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Friday, August 15th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Read the Bible

Revised Standard Version

2 Samuel 19:4

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!"

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!"
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.
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 It was told Jo'ab, "Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Ab'salom." 2 So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people; for the people heard that day, "The king is grieving for his son." 3 And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle. 4 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!" 5 Then Jo'ab came into the house to the king, and said, "You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life, and the lives of your sons and your daughters, and the lives of your wives and your concubines, 6 because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you; for today I perceive that if Ab'salom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. 7 Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants; for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night; and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now." 8 Then the king arose, and took his seat in the gate. And the people were all told, "Behold, the king is sitting in the gate"; and all the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled every man to his own home.

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, great sinners against the LORD.
Genesis 18:20
Then the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomor'rah is great and their sin is very grave,
Genesis 19:1
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening; and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed himself with his face to the earth,
Genesis 19:6
Lot went out of the door to the men, shut the door after him,
Genesis 19:20
Behold, yonder city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there--is it not a little one? --and my life will be saved!"
Genesis 19:25
and he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
Exodus 16:2
And the whole congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,
Exodus 23:2
You shall not follow a multitude to do evil; nor shall you bear witness in a suit, turning aside after a multitude, so as to pervert justice;
Proverbs 4:16
For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made some one stumble.
Proverbs 6:18
a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run 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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