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 2:22

2:22 So Abner spoke again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me! I do not want to strike you to the ground. ⁴  How then could I show ⁵  my face in the presence of Joab your brother?”

2 Samuel 9:6

9:6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed low with his face toward the ground. ⁶  David said, “Mephibosheth?” He replied, “Yes, at your service.” ⁷ 

2 Samuel 14:14

14:14 Certainly we must die, and are like water spilled on the ground that cannot be gathered up again. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways for the banished to be restored. ⁸ 

2 Samuel 14:33

14:33 So Joab went to the king and informed him. The king ⁹  summoned Absalom, and he came to the king. Absalom ¹⁰  bowed down before the king with his face toward the ground and the king kissed him. ¹¹ 

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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 “Why should I strike you to the ground?”

⁵ tn Heb “lift.”

⁶ tn Heb “he fell on his face and bowed down.”

⁷ tn Heb “Look, your servant.”

⁸ tn Heb “he devises plans for the one banished from him not to be banished.”

⁹ tn Heb “he.” Joab, acting on behalf of the king, may be the implied subject.

¹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tn Heb “Absalom.” For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.