Bible Strands
2 Samuel 1:18
and he ordered that the sons of Judah be taught the Song of the Bow. It is written in the Book of Jashar:
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David issues this instruction immediately after composing a lament for Saul and Jonathan, directing a specific group to learn a mourning poem.
The words — The Hebrew specifies לְלַמֵּד (le.lamed) meaning "to teach" and בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה (be.nei Yehudah) meaning "the descendants of Judah."
The thread — The reference to a recorded historical source appears in Joshua 10:13, while the focus on Judah echoes the patriarchal blessing in Genesis 49:8 and the communal instruction pattern of Deuteronomy 4:10.
Why it lands — The text commands the transmission of a specific mourning poem to a defined tribal group and notes its preservation in a named archive, requiring readers to treat the passage as an official historical record rather than a spontaneous personal reflection.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
Cross-references
- Joshua 10:13 So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? “So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.”
- Genesis 49:8 Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
- Deuteronomy 4:10 The day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, “Gather the people before Me to hear My words, so that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach them to their children.”