2Sa 1:2-3 | NET2full | STEP | On the third day a man arrived from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and dirt on his head . When he approached David , the man threw himself to the ground .

‏ 2 Samuel 1:2-3

2 On the third day a man arrived from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. ^{▼▼sn Tearing one’s clothing and throwing dirt on one’s head were outward expressions of grief in the ancient Near East, where such demonstrable reactions were a common response to tragic news.} When he approached David, the man ^{▼▼tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man mentioned at the beginning of v. 2) has been specified in the translation to avoid confusion as to who fell to the ground.} threw himself to the ground. ^{▼▼tn Heb “he fell to the ground and did obeisance.”}

3 David asked him, “Where are you coming from?” He replied, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”