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

30So Benaiah went to the tabernacle and said to Joab, “This is what the king says: ‘Come out!’” But Joab said, “No, for I will die here.” So Benaiah took a message back to the king, “This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me.” 31The king said to him, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him in order to remove from me and from my father’s family the blood that Joab shed without just cause. The Lord will bring back his own blood on his head because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, without my father David’s knowledge. With his sword, Joab murdered Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. 33The responsibility for their deaths will come back to Joab and to his descendants forever, but for David, his descendants, his dynasty, and his throne, there will be peace from the Lord forever.” 34Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and put him to death. He was buried at his house 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

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• shall returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• his bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
• upon his own headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• who fellפָּגַעpâga‛ · to fall onH6293
• upon twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• more righteousצַדִּיקtsaddîyq · righteousH6662
• and betterטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• than he, and slewהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
• them with the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• my fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
• Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• not knowingיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• Abnerאֲבִינֵר'abnêr 'ăbîynêr · AbnerH74
• the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of Nerנֵרnêr · NerH5369
• captainשַׂרώar · rulerH8269
• of the hostצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · armyH6635
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• and Amasaעֲמָשָׂא‛ămâώâ' · AmasaH6021
• of Jetherיֶ֫תֶרyether · JetherH3500
• of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063

Cross-references for 1 Kings 2:32

• 1 Kings 2:44The king also said, “You yourself know all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore, the Lord has brought back your evil on your head,
• Genesis 4:11So now you are cursed, alienated from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood you have shed.
• Judges 9:24so that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood would be avenged on their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him kill his brothers.
• Psalms 7:16His trouble comes back on his own head; his own violence comes down on top of his head.
• 2 Samuel 3:27When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside to the middle of the city gate, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died in revenge for the death of Asahel, Joab’s brother.
• 2 Samuel 20:10Amasa was not on guard against the sword in Joab’s hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach with it and spilled his intestines out on the ground. Joab did not stab him again, and Amasa died. Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bichri.
• 1 Samuel 15:28Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingship of Israel away 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 on his own bed! So now, should I not require his blood from you and purge you from the earth?”
• 2 Chronicles 21:13but have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves like the house of Ahab prostituted itself, and also have killed your brothers, your father’s family, who were better than you,
• Esther 1:19“If it meets the king’s approval, he should personally issue a royal decree. Let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it cannot be revoked: Vashti is not to enter King Ahasuerus’s presence, and her royal position is to be given to another woman who is more worthy than she.
• 2 Samuel 3:26Then Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought him back from the well of Sirah, but David was unaware of it.
• 1 Kings 2:5“You also know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me and what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s army, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He murdered them in a time of peace to avenge blood shed in war. He spilled that blood on his own waistband and on the sandals of his feet.
• 2 Samuel 17:25Now Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in Joab’s place. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Israelite; Ithra had married Abigail daughter of Nahash. Abigail was a sister to Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.

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