Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, August 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

Amplified Bible

2 Samuel 19:4

But the king covered his face and cried out with a loud voice, "O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Absalom;   Bereavement;   David;   Joab;   Mourning;   Parents;   Reproof;   Sorrow;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Dead, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Joab;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prophet;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Face;   Joab;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Face;   Samuel, Books of;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Mourning;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Cover;   Face;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Absalom;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But the king covered his face and cried loudly, “My son Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!”
Hebrew Names Version
The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, my son Avshalom, Avshalom, my son, my son!
King James Version
But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
Lexham English Bible
and because the king had covered his face and cried with a loud voice, "My son, Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son."
English Standard Version
The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, "O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
New Century Version
The king covered his face and cried loudly, "My son Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!"
New English Translation
The king covered his face and cried out loudly, "My son, Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!"
New American Standard Bible
And the king covered his face and cried out with a loud voice, "My son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son!"
Geneva Bible (1587)
So the King hid his face, and the King cryed with a loude voyce, My sonne Absalom, Absalom my sonne, my sonne.
Legacy Standard Bible
But as for the king, he wrapped his face up. Then the king cried out with a loud voice, "O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
Contemporary English Version
David held his hands over his face and kept on crying loudly, "My son, Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!"
Complete Jewish Bible
so that the people entered the city furtively that day, the way that people who are ashamed creep away when fleeing a battlefield.
Darby Translation
And the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, My son Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!
Easy-to-Read Version
The king had covered his face and was crying loudly, "O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
George Lamsa Translation
But the king covered his face, and cried with a loud voice, saying, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
Good News Translation
The king covered his face and cried loudly, "O my son! My son Absalom! Absalom, my son!"
Literal Translation
And the king had covered his face. Yea, the king cried with a loud voice, My son Absalom! Absalom my son, my son!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
As for the kynge, he had couered his face, and cryed loude, and sayde: Oh my sonne Absalom, Absalom my sonne, my sonne.
American Standard Version
And the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
Bible in Basic English
But the king, covering his face, gave a great cry, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But the king hyd his face, and cryed with a loude voyce: O my sonne Absalom, O Absalom my sonne, my sonne.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the people got them by stealth that day into the city, as people that are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.
King James Version (1611)
But the king couered his face, and the king cried with a loud voyce, O my sonne Absalom, O Absalom my sonne, my sonne.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king hid his face: and the king cried with a loud voice, My son Abessalom! Abessalom my son!
English Revised Version
And the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
Berean Standard Bible
But the king covered his face and cried out at the top of his voice, "O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli the kyng hilide his heed, and criede with greet vois, My sone, Absolon!
Young's Literal Translation
and the king hath covered his face, yea, the king crieth -- a loud voice -- `My son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son.'
Update Bible Version
And the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
Webster's Bible Translation
But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
World English Bible
The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, my son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son!
New King James Version
But the king covered his face, and the king cried out with a loud voice, "O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!"
New Living Translation
The king covered his face with his hands and kept on crying, "O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!"
New Life Bible
The king covered his face and cried out with a loud voice, "O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
New Revised Standard
The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, "O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, the king, muffled his face, and the king made outcry, with a loud voice, - O my son Absolom, O Absolom, my son, my son!
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king covered his head, and cried with a loud voice: O my son Absalom, O Absalom my son, O my son.
Revised Standard Version
The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, "O my son Ab'salom, O Ab'salom, my son, my son!"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The king covered his face and cried out with a loud voice, "O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

Contextual Overview

1It was told to Joab, "Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom." 2So the victory on that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard it said on that day, "The king grieves for his son." 3The people stole into the city [of Mahanaim] that day, as people who are humiliated and ashamed steal away when they retreat in battle. 4But the king covered his face and cried out with a loud voice, "O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!"5Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, "Today you have put all your servants to shame who this day have saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters, and the lives of your wives and concubines. 6"For you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have shown today that commanders and servants are nothing to you; for today I know that if Absalom had lived and all the rest of us had died today, then you would be pleased. 7"So now stand up, go out and speak kindly and encouragingly to your servants; for I swear by the LORD that if you do not go out, not a man will stay with you tonight. And this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now." 8Then the king stood and sat at the gate [of Mahanaim]. And they told all the people, "The king is sitting at the gate," and all the people came before the king. But Israel [Absalom's troops] had fled, every man to his tent.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

covered: 2 Samuel 15:30

O my son: It is allowed by competent critics that the lamentation of David over his son, of which this forms a part, is exceedingly pathetic; and Calmet properly remarks, that the frequent repetition of the name of the deceased is common in the language of lamentation. 2 Samuel 18:33

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 14:1 - toward Absalom 1 Chronicles 3:2 - Absalom Job 9:24 - he covereth Jeremiah 14:3 - covered 1 Corinthians 11:4 - having

Cross-References

Genesis 13:13
But the men of Sodom were extremely wicked and sinful against the LORD [unashamed in their open sin before Him].
Genesis 18:20
And the LORD said, "The outcry [of the sin] of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.
Genesis 19:1
It was evening when the two angels came to Sodom. Lot was sitting at Sodom's [city] gate. Seeing them, Lot got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.
Genesis 19:6
But Lot went out of the doorway to the men, and shut the door after him,
Genesis 19:20
"Now look, this town [in the distance] is near enough for us to flee to, and it is small [with only a few people]. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) so that my life will be saved."
Genesis 19:25
and He overthrew (demolished, ended) those cities, and the entire valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground.
Exodus 16:2
The whole congregation of the Israelites [grew discontented and] murmured and rebelled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,
Exodus 23:2
"You shall not follow a crowd to do [something] evil, nor shall you testify at a trial or in a dispute so as to side with a crowd in order to pervert justice;
Proverbs 4:16
For the wicked cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are deprived of sleep unless they make someone stumble and fall.
Proverbs 6:18
A heart that creates wicked plans, Feet that run swiftly to evil,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But the king covered his face,.... And would not see his generals, and thank them for their services: but wrapped himself in his mantle, after the manner of mourners:

and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son! and this was some time, perhaps some days after he had received the news of his death, since Joab and the army were returned from the battle; had it been a sudden start of passion, upon first hearing thee news, and had continued a few hours, it would have been more excusable; but to continue some days, as it is very probable it did, was very unbecoming.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 19:4. The king covered his face — This was the custom of mourners.

O my son Absalom — Calmet has properly remarked that the frequent repetition of the name of the defunct, is common in the language of lamentation. Thus VIRGIL, act. v., ver. 51: -

_____ Daphnin que team tollemus ad astra;

Daphnin ad astra feremus: amavit nos quoque Daphnis.

"With yours, my song I cheerfully shall join,

To raise your Daphnis to the powers Divine.

Daphnis I'll raise unto the powers above,

For dear to me was Daphnis' well tried love."


See the notes on the preceding chapter (2 Samuel 18:0).


 
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