Outline of Chapter 18:

Introduction

         vv.     1–5           David Mobilizes His Troops for War, but Remains Behind

         vv.     6–8           The Battle Between the Army of David and the Army of Absalom

         vv.     9–15         Absalom is Discovered and Killed

         vv.    16–18         The Two Monuments to Absalom

         vv.    19–27         The Race of the Two Runners

         vv.    28–32         The Two Reports

         v.       33            David’s Great Sorrow for Absalom

Addendum

Charts, Maps and Short Doctrines:

         Introduction         The Principals of 2Samuel 18

         Introduction         The Prequel of 2Samuel 18

         Introduction         The Abbreviated Davidic Timeline

         Introduction         Matthew Henry Outlines 2Samuel 18

         Introduction         A Synopsis of 2Samuel 18

         Introduction         An Adversity Scale of Values

         Introduction         God and Counterinsurgency

         Introduction         Arrogance and Revolution

         v.       1              Map of Mahanaim

         v.       1              Modern Military Hierarchy

         v.       3              The Doctrine of One Day at a Time

         v.       5              The Doctrine of Negative Emotion

         v.       5              David Goes Astray

         v.       5              David’s Misguided Order

         v.       6              Tale of the Tape

         v.       6              The Rebellion of Absalom (map)

         v.       8              The Easy English Bible Summation (so far)

         v.       9              The American English Bible on “The Heavens and the Earth”

         v.       9              Absalom Hanging on the Oak Tree (graphic)

         v.      14              Nearly Every Translation of 2Samuel 18:14 is Wrong

         v.      14              General Joab Disobeys King David

         v.      14              Absalom: Not Quite a Parallel to Jesus on the Cross

         v.      14              Attacking Certain Religious Christians or Denominations

         v.      14              Clarke: “Justice for Abraham is Long Overdue”

         v.      14              Was Joab Unable to Kill Absalom?

         v.      15              Comparing North and South Korea

         v.      15              Institutions Matter: Real Per Capita GDP in North and South Korea

         v.      16              Joab’s Restraint

         v.      17              Legitimate Authority and the Potter’s Wheel

         v.      17              Categories of Humility

         v.      17              Fleeing Back Home

         v.      18              The Location of Absalom’s Monument

         v.      18              Where is Absalom Buried?

         v.      18              Enforced Humility

         v.      18              Monuments

         v.      18              Gen. Douglas MacArthur Dedication of MacArthur Park

         v.      18              Gen. Douglas MacArthur describing the legions of uniformed American Patriots

         v.      18              Stages of Humility

         v.      29              Is Ahimaaz Lying to David?

         v.      31              Authority Orientation in Life

         v.      32              What We Get from the Competing Runners’ Narrative

         v.      33              Matthew Henry on David’s 5 Mistakes

         v.      33              The Pulpit Commentary on David’s Grief

         v.      33              The Father-Son Relationship in Scripture

         v.      33              Some of the Great Lamentations in Scripture

         Addendum          What We Learn from 2Samuel 18

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          Edersheim Summarizes 2Samuel 18

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of 2Samuel 18

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An Introduction to 2Samuel 18

I ntroduction: 2Sam. 18 is a necessary chapter, in order to reveal what happens to the rebellion of Absalom, but it is also an odd chapter insofar as what is found in this chapter. 3 verses only are dedicated to the actual battle. Much more time is given to Absalom’s predicament of being hung in a tree, along with the predicament of the soldier who finds him, but refuses to kill Absalom, because of the order of the king. Another oddity in this chapter is, there is a great deal of time given to a narrative about the person who would deliver a message to the king about the victory and about Absalom. So, this chapter is quite necessary in order to tie together some loose ends; but it is odd in terms of what seems to be emphasized and remembered.

As you may recall, Absalom has rebelled against his father David, and has forced David out of Jerusalem. David did set up a spy network, so that he was able to keep track of what was occurring in Jerusalem. He also had a mole at the highest level in Absalom’s cabinet, so David was lightyear’s head of Absalom when it came to intelligence gathering.

Because of gathering this intelligence, David knew to take his troops across the River Jordan and it appears that he set up headquarters in Mahanaim, but that would not be the place from where he would lead his troops into battle against Absalom.

Hushai, David’s man on the inside, convinced Absalom to gather troops from all over Israel and to personally lead these men into battle against David. This seemed like an excellent idea to a non-military man like Absalom, not realizing that (1) this gave David more time to regroup, prepare, and develop a strategy; and (2) a larger army is not always a better army. Ahithophel suggested that Absalom allow him to take shock troops and to quickly go on the offensive against David (Ahithophel was going to take a substantial army into battle, which might not quite fit the definition of shock troops). In any case, it is very likely that this approach would have worked. However, this approach would not have glorified Absalom, which was the plans fault, insofar as Absalom was concerned.

In the chapter before us, David reviews and organizes his troops, and is about to go out to war with them, when he is encouraged to remain behind at Mahanaim. His 3 generals would be able to defeat Absalom’s army. So David remained behind, the people who supported him went to war against Absalom’s army, and David’s army prevailed, in part, because of the terrain which David’s army chose to fight in.

Absalom, who is really unfamiliar with war, insofar as we know, gets his head caught up in the branches of a tree, because of all his hair, and he cannot free himself—while his mule trots off leaving him there hanging. He is discovered by member’s of Joab’s brigade. Although the man who discovers him refuses to kill Absalom (because of David’s explicit orders), Joab tries to kill Absalom, and then puts ten of his armor bearers on that job.

After Absalom is killed, Joab allows his army to retreat without taking retribution against them.

What follows is an odd portion of the narrative where Ahimaaz, one of David’s couriers, wants to tell David of their victory. Joab chooses another man to do this, but Ahimaaz is so insistent that Joab allows him to go to deliver the news as well. Interestingly enough, Ahimaaz does not tell David all that happened; but the other runner does.

In the end, David grieves greatly over the loss of his son Absalom.

Absalom has challenged David’s authority; in fact, in doing so, he has challenged God’s authority with regards to Israel.

The Pulpit Commentary on David’s actions to put down Absalom’s rebellion: Our entire life is a continuous duty. Obligations attend us every day. Right action means fulfilment of purposes, obeying laws, harmony with moral necessity. The pressure is incessant, and ordinarily is, for the Christian, a not unwelcome yoke. But now and then duty is in forms requiring all the resources of a strong will, and in a direction against some of the most cherished feelings of the heart. David was bound to care for the kingdom over which he had been appointed by God. The validity of his anointing was still unrevoked by him who ordained it. It was, therefore, due to himself, his kingdom, and his God that he should take means to put down the usurpation of his own son. Paternal feeling might be pained, but the obligation was imperative.

