rlativs; citizns, common popl; companions, srvants; ntir human rac; hrd [of animals] masculin singular collctiv noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #5971 BDB #766 h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 rgl (øæâæì) [pronouncd REH-gl] foot, ft fminin dual noun with rd th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #7272 BDB #919 Translation: And th king wnt out with all th popl at his ft. This is a vry odd thing; w hav xactly th sam construction and words as w found in v. 16a, but instad of all his houshold, w hav all th popl. I do not know if this chang is significant; apparntly, both sts of popl st out with him: thos from his houshold and thos citizns who wr loyal to David. It is unusual to hav xactly th sam words lik this, but it may not man anything. Ths would b soldirs, thir familis prhaps, othr familis sympathtic to David or who do not want to liv undr Absalom. Rmmbr, this is a vry suddn thing. On momnt, th mssngr tlls David, and th nxt momnt, David is laving (h probably lavs within 2 3 hours). What is most likly is, David is informd, and thn h tlls thos of his houshold, and thy gathr up som blongings and thy follow him. Wll, popl from all ovr notic this; bsids th soldirs who guard David, and thy bgin to join with David as wll, all of thm following at his ft (following bhind him). Thr ar som soldirs who might go hom to ftch a fw possssions or thir lovd ons, so that David s rtrat is quitly mad known throughout Jrusalm. 2Samul 15:17b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 âmad (òèîçã) [pronouncd ìaw-mahd] to tak a stand, to stand, to rmain, to ndur, to withstand; to stop rd 3 prson masculin plural, Qal imprfct Strong's #5975 BDB #763 bayith (áìçéäú) [pronouncd BAH-yith] hous, rsidnc; houshold, habitation as wll as inward masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong's #1004 BDB #108

137 2Samul Samul 15:17b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs mr châq (îæøàçè ) [pronouncd mhr- KHAWK] distant plac, distanc, far country, a plac far off masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4801 BDB #935 Or, this could b a propr noun, rfrring to a city or villag: Bêyth Hammr châq (äçîìæøàçè áìåéú) [pronouncd bayth-hahm-mr-khhk] a hous afar off, rmot hous; translitratd Bth-hammrhaq, Bth-mrhak masculin singular, propr noun; location Strong s #1023 BDB #112 Translation: Thy latr rmaind [at] Bth-mrhak [possibly, th hous of th distanc]. It is unclar whthr thy cam to a dad halt or whthr thy stoppd, bing far nough out, in ordr to assss th situation. Thr is som confusion hr as to whthr th final two words rfrs to a city or whthr w ar talking about th last hous on th outskirts of Jrusalm. W do not find this city namd anywhr ls. Occasionally, thr ar placs which hav grat maning to thos who ar thr, and this is th last plac whr David would s on of th houss of Jrusalm, so prhaps, this bcam somwhat of a propr nam, just to signify what h was going through. Aftr all, David dos not know if h will com back this way again; h may not vr ntr into Jrusalm again. And this would b a vry big dal to David, as h lovd Jrusalm and Mount Zion. A portion of 2Sam. 5 is dvotd to David taking this city on th hill. Th Pulpit Commntary on this: Th Far Hous...was probably not a dwlling, but a pavilion ovrlooking th Kidron vally; and hr David haltd his houshold until all wr assmbld, and arrangmnts mad for thir journy. Hr, too, th bodyguard would gathr, and thy would cross th Kidron only whn vrything was rady for thir ordrly progrss. Confusion at such a tim would 56 brd a panic and invit an attack. Probably, this is simply a plac that thy stop at, outsid of Jrusalm, whr David can s xactly who is with him. H will hav th troops pass in rviw whil considring his situation. Thy ar ssntially on th outskirts of Jrusalm and about to ntr into th wildrnss ast of Jrusalm. Thr wr popl coming from all ovr th city of Jrusalm, to join David, and it appars that David mad a stop hr, prhaps for a fw hours, to rviw th troops, to think about his situation, and to spak to thos who hav com to follow him. In othr words, this is not som Run for your livs; vry man for himslf. This is a vry ordrly xit, and whn on th outskirts of Jrusalm, David will organiz th popl who ar with him. An army unit of 100 of th roughst, toughst mn thr vr was cannot last 15 minuts in a battl unlss thy hav bn traind, organizd, and taught to tak ordrs. David dos not hav much tim, but many of thos who ar with him ar military typs, so gtting vryon into formation is not difficult to do ovr, say, an hour or two. It is intrsting that David and not Joab will tak charg at this point. W do not know if Joab is among th 200 or if David blivd that this was his right mov undr th circumstancs. W do know that Joab was nvr anxious to tak any crdit for what h did, and vn brought David in to complt a battl, so that David would gt th crdit instad of him (2Sam. 12:26 31). 56 Th Pulpit Commntary; ; by Josph S. Exll, Hnry Donald Mauric Spnc-Jons, courtsy of -sword, 2Sam. 15:17.

138 6637 Th Book of Samul Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins King David and His Immigrant Supportrs And all his srvants thos passing upon his hand; and all th Chrthits and all th Plthits and all th Gittits, six hundrds a man who advancd at his ft from Gath, thos passing upon facs of th king. 2Samul 15:18 And all of his srvants passd undr his guidanc: and all th Chrthits and all th Plthits and thy stand by th oliv tr in th dsrt wildrnss. And all th popl pass by clinging to him, and all thos around him, and all th court prsonnl, and all thos [who] fight, 600 mn, and thy ar arriving by his hlp; and all th Chrthits and all th Plthitsand all th Gittits, 600 mn who advancd at his ft from Gath; thos passing bfor th king. All of th king s military passd by him as pr his command: th Chrthits, th Plthits and th Gittits (600 mn who had followd David from Gath); all of ths mn passd bfor th king. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And all his srvants walkd by him, and th bands of th Crthi, and th Phlthi, and all th Gthits, valiant warriors, six hundrd mn who had followd him from Gth on foot, wnt bfor th king. And all his srvants thos passing upon his hand; and all th Chrthits and all th Plthits and all th Gittits, six hundrds a man who advancd at his ft from Gath, thos passing upon facs of th king. And all his srvants passd on bsid him; and all his noblmn and all his army and all th Gittits who had followd him from Gath passd on bfor th king. And all his srvants passd on by his sid, and vry Chrthit, and vry Plthit, and thy stood by th oliv tr in th wildrnss. And all th popl marchd nar him, and all his court, and all th mn of might, and all th mn of war, six hundrd; and thy wr prsnt at his sid. And vry Chrthit, and vry Plthit, and all th six hundrd Gittits that cam on foot out from Gath, and thy wnt on bfor th king. Th phras passing upon his hand is variously translatd. It is vry likly that David is giving hand signals which call for various military manuvrs and movmnt. Instad of Chrthtits and Plthits, th English of th Syriac calls thm noblman and army. Th Latin appars to tll us that th 3 groups ar valiant warriors, which is not found in th Hbrw txt. Th LXX appars to hav a sntnc or mor slippd in btwn all of this. Unfortunatly, this vrs is not found in th Dad Sa Scrolls (maning it was unradabl). Howvr, it is asy to s how a scrib could xclud ths phrass. Th rad and copy vry Chrthit and vry Plthit and thn look up again, and go to thos sam words, but a coupl of sntncs latr. This suggsts that th words of th Grk ar probably valid and blong thr. This will b givn a complt xgsis blow, from both th Grk and th Hbrw.

139 2Samul Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Nw Brkly Vrsion Nw Living Translation Thn David stood thr and watchd whil his rgular troops and his bodyguards marchd past. Th last group was th six hundrd soldirs who had followd him from Gath. Thir commandr was Ittai. Thn all th king's officials walkd past David. All th mn calld Krthits and Plthits walkd past him. Thn th 600 mn from Gath walkd past. Ths mn from Gath had bn with David whn h rturnd from Gath. All of his officrs passd by th king. And all of th Krthits, all of th Plthits, and th Gittits (600 mn from Gath) passd by th king. All his officials stood nxt to him as th royal bodyguards passd by in front of him. Th six hundrd soldirs who had followd him from Gath also passd by,... Whil all his attndants wr passing along bsid him, and all th Chrthits, all th Plthits, and all th six hundrd Gittits who had followd him from Gath wr marching in advanc of th king,... Originally, th 600 mn that had mad up David s outlaw band and fld with him to th Philistin city of Gath to scap Saul (1Sam. 27:2), and thn continud with him in Ziklag, Hbron, and Jrusalm (1Sam. 30:1 2Sam. 2:3 5:6). Now, 30 yars latr, thr must hav bn changs in prsonnl; but th 600 Gittits maintaind itslf as a spcially honord unit of faithful vtrans....to lt all th king's mn mov past to lad th way. Thr wr 600 mn from Gath who had com with David, along with th king's bodyguard [Hbrw th Krthits and Plthits.]. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl God s Word Nw Amrican Bibl Nw Jrusalm Bibl Nw Simplifid Bibl Rvisd English Bibl Today s NIV Wll, whil th king and his srvants wr on th way to th dsrt, thy [mt up with som] Chlthits and Phlthits who wr waiting on th Mount of Olivs. So, along with all th popl who cam with [David], thr wr now six hundrd grat mn and warriors from th Chlthits, Phlthits, and Gthits, bcaus six hundrd mn had walkd from Gath to join th king. All his mrcnaris passd by him; all th Chrthits, all th Plthits, Ittai, and all 600 mn who had followd him from Gath wr marching past th king....whil th whol army marchd past him. David and Ittai. As all th Chrthits and Plthits, and th six hundrd Gittits who had ntrd his srvic from that city, wr passing in rviw bfor th king,... 2Sam. 8:18 All his officrs stood at his sid. All th Chrthits and all th Plthits, with Ittai and all th six hundrd Gittits who had com in his rtinu from Gath, marchd past th king. All his mrcnaris passd by him. Th Chrthits, all th Plthits, Ittai, and all six hundrd mn who had followd him from Gath marchd past th king. His own srvants thn stood at his sid, whil th Krthit and Plthit guards and Ittai with th six hundrd Gittits undr him marchd past th king. All his mn marchd past him, along with all th Krthits and Plthits; and all th six hundrd Gittits who had accompanid him from Gath marchd bfor th king. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar All his srvants passd by his hand: All from Chrth, all from Plth, and all from Gath, 600 mn which cam on foot from Gath, and passd in front of th king.

140 6639 Th Book of Samul Bibl in Basic English Complt Jwish Bibl Frar-Fnton Bibl HCSB JPS (Tanakh 1985) Judaica Prss Complt T. Nw Advnt Bibl NET Bibl Th Scripturs 1998 And all th popl wnt on by his sid; and all th Chrthits and all th Plthits and all th mn of Ittai of Gath, six hundrd mn who cam aftr him from Gath, wnt on bfor th king....for all his srvants to pass by him in rviw; all th K'rti and P'lti and all th Gittim (600 mn who had accompanid him from Gat) passd in rviw bfor th king....and all his ministrs walkd at his sid, with th guards and courrirs. And th six hundrd gardnrs who cam on foot from th gardn, marchd along bfor th fac of th king....whil all his srvants marchd past him. Thn all th Chrthits, th Plthits, and th Gittits--600 mn who cam with him from Gath--marchd past th king. All his followrs [Sptuagint rads th popl. ] marchd past him, including all th Chrthits and all th Plthits; and [Emndation yilds and Ittai and. ] all th Gittits, six hundrd mn who had accompanid him from Gath, also marchd by th king. And all his srvants passd on bsid him, and all th archrs and all th slingrs, and all th Gittits, six hundrd mn that cam aftr him from Gath, passd on bfor th king. And all his srvants walkd by him, and th bands of th Crthi, and th Phlthi, and all th Gthits, valiant warriors, six hundrd mn who had followd him from Gth on foot, wnt bfor th king. All his srvants wr laving with him [Hb "crossing ovr nar his hand."], along with all th Krthits, all th Plthits, and all th Gittits som six hundrd mn who had com on foot from Gath. Thy wr laving with [Hb "crossing ovr nar th fac of."] th king. And all his srvants wr passing on at his sid. And all th Kr thits, and all th Pl thits, and all th Gittits, six hundrd mn who had followd him from Gath, wr passing on bfor th sovrign. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Contxt Group Vrsion xgss companion Bibl Th Gnva Bibl Hbrw Nams Vrsion LTHB Syndin And all his slavs passd on bsid him; and all th Chrthits, and all th Plthits, and all th Gittits, six hundrd mn that cam aftr him from Gath, passd on bfor th king....and all his srvants pass on at his hand; and all th xcutionrs and all th courirs and all th Gittiy - six hundrd mn who com at his ft from Gath, pass on at th fac of th sovrign. And all his srvants passd on bsid him; and all th Chrthits [Ths wr as th kings guard, or as som writ, his counsllors.], and all th Plthits, and all th Gittits, six hundrd mn which cam aftr him from Gath, passd on bfor th king. All his srvants passd on bsid him; and all th Krti, and all th Plti, and all th Gitti, six hundrd mn who cam aftr him from Gat, passd on bfor th king. And all his srvants wr passing on by his sid, and all th Chrthits, and all th Plthits, and all th Gittits, six hundrd mn who cam at his ft from Gath. Ths wr passing on bfor th king. Thn all his loyal srvants {civilians plus 3 rgimnts of th Royal Guard} 'passd in rviw' including all th Chrthits, and all th Plthits, and all th Gittits... six hundrd {Gittit} mn {th Gittits actd as th polic forc of Jrusalm - a spcial polic forc} who accompanid him from Gath, 'passd in rviw' bfor th king.

141 2Samul World English Bibl Young's Litral Translation Th gist of this vrs: All his srvants passd on bsid him; and all th Chrthits, and all th Plthits, and all th Gittits, six hundrd mn who cam aftr him from Gath, passd on bfor th king. And all his srvants ar passing on at his sid, and all th Chrthit, and all th Plthit, and all th Gittits, six hundrd mn who cam at his ft from Gath, ar passing on at th front of th king. David stood whil his mn marchd in rviw bfor him, which includs th dtachmnt of Plthtits and Chrthtits, and th company of Gittits. 2Samul 15:18a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] vry, ach, all of, all; any of, any masculin singular construct not followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 bd (òæáæã) [pronouncd B ÌE -vd] slav, srvant; undrling; subjct masculin plural noun rd with a 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #5650 BDB #713 âbar (òèáçø) [pronouncd b ìaw -VAHR] passrs by, thos passing through; thos passing ovr masculin plural, Qal participl Strong s #5674 BDB #716 al (òçì) [pronouncd ìahl] upon, byond, on, against, abov, ovr, by, bsid prposition of proximity Strong s #5921 BDB #752 yâd (éèã) [pronouncd yawd] hand; strngth, powr (figurativly); sid (of land), part, portion (mtaphorically) (figurativly); (various spcial, tchnical snss); sign, monumnt; part, fractional part, shar; tim, rptition; axltrs, axl; stays, support (for lavr); tnons (in tabrnacl); a phallus, a hand (maning unsur); wrists fminin singular noun rd with th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong's #3027 BDB #388 Togthr, ths man upon his hand, on [at] his hand; undr his hand; undr [at] his guidanc. Translation: And all of his srvants passd undr his guidanc:... What is happning hr is grat military disciplin undr David. Ths mn hav not sidd with Absalom; thy ar not running for thir livs, vry man on his own. David is tlling thm xactly how thy ar going to lin up and march. Upon his hand is an idiom which mans undr his guidanc or at his command. Thy ar at th astrn (or northastrn) dg of th platau that Jrusalm sits upon. It bgins to drop down into th Kidron Vally and thn thr is a sharp ris on th othr sid. David appars to hav takn a plac ovr th troops so that thy might pass in rviw bfor him, from a lowr ara; possibly in th Kidron Vally.

142 6641 Th Book of Samul David has not ld an army for somtim. H ruld ovr Isral and Joab handld that for him. On tim, in rcnt mmory, h fought along sid Joab against th Aramæans, probably changing history at that tim. Howvr, this is a comfortabl sho that David asily slips into, and his mn follow his ordrs with military prcision. 2Samul 15:18b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] vry, ach, all of, all; any of, any masculin singular construct not followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 K rêthîy (ëìàøåúäé) [pronouncd k ray- THEE] a collctiv noun which mans xcutionrs; lif guardsmn (which could b its primary manings); and is translitratd Chrthit, Chrthits gntilic adjctiv usd as a propr noun; possibly a singular collctiv noun; with th dfinit articl Strong s #3774 BDB #504 This is a word which may stand for th Philistins, or a portion of thm. This noun may b associatd with th island of Crt, rfrring to thos Philistins associatd with Crt (ithr as an origin or as conqurd trritory). w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] vry, ach, all of, all; any of, any masculin singular construct not followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 P lêthîy (ôìàìåúäé) [pronouncd p -lay- THEE] a collctiv noun which mans courirs; mssngrs (which could b its primary manings); translitratd Plthits masculin singular noun; possibly a gntilic adjctiv usd as a propr noun; with th dfinit articl Strong s #6432 BDB #814 Translation:...and all th Chrthits and all th Plthits... Th Chrthits and th Plthits wr covrd in grat dtail back in 2Sam. 8:18. Ths mn appard to b his bodyguards (it was vry common for a sovrign to b guardd by mn from a diffrnt country) and his courirs; and, possibly, whn th tim aros, his xcutionrs. Thr ar svral thoris as to who th Chrthits and Plthits ar. Howvr, so that you do not go off on th wrong track in your thinking, ths words ar in th singular, and w gnrally us th singular (in th Hbrw) to rfr to this or that group of popl. This doctrin was originally prsntd in 1Sam. 8 (HTML) (PDF). No dramatic changs hav bn mad to it sinc that tim.

143 2Samul Who ar th Chrthits and th Plthits? Commntator Barns C o n t m p o r a r y English Vrsion Clark Easy to Rad Vrsion Edrshim Th Gnva Bibl Opinion It would sm from this that th Chrthits and Philistins wr two kindrd and associatd tribs, lik Angls and Saxons, who took possssion of th sacoast of Palstin. Th Philistins, bing th mor powrful, gav thir nam to th country and th nation in gnral, though that of th Chrthits was not wholly xtinguishd. Many 57 prsons connct th nam Chrthit with that of th island of Crt. Clark adds: Th éúøë (krthi), without th points, might b rad Crti, wr not only at this tim Philistins, but that thy wr aborigins of Crt, from which thy had thir nam 58 Chrthits or Crtans. Th Chrthits and th Plthits...wr forign soldirs hird by David to b his 59 bodyguard. Th Chrthits supposd to b thos who accompanid David whn h fld from Saul; th Plthits, thos who cam to him at Ziklag. But th Targum translats ths two nams thus, th archrs and th slingrs; and this is by far th most likly. It is not at all probabl that David was without a company both of archrs and slingrs. Th bow is clbratd in th funral lamntation ovr Saul and Jonathan; and th sling was rnownd as th wapon of th Isralits, and how xprt David was in th us of it w larn from th dath of Goliath. I tak for grantd that th Chald paraphrast is corrct. No wapons thn known wr qually powrful with ths; th spars, swords, and javlins, of othr nations, wr as stubbl bfor thm. Th bow was th grand wapon of our English ancstors; and vn aftr th invntion of firarms, thy wr 60 with difficulty prsuadd to prfr thm and lav thir archry. Ths wr David s spcial bodyguards. An ancint Aramaic translation has "th archrs and stonthrowrs." This would man ths mn wr spcially traind in 61 using bows and arrows and slings. Ths ar xcutionrs and runnrs, [which is] th most rational intrprtation of th trms, though not a fw hav rgardd thm as th nams of nationalitis, in which 62 cas, thy would rprsnt a guard of forign mrcnaris. Th Chrthits and Plthits wr as th king's guard, and had charg of his 63 prson Albrt Barns, Barns Nots on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword, 1Sam. 30:14. Adam Clark, Commntary on th Bibl; from -Sword, 1Sam. 330:14. Th Promis (Th Contmporary English Vrsion); Thomas Nlson Publishrs; 1995; p. 335 (footnot). Adam Clark, Commntary on th Bibl; from -Sword, 2Sam. 8:18. Holy Bibl: Easy-to-Rad Vrsion, 2001 by World Bibl Translation Cntr; takn from -Sword, 2Sam. 8:18 (footnot). Alfrd Edrshim, Bibl History Old Tstamnt; 1995 by Hndrickson Publishrs, Inc.; p Gnva Bibl Translation Nots; courtsy of -sword; 1599; 2Sam. 8:18.

144 6643 Th Book of Samul Who ar th Chrthits and th Plthits? Gill Commntator Opinion Ths, according to Josphus, wr th king's bodyguards, and this man is xprssly said to b st ovr his guards (2Sam. 23:22 this passag dos not rally say that) Som think ths wr of th nation of th Philistins, famous for archry, and slinging of stons; and so th Targum rndrs it,"was appointd ovr th archrs and slingrs.'' David had obsrvd, and thrfor got a slct company of ths mn, partly to tach Isral, and partly to guard himslf. Othrs ar of opinion that David would nvr suffr such as wr hathn to b so nar his prson, and thrfor tak thm to b Isralits [rmmbr that David rod sid-by-sid th Philistins and had a rasonabl rlationship with on of thir kings]. Som Jwish writrs say thy wr two familis in Isral; which is much bttr than to intrprt thm as othrs do of th Sanhdrin, and vn of th Urim and Thummim, as in th Targum on 1Chron. 18:17 It is most probabl that thy wr Isralits, who wr David's guards, consisting of th chifs that wr with him in Philistia, and particularly at Ziklag, which lay on th south of th Chrthits (1Sam. 30:14); and so had thir nam from thnc; and among th chif of thos that cam to him at Ziklag thr was on namd Plth, from whnc 64 might com th Plthits, and thy wr all of thm archrs (1Chron. 12:2). Gordon Guzik Hnry Jamison, Fausst and Brown Ths wr royal bodyguards mad up of forignrs. Th Chrthits probably originatd in Crt and movd to Palstin as part of th migration of th sa popls. Thr Plthits ar probably Philistins, thir nam baring nothing mor than a 65 dialctical diffrnc. Th Chrthits and Plthits: Ths wr hird soldirs from Crt. "By mploying forign guards to nsur th safty of th king David would minimiz th possibility of bcoming th victim of intr-tribal rivalris; ths mn from Crt could giv wholhartd allgianc to him." (Quoting 66 Baldwin). Th Chrthits and Plthits...wr ithr th archrs and slingrs (as pr th Chald), or a standing forc, that attndd th king's prson (th king s prtorian band or militia). Thy wr rady to do srvic at hom, to assist in th administring of justic, and to prsrv th public pac. W find thm mployd in proclaiming 67 Solomon (1Kings 1:38). Th Chrthits ar Philistins (Zp. 2:5) and th Plthits ar from Plt (1Chron. 12:3). Th Plthtits wr th valiant mn who, having accompanid David 68 during his xil among th Philistins, wr mad his bodyguard. 64 Dr. John Gill, John Gill s Exposition of th Entir Bibl; from -Sword, 2Sam. 8:18 (havily ditd with svral commnts insrtd). Gill taks from Josphus, Antiquitis l. 7. c. 5. sct Robrt Gordon, I & II Samul A Commntary; Zondrvan Publishing Hous, Grand Rapids, MI; 1986; p David Guzik s Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; courtsy of -sword; 2006; 2Sam. 8: Matthw Hnry, Commntary on th Whol Bibl; from -Sword, 2Sam. 8:15 18 (ditd). 68 Robrt Jamison, A. R. Fausst and David Brown; Commntary Critical and Explanatory on th Whol Bibl; from -sword, 2Sam. 8:18.

145 2Samul Who ar th Chrthits and th Plthits? Commntator Kukis NIV Study Bibl Pool R. B. Thim Jr. Opinion I s two possibilitis: (1) Bnaiah is ovr two sts of familis or forignrs who ar in David s army: th Chrthits and Plthits (although, thr is no indication that David ncssarily sgrgatd his army in this way); or (2) Bnaiah pulld doubl-duty as an xcutionr and as a courir, which appars to b th maning of ths words. Givn that th formr duty taks only a fw minuts and probably did not occur that oftn (onc a wk or lss oftn?); and th lattr duty as courir would also b a part-tim duty, it is rasonabl to hav on rsponsibl man in charg of both. Th problm with this scond xplanation is, such a position would not sm to b prparation for somon to bcom chif-of-staff, as Bnaiah would undr Solomon. On th othr hand, ths could b positions of authority which Bnaiah hld, as wll as bing a warrior. Howvr, th primary problm with th scond xplanation is, th form of ths words. Ths words ar writtn in what is known as th gntilic adjctiv form, which mans, this is how w rfr to a particular nationality or to a particular family or clan. For this rason, translating ths words rathr than translitrating thm is a mistak. Undr th ladrship of Bnaiah, thy formd a sort of spcial royal guard for David (2Sam. 23:22 23). Plthit is probably an altrnat form of Philistin. 69 Th Chrthits and Plthits wr undoubtdly soldirs, and wr minnt for thir valour and fidlity to th king, as is vidnt from 2Sam. 15:18 20:7 1Kings 1:38, 44; and most probably thy wr th king s guards, which consistd of ths two bands, who might b distinguishd ithr by thir svral wapons, or by th diffring tim or mannr of thir srvic. Thy ar supposd to b thus calld, ithr, first, from thir offic, which was upon th king s command to cut off or punish offndrs, and to prsrv th king s prson, as thir nams in th Hbrw tongu may sm to imply; or, scondly, from som country or plac to which thy had rlation. As for th Chrthits, it is crtain thy wr ithr a branch of th Philistins, or a popl nighbouring to thm, and confdrat with thm, as is manifst from 1Sam. 30:14 Ezk. 25:16 Zp. 2:4,5. And so might th Plthits b too, though that b not rlatd in Scriptur. And ths Isralits and soldirs of David might b so calld, ithr bcaus thy wnt and livd with David whn h dwlt in thos parts; or from som notabl xploit against or victory ovr ths popl; as among th Romans th nams of Asiaticus, Africanus, tc. wr givn for th sam rason. On of thir xploits against th Chrthits is in part rlatd 1Sam. 30:14. And it is likly thy did many othr against thm, and against othr popl, amongst which th Plthits might b 70 on. Th Chrthits wr Achaan Grk sa popls who bcam th Philistins. Thy wr pirats for cnturis and bcam tradrs and advnturs. Thy formd th 1 st nd battalion of David's Royal Guards. Th Plthits formd th 2 battalion of th Royal Guards. Thy also wr Achaan Grks w call Philistins who wr mrcnaris that David rcruitd from his old hadquartrs at Ziklag. Thy wr vry fficint and troops totally loyal to David. Thy had a choic of bing killd or join David. Thy chos to giv 71 thir allgianc to David, and onc doing so, thy nvr lt him down. 69 Th NIV Study Bibl; 1995 by Th Zondrvan Corporation; p. 432 (footnot). 70 Matthw Pool, English Annotations on th Holy Bibl; h1685; from -Sword, 2Sam. 8:18 (ditd). Wsly s commntary is almost word-for-word quivalnt to Pool s and it appars that Wsly rlid havily on Pool s commntary. 71 From accssd May 2, 2009.

146 6645 Th Book of Samul With rgards to ths various opinions, I would tnd to lan mor toward Thim s opinion as h had a ncyclopdic knowldg of ancint history. W may b lacking in som spcifics hr, but it is clar that David has a carfully organizd hirarchy blow him. Any prson in authority must hav thos bnath him that h can dlgat rsponsibility to. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins So far, this is what w hav: And all of his srvants passd undr his guidanc: and all th Chrthits and all th Plthits... At this point, a scrib appars to hav lft out som txt, which is supplid from th Grk Sptuagint. This sort of rror is calld a homotluton [pronouncd hoh-m-oh-tel-yuh-ton]. This is whr th scrib lookd up and copid and all th Chrthits and all th Plthits; and thn thy lookd up again, found th sam words, and bgan copying aftr that point. Howvr, th problm is, this phras is rpatd in this vrs, so whn th scrib lookd up again, h said th scond occurrnc of that phras and bgan writing 72 from that point. As an asid, not vryon is of th mindst. Kil and Dlitzsch, for instanc, writ: But in th Sptuagint txt, as it has com down to us, anothr paraphras has bn intrpolatd into th litral translation, which Thnius would adopt as an mndation of th Hbrw txt, notwithstanding th fact 73 that th critical corruptnss of th Alxandrian txt must b obvious to vry on. Essntially, thy ar saying, th somon just addd a bunch of txt as a paraphras. 2Samul 15:18c Txt from th Grk Sptuagint Grk/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Strong s Numbr kaí (êáß) [pronouncd kî] and, vn, also; so, too, thn, that; indd, but conjunction Strong s #2532 histêmi ( óôçìé) [pronouncd HIHS-taym] to stand [up, by]; to st up; to plac, to mak firm; to kp intact rd 3 prson plural, aorist activ indicativ Strong s #2476 Th full st of Thayr manings: 1a) to bid to stand by, [st up]; 1a1) in th prsnc of othrs, in th midst, bfor judgs, bfor mmbrs of th Sanhdrin; 1a2) to plac; 1b) to mak firm, fix stablish; 1b1) to caus a prson or a thing to kp his or its plac; 1b2) to stand, b kpt intact (of family, a kingdom), to scap in safty; 1b3) to stablish a thing, caus it to stand; 1b3a) to uphold or sustain th authority or forc of anything; 1c) to st or plac in a balanc; 1c1) to wigh: mony to on (bcaus in vry arly tims bfor th introduction of coinag, th mtals usd to b wighd); 2) to stand; 2a) to stand by or nar; 2a1) to stop, stand still, to stand immovabl, stand firm; 2a1a) of th foundation of a building; 2b) to stand; 2b1) continu saf and sound, stand unharmd, to stand rady or prpard; 2b2) to b of a stadfast mind; 2b3) of quality, on who dos not hsitat, dos not waivr pí ( ðß) [pronouncd h-pee] on, upon; at, by, ovr prposition of suprimposition; a rlation of rst and distribution with th dativ cas Strong s # Th dfinition is somwhat diffrnt onlin as compard to Gislr and Nix s dfinition. Norman Gislr and William Nix; A Gnral Introduction to th Bibl; Chicago; Moody Prss, 1986, p Kil and Dlitzsch, Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword; 2Sam. 15:18.

147 2Samul Samul 15:18c Txt from th Grk Sptuagint Grk/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Strong s Numbr tês (ô ò) [pronouncd tayc] of th; from th fminin singular dfinit articl; gnitiv and ablativ cass Strong s #3588 laia ( ëáßá,áò, ) [pronouncd l-ah-yah] oliv, oliv tr, oliv fruit fminin singular noun, gnitiv cas Strong s #1636 n ( í) [pronouncd n] in, by mans of, with; among prposition with th locativ, dativ and instrumntal cass Strong s #1722 tê (ô ) [pronouncd tay] to th, for th; in th; by th, by mans of th; for th bnfit [advantag] of; for th disadvantag of fminin singular dfinit articl; dativ, locativ and instrumntal cass Strong s #3588 rêmos ( ñçìïò) [pronouncd EHR-aymoss] dsrt-wildrnss, a solitud, an uninhabitd rgion [land, ara], a wast fminin singular adjctiv usd as a substantiv; dativ cas; irrgular form Strong s #2048 Thayr dfinitions: 1a) usd of placs; 1a1) a dsrt, wildrnss; 1a2) dsrtd placs, lonly rgions; 1a3) an uncultivatd rgion fit for pasturag; 1b) usd of prsons; 1b1) dsrtd by othrs; 1b2) dprivd of th aid and protction of othrs, spcially of frinds, acquaintancs, kindrd; 1b3) brft; 1b3a) of a flock dsrtd by th shphrd; 1b3b) of a woman nglctd by hr husband, from whom th husband withholds himslf Th form is a littl odd hr. It has a fminin singular dfinit articl, but it appars to b in a masculin singular dativ form. Howvr, svral sourcs idntify it as th fminin singular form. Translation:...and thy stand by th oliv tr in th dsrt wildrnss. Togthr, th Grk and th Hbrw giv us: And all of his srvants passd undr his guidanc: and all th Chrthits and all th Plthits and thy stand by th oliv tr in th dsrt wildrnss. David has to gt som organization in this mass of mn who hav joind him. Thy cannot just wandr about sort of togthr. H is a ladr, and thrfor, h must function as a ladr. So, David motions for th Chrthits and th Plthits to gathr by th oliv tr, and, no doubt, thy would b standing in formation. Ths ar soldirs, so thy ar not going to just wandr ovr thr and hang out, som of thm sitting, som of thm in small groups talking to on anothr, som listning to thir ipods. In any military situation, organization is absolutly ncssary, and that is what David is doing hr. Th vrb suggsts that ths mn stand in military formation. Thy look lik soldirs; thy do not look lik a crowd of popl milling about. W know this bcaus of th vrb histêmi ( óôçìé) [pronouncd HIHS-tay-m], which mans to stand [up, by]; to st up; to plac, to mak firm; to kp intact. Strong s #2476. Thy ar standing thr at attntion and thy ar quit. David looks ovr th various groups of mn that h has with him. 2Samul 15:18d Txt from th Grk Sptuagint Grk/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Strong s Numbr kaí (êáß) [pronouncd kî] and, vn, also; so, too, thn, that; indd, but conjunction Strong s #2532

148 6647 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:18d Txt from th Grk Sptuagint Grk/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Strong s Numbr pas (ð ò, ð óá, ð í) [pronouncd pahs, PAHsah, pahn] ach, vry, any; all, ntir; anyon, all things, vrything; som [of all typs] masculin singular adjctiv, nominativ cas Strong s #3956 ho ( ) [pronouncd hoh] th; this, that, ths dfinit articl for a masculin singular noun, nominativ cas Strong s #3588 laos (ëáüò) [pronouncd lah-oss] popl, popl group, trib, nation, all thos who ar of th sam stock and languag; of a grat part of th population gathrd togthr anywhr masculin singular noun; nominativ cas Strong's #2992 paraporuomai (ðáñáðïñåýïìáé) [pronouncd par-ap-or- YOO-om-ah] to procd at th sid, go past, pass by rd 3 prson singular, imprfct middl indicativ Strong s #3899 chô ( ù) [pronouncd EHKH-oh] to hav [and/or] hold; to own, to posss, to adhr to, to cling to prsnt middl participl; singular nominativ? Strong s #2192 Thayr: 1) to hav, i.. to hold 1a) to hav (hold) in th hand, in th sns of waring, to hav (hold) possssion of th mind (rfrs to alarm, agitating motions, tc.), to hold fast kp, to hav or compris or involv, to rgard or considr or hold as 2) to hav, i.. own, possss 2a) xtrnal things such as prtain to proprty or richs or furnitur or utnsils or goods or food tc. 2b) usd of thos joind to any on by th bonds of natural blood or marriag or frindship or duty or law tc, of attndanc or companionship 3) to hold on s slf or find on s slf so and so, to b in such or such a condition 4) to hold on s slf to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhr or cling to 4a) to b closly joind to a prson or a thing autou (á ôï ) [pronouncd ow-too] his, of him; for him, to him rd 3 prson masculin singular pronoun; gnitiv/ ablativ cas Strong s #846 kaí (êáß) [pronouncd kî] and, vn, also; so, too, thn, that; indd, but conjunction Strong s #2532 pas (ð ò, ð óá, ð í) [pronouncd pahs, PAHsah, pahn] ach, vry, any; all, ntir; anyon, all things, vrything; som [of all typs] masculin plural adjctiv, nominativ cas Strong s #3956 hoi (ï ) [pronouncd hoy] th; this, that, ths masculin plural dfinit articl; nominativ cas Strong s #3588 pri (ðåñß) [pronouncd pr-ee] about, concrning, on account of, bcaus of, around, nar prposition Strong s #4012

149 2Samul Samul 15:18d Txt from th Grk Sptuagint Grk/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Strong s Numbr auton (á ôüv) [pronouncd ow-tahn] him rd 3 prson masculin singular pronoun, accusativ cas Strong s #846 kaí (êáß) [pronouncd kî] and, vn, also; so, too, thn, that; indd, but conjunction Strong s #2532 pas (ð ò, ð óá, ð í) [pronouncd pahs, PAHsah, pahn] ach, vry, any; all, ntir; anyon, all things, vrything; som [of all typs] masculin plural adjctiv, nominativ cas Strong s #3956 hoi (ï ) [pronouncd hoy] th; this, that, ths masculin plural dfinit articl; nominativ cas Strong s #3588 hadpos ( äðüò) [pronouncd had-poss] court masculin plural adjctiv; usd as a substantiv; nominativ cas Strong s #non kaí (êáß) [pronouncd kî] and, vn, also; so, too, thn, that; indd, but conjunction Strong s #2532 pas (ð ò, ð óá, ð í) [pronouncd pahs, PAHsah, pahn] ach, vry, any; all, ntir; anyon, all things, vrything; som [of all typs] masculin plural adjctiv, nominativ cas Strong s #3956 hoi (ï ) [pronouncd hoy] th; this, that, ths masculin plural dfinit articl; nominativ cas Strong s #3588 machomai (ìü ïìáé) [pronouncd MAH-khohmai] to fight, to quarrl rd 3 prson singular, prsnt middl/passiv subjunctiv Strong s #non Thr is no littl confusion about th prvious word. I wnt to for th information abov and confirmd with This problm is, this word is not found in th Nw Tstamnt. E-sword rsourcs say that this is masculin plural noun, nominativ 74 cas. hxakosioi ( îáêüóéïé) [pronouncd hx-ak- OSS--oy] six hundrd masculin plural adjctiv; nominativ cas Strong s #1812 anêr ( íþñ) [pronouncd ah-nair] man, mal; adult mal; husband, btrothd; [a group of] mn and womn [gnric us] masculin plural noun; nominativ cas Strong s #435 kaí (êáß) [pronouncd kî] and, vn, also; so, too, thn, that; indd, but conjunction Strong s # From E-sword s Sptuagint LXX Grk Old Tstamnt kyd to Strong's Numbrs with complt parsing information. Vrsion 1.1 Compild by thchan.com. Thir othr sourc agrd: Sptuagint LXX Grk Old Tstamnt kyd to Strong's numbrs with complt parsing information, and Wscott and Hort 1881 Grk Nw Tstamnt with NA26/27 variants kyd to Strong's numbrs with complt parsing information.

150 6649 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:18d Txt from th Grk Sptuagint Grk/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Strong s Numbr parimi (ðüñåéìé) [pronouncd PAR-i-m] to b by, b at hand, to hav arrivd, to b prsnt; to b rady, in stor, at command rd 3 prson plural, imprfct activ indicativ Strong s #3918 pí ( ðß) [pronouncd h-pee] on, upon; at, by, ovr prposition of suprimposition; a rlation of rst and distribution with th dativ cas Strong s #1909 chir ( åßñ) [pronouncd khir] 1) by th hlp or agncy of any on, by mans of any on; 2) fig. applid to God symbolizing his might, activity, powr; 2a) in crating th univrs; 2b) in upholding and prsrving (God is prsnt protcting and aiding on); 2c) in punishing; 2d) in dtrmining and controlling th dstinis of mn fminin singular noun; accusativ cas Strong s #5495 Mor litrally, this appars to man by th hand [of somon]. autou (á ôï ) [pronouncd ow-too] his, of him; for him, to him rd 3 prson masculin singular pronoun; gnitiv/ ablativ cas Strong s #846 Translation: And all th popl pass by clinging to him, and all thos around him, and all th court prsonnl, and all thos [who] fight, 600 mn, and thy ar arriving by his hlp,... Thr ar civilians who just want to b with David; thy pass bfor him and thy ar said to b clinging to him, but thy ar not physically grabbing David and holding onto him; thy ar clinging to him motionally. This would probably b his wivs and youngr sons, and prhaps som clos frinds. Thn thr ar thos who ar around him, which probably rfrs to David s immdiat staff. Th word which I translatd court prsonnl, th maning was only found in on plac. So, I assum that this is th auxiliary staff, thos who hav occasional contact with David, but h is thir highst human authority. Thos who fight was quit difficult to unravl, and thr is som discussion within th Grk xgsis about this. Hr, I would lik to translat th final phras and thos who ar arriving by th powr of God. Th noun hr rd can b usd in that mannr. Howvr, this is affixd to th 3 prson masculin singular pronoun, which, throughout most of this passag, is going to rfr back to David. W might undrstand this not to indicat that David is somhow hlping ths popl to arriv, but that thy ar drawn to him, prhaps as thir hlp or prhaps as th man with th authority ovr thm. I should point out, at this tim, that this is not th original txt, but a translation from th original txt. Thrfor, w nd to b carful as to how xacting w can b on th translation.

