2 Samuel 1:2
Context1:2 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 16:13
Context16:13 So David and his men went on their way. But Shimei kept going along the side of the hill opposite him, yelling curses as he threw stones and dirt at them. 4
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 “and he cursed and threw stones, opposite him, pelting [them] with dirt.” The offline vÿqatal construction in the last clause indicates an action that was complementary to the action described in the preceding clause. He simultaneously threw stones and dirt.