2 Samuel 4:7
New International Version
They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah.

New Living Translation
They went into the house and found Ishbosheth sleeping on his bed. They struck and killed him and cut off his head. Then, taking his head with them, they fled across the Jordan Valley through the night.

English Standard Version
When they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and put him to death and beheaded him. They took his head and went by the way of the Arabah all night,

Berean Standard Bible
They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was lying on his bed, and having stabbed and killed him, they beheaded him, took his head, and traveled all night by way of the Arabah.

King James Bible
For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.

New King James Version
For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain.

New American Standard Bible
Now when they had come into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and killed him, and they beheaded him. And they took his head and traveled by way of the Arabah all night.

NASB 1995
Now when they came into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and killed him and beheaded him. And they took his head and traveled by way of the Arabah all night.

NASB 1977
Now when they came into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and killed him and beheaded him. And they took his head and traveled by way of the Arabah all night.

Legacy Standard Bible
Thus they came into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, and they struck him and put him to death and beheaded him. And they took his head and went on the way leading to the Arabah all night.

Amplified Bible
Now when they entered the house he was lying on his bed in his bedroom. They [not only] struck and killed him, [but] they also beheaded him. Then they took his head and traveled all night by way of the Arabah.

Christian Standard Bible
They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was lying on his bed in his bedroom and stabbed and killed him. They removed his head, took it, and traveled by way of the Arabah all night.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was lying on his bed in his bedroom and stabbed and killed him. Then they beheaded him, took his head, and traveled by way of the Arabah all night.

American Standard Version
Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they had come to the house and he was asleep on his bed in the bedroom where he slept, and they struck him and killed him and took his head, and they went on the road of Arabah all night

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Jebosthe was sleeping on his bed in his chamber: and they smite him, and slay him, and take off his head: and they took his head, and went all the night by the western road.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For when they came into the house, be was sleeping upon his bed in a parlour, and they struck him and killed him: and taking away his head they went off by the way of the wilderness, walking all night.

English Revised Version
Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
(They had come into the house while Ishbosheth was sleeping on his bed in his bedroom. They stabbed him, killed him, and cut off his head.) They took his head and traveled all night along the road to the plains.

Good News Translation
Once inside, they went to Ishbosheth's bedroom, where he was sound asleep, and killed him. Then they cut off his head, took it with them, and walked all night through the Jordan Valley.

International Standard Version
While they were in the house, they struck him, killed him, and cut off his head while he was lying on his bed in his bedroom. They took his head, and traveled all night along the Arabah road.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bed-chamber, they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night.

Literal Standard Version
indeed, they come into the house, and he is lying on his bed, in the inner part of his bed-chamber, and they strike him, and put him to death, and turn his head aside, and they take his head, and go the way of the plain all the night,

Majority Standard Bible
They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was lying on his bed, and having stabbed and killed him, they beheaded him, took his head, and traveled all night by way of the Arabah.

New American Bible
and entered the house while Ishbaal was lying asleep in his bedroom. They struck and killed him, and cut off his head. Then, taking the head, they traveled on the Arabah road all night long.

NET Bible
They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was resting on his bed in his bedroom. They mortally wounded him and then cut off his head. Taking his head, they traveled on the way of the Arabah all that night.

New Revised Standard Version
Now they had come into the house while he was lying on his couch in his bedchamber; they attacked him, killed him, and beheaded him. Then they took his head and traveled by way of the Arabah all night long.

New Heart English Bible
And they went into the house where he was lying on his bed in his bedchamber. And they struck him and killed him, and beheaded him. And they took his head and went by the way of the Arabah all night.

Webster's Bible Translation
For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bed-chamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went away through the plain all night.

World English Bible
Now when they came into the house as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him, killed him, beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night.

Young's Literal Translation
yea, they come in to the house, and he is lying on his bed, in the inner part of his bed-chamber, and they smite him, and put him to death, and turn aside his head, and they take his head, and go the way of the plain all the night,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Murder of Ish-bosheth
6They entered the interior of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah slipped away. 7They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was lying on his bed, and having stabbed and killed him, they beheaded him, took his head, and traveled all night by way of the Arabah. 8They brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. Today the LORD has granted vengeance to my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”…

Cross References
Exodus 8:3
The Nile will teem with frogs, and they will come into your palace and up to your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls.

2 Samuel 2:29
And all that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, marched all morning, and arrived at Mahanaim.


Treasury of Scripture

For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and got them away through the plain all night.

took his head

1 Samuel 17:54
And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.

1 Samuel 31:9
And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.

2 Kings 10:6,7
Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up…

Jump to Previous
Arabah Attack Bed Bedchamber Bed-Chamber Bedroom Beheaded Cut Cutting Death Gat Head House Inner Ish-Bosheth Killed Lay Night Part Plain Slew Smote Stabbed Stretched Struck Way
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Arabah Attack Bed Bedchamber Bed-Chamber Bedroom Beheaded Cut Cutting Death Gat Head House Inner Ish-Bosheth Killed Lay Night Part Plain Slew Smote Stabbed Stretched Struck Way
2 Samuel 4
1. The Israelites being troubled at the death of Abner
2. Baanah and Rechab slay Ish-Bosheth, and bring his head to Hebron
9. David causes them to be slain, and Ish-Bosheth's head to be buried.














(7) Took his head.--There is no difficulty with the repetition in 2Samuel 4:7 of what has been already mentioned inverse 6, for it is common in the Scripture narratives to repeat statements when any additional fact (as here, the carrying off of the head) is to be mentioned. (See, e.g., 2Samuel 3:22-23, where Joab's arrival is twice mentioned, and 2Samuel 5:1-3, where the mention of the assembly at Hebron is repeated.)

Through the plain.--As in 2Samuel 2:29, the Arabah, or valley of the Jordan, the natural way from Mahanaim to Hebron.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They had entered
וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ (way·yā·ḇō·’ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

the house
הַבַּ֗יִת (hab·ba·yiṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

while Ish-bosheth
וְהֽוּא־ (wə·hū-)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

was lying
שֹׁכֵ֤ב (šō·ḵêḇ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7901: To lie down

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

his bed,
מִטָּתוֹ֙ (miṭ·ṭā·ṯōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4296: A bed, for, sleeping, eating, a sofa, litter, bier

and having stabbed
וַיַּכֻּ֙הוּ֙ (way·yak·ku·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5221: To strike

and killed him,
וַיְמִתֻ֔הוּ (way·mi·ṯu·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

they beheaded
וַיָּסִ֖ירוּ (way·yā·sî·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5493: To turn aside

him,
רֹאשׁ֑וֹ (rō·šōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7218: The head

took
וַיִּקְחוּ֙ (way·yiq·ḥū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3947: To take

his head,
רֹאשׁ֔וֹ (rō·šōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7218: The head

and traveled
וַיֵּֽלְכ֛וּ (way·yê·lə·ḵū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

night
הַלָּֽיְלָה׃ (hal·lā·yə·lāh)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3915: A twist, night, adversity

by way
דֶּ֥רֶךְ (de·reḵ)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

of the Arabah.
הָעֲרָבָ֖ה (hā·‘ă·rā·ḇāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6160: Arabah -- a steppe or desert plain, also a desert valley running south from the Sea of Galilee


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OT History: 2 Samuel 4:7 Now when they came into the house (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 4:6
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