2 Samuel 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 

Ge 22:4; Ge 37:7-10; Ge 37:29,34; Ge 43:28; Jos 7:6; 1Sa 4:12,16; 1Sa 4:12; 1Sa 20:41; 1Sa 25:23; 2Sa 4:10; 2Sa 14:4; 2Sa 15:32; Es 4:16; Es 5:1; Ps 66:3; Ho 6:2; Joe 2:13; Mt 12:40; Mt 16:21; Re 3:9

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.”