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. When he approached David, the man threw himself to the ground.

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. How then could I show 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. David said, “Mephibosheth?” He replied, “Yes, at your service.”

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.

2 Samuel 14:33

14:33 So Joab went to the king and informed him. The king 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 


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.

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.

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

tn Heb “Why should I strike you to the ground?”

tn Heb “lift.”

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

tn Heb “Look, your servant.”

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

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 For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.