151 2Samul I bliv, what is going on is, mn ar bing drawn to David just as mn wr drawn to Jsus. David is a typ of Christ, so, throughout his lif, thr wr priods of tim whn mn would b drawn to him, vn whn h was in hiding. This is furthr rprsntativ of our Lord drawing mn to Him for salvation. 2Samul 15:18 Txt from th Grk Sptuagint Grk/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Strong s Numbr kaí (êáß) [pronouncd kî] and, vn, also; so, too, thn, that; indd, but conjunction Strong s #2532 pas (ð ò, ð óá, ð í) [pronouncd pahs, PAHsah, pahn] ach, vry, any; all, ntir; anyon, all things, vrything; som [of all typs] masculin singular adjctiv, nominativ cas Strong s #3956 ho ( ) [pronouncd hoh] th; this, that, ths dfinit articl for a masculin singular noun, nominativ cas Strong s #3588 Chrththi ( åñåèèé) [pronouncd chh-rththi] translitratd Chrthits propr singular noun Strong s #non kaí (êáß) [pronouncd kî] and, vn, also; so, too, thn, that; indd, but conjunction Strong s #2532 pas (ð ò, ð óá, ð í) [pronouncd pahs, PAHsah, pahn] ach, vry, any; all, ntir; anyon, all things, vrything; som [of all typs] masculin singular adjctiv, nominativ cas Strong s #3956 ho ( ) [pronouncd hoh] th; this, that, ths dfinit articl for a masculin singular noun, nominativ cas Strong s #3588 Phlththi Öåëåèèé [pronouncd ph-lhthth] translitratd Plthits propr singular noun Strong s #non Translation:...and all th Chrthits and all th Plthits... This is th likly phras that causd words to b missing in th Hbrw. Th copyist lookd up, copid ths words; and thn lookd up, saw ths words (but saw thm whn thy occurrd for th scond tim) and bgan copying from thr. Whn w gt to th nd of this vrs, thr will b a sid-by-sid comparison of this translation from th Grk and svral othrs. 2Samul 15:18f Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] vry, ach, all of, all; any of, any masculin singular construct not followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481

152 6651 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:18f Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs Gittîy (âìäúìäé) [pronouncd git-tee] inhabitant of Gath and possibly win prss; and translitratd Gittit gntilic singular adjctiv with th dfinit articl Strong s #1663 BDB #388 shêsh (ùåù) [pronouncd shaysh] six masculin form of numral Strong s #8337 BDB #995 mê ôwth (îåàåéú) [pronouncd may- OHTH] hundrds fminin plural absolut; numral Strong s #3967 BDB #547 îysh (àäéù) [pronouncd sh] a man, a husband; anyon; a crtain on; ach, ach on, vryon masculin singular noun (somtims found whr w would us a plural) Strong's #376 BDB #35 ãshr (àâéùæø) [pronouncd ash-er] that, which, whn, who, whom rlativ pronoun Strong's #834 BDB #81 bôw (áìåéà) [pronouncd boh] to com in, to com, to go in, to go, to ntr, to advanc rd 3 prson masculin plural, Qal prfct Strong s #935 BDB #97 h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 rgl (øæâæì) [pronouncd REH-gl] foot, ft fminin dual noun with rd th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #7272 BDB #919 min (îäï) [pronouncd mihn] from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of, sinc, abov, than, so that not, byond, mor than prposition of sparation Strong's #4480 BDB #577 Gath (âìçú) [pronouncd gahth] win-prss and is translitratd Gath masculin propr noun Strong s #1661 BDB #387 Translation:...and all th Gittits, 600 mn who advancd at his ft from Gath;... You will rcall, David cam to Gath on a coupl of occasions, and was actually givn somwhat of a brak by thir king. Howvr, whil living on Gittit trritory, 600 mn wnt with David from Gath, and joind th larg ntourag that h had. Barns on th Gittits: During David s rsidnc in th country of th Philistins h attachd such a band to himslf; and aftr th sttlmnt of his kingdom, and th subjugation of th Philistins, th band rcivd rcruits from Gath, prhaps with th king of Gath s consnt. Thy wr now undr th command of Ittai th Gittit, a forignr (2Sam. 15:19), and his brthrn (2Sam. 15:20). Th numbr 600 probably indicats that this band or rgimnt of Gittits had its origin in David s band of 600 (1Sam. 23:13 27:2). Thy wr at first, it is likly, all Isralits, thn Gittits mixd with Isralits, and 75 at last all Gittits. 75 Albrt Barns, Barns Nots on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword, 2Sam. 15:18.

153 2Samul W do know that David had a company of 600 mn who cam out of th city of Gath with him 30 yars prvious (1Sam. 27:2 3 and s th Davidic timlin HTML PDF). Dspit th fact that it was mor common for mn to stay in a profssion yars back thn, thr would hav bn som attrition and som rplacmnts. David likly had Gittit soldirs com to him now and again to join thmslvs to him. So, thr may b a cadr of originals in this band of 600 (2Sam. 2:3 5:6), probably many of ths mn cam to David ovr a priod of tim sinc h bcam king ovr Isral. Th siz is probably th siz that David (and possibly Joab) flt most comfortabl dircting. David will quiz thir commanding gnral in th following vrs to dtrmin th dpth of thir fidlity to him. It is possibl that David did this with th Plthits and th Chrthits as wll. 2Samul 15:18g Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs âbar (òèáçø) [pronouncd b ìaw -VAHR] passrs by, thos passing through; thos passing ovr masculin plural, Qal participl Strong s #5674 BDB #716 al (òçì) [pronouncd ìahl] upon, byond, on, against, abov, ovr, by, bsid prposition of proximity Strong s #5921 BDB #752 pânîym (ôìèðäéí) [pronouncd paw- NEEM] fac, facs, countnanc; prsnc masculin plural construct (plural acts lik English singular) Strong s #6440 BDB #815 Togthr, âl and pânîym man upon th fac of, facing, in front of, bfor (as in prfrnc to), in addition to, ovrlooking. mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 Translation:...thos passing bfor th king. All ths various groups marchd bfor David, or in front of David, in military prcision, just as h gav ordr. Essntially, this was som military drills which David wnt through with th mn, both to warm himslf up and to warm up th mn. It may hav bn a littl tim sinc thy hav bn to war; and it was a longr tim sinc David was at war. Whn it coms to spcifics, th various translations from th LXX blow hav a numbr of diffrncs. Th AEB has th Chrthits and Plthits waiting for David; my translation has thm going to that spot undr David s guidanc; in th two othr translations, thy appar to just b standing ovr thr by th oliv tr. Som of th individual dscriptors ar diffrnt. Also, th AEB plays a littl fastr and loosr with th txt than th othr 3 translation do. Sid-by-Sid Comparison of 2Samul 15:18 Scriptur Amrican English Bibl Txt/Commntary Wll, whil th king and his srvants wr on th way to th dsrt, thy [mt up with som] Chlthits and Phlthits who wr waiting on th Mount of Olivs. So, along with all th popl who cam with [David], thr wr now six hundrd grat mn and warriors from th Chlthits, Phlthits, and Gthits, bcaus six hundrd mn had walkd from Gath to join th king.

154 6653 Th Book of Samul Sid-by-Sid Comparison of 2Samul 15:18 Brnton Scriptur Complt Apostls Bibl Kukis Txt/Commntary And all his srvants passd on by his sid, and vry Chlthit, and vry Phlthit, and thy stood by th oliv tr in th wildrnss: and all th popl marchd nar him, and all his court, and all th mn of might, and all th mn of war, six hundrd: and thy wr prsnt at his sid: and vry Chlthit, and vry Phlthit, and all th six hundrd Gittits that cam on foot out of Gth, and thy wnt on bfor th king. And all his srvants passd on by his sid, and vry Chrthit, and vry Plthit, and thy stood by th oliv tr in th wildrnss. And all th popl marchd nar him, and all his court, and all th mn of might, and all th mn of war, six hundrd; and thy wr prsnt at his sid. And vry Chrthit, and vry Plthit, and all th six hundrd Gittits that cam on foot out from Gath, and thy wnt on bfor th king. And all of his srvants passd undr his guidanc: and all th Chrthits and all th Plthits and thy stand by th oliv tr in th dsrt wildrnss. And all th popl pass by clinging to him, and all thos around him, and all th court prsonnl, and all thos [who] fight, 600 mn, and thy ar arriving by his hlp; and all th Chrthits and all th Plthits and all th Gittits, 600 mn who advancd at his ft from Gath; thos passing bfor th king. Howvr, what ths txts hav in common is, thr ar svral diffrnt groups of popl who hav gathrd with David, and thy appar to b undr his command and guidanc (which coms out mor clarly in my translation than in th othrs). Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Th final phras sms to indicat that David calls for th forign troops to pass in rviw bfor him. David nds to think about thos who ar with him, who should rmain and who should go; and who should b givn th option of going. Bfor w mov ahad, lt s tak a look at th prvious 4 vrss togthr (I just took th Hbrw txt): Thn th srvants of th king said to David [lit., th king], According to all that my lord th king chooss, obsrv, [w ar] your srvants. Thrfor, th king wnt out with all his houshold at his ft, but h [lit., th king] lft [bhind] [his] tn mistrsss [lit., 10 womn mistrsss] to kp th palac. And th king wnt out with all th popl at his ft. Thy latr rmaind [at] Bth-mrhak [possibly, th hous of th distanc]. And all of his srvants passd undr his guidanc: and all th Chrthits and all th Plthits and all th Gittits, 600 mn who advancd at his ft from Gath; thos passing bfor th king. 7 tims, in 4 vrss, David is calld th king. This is God th Holy Spirit grabbing us by th shirt collar and saying, David is king ovr all Isral; h is still My king. Why is this important? David will rfr to Absalom as king in th nxt vrs, so w hav to mak crtain that w undrstand who is king in God s sight. And so says th king to Ittai th Gittit, For why do you go also with us? Rturn and stay with th king for a forignr you [ar] and also migrating you to your plac. 2Samul 15:19 So th king said to Ittai th Gittit, Why do you also go with us? Rturn and stay with th [nw] king for you [ar] a forignr and, furthrmor, you ar migrating with rgards to [or, to; possibly, from] your plac. So th king said to Ittai th Gittit, Why do you also go with us? Rturn and stay with th nw king, for you ar a forignr and, furthrmor, you hav just rcntly immigratd from your plac.

155 2Samul Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And th king said to Ethai th Gthit: Why do you com with us? Rturn and dwll with th king, for you ar a strangr, and ar com out of your own plac. And so says th king to Ittai th Gittit, For why do you go also with us? Rturn and stay with th king for a forignr you [ar] and also migrating you to your plac. Thn said th king to Ittai th Gittit, Why do you also go with us? Dpart from th king; for you ar a strangr, and also you wr brought captiv from your country. And th king said to Ittai th Gittit, Why do you also go with us? Rturn, and dwll with th king, for you ar a strangr, and you hav com forth as a sojournr out of your plac. nd Th 2 thing that David tlls Ittai sms to b quit diffrnt in th Syriac than it is in th Masortic txt. Also, that h was brought captiv in th Syriac is diffrnt from th othr ancint manuscripts. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Th English translation from all 3 othr languags indicats that Ittai has com from his plac or th h is an immigrant out of his plac. In th Hbrw, thr is a lâmd prposition (to, for, with rspct to) whr w would hav xpctd a min prposition (from, off). This will b touchd on in th Hbrw and English xgsis. Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Lif Bibl Nw Living Translation David spok to Ittai and said, "You'r a forignr from th town of Gath. You don't hav to lav with us. Go back and join th nw king! Thn th king said to Ittai, who cam from Gath, `You do not nd to com with us. Go back and stay with King Absalom. You com from a forign country. You do not liv in your own country. Th king said to Ittai from Gath, Why ar you also going with us? Turn back and stay with th nw king (Absalom). You ar a forignr. This is not your homland....and th king said to Ittai, thir ladr, "Why ar you going with us? Go back and stay with th nw king. You ar a forignr, a rfug away from your own country. Th king calld out to Ittai th Gittit, "What ar you doing hr? Go back with King Absalom. You'r a strangr hr and frshly uprootd from your own country. Thn th king said to Ittai th Gittit, "Why do you go with us also? Rturn and stay with th king. For you ar from anothr land and hav bn drivn from your hom. Thn th king turnd and said to Ittai, a ladr of th mn from Gath, "Why ar you coming with us? Go on back to King Absalom, for you ar a gust in Isral, a forignr in xil. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl So, th king askd ItTai (th Gthit): 'Why ar you travling with us? Go back and liv with th [nw] king! Why, you ar forignrs and you'v lft your homs... Bck s Amrican Translation Th king askd Ittai from Gath: Why should you go with us? Go back and stay with th king sinc you ar a forignr and an xil from your homland. God s Word Th king askd Ittai from Gath, "Why should you go with us? Go back, and stay with King Absalom. You ar a forignr, an xil from your homland. NIRV Th king spok to Ittai. H was from Gath. Th king said to him, "Why do you want to com along with us? Go back. Stay with King Absalom. You ar a strangr. You lft your own country.

156 6655 Th Book of Samul Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Frar-Fnton Bibl JPS (Tanakh 1985) Judaica Prss Complt T. NET Bibl Th king said to Ittai of Gath, "Why go also with us? Rturn and dwll with th king, for you ar a forignr, xild from your plac. Thn th king said to Ittai th Gittit, Why ar you coming with us? go back and kp with th king: for you ar a man of anothr country, you ar far from th land of your birth. But th king said to Athai th gardnr, Why do you spcially go with us? Rturn and sttl with that king, for you ar a forignr, so why not rturn to your own hom? And th king said to Ittai th Gittit, Why should you too go with us? Go back and stay with th [nw] king, for you ar a forignr and you ar also an xil from [So on Hbrw manuscript and svral ancint vrsions; most manuscripts and ditions rad to. ] your country. And th king said to Ittai th Gittit; 'Why do you also go with us? rturn, and abid with th king; for you ar a forignr, and if you ar wont to wandr, go to your own plac. Thn th king said to Ittai th Gittit, "Why should you com with us? Go back and stay with th nw [Th word "nw" is not in th Hbrw txt, but is supplid in th translation to mak it clar that David rfrs to Absalom, not himslf.] king, for you ar a forignr and an xil from your own country [Hb "plac."]. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Concordant Litral Vrsion Updatd Darby Translation xgss companion Bibl Th Updatd Gnva Bibl LTHB Syndin And th king said unto Ittai th Gittit, `Why do you go--you also--with us? turn back--and abid with th king, for you [ar] a strangr, and also an xil you--to your plac. And th king said to Ittai th Gittit, Why will you also go with us? Rturn to your plac, and abid with th king; for you ar a forignr, and bsids, you hav migratd to th plac whr you [dwll]. Thn th sovrign says to Ittay th Gittiy, Why go you - you also with us? Rturn to your plac and sttl with th sovrign: for you ar a strangr and also an xil. Thn said th king to Ittai [Who as som writ was th king s son of Gath.] th Gittit, Why go you also with us? rturn to your plac, and abid with th king: for you [art] a strangr, and also an xil. And th king said to Ittai th Gittit, Why do you go, vn you with us? Turn back and rmain with th king, for you ar an alin, and also you ar an xil. Go to your plac. Thn th {d jury} king said to Ittai th Gittit, "Why should you also go with us? {h was th chif of polic and h was ndd to protct th popl of Jrusalm} Go back and rmain with th {d facto} king. You ar a forignr... and an immigrant... {mans that this rvolution dos not hav to involv him} thrfor, rturn to your plac {of duty}. {Not: Ittai was a Philistin who was wll known to David. H was a good soldir, but RBT says h found his nich as Chif of Polic (RBT concluds this sinc his duty was back in Jrusalm and th Gittit ar usually not mntiond as part of th Royal guard - thy must b th military polic who controlld crim in Jrusalm). David wantd Ittai to rmain and protct th rights and proprty of th civilians of Jrusalm. And, h is tlling Ittai to rspct th authority of th 'd facto king' - Absalom (mans Absalom is, factually, sitting on th thron, yt David rmains th king 'd jury' or undr th law - as th on appointd king by God.}.

157 2Samul World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: Thn said th king to Ittai th Gittit, Why go you also with us? rturn, and abid with th king: for you ar a forignr, and also an xil; rturn to your own plac. And th king says unto Ittai th Gittit, Why will you go you also with us? turn back and abid with th king, for you ar a strangr, and also an xil you to your plac. Th king talks spcifically to Ittai th Gittit and tlls him that, as an xil from his country, thr is no nd for him to travl with David. 2Samul 15:19a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #559 BDB #55 mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 l (àæì) [pronouncd hl] unto; into, among, in; toward, to; against; concrning, rgarding; bsids, togthr with; as to dirctional prposition (rspct or dfrnc may b implid) Strong's #413 BDB #39 Ittay (àäúìçé) [pronouncd iht-tah-] with m; translitratd Ithai, Ittai masculin singular propr noun Strong s #863 BDB #87 Altrnat splling: Îthay (àäúçé) [pronouncd -THAH-]. Gittîy (âìäúìäé) [pronouncd git-tee] inhabitant of Gath and possibly win prss; and translitratd Gittit gntilic singular adjctiv with th dfinit articl Strong s #1663 BDB #388 Translation: So th king said to Ittai th Gittit,... David singls out on man in particular, Ittai th Gittit, is probably th commanding officr of th 600 Gittits (which would mak sns, givn th proximity of Ittai and th Gittits namd in th prvious vrs). It is likly that what David says to Ittai will apply to all of th Gittits who ar undr his command. David crtainly would not quiz vry singl man in this company as to what thy wantd to do. W will talk mor about Ittai in 2Sam. 18 (HTML) (PDF), whn h plays an important rol in war against Absalom. 2Samul 15:19b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to, with rfrnc to, as to, with rgards to, blonging to prposition BDB #510 mâh (îèä) [pronouncd maw] what, how, why intrrogativ; xclamatory particl Strong s #4100 BDB #552

158 6657 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:19b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs Lâmd + mâh can b rndrd why, for what rason, to what purpos, for what purpos, indicating an intrrogatory sntnc. BDB also offrs th rndring lst. Gsnius, prhaps for this passag alon (1Chron. 15:13), offrs th rndring on account of [that] which, bcaus that. hâlak (äèìçêà) [pronouncd haw-lahk ] to go, to com, to dpart, to walk; to advanc nd 2 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 gam (âçí) [pronouncd gahm] also, furthrmor, in addition to, vn, morovr advrb Strong s #1571 BDB #168 attâh (àçúìèä) [pronouncd aht-taw] you (oftn, th vrb to b is implid) nd 2 prson masculin singular, prsonal pronoun Strong s #859 BDB #61 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] with, at, nar, by, among, dirctly from prposition (which is idntical to th sign of th dirct objct); with st th 1 prson plural suffix Strong's #854 BDB #85 Translation:... Why do you also go with us? Davi asks Ittai a simpl qustion, Why ar you going with us? Th ida is, Ittai is rlativly nw to Isral. According to th Davidic timlin (HTML) (PDF), Ittai would hav hookd up with David probably 22 yars ago whn David was an xil from Isral bcaus of Saul. So, in that way, Ittai would hav bn rlativly nw to th country. For all intnts and purposs, h is an immigrant to this country of Isral. It is also possibl that h joind up with David sinc that tim, although a commanding gnral would likly hav bn with th original company of 600 mn. In any cas, much of this is spculation, as w do not rally know th background hr. 2Samul 15:19c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs shûwb (ùåìá) b [pronouncd shoo v] to rturn, to turn, to turn back, to rminisc, to rstor somthing, to bring back somthing, to rviv, to rcovr somthing, to mak rstitution nd 2 prson masculin singular, Qal imprativ Strong's #7725 BDB #996 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 yâshab (éèùçá) [pronouncd yaw- B SHAH V] to rmain, to stay; to dwll, to liv, to inhabit; to sit nd 2 prson masculin singular, Qal imprativ Strong's #3427 BDB #442 îm (òäí) [pronouncd ìm] with, at, by, nar; lik; from prposition of narnss and vicinity Strong s #5973 BDB #767

159 2Samul Samul 15:19c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 Translation:...Rturn and stay with th [nw] king... Ittai is an outsidr; h has no skin in th gam. Whthr th king is David or Absalom, this should not b an issu to Ittai. So David suggsts that Ittai rmain in Isral undr Absalom as king. Th implication is, David would not hold this against Ittai or his loyalty. Adding th word nw, acting, tmporary is lgitimat for this portion of v. 19. On commntator vn askd, 76 whthr David had actually rcognizd Absalom as th lgitimat king. As w noticd in th prvious 4 vrss, David was calld th king 7 tims. Sinc God th Holy Spirit is th divin Author of th Word of God, God th Holy Spirit has just told us that David is th tru king. H said it 7 tims, so that should mak it clar who God rcognizs as th King of Isral. David calls Absalom king hr bcaus h will act as a king, and for many popl, lif will b rlativly unchangd (particularly bcaus David is taking th fight outsid of Jrusalm). Thrfor, Absalom will b th acting king, th tmporary king. At this point in tim, David dos not know what is going to happn. H dos not know that h will b rstord to th thron. H dos not know that h will b succssful in dfating Absalom. H knows that, whatvr God has dcidd, that is how things will b, whthr h is king or Absalom is king. Howvr, in th rcording of this chaptr, it is clar that God th Holy Spirit ss David as th tru king ovr Isral. 2Samul 15:19d Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs kîy (ëìäé) [pronouncd k] for, that, bcaus; whn, at that tim, which, what tim xplanatory or tmporal conjunction; prposition Strong's #3588 BDB #471 n k rîy (ðèëàøäé) [pronouncd nawck - REE or nok-ree] forign, alin, strangr; strang; forign woman, a harlot; of anothr family; mtaphorically, unknown, unfamiliar; nw, unhard of masculin singular adjctiv Strong s #5237 BDB #648 This has that odd vowl qams-hartuf ( as in cost) that looks xactly lik a qâmats (â as in car). attâh (àçúìèä) [pronouncd aht-taw] you (oftn, th vrb to b is implid) nd 2 prson masculin singular, prsonal pronoun Strong s #859 BDB #61 Translation:...for you [ar] a forignr... David xplains why h is suggsting th Ittai rturn to Jrusalm: h is a forignr; h has no rason to b particularly attachd to David or to Absalom. Both mn would b king ovr Isral. This would hav gottn trickir had Ittai said, You know, my lord, that maks sns. I will rturn to Jrusalm. Bcaus, had h don that, Absalom might hav prssd him and his mn into srvic. Howvr, David has to mak crtain that this man has an out. Gnana Robinson, 1 & 2 Samul; Lt Us B Lik th Nations; Intrnational Thological Commntary; Erdmans s Publishing 76 Co., Grand Rapids, 1993; p. 232.

