2 Samuel 7:5

7:5 “Go, tell my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord says: Do you really intend to build a house for me to live in?

2 Samuel 7:21

7:21 For the sake of your promise and according to your purpose ¹  you have done this great thing in order to reveal it to your servant. ² 

2 Samuel 7:25-26

7:25 So now, O Lord God, make this promise you have made about your servant and his family a permanent reality. ³  Do as you promised, ⁴  7:26 so you may gain lasting fame, ⁵  as people say, ⁶  ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel!’ The dynasty ⁷  of your servant David will be established before you,

2 Samuel 7:28

7:28 Now, O sovereign Lord, you are the true God! ⁸  May your words prove to be true! ⁹  You have made this good promise to your servant! ¹⁰ 

2 Samuel 9:8

9:8 Then Mephibosheth ¹¹  bowed and said, “Of what importance am I, your servant, that you show regard for a dead dog like me?” ¹² 

2 Samuel 11:24

11:24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall and some of the king’s soldiers ¹³  died. Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.”

2 Samuel 13:34

13:34 In the meantime Absalom fled. When the servant who was the watchman looked up, he saw many people coming from the west ¹⁴  on a road beside the hill.

2 Samuel 14:12

14:12 Then the woman said, “Please permit your servant to speak to my lord the king about another matter.” He replied, “Tell me.”

2 Samuel 19:27

19:27 But my servant ¹⁵  has slandered me ¹⁶  to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like an angel of God. Do whatever seems appropriate to you.

2 Samuel 24:23

24:23 I, the servant of my lord ¹⁷  the king, give it all to the king!” Araunah also told the king, “May the Lord your God show you favor!”

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¹ tn Heb “for the sake of your word and according to your heart.”

² tn Heb “to make known, your servant.”

³ tn Heb “and now, O Lord God, the word which you spoke concerning your servant and concerning his house, establish permanently.”

⁴ tn Heb “as you have spoken.”

⁵ tn Heb “and your name might be great permanently.” Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result.

⁶ tn Heb “saying.” The words “as people” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.

⁷ tn Heb “the house.” See the note on “dynastic house” in the following verse.

⁸ tn Heb “the God.” The article indicates uniqueness here.

⁹ tn The translation understands the prefixed verb form as a jussive, indicating David’s wish/prayer. Another option is to take the form as an imperfect and translate “your words are true.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “and you have spoken to your servant this good thing.”

¹¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Mephibosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹² tn Heb “What is your servant, that you turn to a dead dog which is like me?”

¹³ tc The translation follows the Qere (“your servants”) rather than the Kethib (“your servant”).

¹⁴ tn Heb “behind him.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁶ tn Heb “your servant.”

¹⁷ tc The Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation reads עֶבֶד אֲדֹנָי (’eved ’adoni, “the servant of my lord”) rather than the MT’s אֲרַוְנָה (’Aravnah). 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 (’eved, “servant”), leading to confusion of the word for “my lord” with the name of the Jebusite referred to here.