2 Samuel 15 Introduction

Structure and Formatting

This chapter continues the story of what David did as the king of Israel. It describes how Absalom got the Israelites to want him to be the king instead of David. It tells how Absalom then proclaimed that he was king and how David and his supporters had to flee from Jerusalem for safety. It describes how Ittai the Gittite, a great soldier, promised to stay with David. It tells how the high priests Zadok and Abiathar wanted to come with David and bring the Box of Yahweh, but he sent them back to Jerusalem with it. And it describes how David also sent his counselor Hushai the Archite back to Jerusalem to pretend he was loyal to Absalom but to try to confuse him instead.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

“your servant”

In several places in this chapter, people speak of themselves to authorities in the third person as your servant to show humility. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in a humble form in the first person.

Textual Variants in This Chapter

Did Absalom spend four years or 40 years becoming popular among the Israelites?

According to the traditional Hebrew text, Absalom asked David for permission to go to Hebron after he had been back in Jerusalem for “40 years.” The ULT follows that reading. Other ancient versions and authorities read “four years.” The UST follows that reading, which makes sense, because there would not have been time for Absalom to have been trying to win the affections of the Israelites for 40 years. Absalom was born after David became king in Hebron, and David’s entire reign lasted only a little over 40 years. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of the ULT.