160 6659 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:19 Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 gam (âçí) [pronouncd gahm] also, furthrmor, in addition to, vn, morovr advrb Strong s #1571 BDB #168 Togthr, th wâw conjunction and th gam particl might man togthr with, along with, joind with, and, furthrmor, and furthrmor. gâlâh (âìèìèä) [pronouncd gaw-lawh] to uncovr, [on s ar to har somthing]; to rval, to disclos, to mak nakd; to rmov, to dpart; to mak [a land] nakd of inhabitants, to migrat, to b ld into xil Qal activ participl Strong's #1540 BDB #162 attâh (àçúìèä) [pronouncd aht-taw] you (oftn, th vrb to b is implid) nd 2 prson masculin singular, prsonal pronoun Strong s #859 BDB #61 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to, with rfrnc to, as to, with rgards to, blonging to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB # According to th Tanakh, on Hbrw manuscripts and svral ancint vrsions hav from instad. As has bn mntiond, th book of Samul probably has mor rrors in it than any othr book in th Old Tstamnt. Howvr, in most cass, ths rrors or problms ar fairly minor. Most Hbrw manuscripts hav th lâmd prposition (to, for, with rgards to) whras, w would hav xpctd th min prposition (from, off). Thr is a catch 22 in all of this. W want to say, Oh, thr is an old manuscript out thr with th most logical prposition; wll, that must b corrct. Howvr, most Hbrw manuscripts of th lâmd prposition and w would xpct prhaps som sloppy copyist along th way to say, This just cannot b a lâmd prposition; it must hav bn a min prposition; and thn thy chang it. This would not hav occurrd th othr way around. Anothr possibility is, th min prposition might b usd for Ittai to rcntly hav com to Isral; and th lâmd prposition looks back a ways furthr, so this is with rfrnc to Ittai s old plac, which may hav bn a long tim ago. mâqôwm (îè åéí) [pronouncd maw- KOHM] plac, situatd; for a soldir, it may man whr h is stationd; for popl in gnral, it would b thir plac of abod (which could b thir hous or thir town) masculin singular noun nd with th 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #4725 BDB #879 Translation:...and, furthrmor, you ar migrating with rgards to [or, to; possibly, from?] your plac. Hr, I would hav xpctd th min prposition (from your plac), but prhaps th vrb has that as a part of its maning. It is possibl that David is saying, And, furthrmor, you ar migrating to your plac. Th suggstion is that Ittai is a rcnt immigrant, with littl rason to b loyal to on king ovr th othr. Th Grk clarly has this as rading, And you ar migrating from your plac. 77 Tanakh, th Jwish Bibl by th Jwish Publication Socity; 1985; p. 493.

161 2Samul It s possibl that you may think I am bing ovrly picky about th lâmd prposition hr. I am not th only on. Howvr, thr may b limitd dification that coms from rading this. Kil and Dlitzsch Obsss ovr th Lâmd Prposition Thr is som difficulty connctd with th following words (rndrd in th Eng. vrsion and also an xil ). In th Sptuagint and Vulgat thy ar rndrd êáéì ï ìôé ìåôùìêçóáò óõì å ê ôïõ? ôïìðïõ óïõ, t grssus s d loco tuo (and you hav gon out from your own plac); but in adopting this rndring th translators hav not only passd ovr th âìí (also), but hav takn ìî åîê for îîì åîê. Nvrthlss Thnius proposs to bring th txt into harmony with ths vrsions for th purpos of bringing out th maning, and morovr you ar on carrid away from his own hom. But this is dciddly a mistak; for David would nvr hav mad a Philistin - who had just bfor bn carrid away from his own hom, or, as Thnius undrstands it, who had bn brought to Jrusalm as a hostag - th commandr of a third of his army. Th maning is rathr th following: And you hav still no fathrland, i.., you ar still wandring about through th arth lik an xil from his country: whrvr you find a plac, and ar allowd to sttl, thr only can you dwll. From Kil and Dlitzsch, Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword; 2Sam. 15:19. Th txt was updatd somwhat. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins What appars to b th gist of this vrs, dspit that psky lâmd prposition, is that David is giving Ittai and his mn a way out of this. David is ltting thm know that as forignrs popl without any Israli blood in thm thy can opt out of this civil war, and no on is going to think any lss of thm. In othr words, You, Ittai, do not nd to tak sids. God has dtrmind who th king will b, and, as of now, w do not know who that prson is. You will not b faultd to rturn to Jrusalm and simply allow this to play out. Lt s try to updat this. A prson coms to th Unitd Stats from a vry opprssiv communist govrnmnt, or from a vry opprssiv Islamic govrnmnt, whr going to church on Sunday could rsult in bing killd or injurd by fanatical Muslims. So, such a prson may not worry too much about whthr Barack Obama or Mitt Romny 78 is lctd as prsidnt, bcaus lif is so much bttr for th immigrant than it was back in Pakistan, or Egypt, or Russia, or whrvr. Both mn ar a brath of frsh air to him. H dosn t car who wins th lction; h just lovs bing abl to go to church without faring for his lif or th livs of his family mmbrs. You may think to yourslf, Wll, that is all vry intrsting, but why is this in th Bibl? It is important that w know that th Gittits, th Plthits and th Chrthits ar with David bcaus this tlls us that thr was a constant flow of immigrants into Isral and thy wr drawn thr by th Lord God, in whom thy blivd. W know from th book of Jonah that Isral snt out missionaris (in that cas, on dirct ordrs from God) and w know from this and many othr vrss that Isral attractd popl from all ovr th world, who wr drawn to that country somtims not knowing why and thn thy blivd in Isral s God, th Tru God of th Univrs. Th sam thing happns in our country. Popl ar drawn to th Unitd Stats from all ovr th world. Now, of cours, thr is that grat prosprity undr which w liv, and that may gt th attntion of many, but th frdom to worship, frdom to work, frdom to think ths ar oftn mor intoxicating. And many of ths immigrants bcom grat blivrs in Jsus Christ. Th sam thing was tru of th slav population which was brought to th Unitd Stats. W look upon slavry as th worst thing vr and wish w could undo it all. Poppycock! God brought ths Africans ovr hr; many of thm blivd in Jsus Christ and th pivot of th African-Amrican blivrs was on of th gratst pivots in Unitd Stats history. Evry slav brought hr to th Unitd Stats was hand-pickd by Jsus Christ bcaus I writ this in 2012 with th lction a month away. Whovr is nxt up in th prsidntial lction, substitut in thir nams 78 hr.

162 6661 Th Book of Samul H controls history. Dspit th many goofy movmnts to mov Blacks back to Africa, and dspit th as in which an African-Amrican could choos to work for a yar and sav up to mov to Africa, nobody dos it (xcpt for a small handful of goofy typs). This is bcaus th Unitd Stats is a clint nation, a nation whr God can b opnly worshipd and studid. This is not tru in som African nations. Furthrmor, w hav law and ordr (i.., th function of th laws of divin stablishmnt) hr in th Unitd Stats, somthing which is lacking in many African countris. Closly rlatd to ths idas is th Doctrin of Hathnism (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Our vrs rads: So th king said to Ittai th Gittit, Why do you also go with us? Rturn and stay with th nw king, for you ar a forignr and, furthrmor, you hav just rcntly immigratd from your plac. I want you to notic that David rfrs to Absalom as th king. Absalom is th dfacto king; that is, th king in fact. H is th acting king in th palac making all of th rulings. But notic what David dos not do h dos not run Absalom down. David dos not say, Rturn and say with th nw king, that rat-bastard Absalom. David has no mntal attitud sins towards his son, dspit what his son has don hr. David xprsss no mntal attitud sins with his tongu; so w can rasonably assum that David is in fllowship. H will mak nothing but good dcisions throughout this chaptr, anothr clu that h is in fllowship and thinking clarly. It is having a mntal attitud lik this that is on of th rasons that David is qualifid to lad his popl. As w obsrvd svral vrss back, thr will b svral words found in th Grk which ar not in th Hbrw. Ystrday, your coming, and th day, I am lading you with us to go. And I am going upon which I am going. [Th Grk adds: And indd you will b rmovd from your plac [in Jrusalm]. Ystrday, your coming forth and today, I will mov you with us [in] th dpartur.] Rturn and caus to rturn your brothrs with you. Grac and truth [b to you] [Grk: And th Lord will mak with you mrcy and truth]. 2Samul 15:20 Ystrday, you arrivd and today, I am lading you about with us to go [whrvr]. And I am going in that I am going. [Th Grk insrts: Crtainly, you will b rmovd from your plac (in Jrusalm). You cam forth (but) ystrday and today, you will mov with us (whn w) dpart] Rturn and caus your brothrs to rturn with you. Grac and truth [b to you] [Grk: And th Lord will produc grac and truth with you]. You arrivd hr but ystrday, and today, I am lading you about with th rst of us whrvr I am going. And I am going without a clar dstination. Thrfor rturn to Jrusalm and tak your brothrs with you. Lt grac and truth b with you. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Ystrday you cam, and today will you b forcd to go forth with us? But I will go whr I am going: rturn, and tak back your brothrs with you, and th Lord will show you mrcy and truth, bcaus you hav shown grac and fidlity. Ystrday, your coming, and th day, I am lading you with us to go. [Th Grk adds: And indd you will b rmovd from your plac [in Jrusalm]. Ystrday, your coming forth and today, I will mov you with us [in] th dpartur. ] And I am going upon which I am going. Rturn and caus to rturn your brothrs with you. Grac and truth [b to you] [Grk: And th Lord will mak with you mrcy and truth]. You cam but ystrday, and shall I troubl you today to go with us, sing I go whrvr I may? Rturn, and mak your brthrn to sttl down; it will b wll with you.

163 2Samul Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: Whras you cam ystrday, shall I today caus you to travl with us, and shall you thus chang your plac? You cam forth ystrday, and today shall I st you in motion to go along with us? I indd will go whrvr I may go: rturn thn, and caus your brthrn to rturn with you, and may th Lord dal mrcifully and truly with you. Th first sntnc in th Hbrw appars to man somthing othr than th words which translat it. So th English translations from th othr ancint languags appar to approach this as an idiom. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Th Grk appars to hav a whol othr sntnc and a half which is not found in th Hbrw txt. Th English translations from th othr ancint languags appar to trat th final phras as an idiom as wll. Thr is clarly additional txt in th Grk in this final sntnc as wll. Th Latin matchs th Grk in part, and thn adds anothr phras at th nd. Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Brkly Vrsion Nw Cntury Vrsion You just got hr ystrday. So today should I mak you wandr around with us whil I go whrvr I hav to go? No. Go back, and tak your rlativs with you. May th Lord show you loyal lov and faithfulnss [LXX; MT lacks may th Lord show you.]." You havn't bn with m vry long, so why should you hav to follow m, whn I don't vn know whr I'm going? Tak your soldirs and go back. I pray that th Lord will b kind and faithful to you." It sms as if you only arrivd ystrday. But today you wandr round with m. I do not want to mak you wandr. I do not vn know whr I am going. Go back. Tak th othr mn from your country with you. I pray that God will b kind to you. And I pray that h will mak you saf.' Only ystrday you cam to join m. Must you now wandr from plac to plac with m? No! Tak your brothrs and go back. May kindnss and loyalty b shown to you. You hav livd hr only a short tim, so why should I mak you wandr around with m? I don't vn know whr I'm going. Go back and tak all your popl with you---and may th LORD b kind and faithful to you. You arrivd only ystrday, and am I going to lt you tak your chancs with us as I liv on th road lik a gypsy? Go back, and tak your family with you. And God's grac and truth go with you!" Your coming was but as ystrday and should I today forc you to wandr with us, whn I am moving, who knows whr? Rturn and tak back your fllow countrymn. Kindnss and faithfulnss b with you! You joind m only a short tim ago. Should I mak you wandr with us whn I don't vn know whr I'm going? Turn back and tak your brothrs with you. May kindnss and loyalty b shown to you." Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl...you'v just joind m, so ar you [now planning to] travl with us. ar you moving away from your homs?' And h rplid, 'I will go whrvr you ar going.' [But David said], 'Go back, and tak your brothrs with you, for Jhovah will bring you kindnss and truth!

164 6663 Th Book of Samul Christian Community Bibl God s Word Nw Amrican Bibl NIRV Nw Jrusalm Bibl Nw Simplifid Bibl Rvisd English Bibl Ar you stting out whn you hav just arrivd? Shall I mak you wandr about with us? Go back, tak your brothrs with you and may Yahwh show you kindnss and faithfulnss. You cam to us just ystrday. Should I mak you wandr around with m whn I don't vn know whr I'm going? Go back, and tak your countrymn with you. May th LORD always show you kindnss." You cam only ystrday, and today shall I hav you wandr off with us whrvr I hav to go? Rturn and tak your brothrs with you, and may th LORD show you kindnss and fidlity." You cam to join m only a short tim ago. So why should I mak you wandr around with us now? I don't vn know whr I'm going. So go on back. Tak with you th othrs who ar from your country. And may th Lord b kind and faithful to you." You arrivd only ystrday; should I tak you wandring with us today, whn I do not know myslf whr I am going? Go back, tak your fllow countrymn with you, and may Yahwh show you mrcy and faithful lov!'...»in fact you cam to us just ystrday. Should I mak you wandr around with m whn I do not vn know whr I am going? Go back and tak your countrymn with you. May Jhovah always show you kindnss.«you cam only ystrday, and must you today b complld to shar my wandrings whn I do not know whr I am going? Go back hom and tak your countrymn with you, and may th LORD vr b your stadfast frind. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Frar-Fnton Bibl HCSB JPS (Tanakh 1985) Judaica Prss Complt T. Nw Advnt Bibl NET Bibl NIV UK You cam arlir, and today you go with us as a fugitiv, going with m as I go. Rturn! Rturn to your brothrs with mrcy and truth with you." It was only ystrday you cam to us; why thn am I to mak you go up and down with us? for I hav to go whr I may; go back thn, and tak your countrymn with you, and may th Lord's mrcy and good faith b with you. Formrly you cam, and to-day you ar a wandrr with us on th march, for I am marching to whrvr I can go. Rturn and sttl with your rlativs, and kindnss and truth will go with you. Bsids, you only arrivd ystrday; should I mak you wandr around with us today whil I go whrvr I can? Go back and tak your brothrs with you. May th LORD show you kindnss and faithfulnss." You cam only ystrday; should I mak you wandr about with us today, whn I myslf must go whrvr I can? Go back, and tak your kinsmn with you, [in] [Maning of Hbrw uncrtain. Sptuagint rads and may th LORD show you ] tru faithfulnss. Only ystrday you cam, and today I should mov you about with us, sing that I go whrvr I can go? Rturn and tak back your brothrs with you, (and do) kindnss and truth (to thm)." Ystrday you cam, and to day shall you b forcd to go forth with us? But I shall go whithr I am going: rturn, and tak back your brthrn with you, and th Lord will show you mrcy, and truth, bcaus you hav shown grac and fidlity. It sms lik you arrivd just ystrday. Today should I mak you wandr around by going with us? I go whr I must go. But as for you, go back and tak your mn [Hb "brothrs," but s v. 22.] with you. May gnuin loyal lov [Hb "loyal lov and truth." Th xprssion is a hndiadys.] protct [Hb "b with."] you!" You cam only ystrday. And today shall I mak you wandr about with us, whn I do not know whr I am going? Go back, and tak your popl with you. May th Lord show you kindnss and faithfulnss [Sptuagint; Hbrw May kindnss and faithfulnss b with you].'

165 2Samul Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Amrican KJV Contxt Group Vrsion English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl Th updatd Gnva Bibl LTHB Syndin World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: Whras you cam but ystrday, should I this day mak you go up and down with us? sing I go whr I may, rturn you, and tak back your brothrs: mrcy and truth b with you. Whras you cam but ystrday, should I this day mak you go up and down with us, sing I go whr I may? Rturn, and tak back your brothrs with you; and may YHWH show you family allgianc and truth. You cam only ystrday, and shall I today mak you wandr about with us, sinc I go I know not whr? Go back and tak your brothrs with you, and may th LORD show stadfast lov and faithfulnss to you." Ystrday you com - and this day do I hav you wandr in going with us? Sing that I go whrvr I go, rturn - rturn with your brothrs: mrcy and truth b with you. Whras you cam [but] ystrday, should I this day mak you go up and down with us? sing I go whithr I may, rturn thou, and tak back your brothrs [Maning, thos of his family.]: mrcy and truth [b] with you [God rquir of you your frindship and fidlity. ]. You cam in ystrday and today. Should I mak you go with us, to go whil I go, whr I go? Turn back, and turn your brothrs to go with you in kindnss and truth. You {Ittai} cam only ystrday. {Principal: It dos not tak long for a matur blivr to prov his worth to good ladrs.} Thrfor, today, shall I caus you to wandr around with us marching with us 'whn I do not know whr I am going?' {idiom: "and, am I going... toward which... I am going?" Principal: humility is 'thoughtfulnss of othrs'. Only humbl popl can think. A high IQ with arroganc mans th inability to think clarly.} Go back {an ordr} in grac and doctrin/truth... and tak back your countrymn with you. {Not: In this last sntnc is th us of a famin singular pronoun 'you'. This crats a paus in th rading. Th famin is us to indicat a rspondr to th mal who is initiating. Hr it mans that David rcognizs that Ittai is following him and rcognizing his authority. David only tlls Ittai to rturn and h knows Ittai's mn will rspond to Ittai's command to rturn. This brings out th principal of rspct for authority. Finally, by adding in grac and in doctrin, David is tlling Ittai that h is within doctrinal bounds by rturning to Jrusalm - implying strongly that Ittai and his countrymn ar blivrs and most likly matur blivrs.}. Whras you cam but ystrday, should I this day mak you go up and down with us, sing I go whr I may? rturn you, and tak back your brothrs; mrcy and truth b with you. Ystrday is your coming in, and to-day I mov you to go with us, and I am going on that which I am going! turn back, and tak back your brothrs with you, kindnss and truth. David acknowldgs that Ittai s coming to Isral is rlativly rcnt, and that Ittai dos not hav any ral allgianc which h must show David.

