2 Samuel 15:7
in 2 Samuel 15After four years had passed, Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I have made to the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it came to pass at the end of forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto Jehovah, in Hebron.
KJV
And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord, in Hebron.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 15
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Forty years - An obvious clerical error, though a very ancient one for four years, which may date from Absalom’s return from Geshur, or from his reconciliation with David, or from the commencement of the criminal schemes to which 2Sa 15:1 refers. Hebron - This, as having been the old capital of David’s kingdom and Absalom’s birthplace, was well chosen. It was a natural center, had probably many inhabitants discontented at the transfer of the government to Jerusalem, and contained many of the friends of Absalom’s youth.
This site's exposition
After four years had passed
on 2 Samuel 15:7-9
The Hebrew and the King James both read forty years, a span that fits nothing else in David's reign. Barnes calls it a very old copying error for four years, and the Syriac, the Arabic and Josephus all read four.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
But how easy is it for children to take advantage of their good parents' credulity, and to impose upon them with the show of religion, while still they are what they were! David was overjoyed to hear that Absalom inclined to serve the Lord, and therefore readily gave him leave to go to Hebron, and to go thither with solemnity.
And it came to pass after forty years,....
Every one knew Hebron to be a royal city; and it lay in the heart of Judah's lot, in which tribe, probably, he thought his interest strong. The pretence he had both to go thither and to invite his friends to him there was to offer a sacrifice to God, in performance of a vow he had made during his banishment,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Hebron was the spot selected for the performance of this vow, ostensibly as being his native place (2Sa 3:3), and a famous high place, where sacrifices were frequently offered before the temple was built; but really as being in many respects the most suitable for the commencement of his rebellious enterprise.
After forty years - There is no doubt that this reading is corrupt, though supported by the commonly printed Vulgate, the Septuagint, and the Chaldee. But the Syriac has arba shanin, Four years; the Arabic the same arba shinin, Four years; and Josephus has the same; so also the Sixtine edition of the Vulgate, and several MSS. of the same version. Theodoret also reads four, not forty; and most learned men are of opinion that ארבעים arbaim, Forty, is an error for אברע arba, Four; yet this reading is not supported by any Hebrew MS. yet discovered. But two of those collated by Dr. Kennicott have יום yom instead of שנה shanah, i.e., forty Days, instead of forty Years; and this is a reading more likely to be true than that in the commonly received text. We know that Absalom did stay Three years with his grandfather at Geshur, 2Sa 13:38; and this probably was a year after his return: the era, therefore, may be the time of his slaying his brother Amnon; and the four years include the time from his flight till the conspiracy mentioned here.
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֕י | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| מִקֵּ֖ץ | miketz | from [the] end of | H7093 → | |
| אַרְבָּעִ֣ים | ʾarbaim | forty | H705 → | 136 times |
| שָׁנָ֑ה | shanah | year[s] | H8141 → | 877 times |
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙ | ʾavshalom | Absalom | H53 → | 110 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| אֵ֣לֲכָה | ʾelakhah | let me go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| נָּ֗א | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| וַאֲשַׁלֵּ֛ם | vaashalem | so I may pay | H7999 → | 116 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| נִדְרִ֛י | nidri | vow my | H5088 → | |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נָדַ֥רְתִּי | nadarti | I vowed | H5087 → | |
| לַֽיהוָ֖ה | layahweh | to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בְּחֶבְרֽוֹן׃ | bechevron | in Hebron | H2275 → | 72 times |
וַיְהִ֕יand it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
מִקֵּ֖ץfrom [the] end of
miketzH7093 →
אַרְבָּעִ֣יםforty
ʾarbaimH705 →136 times
שָׁנָ֑הyear[s]
shanahH8141 →877 times
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אַבְשָׁלוֹם֙Absalom
ʾavshalomH53 →110 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
אֵ֣לֲכָהlet me go
ʾelakhahH1980 →1546 times
נָּ֗אplease
na'H4994 →404 times
וַאֲשַׁלֵּ֛םso I may pay
vaashalemH7999 →116 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
נִדְרִ֛יvow my
nidriH5088 →
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
נָדַ֥רְתִּיI vowed
nadartiH5087 →
לַֽיהוָ֖הto Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
בְּחֶבְרֽוֹן׃in Hebron
bechevronH2275 →72 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Samuel 16:13So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 10:6
Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be transformed into a different person.
- Hebrews 1:9
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You above Your companions with the oil of joy.”
- John 3:34
For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
- 1 Samuel 10:1
Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance?
- 1 Samuel 10:6
Through
Proverbs 21:27The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—how much more so when brought with ill intent!
it leads to
- Isaiah 66:3
Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who slays a man; whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever presents a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s…
- Matthew 23:13
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.
- Proverbs 15:8
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
- Isaiah 66:3
Through
Matthew 2:8And sending them to Bethlehem, he said: “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.”
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 3:19–20
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”
- 1 Corinthians 3:19–20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
About 2 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.