2 Samuel 18:18

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

During his lifetime, Absalom had set up a pillar in the King’s Valley for himself, saying, 'I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.' He named the pillar after himself, and to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְאַבְשָׁלֹ֣ם לָקַ֗ח וַיַּצֶּב־ל֤וֹ בְחַיָּיו֙ אֶת־מַצֶּ֙בֶת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּעֵֽמֶק־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ כִּ֤י אָמַר֙ אֵֽין־לִ֣י בֵ֔ן בַּעֲב֖וּר הַזְכִּ֣יר שְׁמִ֑י וַיִּקְרָ֤א לַמַּצֶּ֙בֶת֙ עַל־שְׁמ֔וֹ וַיִּקָּ֤רֵא לָהּ֙ יַ֣ד אַבְשָׁלֹ֔ם עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃

Transliteration

And-ʾAḇšālōm lāqaḥ and-yaṣṣeḇ-to-him in-ḥayyāyw ʾeṯ-maṣṣeḇeṯ which in-ʿēmeq-the-meleḵ because ʾāmar not-to-me bēn for-the-sake-of hazkîr šěmî and-yiqqrāʾ to-the-maṣṣeḇeṯ upon-šěmô and-yiqqārēʾ to-her yaḏ ʾAḇšālōm until the-yôm the-zeh.

Grammar Details

• *ʾAḇšālōm*: proper noun - Absalom
• *lāqaḥ*: third person masculine singular qal perfect - he took/had taken
• *yaṣṣeḇ*: third person masculine singular hiphil imperfect consecutive - and he erected/set up
• *ḥayyāyw*: masculine plural noun with third person masculine singular suffix - his life/lifetime
• *ʾeṯ*: direct object marker
• *maṣṣeḇeṯ*: feminine singular noun with definite article - the pillar/monument
• *ʿēmeq*: masculine singular construct - valley of
• *meleḵ*: masculine singular noun with definite article - the king
• *ʾāmar*: third person masculine singular qal perfect - he said
• *bēn*: masculine singular noun - son
• *hazkîr*: hiphil infinitive construct - to cause to remember/to keep in remembrance
• *šěmî*: masculine singular noun with first person singular suffix - my name
• *yiqqrāʾ*: third person masculine singular qal imperfect consecutive - and he called
• *šěmô*: masculine singular noun with third person masculine singular suffix - his name
• *yiqqārēʾ*: third person masculine singular niphal imperfect consecutive - and it is called
• *yaḏ*: feminine singular construct - hand/monument of
• *yôm*: masculine singular noun with definite article - the day
• *zeh*: masculine singular demonstrative pronoun - this

Word Meanings

• *lāqaḥ*: took/had taken
• *yaṣṣeḇ*: erected/set up/established
• *ḥayyāyw*: his lifetime/during his life/while he was alive
• *maṣṣeḇeṯ*: pillar/monument/standing stone
• *ʿēmeq*: valley/plain
• *hazkîr*: to cause to remember/to keep in remembrance/to memorialize
• *yiqqrāʾ*: called/named
• *yiqqārēʾ*: it is called/it is named
• *yaḏ*: monument/memorial/hand (as a monument)

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  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.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  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 keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called to this day, Absalom's monument.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  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.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  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.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  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.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Absalom had set him vp a piler whyle he was yet alyue, which stode in the kynges valley, for he sayde: I haue no sonne, therfore shall this be a remembraunce of my name: and he called the piler after his owne name. And vnto this daie it is yet called Absaloms place.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Nowe Absalom in his life time had taken and reared him vp a pillar, which is in the kings dale: for he saide, I haue no sonne to keepe my name in remembrance; he called the pillar after his owne name, & it is called vnto this day, Absaloms place.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And this Absalom yet in his lyfe time toke and reared vp a piller, whiche is in the kinges dale: For he sayd, I haue no sonne to kepe my name in remembraunce, and he called the piller after his owne name, and it is called vnto this day Absaloms place.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  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.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  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 memory: and he called the pillar after his own name; and it is called Absalom's monument, to this day.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  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.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Now Absalom, before his death, had put up for himself a pillar in the king's valley, naming it after himself; for he said, I have no son to keep my name in memory: and to this day it is named Absalom's pillar.

• World English Bible (2000)

  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 memory." He called the pillar after his own name; and it is called Absalom's monument, to this day.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  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.

Referenced Verses

• 1 Sam 15:12 : 12 Early in the morning, Samuel got up to meet Saul, but he was told, 'Saul went to Carmel and has set up a monument in his own honor. Then he turned and went down to Gilgal.'
• 2 Sam 14:27 : 27 To Absalom, three sons and one daughter were born. His daughter’s name was Tamar, and she was a beautiful woman.
• Gen 14:17 : 17 After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).
• Gen 11:4 : 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
• Gen 11:9 : 9 That is why it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
• Job 18:16-17 : 16 His roots below will dry up, and his branches above will wither. 17 His memory perishes from the earth, and he has no name in the public square.
• Ps 49:11 : 11 For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.
• Ps 109:13 : 13 May his descendants be cut off, and may their name be wiped out in the next generation.
• Jer 22:30 : 30 This is what the LORD says: Record this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will succeed in sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah.
• Dan 4:30 : 30 Immediately, what was spoken about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people, ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.
• Acts 1:18-19 : 18 (With the reward he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; and falling headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.) 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their own language, Akeldama, which means 'Field of Blood.'