English Standard Version
2 Samuel 3:39
39And I was gentle today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. The Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!"
2 Samuel 3:39 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me: the Lord shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness.
- New International Version (NIV)And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!”
- New King James Version (NKJV)And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me. The Lord shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)And even though I am the anointed king, these two sons of Zeruiah—Joab and Abishai—are too strong for me to control. So may the Lord repay these evil men for their evil deeds.”
Context of 2 Samuel 3:39
37So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's will to put to death Abner the son of Ner. 38And the king said to his servants, "Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? And I was gentle today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. The Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!"
Read all of 2 Samuel 32 Samuel 3:39 word by word
וְאָנֹכִ֨י הַיּ֥וֹם רַךְ֙ וּמָשׁ֣וּחַ מֶ֔לֶךְ וְהָאֲנָשִׁ֥ים הָאֵ֛לֶּה בְּנֵ֥י צְרוּיָ֖ה קָשִׁ֣ים מִמֶּ֑נִּי יְשַׁלֵּ֧ם יְהוָ֛ה לְעֹשֵׂ֥ה הָרָעָ֖ה כְּרָעָתֽוֹ׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- this dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- weakרַךְrak · tenderH7390
- though anointedמָשַׁחmâshach · to anointH4886
- kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- and these menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
- the sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of Zeruiahצְרוּיָהtserûyâh · ZeruiahH6870
- too hardקָשֶׁהqâsheh · severeH7186
- for me: the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- shall rewardשָׁלֵםshâlam · to completeH7999
- the doer of evilעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- according to his wickednessרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: harmfulH7451
Cross-references for 2 Samuel 3:39
- Exodus 21:12"Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.
- 2 Chronicles 19:6and said to the judges, "Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment.
- Psalms 75:10All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
- Psalms 101:8Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.
- Proverbs 20:8A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes.
- Proverbs 25:5take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
- 1 Chronicles 22:5For David said, "Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it." So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.
- Isaiah 7:4And say to him, 'Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.
- Romans 13:4for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
- 1 Chronicles 2:15Ozem the sixth, David the seventh.
- 2 Samuel 19:6because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased.
- 1 Kings 2:5"Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet.
- Psalms 7:16His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.
- Psalms 28:4Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.
- Psalms 62:12and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.
- 2 Timothy 4:14Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 3:39
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 39I am this day weak - Had Abner lived, all the tribes of Israel would have been brought under my government. Though anointed king - I have little else than the title: first, having only one tribe under my government; and secondly, the sons of Zeruiah, Joab and his brethren, having usurped all the power, and reduced me to the shadow of royalty. The Lord shall reward the doer of evil - That is, Joab, whom he appears afraid to name. We talk much of ancient…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-39Verses 22-39 Judgments are prepared for such scorners as Abner; but Joab, in what he did, acted wickedly. David laid Abner's murder deeply to heart, and in many ways expressed his detestation of it. The guilt of blood brings a curse upon families: if men do not avenge it, God will. It is a sad thing to die like a fool, as they do that any way shorten their own days, and those who make no provision for another world. Who would be fond of power, when a man…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 39too fierce for me: Just as Ish-bosheth could not control Abner, David could not control Joab. However, David had faith that the Lord would repay Joab for murdering Abner.Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Samuel 3:39
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 3
- 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