Bible in 90 Days

Footnotes

1. 2 Samuel 22:19 tn The same verb is translated “trapped” in v. 6. In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect. Cf. NAB, NCV, TEV, NLT “attacked.”
2. 2 Samuel 22:19 tn Heb “became my support.”
3. 2 Samuel 22:20 tn Or “delighted in me” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
4. 2 Samuel 22:21 tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect.
5. 2 Samuel 22:21 tn Heb “according to my righteousness.” As vv. 22-25 make clear, David refers here to his unwavering obedience to God’s commands. He explains that the Lord was pleased with him and willing to deliver him because he had been loyal to God and obedient to his commandments. Ancient Near Eastern literature contains numerous parallels. A superior (a god or king) would typically reward a subject (a king or the servant of a king, respectively) for loyalty and obedience. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 211-13.
6. 2 Samuel 22:21 tn The unreduced Hiphil prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, in which case the psalmist would be generalizing. However, both the preceding and following contexts (see especially v. 25) suggest he is narrating his experience. Despite its unreduced form, the verb is better taken as a preterite. For other examples of unreduced Hiphil preterites, see Pss 55:14a; 68:9a, 10b; 80:8a; 89:43a; 107:38b; 116:6b.
7. 2 Samuel 22:21 tn Heb “according to the purity of my hands he repaid to me.” Hands suggest activity and behavior.
8. 2 Samuel 22:22 tn Heb “for I have kept the ways of the Lord.” The phrase “ways of the Lord” refers here to the “conduct required” by the Lord (see HALOT 232 s.v. דֶרֶךְ). In Ps 25 the Lord’s “ways” are associated with his covenantal demands (see vv. 4, 9-10). See also Ps 119:3 (cf. vv. 1, 4), as well as Deut 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16.
9. 2 Samuel 22:22 tn Heb “I have not acted wickedly from my God.” The statement is elliptical, the idea being, “I have not acted wickedly and, in so doing, departed from my God.”
10. 2 Samuel 22:23 tn Heb “for all his regulations are before me.” The term מִשְׁפָּטָו (mishpatav, “his regulations”) refers to God’s covenantal requirements, especially those which the king is responsible to follow (cf Deut 17:18-20). See also Pss 19:9 (cf vv. 7-8); 89:30; 147:20 (cf v. 19), as well as the numerous uses of the term in Ps 119.
11. 2 Samuel 22:23 tn Heb “and his rules, I do not turn aside from it.” Ps 18:22 reads, “and his rules I do not turn aside from me.” The prefixed verbal form is probably an imperfect; David here generalizes about his loyalty to God’s commands. The Lord’s “rules” are the stipulations of the covenant which the king was responsible to obey (see Ps 89:31; cf v. 30 and Deut 17:18-20).
12. 2 Samuel 22:24 tn Heb “from my sin,” that is, from making it my own in any way. Leading a “blameless” life meant that the king would be loyal to God’s covenant, purge the government and society of evil and unjust officials, and reward loyalty to the Lord (see Ps 101).
13. 2 Samuel 22:25 tn Heb “according to my righteousness.” See v. 21.
14. 2 Samuel 22:25 tn Heb “according to my purity before his eyes.”
15. 2 Samuel 22:26 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 26-30 draw attention to God’s characteristic actions. Based on his experience, the psalmist generalizes about God’s just dealings with people (vv. 26-28) and about the way in which God typically empowers him on the battlefield (vv. 29-30). The Hitpael stem is used in vv. 26-27 in a reflexive resultative (or causative) sense. God makes himself loyal, etc. in the sense that he conducts or reveals himself as such. On this use of the Hitpael stem, see GKC 149-50 §54.e.
16. 2 Samuel 22:26 tn Or “to a faithful follower.” A חָסִיד (khasid, “faithful follower”) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
17. 2 Samuel 22:26 tn Or “innocent.”
18. 2 Samuel 22:26 tc Heb “a warrior of innocence.” The parallel text in Ps 18:25 reads, probably correctly, גֶּבֶר (gever, “man”) instead of גִּבּוֹר (gibbor, “warrior”).
19. 2 Samuel 22:27 tn Or “blameless.”
20. 2 Samuel 22:27 tc The translation follows two medieval Hebrew mss in reading תִּתְפַּתָּל (titpattal) from the root פָּתַל (patal, “to twist”), rather than the MT תִּתַּפָּל (tittappal, from the root תָּפַל (tafal, “to be tasteless,” “behave silly”; cf. KJV “unsavoury”). See as well the parallel passage in Ps 18:26. The verb פָּתַל (patal) is used in only three other texts. In Gen 30:8 it means literally “to wrestle,” or “to twist.” In Job 5:13 it refers to devious individuals, and in Prov 8:8 to deceptive words. Cf. NAB, NASB “astute”; NIV “shrewd”; NRSV “perverse”; TEV, NLT “hostile.”
21. 2 Samuel 22:27 tn The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (ʿiqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted; crooked,” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse. It appears frequently in Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20) and life styles (2:15; 28:6). A righteous king opposes such people (Ps 101:4). Verses 26-27 affirm God’s justice. He responds to people in accordance with their moral character. His response mirrors their actions. The faithful and blameless find God to be loyal and reliable in his dealings with them. But deceivers discover he is able and willing to use deceit to destroy them. For a more extensive discussion of the theme of divine deception in the OT, see R. B. Chisholm, “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 11-28.
22. 2 Samuel 22:28 tn Or perhaps “humble” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT; note the contrast with those who are proud).
23. 2 Samuel 22:28 tc Heb “but your eyes are upon the proud, you bring low.” Psalm 18:27 reads “but proud eyes you bring low.”
24. 2 Samuel 22:29 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
25. 2 Samuel 22:29 tc Many medieval Hebrew mss, some LXX mss, and the Syriac Peshitta support reading תָּאִיר (taʾir, “you cause to shine”) before the words “my lamp.” See Ps 18:28. The metaphor, which likens the Lord to a lamp or light, pictures him as the psalmist’s source of life. For other examples of “lamp” used in this way, see Job 18:6; 21:17; Prov 13:9; 20:20; 24:20. For other examples of “light” as a symbol for life, see Job 3:20; 33:30; Ps 56:13.
26. 2 Samuel 22:29 tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Vulgate understand this verb to be second person rather than third person as in the MT. But this is probably the result of reading the preceding word “Lord” as a vocative under the influence of the vocative in the first part of the verse.
27. 2 Samuel 22:29 tn Heb “my darkness.”
28. 2 Samuel 22:30 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
29. 2 Samuel 22:30 tn Heb “by you.”
30. 2 Samuel 22:30 tn Heb “I will run.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 30 indicate the subject’s potential or capacity to perform an action. Though one might expect a preposition to follow the verb here, this need not be the case with the verb רוּץ (ruts; see 1 Sam 17:22). Some emend the Qal to a Hiphil form of the verb and translate, “I put to flight [literally, “cause to run”] an army.”
31. 2 Samuel 22:30 tn More specifically, the noun refers to a raiding party or to a contingent of troops (see HALOT 177 s.v. II גְדוּד). The picture of a divinely empowered warrior charging against an army in almost superhuman fashion appears elsewhere in ancient Near Eastern literature. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 228.
32. 2 Samuel 22:30 tn Heb “by my God.”
33. 2 Samuel 22:30 tn David uses hyperbole to emphasize his God-given military superiority.
34. 2 Samuel 22:31 tn Heb “[As for] the God, his way is blameless.” The term הָאֵל (haʾel, “the God”) stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on “way.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (see BDB 42 s.v. II אֵל 6; Deut 33:26). God’s “way” in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17).
35. 2 Samuel 22:31 tn Heb “the word of the Lord is purified.” The Lord’s “word” probably refers here to his oracle(s) of victory delivered to the psalmist before the battle(s) described in the following context. See also Pss 12:5-7 and 138:2-3. David frequently received such oracles before going into battle (see 1 Sam 23:2, 4-5, 10-12; 30:8; 2 Sam 5:19). The Lord’s word of promise is absolutely reliable; it is compared to metal that has been refined in fire and cleansed of impurities. See Ps 12:6. In the ancient Near East kings would typically seek and receive oracles from their god(s) prior to battle. For examples, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 241-42.
36. 2 Samuel 22:32 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
37. 2 Samuel 22:32 tn Heb “rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor of protection.
38. 2 Samuel 22:32 tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “No one.” In this way the psalmist indicates that the Lord is the only true God and reliable source of protection. See also Deut 32:39, where the Lord affirms that he is the only true God. Note as well the emphasis on his role as protector (צוּר, tsur, “rocky cliff”) in Deut 32:4, 15, 17-18, 30.
39. 2 Samuel 22:33 tn Heb “the God.” See the note at v. 31.
40. 2 Samuel 22:33 tc 4QSam^a has מְאַזְּרֵנִי (m^eʾazz^ereni, “the one girding me with strength”) rather than the MT מָעוּזִּי (maʿuzzi, “my refuge”). See as well Ps 18:32.
41. 2 Samuel 22:33 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive here carries along the generalizing tone of the preceding line.
42. 2 Samuel 22:33 tn Heb “and he sets free (from the verb נָתַר, natar) [the] blameless, his [Kethib; “my” (Qere)] way.” The translation follows Ps 18:32 in reading “he made my path smooth.” The term תָּמִים (tamim, “smooth”) usually carries a moral or ethical connotation, “blameless, innocent.” However, in Ps 18:33 it refers to a pathway free of obstacles. The reality underlying the metaphor is the psalmist’s ability to charge into battle without tripping (see vv. 33, 36).
43. 2 Samuel 22:34 tc Heb “[the one who] makes his feet like [those of] a deer.” The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading רַגְלַי (raglay, “my feet”) rather than the MT רַגְלָיו (raglayv, “his feet”). See as well Ps 18:33.
44. 2 Samuel 22:34 tn Heb “and on my high places he makes me walk.” The imperfect verbal form emphasizes God’s characteristic provision. The psalmist compares his agility in battle to the ability of a deer to negotiate rugged, high terrain without falling or being injured. Habakkuk uses similar language to describe his faith during difficult times. See Hab 3:19.
45. 2 Samuel 22:35 tn Heb “teaches.”
46. 2 Samuel 22:35 tn The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enabling. Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.
47. 2 Samuel 22:35 tn Heb “and a bow of bronze is bent by my arms.” The verb נָחֵת (nakhet) apparently means “to pull back; to bend” here (see HALOT 692 s.v. נחת). The bronze bow referred to here was probably laminated with bronze strips, or a purely ceremonial or decorative bow made entirely from bronze. In the latter case the language is hyperbolic, for such a weapon would not be functional in battle.
48. 2 Samuel 22:36 tn Another option is to translate the prefixed verb with vav consecutive with a past tense, “you gave me.” Several prefixed verbal forms with vav consecutive also appear in vv. 38-44. The present translation understands this section as a description of what generally happened when the author charged into battle, but another option is to understand the section as narrative and translate accordingly.
49. 2 Samuel 22:36 tc Psalm 18:35 contains an additional line following this one, which reads “your right hand supports me.” It may be omitted here due to homoioarcton. See the note at Ps 18:35.tn Heb “and you give me the shield of your deliverance”; KJV, ASV “the shield of thy (your NRSV, NLT) salvation”; NIV “your shield of victory.” Ancient Near Eastern literature often refers to a god giving a king special weapons. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 260-61.
50. 2 Samuel 22:36 tn Heb “your answer makes me great.” David refers to God’s willingness to answer his prayer.
51. 2 Samuel 22:37 tn Heb “step.” “Step” probably refers metonymically to the path upon which the psalmist walks. Another option is to translate, “you widen my stride.” This would suggest that God gives him the capacity to run quickly.
52. 2 Samuel 22:37 tn Heb “lower legs.” On the meaning of the Hebrew noun, which occurs only here, see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 112. A cognate Akkadian noun means “lower leg.”
53. 2 Samuel 22:40 tn Heb “you clothed me with strength for battle.”
54. 2 Samuel 22:40 tn Heb “you make those who rise against me kneel beneath me.”
55. 2 Samuel 22:41 tn Heb “and [as for] my enemies, you give to me [the] back [or “neck” ].” The idiom “give [the] back” means “to cause [one] to turn the back and run away.” See Exod 23:27 and HALOT 888 s.v. II ערף.
56. 2 Samuel 22:42 tc The translation follows one medieval Hebrew ms and the ancient versions in reading the Piel יְשַׁוְּעוּ (y^eshavv^eʿu, “they cry for help”) rather than the Qal of the MT יִשְׁעוּ (yishʿu, “they look about for help”). See Ps 18:41 as well.
57. 2 Samuel 22:42 tn Heb “but there is no deliverer.”
58. 2 Samuel 22:42 tn The words “they cry out” are not in the Hebrew text. This reference to the psalmists’ enemies crying out for help to the Lord suggests that the psalmist refers here to enemies within the covenant community, rather than foreigners. However, the militaristic context suggests foreign enemies are in view. Ancient Near Eastern literature indicates that defeated enemies would sometimes cry out for mercy to the god(s) of their conqueror. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 271.
59. 2 Samuel 22:43 tn Or “mud” (so NAB, NIV, CEV). See HALOT 374 s.v. טִיט.
60. 2 Samuel 22:44 tn Heb “from the strivings of my people.” In this context רִיב (riv, “striving”) probably has a militaristic sense (as in Judg 12:2; Isa 41:11), and עַם (ʿam, “people”) probably refers more specifically to an army (for other examples, see the verses listed in BDB 766 s.v. עַם 2.d). The suffix “my” suggests David is referring to attacks by his own countrymen, the “people” being Israel. However, the parallel text in Ps 18:43 omits the suffix.
61. 2 Samuel 22:44 tn Heb “a people whom I did not know serve me.” In this context the verb “know” (יָדַע, yadaʿ) probably refers to formal recognition by treaty. People who were once not under the psalmist’s authority now willingly submit to his rulership to avoid being conquered militarily (see vv. 45-46). The language may recall the events recorded in 2 Sam 8:9-10 and 10:19.
62. 2 Samuel 22:45 tn For the meaning “to be weak; to be powerless” for the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash), see Ps 109:24. Verse 46, which also mentions foreigners, favors this interpretation. Another option is to translate “cower in fear” (see Deut 33:29; Pss 66:3; 81:15).
63. 2 Samuel 22:45 tn Heb “at a report of an ear they submit to me.” The report of David’s exploits is so impressive that those who hear it submit to his rulership without putting up a fight.
64. 2 Samuel 22:46 tn Heb “wither, wear out.”
65. 2 Samuel 22:46 tc The translation assumes a reading וְיַחְרְגוּ (v^eyakhr^egu, “and they quaked”) rather than the MT וְיַחְגְּרוּ (v^eyakhg^eru, “and they girded themselves”). See the note at Ps 18:45.
66. 2 Samuel 22:46 tn Heb “from.”
67. 2 Samuel 22:46 tn Heb “prisons.” Their besieged cities are compared to prisons.
68. 2 Samuel 22:47 tn Elsewhere the construction חַי־יְהוָה (khay y^ehvah) is used exclusively as an oath formula, but this is not the case here, for no oath follows. Here the statement is an affirmation of the Lord’s active presence and intervention. In contrast to pagan deities, he demonstrates that he is the living God by rescuing and empowering the psalmist.
69. 2 Samuel 22:47 tn Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection.
70. 2 Samuel 22:47 tn Or “blessed [i.e., praised] be.”
71. 2 Samuel 22:47 tn Heb “the God of the rock of my deliverance.” The term צוּר (tsur, “rock”) is probably accidentally repeated from the previous line. The parallel version in Ps 18:46 has simply “the God of my deliverance.”
72. 2 Samuel 22:47 tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Psalms the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”) when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 46:10; 57:5, 11).
73. 2 Samuel 22:48 tn Heb “The God is the one who grants vengeance to me.” The plural form of the noun “vengeance” indicates degree here, suggesting complete vengeance or vindication. In the ancient Near East military victory was sometimes viewed as a sign that one’s God had judged in favor of the victor, avenging and/or vindicating him. See, for example, Judg 11:27, 32-33, 36.
74. 2 Samuel 22:48 tn Heb “and [is the one who] brings down nations beneath me.”
75. 2 Samuel 22:49 tn Heb “and [the one who] brings me out from my enemies.”
76. 2 Samuel 22:49 tn Heb “you lift me up.” In light of the preceding and following references to deliverance, the verb רוּם (rum) probably here refers to being rescued from danger (see Ps 9:13). However, it could mean “exalt; elevate” here, indicating that the Lord has given him victory over his enemies and forced them to acknowledge the psalmist’s superiority.
77. 2 Samuel 22:49 tn Heb “from those who rise against me.”
78. 2 Samuel 22:50 sn This probably alludes to the fact that David will praise the Lord in the presence of the defeated nations when they, as his subjects, bring their tribute payments. Ideally God’s chosen king was to testify to the nations of God’s greatness. See J. Eaton, Kingship and the Psalms (SBT), 182-85.
79. 2 Samuel 22:50 tn Heb “to your name.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “Lord,” the primary name of Israel’s covenant God which suggests his active presence with his people (see Exod 3:12-15).
80. 2 Samuel 22:51 tc The translation follows the Kethib and the ancient versions in reading מַגְדִּיל (magdil, “he magnifies”) rather than the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss of the MT which read מִגְדּוֹל (migdol, “tower”). See Ps 18:50.
81. 2 Samuel 22:51 tn Heb “[the one who] does loyalty to his anointed one.”
82. 2 Samuel 23:1 tn Heb “the anointed one of the God of Jacob.”
83. 2 Samuel 23:1 tn Or “pleasant.”
84. 2 Samuel 23:3 tn Heb “rock,” used as a metaphor of divine protection.
85. 2 Samuel 23:5 tn Heb “For not thus [is] my house with God?”
86. 2 Samuel 23:5 tn Heb “for all my deliverance and every desire, surely does he not make [it] grow?”
87. 2 Samuel 23:7 tn Heb “and with fire they are completely burned up in [the place where they] remain.” The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb to emphasize that they are completely consumed by the fire.
88. 2 Samuel 23:8 tn The Hebrew word is sometimes rendered as “the three,” but BDB is probably correct in taking it to refer to military officers (BDB 1026 s.v. שְׁלִישִׁי). In that case the etymological connection of this word to the Hebrew numerical adjective for “three” can be explained as originating with a designation for the third warrior in a chariot.
89. 2 Samuel 23:8 tc The translation follows some LXX mss (see 1 Chr 11:11 as well) in reading הוּא עוֹרֵר אֶת־חֲנִיתוֹ (huʾ ʿorer ʾet khanito, “he raised up his spear”) rather than the MT’s הוּא עֲדִינוֹ הָעֶצְנִי (huʾ ʿadino haʿetsni [Kethib = הָעֶצְנוֹ, haʿetsno]; “Adino the Ezenite”). The emended text reads literally “he was wielding his spear against eight hundred, [who were] slain at one time.”
90. 2 Samuel 23:9 tn Heb “after him.”
91. 2 Samuel 23:9 tc This follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading דֹּדוֹ (dodo) rather than the Kethib of the MT דֹּדַי (doday; cf. ASV, NIV, NLT). But see 1 Chr 27:4.
92. 2 Samuel 23:9 tn Heb “went up.”
93. 2 Samuel 23:10 tn Heb “arose.”
94. 2 Samuel 23:10 tn Heb “his hand.”
95. 2 Samuel 23:11 tn Heb “after him.”
96. 2 Samuel 23:11 tn The Hebrew text is difficult here. The MT reads לַחַיָּה (lachayyah), which implies a rare use of the word חַיָּה (chayyah). The word normally refers to an animal, but if the MT is accepted it would here have the sense of a troop or community of people. BDB 312 s.v. II. חַיָּה, for example, understands the similar reference in v. 13 to be to “a group of allied families, making a raid together.” But this works better in v. 13 than it does in v. 11, where the context seems to suggest a particular staging location for a military operation. (See 1 Chr 11:15.) It therefore seems best to understand the word in v. 11 as a place name with ה (he) directive. In that case the Masoretes mistook the word for the common term for an animal and then tried to make sense of it in this context.
97. 2 Samuel 23:12 tn Heb “delivered.”
98. 2 Samuel 23:13 tn The meaning of Hebrew אֶל־קָצִיר (ʾel qatsir) seems here to be “at the time of harvest,” although this is an unusual use of the phrase. As S. R. Driver points out, this preposition does not normally have the temporal sense of “in” or “during” (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 366).
99. 2 Samuel 23:13 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading שְׁלֹשָׁה (sh^eloshah, “three”) rather than the Kethib of the MT שְׁלֹשִׁים (sh^eloshim, “thirty”). “Thirty” is due to dittography of the following word and makes no sense in the context.
100. 2 Samuel 23:13 tn Heb “went down…and approached.”
101. 2 Samuel 23:17 tn Heb “Far be it to me, O Lord, from doing this.”
102. 2 Samuel 23:17 tn Heb “[Is it not] the blood of the men who were going with their lives?”
103. 2 Samuel 23:17 tn Heb “These things the three warriors did.”
104. 2 Samuel 23:18 tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and Vulgate in reading הַשְּׁלֹשָׁה (hash^elosha, “the three”) rather than the Kethib of the MT הַשָּׁלִשִׁי (hashalishi, “the third,” or “adjutant”). Two medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac Peshitta have “thirty.”
105. 2 Samuel 23:18 tn Heb “and he was wielding his spear against three hundred, [who were] slain, and to him there was a name among the three.”
106. 2 Samuel 23:19 tn Or “more than.”
107. 2 Samuel 23:20 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading חַיִל (khayil, “valor”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, חַי (khay, “life”).
108. 2 Samuel 23:20 tc Heb “the two of Ariel, Moab.” The precise meaning of אריאל is uncertain; some read “warrior.” The present translation assumes that the word is a proper name and that בני, “sons of,” has accidentally dropped from the text by homoioarcton (note the preceding שׁני), so originally: שְׁנֵי בְנֵי אֲרִיאֵל (sh^ene v^ene ʾariʾel).
109. 2 Samuel 23:21 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading אִישׁ (ʾish, “man”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher, “who”).
110. 2 Samuel 23:21 tn Heb “and he went down to.”
111. 2 Samuel 23:23 tn Or “more than.”
112. 2 Samuel 23:29 tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss in reading חֵלֶד (kheled; cf. NAB, NIV, NLT) rather than the MT חֵלֶב (khelev).
113. 2 Samuel 23:33 tn The Hebrew text does not have “the son of.”
114. 2 Samuel 23:34 tn Heb “the son of.”
115. 2 Samuel 23:35 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading חֶצְרַי (khetsray; cf. KJV, NAB) rather than the Kethib of the MT, חֶצְרוֹ (khetsro).
116. 2 Samuel 23:37 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the singular rather than the plural of the Kethib of the MT.
117. 2 Samuel 24:1 sn The parallel text in 1 Chr 21:1 says, “An adversary opposed Israel, inciting David to count how many warriors Israel had.” The Samuel version gives an underlying theological perspective, while the Chronicler simply describes what happened from a human perspective. The adversary in 1 Chr 21:1 is likely a human enemy, probably a nearby nation whose hostility against Israel pressured David into numbering the people so he could assess his military strength. See the note at 1 Chr 21:1.
118. 2 Samuel 24:4 tn Heb “and the word of the king was stronger than.”
119. 2 Samuel 24:5 tn Heb “in the middle of.”
120. 2 Samuel 24:9 tn Heb “and Joab gave the number of the numbering of the people.”
121. 2 Samuel 24:10 tn Heb “and the heart of David struck him.”
122. 2 Samuel 24:13 tc The LXX has here “three” rather than “seven,” and is followed by NAB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT. See 1 Chr 21:12.
123. 2 Samuel 24:13 tn Heb “now know and see.”
124. 2 Samuel 24:14 tn Heb “There is great distress to me. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for great is his mercy, but into the hand of man let me not fall.”
125. 2 Samuel 24:16 tn Heb “messenger.”
126. 2 Samuel 24:16 tn Heb “concerning the calamity.”
127. 2 Samuel 24:16 tn Heb “Now, drop your hand.”
128. 2 Samuel 24:17 tn Heb “let your hand be against me and against the house of my father.”
129. 2 Samuel 24:20 tn Heb “Araunah.” The name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
130. 2 Samuel 24:20 tn Heb “nostrils.”
131. 2 Samuel 24:22 tn Heb “what is good in his eyes.”
132. 2 Samuel 24:22 sn Threshing sledges were heavy boards used in ancient times for loosening grain from husks. On the bottom sides of these boards sharp stones were embedded, and the boards were then dragged across the grain on a threshing floor by an ox or donkey.
133. 2 Samuel 24:22 tn Heb “the equipment of the oxen.”
