Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV)the Ammonite commanderssaid to theirmasterHanun, “Do you think that David really sent condolences to honouryour late father? Isn’t it more likelybecause he wanted them to spy on us, and to explore the city so he could more easily conquer it?”
Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXXΚαὶ εἶπον οἱ ἄρχοντες υἱῶν Ἀμμὼν πρὸς Ἀννῶν τὸν κύριον αὐτῶν, μὴ παρὰ τὸ δοξάζειν Δαυὶδ τὸν πατέρα σου ἐνώπιόν σου, ὅτι ἀπέστειλέ σοι παρακαλοῦντας; ἀλλʼ ὅπως οὐχὶ ἐρευνήσωσι τὴν πόλιν καὶ κατασκοπήσωσιν αὐτὴν καὶ τοῦ κατασκέψασθαι αὐτὴν ἀπέστειλε Δαυὶδ τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ πρὸς σέ; (Kai eipon hoi arⱪontes huiōn Ammōn pros Annōn ton kurion autōn, maʸ para to doxazein Dawid ton patera sou enōpion sou, hoti apesteile soi parakalountas; allʼ hopōs ouⱪi ereunaʸsōsi taʸn polin kai kataskopaʸsōsin autaʸn kai tou kataskepsasthai autaʸn apesteile Dawid tous paidas autou pros se; )
BrTrAnd the princes of the children of Ammon said to Annon their lord, Is it to honour thy father before thee that David has sent comforters to thee? Has not David rather sent his servants to thee that they should search the city, and spy it out and examine it?
ULTAnd the captains of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Is David honoring your father in your eyes because he sent comforters to you? Is it not for the sake of exploring the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it that David has sent his servants to you?”
USTthe Ammonite leaders said to Hanun, “Do you think that it is to honor your father that David has sent these men to say that he is sorry that you father died? We think that he has sent them here to look around the city to determine how his army can conquer us!”
BSBthe princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Just because David has sent you comforters, do you really believe he is showing respect for your father? Has not David [instead] sent his servants to explore the city, spy it out, and overthrow it?”
OEBthe princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, ‘Do you suppose that David is honoring your father in sending comforters to you? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?’
WEBBEBut the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think that David honours your father, in that he has sent comforters to you? Hasn’t David sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?”
NETthe Ammonite officials said to their lord Hanun, “Do you really think David is trying to honor your father by sending these messengers to express his sympathy? No, David has sent his servants to you to get information about the city and spy on it so they can overthrow it!”
LSVAnd the heads of the sons of Ammon say to their lord Hanun, “Is David honoring your father in your eyes because he has sent comforters to you? For has David not sent his servants to you to search the city, and to spy it, and to overthrow it?”
FBVthe Ammonite military leaders said to Hanun their king, “Do you really believe David sent condolences to you out of respect for your father? Isn't it more likely that David sent his representatives to scout out the city, spy on it, and then conquer it?”
T4Tthe leaders of the Ammon people-group said to Hanun, “Do you think that it is to honor your father that King David has sent these men to say that he is sorry that your father died [RHQ]? We think that he has sent them here to look around the city to determine how his army can conquer us!”
BBEBut the chiefs of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, Does it seem to you that David is honouring your father by sending comforters to you? has he not sent his servants to go through the town and make secret observation of it, and overcome it?
JPSBut the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord: 'Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David sent his servants unto thee to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?'
ASVBut the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father, in that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David sent his servants unto thee to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?
DRAThe princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanon their lord: Thinkest thou that for the honour of thy father, David hath sent comforters to thee, and hath not David rather sent his servants to thee to search, and spy into the city, and overthrow it?
YLTAnd the heads of the Bene-Ammon say unto Hanun their lord, 'Is David honouring thy father in thine eyes because he hath sent to thee comforters? for to search the city, and to spy it, and to overthrow it, hath not David sent his servants unto thee?'
DrbyAnd the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, Is it, in thine eyes, to honour thy father that David has sent comforters to thee? Is it not to search the city and to spy it out, and to overthrow it, that David has sent his servants to thee?
RVBut the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David sent his servants unto thee to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? (But the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou/you that David doth/does honour thy/your father, that he hath/has sent comforters unto thee/you? hath/has not David sent his servants unto thee/you to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? )
SLTAnd the chiefs of the sons of Ammon will say to Hanun their lord, Is David honoring thy father in thine eyes, that he sent comforters to thee? is it not for the sake of searching out the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it, David sent his servants to thee?
WbstrAnd the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father, that he hath sent comforters to thee? hath not David rather sent his servants to thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?