Application: The taking of power through violence and revolution testifies to man’s inability to enjoy or appreciate divine establishment authority and good government. Believers who understand establishment principles appreciate the police officer, the fire department, etc. On the other hand, if you want to resent a mayor or a governor etc., that can be legitimate. David had personal failings; but his government was establishment oriented. Overthrowing David did not just remove David, but it removed all that he put into place. Do not throw out the baby with the bath water.

Application: We have establishment government in the United States, where we still settle things with debates and votes. Obviously there is a lot of misinformation, a lot of propaganda and a dishonest media (most media today are advocacy groups); but with doctrine in your soul and a modicum of information, you can make the right choices. For instance, the nuclear family is a principle of divine establishment. When one political party is in favor of everything but; and the other political party recognizes the importance of the family unit, it is easy to make a choice in the voting booth. However, when violence is used to accomplish this or that end, then we become involved in arrogance, as a country. God never condones a violent overthrow of the government; God never condones revolution; God never condones intimidation. As R. B. Thieme, Jr. pointed out, “We still have freedom to comment negatively about our government. Most of us make money. That is freedom; that is establishment. We can call 911 and get a police out to our homes. God gave us the laws of divine establishment to perpetuate man.”

Application: At present (I write this in 2013), we have the worst president in my lifetime with the worst vice president probably ever next in line for the presidency. He has increased his power and has ignored the laws that he does not want to enforce. This is the greatest arrogance that I have ever seen in a president in my lifetime. And yet, there should be no call of revolution among conservative Americans. We function in a democracy. Now, I fully understand that, there is probably some election fraud which has gone on. However, this is no reason to revolt; this is no reason to take up arms to “take back our nation.” If 40–48% of our nation either supports or is fooled by liberalism, then that is problematic for the United States on many levels; but, it is not enough reason to start a revolution.

Application: During the time that I write this (2013), evangelism is taking place, Bible teaching is taking place; there are no laws against either. Our streets are, for the most part, safe (the exception is, of course, many large cities where liberals have had a foothold for a long period of time). Revolution means chaos and sometimes for an extended period of time. We are seeing this in Egypt and Libya, both countries which were ruled by despots previously; but are now are in national turmoil. Christians have fled many countries in the middle east during this Arab Spring because their lives were in danger. Satan used the chaos to attack Christians and their churches.

Application: Look, I realize that the left turn which our country has taken is quite disconcerting. I recognize that there are so many serious problems throughout our nation, including the ever-increasing class of dependents (those who would rather collect payments from the government than work) and the politically adept homosexual movement, who have been successfully pushing their agenda for decades now. These things must come to pass; these things must occur. Our nation is under disciple. However, always keep in mind, are you able to safely and easily attend Bible class? (This question is poised to those who lived near a doctrinal church) If our churches are not being shut down, then we are fine. We are in the midst of a spiritual battle. There will always be the strong forces of Satan in a nation built upon the principles of God. There will always be the attacks of Satan in the nation where there is Bible teaching and evangelism taking place. Our solution is never political and our solution is never revolution.

According to Reese, David would be 63 years old and according to Fenton-Farrar, he would be 62 years old.

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It appears that David and his men are stopped at Mahanaim, and that is where David will reorganize his troops and that is where David will remain when his army goes to war against Absalom. When David left Jerusalem, he first organized and reviewed his troops in 2Sam. 15:17–18, 23 (As the king and his troops were leaving the city on foot, they stopped at the last house. All his mercenaries passed by him; all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, Ittai, and all 600 men who had followed him from Gath were marching past the king. The whole country was crying loudly as all the troops were passing by. The king was crossing the Kidron Valley, and all the people were moving down the road toward the desert. God’s Word™). Since then, David has moved northeast to Mahanaim, and it is likely that thousands of men have jointed him to do battle against Absalom.

This is the city where David stopped with his army, and there were outpourings of logistical support from all over Israel. David had already come to Mahanaim by the time Absalom and all the men of Israel with him crossed the Jordan River. When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi, son of Nahash from Rabbah in Ammon, and Machir, son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai from Rogelim in Gilead brought supplies and food for David and his troops (2Sam. 17:24, 27–28a; God’s Word™). See also 2Sam. 19:32. This location fits with the rest of the narrative.

This is a map of Mahanaim, taken from bible-history.com. The city is noted in red on the map, is on the correct side of the Jordan, and it is therefore assumed to be near the forests of Ephraim (2Sam. 18:6).

David Mobilizes His Troops for War, but Remains Behind

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation ; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          And David, having reviewed his people, appointed over them captains of thousands and of hundreds.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so numbers David the people who [are] with him; and so he sets over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    AND David numbered the people who were with him, and set over them commanders of thousands and captains of hundreds.

Septuagint (Greek)                And David numbered the people with him, and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds.

Significant differences:           The Latin appears to be lacking the use of the word captains twice, and it is only found once in their English translation.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Contemporary English V.       David divided his soldiers into groups of a hundred and groups of a thousand. Then he chose officers to be in command of each group.

Easy English                          David's men defeat and kill Absalom

David counted the soldiers who were with him. He appointed men to command groups of 1000 soldiers. He also appointed other men to command groups of 100 soldiers.

Good News Bible (TEV)         King David brought all his men together, divided them into units of a thousand and of a hundred, and placed officers in command of them.

The Message                         David organized his forces. He appointed captains of thousands and captains of hundreds.

New Berkeley Version           David proceeded to organize the forces that were with him nd appointed over them commanders of units of a thousand and a hundred.

New Living Translation           Absalom's Defeat and Death

David now mustered the men who were with him and appointed generals and captains [Hebrew appointed commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.] to lead them.

The Voice                               Then David gathered the soldiers who were with them and divided them into units of a thousand and a hundred. He appointed leaders over each unit.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then David counted his men to see how many were with him, and he assigned generals and officers over them and sent them out [to battle].... A portion of v. 2 is included here for context.

God’s Word™                         David called together the troops that were with him. He appointed commanders in charge of regiments and battalions.

New American Bible (R.E.)    Preparation for Battle.

After mustering the troops he had with him, David placed officers in command of units of a thousand and units of a hundred.

NIRV                                      Absalom Dies

David brought together the men who were with him. He appointed commanders of thousands over some of them. He appointed commanders of hundreds over the others.

New Jerusalem Bible             David reviewed the troops who were with him and appointed commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds to lead them.

New Simplified Bible              David called the troops that were with him. He appointed commanders in charge of regiments and battalions.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      David counted the people with him, and set leaders of thousands and leaders of hundreds over them.

