2nd Samuel Chapter 1 verse 18 Holy Bible

ASV 2ndSamuel 1:18

(and he bade them teach the children of Judah `the song of' the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jashar):
read chapter 1 in ASV

BBE 2ndSamuel 1:18

(It is recorded in the book of Jashar for teaching to the sons of Judah) and he said:
read chapter 1 in BBE

DARBY 2ndSamuel 1:18

and he bade them teach the children of Judah [the song of] the bow. Behold, it is written in the book of Jasher: --
read chapter 1 in DARBY

KJV 2ndSamuel 1:18

(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
read chapter 1 in KJV

WBT 2ndSamuel 1:18

(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
read chapter 1 in WBT

WEB 2ndSamuel 1:18

(and he bade them teach the children of Judah [the song of] the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jashar):
read chapter 1 in WEB

YLT 2ndSamuel 1:18

and he saith to teach the sons of Judah `The Bow;' lo, it is written on the book of the Upright: --
read chapter 1 in YLT

Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerse 18. - Also he bade them teach the children of Judah [the use of] the bow. The old view is that given by the inserted words, and is well put by Ephrem Syrus in his commentary upon the passage. He says that, as Israel's defeat at Gilboa was the presage of a long struggle, and as the Philistines had gained the victory there by their skill in archery, David used his utmost authority with his own tribe to get them to practise this art for their protection in future wars. This explanation would be plausible were it not that we have reason for believing that the Israelites were already skilful in the use both of the sling and the bow, in both of which the Benjamites especially excelled (1 Chronicles 12:2). The modern view is that given in the Revised Version, where the inserted words are "the song of" the bow. "The Bow" is thus the name of the elegy, taken from the allusion to Jonathan's skill in the use of that weapon (ver. 22; comp. 1 Samuel 18:4; 1 Samuel 20:36); and the meaning is that David made his own tribesmen, who were probably ill disposed to Saul and his family, learn this dirge, not so much for its preservation, as to make them give the fallen king due honour. Similarly Exodus 3. is called "The Bush" in Mark 12:26. The book of Jasher. See on this book Joshua 10:13, where the Syriac Version calls it "The Book of Canticles," and understands by it a collection of national ballads commemorative of the brave deeds of Israelite heroes. Jasher literally means "upright," and the Book of Jasher would be equivalent to "Hero book," the Hebrews always looking to the moral rather than the physical prowess of their great men.

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(18) The use of the bow.--The words in italics, the use of, are not in the original, and should be omitted. David "bade them teach the children of Judah the bow": i.e., the following dirge called "the bow," not merely from the allusion to Jonathan's bow in 2Samuel 1:22, but because it is a martial ode, and the bow was one of the chief weapons of the time with which the Benjamites were particularly skilful (1Chronicles 12:2; 2Chronicles 14:8; 2Chronicles 17:17). The word is omitted in the Vatican LXX. He taught this song to "the children of Judah" rather than to all Israel, because for the following seven and a half years, while the memory of Saul was fresh, he reigned only over Judah and Benjamin.In the book of Jasher.--This book is also referred to in Joshua 10:13, and nothing more is really known about it, although it has been the subject of endless discussion and speculation. It is supposed to have been a collection of songs relating to memorable events and men in the early history of Israel, and it appears that this elegy was included among them. . . .