134. 2 Samuel 24:23 tc The Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation reads עֶבֶד אֲדֹנִי (ʿeved ʾadoni, “the servant of my lord”) rather than the MT’s אֲרַוְנָה (ʾAravnah). In normal court etiquette a subject would not use his own name in this way, but would more likely refer to himself in the third person. The MT probably first sustained loss of עֶבֶד (ʿeved, “servant”), leading to confusion of the word for “my lord” with the name of the Jebusite referred to here.
135. 2 Samuel 24:24 tn Heb “fifty shekels of silver.” This would have been about 20 ounces (568 grams) of silver by weight.
136. 1 Kings 1:1 tn Heb “was old, coming into the days” (i.e., advancing in years).
137. 1 Kings 1:1 tn Or “garments.”
138. 1 Kings 1:2 tn Heb “said to.”
139. 1 Kings 1:2 tn Heb “let them seek for my master, the king, a young girl, a virgin.” The third person plural subject of the verb is indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f). The appositional expression, “a young girl, a virgin,” is idiomatic; the second term specifically defines the more general first term (see IBHS 230 §12.3b).
140. 1 Kings 1:2 tn Heb “and she will stand before the king.” The Hebrew phrase “stand before” can mean “to attend; to serve” (BDB 764 s.v. עָמַד).
141. 1 Kings 1:2 tn Heb “and she will lie down in your bosom.” The expression might imply sexual intimacy (see 2 Sam 12:3 [where the lamb symbolizes Bathsheba] and Mic 7:5), though v. 4b indicates that David did not actually have sex with the young woman.
142. 1 Kings 1:2 tn Heb “and my master, the king, will be warm.”
143. 1 Kings 1:3 tn Heb “through all the territory of Israel.”
144. 1 Kings 1:4 tn Heb “did not know her.” The verb יָדַע (yadaʿ, “to know”) is a euphemism for sexual relations.
145. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Heb “son of Haggith,” but since this formula usually designates the father (who in this case was David), the translation specifies that David was Adonijah’s father.sn Haggith was one of David’s wives (2 Sam 3:4; 2 Chr 3:2).
146. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Heb “lifting himself up.”
147. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Heb “saying.”
148. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Or “he acquired for himself.”
149. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Heb “to run ahead of him.”
150. 1 Kings 1:6 tn Or “disciplined.”
151. 1 Kings 1:6 tn Heb “did not correct him from his days.” The phrase “from his days” means “from his earliest days,” or “ever in his life.” See GKC 382 §119.w, n. 2.
152. 1 Kings 1:6 tn Heb “and she gave birth to him after Absalom.” This does not imply they had the same mother; Absalom’s mother was Maacah, not Haggith (2 Sam 3:4).
153. 1 Kings 1:7 tn Heb “his words were.”
154. 1 Kings 1:7 tn Heb “helped after” (i.e., stood by).
155. 1 Kings 1:7 tn Heb “Adonijah.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
156. 1 Kings 1:8 tn Or “bodyguard” (Heb “mighty men”).
157. 1 Kings 1:8 tn Heb “were not.”
158. 1 Kings 1:9 tc The ancient Greek version omits this appositional phrase.
159. 1 Kings 1:10 tn Or “bodyguard” (Heb “mighty men”).
160. 1 Kings 1:11 tn Heb “Have you not heard?”
161. 1 Kings 1:11 tn Heb “and our master David does not know.”
162. 1 Kings 1:12 tn Heb “now, come.” The imperative of הָלַךְ (halakh) is here used as an introductory interjection. See BDB 234 s.v. חָלַךְ.
163. 1 Kings 1:12 tn Or “so that.”
164. 1 Kings 1:13 tn Heb “come, go to.” The imperative of הָלַךְ (halakh) is here used as an introductory interjection. See BDB 234 s.v. חָלַךְ.
165. 1 Kings 1:13 tn Or “swear an oath to.”
166. 1 Kings 1:14 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), which here draws attention to Nathan’s concluding word of assurance and support. For this use of the word, see HALOT 252 s.v. הִנֵּה.
167. 1 Kings 1:14 tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will come after you.”
168. 1 Kings 1:14 tn Heb “fill up [i.e., confirm] your words.”
169. 1 Kings 1:15 tn Or “bedroom.”
170. 1 Kings 1:16 tn Heb “bowed low and bowed down to.”
171. 1 Kings 1:18 tc Instead of עַתָּה (ʿattah, “now”) many Hebrew mss, along with the Old Greek, Syriac Peshitta, and Latin Vulgate, have the similar sounding independent pronoun אַתָּה (ʾattah, “you”). This reading is followed in the present translation.
172. 1 Kings 1:18 tn Heb “you do not know [about it].”
173. 1 Kings 1:20 tc Many Hebrew mss have עַתָּה (ʿattah, “now”) rather than the similar sounding independent pronoun אַתָּה (ʾattah, “you”).
174. 1 Kings 1:20 tn Heb “the eyes of all Israel are upon you to declare to them who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him.”
175. 1 Kings 1:21 tn The words “if a decision is not made” are added for clarification.
176. 1 Kings 1:21 tn Heb “lies down with his fathers.”
177. 1 Kings 1:21 tn Heb “I and my son Solomon.” The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
178. 1 Kings 1:21 tn Heb “will be guilty”; NASB “considered offenders”; TEV “treated as traitors.”
179. 1 Kings 1:22 tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) here draws attention to Nathan’s arrival and invites the audience to view the scene through the eyes of the participants.
180. 1 Kings 1:23 tn Heb “ground.” Since this was indoors, “floor” is more appropriate than “ground.”
181. 1 Kings 1:25 tn Heb “look.”
182. 1 Kings 1:25 tn Heb “eating and drinking.”
183. 1 Kings 1:25 tn Heb “let the king, Adonijah, live!”
184. 1 Kings 1:27 tc Many Hebrew mss and ancient textual witnesses agree with the Qere in reading this as singular, “your servant.”
185. 1 Kings 1:27 tn Heb “From my master the king is this thing done, and you did not make known to your servants who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him?”
186. 1 Kings 1:28 tn Heb “answered and said.”
187. 1 Kings 1:28 sn Summon Bathsheba. Bathsheba must have left the room when Nathan arrived (see 1:22).
188. 1 Kings 1:28 tn Heb “she came before the king and stood before the king.”
189. 1 Kings 1:29 tn Or “ransomed my life.”
190. 1 Kings 1:30 tn Or “carry out, perform.”
191. 1 Kings 1:31 tn Heb “bowed low, face [to] the ground, and bowed down to the king.”
192. 1 Kings 1:32 sn Summon…Nathan. Nathan must have left the room when Bathsheba reentered.
193. 1 Kings 1:33 tn Heb “the king.”
194. 1 Kings 1:33 tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
195. 1 Kings 1:33 tn Heb “mount Solomon my son on the mule that belongs to me and take him down to Gihon.”
196. 1 Kings 1:34 tn Or “designate” (i.e., by anointing with oil).
197. 1 Kings 1:35 tn Or “commanded.”
198. 1 Kings 1:36 tn Heb “answered and said.”
199. 1 Kings 1:36 tn Or “Amen.”
200. 1 Kings 1:36 tn Heb “So may the Lord God of my master the king say.”
201. 1 Kings 1:37 tn Heb “and may he make his throne greater than the throne of my master King David.”
202. 1 Kings 1:38 sn The Kerethites and Pelethites were members of David’s royal guard (see 2 Sam 8:18). The Kerethites may have been descendants of an ethnic group originating in Crete.
203. 1 Kings 1:39 tn Heb “the horn of oil.” This has been specified as olive oil in the translation for clarity.sn A horn filled with oil. An animal’s horn was used as an oil flask in the anointing ceremony.
204. 1 Kings 1:39 tn Or “anointed.”
205. 1 Kings 1:40 tn Heb “and all the people went up after him, and the people were playing flutes and rejoicing with great joy and the ground split open at the sound of them.” The verb בָּקַע (baqaʿ, “to split open”), which elsewhere describes the effects of an earthquake, is obviously here an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis.
206. 1 Kings 1:41 tn Heb “And Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard, now they had finished eating.”
207. 1 Kings 1:41 tn Heb “Why is the city’s sound noisy?”
208. 1 Kings 1:42 tn The Hebrew text has “look” at this point. The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), “look” draws attention to Jonathan’s arrival and invites the audience to view the scene through the eyes of the participants.
209. 1 Kings 1:42 tn Or “surely.”