The Expanded Bible              David ·counted [mustered; reviewed] his men and placed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 So they met in the pastures, where David and the force with him had halted, and he appointed colonels of regiments and captains of companies over them. This appears to take a few phrases from 2Sam. 17.

HCSB                                     David reviewed his troops and appointed commanders of hundreds and of thousands over them.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       And now David passed the men who were with him under review, appointing commanders and captains over them;...

NET Bible®                             The Death of Absalom

David assembled the army that was with him. He appointed leaders of thousands and leaders of hundreds. When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

NIV – UK                                David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           David took a census of the people who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and of hundreds.

exeGeses companion Bible   DAVID LINES UP FOR WAR

And David musters the people with him

and sets governors of thousands

and governors of hundreds over them:.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Dovid mustered HaAm that were with him, and set sarei alafim, and sarei me'ot over them.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Darby Translation                  And David marshalled the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.

English Standard Version      Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.

The Geneva Bible                  And David numbered [For certain of the Reubenites, Gadites, and of the half tribe could not bear the insolence of the son against the father, and therefore joined with David] the people that [were] with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.

New King James Version       Absalom's Defeat and Death

And David numbered the people who were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.

Syndein/Thieme                     {David Organizes the Establishment Army}

Then David mustered/mobilized {paqad} the army/people who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands {thousands would relate to general officers to command divisions or brigades} and commanders over hundreds {hundreds would relate to field grade officers to command battalions}. {Note: RBT says the book of 'Numbers' should be called 'Mobilization' or the book of 'universal military training. Paqad which is usually translated 'numbered' actually means to mobilize the army. David's pre-revolution army has been badly split up. He needs to reorganize it and appoint officers.}.

World English Bible                David numbered the people who were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.

Young’s Updated LT             And David inspects the people who are with him, and sets over them heads of thousands and heads of hundreds.

The gist of this verse:          David began to organize his troops into military units.

Translation: David numbered the soldiers who [were] with him,... David knows that he is about to go to war with Absalom. He does not have all of the details, although he certainly has an efficience and effective G2 squad watching Absalom’s every move.

What a head commander must do is know his resources inside and out.

The Pulpit Commentary: The verb “numbered” really means that he organized his army, and arranged it in companies and divisions. As Absalom gathered all Israel to him, there would be some delay; and David, like a wise general, made use of it for training the brave but undisciplined men who had joined him, chiefly from Gilead. Besides these, he had with him numerous veterans, whose skill and experience would be invaluable in such service. The result was that when the rebels came to close quarters, they had a vast body of men, but David a disciplined force, which, under skillful generalship, scattered Absalom’s raw levies with ease.

As you will recall, David has cross over the River Jordan with all of his troops, and Absalom was slowed down somewhat, as he was going to follow the plan of Hushai, which would take longer (he has to assemble more troops). There have been several groups of people who have located David and have provided food for him and for his troops. Therefore, it is reasonable to suppose that many men from that side of the Jordan have joined David’s army; and some have also come over from the western side of the Jordan as well to support David. This is a logical deduction, but it is not directly found in the text. However, when David marched out of Jerusalem, you will recall that he reviewed his troops then before moving out. If he is reviewing his troops again, that suggests that he has had additions or reductions to his fighting force. The former makes the most sense. It would take time for the news to spread, and for people to realize where David can be found.

In the previous chapter, it was observed that David, as a type of Christ, can be found by those who support him; he is not so easily found by Absalom or his troops. In the same way, Jesus can be found by anyone who desires a relationship with God; however, those who have no interest in a relationship with God cannot expect for God to search them out and offer Himself to them as Jesus.

Translation: ...and he placed captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. We do not know exactly who came out with David. Some groups were named earlier; and, at this point, we know that he has a fairly large army, which includes people who have voluntarily joined him over the past week or so.

Since David places captains over groups of 1000, and that word is in the plural, that suggests that we have probably 3000–10,000 or more troops. R. B. Thieme, Jr. supposes that there are 30,000 in David’s army. Elsewhere, Bob supposes that there might be 60,000, broken down into 3 corps. A grouping of 1000 is known as a battalion, usually headed by a lieutenant colonel.

These are broken down further into groups of 100, and that is often classified as a company, led by a captain or a major. Although armies can be broken down into smaller units, David is going to let Absalom come to him, and respond offensively with large groups of men. Smaller units would be used in amorphous warfare. David has intentionally moved his men away from Jerusalem in order to reduce civilian casualties, and to keep this as his army against Absalom’s. Therefore, smaller units are not needed.

Josephus suggests that the total number in David’s army is only 4000. If David here is said to be dividing his army into groups of 1000, and then later has Joab, Abishai and Ittai each in control of a third of his army, that suggests that (1) David has about 3000 men or (2) David has a large enough army so that a third of it consists of several brigades (a brigade is 3000–5000 men) and Joab is in charge of one of those brigades.

Later, one will say either that they have an army of 10,000 (which would make sense) or that David is worth 10,000 of his men. 10,000 is a nice round number to make a point like that, but it also suggests that David’s army is 10,000 men or larger. Putting these two things together, and recognizing that Absalom has the larger army, David probably has a force of over 10,000 to 20,000 men. Absalom’s army is probably 10x that amount. Although there are more military types in Israel, it is unlikely that they can be easily mustered for a civil war.

David determined the size of his army and placed lieutenant colonels over groups of a thousand and captains over groups of a hundred. David is beginning to grow spiritually, and he trusts God. This does not mean that he finds a park bench somewhere and parks his butt and lets God destroy the enemy. There are times that will happen. However, unless God specifically gives David orders, then David is to evaluate the situation that he is in and to act appropriately. If he intends to be king again, then he will have to defeat Absalom in battle. If he intends to put down the Absalom rebellion for good, then he will have to put Absalom down. Joab, David’s lead general, understands this; David does not.

Application: Contemporary Christians often do not have a clue as to what they ought to do with their lives. They are told to have faith in God in all things; but then, if they do anything, then are they expressing faithlessness? This may seem absurd to some, but for some believers, they really struggle with this concept. If you are an adult, then you ought to be working at a job. If you do not have a job, but you realize that you need one, you do not find the nearest park bench and sit down and wait for God to drop a job into your lap. You go out and apply at one place, then at another, and apply and interview, apply and interview until you have secured a job. If you apply at one place and you think you like that company, then you go back a week later (or a month later) and you inquire again. If they require specialized training, then you get that specialized training.

