2 Samuel 18:18
New International Version
During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, “I have no son to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

New Living Translation
During his lifetime, Absalom had built a monument to himself in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to carry on my name.” He named the monument after himself, and it is known as Absalom’s Monument to this day.

English Standard Version
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument to this day.

Berean Standard Bible
During his lifetime, Absalom had set up for himself a pillar in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the pillar his name, and to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.

King James Bible
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king's dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto this day, Absalom's place.

New King James Version
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up a pillar for himself, which is in the King’s Valley. For he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name. And to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.

New American Standard Bible
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a memorial stone, which is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to continue my name.” So he named the memorial stone after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

NASB 1995
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar which is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

NASB 1977
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar which is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument to this day.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar which is in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

Amplified Bible
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a memorial pillar which is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He named the memorial pillar after himself, and to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.

Christian Standard Bible
When he was alive, Absalom had taken a pillar and raised it up for himself in the King’s Valley, since he thought, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he named the pillar after himself. It is still called Absalom’s Monument today.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When he was alive, Absalom had set up a pillar for himself in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the pillar his name. It is still called Absalom’s Monument today.

American Standard Version
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself the pillar, which is in the king's dale; for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name; and it is called Absalom's monument, unto this day.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Abishlum, while he lived, had taken and set up for himself a statue in the Valley of the Kings, because he had said, “There is no one for me who will make my name.” And he called the statue by his name, and it is called “The hand of Abishlum” until today

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Now Abessalom while yet alive had taken and set up for himself the pillar near which he was taken, and set it up so as to have the pillar in the king's dale; for he said he had no son to keep his name in remembrance: and he called the pillar, Abessalom's hand, until this day.

Contemporary English Version
When Absalom was alive, he had set up a stone monument for himself in King's Valley. He explained, "I don't have any sons to keep my name alive." He called it Absalom's Monument, and that is the name it still has today.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Now Absalom had reared up for himself, in his lifetime, a pillar, which is in the king's valley: for he said: I have no son, and this shall be the monument of my name. And he called the pillar by is own name, and it is called the hand of Absalom, to this day.

English Revised Version
Now Absalom in his life time had taken and reared up for himself the pillar, which is in the king's dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called Absalom's monument, unto this day.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
( [While he was still living,] Absalom had taken a rock and set it up for himself in the king's valley. He said, "I have no son to keep the memory of my name alive." He called the rock by his name, and it is still called Absalom's Monument today.)

Good News Translation
During his lifetime Absalom had built a monument for himself in King's Valley, because he had no son to keep his name alive. So he named it after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom's Monument.

International Standard Version
While Absalom had been living, he had erected a pillar as a monument to himself in King's Valley because he had been telling himself, "I don't have a son to carry on my family name." So he named the pillar after himself—it's called Absalom's Monument even today.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Now Absalom in his life-time had taken and reared up for himself the pillar, which is in the king's dale; for he said: 'I have no son to keep my name in remembrance'; and he called the pillar after his own name; and it is called Absalom's monument unto this day.

Literal Standard Version
And Absalom has taken, and sets up for himself in his life, the standing-pillar that [is] in the king’s valley, for he said, “I have no son to cause my name to be remembered”; and he calls the standing-pillar by his own name, and it is called “The Monument of Absalom” to this day.

Majority Standard Bible
During his lifetime, Absalom had set up for himself a pillar in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the pillar his name, and to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.

New American Bible
During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and set it up for himself in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to perpetuate my name.” The pillar which he named for himself is called Absalom’s Monument to the present day.

NET Bible
Prior to this Absalom had set up a monument and dedicated it to himself in the King's Valley, reasoning "I have no son who will carry on my name." He named the monument after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom's Memorial.

New Revised Standard Version
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar that is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance”; he called the pillar by his own name. It is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

New Heart English Bible
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself the pillar, which is in the King's Valley; for he said, "I have no son to keep my name in memory." He called the pillar after his own name; and it is called Absalom's monument, to this day.

Webster's Bible Translation
Now Absalom in his life-time had taken and raised for himself a pillar, which is in the king's dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called to this day, Absalom's place.

World English Bible
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself the pillar which is in the king’s valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in memory.” He called the pillar after his own name. It is called Absalom’s monument, to this day.

Young's Literal Translation
And Absalom hath taken, and setteth up for himself in his life, the standing-pillar that is in the king's valley, for he said, 'I have no son to cause my name to be remembered;' and he calleth the standing-pillar by his own name, and it is called 'The monument of Absalom' unto this day.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Absalom Killed
17They took Absalom, cast him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled, each to his home. 18During his lifetime, Absalom had set up for himself a pillar in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the pillar his name, and to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.

