Absalom’s servants: that is, his “officials,” and not household domestic servants.

They have gone over the brook of water: the meaning of the word translated brook is uncertain, since it is found only here in all the Old Testament. The water would make Absalom’s men think of the Jordan River, where they almost certainly proceeded in search of Jonathan and Ahimaaz. There is some textual evidence that leads some scholars to propose that the Masoretic Text should be corrected to read “they have gone further on, towards the water” (New Jerusalem Bible, and similarly New American Bible). But Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text and recommends that this text be translated as in Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and most other versions.

The Hebrew text does not have direct object pronouns after the verbs they had sought and could not find, but in many languages it may be necessary to supply them, as in Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version.

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 .