Lectionary Calendar
Friday, July 11th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

2 Samuel 2:17

The fighting went from bad to worse throughout the day. Abner and the men of Israel were beaten to a pulp by David's men. The three sons of Zeruiah were present: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel, as fast as a wild antelope on the open plain, chased Abner, staying hard on his heels.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Abner;   Armies;   Championship;   David;   Israel;   Joab;   War;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Gibeon;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Abner;   Joab;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Gibeon;   Israel;   Joab;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - War;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Gibeon;   Helkath-Hazzurim;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Abner;   Joab;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Abner ;   Ishbosheth ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Joab;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Gibeon;  

Encyclopedias:

- The Jewish Encyclopedia - Abner;   Ish-Bosheth;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The battle that day was extremely fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s soldiers.
Hebrew Names Version
The battle was very severe that day: and Aviner was beaten, and the men of Yisra'el, before the servants of David.
King James Version
And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
Lexham English Bible
Then the battle became increasingly fierce on that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.
English Standard Version
And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
New Century Version
That day there was a terrible battle, and David's men defeated Abner and the Israelites.
New English Translation
Now the battle was very severe that day; Abner and the men of Israel were overcome by David's soldiers.
Amplified Bible
There was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
New American Standard Bible
That day the battle was very severe, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the battel was exceeding sore that same day: for Abner and the men of Israel fell before the seruants of Dauid.
Legacy Standard Bible
And that day the battle was very severe, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.
Contemporary English Version
Then everyone started fighting. Both sides fought very hard, but David's soldiers defeated Abner and the soldiers of Israel.
Complete Jewish Bible
The battle that day was very fierce; Avner and the men of Isra'el were beaten by David's servants.
Darby Translation
And the battle that day was very severe; and Abner and the men of Israel were routed before the servants of David.
Easy-to-Read Version
That contest turned into a terrible battle and David's officers defeated Abner and the Israelites that day.
George Lamsa Translation
And there was a very fierce battle that day; and Abner was defeated, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
Good News Translation
Then a furious battle broke out, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David's men.
Literal Translation
And the battle was very hard on that day, and the men of Israel and Abner were stricken before David's servants.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And there arose a sore harde battayll the same daye. But Abner and the men of Israel were put to flighte of Dauids seruauntes.
American Standard Version
And the battle was very sore that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
Bible in Basic English
And there was hard fighting that day; and Abner and the men of Israel gave way before the servants of David.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And there was an exceeding cruell battel that same day: For Abner and the men of Israel fell before the seruauntes of Dauid.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the battle was very sore that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
King James Version (1611)
And there was a very sore battell that day: and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the seruants of Dauid.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the battle was very severe on that day; and Abenner and the men of Israel were worsted before the servants of David.
English Revised Version
And the battle was very sore that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
Berean Standard Bible
The battle that day was intense, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And `batel hard ynow roos in that dai; and Abner and the sones of Israel `weren dryuun of the children of Dauid.
Young's Literal Translation
and the battle is very hard on that day, and Abner is smitten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
Update Bible Version
And the battle was very intense that day: and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the slaves of David.
Webster's Bible Translation
And there was a very severe battle that day; and Abner was defeated, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
World English Bible
The battle was very severe that day: and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
New King James Version
So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
New Living Translation
A fierce battle followed that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the forces of David.
New Life Bible
The battle was very bad that day. Abner and the men of Israel were beaten by the servants of David.
New Revised Standard
The battle was very fierce that day; and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten by the servants of David.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So the battle became exceeding obstinate, on that day, - and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And there was a very fierce battle that day: and Abner was put to flight, with the men of Israel, by the servants of David.
Revised Standard Version
And the battle was very fierce that day; and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
That day the battle was very severe, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

Contextual Overview

8In the meantime, Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Saul's son Ish-Bosheth to Mahanaim and made him king over Gilead, over Asher, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin—king, as it turns out, over all Israel. Ish-Bosheth Saul's son, was forty years old when he was made king over Israel. He lasted only two years. But the people of Judah stuck with David. David ruled the people of Judah from Hebron for seven and a half years. 12One day Abner son of Ner set out from Mahanaim with the soldiers of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, headed for Gibeon. Joab son of Zeruiah, with David's soldiers, also set out. They met at the Pool of Gibeon, Abner's group on one side, Joab's on the other. 14 Abner challenged Joab, "Put up your best fighters. Let's see them do their stuff." Joab said, "Good! Let them go at it!" 15So they lined up for the fight, twelve Benjaminites from the side of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve soldiers from David's side. The men from each side grabbed their opponents' heads and stabbed them with their daggers. They all fell dead—the whole bunch together. So, they called the place Slaughter Park. It's right there at Gibeon. 17The fighting went from bad to worse throughout the day. Abner and the men of Israel were beaten to a pulp by David's men. The three sons of Zeruiah were present: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel, as fast as a wild antelope on the open plain, chased Abner, staying hard on his heels.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Abner: 2 Samuel 3:1

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 2:14 - play before 2 Samuel 18:7 - the people

Cross-References

Genesis 2:1
Heaven and Earth were finished, down to the last detail.
Genesis 2:10
A river flows out of Eden to water the garden and from there divides into four rivers. The first is named Pishon; it flows through Havilah where there is gold. The gold of this land is good. The land is also known for a sweet-scented resin and the onyx stone. The second river is named Gihon; it flows through the land of Cush. The third river is named Hiddekel and flows east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
Genesis 2:18
God said, "It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion." So God formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn't find a suitable companion.
Genesis 2:21
God put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man.
Genesis 3:11
God said, "Who told you you were naked? Did you eat from that tree I told you not to eat from?"
Genesis 3:17
He told the Man: "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree That I commanded you not to eat from, ‘Don't eat from this tree,' The very ground is cursed because of you; getting food from the ground Will be as painful as having babies is for your wife; you'll be working in pain all your life long. The ground will sprout thorns and weeds, you'll get your food the hard way, Planting and tilling and harvesting, sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk, Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you'll end up dirt."
Deuteronomy 30:15
Look at what I've done for you today: I've placed in front of you Life and Good Death and Evil.
Deuteronomy 30:19
I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love God , your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. Oh yes, he is life itself, a long life settled on the soil that God , your God, promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
1 Samuel 14:44
Saul said, "Yes. Jonathan most certainly will die. It's out of my hands—I can't go against God, can I?"
1 Samuel 22:16
The king said, "Death, Ahimelech! You're going to die—you and everyone in your family!"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And there was a very sore battle that day,.... When the twenty four men fell together, and no decision could be made thereby, or any triumph on either side, both armies drew up in battle array, and fought very furiously:

and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David; the army under him had the worst of it, and were routed, and obliged to flee before the army of David under the command of Joab.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Neither side had the advantage in the combat of twelve a side; hence, the quarrel was fought out with great fierceness by the two armies, and the victory was won by David.


 
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