KJB-1769And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?[fn] (And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou/you that David doth/does honour thy/your father, that he hath/has sent comforters unto thee/you? hath/has not David rather sent his servants unto thee/you, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? )
KJB-1611[fn]And the princes of the children of Ammon saide vnto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that Dauid doeth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters vnto thee? Hath not Dauid rather sent his seruants vnto thee, to search the citie, and to spie it out, and to ouerthrow it? (And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou/you that David doth/does honour thy/your father, that he hath/has sent comforters unto thee/you? Hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee/you, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?)
GnvaAnd the princes of the children of Ammon sayde vnto Hanun their lorde, Thinkest thou that Dauid doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters to thee? hath not Dauid rather sent his seruants vnto thee, to search the citie, and to spie it out, and to ouerthrow it? (And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou/you that David doth/does honour thy/your father, that he hath/has sent comforters to thee/you? hath/has not David rather sent his servants unto thee/you, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? )
ClVgdixerunt principes filiorum Ammon ad Hanon dominum suum: Putas quod propter honorem patris tui miserit David ad te consolatores, et non ideo ut investigaret, et exploraret civitatem, et everteret eam, misit David servos suos ad te? (they_said leaders of_children Ammon to Hanondominum his_own: Putas that because honour of_the_father yours(sg) miserit David to you(sg) consolatores, and not/no therefore/for_that_reason as investigaret, and exploraret the_city, and everteret her, he_sent David server/keepers his_own to te? )
10:1-19 Following the interlude of ch 9, the narrative returns to David’s military feats. The Ammonites were likely the dominant political power in Transjordan (the area east of the Jordan) during Saul’s reign and the early years of David’s reign.
(Some words not found in UHB: and=they_said princes_of sons_of ˊAmmōn to/towards Ḩānūn lord_of,their the,honoring Dāvid DOM I_will_show=you(ms) in/on/at/with,opinion_of,you that/for/because/then/when Shalah to/for=yourself(m) condolences am=not in=account_of search DOM the=city and,to,spy_~_out,it and,to,overthrow,it Shalah Dāvid DOM servants_of,his to,you )
The leaders use a question to suggest to the king that he should not trust David. Alternate translation: “You are wrong to think that … you!”
(Some words not found in UHB: and=they_said princes_of sons_of ˊAmmōn to/towards Ḩānūn lord_of,their the,honoring Dāvid DOM I_will_show=you(ms) in/on/at/with,opinion_of,you that/for/because/then/when Shalah to/for=yourself(m) condolences am=not in=account_of search DOM the=city and,to,spy_~_out,it and,to,overthrow,it Shalah Dāvid DOM servants_of,his to,you )
The leaders use a question to suggest to the king that he should not trust David. Alternate translation: “You need to know that David … overthrow it.”
(Some words not found in UHB: and=they_said princes_of sons_of ˊAmmōn to/towards Ḩānūn lord_of,their the,honoring Dāvid DOM I_will_show=you(ms) in/on/at/with,opinion_of,you that/for/because/then/when Shalah to/for=yourself(m) condolences am=not in=account_of search DOM the=city and,to,spy_~_out,it and,to,overthrow,it Shalah Dāvid DOM servants_of,his to,you )
Here “it” refers to the city which represents the people who live there. Alternate translation: “in order to conquer us”
(Occurrence 0) the city
(Some words not found in UHB: and=they_said princes_of sons_of ˊAmmōn to/towards Ḩānūn lord_of,their the,honoring Dāvid DOM I_will_show=you(ms) in/on/at/with,opinion_of,you that/for/because/then/when Shalah to/for=yourself(m) condolences am=not in=account_of search DOM the=city and,to,spy_~_out,it and,to,overthrow,it Shalah Dāvid DOM servants_of,his to,you )
Here “the city” refers to Rabbah, the capital city of the Ammonites.