Application: In many ways, I adapted quite easily to being a teacher. I needed very little guidance from the teachers for whom I taught; nor did I need much from the instructor who oversaw my work. They had to work a great deal with the other two student teachers with whom I trained—one was too lax and the other was too stern. However, that did not mean that I did not need any guidance, any oversight, etc. All of that was necessary, and like all new teachers, I needed advice and guidance, despite adapting to it quite naturally. It would have been pure arrogance for me to think that, because I was a Christian, I could do not wrong and make no mistakes and that I would be hired right out of college (I was not). Eventually, in order to teach, I had to move to another state. All of this was in God’s plan; and it involved doing a lot more than finding a park bench to sit on and using faith until a job was dropped into my lap. Getting off my duff and moving to Texas for a job was God’s plan for my life.

Application: In case there is any confusion about this, man was designed to work (and women of course); and if you are not working, then you are likely outside of God’s plan.

Back to David and what we get from this: faith in God does not mean inaction on your part. God designed us to function like rational beings, and to make rational decisions. David determined the size of his army and placed lieutenant colonels over groups of a thousand and captains over groups of a hundred. David moved out of Jerusalem with some of his supporters, and now he begins to organize his troops. Even though he has faith in God and even though God is on his side and not on Absalom’s, this does not preclude him from making normal, rational decisions.

The Pulpit Commentary on why David moving out of Jerusalem was a rational decision: The hasty flight of David from Jerusalem was not the result of cowardice, but of prudence and of spiritual penetration. He thought it possible that a movement which had won over so able a man as Ahithophel, and which had developed so secretly, might issue in a sudden rising which would involve the city in bloodshed. Moreover, with the keen spiritual insight which ever characterized him, he could not but see in this rebellion the chastising hand before which it became him in his lifelong penitence, mingled with sincere trust, to bow.

Application: It is a rare situation where faith will cause you to act against normal, rational thought. In fact, it is often enthusiastic but completely goofy Christians who cause unbelievers to question the validity of faith in Jesus Christ. They know almost nothing and they often act as if they know nothing. A new believer is often much better off keeping his faith a secret and learning what he has just done first. Recall that Jesus instructed His disciples, “Be wise as snakes and as harmless as doves.”

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          And sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abisai the son of Sarvia Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ethai, who was of Geth: and the king said to the people: I also will go forth with you.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so sends forth David the people, the third in a hand of Joab and the third in a hand of Abishai ben Zeruiah brother of Joab and the third in a hand of Ittai the Gittite. And so says the king unto the people, “Going out I will go out, also me, with you [all].”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And David placed a third part of the people under the command of Joab, and a third part under the command of Abishai the son of Zoriah, Joabs brother, and a third part under the command of Ittai the Gittite.

Septuagint (Greek)                And David sent the people away, a third part under the hand of Joab, a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And David said to the people, I also will surely go out with you.

Significant differences:           The Syriac does not appear to have David sending his troops out. Also, in the Syriac, David is not saying that he will be going out with his troops.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           David sent out the army-a third under Joab's command, a third under the command of Abishai, Zeruiah's son, and a third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. The king told the troops, "I will march out with you myself."

Contemporary English V.       He sent out one-third of his army under the command of Joab, another third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, and the rest under the command of Ittai from Gath. He told the soldiers, "I'm going into battle with you."

Easy-to-Read Version            {David separated the people into three groups.} And then David sent the people out. Joab led one third of the people. Joab’s brother, Abishai son of Zeruiah led another third of the people. And Ittai from Gath led the last third of the people.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Then he sent them out in three groups, with Joab and Joab's brother Abishai and Ittai from Gath, each in command of a group. And the king said to his men, "I will go with you myself."

The Message                         Then David deployed his troops, a third under Joab, a third under Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king then announced, "I'm marching with you."

New Berkeley Version           He had the army advance, one third under the command of Joab, another third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and the final third under the command of Ittai of Gath. But when the king informed his men, “I am surely going out with you myself,” the people insisted, “You shall not go out! For if we are put to flight, they will not be concerned about us; even if half of us die, our fate will not matter. But you are worth ten thousand of us. So now, it will be better for you to be in position to send us support from the city.” V. 3 is included for context.

New Life Bible                        And he sent the people out. One third of them was under the rule of Joab. One third was under the rule of Zeruiah's son Abishai, Joab's brother. And one third was under the rule of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the people, "I myself will go out with you also.”

The Voice                               He divided his army into three groups. A third of them were commanded by Joab, a third by Abishai (Zeruiah's son, Joab's brother), and the final third by Ittai the Gittite.

David (to his soldiers): I will go out to fight with you.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          ...and sent them out [to battle]. a third under the direction of JoAb, a third under the direction of AbiShai (the son of ZeruJah, JoAb's brother), and a third under the direction of ItTai the Gethite. Then David said to the people: 'Now, I'll be leading you.'

New Advent (Knox) Bible       ...one third he entrusted to Joab, one third to Joab's brother Abisai, and the remainder to Ethai of Geth. He himself, he told his men, would go into battle with them,...

New American Bible (R.E.)    David then divided the troops three ways, a third under Joab, a third under Abishai, son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, "I intend to go out with you myself."

NIRV                                      Then David sent the troops out in three companies. One company was under the command of Joab. Another was under Joab's brother Abishai, the son of Zeruiah. The last was under Ittai, the Gittite. The king told the troops, "You can be sure that I myself will march out with you."

New Jerusalem Bible             David divided the army into three groups, one under the command of Joab, another under the command of Abishai son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, and the third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. David then said to the troops, 'I shall take the field in person with you.'

New Simplified Bible              David assigned a third of the troops under Joab’s command. He put another third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah. Then he placed the last third under Ittai from Gath. »I am going into battle with you,« the king said to the troops.

Today’s NIV                          David sent out his troops, a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king told the troops, "I myself will surely march out with you."

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      David sent a third of the people in the hand of Joab, and a third in the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third in the hand of Ittai from Gath. The king said to the people, "I will also ||proceed|| with you.".

Bible in Basic English             And David sent the people out, a third of them under the orders of Joab, and a third under the orders of Abishai, son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, And I myself will certainly go out with you.

The Expanded Bible              He sent the troops out in three groups. Joab commanded one-third of the men. Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah commanded another third. And Ittai from Gath commanded the last third. King David said to them, "I will also go with you.".

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 Afterward David arranged the forces, one third under J’oab, and one third under Abishai, and one third under Athai the gardener.

(b.c. 1023) Defeat and Death of Absalom

And the king said to the forces, “I also will march with you.”

HCSB                                     He then sent out the troops, one third under Joab, one third under Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and one third under Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, "I will also march out with you."

NET Bible®                             David then sent out the army - a third under the leadership of Joab, a third under the leadership of Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under the leadership of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, "I too will indeed march out with you."

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Then David dispatched the people, a third of them under the command of Yo'av, a third under Avishai the son of Tz'ruyah, Yo'av's brother, and a third under Ittai the Gitti; and the king said to the people, "I will also go out with you, myself."

exeGeses companion Bible   ...and David sends

a third of the people under the hand of Yah Ab

and a third under the hand of Abi Shai

the son of Seruyah the brother of Yah Ab

and a third under the hand of Ittay the Gittiy.