Cross References
Genesis 14:17
After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).

Numbers 32:42
And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah, after his own name.

1 Samuel 15:12
Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but he was told, "Saul has gone to Carmel, and behold, he has set up a monument for himself and has turned and gone down to Gilgal."

2 Samuel 14:27
Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.

Isaiah 22:16
What are you doing here, and who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here--to chisel your tomb in the height and cut your resting place in the rock?


Treasury of Scripture

Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king's dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called to this day, Absalom's place.

reared up

1 Samuel 15:12
And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

the king's

Genesis 14:17
And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.

I have no son

2 Samuel 14:27
And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

Job 18:16,17
His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off…

Psalm 109:13
Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

he called

Genesis 11:4
And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

1 Samuel 15:12
And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

Psalm 49:11
Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

1 Samuel 15:12
And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

Genesis 11:9
Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Acts 1:18,19
Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out…

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2 Samuel 18
1. David viewing the armies in their march gives them charge of Absalom
6. The Israelites are sorely smitten in the wood of ephraim
9. Absalom, hanging in an oak is slain by Joab, and cast into a pit
18. Absalom's place
19. Ahimaaz and Cushi bring tidings to David
33. David mourns for Absalom














(18) The king's dale.--Called also in Genesis 14:17 "the valley of Shaveh." Its site has not been identified, and writers differ as to whether it was near Jerusalem, in the valley of the Kidron, which seems probable, or was near the site of Sodom. On Absalom's statement that he had no son, see note on 14:27.

Verse 18. - Absalom... had taken and reared up for himself a pillar. In contrast with the heap of stones cast over his dishonoured body, the narrator calls attention to the costly memorial erected by Absalom in his lifetime. The three unnamed sons mentioned in 2 Samuel 14:27 seem to have died in their infancy, and probably also their mother; and Absalom, instead of taking other wives to bear him sons, which would have been in unison with the feelings of the time, manifested his grief by raising this monument. We have no reason for supposing that it was the result of vanity and ostentation. Ostentatious he was, and magnificent, but his not marrying again is a sign of genuine sorrow. The king's dale is "the Valley of Shaveh," mentioned in Genesis 14:17; but whether it was near Jerusalem, as Josephus asserts, or near Sodom, is uncertain. The pillar was probably an obelisk, or possibly a pyramid, and certainly was not the Ionic column of Roman workmanship shown in the Middle Ages and at the present time as "Absalom's grave." This is in the Kidron valley, about two furlongs from Jerusalem. Absalom's place; literally, Absalom's hand; that is, memorial (see note on 1 Samuel 15:12).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
During his lifetime,
בְחַיָּיו֙ (ḇə·ḥay·yāw)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

Absalom
וְאַבְשָׁלֹ֣ם (wə·’aḇ·šā·lōm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 53: Absalom -- 'my father is peace', two Israelites

had set up
וַיַּצֶּב־ (way·yaṣ·ṣeḇ-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5324: To take one's stand, stand

for himself
ל֤וֹ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

a pillar
מַצֶּ֙בֶת֙ (maṣ·ṣe·ḇeṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4678: Something stationary, a monumental stone, the stock of a, tree

in the King’s
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

Valley,
בְּעֵֽמֶק־ (bə·‘ê·meq-)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6010: A vale

for
כִּ֤י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

he had said,
אָמַר֙ (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“I have no
אֵֽין־ (’ên-)
Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

son
בֵ֔ן (ḇên)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

to
בַּעֲב֖וּר (ba·‘ă·ḇūr)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5668: Crossed, transit, on account of, in order that

preserve the memory
הַזְכִּ֣יר (haz·kîr)
Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 2142: To mark, to remember, to mention, to be male

of my name.”
שְׁמִ֑י (šə·mî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 8034: A name

So he gave
וַיִּקְרָ֤א (way·yiq·rā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

the pillar
לַמַּצֶּ֙בֶת֙ (lam·maṣ·ṣe·ḇeṯ)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4678: Something stationary, a monumental stone, the stock of a, tree

his name,
שְׁמ֔וֹ (šə·mōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 8034: A name

and to this
הַזֶּֽה׃ (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

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

it is called
וַיִּקָּ֤רֵא (way·yiq·qā·rê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

Absalom's
אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם (’aḇ·šā·lōm)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 53: Absalom -- 'my father is peace', two Israelites

Monument.
יַ֣ד (yaḏ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3027: A hand


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OT History: 2 Samuel 18:18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 18:17
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