2 Samuel 3:29

Contextual Overview

²² And, look, the slaves of David and Joab came from a foray, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner wasn't with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace. ²² But just after David had sent Abner away in safety, Joab and some of David's troops returned from a raid, bringing much plunder with them. ²² And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a foray, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace. ²² Just then Joab and David's men came from a battle, bringing many valuable things they had taken from the enemy. David had let Abner leave in peace, so he was not with David at Hebron. ²² Now David's soldiers and Joab were coming back from a raid, bringing a great deal of plunder with them. Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, for David had sent him away and he had left in peace. ²² And behold, the servants of David and Joab came from [pursuing] a troop, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner [was] not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. ²² Behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a foray, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace. ²²Then the servants of David came with Joab from a raid and brought a great quantity of spoil with them; but Abner was not with David at Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. ²² Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. ²² anoon the children of Dauid and Joab camen with a ful grete prey, whanne theues weren slayn; sotheli Abner was not with Dauid, in Ebron, for Dauid hadde left hym, and he yede forth in pees.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

rest: 2 Samuel 1:16, Judges 9:24, Judges 9:56, Judges 9:57, 1 Kings 2:31-34, Acts 28:4, Revelation 16:6

let there: 1 Samuel 2:32-36, 2 Kings 5:27, Psalms 109:8-19

fail: Heb. be cut off

an issue: Leviticus 13:44-46, 2 Kings 5:1

Reciprocal: Exodus 21:19 - upon his staff Leviticus 13:2 - the plague of leprosy Leviticus 15:2 - when any man Joshua 2:19 - his blood 1 Samuel 25:39 - hath returned 2 Samuel 13:21 - he was very wroth 2 Samuel 14:9 - and the king 2 Samuel 14:19 - of Joab 2 Samuel 16:8 - the blood 2 Samuel 19:13 - room of Joab 1 Kings 2:33 - return upon 2 Kings 15:5 - the Lord Psalms 109:10 - General Psalms 109:14 - Let the Jeremiah 33:17 - David shall never want Daniel 6:14 - and he Matthew 27:25 - His Mark 1:40 - a leper

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Let it rest on the head of Joab,.... That is, the blood of Abner, who was the shedder of it; let the guilt of it be charged to him, and let punishment for it be inflicted on him:

and on all his father's house; on Abishai his brother, and other relations that might be privy to the death of Abner, and advising to it, and ready to assist in it if necessary:

and let there not fail from the house of Joab; let there be always in his family, and of his seed, one or other of the persons described as follows:

one that hath an issue; a gonorrhoea, which was reckoned infamous, and very impure, according to the Jewish law, and rendered persons unfit for society; see Leviticus 15:1;

or that is a leper; whose disease was very loathsome and infectious, and shut him out of the company of men; see Leviticus 13:1;

or that leaneth on a staff; being blind, as Aquila renders the word; or through weakness of body, not being able to walk without one; or through some disease of the feet, as the Jewish writers generally understand it; and R. Isaiah interprets it of the gout particularly: the word for "staff" is rendered "spindle", Proverbs 31:19; and to this sense it is rendered here in, the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions; and then the meaning is, let his posterity, or some of them, be so poor, that they shall be obliged to get their livelihood in so mean a way as by spinning; or let them be of such an effeminate disposition, as be more fit to handle the spindle, and do the, work of women, than to use the sword:

or that falleth on the sword; not by it honourably in the field of battle, but cowardly destroying themselves with it:

or that lacketh bread; and is obliged to beg it: all which David might say, not by a spirit of prophecy, but in a passion; and to show with what horror he resented the action, and how detestable it was to him, and how far it was for him to have any concern in it: but though it was a very wicked action in Joab to murder Abner in this manner, and for the reasons he did; yet it was a just vengeance from the Lord on Abner for fighting against God, and acting against the dictates of his own conscience; for his rebellion against David, and perfidy to Ishbosheth, and for having been the cause of much bloodshed in Israel.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The curse of David proves that Joab was not justified as blood-revenger or Goel 2 Samuel 3:27 in taking away Abner’s life.

That leaneth on a staff - Rather, a crutch. The phrase denotes one lame or infirm. For similar instances of hereditary disease and poverty as a punishment of great sin, see 1 Samuel 2:31-33, 1Sa 2:36; 2 Kings 5:27; John 9:2.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 3:29. Let it rest on the head — All these verbs may be rendered in the future tense: it will rest on the head of Joab, &c. This was a prophetic declaration, which sufficiently showed the displeasure of God against this execrable man.