And the sovereign says to the people,

In going, I - I also go with you.

Hebrew Names Version         David sent forth the people, a third part under the hand of Yo'av, and a third part under the hand of Avishai the son of Tzeru'yah, Yo'av's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               David sent out the troops [Some Septuagint manuscripts read “divided the troops into three.”], one-third under the command of Joab, one-third under the command of Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and one-third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And David said to the troops, “I myself will march out with you.”

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Dovid sent forth a third part of the people under the yad Yoav, and a third part under the yad Avishai Ben Tzeruyah (Yoav's brother), and a third part under the yad Ittai the Gitti. And HaMelech said unto HaAm, I will surely go forth with you myself also.

The Scriptures 1998              And Dawi sent out one third of the people under the hand of Yoʼa, and one third under the hand of Aishai son of Tseruyah, Yoʼaʼs brother, and one third under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the sovereign said to the people, “I shall certainly go out with you too.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    ...and David sends the third of the people by the hand of Joab, and the third by the hand of Abishai, son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, and the third by the hand of Ittai the Gittite, and the king said unto the people, `I certainly go out--I also--with you.

Context Group Version          And David divided the people in three [ parts ], a third part under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, I will surely go out with you { pl } myself also.

English Standard Version      And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, "I myself will also go out with you."

NASB                                     David sent the people out, one third under the command [Lit hand] of Joab, one third under the command [Lit hand] of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third under the command [Lit hand] of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, "I myself will surely go out with you also."

New RSV                               And David divided the army into three groups [Gk: Heb sent forth the army]: one-third under the command of Joab, one-third under the command of Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one-third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the men, `I myself will also go out with you.'

Syndein/Thieme                     And David placed 'the 1st corps'/'a third part' of the army/people under the command/hand of Joab, and 'the 2nd corps'/'a third part' under the command/hand of Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, {Zeruiah was David's sister and Joab and Abishai are two of her three sons that were great generals of David's army (the third son was dead by this time)} and 'the 3rd corps'/'a third part' under the command/hand of Ittai the Gittite. Afterward, the king 'announced a general order' to the army/people, "Even I myself will definitely march out with you." {yatsa' yatsa' - doubling is very strong in the Hebrew - idiom meaning he will personally take the overall command the 3 corps}.

World English Bible                David sent forth the people, a third part under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.

Young’s Updated LT             And David sends the third of the people by the hand of Joab, and the third by the hand of Abishai, son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, and the third by the hand of Ittai the Gittite, and the king says unto the people, “I certainly go out—I also—with you.”

The gist of this verse:          David further divided up his army into 3 divisions, under Joab, Abishai and Ittai. He also informed his men that he would go to war with them.

Translation: David then deployed his army [lit., the people],... War between David and Absalom was about to begin. Between the previous chapter and now, Absalom has taken his men in pursuit of David. They are now in Ephraim, so this means that David went back across the Jordan, so that he is back on the west side of the river.

David must reorganize his army. First of all, he has not been the acting head of the entire army for several years now. Secondly, there are fewer men, and not every man from every division is with him. Therefore, they need to be organized again. David organized them for a march out of Jerusalem, but now, there is a need to organize his army once again.

Translation: ...a third in the hand of Joab,... It is not clear whether Joab is over a brigade of 1000 men or whether he is in command of several brigades. However, a third of the total number of soldiers are under Joab’s command. Joab, on the field, is David’s number-one man. He has replaced David as the great general of Israel.

What seems logical is, David has 3 systems of authority: the captain over 100 men; the lieutenant colonel over 1000 men, and then generals over a third of the army (probably 3000–10,000 men). Obviously, David is over all of the men.

Joab is David’s nephew and he has been David’s right-hand man for a long time. David has placed Joab in charge of his military on many occasions, and Joab has performed admirably in that position.

Translation: ...a third in the hand of Abishai ben Zeruiah (Joab’s brother)... Joab had two brothers. One was killed back in the early part of 2Samuel, but the other is still alive: Abishai. He is a great man, but he again is in the shadow of his brother Joab, suggesting that Joab is a greater soldier. This is because Joab is named first and Abishai is named second and also he is identified in terms of Joab.

Both Joab and Abishai, David’s nephews, were commanders in David’s army (2Sam. 8:16 10:10–14 12:26).

Translation: ...and a third in the hand of Ittai the Gittite. You will recall that, when first leaving Jerusalem, David spoke directly to Ittai and told him, “You do not need to travel with me. You can stay behind with King Absalom, and I will not hold it against you.” (2Sam. 15:19–22). But Ittai was loyal to David. Therefore, he is in charge of a third division.

This is what we have so far: David determined the size of his army and placed lieutenant colonels over groups of a thousand and captains over groups of a hundred. David then deployed the people into three companies—one under Joab, one under Abishai, his brother, and one under Ittai the Gittite. An army must be organized; an army requires a system of authority which all of the men understand. Each many in the army must understand the chain of command. We will not see any of that with Absalom’s army. This does not mean than no organization was attempted, but David and Joab are soldiers; Absalom is not. David and Joab understand what needs to be done with the men; Absalom does not. Later on, in this chapter, we will find Absalom meandering about on his mule without an armor bearers around, and with apparently little ability to navigate the forest in which he finds himself.

The strategy and tactics involved in battle is helpful when you have 3 brigades which can be guided on the battlefield, each with a specific purpose. This was common among the Israelites and the Philistines as well (Judges 7:16 9:43 1Sam. 11:11 13:17 2Kings 11:5–6). How exactly these brigades were used will be suggested when we get to v. 7.

How an army is divided plays a large part on how that army is deployed. You may recall that when Joab was trapped between a holding force and an aggressive force in 2Sam. 10, he divided his own army into two parts, one part to move against the two forces against him, as well as being ready to back up the other. It was a risky move, but one that paid off, and one that changed world history.

David determined the size of his army and placed lieutenant colonels over groups of a thousand and captains over groups of a hundred. David then deployed the people into three companies—one under Joab, one under Abishai, his brother, and one under Ittai the Gittite. What has undoubtedly occurred, even though there is no mention of this in the narrative is, men have come from all over Israel to support David. You will recall at the close of the previous chapter, we have men bringing supplies to David, because men need to be fed. If 3 different men from 3 very different places have enough sense to recognize that David needs logistical support, then it is equally logical that groups of men from all over would recognize that, in these circumstances, David needs an army. So it is likely that, even though David left with only a few troops when marching out of Jerusalem, since then, thousands of men have joined him. This explains why David organizes his troops in 2Sam. 15:13–23 as well as in this passage.

The principle is this: those who needed to find David were able to find him. Those who did not need to find him were unable to find him (Absalom’s army would not face off David’s army until Joab decided to let that happen). There is an analogy here. Just as those who needed to find David could find him, the same is true of Jesus Christ. The person who needs to find Jesus will find Him, no matter where that person is, someone will get the gospel to him.

Translation: The king said to the people,... David may or may not be speaking to all of those under his command. Even if he is, there are those close to him who can give him feedback on his decision.

David is called the king here, again because this is how God the Holy Spirit sees him. Absalom is not called the king, for the most part. God promotes us; we do not promote ourselves. You may recall a couple chapters back, after Absalom had pulled off his rebellion, the text referred to David again and again as the king. Quite obviously, this is the Holy Spirit editorializing. This is the Holy Spirit telling us that, in the eyes of God, David is the king. In the eyes of man, Absalom is the temporary king.

Translation: ...“I will certainly go out with you [lit., “Going out, I will go out with you—even me.”].” David recognizes that all of these people are here because of him, so he says that he will go out to war with them. You may find this announcement a bit odd, but David makes this announcement because he has not gone out with his army for a very long time (see 2Sam. 11:1). Therefore, this is an important announcement.

Gill reasonably suggests that David might be doing this so that he can intercede for Absalom when necessary. This is probably a portion of David’s agenda; but it would be torture for him to remain in Mahanaim while the fighting is going on, and just sitting there waiting for news.

This portion of v. 2 either ought to be a separate verse or be placed with v. 3a below.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Dead Sea Scrolls                   [But] the army [said], “You will [no]t go out. [For if we must retreat, they will not care about us. Not if half of us were to die would they c]are [Singular 4QSam^a. Plural MT.] about [4QSam^a and MT use different words.] us. [You are worth ten thousand of us. So at present, it is better that] you be [ready to help] us [from the city].” We do not have a full manuscript of 2Samuel in the Dead Sea Scrolls; we only have bits and pieces which are readable. What is in brackets here is not readable.

Latin Vulgate                          And the people answered: You will not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not much mind us: or if half of us should fall, they will not greatly care: for you alone are accounted for ten thousand: it is better therefore that you should be in the city to succour us.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so say the people, “You will not go out, for if fleeing we flee, they will not set unto us a heart. And if die our half, they will not set unto us a heart, for now, according to us, ten a thousand. And now good that you are to us from a city for help.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And the king said to the people, If we surely should flee, the enemy will not care about us; now therefore ten thousand men are enough for us; for it is better for us to receive help from the cities.

Septuagint (Greek)                And they said, You shall not go out; for if we should indeed flee, they will not care for us; and if half of us should die, they will not mind us; for you are as ten thousand of us; and now it is well that you shall be to us an aid to help us in the city.

Significant differences:           The English translation of the Syriac is quite different from the Masoretic text; it should be the people speaking to the king. The other problem, which will be discussed below in the exegesis, is whether the people are saying that they are 10,000 strong or that David is equal in value to 10,000 of them (the latter reading is found in the Latin and the Greek).

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           But the troops replied, "No! You must not march out! If we flee, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. It is much better if you support us from the city."

Contemporary English V.       But the soldiers said, "No, don't go into battle with us! It won't matter to our enemies if they make us all run away, or even if they kill half of us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better for you to stay in town and send help if we need it."

Easy English                          But they said to David, `You must not come with us. If we have to run away in the battle, Absalom's men will not care. They will not care even if half of us die. But you are worth 10 000 of us. It will be better for you to stay in the city. You can help us from the city.'

Easy-to-Read Version            But the people said, “No! You must not go with us. Why? Because if we run away in the battle, Absalom’s men will not care. Even if half of us are killed, Absalom’s men will not care. But you are worth 10,000 of us! It is better for you to stay in the city. Then, if we need help, you can help us.”

The Message                         They said, "No, you mustn't march with us. If we're forced to retreat, the enemy won't give it a second thought. And if half of us die, they won't do so either. But you are worth ten thousand of us. It will be better for us if you stay in the city and help from there."

New Century Version             But the men said, "You must not go with us! If we run away in the battle, Absalom's men won't care. Even if half of us are killed, Absalom's men won't care. But you're worth ten thousand of us! You can help us most by staying in the city."

New Living Translation           But his men objected strongly. "You must not go," they urged. "If we have to turn and run-and even if half of us die-it will make no difference to Absalom's troops; they will be looking only for you. You are worth 10,000 of us [As in two Hebrew manuscripts and some Greek and Latin manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts read Now there are 10,000 like us.], and it is better that you stay here in the town and send help if we need it."

The Voice                               Soldiers: ³ No, you should remain in Mahanaim. If we flee, the people here will not be concerned about us; or if half of us die, they will not care. But they care about you. You're worth 10,000 of us. It's better that you stay here and help us from the city.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          But they said: 'You can't come; for, if [AbSalom's people] kill half of us, losing you would be like losing ten thousand men. So, it's best for you stay in the city to direct us.'

Christian Community Bible     But the men replied, “You shall not go out. They could not care less if we flee or if half of us die. But you are worth ten thousand of us and it is better if you are able to send us assistance from the city.”

God’s Word™                         "You're not going with us," the troops said. "If we flee, they won't care about us, and if half of us die, they won't care either. But you're worth 10,000 of us. It's better for you to be ready to send us help from the city."

New Advent (Knox) Bible       ...but they would not have it. It makes no great matter to the enemy, they said, whether we are routed: even if half of us should fall, they would set little store by it; thy life is more to them than the lives of ten thousand others. Better that thou shouldst remain in the city and garrison it for us.

New American Bible              But they replied: "You must not come out with us. For if we should flee, we shall not count; even if half of us should die, we shall not count. You are equal to ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that we have you to help us from the city."

New American Bible (R.E.)    But they replied: "You must not come out with us. For if we flee, no one will care; even if half of us die, no one will care. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that we have you to help us from the city."

NIRV                                      But the men said, "You must not march out. If we are forced to run away, our enemies won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care. But you are worth 10,000 of us. So it would be better for you to stay here in the city. Then you can send us help if we need it."

New Jerusalem Bible             But the troops replied, 'You are not to take the field. No one will bother about us if we run away, they will not even bother about us if half of us are killed, but you are ten thousand times more valuable. So it is better if you stay inside the town, in case we need reinforcements.'

New Simplified Bible              »You must not go with us,« they answered. »It will not make any difference to the enemy if the rest of us turn and run. It will not matter even if half of us are killed. But you are worth ten thousand of us. It will be better if you stay here in the city and send us help.«

Revised English Bible            But they said, ‘No, you must not; if we take to flight, no one will care, nor will they even if half of us are killed; but you are worth ten thousand of us, and it would be better now for you to remain in the town in support.’