210. 1 Kings 1:42 tn Heb “you are a man of strength [or “ability”] and you bring a message [that is] good.” Another option is to understand the phrase אִישׁ חַיִל (ʾish khayil) in the sense of “a worthy man,” that is “loyal.” See also 1 Kgs 1:52 and HALOT 311 s.v. חַיִל.
211. 1 Kings 1:43 tn Heb “answered and said.”
212. 1 Kings 1:43 tn For a similar use of אֲבָל (ʾaval), see Gen 17:19, where God rejects Abraham’s proposal and offers an alternative.
213. 1 Kings 1:43 tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
214. 1 Kings 1:45 tn I.e., designated by anointing with oil.
215. 1 Kings 1:46 tn Heb “And also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom.”
216. 1 Kings 1:47 tn Heb “to bless.”
217. 1 Kings 1:47 tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
218. 1 Kings 1:47 tc Many Hebrew mss agree with the Qere in reading simply “God.”
219. 1 Kings 1:47 tn Heb “make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne.” The term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) is used here of one’s fame and reputation.
220. 1 Kings 1:47 tn Or “bowed down; worshiped.”
221. 1 Kings 1:48 tn The Hebrew text reads, “and the king said.”
222. 1 Kings 1:48 tn Or “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who….” In this blessing formula אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher, “who; because”) introduces the reason why the one being blessed deserves the honor.
223. 1 Kings 1:48 tn Heb “and my eyes are seeing.”
224. 1 Kings 1:49 tn Or “were afraid, trembled.”
225. 1 Kings 1:50 sn Grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. The “horns” of the altar were the horn-shaped projections on the four corners of the altar (see Exod 27:2). By going to the holy place and grabbing hold of the horns of the altar, Adonijah was seeking asylum from Solomon.
226. 1 Kings 1:51 tn Heb “King Solomon.” The name and title have been replaced by the pronoun (“you”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
227. 1 Kings 1:51 tn Or “swear an oath to.”
228. 1 Kings 1:52 tn Heb “if he is a man of strength [or ability].” In this context, where Adonijah calls himself a “servant,” implying allegiance to the new king, the phrase אִישׁ חַיִל (ʾish khayil) probably carries the sense of “a worthy man,” that is, “loyal” (see HALOT 311 s.v. חַיִל).
229. 1 Kings 1:52 tn Heb “but if evil is found in him.”
230. 1 Kings 1:53 tn Heb “sent and they brought him down.”
231. 1 Kings 1:53 tn Heb “Go to your house.”
232. 1 Kings 2:1 tn Heb “and the days of David approached to die.”
233. 1 Kings 2:1 tn Or “commanded.”
234. 1 Kings 2:2 tn Heb “going the way of all the earth.”
235. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “keep the charge of the Lord your God.”
236. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “by walking in his ways.”
237. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Or “keeping.”
238. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “then you will cause to succeed all which you do and all which you turn there.”
239. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “then the Lord will establish his word which he spoke to me, saying.”
240. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “guard their way.”
241. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “by walking before me in faithfulness.”
242. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Or “soul.”
243. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “saying.”
244. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”
245. 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “what he did to the two commanders…and he killed them.”
246. 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “he shed the blood of battle in peace.”
247. 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “and he shed the blood of battle on his belt which is on his waist and on his sandal[s] which are on his feet.” That is, he covered himself with guilt and his guilt was obvious to all who saw him.
248. 1 Kings 2:6 tn Heb “according to your wisdom.”
249. 1 Kings 2:6 tn Heb “and do not bring down his grey hair in peace [to] Sheol.”
250. 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “do loyalty with”; or “act faithfully toward.”
251. 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “and let them be among the ones who eat [at] your table.”
252. 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “thus drew near to.”
253. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “Look, with you is Shimei….”
254. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “and he cursed me with a horrible curse on the day I went to Mahanaim.”
255. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Or “swore an oath to.”
256. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “kill you.”
257. 1 Kings 2:9 tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek and the Vulgate have here “you” rather than “now.” The two words are homonyms in Hebrew.
258. 1 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “what you should do to him.”
259. 1 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “bring his grey hair down in blood [to] Sheol.”
260. 1 Kings 2:10 tn Heb “and David lay down with his fathers.”
261. 1 Kings 2:10 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
262. 1 Kings 2:12 tn Or “kingship.”
263. 1 Kings 2:13 tn Heb “[in] peace.”
264. 1 Kings 2:14 tn Heb “and he said.”
265. 1 Kings 2:15 tn Or “kingship.”
266. 1 Kings 2:15 tn Heb “set their face to me to be king.”
267. 1 Kings 2:15 tn Heb “and the kingdom turned about and became my brother’s, for from the Lord it became his.”
268. 1 Kings 2:16 tn Heb “Do not turn back my face.”
269. 1 Kings 2:16 tn Heb “She said, ‘Speak!’”
270. 1 Kings 2:17 tn Heb “Say to Solomon the king, for he will not turn back your face, that he might give to me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife.”
271. 1 Kings 2:18 tn Heb “[It is] good!”
272. 1 Kings 2:19 tn Or “meet.”
273. 1 Kings 2:19 tn Heb “he set up a throne for the mother of the king.”
274. 1 Kings 2:20 tn Or “I’d like to make just one request of you.”
275. 1 Kings 2:20 tn Heb “Do not turn back my face.”
276. 1 Kings 2:20 tn Heb “and the king said to her.”
277. 1 Kings 2:22 tn Heb “for Adonijah.”
278. 1 Kings 2:23 tn Heb “So may God do to me, and so may he add.”
279. 1 Kings 2:23 tn Heb “if with his life Adonijah has not spoken this word.”
280. 1 Kings 2:24 tn Heb “house.”
281. 1 Kings 2:25 tn The Hebrew text adds, “by the hand of.”
282. 1 Kings 2:25 tn Heb “and he struck him and he died.”
283. 1 Kings 2:26 tn Or “field.”
284. 1 Kings 2:26 tn Heb “you are a man of death,” an idiom.
285. 1 Kings 2:26 tn Heb “and because you suffered through all which my father suffered.”
286. 1 Kings 2:28 tn Heb “turned after” (also later in this verse).
287. 1 Kings 2:28 tn Heb “Joab.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
288. 1 Kings 2:28 sn Grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. The “horns” of the altar were the horn-shaped projections on the four corners of the altar (see Exod 27:2). By going to the holy place and grabbing hold of the horns of the altar, Joab was seeking asylum from Solomon.
289. 1 Kings 2:29 tn Heb “and it was related to King Solomon.”
290. 1 Kings 2:29 tn Heb “so Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying.”
291. 1 Kings 2:30 tn Heb “saying, “In this way Joab spoke and in this way he answered me.”
292. 1 Kings 2:31 tn Heb “house.”
293. 1 Kings 2:31 tn Heb “take away the undeserved bloodshed which Joab spilled from upon me and from upon the house of my father.”
294. 1 Kings 2:32 tn Heb “The Lord will cause his blood to return upon his head.”
295. 1 Kings 2:32 tn Heb “because he struck down two men more innocent and better than he and he killed them with the sword, and my father David did not know.”
296. 1 Kings 2:33 tn Heb “house.”
297. 1 Kings 2:33 tn Heb “his throne.”
298. 1 Kings 2:34 tn Heb “struck him and killed him.” The referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
299. 1 Kings 2:35 tn Heb “over.”
300. 1 Kings 2:35 tc The Old Greek translation includes after v. 35 some fourteen verses that are absent from the MT.
301. 1 Kings 2:36 tn Heb “sent and summoned.”
302. 1 Kings 2:36 tn Heb “and you may not go out from there here or there.”
303. 1 Kings 2:37 tn Heb “your blood will be upon your head.”
304. 1 Kings 2:38 tn Heb “Good is the word, as my master the king has spoken.”
305. 1 Kings 2:38 tn Heb “so your servant will do.”
306. 1 Kings 2:38 tn Heb “many days.”
307. 1 Kings 2:42 tn Heb “sent and summoned.”
308. 1 Kings 2:42 tn Heb “Is it not [true]…?” In the Hebrew text the statement is interrogative; the rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course it is.”
309. 1 Kings 2:42 tn Heb “here or there.”
310. 1 Kings 2:42 tn Heb “good is the word; I have heard.”
311. 1 Kings 2:43 tn Heb “Why have you not kept the oath [to] the Lord and the commandment I commanded you?”
312. 1 Kings 2:44 tn Heb “You know all the evil, for your heart knows, which you did to David my father.”
313. 1 Kings 2:44 tn Heb “The Lord will cause your evil to return upon your head.”
314. 1 Kings 2:45 tn Or “blessed.”
315. 1 Kings 2:45 tn Heb “throne.”
316. 1 Kings 2:46 tn “The king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada and he went out and struck him down and he died.”
317. 1 Kings 2:46 tn “And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.”
318. 1 Kings 3:1 sn The phrase City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
319. 1 Kings 3:2 sn Offering sacrifices at the high places. The “high places” were places of worship that were naturally or artificially elevated.
320. 1 Kings 3:2 tn Heb “for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor the Lord”). The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
321. 1 Kings 3:3 tn Heb “by walking in.”
322. 1 Kings 3:3 tn Or “policies, rules.”
323. 1 Kings 3:4 tn Heb “for it was the great high place.”
324. 1 Kings 3:4 tn Or, “customarily offered up.” The verb form is an imperfect, which is probably used here in a customary sense to indicate continued or repeated action in past time. See GKC 314 §107.b.
325. 1 Kings 3:5 tn Or “revealed himself.”
326. 1 Kings 3:5 tn Heb “ask.”
327. 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “did.”
328. 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “walked before.”
329. 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “in faithfulness and in innocence and in uprightness of heart with you.”
330. 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “and you have kept to him this great loyalty and you gave to him a son [who] sits on his throne as this day.”
331. 1 Kings 3:7 tn Heb “and I do not know going out or coming in.”
332. 1 Kings 3:8 tn There is no verb expressed in the Hebrew text; “stands” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
333. 1 Kings 3:8 tn Heb “your people whom you have chosen.”
334. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “a hearing heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)
335. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “to judge.”
336. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “to understand between good and evil.”
337. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “for”; the word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.
338. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”
339. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “to judge.”
340. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “your numerous people.”
341. 1 Kings 3:10 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in v.15 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
342. 1 Kings 3:10 tn Heb “And the thing was good in the eyes of the Lord, for Solomon asked for this thing.”
343. 1 Kings 3:11 tn Heb “because you asked for this thing, and did not ask for yourself many days and did not ask for yourself riches and did not ask for the life of your enemies, but you asked for yourself understanding to hear judgment.”
344. 1 Kings 3:12 tn This statement is introduced in the Hebrew text by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows.
345. 1 Kings 3:12 tn Heb “I am doing according to your words.” The perfect tense is sometimes used of actions occurring at the same time a statement is made.
346. 1 Kings 3:12 tn This statement is introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows. The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made (i.e., “right now I give you”).
347. 1 Kings 3:12 tn Heb “heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)
348. 1 Kings 3:12 tn Heb “so that there has not been one like you prior to you, and after you one will not arise like you.”
349. 1 Kings 3:13 tn The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made.
350. 1 Kings 3:13 tn Heb “so that there is not one among the kings like you all your days.” The LXX lacks the words “all your days.”
351. 1 Kings 3:14 tn Heb “walk in my ways.”
352. 1 Kings 3:14 tn Or “keeping.”
353. 1 Kings 3:14 tn Heb “walked.”
354. 1 Kings 3:14 tn Heb “I will lengthen your days.”
355. 1 Kings 3:15 tn Heb “and look, a dream.”
356. 1 Kings 3:15 tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”
357. 1 Kings 3:18 sn There was no one else in the house except the two of us. In other words, there were no other witnesses to the births who could identify which child belonged to which mother.
358. 1 Kings 3:19 tn Heb “died.”
359. 1 Kings 3:19 tn Heb “lay, slept.”
360. 1 Kings 3:21 tn Heb “look.”
361. 1 Kings 3:21 tn Heb “look, it was not my son to whom I had given birth.”
362. 1 Kings 3:22 tn Heb “they spoke before the king.” Another option is to translate, “they argued before the king.”
363. 1 Kings 3:26 tn Heb “the woman whose son was alive.”
364. 1 Kings 3:26 tn Heb “for her compassions grew warm for her son.”
365. 1 Kings 3:26 tn The infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the main verb.
366. 1 Kings 3:28 tn Heb “feared,” perhaps in the sense, “stood in awe of.”
367. 1 Kings 3:28 tn Heb “saw.”
368. 1 Kings 3:28 tn Heb “the wisdom of God was in his midst for performing justice.” The phrase “wisdom of God” may be taken as an attributive genitive, “divine wisdom,” or as a genitive of source, “wisdom from God.” Even in English they are basically the same, since wisdom from God is divine in character.
369. 1 Kings 4:3 tn Heb “were scribes”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “secretaries”; TEV, NLT “court secretaries.”
370. 1 Kings 4:4 tn Heb “was over.”
371. 1 Kings 4:5 tn Heb “was over.”
372. 1 Kings 4:5 tn Heb “close associate of”; KJV, ASV, NASB “the king’s friend” (a title for an adviser, not just an acquaintance).
373. 1 Kings 4:6 tn Heb “over the house.”
374. 1 Kings 4:6 tn Heb “was over.”
375. 1 Kings 4:6 sn The work crews. This Hebrew word (מַס, mas) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal or public service.
376. 1 Kings 4:21 sn Beginning with 4:21, the verse numbers through 5:18 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 4:21 ET = 5:1 HT, 4:22 ET = 5:2 HT, etc., through 5:18 ET = 5:32 HT. Beginning with 6:1 the numbering of verses in the English Bible and the Hebrew text is again the same.
377. 1 Kings 4:21 tn Heb “the River” (also in v. 24). This is the standard designation for the Euphrates River in biblical Hebrew.
378. 1 Kings 4:21 tn Heb “[They] were bringing tribute and were serving Solomon all the days of his life.”
379. 1 Kings 4:22 tn Heb “the food of Solomon for each day was.”
380. 1 Kings 4:22 tn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels.
381. 1 Kings 4:23 tn The words “in the stall” are added for clarification; note the immediately following reference to cattle from the pasture.
382. 1 Kings 4:24 tn Heb “because.” The words “his royal court was so large” are added to facilitate the logical connection with the preceding verse.
383. 1 Kings 4:24 sn Tiphsah. This was located on the Euphrates River.
384. 1 Kings 4:24 tn Heb “for he was ruling over all [the region] beyond the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kingdoms beyond the River, and he had peace on every side all around.”
385. 1 Kings 4:25 tn Heb “Judah and Israel lived securely, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beer Sheba, all the days of Solomon.”
386. 1 Kings 4:26 tn The Hebrew text has “40,000,” but this is probably an inflated number (nevertheless it is followed by KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, CEV). Some Greek mss of the OT and the parallel in 2 Chr 9:25 read “4,000” (cf. NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT).
387. 1 Kings 4:27 tn Heb “everyone who drew near to the table of King Solomon.”
388. 1 Kings 4:28 tn Heb “barley and straw for the horses and the steeds they brought to the place which was there, each according to his measure.”
389. 1 Kings 4:29 tn Heb “heart,” i.e., mind. (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)
390. 1 Kings 4:30 tn Heb “the wisdom of Solomon was greater than the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.”
391. 1 Kings 4:31 tn Heb “his name was in all the surrounding nations.”
392. 1 Kings 4:32 tn Heb “spoke.”
393. 1 Kings 4:33 tn Heb “he spoke about plants.”
394. 1 Kings 4:33 tn Heb “he spoke about.”
395. 1 Kings 4:34 tn Heb “the wisdom of Solomon.”
396. 1 Kings 5:1 sn The verse numbers in the English Bible differ from those in the Hebrew text (BHS) here; 5:1-18 in the English Bible corresponds to 5:15-32 in the Hebrew text. See the note at 4:21.
397. 1 Kings 5:1 tn Heb “his servants.”
398. 1 Kings 5:3 tn Heb “a house for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
399. 1 Kings 5:3 tn Heb “because of the battles which surrounded him until the Lord placed them under the soles of his feet.”
400. 1 Kings 5:5 tn Heb “Look, I am saying.”
401. 1 Kings 5:5 tn Heb “a house for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
402. 1 Kings 5:5 tn Heb “a house for my name.”
403. 1 Kings 5:7 tn Or “Blessed be the Lord today, who….”
404. 1 Kings 5:8 tn Heb “heard.”
405. 1 Kings 5:8 tn Heb “I will satisfy all your desire with respect to cedar wood and with respect to the wood of evergreens.”
406. 1 Kings 5:9 tn Heb “I will place them [on? as?] rafts in the sea to the place where you designate to me.” This may mean he would send them by raft, or that he would tie them in raft-like bundles, and have ships tow them down to an Israelite port.
407. 1 Kings 5:9 tn Heb “smash them,” i.e., untie the bundles.
408. 1 Kings 5:9 tn Heb “as for you, you will satisfy my desire by giving food for my house.”
409. 1 Kings 5:10 tn Heb “and Hiram gave to Solomon cedar wood and the wood of evergreens, all his desire.”
410. 1 Kings 5:11 sn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels.
411. 1 Kings 5:11 tn Heb “his house.”
412. 1 Kings 5:11 tc The Hebrew text has “twenty cors,” but the ancient Greek version and the parallel text in 2 Chr 2:10 read “20,000 baths.” sn A bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons (about 22 liters), so this was a quantity of about 120,000 gallons (440,000 liters).
413. 1 Kings 5:11 tn Or “pressed.”
414. 1 Kings 5:11 tn Heb “and Solomon supplied Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat…pure olive oil. So Solomon would give to Hiram year by year.”
415. 1 Kings 5:12 tn Heb “a covenant,” referring to a formal peace treaty or alliance.
416. 1 Kings 5:13 tn Heb “raised up.”
417. 1 Kings 5:13 sn Work crews. This Hebrew word (מַס, mas) refers to a group of laborers conscripted for royal or public service.
418. 1 Kings 5:14 tn Heb “was over.”
419. 1 Kings 5:15 tn Heb “carriers of loads.”
420. 1 Kings 5:15 tn Heb “cutters” (probably of stones).
421. 1 Kings 5:16 tc Some Greek mss of the OT read “3,600”; cf. 2 Chr 2:2, 18 and NLT.
422. 1 Kings 5:16 tn Heb “besides thirty-three hundred from the officials of Solomon’s governors who were over the work, the ones ruling over the people, the ones doing the work.”
423. 1 Kings 5:17 tn Heb “and the king commanded.”
424. 1 Kings 5:18 tn Heb “builders.”
425. 1 Kings 5:18 tn Heb “the Gebalites.” The reading is problematic and some emend to a verb form meaning, “set the borders.”
426. 1 Kings 5:18 tc The LXX includes the words “for three years.”
427. 1 Kings 6:1 sn During the month Ziv. This would be April-May, 966 b.c. by modern reckoning.
428. 1 Kings 6:2 tn Heb “60 cubits.” A cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm. Measurements in vv. 2-10 have been converted to feet in the translation for clarity.
429. 1 Kings 6:2 tn Heb “20 [cubits].”
430. 1 Kings 6:2 tn Heb “30 cubits.”
431. 1 Kings 6:3 tn Heb “20 cubits.”
432. 1 Kings 6:3 tn Heb “10 cubits.”
433. 1 Kings 6:5 tn Heb “and he built on the wall of the temple an extension all around, the walls of the temple all around, for the main hall and for the holy place, and he made side rooms all around.”
434. 1 Kings 6:6 tn Heb “five cubits.”
435. 1 Kings 6:6 tn Heb “six cubits.”
436. 1 Kings 6:6 tn Heb “7 cubits.”
437. 1 Kings 6:6 tn Or “offsets” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “offset ledges.”
438. 1 Kings 6:6 tn Heb “so that [the beams] would not have a hold in the walls of the temple.”
439. 1 Kings 6:7 tn Heb “finished stone of the quarry,” i.e., stones chiseled and shaped at the time they were taken out of the quarry.
440. 1 Kings 6:8 tc The Hebrew text has “middle,” but the remainder of the verse suggests this is an error.
441. 1 Kings 6:8 tn Heb “by stairs they went up.” The word translated “stairs” occurs only here. Other options are “trapdoors” or “ladders.”
442. 1 Kings 6:8 tc The translation reads with a few medieval Hebrew mss, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate הַשְּׁלִשִׁית (hash^elishit, “the third”) rather than MT הַשְּׁלִשִׁים (hash^elishim, “the thirty”).
443. 1 Kings 6:9 tn Heb “ built the house and completed it.”
444. 1 Kings 6:9 tn Heb “the house.”
445. 1 Kings 6:9 tn The word occurs only here; the precise meaning is uncertain.
446. 1 Kings 6:9 tn Heb “and rows with cedar wood.”
447. 1 Kings 6:10 tn Heb “5 cubits.” This must refer to the height of each floor or room.
448. 1 Kings 6:11 tc The LXX lacks vv. 11-14.
449. 1 Kings 6:12 tn Heb “walk in.”
450. 1 Kings 6:12 tn Heb “do.”
451. 1 Kings 6:12 tn Heb “and keep all my commandments by walking in them.”
452. 1 Kings 6:12 tn Heb “I will establish my word with you which I spoke to David your father.”
453. 1 Kings 6:14 tn Heb “ built the house and completed it.”
454. 1 Kings 6:15 tc The MT reads קִירוֹת (qirot, “walls”), but this should be emended to קוֹרוֹת (qorot, “rafters”). See BDB 900 s.v. קוֹרָה.
455. 1 Kings 6:16 tn Heb “He built 20 cubits from the rear areas of the temple with cedar planks from the floor to the walls, and he built it on the inside for an inner sanctuary, for a holy place of holy places.”
456. 1 Kings 6:16 tc The MT reads קִירוֹת (qirot, “walls”), but this should be emended to קוֹרוֹת (qorot, “rafters”). See BDB 900 s.v. קוֹרָה.
457. 1 Kings 6:17 tn Heb “and the house was 40 cubits, that is, the main hall before it.”
458. 1 Kings 6:18 tn Heb “Cedar was inside the temple, carvings of gourds (i.e., gourd-shaped ornaments) and opened flowers; the whole was cedar, no stone was seen.”
459. 1 Kings 6:20 tn Heb “20 cubits” (this measurement occurs three times in this verse).
460. 1 Kings 6:20 tn Heb “with plated gold” (or perhaps, “with pure gold”).
461. 1 Kings 6:20 tn Heb “he plated [the] altar of cedar.”
462. 1 Kings 6:21 tn Heb “with plated gold” (or perhaps, “with pure gold”).
463. 1 Kings 6:21 tn Heb “it.”
464. 1 Kings 6:22 tn Heb “all the temple he plated with gold until all the temple was finished; and the whole altar which was in the inner sanctuary he plated with gold.”
465. 1 Kings 6:23 tn Heb “10 cubits” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
466. 1 Kings 6:24 tn Heb “The first wing of the [one] cherub was 5 cubits, and the second wing of the cherub was 5 cubits, 10 cubits from the tips of his wings to the tips of his wings.”
467. 1 Kings 6:25 tn Heb “and the second cherub was 10 cubits, the two cherubim had one measurement and one shape.”
468. 1 Kings 6:26 tn Heb “the height of the first cherub was 10 cubits; and so was the second cherub.”
469. 1 Kings 6:27 tn Heb “in the midst of the inner house,” i.e., in the inner sanctuary.
470. 1 Kings 6:27 tn Heb “and their wings were in the middle of the room, touching wing to wing.”
471. 1 Kings 6:29 sn Inside and out probably refers to the inner and outer rooms within the building.
472. 1 Kings 6:29 tn Heb “carved engravings of carvings.”
473. 1 Kings 6:30 sn Inside and out probably refers to the inner and outer rooms within the building.
474. 1 Kings 6:31 tn Heb “the pillar, doorposts, a fifth part” (the precise meaning of this description is uncertain).
475. 1 Kings 6:32 tn Heb “carved carvings of.”
476. 1 Kings 6:32 tn Heb “he plated [with] gold” (the precise object is not stated).
477. 1 Kings 6:32 tn Heb “and he hammered out the gold on the cherubim and the palm trees.”
478. 1 Kings 6:33 tn Heb “and so he did at the entrance of the main hall, doorposts of olive wood, from a fourth.”
479. 1 Kings 6:34 tn The words “he also made” are added for stylistic reasons.
480. 1 Kings 6:34 tc Heb “two of the leaves of the first door were folding, and two of the leaves of the second door were folding.” In the second half of the description, the MT has קְלָעִים (q^elaʿim, “curtains”), but this probably should be emended to צְלָעִים (ts^elaʿim, “leaves”), which appears in the first half of the statement. One Hebrew ms, the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate support צְלָעִים (ts^elaʿim, “leaves”).
481. 1 Kings 6:37 sn In the month of Ziv. This would be April-May, 966 b.c. by modern reckoning.
482. 1 Kings 6:37 tn The words “of Solomon’s reign” are added for clarification. See v. 1.
483. 1 Kings 6:38 sn In the month Bul. This would be October-November 959 b.c. in modern reckoning.
484. 1 Kings 6:38 tn Heb “he built it in seven years.”
485. 1 Kings 7:1 tn Heb “His house Solomon built in thirteen years and he completed all his house.”
486. 1 Kings 7:2 tn Heb “he built.”
487. 1 Kings 7:2 sn The Palace of the Lebanon Forest. This name was appropriate because of the large amount of cedar, undoubtedly brought from Lebanon, used in its construction. The cedar pillars in the palace must have given it the appearance of a forest.
488. 1 Kings 7:2 tn Heb “100 cubits.”
489. 1 Kings 7:2 tn Heb “50 cubits.”
490. 1 Kings 7:2 tn Heb “30 cubits.”
491. 1 Kings 7:4 tn Heb “and framed [windows in] three rows, and opening to opening three times.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain. Another option might be, “overhung [in] three rows.” This might mean they were positioned high on the walls.
492. 1 Kings 7:5 tn Heb “all of the doors and doorposts.”
493. 1 Kings 7:5 sn Rectangular in shape. That is, rather than arched.
494. 1 Kings 7:5 tn Heb “and all the entrances and the doorposts [had] four frames, and in front of opening to opening three times” (the precise meaning of the description is uncertain).
495. 1 Kings 7:6 tn Heb “a porch of pillars.”
496. 1 Kings 7:6 tn Heb “50 cubits.”
497. 1 Kings 7:6 tn Heb “30 cubits.”
498. 1 Kings 7:6 tn Heb “and a porch was in front of them (i.e., the aforementioned pillars) and pillars and a roof in front of them (i.e., the aforementioned pillars and porch).” The precise meaning of the term translated “roof” is uncertain; it occurs only here and in Ezek 41:25-26.
499. 1 Kings 7:7 tn Heb “and a porch for the throne, where he was making judicial decisions, the Porch of Judgment, he made.”
500. 1 Kings 7:7 tc The Hebrew text reads, “from the floor to the floor.” The second occurrence of the term הַקַּרְקָע (haqqarqaʿ, “the floor”) is probably an error; one should emend to הַקּוֹרוֹת (haqqorot, “the rafters”). See 6:16.
501. 1 Kings 7:8 tn Heb “and his house where he lived, the other court [i.e., as opposed to the great court], separated from the house belonging to the hall, was like this work [i.e., this style of architecture].”
502. 1 Kings 7:8 tn Heb “and a house he was making for the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Solomon had taken, like this porch.”
503. 1 Kings 7:9 tn Or “valuable” (see 5:17).
504. 1 Kings 7:9 tn Heb “according to the measurement of chiseled [stone].”
505. 1 Kings 7:9 tn Heb “inside and out.”
506. 1 Kings 7:9 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word טְפָחוֹת (t^efakhot) is uncertain, but it is clear that the referent stands in opposition to the foundation.
507. 1 Kings 7:10 tn Heb “stones of 10 cubits and stones of 8 cubits” (it is unclear exactly what dimension is being measured). If both numbers refer to the length of the stones (cf. NCV, CEV, NLT), then perhaps stones of two different sizes were used in some alternating pattern.
508. 1 Kings 7:11 tn Heb “on top,” or “above.”
509. 1 Kings 7:11 tn Or “valuable” (see 5:17).
510. 1 Kings 7:11 tn Heb “according to the measurement of chiseled [stone].”
511. 1 Kings 7:12 tn Or “the porch of the temple.”
512. 1 Kings 7:13 tn Heb “King Solomon sent and took Hiram from Tyre.” In 2 Chr 2:13 (MT v. 12) and 4:11, 16 his name is spelled “Huram.”
513. 1 Kings 7:14 tn 2 Chr 2:14 (13 HT) says “from the daughters of Dan.”
514. 1 Kings 7:14 tn Heb “he was filled with the skill, understanding, and knowledge.”
515. 1 Kings 7:15 tn Heb “18 cubits.”
516. 1 Kings 7:15 tn Heb “12 cubits.”
517. 1 Kings 7:16 tn Heb “two capitals he made to place on the tops of the pillars, cast in bronze; 5 cubits was the height of the first capital, and 5 cubits was the height of the second capital.”
518. 1 Kings 7:17 tn Heb “there were seven for the first capital, and seven for the second capital.”
519. 1 Kings 7:18 tn Heb “he made the pillars, and two rows surrounding one latticework to cover the capitals which were on top of the pomegranates, and so he did for the second latticework.” The translation supplies “pomegranates” after “two rows,” and understands “pillars,” rather than “pomegranates,” to be the correct reading after “on top of.” The latter change finds support from many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version.
520. 1 Kings 7:19 tn Heb “the capitals which were on the top of the pillars were the work of lilies, in the porch, 4 cubits.” It is unclear exactly what dimension is being measured.
521. 1 Kings 7:20 tn Heb “and the capitals on the two pillars, also above, close beside the bulge which was beside the latticework, two hundred pomegranates in rows around, on the second capital.” The precise meaning of the word translated “bulge” is uncertain.
522. 1 Kings 7:21 tn Or “south.”
523. 1 Kings 7:21 tn The name “Yakin” appears to be a verbal form and probably means, “he establishes.”
524. 1 Kings 7:21 tn Or “north.”
525. 1 Kings 7:21 sn The meaning of the name Boaz is uncertain. For various proposals, see BDB 126-27 s.v. בעז. One attractive option is to revocalize the name as בְּעֹז (b^eʿoz, “in strength”) and to understand it as completing the verbal form on the first pillar. Taking the words together and reading from right to left, one can translate the sentence, “he establishes [it] in strength.”
526. 1 Kings 7:23 tn Heb “He made the sea, cast.”sn This large basin was mounted on twelve bronze bulls and contained water for the priests to bathe themselves (2 Chr 4:6; cf. Exod 30:17-21).
527. 1 Kings 7:23 tn Heb “10 cubits.”
528. 1 Kings 7:23 tn Heb “5 cubits.”
529. 1 Kings 7:23 tn Heb “and a measuring line went around it 30 cubits all around.” The measurements are an approximation. The LXX has the number 33. Neither fit a strict calculation of the diameter time pi, but the precise details of measuring (e.g. the width of the lip or other factors) are not known and numbers may be rounded.
530. 1 Kings 7:24 tn Or “gourd-shaped ornaments.”
531. 1 Kings 7:24 tn Heb “10 cubits surrounding the sea all around.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain.
532. 1 Kings 7:24 tn Heb “the gourd-shaped ornaments were in two rows, cast in its casting.”
533. 1 Kings 7:25 tn Heb “It.” The proper noun “The Sea” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
534. 1 Kings 7:25 tn Heb “all their hindquarters were toward the inside.”
535. 1 Kings 7:26 tn Heb “2,000 baths” (a bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons).
536. 1 Kings 7:27 tn Heb “4 cubits.”
537. 1 Kings 7:27 tn Heb “4 cubits.”
538. 1 Kings 7:27 tn Heb “3 cubits.”
539. 1 Kings 7:29 tn The precise meaning of these final words is uncertain. A possible literal translation would be, “wreaths, the work of descent.”
540. 1 Kings 7:30 tn Heb “and four its feet, supports to them.”
541. 1 Kings 7:30 tn The precise meaning of this last word, translated “wreaths,” is uncertain.
542. 1 Kings 7:31 tn Heb “And its opening from the inside to the top and upwards [was] a cubit, and its opening was round, the work of a stand, a cubit-and-a-half.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain.
543. 1 Kings 7:31 tn Heb “also over its opening were carvings and their frames [were] squared, not round.”
544. 1 Kings 7:32 tn Heb “a cubit-and-a-half” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
545. 1 Kings 7:34 tn Heb “four shoulders to the four sides of each stand, from the stand its shoulders.” The precise meaning of the description is uncertain.
546. 1 Kings 7:35 tn Heb “and on top of the stand, a half cubit [in] height, round all around” (the meaning of this description is uncertain).
547. 1 Kings 7:36 tn Heb “according to the space of each.”
548. 1 Kings 7:36 tn The precise meaning of this last word, translated “wreaths,” is uncertain.