Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, September 10th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Read the Bible

Geneva Bible

2 Samuel 19:4

So the King hid his face, and the King cryed with a loude voyce, My sonne Absalom, Absalom my sonne, my sonne.

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

1 And it was tolde Ioab, Behold, the King weepeth and mourneth for Absalom. 2 Therefore the victorie of that day was turned into mourning to all the people: for the people heard say that day, The King soroweth for his sonne. 3 And the people went that day into the citie secretly, as people confounded hide them selues when they flee in battell. 4 So the King hid his face, and the King cryed with a loude voyce, My sonne Absalom, Absalom my sonne, my sonne. 5 Then Ioab came into the house to the King, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy seruants, which this day haue saued thy life & the liues of thy sones, & of thy daughters, and the liues of thy wiues, and the liues of thy concubines, 6 In that thou louest thine enemies, and hatest thy friendes: for thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither thy princes nor seruants: therefore this day I perceiue, that if Absalom had liued, and we all had dyed this day, that then it would haue pleased thee well. 7 Nowe therefore vp, come out, and speake comfortably vnto thy seruants: for I sweare by the Lorde, except thou come out, there will not tarie one man with thee this night: and that wil be worse vnto thee, then all the euill that fell on thee from thy youth hitherto. 8 Then the King arose, and sate in the gate: and they tolde vnto all the people, saying, Beholde, the King doeth sit in the gate: and all the people came before the King: for Israel had fled euery 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
Now the men of Sodom were wicked and exceeding sinners against the Lord.
Genesis 18:20
Then the Lorde saide, Because the crie of Sodom and Gomorah is great, and because their sinne is exceeding grieuous,
Genesis 19:1
And in the euening there came two Angels to Sodom: and Lot sate at the gate of Sodom, and Lot sawe them, and rose vp to meete them, and he bowed himselfe with his face to the ground.
Genesis 19:6
Then Lot went out at the doore vnto them, and shut the doore after him,
Genesis 19:20
See nowe this citie hereby to flee vnto, which is a litle one: Oh let me escape thither: is it not a litle one, and my soule shall liue?
Genesis 19:25
And ouerthrewe those cities and all the plaine, and all the inhabitants of the cities; and that that grewe vpon the earth.
Exodus 16:2
And the whole Congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses & against Aaron in the wildernesse.
Exodus 23:2
Thou shalt not followe a multitude to do euil, neither agree in a controuersie to decline after many and ouerthrowe the trueth.
Proverbs 4:16
For they can not sleepe, except they haue done euill, and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall.
Proverbs 6:18
An heart that imagineth wicked enterprises, feete that be swift in running to mischiefe,

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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