Lectionary Calendar
Monday, August 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Bible in Basic English

2 Samuel 18:15

And ten young men, servants of Joab, came round Absalom and put an end to him.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Absalom;   Armor-Bearer;   Ephraim;  

Dictionaries:

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

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Absalom (1);   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Joab;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
ten young men who were Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him.
Hebrew Names Version
Ten young men who bore Yo'av's armor compassed about and struck Avshalom, and killed him.
King James Version
And ten young men that bare Joab's armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.
Lexham English Bible
Then ten of the young men who bore the weapons of Joab surrounded him and struck and killed Absalom.
English Standard Version
And ten young men, Joab's armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.
New Century Version
Ten young men who carried Joab's armor also gathered around Absalom and struck him and killed him.
New English Translation
Then ten soldiers who were Joab's armor bearers struck Absalom and finished him off.
Amplified Bible
And ten young men, Joab's armor bearers, surrounded and struck Absalom and killed him.
New American Standard Bible
And ten young men who carried Joab's armor gathered around and struck Absalom and killed him.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And tenne seruants that bare Ioabs armour, compassed about and smote Absalom, and slewe him.
Legacy Standard Bible
And ten young men who carried Joab's armor gathered around and struck Absalom and put him to death.
Contemporary English Version
Ten of Joab's bodyguards came over and finished him off.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then Yo'av's ten young armor-bearers surrounded Avshalom, struck him and killed him.
Darby Translation
And ten young men that bore Joab's armour surrounded and smote Absalom, and killed him.
Easy-to-Read Version
Ten of Joab's young helpers gathered around Absalom and killed him.
George Lamsa Translation
And ten young men who bore Joabs armor circled about and smote Absalom and slew him.
Good News Translation
Then ten of Joab's soldiers closed in on Absalom and finished killing him.
Literal Translation
And they went around, ten young men bearing Joab's weapons, and struck Absalom, and killed him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And ten yoge men Ioabs weapenbearers, came aboute him, and smote him to death.
American Standard Version
And ten young men that bare Joab's armor compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And ten seruauntes that bare Ioabs weapons, turned and smote Absalom, and slue him.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And ten young men that bore Joab's armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.
King James Version (1611)
And ten yong men that bare Ioabs armour, compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And ten young men that bore Joab’s armour compassed Abessalom, and smote him and slew him.
English Revised Version
And ten young men that bare Joab’s armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.
Berean Standard Bible
And ten young men who carried Joab's armor surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
ten yonge squieris of Joab runnen, and smytiden, and killiden hym.
Young's Literal Translation
And they go round -- ten youths bearing weapons of Joab -- and smite Absalom, and put him to death.
Update Bible Version
And ten young men that bore Joab's armor compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.
Webster's Bible Translation
And ten young men that bore Joab's armor compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.
World English Bible
Ten young men who bore Joab's armor compassed about and struck Absalom, and killed him.
New King James Version
And ten young men who bore Joab's armor surrounded Absalom, and struck and killed him.
New Living Translation
Ten of Joab's young armor bearers then surrounded Absalom and killed him.
New Life Bible
And ten young men who carried Joab's battle clothes gathered around and hit Absalom and killed him.
New Revised Standard
And ten young men, Joab's armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then came round ten young men who bare Joab's armour, - and smote Absolom, and slew him.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Ten young men, armourbearers of Joab, ran up, and striking him slew him.
Revised Standard Version
And ten young men, Jo'ab's armor-bearers, surrounded Ab'salom and struck him, and killed him.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And ten young men who carried Joab's armor gathered around and struck Absalom and killed him.

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 12:10 - the sword 1 Kings 2:28 - Joab had Psalms 35:8 - into Proverbs 17:11 - General Ecclesiastes 10:8 - that Galatians 3:13 - for

Cross-References

Genesis 4:9
And the Lord said to Cain, Where is your brother Abel? And he said, I have no idea: am I my brother's keeper?
Genesis 12:13
Say, then, that you are my sister, and so it will be well with me because of you, and my life will be kept safe on your account.
Genesis 18:25
Let such a thing be far from you, to put the upright to death with the sinner: will not the judge of all the earth do right?
Genesis 18:27
And Abraham answering said, Truly, I who am only dust, have undertaken to put my thoughts before the Lord:
Job 2:10
And he said to her, You are talking like one of the foolish women. If we take the good God sends us, are we not to take the evil when it comes? In all this Job kept his lips from sin.
Psalms 44:21
Will not God make search for it? for he sees the secrets of the heart.
Proverbs 12:19
True lips are certain for ever, but a false tongue is only for a minute.
Proverbs 28:13
He who keeps his sins secret will not do well; but one who is open about them, and gives them up, will get mercy.
Mark 2:8
And Jesus, having knowledge in his spirit of their thoughts, said to them, Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?
John 2:25
He had no need for any witness about man; for he himself had knowledge of what was in man.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And ten young men that bare Joab's armour,.... That waited upon him in the battle, to carry his armour, and supply him with it as he should have occasion; these, by his orders,

compassed about, and smote Absalom, and slew him; they enclosed him that none might rescue him, and smote him with their spears or swords, or whatsoever armour they had, until it was a clear case that he was really dead. Joab in this disobeyed the king's order, but provided for the good of the nation, and the safety of the king. The Jews observe m, that measure for measure was given to Absalom; he was proud of his hair, 2 Samuel 14:25, and therefore was hanged by it, 2 Samuel 18:9; he lay with ten concubines of his father, 2 Samuel 16:21, and therefore was smitten with ten lances or spears by ten young men; and he stole three hearts, the heart of his father, the heart of the sanhedrim, and the heart of the men of Israel, and therefore three darts were fixed in him, 2 Samuel 18:14.

m Misn. Sotah, c. 1. sect. 8.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 18:15. Ten young men - smote Absalom and slew him. — That is, they all pierced the body; but there could be no life in it after three darts had been thrust through the heart: but they added as much as would have killed him had he been alive.


 
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