166 6665 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:20a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs t môwl (úìîåéì) [pronouncd t MOHL] ystrday; and is usd figurativly for rcntly, formrly advrb Strong s #8543 (and #865) BDB #1069 bôw (áìåéà) [pronouncd boh] to com in, to com, to go in, to go, to ntr, to advanc Qal infinitiv construct nd with th 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #935 BDB #97 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 yôwm (éåéí) [pronouncd yohm] day; tim; today (with a dfinit articl); possibly immdiatly masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #3117 BDB #398 hâlak (äèìçêà) [pronouncd haw-lahk ] to lad [away], to caus to go [away], to bring, to caus to dpart, to caus to com, to caus to walk st 1 prson singular, Hiphil imprfct with a nd 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 îm (òäí) [pronouncd ìm] with, at, by, nar; lik; from prposition of narnss and vicinity with th 1 st prson plural suffix Strong s #5973 BDB #767 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to, with rfrnc to, as to, with rgards to, blonging to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 hâlak (äèìçêà) [pronouncd haw-lahk ] to go, to com, to dpart, to walk; to advanc Qal infinitiv construct Strong s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 Translation: Ystrday, you arrivd and today, I am lading you about with us to go [whrvr]. David maks it sound as if Ittai only rcntly cam to Jrusalm; mor rcntly than 20+ yars ago. H tlls Ittai, You only arrivd hr ystrday and today, I am lading off to whrvr. Th ida is, of cours, th Ittai has no rason to fl grat loyalty toward David. H dos not hav to rmain with David and risk his lif if anothr king, suitabl for a forignr, is in charg. W do not know xactly whn Ittai cam to Isral and cam to David, whthr h was with th original Gittits who joind David, of if h cam along latr. What David suggsts hr is, h cam along a littl latr. David is considring possibly svral things. It is possibl that h xpct Ittai to continu with him. Howvr, h nds to giv him an out, if ncssary. Givn th circumstancs, David cannot allow popl who ar half-hartd about this to join him. David dos not nd any mn with him who ar not ddicatd to him. Such mn could gt vryon ls killd if thy ar indcisiv. This dos not man that David was not intrstd in having Ittai join him. Thr is nothing in what David says that qustions Ittai s rsolv or comptnc. David was just making crtain that Ittai was compltly committd, as staying with David could man dath. At this point, w hav additional txt in th Grk:

167 2Samul Samul 15:20b Txt from th Grk Sptuagint Grk/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Strong s Numbr kaí (êáß) [pronouncd kî] g (ãý) [pronouncd gh] and, vn, also; so, too, thn, that; indd, but 1) indd, truly, at last; 2) vn; 3) if indd, sing that conjunction Strong s #2532 particl Strong s #1065 mtanistêmi (µåôáíßóôçµé) [pronouncd mht-ahn- EE-stay-m] to rmov from his or hr country; to gnrally rmov; to avrt nd 2 prson singular, futur activ indicativ Strong s #non From Hnry Gorg Liddll, Robrt Scott, A Grk-English Lxicon. ton (ôüí) [pronouncd tahn]; also to (ôï) [pronouncd toh] th masculin singular dfinit articl in th accusativ cas Strong s #3588 topos (ôüðïò) [pronouncd TOP-oss] 1) plac, any portion or spac markd off, as it wr from surrounding spac; 1a) an inhabitd plac, as a city, villag, district; 1b) a plac (passag) in a book; 2) mtaphorically; 2a) th condition or station hld by on in any company or assmbly; 2b) opportunity, powr, occasion for acting masculin singular noun; accusativ cas Strong s #5117 sou (óïõ) [pronouncd su] of you, your; from you nd 2 prson singular pronoun, gnitiv/ablativ cas Strong s #4771 (gnitiv is givn Strong s #4675) chths ( èýò) [pronouncd hkh- THAYNE] ystrday advrb Strong s #non hê ( ) [pronouncd hy] th; this, that; ths fminin singular dfinit articl; nominativ and vocativ cass Strong s #3588 (articl, dmonstrativ pronoun) and #3739 (pronoun) åîåëåõóéò coming forth? Listd as a fminin singular, nominativ cas Strong s #non I could not find th maning of this vrb, xcpt from looking at th English translation of th LXX. sou (óïõ) [pronouncd su] of you, your; from you nd 2 prson singular pronoun, gnitiv/ablativ cas Strong s #4771 (gnitiv is givn Strong s #4675) kaí (êáß) [pronouncd kî] and, vn, also; so, too, thn, that; indd, but conjunction Strong s #2532

168 6667 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:20b Txt from th Grk Sptuagint Grk/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Strong s Numbr sêmron (óþìåñïí) [pronouncd SAY-mron] today; 1) this (vry) day); 2) what has happnd today advrb: Strong s #4594 mtakinô (ìåôáêéíýù) [pronouncd mt-ak-- NAH-oh] to mov from a plac, to mov away st 1 prson singular, futur activ indicativ Strong s #3334 s (óý) [pronouncd sh] you nd 2 prson singular pronoun; accusativ cas Strong s #4771 (Strong's #4571) mta (ìåôü) [pronouncd mht-ah] with, among, in th company of, in th midst of prposition with th gnitiv Strong s #3326 hêmô n ( ì í) [pronouncd hay-mohn] us, of us, from us, our, [of] ours st 1 prson plural, prsonal pronoun; gnitiv/ablativ cas Strong s #2257 (from Strong s #1473) tou (ôï ) [pronouncd tu] of th; from th, [away, out] from th; from th sourc of; by th; than th nutr singular dfinit articl, gnitiv/ablativ cas Strong s #3588 poruomai (ðïñåýïìáé) [pronouncd po-roooh-my] to travrs, to travl, to dpart, to go way, to go forth aorist passiv infinitiv vrb Strong s #4198 Thayr manings: 1) to lad ovr, carry ovr, transfr; 1a) to pursu th journy on which on has ntrd, to continu on on s journy; 1b) to dpart from lif; 1c) to follow on, that is: bcom his adhrnt; 1c1) to lad or ordr on s lif. Translation: And indd you will b rmovd from your plac [in Jrusalm]. Ystrday, your coming forth and today, I will mov you with us [in] th dpartur. Amrican English Bibl Brnton (updatd): Complt Apostls Bibl:...you'v just joind m, so ar you [now planning to] travl with us. ar you moving away from your homs?' And h rplid, 'I will go whrvr you ar going.' [But David said], 'Go back, and tak your brothrs with you, for Jhovah will bring you kindnss and truth! It was hard to tll whr th AEB bgan and ndd with this portion of v. 20, so thir ntir translation is givn....and will you thus chang your plac? You did com forth ystrday, and today will I st you in motion to go along with us?...and shall you thus chang your plac? You cam forth ystrday, and today shall I st you in motion to go along with us? It appars that th Complt Apostls Bibl may not do anything mor than simply updat th Brnton English translation (which is what I did, which rsultd in narly th xact sam txt). W might, from tim to tim, find an xtra word or two in th Sptuagint thrown in thr to smooth out th Hbrw txt; howvr, it sms quit unlikly that th Grk translator hr thought, Lt m just add a whol nw sntnc hr in ordr to straightn vrything out. That is highly unlikly, as th LXX translation, although unvn, mad a sincr attmpt to translat from th Hbrw. So, throwing in an xtra sntnc or two is not

169 2Samul somthing that ths translators would hav don. That suggsts that th txts from which thy workd had this vry sntnc in it (in th Hbrw). Thrfor, this is probably a lgitimat addition. If this txt is accurat and missing from th Hbrw, it dos not sm to offr much to us. This is mor of David rasoning with Ittai, and tlling him why h dos not nd to com along. Ittai apparntly had a plac in Jrusalm, and going with David mans that h will no longr liv thr. David tlls him that h rcnt cam forth (apparntly to Isral) and now, if h stays with David, h will b movd long with David whn thy pick up and mov again. David is simply painting an unplasant yt ralistic pictur of movmnt with him. 2Samul 15:20c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 ânîy (àèðäé) [pronouncd aw-nee] I, m; in answr to a qustion, it mans I am, it is I st 1 prson singular, prsonal pronoun Strong s #589 BDB #58 hâlak (äèìçêà) [pronouncd haw-lahk ] is walking, is going, is dparting, is advancing, is travling Qal activ participl Strong s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 al (òçì) [pronouncd ìahl ] upon, byond, on, against, abov, ovr, by, bsid prposition of proximity Strong s #5921 BDB #752 ãshr (àâéùæø) [pronouncd ash-er] that, which, whn, who, whom rlativ pronoun Strong's #834 BDB #81 This combination of al and ãshr man bcaus, bcaus that, in that. ânîy (àèðäé) [pronouncd aw-nee] I, m; in answr to a qustion, it mans I am, it is I st 1 prson singular, prsonal pronoun Strong s #589 BDB #58 hâlak (äèìçêà) [pronouncd haw-lahk ] is walking, is going, is dparting, is advancing, is travling Qal activ participl Strong s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 Translation: And I am going in that I am going. At on tim, I usd to carfully choos Bibls that wr compltly litral. In this chaptr particularly (although, it is crtainly tru of othrs), th litral translation just dos not do it justic. You will not that, vn though thr is a grat dal of varity in th loosr translations, this actually givs us a bttr fl for this passag. Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag You just got hr ystrday. So today should I mak you wandr around with us whil I go whrvr I hav to go?" You havn't bn with m vry long, so why should you hav to follow m, whn I don't vn know whr I'm going?" It sms as if you only arrivd ystrday. But today you wandr round with m. I do not want to mak you wandr. I do not vn know whr I am going.' You hav livd hr only a short tim, so why should I mak you wandr around with m? I don't vn know whr I'm going. You arrivd only ystrday, and am I going to lt you tak your chancs with us as I liv on th road lik a gypsy?"

170 6669 Th Book of Samul Nw Cntury Vrsion You joind m only a short tim ago. Should I mak you wandr with us whn I don't vn know whr I'm going?" David is tlling him, Look, right now, I am just moving out. I don t hav a plan; I do not know xactly whr I am going; I don t know how Absalom will ract. All of this stuff is up in th air right now. Thrfor, it would not b a problm to m if you rturnd to Jrusalm or to Gath. All of this is th truth, by th way. Sms lik I rad mor than on commntary which suggstd that David was tsting Ittai at this point. David is giving Ittai a valid out. David is tlling Ittai that h can go. Although David has a fw idas and a fw plans, thy ar subjct to whatvr intllignc h can gathr. So David dos not rquir Ittai to join him. This is not som phony tst; this is a lgitimat st of options that David is offring Ittai. 2Samul 15:20d Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs shûwb (ùåìá) b [pronouncd shoo v] to rturn, to turn, to turn back, to rminisc, to rstor somthing, to bring back somthing, to rviv, to rcovr somthing, to mak rstitution nd 2 prson masculin singular, Qal imprativ Strong's #7725 BDB #996 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 shûwb (ùåìá) b [pronouncd shoo v] to caus to rturn, to bring, to b causd to turn back mntally, rminisc, to rturn somthing, to rstor, to bring back, to snd back, to rgain, to rcovr, to mak rstitution, rconsidr, think again, to b causd to rturn nd 2 prson masculin singular, Hiphil imprativ Strong's #7725 BDB #996 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] untranslatd gnrally; occasionally to, toward indicats that th following substantiv is a dirct objct Strong's #853 BDB #84 âch (àèç) [pronouncd awhk] brothr, kinsman or clos rlativ masculin singular noun nd with th 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong's #251 BDB #26 îm (òäí) [pronouncd ìm] with, at, by, nar; lik; from prposition of narnss and vicinity with th 2 nd prson masculin singular suffix; pausal form Strong s #5973 BDB #767 Translation: Rturn and caus your brothrs to rturn with you. In fact, David dos mor than just tll Ittai that h can go or stay. David issus a dirct ordr for Ittai to rturn and to tak his brothrs (his Gittit army) with him. David first xplaind why Ittai is not bholdn to him or rquird to follow him; and now issus an ordr for Ittai to go.

171 2Samul It is this vrs that maks it plain that Ittai is lading this group of Gittits. H is th on in charg and abl to lad thm. 2Samul 15:20 Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs chçd (çæñæã) [pronouncd KHEH-sd] grac, bnvolnc, mrcy, kindnss masculin singular noun Strong's #2617 BDB #338 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 ìmth (àáîæú) [pronouncd EH-mth] firmnss, faithfulnss, truth, crtainty, stability, prptuity, fidlity, rliabl, stabl, dpndabl fminin singular noun Strong s #571 BDB #54 For this final phras, th Grk rads:...and may th Lord dal mrcifully and truthfully [or, objctivly] with you. Howvr, this could b simply parting words, which ar lliptical:...grac and truth. Translation: Grac and truth [b to you]. Although th LXX has a mor lngthy translation of this phras, th ida is, this may just b a way of saying goodby. As is so oftn th cas, th Dad Sa Scrolls ar of no hlp to us hr (it is apparntly unradabl) and it would not b out of th ordinary for th Grk to fill in nough words to giv maning to this phras. So, what w find in th Hbrw is likly accurat; but what h hav in th Grk actually convys th maning of what David is saying. Sinc thr ar svral additional words in th Grk, w will look at this final phras, but as th Grk has it. 2Samul 15:20 Txt from th Grk Sptuagint Grk/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Strong s Numbr kaí (êáß) [pronouncd kî] kurios (êýñéïò) [pronouncd KOO-ross] and, vn, also; so, too, thn, that; indd, but lord, mastr; Lord; h to whom a prson or thing blongs, about which h has powr of dciding; th possssor and disposr of a thing; th ownr; on who has control of th prson; princ, chif, sovrign conjunction Strong s #2532 masculin singular noun Strong's #2962 poiô (ðïéýù) [pronouncd poi-eh-oh] to do, to mak, to construct, to produc; to carry out, to xcut [a plan, an intntion]; to practic; to act rd 3 prson singular, futur activ indicativ Strong s #4160 mta (ìåôü) [pronouncd mht-ah] with, among, in th company of, in th midst of prposition with th gnitiv Strong s #3326 sou (óïõ) [pronouncd su] of you, your; from you nd 2 prson singular pronoun, gnitiv/ablativ cas Strong s #4771 (gnitiv is givn Strong s #4675)

172 6671 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:20 Txt from th Grk Sptuagint Grk/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Strong s Numbr los ( ìëåïò) [prnouncd EHL-h-os] grac, mrcy, kindnss; clmncy nutr singular noun; nominativ cas Strong s #1656 Thayr dfinitions: 1) mrcy: kindnss or good will towards th misrabl and th afflictd, joind with a dsir to hlp thm; 1a) of mn towards mn: to xrcis th virtu of mrcy, show on s slf mrciful; 1b) of God towards mn: in gnral providnc; th mrcy and clmncy of God in providing and offring to mn salvation by Christ; 1c) th mrcy of Christ, whrby at his rturn to judgmnt h will blss tru Christians with trnal lif. kaí (êáß) [pronouncd kî] and, vn, also; so, too, thn, that; indd, but conjunction Strong s #2532 alêthia ( ëþèåéá, áò, ) [pronouncd ahl-â-thiah] [absolut, unimpachabl, divin] truth, divin viwpoint, vracity, vrity; rality; of a truth, in rality, in fac, crtainly; conduct which is in accordanc with truth/divin viwpoint fminin singular noun; accusativ cas Strong s #225 Translation: And [th] Lord will mak with you mrcy and truth. Th Grk, obviously, has a lngthir nding. Thrfor, David probably did not simply tll Ittai, Grac and truth; but h instad said that th Lord manufactur grac and truth for Ittai. Thr is on problm in th Grk: in th cas of th singular you (which is what is in th Grk) I would hav xpctd no prposition, but only th gnitiv cas. Howvr, whn th Grk nd prposition mta is thrown in, thn I would hav xpctd it to b followd with th 2 prson plural, and thn it would hav bn, And th Lord will produc among [all of] you grac and truth. Why it was found to b th way that it is, I don t know. Howvr, to gnrally undrstand my confusion at th txt should not dtract from th gnral ida that David is asking that God manufactur grac and truth to Ittai. As long as w undrstand that, David has laid out, brifly, th ntir Christian lif (i.., th lif of a rlationship to th Tru God). Mrcy and grac dscrib salvation. God savd us in His mrcy toward us (Titus 3:5). Howvr, aftr salvation, w ought to b intrstd in and pursu truth. Aftr all, that is th xact opposit of what Satan brought to this arth. H causd th othr angls to fall, and on would assum that this was don with lis about God s charactr and abilitis. Just as h lid to Ev, Satan lid to th angls, bcaus h is a liar from th bginning (John 8:44). In fact, this is why w hav th Bibl: in ordr to countract all of th lis that w fac in this world. Bcaus of th problms with missing phrass in th Hbrw, it is likly that what is addd back by th Grk is accurat. Th ntir translation of v. 20 is: Ystrday, you arrivd and today, I am lading you about with us to go [whrvr]. And I am going in that I am going. [Th Grk insrts: Crtainly, you will b rmovd from your plac (in Jrusalm). You cam forth (but) ystrday and today, you will mov with us (whn w) dpart] Rturn and caus your brothrs to rturn with you. Grac and truth [b to you] [Grk: And th Lord will produc grac and truth with you]. Howvr, vn though David suggsts that thy sparat, h wants Ittai to rmain in God s grac and God s truth. W find grac and truth throughout th Old and Nw Tstamnts.

173 2Samul Grac and Truth [= Bibl doctrin] in th Bibl Scriptur 2Sam. 2:6a Psalm 25:10 Psalm 57:3 Psalm 61:6 7 Psalm 85:9 11 Psalm 89:14 Prov. 14:22 John 1:17 2Tim. 1:13 14, 16 Txt/Commntary And now may Jhovah show grac and truth to you. This confirms that this was a common rfrain from that ra. All th LORD's ways show grac and truth to thos who kp His covnant and dcrs. Grac and truth ar th kys to our faithful walk with God. God snds His hlp from havn and dlivrs m. H rbuks th on who is harassing m. Slah! God snds His grac and His truth! Th prson chasing David at this tim is Saul, and David calls upon God to rbuk him. You will add to th days of th king's lif; his yars will b for many gnrations. H shall dwll [in blssing] bfor God forvr; wight out grac and truth to guard him. David is praying for himslf and all othr kings who trust in God. H asks for grac and truth to guard him. Surly God s dlivranc is nar thos that far Him, so that Glory may dwll in our land. Faring God is occupation with Christ. God s glory is His Son. Grac and truth hav mt togthr; rightousnss and pac hav kissd ach othr. God has mad all of ths things, compatibl with His charactr, work togthr. Truth shall spring out of th arth; and rightousnss shall look down from Havn. Th angls will larn truth, and undrstand God s prfct, by obsrving mankind, whom God has mad. Rightousnss and justic ar th foundation of Your thron [O God]; and grac and doctrin shall com bfor Your fac. All that God dos is basd upon His rightousnss and justic; and His rlationship with man is grac and doctrin. Do not thos who think vil go astray? But grac and doctrin shall b to thos who think [divin] good. Our minds ar to b upon doctrin, which is truth, which is divin good; our minds should b upon grac, which is God s mrcy toward mankind. For th Law cam through Moss, but grac and doctrin cam through Jsus Christ. Th Law condmns us; w ar not mad rightous by th Law. Howvr, Jsus Christ has givn us grac and Bibl doctrin. W ar savd by grac and w liv by grac. Hold fast th pattrn of sound words which you hav hard from m [= Bibl doctrin taught catgorically], in faith and lov which is in Christ Jsus [w bliv God s Word and w function in th ralm of th Holy Spirit]. Guard th good Dposit givn through th Holy Spirit indwlling in us [th Holy Spirit will prsrv us until th day of our salvation]. May th Lord giv grac to th hous of Onsiphorus, for h oftn rfrshd m and was not ashamd of my chains. Onsiphorus opratd on divin viwpoint, so that hr rcognizd Paul as th man of God that h was. Th fact that h had bn arrstd was of no consqunc to him. This list of vrss, with som modification, wr suggstd by Trasury of Scriptural Knowldg; by Cann, Brown, Blayny, Scott, and othrs about 1880, with introduction by R. A. Torry; courtsy of E-sword, 2Sam. 15:20. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins

174 6673 Th Book of Samul And so answrs Ittai th king and so h says, Living [is] Y howah and living [is] my adonai th king that if in a plac of which is thr my adonai th king, if for dath if for livs, that thr is your srvant. 2Samul 15:21 But [lit., and so] Ittai answrd th king and said, [By th] lif [of] Y howah and [by th] lif [of] my adonai th king, that in th plac whr my adonai th king is whthr for dath or for lif [with grat prosprity] thr will your srvant b. But Ittai th Gittit answrd th king, saying, By th lif of Jhovah and by th lif of my lord th king, whrvr my lord th king is whthr I di or liv in grat prosprity thr will I, your srvant, b. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And Ethai answrd th king, saying: As th Lord livs, and as my lord th king livs: in what plac sovr you will b, my lord, O king, ithr in dath, or in lif, thr will your srvant b. And so answrs Ittai th king and so h says, Living [is] Y howah and living [is] my adonai th king that if in a plac of which is thr my adonai th king, if for dath if for livs, that thr is your srvant. But Ittai answrd th king and said, As th LORD livs and as th king livs, whrvr my lord th king shall b, whthr in dath or lif, vn thr will your srvant b also. And Ittai answrd th king and said, As th Lord livs and as my lord th king livs, in th plac whrsovr my lord shall b, whthr it b for dath or lif, thr shall your srvant b. In th first phras of what Ittai says, thr is no word as; but this is a way to convy what h is saying to us in his oath in th English. Thr ar mor words in th Hbrw in his oath than whrvr. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag But Ittai answrd th king, "As surly as th Lord livs and as surly as my mastr th king livs, whrvr my mastr th king may b, facing dath or facing lif, your srvant will b thr too." Ittai answrd, "Your Majsty, just as surly as you and th LORD liv, I will go whr you go, no mattr if it costs m my lif." But Ittai answrd th king, As th Lord livs, and as long as you liv, I will stay with you. {I will b with you} in lif or dath! But Ittai answrd, "Your Majsty, I swar to you in th LORD's nam that I will always go with you whrvr you go, vn if it mans dath." But Ittai answrd, "As GOD livs and my mastr th king livs, whr my mastr is, that's whr I'll b--whthr it mans lif or dath." Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl But Ittai said to th king, "I vow by th Lord and by your own lif that I will go whrvr my lord th king gos, no mattr what happns-whthr it mans lif or dath." Bck s Amrican Translation As th LORD livs, and by th lif of my lord th king, no! Ittai answrd th king. Whrvr my lord th king is, ithr in dath or lif, your srvant will b thr. God s Word But Ittai answrd th king, "I solmnly swar, as th LORD and th king liv: Whrvr you ar, whthr you'r dad or aliv, I'll b thr."