2 Samuel 8:1-8; 10:1-19; 12:21-31; 1 Chronicles 18:2-11; 19:1-19; 20:1-3
The accounts of David’s greatest military victories stand like bookends around the record of David’s most grievous sins. Sometime after David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem and the Lord promised to establish his dynasty over Israel, David achieved a series of victories over virtually all of Israel’s neighboring nations. These began with David’s capture of Metheg-ammah (likely Gath) and all of Philistia and was followed by his victory over Moab. Then Nahash king of Ammon died, and David sent envoys to express his condolences to Nahash’s son Hanun, who had now become king. Hanun, however, intentionally humiliated David’s envoys, shaving off half their beards and cutting off the bottom half of their garments before sending them back to Israel. When David heard of it, he sent word to his envoys to remain at Jericho until their beards grew back. In the meantime, the Ammonites called upon several Aramean nations to help them fight against Israel, which was likely their original intent for humiliating David’s envoys. Warriors came from Beth-rehob and Zobah, which lay between Israel and Hamath farther north, as well as from Maacah (see “Geshur and Maacah” map) and Tob. The writer of 1 Chronicles also notes that soldiers came from Mesopotamia as well. David sent his commander Joab to fight this coalition at Rabbah. The writer of 1 Chronicles consistently speaks of the battle occurring at Medeba, rather than Rabbah, but the town of Medeba south of Heshbon seems an unlikely location for the battle. Perhaps Rabbah was also referred to at times as Medeba. In any case, Joab and his brother Abishai divided their forces into two groups, with Joab leading the fight against the Arameans to the north and Abishai leading the fight against the Ammonites just outside the gates of Rabbah. As Joab advanced, the Arameans fled, which in turn led the Ammonites to retreat behind the walls of Rabbah. After this Joab (and probably his forces) returned home to Israel. But the Arameans regrouped and added more troops from Aramean nations beyond the Euphrates River. David met them in battle at Helam (likely modern Alma) and won a great victory over them, even killing their commander Shobah (or Shophach). After this the Arameans made peace with Israel. Sometime later David also subjugated the Edomites, who lived to the south of Moab. It was likely sometime after this that David engaged in adultery with the wife of Uriah, one of his own valiant warriors (see “David’s Mighty Men” map), and then he tried to cover up his sin by arranging for Uriah’s death in battle. His sin was later exposed by Nathan the prophet, and David repented. After this Joab returned to Rabbah to finish capturing the city, and when victory was close at hand he called for David to come and finish taking the city. Thus the Ammonites became subject to Israel as well. From all these conquered nations David took many spoils and dedicated them to the Lord’s service, including great amounts of bronze from the towns of Tebah (also called Betah and Tibhath), Berothai, and Cun.
2 Samuel 8:1-8; 10:1-19; 12:21-31; 1 Chronicles 18:2-11; 19:1-19; 20:1-3
The accounts of David’s greatest military victories stand like bookends around the record of David’s most grievous sins. Sometime after David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem and the Lord promised to establish his dynasty over Israel, David achieved a series of victories over virtually all of Israel’s neighboring nations. These began with David’s capture of Metheg-ammah (likely Gath) and all of Philistia and was followed by his victory over Moab. Then Nahash king of Ammon died, and David sent envoys to express his condolences to Nahash’s son Hanun, who had now become king. Hanun, however, intentionally humiliated David’s envoys, shaving off half their beards and cutting off the bottom half of their garments before sending them back to Israel. When David heard of it, he sent word to his envoys to remain at Jericho until their beards grew back. In the meantime, the Ammonites called upon several Aramean nations to help them fight against Israel, which was likely their original intent for humiliating David’s envoys. Warriors came from Beth-rehob and Zobah, which lay between Israel and Hamath farther north, as well as from Maacah (see “Geshur and Maacah” map) and Tob. The writer of 1 Chronicles also notes that soldiers came from Mesopotamia as well. David sent his commander Joab to fight this coalition at Rabbah. The writer of 1 Chronicles consistently speaks of the battle occurring at Medeba, rather than Rabbah, but the town of Medeba south of Heshbon seems an unlikely location for the battle. Perhaps Rabbah was also referred to at times as Medeba. In any case, Joab and his brother Abishai divided their forces into two groups, with Joab leading the fight against the Arameans to the north and Abishai leading the fight against the Ammonites just outside the gates of Rabbah. As Joab advanced, the Arameans fled, which in turn led the Ammonites to retreat behind the walls of Rabbah. After this Joab (and probably his forces) returned home to Israel. But the Arameans regrouped and added more troops from Aramean nations beyond the Euphrates River. David met them in battle at Helam (likely modern Alma) and won a great victory over them, even killing their commander Shobah (or Shophach). After this the Arameans made peace with Israel. Sometime later David also subjugated the Edomites, who lived to the south of Moab. It was likely sometime after this that David engaged in adultery with the wife of Uriah, one of his own valiant warriors (see “David’s Mighty Men” map), and then he tried to cover up his sin by arranging for Uriah’s death in battle. His sin was later exposed by Nathan the prophet, and David repented. After this Joab returned to Rabbah to finish capturing the city, and when victory was close at hand he called for David to come and finish taking the city. Thus the Ammonites became subject to Israel as well. From all these conquered nations David took many spoils and dedicated them to the Lord’s service, including great amounts of bronze from the towns of Tebah (also called Betah and Tibhath), Berothai, and Cun.
