2 Samuel 1:2

1:2 On the third day a man arrived from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. ¹  When he approached David, the man ²  threw himself to the ground. ³ 

2 Samuel 19:24

19:24 Now Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, ⁴  came down to meet the king. From the day the king had left until the day he safely ⁵  returned, Mephibosheth ⁶  had not cared for his feet ⁷  nor trimmed ⁸  his mustache nor washed his clothes.

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¹ sn Tearing one’s clothing and throwing dirt on one’s head were outward expressions of grief in the ancient Near East, where such demonstrable reactions were a common response to tragic news.

² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man mentioned at the beginning of v. 2) has been specified in the translation to avoid confusion as to who fell to the ground.

³ tn Heb “he fell to the ground and did obeisance.”

⁴ tn Heb “son.”

⁵ tn Heb “in peace.” So also in v. 31.

⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Mephibosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷ tn Heb “done his feet.”

⁸ tn Heb “done.”