175 2Samul Nw Amrican Bibl NIRV Nw Simplifid Bibl But Ittai answrd th king, "As th LORD livs, and as my lord th king livs, your srvant shall b whrvr my lord th king is, whthr for dath or for lif." Ruth 1: But Ittai rplid to th king, "You ar my king and mastr. I want to b whr you ar. It dosn't mattr whthr I liv or di. And that's just as sur as th Lord and you ar aliv." Ittai answrd:»your Majsty, I swar to you in th nam of Jhovah that I will always go with you whrvr you go, vn if it mans dath.«mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Bibl in Basic English Frar-Fnton Bibl NET Bibl Th Scripturs 1998 And Ittai th Gittit in answr said, By th living Lord, and by th lif of my lord th king, in whatvr plac my lord th king may b, for lif or dath, thr will your srvant b. But Athar answrd th king, and said, By th lif of th EVER-LIVING and by th lif of your Majsty th king, I will b at th plac, whrvr your Majsty th king is; whthr for dath or for lif, thr will your srvant b. But Ittai rplid to th king, "As surly as th LORD livs and as my lord th king livs, whrvr my lord th king is, whthr dad or aliv [Hb "whthr for dath or for lif."], thr I [Hb "your srvant."] will b as wll!" And Ittai answrd th sovrign and said, As éäåä livs, and as my mastr th sovrign livs, in whatvr plac my mastr th sovrign is, whthr in dath or lif, lt your srvant also b thr. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: xgss companion Bibl And Ittay answrs th sovrign and says, Yah Vh livs and adoni th sovrign livs, surly in whatvr plac my adoni th sovrign is - whthr in dath or lif, vn thr also your srvant is. Kil and Dlitzsch (updatd) But Ittai rplid with a solmn oath, Assurdly at th plac whr my lord th king shall b (stay), whthr for dath or lif, thr will your srvant b. This is in part from thir commntary and dos not rprsnt a translation, apart from th quotation. Syndin But Ittai rplid to th king, and said, "By th lif {chay} of Jhovah/God... and by th lif {chay} of my lord th king {Ittai rcognizs his two main sourcs of authority. H will say it is his right as a matur blivr to say whr is God's gographical will for him. H has followd David in tims of prosprity and wants to stay with him in tims of advrsity.} assurdly/'with confidnc'/dogmatically, {idiom: litrally 'if with' or 'for with' mans 'dogmatically'} in whatvr plac my lord th king may b, 'whthr {it mans to m} lif or dath'/'whthr in dath or lif', count on it... your 'loyal srvant' will b thr. {Not: Ittai is a matur blivr. H is dciding for himslf what th will of God is for him! David must b smiling whn h ss how matur this man has bcom in a vry short tim. Ittai was also th son of Achish th king of Gad. Evn as a gntil, h raisd Ittai to b a man of intgrity.} {Not: Thr ar thr catgoris to th will of God. First, is th 'viwpoint will' - 'what dos God want m to think about this situation?'. Scond, 'gographic will' - 'whr dos God want m to b rlatd to this situation?' (applicabl hr). And, thr 'oprational will of God' - 'what dos God want m to do rlatd to this situation?'}. Updatd Bibl Vrsion 2.11 And Ittai answrd th king, and said, As Yahwh livs, and as my lord th king livs, surly in what plac my lord th king will b, whthr to dath or to lif, vn thr also will your slav b.

176 6675 Th Book of Samul World English Bibl Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: Ittai answrd th king, and said, As Yahwh livs, and as my lord th king livs, surly in what plac my lord th king shall b, whthr for dath or for lif, vn thr also will your srvant b. And Ittai answrs th king and says, Jhovah livs, and my lord th king livs, surly in th plac whr my lord th king is if for dath, if for lif, surly thr is your srvant. Ittai pldgs his loyalty to David, whthr this mans lif or dath. 2Samul 15:21a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 ânâh (òèðèä) [pronouncd ìaw-nawh] to answr, to rspond; to spak loudly, to spak up [in a public forum]; to tstify; to sing, to chant, to sing rsponsivly rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #6030 BDB #772 Ittay (àäúìçé) [pronouncd iht-tah-] with m; translitratd Ithai, Ittai masculin singular propr noun Strong s #863 BDB #87 êth (àæç) [pronouncd ayth] untranslatd gnrally; occasionally to, toward indicats that th following substantiv is a dirct objct Strong's #853 BDB #84 mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 Translation: But [lit., and so] Ittai answrd th king... Although David issud Ittai an ordr, for on of th vry fw tims in his lif, Ittai spaks up to disoby th king. H will do so with th upmost rspct. 2Samul 15:21b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #559 BDB #55 chay (ççé) [pronouncd KHAH-] living, aliv, activ, livly, vigorous [usd of man or animals]; grn [vgtation]; frsh [usd of a plant]; flowing [watr]; rviving [of th springtim]; raw [flsh] adjctiv Strong's #2416 BDB #311

177 2Samul Samul 15:21b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs YHWH (éäåä) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-wah] translitratd variously as Jhovah, Yahwh, Y howah propr noun Strong s #3068 BDB #217 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 chay (ççé) [pronouncd KHAH-] living, aliv, activ, livly, vigorous [usd of man or animals]; grn [vgtation]; frsh [usd of a plant]; flowing [watr]; rviving [of th springtim]; raw [flsh] adjctiv Strong's #2416 BDB #311 ãdônây (àâãéðèé) [pronouncd uh-doh- NAY] Lord (s), Mastr (s), my Lord (s), Sovrign; my lord [mastr]; can rfr to th Trinity or to an intnsification of th noun; translitratd Adonai, adonai masculin plural noun st with th 1 prson singular suffix Strong s #113 & #136 BDB #10 Thr ar actually 3 forms of this word: ãdônây (àâãéðèé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nay]; ãdônay (àâãéðçé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nay]; and ãdônîy (àâãéðäé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nee]. This is a form of Strong s #113, whr thr ar thr xplanations givn for th yodh nding: (1) this is a shortnd form of th plural nding, usually writtn -îym (ðäéí) [pronouncd m], an oldr form of th pluralis xcllntiæ (th plural of xcllnc), whr God s sovrignty and lordship ar mphasizd by th us of th plural; (2) this is th actual, but ancint, plural of th noun, which rfrs to th Trinity; or (3) this is th addition st of th 1 prson singular suffix, hnc, my Lord (th long vowl point at th nd would distinguish this from my lords). Thr ar points of grammar which spak to th options abov, but not so that w may unquivocally choos btwn th thr. (1) Whn w find ãdônay (àâãéðèé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nah] (not th diffrnc of th vowl nding), it always mans my lords. (2) Jhovah calls Himslf ãdônây (àâãéðèé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nay] in Job 28:28 Isa. 8:7; howvr, many of th Job manuscripts rad Y howah and 8 ancint Isaiah manuscripts rad Y howah instad. This suggsts, that ithr ancint Scribs wr confusd about this form of Adonai or that thy simply substitutd Adonai for Y howah, which was not an abnormal practic (in oral radings, th ancint Ttragrammaton was not spokn, but Lord was said instad). And vn If vry manuscript rad Adonai, thn w may also rasonably conclud that on mmbr of th Trinity is addrssing anothr mmbr of th Trinity (although th ida of God saying my Lord would b thologically confusing, vn if addrssing anothr mmbr of th Trinity; although Jsus did rfr to God th Fathr as our Fathr). Almost vry singl translator rndrs this Lord, th Lord, or Adonai. On occasion, howvr, this is rndrd my Lord. mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 Translation:...and said, [By th] lif [of] Y howah and [by th] lif [of] my adonai th king,... First Ittai taks an oath, which brings in both spiritual authority and tmporal authority. Whn Ittai spaks of God bing aliv, h says it in th xact sns that David is aliv. Th ida is, to Ittai, both Y howah and David ar aliv to him; thy ar qually ral. H probably larnd of th Lord from David, and h is clarly a blivr in Y howah Elohim. As has

178 6677 Th Book of Samul bn prviously discussd, many popl immigratd to Isral bcaus thir God was Y howah. Th sam thing is tru of th Unitd Stats. Although Absalom is th king s son, at no tim dos h spak of God in an prsonal way; howvr, Ittai, a forignr, is hrin taking an oath by God. 2Samul 15:21c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs kîy (ëìäé) [pronouncd k] for, that, bcaus; whn, at that tim, which, what tim xplanatory or tmporal conjunction; prposition Strong's #3588 BDB #471 îm (àäí) [pronouncd m] if, though; lo, bhold; oh that, if only; whn, sinc, though whn (or, if followd by a prfct tns which rfrs to a past vnt) primarily an hypothtical particl Strong's #518 BDB #49 h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 mâqôwm (îè åéí) [pronouncd maw- KOHM] plac, situatd; for a soldir, it may man whr h is stationd; for popl in gnral, it would b thir plac of abod (which could b thir hous or thir town) masculin singular construct Strong s #4725 BDB #879 ãshr (àâéùæø) [pronouncd ash-er] that, which, whn, who, whom rlativ pronoun Strong's #834 BDB #81 hâyâh (äèéèä) [pronouncd haw-yaw] to b, is, was, ar; to bcom, to com into bing; to com to pass rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #1961 BDB #224 shâm (ùèí) [pronouncd shawm] thr; at that tim, thn; thrin, in that thing advrb Strong s #8033 BDB #1027 Th two word ãshr + shâm can b rndrd whr, in what plac, to what plac whn found togthr. Somtims, th addition of th vrb to b might b appropriat to smooth out th phrasing. ãdônây (àâãéðèé) [pronouncd uh-doh- NAY] Lord (s), Mastr (s), my Lord (s), Sovrign; my lord [mastr]; can rfr to th Trinity or to an intnsification of th noun; translitratd Adonai, adonai masculin plural noun st with th 1 prson singular suffix Strong s #113 & #136 BDB #10 Thr ar actually 3 forms of this word: ãdônây (àâãéðèé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nay]; ãdônay (àâãéðçé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nay]; and ãdônîy (àâãéðäé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nee]. This is a form of Strong s #113, whr thr ar thr xplanations givn for th yodh nding: (1) this is a shortnd form of th plural nding, usually writtn -îym (ðäéí) [pronouncd m], an oldr form of th pluralis xcllntiæ (th plural of xcllnc), whr God s sovrignty and lordship ar mphasizd by th us of th plural; (2) this is th actual, but ancint, plural of th noun, which rfrs to th Trinity; or (3) this is th addition st of th 1 prson singular suffix, hnc, my Lord (th long vowl point at th nd would distinguish this from my lords).

179 2Samul Samul 15:21c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs Thr ar points of grammar which spak to th options abov, but not so that w may unquivocally choos btwn th thr. (1) Whn w find ãdônay (àâãéðèé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nah] (not th diffrnc of th vowl nding), it always mans my lords. (2) Jhovah calls Himslf ãdônây (àâãéðèé) [pronouncd uh-doh-nay] in Job 28:28 Isa. 8:7; howvr, many of th Job manuscripts rad Y howah and 8 ancint Isaiah manuscripts rad Y howah instad. This suggsts, that ithr ancint Scribs wr confusd about this form of Adonai or that thy simply substitutd Adonai for Y howah, which was not an abnormal practic (in oral radings, th ancint Ttragrammaton was not spokn, but Lord was said instad). And vn If vry manuscript rad Adonai, thn w may also rasonably conclud that on mmbr of th Trinity is addrssing anothr mmbr of th Trinity (although th ida of God saying my Lord would b thologically confusing, vn if addrssing anothr mmbr of th Trinity; although Jsus did rfr to God th Fathr as our Fathr). Almost vry singl translator rndrs this Lord, th Lord, or Adonai. On occasion, howvr, this is rndrd my Lord. mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 Translation:...that in th plac whr my adonai th king is... Essntially, Ittai is going to tll David, Whrvr you ar, I will b thr too. All of this procds from an oath whr Ittai has rcognizd th rality of th God of Isral. 2Samul 15:21d Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs îm (àäí) [pronouncd m] if, though; lo, bhold; oh that, if only; whn, sinc, though whn (or, if followd by a prfct tns which rfrs to a past vnt) primarily an hypothtical particl Strong's #518 BDB #49 Whn this particl îm (àäí) [pronouncd m] is found twic (as it is hr), it can b translatd,...whthr...or... lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to, with rfrnc to, as to, with rgards to, blonging to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510 mâvth (îèåæú) [pronouncd MAW-vth] dath, dath [as opposd to lif], dath by violnc, a stat of dath, a plac of dath masculin singular noun Strong s #4194 BDB #560 îm (àäí) [pronouncd m] if, though; lo, bhold; oh that, if only; whn, sinc, though whn (or, if followd by a prfct tns which rfrs to a past vnt) primarily an hypothtical particl Strong's #518 BDB #49 Whn this particl îm (àäí) [pronouncd m] is found twic (as it is hr), it can b translatd,...whthr...or... lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to, with rfrnc to, as to, with rgards to, blonging to dirctional/rlational prposition BDB #510

180 6679 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:21d Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs chayyîym (ççéìäéí) [pronouncd khay- YEEM] lif, livs, living, bing aliv, having lif, immortality, a long lif, sustnanc, sustaining lif; rfrshmnt; bing vigorous; prosprity, wlfar, happinss, living prosprously masculin plural substantiv; masculin plural adjctiv Strong's #2416 BDB #313 Translation:... whthr for dath or for lif [with grat prosprity]... For Ittai, it dos not mattr if his tim with David nds up in dath (.g., in a battl with Absalom) or whthr thy liv. Ittai uss th plural of lif, which, in th Hbrw, can rfr to lif in grat prosprity. This is a part of lif with a suprgrac blivr, which is what David is. You will notic that Ittai mntions dath first; this suggsts that h has no misgivings about th risks involvd hr. H clarly undrstands that h can b killd for associating with David. David suggsts that Ittai has no rason to b loyal to him and that, if h chooss to rturn to liv undr Absalom, that is okay, as Ittai is not a Jw and has no rlational connction ot David. Howvr, Ittai dos not s it this way h is not going to abandon his frind and his king, David, vn though th circumstancs ar dir. What w hav hr is th king of man who followd David, basd upon David s rlationship with th God of Isral. W will, in th nxt chaptr, s th calibr of man who followd Absalom. 2Samul 15:21 Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs kîy (ëìäé) [pronouncd k] for, that, bcaus; whn, at that tim, which, what tim xplanatory or tmporal conjunction; prposition Strong's #3588 BDB #471 shâm (ùèí) [pronouncd shawm] thr; at that tim, thn; thrin, in that thing advrb Strong s #8033 BDB #1027 hâyâh (äèéèä) [pronouncd haw-yaw] to b, is, was, ar; to bcom, to com into bing; to com to pass rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #1961 BDB #224 bd (òæáæã) [pronouncd B ÌE -vd] slav, srvant; undrling; subjct masculin singular noun nd with a 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #5650 BDB #713 Translation:...thr will your srvant b. Ittai nds his modratly complx pldg to b whrvr David is. Think about whr ths two mn ar. Thy ar not too far from whr Jsus and th Apostls wr aftr our Lord s last suppr bfor th trials and His crucifixion. Thy wr in Jrusalm, and had gon down to th Kidron vally, and up Mount Olivs. Aftr Jsus had said ths things, H wnt out with His discipls across th Kidron Vally, whr thr was a gardn, and H and His discipls wnt into it (John 18:1). H wnt out and mad His way as usual to th Mount of Olivs, and th discipls followd Him. Whn H rachd th plac, H told thm, "Pray that you may not ntr into tmptation." (Luk 22:39 40). Not too long aftr this, th Apostl Ptr dnid

181 2Samul th Lord thr tims aftr Jsus had bn arrstd. Aftr Jsus is takn, Ptr tris to follow Him as H is takn into Jrusalm, but whn h is rcognizd as bing a discipl of Jsus, Ptr dnis this 3 tims. But Ittai tlls David: [By th] lif [of] Y howah and [by th] lif [of] my adonai th king, that in th plac whr my adonai th king is whthr for dath or for lif [with grat prosprity] thr will your srvant b. What a contrast, and all of this taks plac in th sam gnral ara outsid of Jrusalm, on th othr sid of th Brook Kidron, up on th Mount of Olivs. Ittai maks a clar choic to stay with David, saying first, vn if h dis, that is whr h wants to b. Ittai had his prioritis straight. David was a grat blivr; h undrstood doctrin and h apparntly ithr wrot or taught doctrin. But what h said was profound. Furthrmor, Ittai rcognizd that, as a matur blivr, David would rciv grat blssing from God, and this blssing ovrflowd to all who wr with him. On th othr hand and many of you may not b abl to rlat to this what an incrdibl thing to go down in battl righting sid-by-sid King David; what could b mor xciting and glorious? So Ittai was rady for whatvr. Th vry ida of taking out as many of David s nmis as humanly possibl, whthr on s lif is takn on th battlfild or not is what Ittai is mor than willing to do. Application: Whr do you want to b whn disastr striks? You want to b among a numbr of suprgrac blivrs. You want to b in a plac whr doctrin is bing taught; whr popl hav a lov for God (which mans, in this dispnsation, a lov of th Word of God). I rcall a fw yars back whn a numbr of ambassadors wr saying, I don t want to srv in Iraq. That is lik giving m a dath sntnc. Howvr, librals lovd th Arab spring, which, at this point in tim, is imploding and turning vil (it always was vil, but mor popl ar abl to rcogniz it now). Now, srving narly anywhr in th Middl East is a lousy plac to b (if not a dadly plac to srv), unlss you ar a blivr with doctrin and you ar abl and willing to shar th gospl of Jsus Christ with th popl. Ittai undrstands whr his lif will b full; standing along sid of David, a suprgrac blivr. In many cass, this is in th y of th storm; all around you, you s th hurrican thrashing and taring vrything apart, but in th y, vrything is calm and saf. On might s that as illustrativ of God s protctiv wall of fir for His Own. Guzik summd this up quit quickly. Guzik on Ittai s Tstimony of Loyalty 1. Ittai did it whn David was down 2. Ittai did it dcisivly 3. Ittai did it voluntarily 4. Ittai did it having nwly com to David 5. Ittai did it publicly 6. Ittai did it knowing that th fat of David bcam his fat From: David Guzik s Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; courtsy of -sword; 2006; 2Sam. 15: Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins But [lit., and so] Ittai answrd th king and said, [By th] lif [of] Y howah and [by th] lif [of] my adonai th king, that in th plac whr my adonai th king is whthr for dath or for lif [with grat prosprity] thr will your srvant b. It should not strik us as odd that Ittai, a Philistin gntil, is pldging his support and loyalty to David, a Jw. Ittai rcognizs David s association with th Tru God of th Univrs, and thrfor, joins him, whthr for dath or for lif.

