English Standard Version
2 Samuel 4:11
11How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?"
2 Samuel 4:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?
- New International Version (NIV)How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!”
- New King James Version (NKJV)How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove you from the earth?”
- New Living Translation (NLT)How much more should I reward evil men who have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed? Shouldn’t I hold you responsible for his blood and rid the earth of you?”
Context of 2 Samuel 4:11
9But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, "As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, 10when one told me, 'Behold, Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?" 12And David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.
Read all of 2 Samuel 42 Samuel 4:11 word by word
אַ֞ף כִּֽי־אֲנָשִׁ֣ים רְשָׁעִ֗ים הָרְג֧וּ אֶת־אִישׁ־צַדִּ֛יק בְּבֵית֖וֹ עַל־מִשְׁכָּב֑וֹ וְעַתָּ֗ה הֲל֨וֹא אֲבַקֵּ֤שׁ אֶת־דָּמוֹ֙ מִיֶּדְכֶ֔ם וּבִעַרְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם מִן־הָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- How much more, when wickedרָשָׁעrâshâ‛ · wickedH7563
- menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
- have slainהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
- a righteousצַדִּיקtsaddîyq · righteousH6662
- personאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- in his own houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
- upon his bedמִשְׁכָּבmishkâb · bedH4904
- shall I not therefore now requireבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
- his bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
- of your handיָדyâd · handH3027
- and take you awayבָּעַרbâ‛ar · to burn: destroyH1197
- from the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
Cross-references for 2 Samuel 4:11
- 1 Kings 2:32The 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.
- Proverbs 25:26Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
- Habakkuk 1:4So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.
- 1 John 3:12We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.
- 2 Samuel 3:27And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
- Genesis 9:5And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.
- Exodus 21:12"Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.
- Numbers 35:31Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death.
- Psalms 9:12For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
- Genesis 4:11And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
- Genesis 6:13And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
- Genesis 7:23He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.
- Exodus 9:15For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.
- Psalms 109:15Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
- Proverbs 2:22but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.
- Jeremiah 10:11Thus shall you say to them: "The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens."
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 4:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11How much more - Here are several things which aggravated the guilt of those wicked men. Ish-bosheth was an innocent man, and therefore none could have any ground of quarrel against him. He was in his own house, which was his sanctuary, and none but the worst of men would disturb him there. 3. He was upon his bed, resting in the heat of the day, and so free from suspicion that he was not even attended by his guards, nor had he his doors secured. To take…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-12Verses 8-12 A person may be glad to obtain his just wishes, and yet really regret the means by which he receives them. He may be sorry for the death of a person by which he is a gainer. These men shed innocent blood, from the basest motives. David justly executed vengeance upon them. He would not be beholden to any to help him by unlawful practices. God had helped him over many a difficulty, and through many a danger, therefore he depended upon him to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9-11when someone told me: Compare 2 Samuel 1:1–16.Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Samuel 4:11
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 4
- 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries