2 Samuel 3:33

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

as a fool dieth: That is, as a bad man, as the word frequently signifies in Scripture. 2 Samuel 13:12, 2 Samuel 13:13, 2 Samuel 13:28, 2 Samuel 13:29, Proverbs 18:7, Ecclesiastes 2:15, Ecclesiastes 2:16, Jeremiah 17:11, Luke 12:19, Luke 12:20

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 26:5 - Abner Jeremiah 22:18 - Ah my brother Ezekiel 32:16 - General

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king lamented over Abner,.... Delivered an elegy or funeral oration, which he had composed on this occasion, as Josephus u suggests: for he had cried and wept before, but now he expressed something as follows:

and said, died Abner as a fool dieth? the meaning of the interrogation is, he did not; the Targum is

"did Abner die as wicked men die?''

no, he did not; he did not die for any wickedness he had been guilty of; he did not die as a malefactor, whose crime has been charged and proved in open court, and sentence of condemnation pronounced on him righteously for it; but he died without anything being laid to his charge, and much less proved, and without judge or jury; he was murdered in a clandestine, insidious, and deceitful manner; so the word "fool" is often taken in Scripture for a wicked man, especially in the book of Proverbs; the Septuagint version leaves the word untranslated,

"died Abner according to the death of Nabal?''

no; but it could hardly be thought that David would mention the name of any particular person on such an occasion.

u Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 1. sect. 6.)

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Lamented - i. e. composed and sang the funeral dirge which follows (compare 2 Samuel 1:17).

Died Abner ... - i. e. The great and noble and valiant Abner had died as ignobly and as helplessly as the meanest churl!

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 3:33. The king lamented over Abner — This lamentation, though short, is very pathetic. It is a high strain of poetry; but the measure cannot be easily ascertained. Our own translation may be measured thus: -

Died Abner as a fool dieth?

Thy hands were not bound,

Nor thy feet put into fetters.

As a man falleth before the wicked.

So hast thou fallen!

Or thus: -

Shall Abner die

A death like to a villain's?

Thy hands not bound,

Nor were the fetters to thy feet applied.

Like as one falls before the sons of guilt,

So hast thou fallen!

He was not taken away by the hand of justice, nor in battle, nor by accident: he died the death of a culprit by falling into the hands of a villain.

This song was a heavy reproof to Joab; and must have galled him extremely, being sung by all the people.