English Standard Version
2 Samuel 2:14
14And Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men arise and compete before us." And Joab said, "Let them arise."
2 Samuel 2:14 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.
- New International Version (NIV)Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.” “All right, let them do it,” Joab said.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men now arise and compete before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then Abner suggested to Joab, “Let’s have a few of our warriors fight hand to hand here in front of us.” “All right,” Joab agreed.
Context of 2 Samuel 2:14
12Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. And Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men arise and compete before us." And Joab said, "Let them arise." 15Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.
Read all of 2 Samuel 22 Samuel 2:14 word by word
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אַבְנֵר֙ אֶל־יוֹאָ֔ב יָק֤וּמוּ נָא֙ הַנְּעָרִ֔ים וִֽישַׂחֲק֖וּ לְפָנֵ֑ינוּ וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יוֹאָ֖ב יָקֻֽמוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 2 Samuel 2:14
- 2 Samuel 2:17And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
- Proverbs 10:23Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
- Proverbs 17:14The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
- Proverbs 20:18Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.
- Proverbs 25:8do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?
- Proverbs 26:18Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 2:14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14Let the young men - play before us - This was diabolical play, where each man thrust his sword into the body of the other, so that the twenty-four (twelve on each side) fell down dead together! But this was the signal for that sanguinary skirmish which immediately took place.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Play - (Compare Judges 16:25; 1 Samuel 18:7). Here, the word is applied to the serious game of war, to be played by twelve combatants on each side, with the two armies for spectators.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-17Verses 8-17 The nation in general refused David. By this the Lord trained up his servant for future honour and usefulness; and the tendency of true godliness was shown in his behaviour while passing through various difficulties. David was herein a type of Christ, whom Israel would not submit to, though anointed of the Father to be a Prince and a Saviour to them. Abner meant, Let the young men fight before us, when he said, Let them play before us: fools…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14the young men: In ancient times, enemy armies sometimes picked individuals or small groups to fight as representative gladiators. This practice is often called champion warfare (see also 1 Samuel 17). compete: The Hebrew term usually suggests an element of play. A contest of champions might have been seen as a high-stakes game. In this case, it resolved nothing. The fighting grew into a much larger battle with more casualties (2 Samuel 2:17–32).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 8-178-17. Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host took Ish-bosheth--Here was the establishment of a rival kingdom, which, however, would probably have had no existence but for Abner. Ish-bosheth--or "Esh-baal" (1Ch 8:33; 9:39). The Hebrews usually changed names ending with Baal into Bosheth ("shame") (compare Jud 9:53 with 2Sa 11:21). This prince was so called from his imbecility. Abner--was first cousin of Saul, commander of the forces, and held in high…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Samuel 2:14
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 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
- John Wesley’s Notes
- 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries