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Sunday, August 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Bible in Basic English

2 Samuel 18:10

And a certain man saw it and said to Joab, I saw Absalom hanging in a tree.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Absalom;   Ephraim;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Death of the Wicked, the;   Oak-Tree, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ahimaaz;   Joab;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Absalom;   Joab;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Fox;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Abishai;   Joab;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Oak;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Absalom;   David;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Oak;   Terebinth;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
One of the men saw him and informed Joab. He said, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
Hebrew Names Version
A certain man saw it, and told Yo'av, and said, Behold, I saw Avshalom hanging in an oak.
King James Version
And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.
Lexham English Bible
When a certain man saw it, he told Joab, and he said, "Look, I saw Absalom hanging in the oak tree!"
English Standard Version
And a certain man saw it and told Joab, "Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak."
New Century Version
When one of the men saw it happen, he told Joab, "I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!"
New English Translation
When one of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying, "I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.
Amplified Bible
A certain man saw it and informed Joab, saying, "I saw Absalom hanging in a tree."
New American Standard Bible
When a certain man saw him, he informed Joab and said, "Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And one that sawe it, tolde Ioab, saying, Beholde, I sawe Absalom hanged in an oke.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then a certain man saw it, he told Joab and said, "Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak."
Contemporary English Version
and one of them went and told Joab, "I saw Absalom hanging in a tree!"
Complete Jewish Bible
Someone saw it and told Yo'av, "I saw Avshalom hanging in a terebinth."
Darby Translation
And a man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth.
Easy-to-Read Version
Someone saw this happen and told Joab, "I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree."
George Lamsa Translation
And a certain man saw it and told Joab and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.
Good News Translation
One of David's men saw him and reported to Joab, "Sir, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!"
Literal Translation
And a man saw and told Joab, and said, Behold! I saw Absalom hanging in the oak;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Whan a certayne man sawe that, he tolde Ioab, and saide: Beholde, I sawe Absalom hange vpo an Oke tre.
American Standard Version
And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And one that sawe it, tolde Ioab, saying: Beholde, I sawe Absalom hange in an oke.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said: 'Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth.'
King James Version (1611)
And a certaine man saw it, and told Ioab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an Oke.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And a man saw it, and reported to Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Abessalom hanging in an oak.
English Revised Version
And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.
Berean Standard Bible
When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, "I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli `sum man siy this, and telde to Joab, and seide, Y siy Absolon hange on an ook.
Young's Literal Translation
And one man seeth, and declareth to Joab, and saith, `Lo, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.'
Update Bible Version
And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Look, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.
Webster's Bible Translation
And a certain man saw [it], and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.
World English Bible
A certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.
New King James Version
Now a certain man saw it and told Joab, and said, "I just saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree!"
New Living Translation
One of David's men saw what had happened and told Joab, "I saw Absalom dangling from a great tree."
New Life Bible
When a certain man saw it, he told Joab, "I saw Absalom hanging in an oak."
New Revised Standard
A man saw it, and told Joab, "I saw Absalom hanging in an oak."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, - and said - Lo! I saw Absolom suspended in an oak.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And one saw this and told Joab, saying: I saw Absalom hanging upon an oak.
Revised Standard Version
And a certain man saw it, and told Jo'ab, "Behold, I saw Ab'salom hanging in an oak."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
When a certain man saw it, he told Joab and said, "Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak."

Contextual Overview

9 And Absalom came across some of David's men. And Absalom was seated on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great tree, and his head became fixed in the tree and he was lifted up between earth and heaven, and the beast under him went on. 10 And a certain man saw it and said to Joab, I saw Absalom hanging in a tree. 11 And Joab said to the man who had given him the news, If you saw this, why did you not put your sword through him, and I would have given you ten bits of silver and a band for your robe? 12 And the man said to Joab, Even if you gave me a thousand bits of silver, I would not put out my hand against the king's son: for in our hearing the king gave orders to you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Take care that the young man Absalom is not touched. 13 And if I had falsely put him to death (and nothing may be kept secret from the king), you would have had nothing to do with me. 14 Then Joab said, I would have made it safe for you. And he took three spears in his hand, and put them through Absalom's heart, while he was still living, in the branches of the tree. 15 And ten young men, servants of Joab, came round Absalom and put an end to him. 16 And Joab had the horn sounded, and the people came back from going after Israel, for Joab kept them back. 17 And they took Absalom's body and put it into a great hole in the wood, and put a great mass of stones over it: and every man of Israel went in flight to his tent. 18 Now Absalom, before his death, had put up for himself a pillar in the king's valley, naming it after himself; for he said, I have no son to keep my name in memory: and to this day it is named Absalom's pillar.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 21:6 - hang Proverbs 30:17 - eye Galatians 3:13 - for

Cross-References

Genesis 16:10
And the angel of the Lord said, Your seed will be greatly increased so that it may not be numbered.
Genesis 17:16
And I will give her a blessing so that you will have a son by her: truly my blessing will be on her, and she will be the mother of nations: kings of peoples will be her offspring.
Genesis 17:19
And God said, Not so; but Sarah, your wife, will have a son, and you will give him the name Isaac, and I will make my agreement with him for ever and with his seed after him.
Genesis 17:21
But my agreement will be with Isaac, to whom Sarah will give birth a year from this time.
Genesis 18:3
And said, My Lord, if now I have grace in your eyes, do not go away from your servant:
Genesis 18:5
And let me get a bit of bread to keep up your strength, and after that you may go on your way: for this is why you have come to your servant. And they said, Let it be so.
Genesis 18:8
And he took butter and milk and the young ox which he had made ready and put it before them, waiting by them under the tree while they took food.
Genesis 18:9
And they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, She is in the tent.
Genesis 18:13
And the Lord said, Why was Sarah laughing and saying, Is it possible for me, being old, to give birth to a child?
Genesis 18:14
Is there any wonder which the Lord is not able to do? At the time I said, in the spring, I will come back to you, and Sarah will have a child.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And a certain man saw [it],.... Saw him in the above posture, one of David's soldiers:

and told Joab, and said, behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak; caught by the neck in one, out of which he could not disengage himself, but there he hung, though alive.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 18:10. I saw Absalom hanged in an oak. — He must have hung there a considerable time. this man saw him hanging; how long he had been hanging before he saw him, we cannot tell. He came and informed Joab; this must have taken up a considerable time. Joab went and pierced him through with three darts; this must have taken up still more time. It is therefore natural to conclude that his life must have been nearly gone after having been so long suspended, and probably was past recovery, even if Joab had taken him down.


 
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