When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
Parallel translations
- WEB A certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.”
- KJV And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.
- NKJV Now a certain man saw it and told Joab, and said, “I just saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree!”
- NASB When a certain man saw him, he informed Joab and said, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.”
- NLT One of David’s men saw what had happened and told Joab, “I saw Absalom dangling from a great tree.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A soldier sees Absalom hanging and reports it to Joab. The discovery sets in motion Absalom's death.
Overview
A man finds Absalom trapped in the oak and immediately informs Joab rather than acting himself, mindful of David's command. The report forces the decisive moment of the battle. The scene contrasts the soldier's restraint with Joab's coming ruthlessness, raising the tension between the king's order and his commander's judgment.
Cross-references & the web
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 18:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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