182 6681 Th Book of Samul Application: It is not good luck hooking up with a doctrinal church; it is common sns. Throughout th Bibl, God rspcts thos who ar His. Rcall that, vn with Abraham s nphw Lot, God prsrvd Lot and vn rspctd his family that cam aftr, dspit th fact that it was a product of incst. Application: Your associations and th associations of your childrn is of utmost importanc. But Ruth rplid [to hr Jwish mothr-in-law]: Do not prsuad m to lav you or go back and not follow you. For whrvr you go, I will go, and whrvr you liv, I will liv; your popl will b my popl, and your God will b my God. Whr you di, I will di, and thr I will b burid. May th LORD do this to m, and vn mor, if anything but dath sparats you and m (Ruth 1:16 17). A man with many frinds may b harmd, but thr is a frind who stays closr than a brothr (Prov. 18:24). S also John 6: And so says David unto Ittai, Go and pass on. And so passs on Ittai th Gittit and all his mn and all th littl on who [ar] with him. 2Samul 15:22 Thrfor, David said to Ittai, Advanc and pass by. And Ittai th Gittit passd by with all his followrs and all of th familis who [ar] with him. Thrfor, David said to Ittai, March and pass bfor m. And Ittai th Gittit passd bfor David with all of his soldirs and thir familis. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And David said to Ethai: Com, and pass ovr. And Ethai th Gthit passd, and all th mn that wr with him, and th rst of th popl. And so says David unto Ittai, Go and pass on. And so passs on Ittai th Gittit and all his mn and all th littl on who [ar] with him. And David said to Ittai, Go and pass ovr. So Ittai th Gittit passd ovr, and all his mn and all th littl ons that wr with him. And th king said to Ittai, Com and pass ovr with m. So Ittai th Gittit and th king passd ovr, and all his srvants, and all th multitud with him. Th Grk adds a with m to what David says to Ittai. Who xactly is with Ittai varis slightly, according to th English translations of th Latin and Grk. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Living Translation "Okay thn," David rplid to Ittai. "Kp marching!" So Ittai th Gittit and all of his mn and all th littl childrn with him marchd past... "Thn com on!" David said. So Ittai and all his mn and thir familis walkd on past David. David said to Ittai, `Go ahad and walk.' So, Ittai from Gath walkd past. All his mn and thir familis wr with him. David said to Ittai, Com, lt s go cross Kidron Brook. "Fin!" David answrd. "March on!" So Ittai wnt on with all his mn and thir dpndnts. "All right," said David, "go ahad." And thy wnt on, Ittai th Gittit with all his mn and all th childrn h had with him. David rplid, "All right, com with us." So Ittai and all his mn and thir familis wnt along.

183 2Samul Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl And th king said, 'Thn com with m!' And ItTai th Gthit and all his srvants (a hug numbr of thm) travld with th king. Bck s Amrican Translation Com along, David told Ittai. So Ittai from Gath wnt ahad with all his mn and all his family who wr with him. Christian Community Bibl Thn David said to Ittai, Go thn, march on. So Ittai th Gittit marchd on with all his mn and all th childrn who wr with him. God s Word So David told Ittai, "Go ahad and kp marching." So Ittai from Gath marchd on with all his mn and all th familis who wr with him. Nw Amrican Bibl So th king said to Ittai, "Go, thn, march on." And Ittai th Gittit, with all his mn and all th dpndnts that wr with him, marchd on. NIRV David said to Ittai, "Go ahad thn. Kp marching with my mn." So Ittai, th Gittit, kpt marching. All of his mn and thir familis marchd with him. Nw Simplifid Bibl David answrd:»that is fin. March on!«so Ittai wnt on with all his mn and thir dpndnts. Rvisd English Bibl David said to Ittai, It is wll, march on! And Ittai th Gittit marchd on with his whol company and all th dpndants who wr with him. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Complt Jwish Bibl HCSB Nw Advnt Bibl NET Bibl NIV UK David said to Ittai, "Go and pass." Ittai of Gath passd with all his mn with all th his childrn. And David said to Ittai, Go forward, thn. And Ittai th Gittit wnt on, with all his mn and all th littl ons h had with him. "Go, mov along," said David to Ittai; and Ittai th Gitti movd on, accompanid by all his mn and th littl ons with him. "March on," David rplid to Ittai. So Ittai th Gittit marchd past with all his mn and th childrn who wr with him. And David said to Ethai: Com, and pass ovr. And Ethai th Gthit passd, and all th mn that wr with him, and th rst of th popl. So David said to Ittai, "Com along thn [Hb "Com and cross ovr."]." So Ittai th Gittit wnt along [Hb "crossd ovr."], accompanid by all his mn and all th dpndnts [Hb "all th littl ons."] who wr with him. David said to Ittai, `Go ahad, march on.' So Ittai th Gittit marchd on with all his mn and th familis that wr with him. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Th Amplifid Bibl English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl Syndin World English Bibl So David said to Ittai, Go on and pass ovr [th Kidron]. And Ittai th Gittit passd ovr and all his mn and all th littl ons who wr with him. And David said to Ittai, "Go thn, pass on." So Ittai th Gittit passd on with all his mn and all th littl ons who wr with him. And David says to Ittay, Go and pass ovr. - and Ittay th Gittiy passs ovr with all his mn and with all th toddlrs. Consquntly, David said to Ittai, "Mov out and cross ovr {th ford of Citron}." Thn Ittai th Gittit crossd ovr {th Citron} with all his mn, and all th familis which wr with him. {Not: Ittai will stay and bcom on of David's thr grat corps commandrs.}. David said to Ittai, Go and pass ovr. Ittai th Gittit passd ovr, and all his mn, and all th littl ons who wr with him.

184 6683 Th Book of Samul Young s Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: And David says unto Ittai, Go and pass ovr; and Ittai th Gittit passs ovr, and all his mn, and all th infants who ar with him. Ittai and all of his mn and thir familis chos to go with David, so thy march with him. 2Samul 15:22a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 âmar (àèîçø) [pronouncd aw-mahr] to say, to spak, to uttr; to say [to onslf], to think rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #559 BDB #55 Dâvid (ãìèåäã); also Dâvîyd (ãìèåäéã) [pronouncd daw- VEED] blovd and is translitratd David masculin propr noun Strong s #1732 BDB #187 l (àæì) [pronouncd hl] unto; into, among, in; toward, to; against; concrning, rgarding; bsids, togthr with; as to dirctional prposition (rspct or dfrnc may b implid) Strong's #413 BDB #39 Ittay (àäúìçé) [pronouncd iht-tah-] with m; translitratd Ithai, Ittai masculin singular propr noun Strong s #863 BDB #87 hâlak (äèìçêà) [pronouncd haw-lahk ] go, com, dpart, walk; advanc nd 2 prson masculin singular, Qal imprativ Strong s #1980 (and #3212) BDB #229 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 âbar (òèáçø) [pronouncd b ìaw -VAHR] to pass ovr, to pass through, to pass on, to pass, to go ovr [byond], to cross, to cross ovr; to go away, to dpart; to violat [a law] nd 2 prson masculin singular, Qal imprativ Strong s #5674 BDB #716 Translation: Thrfor, David said to Ittai, Advanc and pass by. David is ovrlooking all of his troops, and ordring thm to mov in formation bfor him. So h givs this ordr to Ittai. David appars to b organizing th troops who hav com with him and manuvring thm bfor him. 2Samul 15:22b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253

185 2Samul Samul 15:22b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs âbar (òèáçø) [pronouncd b ìaw -VAHR] to pass ovr, to pass through, to pass on, to pass, to go ovr [byond], to cross, to cross ovr; to go away, to dpart; to violat [a law] rd 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #5674 BDB #716 Ittay (àäúìçé) [pronouncd iht-tah-] with m; translitratd Ithai, Ittai masculin singular propr noun Strong s #863 BDB #87 Gittîy (âìäúìäé) [pronouncd git-tee] inhabitant of Gath and possibly win prss; and translitratd Gittit gntilic singular adjctiv with th dfinit articl Strong s #1663 BDB #388 Translation: And Ittai th Gittit passd by... Thrfor, Ittai lads a battalion of 600 soldirs in formation bfor David. H is passing by David in rviw. This simply mans that Ittai is both following ordrs and his mn ar vry capabl and wll-traind soldirs. As a high ranking military man, you nd to know two things: your assts and your nmy s assts. 2Samul 15:22c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] vry, ach, all of, all; any of, any masculin singular construct not followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 ãnâshîym (àâðèùäéí) [pronouncd uh-nawshm]; also splld îyshîym (àäéùäéí) [pronouncd -SHEEM] mn; inhabitants, citizns; companions; soldirs, followrs masculin plural noun rd with th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong's #376 BDB #35 w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] th whol, all of, th ntirty of, all; can also b rndrd any of masculin singular construct followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 þaph (èçó) [pronouncd tahf] childrn, littl childrn, littl ons, young boys; young popl up to th ag of 20; familis masculin singular (collctiv) noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #2945 BDB #381 Although th þaph (èçó) [pronouncd tahf] can rfr to littl ons, it also can rfr to young mn who ar undr th ag of 20 (Ex. 12:37) and to familis as wll (2Chron. 20:13).

186 6685 Th Book of Samul 2Samul 15:22c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs ãshr (àâéùæø) [pronouncd ash-er] that, which, whn, who, whom rlativ pronoun Strong's #834 BDB #81 îm (òäí) [pronouncd ìm] with, at, by, nar; lik; from prposition of narnss and vicinity with th 3 rd prson masculin singular suffix; pausal form Strong s #5973 BDB #767 Translation:...with all his followrs and all of th familis who [ar] with him. Th mn who ar with him his followrs ths ar th 600 soldirs. Howvr, thy hav brought with thm thir familis. Although th word usd hr can rfr to littl ons, it also can rfr to young mn who ar undr th ag of 20 (Ex. 12:37) and to familis as wll (2Chron. 20:13). It would mak littl sns for this army of 600 to only bring thir childrn along; thrfor, this rfrs to th familis of th Gittit soldirs. So, quit obviously, thy ar throwing in with David in 79 a big way. Thy ar vn putting thir familis at risk. Again, in a tim of national disastr, whr should you b? As clos to a suprgrac blivr as possibl. This ought to sm lik a carful choic that ths popl ar making. Absalom is nw and shiny, and h looks grat; and David has mad svral major mistaks in his lif. Howvr, apparntly ths mn ar abl to rcogniz th on thy should b backing, who is David. David has a clar rlationship to God, and ths mn ar all awar of that. Thrfor, it maks mor sns to rmain with God s man than it dos to trust som hathn. Again, this all gos back to what Ittai first said: But [lit., and so] Ittai answrd th king and said, [By th] lif [of] Y howah and [by th] lif [of] my adonai th king, that in th plac whr my adonai th king is whthr for dath or for lif [with grat prosprity] thr will your srvant b. Ittai and his soldirs rcogniz th rlationship that David has with God, and that is th most important factor to thm. This is known as bing in th gographical will of God (HTML) (PDF). Ittai knows that bing in God s gographical will mans bing with David. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins I hav mntiond th gographical will of God on many occasions. Thrfor, it might b usful to hav it laid out in doctrinal form. Th Gographical Will of God 1. Anything rlatd to th will of God has svral common lmnts: 1) First of all, you must b a blivr in Jsus Christ. Thr is no will of God whatsovr for th unblivr, apart from, Bliv in th Lord Jsus Christ and you will b savd. (John 3:16, 18, 36). 2) In ordr to discrn th will of God, including His gographical will, you must b in fllowship, which rquirs you to nam your sins to God (1John 1:9). 3) You must know Bibl doctrin (2Ptr 3:18). God dos not giv you a tingly fling whn you ar doing th right thing and a stomach ach whn you ar not. 2. Thr ar things which ar tru for all human bings, which ar th laws of divin stablishmnt. From Trasury of Scriptural Knowldg: Sir John Chardin informs us,in a manuscript not on this plac, that it is usual with 79 th gratst part of th astrn popl, spcially th Arabs, to carry thir whol family with thm whn thy go to war. Trasury of Scriptural Knowldg; by Cann, Brown, Blayny, Scott, and othrs about 1880, with introduction by R. A. Torry; courtsy of E-sword, 2Sam. 15:22.

187 2Samul Th Gographical Will of God Blivrs and unblivrs ought to function within th confins of ths laws. 3. You do not us your fr will to sin or to commit crims. Whn you do that, you ar out of th will of God and probably out of th gographical will of God. 4. It is a part of man s natur and a part of man s rsponsibility to work. So, during working hours, you ought to b at work. 1) Adam workd both in prfct nvironmnt and in a falln world. Gn. 2:8, 15 3:17 2) On many occasions, God tachs th importanc of hard work. On xampl is Prov. 6: ) Whn blivrs lost track of this in Thssalonika, Paul told thm, If on dos not work, thn nithr should h at (2Thss. 3:10). 4) As an asid, a blivr should not b sitting at hom collcting a chck from th govrnmnt. I hav prsonally known dozns of popl who collct chcks from th govrnmnt, and, apart from a social scurity chck collctd aftr ag 65, I hav nvr known a singl prson who would hav starvd without this govrnmnt chck. In most cass, th sam is tru of most of th rtird social scurity rcipints that I hav known. 5. Blivrs and unblivrs both hav a rsponsibility toward thir spouss and toward thir childrn. To proprly function in a marriag to proprly rais a child, thr must b tim spnt on ths things. That tim spnt with th family is bing within th gographical will of God. 6. Blivrs grow by mans of th Spirit and knowldg of th Word of God (2Ptr 3:18). That mans, you ought to b undr th taching of th Word of God vry day that your church is opn. Unfortunatly, in most cass, it is only opn 2 3 tims pr wk. This ought to b supplmntd with additional taching on th off days. 7. Onc you hav takn into considration your job, your spous, your family, th intak of Bibl doctrin, along with mals and slping; it is gnrally quit asy to b in God s gographical will 24 hours a day. 8. What about th big things, lik moving from point A to point B? 1) If you ar in a city whr thr is no Bibl doctrin bing taught (and thr ar many citis lik that), and no group which studis undr a pastor from anothr city, you nd to considr othr citis. I hav known a lot of popl ovr th yars and vry fw who did not hav th acadmic disciplin of th church classroom (which could b a group in which a prson mts) wr abl to mak a go of th spiritual livs. This is a list of doctrinal churchs that I am awar of. 2) Whn it coms to making a big mov, thr will crtainly b othr factors,.g., advancmnt in your profssion, a job promotion, spcializd training for your profssion, tc. You may not b abl to find a job in your fild in your city. Howvr, if you ar looking to mak a mov bcaus of your vocation, thn th spiritual availabilitis whr you ar moving to must b a part of your dcision making procss. 3) All of your dcisions ought to hav a spiritual aspct to thm. That is a part of bing occupid with th Prson of Jsus Christ. 4) God will not talk to you, H will not mail you, H will not giv you tingly flings to mov your from point A to point B. 9. Th sam thing is tru whn it coms to any major dcision in your lif,.g., changing jobs. Prsonal problms or a prsonality conflict ar not sufficint rasons to chang jobs. On of th bst dcisions I mad was to stay at a job whr thr wr problms, and that ncouragmnt to stay cam from Bibl taching which I rcivd just at that tim. Similarly, on of th bst dcisions I mad was to chang jobs (that vry sam job) about 15 yars latr. 10. For th nw blivr or th immatur blivr, your bst dcision is to stay right whr you ar about 99.9% of th tim. Paul adviss that th blivr rmain in th stat whrin h was calls. If h is a slav, do not xpnd ffort trying to b fr. If you ar marrid to an unblivr, do not sk to brak th bonds of your marriag. 1Cor. 7:20 21 Each on should rmain in th condition in which h was calld. Wr you a slav whn calld? Do not b concrnd about it. (But if you can gain your frdom, avail yourslf of th opportunity.) Rad all of 1Cor. 7:18 24 to gt th full impact of this passag. 11. W hav had svral instancs of God s gographical will bing mad clar (that is, God cam to ths individuals and told thm what to do and whr to go): 1) Noah building th ark and thn ntring into th ark with his family.

188 6687 Th Book of Samul Th Gographical Will of God 2) Abram and his wif moving to th Land of Promis. 3) Hagar bing snt back to hr mistrss. 4) You will nvr rcivr ths sorts of vrbal instructions bcaus you hav th ntir Word of God availabl to you. 12. W also hav instancs of a blivr bing in God s gographical will without God having to tll him xactly whr to go and what to do. 1) Abram chos to sparat from Lot bcaus thy wr involvd in constant disputs ovr th ownrship of th assts of thir two companis. God cam to Abram almost immdiatly aftr and continud taching th Abrahamic Covnant to him. Gn. 13 2) Abram in Gn. 14 gathrd his mn and fought to fr his nphw Lot from what would b a liftim of slavry. God did not hav to com to Abram and tll him to do this. As a rsult, Abram njoys th fllowship of Mlchizdk, on of th pivotal popl of th Old Tstamnt. 13. For th growing and matur blivr, th ky to th gographical will of God is bing in fllowship with God and knowing th Word of God. Additional rsourcs: Th Doctrin of th Will of God (HTML) (PDF) R. B. Thim, Jr. s Divin Guidanc. Buddy Dano s God s Will for Your Lif. Th xampl of Paul and th gographical will of God. This doctrin is takn dirctly from lsson #160 from th Basic Exgsis of Gnsis (HTML) (PDF). In th Old Tstamnt, most blivrs had a rlationship with somon who had a rlationship with God. Bcaus st Jsus had not yt com, ths various popl wr rprsntativ of Jsus (usually in His 1 Advnt). Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins David Sts up th High Prists to Had His Insurgncy Ntwork Sinc w ar going to spnd svral chaptrs on countrspionag, it might b hlpful to know som of th languag. Th Vocabulary of Rvolution, Insurgncy and Countrinsurgncy Agnt Scriptur Clandstin opration Clandstin warfar Txt/Commntary A prson, usually a forign national, who has bn rcruitd by a staff cas officr from an intllignc srvic to prform clandstin missions. An opration sponsord or conductd by govrnmntal dpartmnts or agncis in such a way as to assur scrcy or concalmnt. A clandstin opration diffrs from a covrt opration in that mphasis is placd on concalmnt of th opration rathr than on concalmnt of th idntity of th sponsor. In spcial oprations, an activity may b both covrt and clandstin and may focus qually on oprational considrations and intllignc-rlatd activitis. An intllignc opration dsignd to rmain scrt as long as possibl. This is th scrt war which gos on btwn nations, during tims of pac and tims of war.

