1 Kings 2:32

1 Kings 2:32 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Lord shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord will repay him for the blood he shed, because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better men and more upright than he.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The Lord will bring back his bloody deeds on his own head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men more righteous and better than himself, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So the Lord will return his blood on his head, because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword—Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah—though my father David did not know it.

Context of 1 Kings 2:32

30And Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But Joab replied, “No, I will die here.” So Benaiah relayed the message to the king, saying, “This is how Joab answered me.” 31And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed. The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. 33Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.” 34So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his own home in the wilderness.

1 Kings 2:32 word by word

וְהֵשִׁיב֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֶת־דָּמ֜וֹ עַל־רֹאשׁ֗וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר פָּגַ֣ע בִּשְׁנֵֽי־אֲ֠נָשִׁים צַדִּקִ֨ים וְטֹבִ֤ים מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ וַיַּהַרְגֵ֣ם בַּחֶ֔רֶב וְאָבִ֥י דָוִ֖ד לֹ֣א יָדָ֑ע אֶת־אַבְנֵ֤ר בֶּן־נֵר֙ שַׂר־צְבָ֣א יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאֶת־עֲמָשָׂ֥א בֶן־יֶ֖תֶר שַׂר־צְבָ֥א יְהוּדָֽה׃Read the interlinear

• The LORDיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• ·אֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
• will bringשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• his bloodshedדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
• back uponעַל‛al · uponH5921
• his own headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• forאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• withoutלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
• the knowledgeיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• of my fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
• Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• he struck downפָּגַעpâga‛ · to fall onH6293
• twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• more righteousצַדִּיקtsaddîyq · righteousH6662
• and betterטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• than heמִן־min minnîy minnêy · fromH4480
• when he putהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
• to the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• Abnerאֲבִינֵר'abnêr 'ăbîynêr · AbnerH74
• sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of Nerנֵרnêr · NerH5369
• commanderשַׂרώar · rulerH8269
• of Israel’sיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• armyצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · armyH6635
• and Amasaעֲמָשָׂא‛ămâώâ' · AmasaH6021
• of Jetherיֶ֫תֶרyether · JetherH3500
• of Judah’sיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063

Cross-references for 1 Kings 2:32

• 1 Kings 2:44The king also said, “You know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore the LORD will bring your evil back upon your head.
• Genesis 4:11Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
• Judges 9:24in order that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the leaders of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers.
• Psalms 7:16His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.
• 2 Samuel 3:27When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.
• 2 Samuel 20:10Amasa was not on guard against the dagger in Joab’s hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach and spilled out his intestines on the ground. And Joab did not need to strike him again, for Amasa was dead. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bichri.
• 1 Samuel 15:28So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.
• 2 Samuel 4:11How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!”
• 2 Chronicles 21:13but you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and have caused Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab prostituted itself. You have also killed your brothers, your father’s family, who were better than you.
• Esther 1:19So if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree, and let it be recorded in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti shall never again enter the presence of King Xerxes, and that her royal position shall be given to a woman better than she.
• 2 Samuel 3:26As soon as Joab had left David, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David was unaware of it.
• 1 Kings 2:5Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.
• 2 Samuel 17:25Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra, the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 2:32

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 32Shalt return his blood - i. e. “his shedding of blood.”Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 26-34Verses 26-34 Solomon's words to Abiathar, and his silence, imply that some recent conspiracies had been entered into. Those that show kindness to God's people shall have it remembered to their advantage. For this reason Solomon spares Abiathar's life, but dismisses him from his offices. In case of such sins as the blood of beasts would atone for, the altar was a refuge, but not in Joab's case. Solomon looks upward to God as the Author of peace, and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26-35Solomon believed that Adonijah's main supporters, Abiathar and Joab, were still part of Adonijah's plans, so he took action against them too.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 2:32

• Amasa
• Government
• Homicide
• Jether
• Joab

In the dictionaries

• Abner
• David
• Israel
• Judah
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Judah, kingdom of Judah
• Judea, Judah
• Curse
• Fail

Commentaries on 1 Kings 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings