editions and
g-g 1 Chron. 18.12 and Ps. 60.1 read differently.
h-h This phrase is lacking in 1 Chron. 18.13.
i-i Emendation yields “Abiathar son of Ahimelech,” cf., e.g., 20.25; 1 Sam. 22.20.
j “Sheva” in 20.25; “Shavsha” in 1 Chron. 18.16.
k-k So Targum (cf. 20.23; 1 Chron. 18.17); Heb. “and.”.
a-a Lit. “Your servant is.”
b See 1 Sam. 20.14 and note.
c Septuagint reads “household.”
d-d Septuagint reads “And Mephibosheth ate at David’s table.”
a This chapter is found also in 1 Chron. 19.
b Emendation yields “reconnoiter”; cf. Deut. 1.22; Josh. 2.2–3.
c-c See note at 1 Sam. 13.4.
d Heb. “Abshai.”
e Lit. “towns.”
f Many editions read “Hadarezer &ldots; Hadarezer’s.”
g 1 Chron. 19.18 reads “foot soldiers.”
h Heb. “his.”
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “As the LORD lives and as you live” (cf. 1 Sam. 20.3; 25.26; etc.). Lit. “as you live and as your being lives.”
b The earlier form is Jerubbaal (another name for Gideon), Judg. 7.1; on -bosheth/besheth for -baal, see note at 2 Sam. 4.4. For the event at Thebez described here, see Judg. 9.35 ff.
c Septuagint continues with a recapitulation of vv. 19–21.
d-d Lit. “consumes the like and the like.”
a-a The phrase is intended to avoid saying “spurned the LORD”; cf. note d-d at 1 Sam. 25.22.
b Some Septuagint mss. and 4QSama add “in sackcloth”; cf. 1 Kings 21.27.
c I.e., “Beloved of the LORD.”
d Vv. 26–29 are abridged in 1 Chron. 20. 1b.
e-e Meaning of Heb. uncertain; perhaps the source of the water supply.
f Vv. 30–31 are found also in 1 Chron. 20.2–3.
g Heb. “malkam,” perhaps equivalent to “Milcom,” the Ammonite deity; cf. 1 Kings 11.5.
h So Targum and 1 Chron. 20.2.
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b See Gen. 37.3 and note.
c-c Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “(thus) in olden times,” me‘olam.
d A gesture of wild grief; cf. Jer. 2.37.
e Heb. “Aminon.”
f Septuagint adds “but he did not rebuke his son Amnon, for he favored him, since he was his first-born”; cf. 1 Kings 1.6.
g Septuagint adds “and Absalom made a feast fit for a king.”
h-h Septuagint reads “and all his courtiers who were standing by him rent their clothes.”
i-i Lit. “determined by the command of.”
j-j Emendation yields “down the slope of the Horonaim road. The watchman came and told the king ‘I see men coming from the Horonaim road.’ ” Cf. Septuagint.
k-k Some Septuagint mss. and 4QSama read “the spirit [ruah] of the king.”
a Lit. “and he put words into her mouth.”
b So many mss. and printed editions. Most mss. and printed editions read “said.”
c-c Emendation yields “Thus they would destroy the [last] heir and.&ldots;”
d-d Meaning of Heb. uncertain. The apparent sense is: God will not punish you for bringing back the banished Absalom.
e I.e., people.
f-f Lit. “there is no turning to the right or to the left of what my lord the king says.”
g-g See note a above.
a-a Lit. “one of the tribes.”
b Some Septuagint mss. and Syriac read “four.”
c Some Septuagint mss. add “in Hebron.”
d-d Some Septuagint mss. and 4QSama read “sent and summoned.”
e-e Septuagint reads “his courtiers.”
f-f Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
g-g Septuagint reads “the people.”
h Emendation yields “and Ittai and.”
i So one Heb. ms. and several ancient versions; most mss. and editions read “to.”
j Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Septuagint reads “and may the LORD show you” (cf., e.g., 2.6).
k-k Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “stopped in the Kidron Valley, while all the people marched on before him by way of the Mount of Olives to.&ldots;”
l-l Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “Look, you and Abiathar return.”
a Lit. “summer fruit.”
b-b Lit. “What have I and you.”
c So kethib; qere “eye.” Ancient versions read “suffering.”
d Some Septuagint mss. add “at the Jordan.”
e Heb. “his.”
f-f Lit. “before the eyes.”
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Septuagint reads “to you as a bride comes back to her husband; you seek the life of but one man, and.&ldots;”
b Some Septuagint mss. read “the troops” (i.e., Absalom’s).
c-c Ancient versions read “among them.”
d-d Heb. “it.”
e-e Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Targum reads “the Jordan.”
f-f Some Septuagint mss. and 1 Chron. 2.12–17 read “Ishmaelite” and give a somewhat different genealogy.
g Brought up from v. 29 for clarity.
h-h Lacking in the Septuagint and Syriac.
i-i Emendation yields “curds from the flock.”
j Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
a-a Some Septuagint mss. read “divided the troops into three.”
b-b So two Heb. mss., Septuagint, and Vulgate; cf. 1 Kings 1.18 and note. Most mss. and the editions read “Now there are ten thousand like us.”
c The usual term in this narrative for the supporters of Absalom.
d Some Septuagint mss. read “Mahanaim”; cf. 17.24.
e-e Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Ancient versions and 4QSama read “was left hanging”; cf. v. 10.
f-f Lit. “to the ground.”
g Some Septuagint mss. and 4QSama read “fifty.”
h-h So some Heb. mss. and ancient versions. Most mss. and editions read “who”—perhaps meaning “whoever you are.”
i I.e., by killing Absalom.
j-j Some Septuagint mss. and Targum read “Therefore, I will begin before you.”
k-k Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
l I.e., the inner and outer gateways.
a Counted as 18.33 in some versions.
b Some Septuagint mss. read “wept.”
c So Septuagint, 4QSama and some other Heb. mss., and an ancient masoretic tradition; ordinary texts omit “if.”
d Meaning of parts of the rest of vv. 18 and 19 uncertain.
e-e See note at 16.10.
f Some Septuagint mss. read “you.”
g-g So Septuagint. Heb. “entered.”
h I.e., Ziba (cf. v. 30 and 9.2 ff.).
i-i Ancient versions read “Your servant said to him, ‘Saddle my ass, that I may ride. &ldots;”’
j-j Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
k Heb. Chimhan.
l Meaning of parts of vv. 40–44 uncertain.
m-m Septuagint reads “we are the first-born, rather than you.”
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b-b Emendation yields “Joab, the Cherethites and Pelethites, and all the warriors marched out behind Abishai.”
c-c Heb. “him.”
d Heb. “and.” Cf. v. 15 (and “Abel-beth-maacah” in 1 Kings 15.20 and 2 Kings 15.29).
e Emendation yields “Bichrites”; cf. Septuagint.
f-f Meaning of Heb. uncertain. The phrase would read well in the next verse (“&ldots;a clever woman stood on the rampart and shouted&ldots;.”).
g-g Lit. “destroying, to topple the wall.” Septuagint and Targum read “were planning to topple the wall.”
h So in 1 Kings 12.18 and 2 Chron. 10.18 (“Hadoram”); elsewhere “Adoniram.”
i See note j at 8.17.
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b-b Emendation yields “at Gibeon, on the mountain of the LORD” (cf. Septuagint and v. 9).
c So two Heb. mss., many Septuagint mss., and Peshitta; and cf. Targum, Sanhedrin 19b, and 1 Sam. 18.19. Most mss. and the printed editions read “Michal.”
d-d Heb. “them.”
e Septuagint adds “and the bones of those impaled.”
f Apparently a race of giants.
g This paragraph is found also in 1 Chron. 20.4–8; in part, also in 1QSama, with some variations.
h Perhaps a duplicate of ‘oregim (“weavers”) at the end of the verse; meaning of Heb. uncertain. 1 Chron. 20.5 reads “And Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite.”
a This poem occurs again as Ps. 18, with a number of variations, some of which are cited in the following notes.
b-b Lit. “the God of my rock”; Ps. 18.3 “my God, my rock.”
c-c Lit. “horn of rescue.”
d-d Construction of Heb. uncertain.
e I.e., the netherworld, like “Death” and “Sheol.”
f Lit. “Temple.”
g Ps. 18.8 “mountains.”
h-h Ps. 18.11 “Gliding.”
i I.e., the enemies in v. 4.
j Cf. v. 5.
k Ps. 18.26 “man.”
l-l Lit. “And lower Your eyes on the haughty”; Ps. 18.28 “But haughty eyes You humble.”
m Cf. postbiblical gedudiyyoth “walls,” Aramaic gudda, “wall.”
n-n Ps. 18.33 “who girded me with might.”
o Meaning of Heb. uncertain; Ps. 18.33 “made.”
P Taking bamothai as a poetic form of bamoth; cf. Hab. 3.19; others “my.”
q-q Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
r Ps. 18.42 “cried.”
s So some mss. and the Septuagint; most mss. and the printed editions “my people.”
t-t Ps. 18.44 “made me.”
u-u Kethib and Ps. 18.51 read “He accords wondrous victories.”
a Meaning of much of this poem (vv. 1–7) uncertain.
b-b 4QSama reads “God raised up.”
c-c Or “The favorite of the Mighty One of Israel”; cf. Exod. 15.2. Others “The sweet singer of Israel.”
d So many Heb. mss. Most mss. and the printed editions lack “in.”
e-e Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
f A number of these names, with variations, are found in 1 Chron. 11 and 27.
g-g Preserved in 1 Chron. 11.11; similarly some Septuagint mss. of 2 Sam.
h-h Lit. “slain.”
i See note at 1 Sam. 22.1.
j So Septuagint and 1 Chron. 11.19.
k-k Two Heb. mss. and Syriac read “the thirty”; cf. vv. 23–24.
l Emendation yields “thirty.”
m-m Heb. “the son of a brave soldier.”
n Meaning of Heb. uncertain. 1 Chron. 11.23 reads “a giant of a man.”
o Septuagint and 1 Chron. 11 differ from the foregoing lists in vv. 8–38, and from each other in the number and forms of the names.
a This chapter is also found, with some variations, in 1 Chron. 21.1–7.
b Cf. above 21.1–14.
c-c 1 Chron. 21.2 reads “and to the officers of the army”; cf. below v. 4.
d-d Some Septuagint mss. read “began at Aroer, and from the town, which is &ldots; Gad, they.”
e-e Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
f-f See note at 1 Sam. 24.6.
g Septuagint adds “So David chose the pestilence. It was the time of the wheat harvest.”
h 4QSama and 1 Chron. 21.20 add “Araunah (Ornan) was threshing wheat.”

I Kings

1 King David was now old, advanced in years; and though they covered him with bedclothes, he never felt warm. 2His courtiers said to him, “Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the king, to wait upon Your Majesty and be his attendant;a and let her lie in your bosom, and my lord the king will be warm.” 3So they looked for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel. They found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king. 4The girl was exceedingly beautiful. She became the king’s attendanta and waited upon him; but the king