2 Samuel 14 Introduction

Structure and Formatting

This chapter continues the story of what David did as the king of Israel. It describes how Joab got a woman to go to David and tell him a story that would provide an illustration that would convince David that he should permit Absalom to return to the city of Jerusalem and not punish him for killing his half-brother Amnon. The chapter also describes Absalom’s appearance and family and how he ruthlessly got Joab to appeal to David to allow him to return to the royal court itself.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

How much did Absalom’s hair weigh?

In [14:26](../14/26.md), the author says that when Absalom cut his hair each year, it weighed “200 shekels by the stone of the king.” The author is helping readers understand how much Absalom’s hair weighed by expressing the weight in terms of a measurement they know. The “stone of the king” was a standard for the weight of a shekel, but it is no longer certain exactly what this was. If it was the same as the shekel of the sanctuary, Absalom’s hair would have weighed about five pounds or about two kilograms, which seems improbable. Some interpreters suggest that the final version of 2 Samuel was edited during or after the Babylonian exile and that the book is referring to the Babylonian shekel as a standard that readers would recognize. In that case the weight would be about two pounds or about one kilogram, which is more probable. Since the actual weight is uncertain, in your translation, you could use the ancient measurement, “shekels by the stone of the king,” and spell the word “shekel” the way it sounds in your language. You could also use a general expression, as the UST does.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

“my lord the king”

In several places in this chapter, people who are addressing David directly speak of him in the third person as “the king” or “my lord the king” to show respect. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in a respectful form in the second person.