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      But the people said, "Do not proceed! For if we ||flee||, they will not set their heart at us. If half of us die, they will not set their heart at us. Now with ten thousand similar to us, it is better now for you to help us from the city."

Bible in Basic English             But the people said, It is better for you not to go out: for if we are put to flight, they will not give a thought to us, and if death overtakes half of us, it will be nothing to them: but you are of more value than ten thousand of us: so it is better for you to be ready to come to our help from this town.

The Expanded Bible              But the men said, "You must not go ·with us [out]! If we ·run away in the battle [flee], Absalom's men won't care. Even if half of us are killed, Absalom's men won't care. But you're worth ten thousand of us! ·You can help us most by staying in the city [It is better that you support us from the city]."

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 But the army said, “You shall not go; for if we are defeated, they will not set their heart upon us; and if they kill half of us, they will not set their heart upon us; for you are worth ten thousand of us, so it is better you should help by directing us from the city.”

HCSB                                     "You must not go!" the people pleaded. "If we have to flee, they will not pay any attention to us. Even if half of us die, they will not pay any attention to us because you are worth 10,000 of us. Therefore, it is better if you support us from the city."

NET Bible®                             But the soldiers replied [Heb "the people said."], "You should not do this [Heb "march out."]! For if we should have to make a rapid retreat, they won't be too concerned about us [Heb "they will not place to us heart."]. Even if half of us should die, they won't be too concerned about us. But you [The translation follows the Septuagint (LXX) (except for the Lucianic recension), Symmachus, and Vulgate in reading אָתָּה ('atta, "you") rather than Masoretic Text (MT) עָתָּה ('atta, "now").] are like ten thousand of us! So it is better if you remain in the city for support."

NIV – UK                                But the men said, `You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care; but you are worth ten thousand of us [Two Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts care; for now there are ten thousand like us]. It would be better now for you to give us support from the city.'

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           But the people replied, "Don't go out; because if we flee, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us; so it is better now that you stay in the city and be ready if we need help."

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               But the troops replied, “No! For if some of us flee, the rest will not be concerned about us; even if half of us should die, the others will not be concerned about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us [So two Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, and Vulgate. Most manuscripts and the editions read “Now there are ten thousand like us.”]. Therefore, it is better for you to support us from the town.”

Orthodox Jewish Bible           But HaAm answered, Thou shalt not go forth; for if we flee away, they will not set their lev on us; neither if half of us die, will they set their lev on us; but now thou art worth ten thousand of us; therefore, now it is better that thou support us from the Ir [i.e., Machanayim].

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    And the people say, `You do not go out, for if we utterly flee, they do not set [their] heart upon us; and if half of us die, they do not set [their] heart unto us--for now like us [are] ten thousand; and now, better that you be to us from the city for an helper.’

English Standard Version      But the men said, "You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that you send us help from the city."

The updated Geneva Bible    But the people answered, You will not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now [you are] worth ten thousand of us [Signifying that a good governor is so dear to his people that they would rather lose their lives than have anything happen to him.]: therefore now [it is] better that you succour us out of the city.

Green’s Literal Translation    And the people said, You shall not go out, for if we flee they will not set their heart on us even if half of us die; for now you are like ten thousand to us. And now it is good that you be a helper for us from the city.

Modern KJV                           But the people answered, You shall not go forth. For if we run away, they will not set their heart on us, even if half of us die. For now you are worth ten thousand of us. And now it is better that you remain to help us from the city.

New King James Version       But the people answered, "You shall not go out! For if we flee away, they will not care about us; nor if half of us die, will they care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us now. For you are now more help to us in the city."

Syndein/Thieme                     But the army/people answered, "You {David} will not march out with us. {Note: They know that David's military brains are the most important thing he can offer. They need to know he is in a secure place, leading the overall battle.} Because if we are forced to retreat, they {the officer's corps} will not take cognizance of our situation. {idiom: 'they will not put us to heart'} Furthermore, if half of us should die, they {our officers} will take cognizance of the casualties. {idiom: 'they will not put us to heart'} Because you, compared with us, are worth ten thousand. Now therefore it is better that you support us from the city with the reserves. {Note: David's men are indicating defeatism. They do not know their officers and in arrogance, they expect defeat and most of them will die, and they want David in the rear to take care of the remnant. They are telling David how to run the war. This officer corps of David will prove to be so great that Israel will be protected for the next 50 years.}.

World English Bible                But the people said, You shall not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but you are worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it is better that you are ready to help us out of the city.

Young’s Updated LT             And the people say, “You will not go out, for if we utterly flee, they do not set their heart upon us; and if half of us die, they do not set their heart unto us—for now like us are ten thousand; and now, better that you be to us from the city for an helper.”

The gist of this verse:          The people insist that David not go out with them, as he is worth 10,000 of them.

Translation: The people then said, “You will not go out [with us into battle],... We do not know exactly the way this meeting is set up. It appears as if David is speaking before his entire army. However, it is possibly that he is speaking to his generals, lieutenant colonels and captains. And if David is addressing all of his men, his top men would be those who could discuss matters with him. One or more of these spoke up, saying, “You will not go out to war with us.” When it says the people said, this does not mean that all of the people spoke at once and in unison. What this suggests is, this idea has already been discussed, and this sentiment is in accordance with the people in general. So Joab or Abishai might be saying this, but this reflects the thinking of their men.

Then they explain why.

Translation: ...for if we indeed retreat, they will not consider us [lit., place [their] heart to us]. ... It will not matter to Absalom’s army if these men retreat. This is not a concern to them. It is Absalom’s army which will have no consideration or thought for David’s army. It does not matter to them if they live or die. The idea is, if they are beaten back, and if they do retreat, Absalom’s army will just come after them and kill them en masse. There is a certain blood-lust in war, and sometimes when an army begins to kill, it just keeps on killing.

Translation: ...And if half of us die, they will not consider us,... They will not give a thought if they kill half of David’s army. This is all a means to an end. What they want is David. If Absalom’s army needs to kill half of David’s army, this is of no concern to them.

This is in contrast with Joab, who will allow Absalom’s army to retreat unabated after Absalom is killed. Joab is not out for blood; Joab does care about the people of Israel, even though he is at war with them.

Translation: ...for now we [are] approximately ten-thousand [strong] [or possibly, ...for you (are) about (equal to) 10,000 (of us)]. Although there are some translations that throw an if in there, one interpretation is that, this simply tells us how many have come along with David. There are probably 9 brigades, and Joab, Abiathar and Ittai each have 3 brigades under them.

