And: Good News Translation takes the following words as being somewhat contrary to expectation and translates the conjunction as “but.”
Good News Translation also reverses the order of the two main elements in this verse in order to establish the fact that David was comforted before describing his desire to see Absalom again. This kind of restructuring may be necessary in a number of other languages.
The spirit of the king longed to go forth to Absalom: the Masoretic Text reads “and it was the end [third person feminine singular verb] [for] David the king….” It seems impossible to make sense of the Hebrew text here, though Anchor Bible understands this to mean that King David’s “enthusiasm for marching out against [Absalom] was spent.” And Anderson understands that “the king’s anger ceased to be actively directed against Absalom.”
Revised Standard Version has followed the Septuagint, and this is also the recommendation of Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, which suggests that the Hebrew word “spirit” (r-w-ch) was misread by a scribe as “David” (d-w-d), since the two words are similar in appearance in Hebrew. Contemporary English Version follows the lead of the Latin Vulgate and takes these words to mean that David “wanted to take his army there and capture Absalom.” This meaning is practically the opposite of what many other versions have understood. But there is some evidence that the Hebrew text can be understood in this way (so Goldman). Other versions have David “pining away for Absalom” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or indicate that “his anger against Absalom had subsided” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). This is a very difficult text, but the interpretation in Revised Standard Version is perhaps the best choice to follow. Compare also New Revised Standard Version, “And the heart of the king went out, yearning for Absalom; for he was now consoled over the death of Amnon.”
He was comforted: this passive form will be impossible in some languages. Anderson has “he had become reconciled to the fact that Amnon was dead.” The idea here is certainly that David’s grief had begun to lessen, and he did not feel as strongly about Amnon’s death as he had at first. Some may prefer to translate this verse “when David stopped feeling sorrowful about the death of Amnon and accepted the fact that he was dead, then he began to think about Absalom and wanted to see him again.”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .