God’s Word Translation
2 Samuel 4:11
11How much more ⌞should I reward⌟ wicked men who kill an innocent man on his own bed in his home? The Lord has rescued me from every trouble. I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, I’ll now seek revenge for his murder and rid the land of you.”
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!”
- English Standard Version (ESV)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?"
- 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?”
Context of 2 Samuel 4:11
9David responded to Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon from Beeroth, 10“I once seized a man who told me that Saul had died. He thought he was bringing good news. I killed him in Ziklag to reward him for his news. How much more ⌞should I reward⌟ wicked men who kill an innocent man on his own bed in his home? The Lord has rescued me from every trouble. I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, I’ll now seek revenge for his murder and rid the land of you.” 12So David gave an order to his young men, who executed Rechab and Baanah, cut off their hands and feet, and hung their dead bodies by the pond in Hebron. Then they took Ishbosheth’s head and buried it in Abner’s tomb in 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 repay him for the slaughter he caused. Joab killed two honorable men who were better than he was. He used his sword to kill Abner (who was the son of Ner and the commander of Israel’s army) and Amasa (who was the son of Jether and the commander of Judah’s army). Joab did this without my father’s knowledge.
- Proverbs 25:26⌞Like⌟ a muddied spring and a polluted well, ⌞so⌟ is a righteous person who gives in to a wicked person.
- Habakkuk 1:4That is why your teaching is numbed, and justice is never carried out. Wicked people surround righteous people so that when justice is carried out, it’s perverted.
- 1 John 3:12Don’t be like Cain. He was a child of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain murder his brother? Because the things Cain did were evil and the things his brother did had God’s approval.
- 2 Samuel 3:27When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gateway as if to talk to him privately. There he stabbed Abner in the belly. Abner died because he spilled the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.
- Genesis 9:5In addition, I will demand your blood for your life. I will demand it from any animal or from any person. I will demand the life of any person ⌞who kills⌟ another person.
- Exodus 21:12“Whoever strikes someone and kills him must be put to death.
- Numbers 35:31“Never accept a cash payment in exchange for the life of a convicted murderer who has been given the death penalty. Murderers must be put to death.
- Psalms 9:12The one who avenges murder has remembered oppressed people. He has never forgotten their cries.
- Genesis 4:11So now you are cursed from the ground, which has received the blood of your brother whom you killed.
- Genesis 6:13God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all people because the earth is full of their violence. Now I’m going to destroy them along with the earth.
- Genesis 7:23Every living creature on the face of the earth was wiped out. Humans, domestic animals, crawling creatures, and birds were wiped off the earth. Only Noah and those with him in the ship were left.
- Exodus 9:15By now I could have used my power to kill you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.
- Psalms 109:15Let their guilt and sin always remain on record in front of the Lord. Let the Lord remove every memory of him from the earth,
- Proverbs 2:22But wicked people will be cut off from the land and treacherous people will be torn from it.
- Jeremiah 10:11Tell them this: These gods will disappear from the earth and from under heaven because they didn’t make heaven and earth.
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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