2 Samuel 3:35
New International Version
Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”

New Living Translation
David had refused to eat anything on the day of the funeral, and now everyone begged him to eat. But David had made a vow, saying, “May God strike me and even kill me if I eat anything before sundown.”

English Standard Version
Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day. But David swore, saying, “God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down!”

Berean Standard Bible
Then all the people came and urged David to eat something while it was still day, but David took an oath, saying, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”

King James Bible
And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David sware, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, till the sun be down.

New King James Version
And when all the people came to persuade David to eat food while it was still day, David took an oath, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down!”

New American Standard Bible
Then all the people came to provide food for David in his distress while it was still day; but David vowed, saying, “May God do so to me, and more so, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down.”

NASB 1995
Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was still day; but David vowed, saying, “May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down.”

NASB 1977
Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was still day; but David vowed, saying, “May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was still day; but David swore an oath, saying, “May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down.”

Amplified Bible
All the people came to urge David to eat food while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets.”

Christian Standard Bible
Then they came to urge David to eat food while it was still day, but David took an oath: “May God punish me and do so severely if I taste bread or anything else before sunset! ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then they came to urge David to eat bread while it was still day, but David took an oath: “May God punish me and do so severely if I taste bread or anything else before sunset!”

American Standard Version
And all the people came to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David sware, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or aught else, till the sun be down.

Contemporary English Version
Then they brought some food to David and told him he would feel better if he had something to eat. It was still daytime, and David said, "I swear to God that I won't take a bite of bread or anything else until sunset!"

English Revised Version
And all the people came to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David sware, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or aught else, till the sun be down.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
That entire day all the people tried to get David to eat some food. But David had taken an oath: "May God strike me dead if I taste any food or anything else before the sun goes down."

Good News Translation
All day long the people tried to get David to eat something, but he made a solemn promise, "May God strike me dead if I eat anything before the day is over!"

International Standard Version
Everyone tried to persuade David to have a meal while there was still daylight, but David took an oath by saying, "May God to do like this to me and more, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!"

Majority Standard Bible
Then all the people came and urged David to eat something while it was still day, but David took an oath, saying, ?May God punish me, and ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!?

NET Bible
Then all the people came and encouraged David to eat food while it was still day. But David took an oath saying, "God will punish me severely if I taste bread or anything whatsoever before the sun sets!"

New Heart English Bible
Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore, saying, "God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or anything else, until the sun goes down."

Webster's Bible Translation
And when all the people came to cause David to eat food while it was yet day, David swore, saying, So do God to me, and more also, If I taste bread or aught else, till the sun is down.

World English Bible
All the people came to urge David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else, until the sun goes down.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And all the people come to cause David to eat bread while yet day, and David swears, saying, “Thus God does to me, and thus He adds, for—before the going in of the sun, I taste no bread or any other thing.”

Young's Literal Translation
And all the people come to cause David to eat bread while yet day, and David sweareth, saying, 'Thus doth God to me, and thus He doth add, for -- before the going in of the sun, I taste no bread or any other thing.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And all the people will come to cause David to eat bread, while yet day. And David will swear, saying, Thus will God do to me, and thus will he add, if before the going down of the sun I shall taste bread or anything.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when all the people came to take meat with David, while it was yet broad day, David swore, saying: So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread or any thing else before sunset.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And when the entire multitude had arrived to take food with David, while it was still broad daylight, David swore, saying, “May God do these things to me, and may he add these other things, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets.”

New American Bible
Then they went to console David with food while it was still day. But David swore, “May God do thus to me, and more, if before the sun goes down I eat bread or anything else.”

New Revised Standard Version
Then all the people came to persuade David to eat something while it was still day; but David swore, saying, “So may God do to me, and more, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down!”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And all the people tried to persuade David to eat food while it was still day, but David swore, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And all the people said to feed David bread while the day remained, and David swore and said: “Thus God will do to me and thus he will add to me if I will taste bread or anything before the sun will set!”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And all the people came to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore, saying: 'God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or aught else, till the sun be down.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And all the people assembled to weep for him. And all the people came to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day: and David swore, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if I eat bread or any thing else before the sun goes down.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David Mourns for Abner
34Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. As a man falls before the wicked, so also you fell.” And all the people wept over him even more. 35Then all the people came and urged David to eat something while it was still day, but David took an oath, saying, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!” 36All the people took note and were pleased. In fact, everything the king did pleased them.…

Cross References
Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

Ecclesiastes 3:4
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

John 11:35
Jesus wept.

Psalm 35:13-14
Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered. / I paced about as for my friend or brother; I was bowed down with grief, like one mourning for his mother.

1 Thessalonians 4:13
Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.

Job 2:11-13
Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, each of them came from his home, and they met together to go and sympathize with Job and comfort him. / When they lifted up their eyes from afar, they could barely recognize Job. They began to weep aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust in the air over his head. / Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw how intense his suffering was.

Isaiah 61:2-3
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn, / to console the mourners in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

Luke 6:21
Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

1 Samuel 1:7-8
And this went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival taunted her until she wept and would not eat. / “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

Revelation 21:4
‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Genesis 37:34-35
Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. / All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.

1 Corinthians 12:26
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Jeremiah 31:15
This is what the LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Lamentations 3:48-49
Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people. / My eyes overflow unceasingly, without relief,


Treasury of Scripture

And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David swore, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, till the sun be down.

cause

1 Samuel 12:17
Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.

Jeremiah 16:7
Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.

