2Sa 18:12 | NETfull | STEP | The man replied to Joab, “Even if I were receiving a thousand pieces of silver, I would not strike the king’s son! In our very presence the king gave this order to you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’

2 Samuel 18:12

12 The man replied to Joab, “Even if ^{▼▼ The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וְלוּ (v^elu, “and if”) rather than MT וְלֹא (v^elo’, “and not”).} I were receiving ^{▼▼ Heb “weighing out in my hand.”} a thousand pieces of silver, ^{▼▼ Heb “a thousand [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 25 pounds (11.4 kg) of silver by weight.} I would not strike ^{▼▼ Heb “extend my hand against.”} the king’s son! In our very presence ^{▼▼ Heb “in our ears.”} the king gave this order to you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’ ^{▼▼ The Hebrew text is very difficult here. The MT reads מִי (mi, “who”), apparently yielding the following sense: “Show care, whoever you might be, for the youth Absalom.” The Syriac Peshitta reads li (“for me”), the Hebrew counterpart of which may also lie behind the LXX rendering μοι (moi, “for me”). This reading seems preferable here, since it restores sense to the passage and most easily explains the rise of the variant.}