However, if you will notice the final note made in the Hebrew exegesis, that there may be a slight difference in one Hebrew word, which changes a great deal. Saying that they are 10,000 strong does not really fit into the context of this conversation. However, if they say that David should not go with them and that he is equal to about 10,000 troops, that makes more sense. That fits into what is being said, and many of the English translations have gone with that interpretation (Green’s Literal Translation, the NKJV, R. B. Thieme, Jr., the WEB, etc.).

Both approaches still require some additional words to smooth things out; but the alternate reading appears to be more suited ot the context. Let me suggest that some of the words or letters were dropped out, and then later, someone tried to fix the text with that one minor change. Just a theory. In any case, it makes complete sense for the people under David to recognize that it is his life or death that is key in this revolution. If he is killed, they have no reason to continue fighting. However, at the same time, Absalom’s army may choose to continue fighting, just to kill any sort of opposition. Remember, they do not care about those who have followed David—they have no concern for them whatsoever.

So far, vv. 1–3d reads: David determined the size of his army and placed lieutenant colonels over groups of a thousand and captains over groups of a hundred. David then deployed the people into three companies—one under Joab, one under Abishai, his brother, and one under Ittai the Gittite. David also said to the people, “I will also go out with you to battle.” However, the people protested, saying, “You should not go out with us into battle, for if we indeed retreat, Absalom’s army will not care. If half of us die in battle, they will not care, for you are equal to ten-thousand of us.” So David has organized his army into various units, and he has installed officers over these units, and presumably a battleground has been chosen (where they will fight will be very advantageous to David’s army). However, the war here is actually between David and Absalom. When one of them is killed, that will end the war (not necessarily the killing, but the actual war).

Translation: Therefore, [it is better] that you are for us to help from [this] city.” David and his troops are apparently in a city, based upon this and the next verse. Furthermore, as we have studied, this city appears to be Mahanaim.

The army will go out of the city. Now, how can David help from the city? He might be coordinating their supplies; he might be receiving information from the front lines and advising. However, David can rest assured that things will be handled well, as he has 3 great generals over his troops.

V. 3: However, the people protested, saying, “You should not go out with us into battle, for if we indeed retreat, Absalom’s army will not care. If half of us die in battle, they will not care, for you are equal to ten-thousand of us. Therefore, it is better that you help us from this city.” David’s leaders are acting rationally. They are concerned with what is best for victory. Therefore, while they are at war, David will be at Mahanaim waiting for news of the war. He might be coordinating supplies and gathering men to help his people retreat, if necessary.

There is a parallel which is being set up here. Previously, what got David into this mess in the first place was, when his soldiers would go out to war, he would chase skirt throughout Jerusalem, embarrassing himself and the God he believed in. So again, his soldiers are out to war, but David will be left behind. He might organize a citizen’s brigade from Mahanaim; but mostly what David is going to do is think. He has the time to think right now. However, as we will find out, David does not think any of this through. It will be Joab who finally has to brace him in the next chapter, and to set David straight. However, David is given the opportunity here to put things together; to think about himself, God, his actions and the Absalom revolution.

Application: I have seen instances in many lives where a person is given a great deal of time during which to think. An extended illness or accident; a set of circumstances which takes them off their job. They have real time to contemplate their lives and their existence, and to take stock of their lives and their decisions. And, what I have also observed, in most of these cases, these people squander this time of reflection. There are times when you seem to be rushing about to do things and, out of nowhere, there is this extended period of great calm—if God gives you time like that, then use it. Double up on your Bible study; devote more time to prayer. This doesn’t mean that you are not allowed to watch 3 seasons of Downton Abbey, because God does not require you to read your Bible or study 24 hours a day or even 12 hours a day. But when given the time, honor God with more time than you have been giving Him before. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians: Use your time well, for these are evil days (Eph. 5:16; CJB).

From my notes, R. B. Thieme, Jr.’s translation of vv. 1–3: Then David reviewed [mobilized, mustered] his troops and appointed commanders of hundreds and of thousands over them. He then sent out the troops [David then organized his soldiers as follows:], one third under Joab [the first corps under the command of Joab], one third under Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and one third under Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, "I will also march out with you." [And I myself will assume command over the entire army] "You must not go!" the people [= the army] pleaded. "If we have to flee [If we are forced to retreat], they [David’s officers] will not pay any attention to us [they will not take us to heart; they will not concentrate (or take cognizance) on our situation]. Even if half of us die, they will not pay any attention to us because you are worth 10,000 of us. Therefore, it is better if you support us from the city [as a reserve force]."

David has a special circumstance here, where he is not required to do anything but wait and think. This allows him the opportunity to consider his mistakes and the justice of God. He needs to think through this thing with Absalom; but David does not use this time wisely. He will spend much of his time sitting in the gate of the city waiting for news of the battle.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          And the king said to them: What seemeth good to you, that will I do. And the king stood by the gate: and all the people went forth by their troops, by hundreds and by thousands.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says unto them the king, “That [which] is good in your eyes I will do.” And so stands the king unto a hand of the gate and the people have gone out to hundreds and to thousands.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And the servants of David said to him, We will go forth quickly to fight against them. And the king said to them, Whatever seems good to you, do it. Then the king stood by the side of the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.

Septuagint (Greek)                And the king said to them, Whatever seems good in your eyes I will do. And the king stood by the side of the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.

Significant differences:           The first sentence of the Syriac is not found in the Hebrew.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Contemporary English V.       David said, "All right, if you think I should." Then in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he said, "Joab! Abishai! Ittai! For my sake, be sure that Absalom comes back unharmed." David stood beside the town gate as his army marched past in groups of a hundred and in groups of a thousand. The war with Israel took place in Ephraim Forest. The CEV is combining several verses here.

New Berkeley Version           The king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” Then the king took his post beside the gate while all the troops marched out by hundreds and by thousands.”

New Living Translation           "If you think that's the best plan, I'll do it," the king answered. So he stood alongside the gate of the town as all the troops marched out in groups of hundreds and of thousands.

The Voice                               David: ⁴ All right. I'll do what you think is best.

So David stood beside the gate while his soldiers marched out to fight against Absalom, organized into fighting units by the hundreds and by the thousands.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          And the king said: 'I'll do whatever you wish.'

So, the king stood at the city gate as his army passed by in companies and divisions.

God’s Word™                         "I'll do what you think best," the king responded. So the king stood by the gate while all the troops marched out by battalions and regiments.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       So the king told them he would abide by their judgement, and he stood watching at the gate while they marched out company by company, in their hundreds and thousands.

NIRV                                      The king said, "I'll do what you think is best."

So the king stood beside the city gate. The whole army marched out in companies of hundreds and companies of thousands.