Ezekiel 24:17,22
Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men…

So do

2 Samuel 3:9
So do God to Abner, and more also, except, as the LORD hath sworn to David, even so I do to him;

Ruth 1:17
Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

till the

2 Samuel 1:12
And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.

Judges 20:26
Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

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2 Samuel 3
1. During the war David becomes stronger
2. Six sons are born to him in Hebron
6. Abner, displeased with Ishbosheth
7. revolts to David
13. David requires as a condition to bring him his wife Michal
17. Abner confers with the Israelites, feasted by David, and dismissed
22. Joab returning from battle, is displeased with the king, and kills Abner
28. David curses Joab
31. and mourns for Abner














Then all the people came
This phrase indicates a collective movement of the people towards David, reflecting a communal concern and respect for their leader. In the historical context, this gathering signifies the unity and support of the Israelites for David during a time of mourning. The Hebrew root for "people" (עָם, 'am) often denotes a nation or community, emphasizing the collective identity of Israel under David's leadership.

urged David to eat bread
The act of urging David to eat bread is a cultural expression of care and an attempt to console him. In ancient Near Eastern customs, eating was a communal activity that symbolized life and fellowship. Bread (לֶחֶם, lechem) is a staple food, representing sustenance and survival. The people's insistence highlights their desire for David to continue leading them with strength and vitality.

while it was still day
This phrase underscores the urgency and immediacy of the people's request. In the historical context, daylight was associated with activity and life, while night symbolized rest and sometimes danger. The emphasis on "day" (יוֹם, yom) suggests a pressing need for David to regain his strength and composure during a time of crisis.

But David took an oath
David's response by taking an oath reflects his deep sense of personal conviction and integrity. In the Hebrew tradition, oaths were solemn promises made before God, binding the individual to their word. The act of taking an oath (נִשְׁבַּע, nishba) demonstrates David's commitment to his mourning and his reliance on God for justice and strength.

saying, 'May God punish me, and ever so severely,'
This phrase reveals David's earnestness and the seriousness of his vow. The invocation of divine punishment (אֱלֹהִים, Elohim) as a consequence for breaking his oath underscores the gravity of his commitment. It reflects a deep-seated belief in God's sovereignty and justice, a central tenet of the conservative Christian perspective.

if I taste bread or anything else
David's refusal to eat signifies his profound grief and dedication to mourning. The act of tasting (טָעַם, ta'am) is symbolic of partaking in life's pleasures and sustenance. By abstaining, David expresses his solidarity with the loss and his focus on seeking God's guidance and comfort during this period of sorrow.

before the sun sets!
The mention of the sun setting marks the end of a day and, symbolically, the end of a period of mourning. In the biblical context, the setting sun (שֶׁמֶשׁ, shemesh) often represents the passage of time and the transition from one state to another. David's vow to abstain until sunset highlights his respect for the mourning process and his reliance on God's timing for healing and restoration.

(35) To eat meat.--The fasting of David in his grief had already attracted attention, so that the people came to urge him to take food; but he utterly refused "till the sun be down," the usual time of ending a fast. David's conduct had a good effect upon the people, and, indeed, they were generally disposed to look favourably upon whatever the king did.

Verse 35. - The people came to cause David to eat meat. The Jewish commentators, Philippson, Cahen, etc., consider that the occasion for this was given by the custom of taking food after a funeral (Jeremiah 16:7; Ezekiel 24:17), which in time degenerated into the giving of a costly banquet (Josephus, 'Bell. Jud.,' 2:01). To this day, at a Jewish funeral in Germany, the bearers are regaled with eggs, broad, and wine. While, then, others were partaking of the food that had been provided, David remained apart, and when urged by the assembled multitude to join them in their meal, he protested that he would continue fasting until sunset. He thus proved that his sorrow was genuine, and the people were convinced of his innocence, and pleased at the honour which he thus did to the fallen soldier.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then all
כָל־ (ḵāl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the people
הָעָ֗ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

came
וַיָּבֹ֣א (way·yā·ḇō)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

and urged David
דָּוִ֛ד (dā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

to eat
לְהַבְר֧וֹת (lə·haḇ·rō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1262: To select, to feed, to render clear

something
לֶ֖חֶם (le·ḥem)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3899: Food, bread, grain

while it was still
בְּע֣וֹד (bə·‘ō·wḏ)
Preposition-b | Adverb
Strong's 5750: Iteration, continuance, again, repeatedly, still, more

day,
הַיּ֑וֹם (hay·yō·wm)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

but David
דָּוִ֜ד (dā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

took an oath,
וַיִּשָּׁבַ֨ע (way·yiš·šā·ḇa‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7650: To seven oneself, swear

saying,
לֵאמֹ֗ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“May God
אֱלֹהִים֙ (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

punish
כֹּ֣ה (kōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

me,
לִּ֤י (lî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew

and ever so
וְכֹ֣ה (wə·ḵōh)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

severely,
יֹסִ֔יף (yō·sîp̄)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3254: To add, augment

if
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

I taste
אֶטְעַם־ (’eṭ·‘am-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 2938: To taste, to perceive

bread
לֶ֖חֶם (le·ḥem)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3899: Food, bread, grain

or
א֥וֹ (’ōw)
Conjunction
Strong's 176: Desire, if

anything
כָל־ (ḵāl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

else before
לִפְנֵ֧י (lip̄·nê)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

the sun
הַשֶּׁ֛מֶשׁ (haš·še·meš)
Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 8121: The sun, the east, a ray, a notched battlement

sets!?
בֽוֹא־ (ḇō·w-)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go


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OT History: 2 Samuel 3:35 All the people came to cause David (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 3:34
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