189 2Samul Th Vocabulary of Rvolution, Insurgncy and Countrinsurgncy Scriptur Compromisd Conspiracy Countr-spionag Countrinsurgncy Countrintllignc Covrt oprations Dcoy Dfctor Disinformation Espionag Infiltration opration Insurgncy Intrigu Mol Oprativ Plot Rvolution Rvolutionary Txt/Commntary Whn an opration, asst, or agnt is uncovrd and cannot rmain scrt. A group of individuals who hav, in scrcy or in partial scrcy, bandd togthr to ovrthrow stablish authority or an stablishd systm....is spying dirctd against an nmy's spy systm, such as by rcruiting agnts in forign intllignc organs. Ths ar activitis to protct classifid information from nmis. Action takn by a govrnmnt to countr insurgnt activitis (thos of rvolutionaris, rbls, gurrillas, tc.)....is th activity of prvnting th nmy from obtaining scrt information. Scrt acts by a spy organization....is a prson usd to distract, confus th advrsary In politics, a dfctor is a prson who givs up allgianc to on stat or political ntity in xchang for allgianc to anothr. This act is usually in a mannr which violats th laws of th nation or political ntity from which th prson is sking to dpart, as opposd to a chang of citiznship, which dos not typically dfy th law of any nation....is dlibratly fals information rlasd to mislad an nmy...is th act or function of obtaining scrts from nmis. It is th practic of spying or using spis to obtain information about th plans and activitis spcially of a forign govrnmnt Th covrt moving of an oprativ into a targt ara with th ida that his prsnc or tru affiliation will go undtctd for th appropriat amount of tim. An insurgncy is th stat or condition of bing in rvolt or insurrction. This is an uprising against th stat. Intrigu is th mans by which conspirators carry out thir plan of rvolution. A human pntration into an intllignc srvic or othr highly snsitiv organization. Quit oftn a mol is a dfctor who agrs to work in plac. An intllignc officr or agnt oprating in th fild. A plot is a carfully dsignd plan dsignd to carry out a conspiracy. Rvolution is th ovrthrow by violnc of duly constitutd authority rsulting in fundamntal chang in political organization, constitution, or govrnmnt. Rvolution is a form of conspiracy to ovrthrow stablishmnt-typ govrnmnt to rmov th authority of stablishmnt by mans of violnc....is a prson who dsirs to ovrthrow an stablishd govrnmnt.

190 6689 Th Book of Samul Th Vocabulary of Rvolution, Insurgncy and Countrinsurgncy Scriptur Unconvntional warfar Txt/Commntary Unconvntional warfar as a broad spctrum of military and paramilitary oprations, normally of long duration, prdominantly conductd through, with, or by indignous or surrogat forcs who ar organizd, traind, quippd, supportd, and dirctd in varying dgrs by an xtrnal sourc. It includs, but is not limitd to, gurrilla warfar, subvrsion, sabotag, intllignc activitis, and unconvntional assistd rcovry. Organization varis by cultur and typ of conflict. Whras convntional warfar is usd to rduc an opponnt's military capability, unconvntional warfar is an attmpt to achiv military victory through acquiscnc, capitulation, or clandstin support for on sid of an xisting conflict. As an asid, on of th rasons for our bing dfatd in Vitnam was, w usd convntional warfar against unconvntional warfar. Dfinitions, for th most part, takn from: Chaptr Outlin And so all th arth wprs a voic grat and all th popl passrs by and th king passing ovr in a torrnt of Kidron. And all th popl passrs by upon facs of a way th wildrnss. 2Samul 15:23 Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins So all th land was crying [with] a grat voic and all th popl ar passing by. Thn th king passs through th Kidron Brook. Thn all of th popl pass upon th fac of th road to th dsrt-wildrnss. So th ntir country was wping with a loud voic as all th popl advancd. Thn th king himslf passd through th Kidron Brook. And th popl advancd nar to th road which lads into th dsrtwildrnss. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: And thy all wpt with a loud voic, and all th popl passd ovr: th king also himslf wnt ovr th brook Cdron, and all th popl marchd towards th way that looks to th dsrt. And so all th arth wprs a voic grat and all th popl passrs by and th king passing ovr in a torrnt of Kidron. And all th popl passrs by upon facs of a way th wildrnss. And all th country wpt with a loud voic, and all th popl passd ovr; thn th king also passd ovr th brook Kidron, and all th popl passd ovr toward th way of th wildrnss. And all th country wpt with a loud voic. And all th popl passd by ovr th Brook of Kidron; and th king crossd th Brook Kidron. And all th popl and th king passd on toward th way of th wildrnss. Th Grk mntions th Brook Kidron twic. Th English translation from th Latin has marchd forth, which is quit similar to passd on.

191 2Samul Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Brkly Vrsion Th whol countrysid crid loudly as all th troops marchd past. Th king crossd th Kidron Vally, and all th troops passd by on th Oliv road [LXXL; MT lacks Oliv.] into th wildrnss. Th popl of Jrusalm wr crying and moaning as David and vryon with him passd by. H ld thm across Kidron Vally and along th road toward th dsrt. Thy all walkd through th country. Evryon crid loudly as David and his mn walkd by. King David also crossd ovr th Kidron Vally. Thn thy all walkd towards th dsrt. All th popl [Litrally, "country."] wr crying loudly. King David crossd ovr Kidron Brook. Thn all of th popl wnt out to th dsrt. Th popl crid loudly as David's followrs lft. Th king crossd Kidron Brook, followd by his mn, and togthr thy wnt out toward th wildrnss. Th whol country was wping in loud lamnt as all th popl passd by. As th king crossd th Brook Kidron, th army hadd for th road to th wildrnss. Whil all th popl wr passing by, th ntir countrysid was loudly wping; and whn th king crossd ovr th brook Kidron, all th popl crossd too, in th dirction of th dsrt. Th road astward from Jrusalm toward Jricho, through th northrn nd of th wildrnss of Judah; s Luk 10:30. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl Christian Community Bibl God s Word Nw Amrican Bibl NIRV Nw Jrusalm Bibl Nw Simplifid Bibl Rvisd English Bibl Wll, throughout th land, popl wr crying and wailing. Thn th king and all his popl crossd th Cdar (Kidron) Wadi and travld toward th dg of th dsrt. Manwhil, all thos in th countrysid wpt aloud as all th popl passd by. Thn th king crossd th brook Kidron and all th popl movd on to th dsrt. Th whol country was crying loudly as all th troops wr passing by. Th king was crossing th Kidron Vally, and all th popl wr moving down th road toward th dsrt. Th whol land wpt aloud as th last of th soldirs wnt by, and th king crossd th Wadi Kidron with all th soldirs moving on ahad of him by way of th ascnt of th Mount of Olivs, toward th wildrnss. All of th popl in th countrysid sobbd out loud as David and all of his followrs passd by. Th king wnt across th Kidron Vally. H and all of th popl who wr with him movd on toward th dsrt. Th ntir population was wping aloud as th king stood in th bd of th Kidron and vryon marchd past him, making for th dsrt. Th popl crid loudly as David s followrs lft. Th king crossd Kidron Brook. His mn followd him. Thy wnt to th wildrnss. Th whol countrysid rsoundd with thir wping. Th king rmaind standing whil all th popl crossd th wadi of th Kidron bfor him, by way of th oliv tr in th wildrnss. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Complt Jwish Bibl All th land wpt with a grat voic, and all th popl passd. Th king passd th Kidron rivrbd, and all th popl passd in front of th way of th wildrnss and... And thr was grat wping in all th country whn all th popl wnt through; and th king himslf was waiting in th Kidron vally and all th popl wnt by him in th dirction of th oliv-tr on th dg of th wast land. Th whol country wpt and waild as all th popl lft. Whn th king crossd Vadi Kidron, all th popl crossd, too, hading toward th dsrt road.

192 6691 Th Book of Samul Frar-Fnton Bibl HCSB JPS (Tanakh 1985) Nw Advnt Bibl NET Bibl And all th land wpt with a loud voic, whn th forc passd with th king ovr th book Kidron. Thus all th train passd in th dirction of th dsrt. Evryon in th countrysid was wping loudly whil all th popl wr marching past. As th king was crossing th Kidron Vally, all th popl wr marching past on th road that lads to th dsrt. Th whol countrysid wpt aloud as th troops marchd by. Th king crossd th Kidron Vally, and all th troops crossd by th road to th wildrnss. Larg portions of this vrs ar uncrtain. Emndation yilds stoppd in th Kidron Vally, whil all th popl marchd on bfor him by way of th Mount of Olivs to... And thy all wpt with a loud voic, and all th popl passd ovr: th king also himslf wnt ovr th brook Cdron, and all th popl marchd towards th way that looks to th dsrt. All th land was wping loudly [Hb "with a grat voic."] as all ths popl wr laving [Hb "crossing ovr."]. As th king was crossing ovr th Kidron Vally, all th popl wr laving [Hb "crossing nar th fac of."] on th road that lads to th dsrt. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Concordant Litral Vrsion xgss companion Bibl Th Gnva Bibl LTHB Syndin World English Bibl Young's Litral Translation Th gist of this vrs: And all th land ar wping--a grat voic, and all th popl ar passing ovr; and th king is passing ovr through th brook Kidron, and all th popl ar passing ovr on th front of th way of th wildrnss;... And all th land wps with a grat voic and all th popl pass ovr: and th sovrign passs ovr th wadi Qidron and all th popl pass ovr on th fac of th way of th wildrnss. And all th country wpt with a loud voic, and all th popl [That is, th four hundrd mn.] passd ovr: th king also himslf passd ovr th brook Kidron, and all th popl passd ovr, toward th way of th wildrnss.. And all th land was wping with a loud voic. And all th popl wr passing ovr. And th king was passing ovr through th torrnt Kidron, and all th popl passd ovr, toward th way of th wildrnss. Whil th countrysid wpt aloud {th rural popl undrstood what thy lost whn David's stablishmnt govrnmnt was laving - thy risk thir proprty, thir frdoms, and vn thir livs}, all th popl crossd ovr {th Citron}. Thn th king also crossd ovr th brook Citron, {David crossd last} whil all th popl crossd ovr bfor his fac, and took th highway ovr th Mount of Olivs which lads to th dsrt. {this is th dsrt btwn th Mount of Olivs and Jricho - in Jsus' day this was calld th road to Jricho} {Not: RBT's translation follows th Ko-ra rading instad of th Ka-th-v bcaus it givs th full dirctions. David will go ast away from Jrusalm ovr th fords of th Rivr Jordan nar Jricho. H will cross ths fords and wind up at Mahanaim.}. All th country wpt with a loud voic, and all th popl passd ovr: th king also himslf passd ovr th brook Kidron, and all th popl passd ovr, toward th way of th wildrnss. And all th land ar wping--a grat voic, and all th popl ar passing ovr; and th king is passing ovr through th brook Kidron, and all th popl ar passing ovr on th front of th way of th wildrnss. All of th popl with David and many who wr not wr wping in sadnss that David was no longr king ovr Isral. This taks plac as th popl and th king pass ovr through th brook Kidron along a road in th dsrt-wildrnss.

193 2Samul Samul 15:23a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs wa (or va) (åç) [pronouncd wah] and so, and thn, thn, and; so, that, yt, thrfor, consquntly; bcaus wâw conscutiv BDB #253 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] th whol, all of, th ntirty of, all; can also b rndrd any of masculin singular construct followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 rts (àæøæõ) [pronouncd EH-rts] arth (all or a portion throf), land, trritory, country, continnt; ground, soil; undr th ground [Shol] fminin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong's #776 BDB #75 bâkâh (áìçëèä) [pronouncd baw-kaw] wping [for] (in grif, humiliation, or joy), wping [bittrly], wping upon, crying [for], bwailing masculin plural, Qal activ participl Strong s #1058 BDB #113 qôwl ( åéì) [pronouncd kohl] sound, voic, nois; loud nois, thundring masculin singular noun Strong s #6963 BDB #876 gâdôwl (âìèãåéì) [pronouncd gaw-dohl] larg, grat or mighty [in powr, nobility, walth; in numbr, or magnitud and xtnt], loud, oldr, important, distinguishd; vast, unyilding, immutabl, significant, astonishing masculin singular adjctiv Strong s #1419 BDB #152 Translation: So all th land was crying [with] a grat voic... Land hr is a mtonym. Land, quit obviously, dos not wp. It stands for th popl of th land. So, throughout th land, thy hav hard th trumpts and thn th various popl announc that Absalom is king in Hbron, and it is vry sad for thm to har this, and thy cry out loud, throughout all of Isral. I hav paintd an honst but vry ngativ pictur of David. Aftr tlling you what Absalom had to offr, you may find it hard to bliv that anyon still supportd David, givn his sins and crims. But rmmbr, for yars, David has ithr gon out himslf as a gnral and, mor rcntly, has snt out his nphw Joab as a gnral, and h has kpt th land saf. Th popl did not hav to worry about various forign nations coming in and attacking thm bcaus David has bat down th outsid nations. This gav thm grat frdom and prosprity, bcaus thy wr not giving som or all of thir produc to som forign land. As I writ ths words, thr ar riots going on in Egypt, which has rcntly dposd Mubarak as thir rulr. Now, Mubarak was a hartlss, tough rulr; but h kpt th pac. Egypt was a sovrign country and thy had no fars from riots within or from invasion from without. Christian Churchs wr not prscutd. Mony and tim was not spnt on trying to dstroy Isral. Howvr, rcntly, grat crowds of Egyptians stood up for frdom in Tahir Squar, Mubarak was dposd and killd, and th only viabl political faction, th Muslim Brothrhood, took powr through lctions. And now, thr ar riots; churchs ar not saf; and th popl who sparhadd this rvolt, hoping for som frdom, now ar undr a vry disorganizd rligious tyranny. Thr was law and ordr undr Mubarak; thr wr tourists who rgularly cam to Egypt from all ovr th world (who wr vry hlpful to th conomy, I undrstand), and Christians could worship opnly. Now that has all changd (I writ this

194 6693 Th Book of Samul in lat 2012). So, just bcaus a crul dictator is dposd, that dos not man that lif will b all sunshin and happinss. Th livs of a majority of th popl has dgnratd significantly. Lt s tak a simplr xampl that all Amricans ar awar of. Gorg W. Bush was rsoundingly rjctd in 2008 (h was not on th tickt, but that is who Barack Obama ran against), and Obama was lctd. Popl wr cstatic whn h accptd th nomination of th Amrican popl. Howvr, bcaus h had nvr run vn a lmon aid stand in his lif, Obama was ill-prpard to run th largst buraucracy in th world. So, popl votd rd against John McCain bcaus thy saw him as a 3 trm of Bush, and lctd somon who was nw a shiny; mor handsom and youngr and cool. This is Absalom. H is handsom, young and cool; and h blivs in quality and h trats mn lik thy ar his prsonal frinds; and h can rlat to th popl of Isral. But, point of fact, had h ruld ovr Isral for any amount of tim, his failings as a human bing would bcom manifst. Application: Nw and shiny dos not man bttr; hop and chang is maninglss. Th Arab Spring is just a slogan that w hav put ovr a movmnt in th Arab world that is quit ugly and vicious. Ths popl in Isral who ar with David rcognizd th frdom that thy hav undr David; thy rcogniz thir ability to worship Y howah Elohim and th frdom to njoy thir land and thir proprty. Furthrmor, thr was a judicial systm to which thy could appal. David providd ths popl with divin stablishmnt laws; h providd thm with frdom from within and frdom from without. Thrfor, to har th David was no longr thir rulr causd many popl grat sadnss and thy wpt aloud bcaus of it. Furthrmor, thy might find thmslvs in th midst of a grat civil war, whr a varity of normal srvics brak down, thr ar battls vrywhr, and th war may involv brothr against brothr. So, thr is a potntial chang for th worst for all of ths popl. Howvr, on thing nds to b sriously considrd: David is taking his soldirs out of Jrusalm. This not only spars thos who liv in Jrusalm from bing in th midst of a war, but it may spar all of Isral from such a scnario. David may s to it that any war which taks plac is away from th populatd aras of Isral. 2Samul 15:23b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] th whol, all of, th ntirty of, all; can also b rndrd any of masculin singular construct followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 am (òçí) [pronouncd ìahm] popl; rac, trib; family, rlativs; citizns, common popl; companions, srvants; ntir human rac; hrd [of animals] masculin singular collctiv noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #5971 BDB #766 âbar (òèáçø) [pronouncd b ìaw -VAHR] passrs by, thos passing through; thos passing ovr masculin plural, Qal participl Strong s #5674 BDB #716 Translation:...and all th popl ar passing by. Thr ar a numbr of popl who ar with David his palac officials, much of his army, forign dtails, and many family mmbrs. Thy all pass in rviw bfor David.

195 2Samul Samul 15:23c Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 mlk ( îæìæ) [pronouncd MEH-lk] king, rulr, princ masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4428 BDB #572 âbar (òèáçø) [pronouncd b ìaw -VAHR] passing by, passing through; passing ovr Qal activ participl Strong s #5674 BDB #716 h b (áìà) [pronouncd b ] in, into, through; at, by, nar, on, upon; with, bfor, against; by mans of; among; within a prposition of proximity BDB #88 nachal (ðçççì) [pronouncd NAHKH-al ] brook, torrnt masculin singular construct Strong's #5158 BDB #636 Qid rôwn ( ÄãÀøåÉï) [pronouncd kihd- ROHN] dark, obscur; turbid; making black [or sad]; translitratd Kidron masculin singular propr noun Strong s #6939 BDB #871 Translation: Thn th king passs through th Kidron Brook. Onc thy hav passd bfor David, h follows thm, going through th Brook Kidron. Th Kidron Brook apparntly is right bhind th city of David (to th ast), and David and his soldirs and his followrs wnt down th mountain on th ast sid and crossd ovr th Brook Kidron. Th words usd hr suggst that thy wnt through th brook, as thr was apparntly no way to cross ovr it. Th Pulpit Commntary: Th brook Kidron...is a wintr torrnt, dry during most of th yar, but srving at th rainy sasons to carry off th rainfall from th Vally of Jhoshaphat. It lay on th ast of 80 Jrusalm, and byond it was Mount Olivt. Trasury of Scriptural Knowldg on this subjct: Th brook Kidron, which is but a fw pacs broad, runs along th vally of Jhoshaphat, ast of Jrusalm, to th south-wst cornr of th city, and thn, turning to th south-ast, mptis itslf into th Dad Sa. Lik th Ilissus, it is dry at last nin months in th yar, bing only furnishd with watr in th wintr, and aftr havy rains. its bd is narrow and dp, which indicats that it must formrly hav bn th channl for watrs which hav found som othr, and probably subtrranous 81 cours. Thr is, in fact, a gardn on th othr sid, during th tim of our Lord, whr th Lord ld His discipls, down into th Kidron Vally and thm up into this gardn or oliv orchard (w might call it a park today), on th night in which H was crucifid. Thy had atn a good mal togthr in th uppr room, whr Jsus was taching thm; and thn thy wnt for a walk to this park ara, th plac whr Jsus was btrayd (John 18:1 11). 82 This is a Map of Jrusalm during th tim of Christ. Howvr, it is hlpful in ordr to s David s movmnts. Th city itslf is built up on a hill, surroundd by various walls ovr th yars. 80 Th Pulpit Commntary; ; by Josph S. Exll, Hnry Donald Mauric Spnc-Jons, courtsy of -sword, 2Sam. 15: Trasury of Scriptural Knowldg; by Cann, Brown, Blayny, Scott, and othrs about 1880, with introduction by R. A. Torry; courtsy of E-sword, 2Sam. 15: From accssd Octobr 5, 2012.

196 6695 Th Book of Samul 11 Th Mount of Olivs (on th othr sid and slightly south is th Dad Sa) 13 Th Kidron Vally (which is whr th K i d r o n Torrnt would flow). David s troops xit th city on th ast, travl across th Brook Kidron (#13) and thn ascnd th Mount of Olivs, crying for a portion of this ascnt. At som point, David was abl to viw his troops pass by him and to tak dirction, knowing that thy might soon b at war with Absalom s army, which would includ, in a fw cass, brothr against brothr. 2Samul 15:23d Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs w (or v ) (åà or åì) [pronouncd wh] and, vn, thn; namly; whn; sinc, that; though simpl wâw conjunction BDB #251 kôl (ëìéì) [pronouncd kohl] th whol, all of, th ntirty of, all; can also b rndrd any of masculin singular construct followd by a dfinit articl Strong s #3605 BDB #481 am (òçí) [pronouncd ìahm] popl; rac, trib; family, rlativs; citizns, common popl; companions, srvants; ntir human rac; hrd [of animals] masculin singular collctiv noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #5971 BDB #766 âbar (òèáçø) [pronouncd b ìaw -VAHR] passrs by, thos passing through; thos passing ovr masculin plural, Qal participl Strong s #5674 BDB #716 al (òçì) [pronouncd ìahl] upon, byond, on, against, abov, ovr, by, bsid prposition of proximity Strong s #5921 BDB #752 pânîym (ôìèðäéí) [pronouncd paw- NEEM] fac, facs, countnanc; prsnc masculin plural construct (plural acts lik English singular) Strong s #6440 BDB #815 Togthr, âl and pânîym man upon th fac of, facing, in front of, bfor (as in prfrnc to), in addition to, ovrlooking.