2 Samuel 1:18

(Also hee bade them teach the children of Iudah the vse of the bow: behold, it is written in the booke of Iasher.) 2 Samuel 1:18 (KJV)

The verse cited in the King James Version reads, “Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow.” This statement appears in the marginal note to 2 Samuel 1:18, indicating that the instruction to teach the children of Judah how to use the bow was recorded in the Book of Jasher. However, the Book of Jasher itself is not part of the canonical Scriptures. It is an apocryphal work that is referenced elsewhere in the Bible, specifically in Joshua 10:13 and again in 2 Samuel 1:18. The quoted sentence, though printed in the KJV marginal note, is not found in any surviving copy of the Book of Jasher. Consequently, the verse exists in the printed edition of 2 Samuel as a citation of an external source, but the source does not contain the quoted material. This discrepancy highlights the need for careful textual criticism when dealing with references to non‑canonical books. Readers should be aware that while the KJV includes the marginal note, the actual content of the Book of Jasher does not corroborate the quoted instruction. The situation serves as a reminder that some biblical footnotes draw on traditions or sources that are not verifiable within the extant texts of those sources. For study purposes, the verse can be appreciated as a historical note about the transmission of tradition, while also recognizing the limitation that the alleged source does not preserve the cited wording. This awareness helps maintain scholarly rigor when engaging with biblical passages that reference apocryphal literature.