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Then Absalom happened to come across David’s men. Now as Absalom was riding on his[a] mule, it[b] went under the branches of a large oak tree. His head got caught in the oak and he was suspended in midair,[c] while the mule he had been riding kept going.

10 When one[d] of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.” 11 Joab replied to the man who was telling him this, “What! You saw this? Why didn’t you strike him down right on the spot?[e] I would have given you ten pieces of silver[f] and a commemorative belt!”[g]

12 The man replied to Joab, “Even if[h] I were receiving[i] 1,000 pieces of silver,[j] I would not strike[k] the king’s son! In our very presence[l] the king gave this order to you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’[m] 13 If I had acted at risk of my own life[n]—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have abandoned me.”[o]

14 Joab replied, “I will not wait around like this for you!” He took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the middle of Absalom while he was still alive in the middle of the oak tree.[p] 15 Then ten soldiers who were Joab’s armor-bearers struck Absalom and finished him off.

16 Then Joab blew the trumpet[q] and the army turned back from chasing Israel, for Joab had called for the army to halt. 17 They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and stacked a huge pile of stones over him. In the meantime all the Israelite soldiers fled to their homes.[r]

18 Before this[s] Absalom[t] had set up a monument[u] and dedicated it to himself in the King’s Valley, reasoning, “I have no son who will carry on my name.” He named the monument after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom’s Memorial.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 18:9 tn Heb “the.”
  2. 2 Samuel 18:9 tn Heb “the donkey.”
  3. 2 Samuel 18:9 tn Heb “between the sky and the ground.”
  4. 2 Samuel 18:10 tc 4QSama lacks the word “one.”
  5. 2 Samuel 18:11 tn Heb “Why did you not strike him down there to the ground.”
  6. 2 Samuel 18:11 tn Heb “ten [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 4 ounces (114 grams) of silver by weight.
  7. 2 Samuel 18:11 tn Heb “and a girdle” (so KJV); NIV “a warrior’s belt”; CEV “a special belt”; NLT “a hero’s belt.”
  8. 2 Samuel 18:12 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וְלוּ (velu, “and if”) rather than MT וְלֹא (velo’, “and not”).
  9. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “weighing out in my hand.”
  10. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “a thousand [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 25 pounds (11.4 kg) of silver by weight.
  11. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “extend my hand against.”
  12. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “in our ears.”
  13. 2 Samuel 18:12 tc The Hebrew text is very difficult here. The MT reads מִי (mi, “who”), apparently yielding the following sense: “Show care, whoever you might be, for the youth Absalom.” The Syriac Peshitta reads li (“for me”), the Hebrew counterpart of which may also lie behind the LXX rendering μοι (moi, “for me”). This reading seems preferable here, since it restores sense to the passage and most easily explains the rise of the variant.
  14. 2 Samuel 18:13 tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, and a number of the ancient versions in reading בְנַפְשִׁי (venafshi, “against my life”) rather than the MT בְנַפְשׁוֹ (venafsho, “against his life”).
  15. 2 Samuel 18:13 tn Heb “stood aloof.”
  16. 2 Samuel 18:14 tn There is a play on the word “heart” here that is difficult to reproduce in English. Literally the Hebrew text says “he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the heart of the oak tree.” This figure of speech involves the use of the same word in different senses and is known as antanaclasis. It is illustrated in the familiar saying from the time of the American Revolution: “If we don’t hang together, we will all hang separately.” The present translation understands “heart” to be used somewhat figuratively for “chest” (cf. TEV, CEV), which explains why Joab’s armor-bearers could still “kill” Absalom after he had been stabbed with three spears through the “heart.” Since trees do not have “chests” either, the translation uses “middle.”
  17. 2 Samuel 18:16 tn Heb “the shofar” (the ram’s horn trumpet).
  18. 2 Samuel 18:17 tn Heb “and all Israel fled, each to his tent.” In this context this refers to the supporters of Absalom (see vv. 6-7, 16).
  19. 2 Samuel 18:18 tn Heb “and in his life.”
  20. 2 Samuel 18:18 tn This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) describes an occurrence that preceded the events just narrated.
  21. 2 Samuel 18:18 tn Heb “a pillar.”

Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair(A) got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.

10 When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.”

11 Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike(B) him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels[a] of silver and a warrior’s belt.(C)

12 But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels[b] were weighed out into my hands, I would not lay a hand on the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.[c] 13 And if I had put my life in jeopardy[d]—and nothing is hidden from the king(D)—you would have kept your distance from me.”

14 Joab(E) said, “I’m not going to wait like this for you.” So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom’s heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. 15 And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.(F)

16 Then Joab(G) sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. 17 They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up(H) a large heap of rocks(I) over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.

18 During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley(J) as a monument(K) to himself, for he thought, “I have no son(L) to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 18:11 That is, about 4 ounces or about 115 grams
  2. 2 Samuel 18:12 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms
  3. 2 Samuel 18:12 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts may be translated Absalom, whoever you may be.
  4. 2 Samuel 18:13 Or Otherwise, if I had acted treacherously toward him