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 came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “Thus the king has said, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, for I will die here.” And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus spoke Joab, and thus he answered me.” 31The king said to him, “Do as he has spoken and fall upon him and bury him, that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the blood which Joab shed without cause. The Lord will return his blood on his own head, because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he and killed them with the sword, while my father David did not know it: Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33So shall their blood return on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever; but to David and his descendants and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever.” 34Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell upon him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own 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

• The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• will returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• his bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
• on his own headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• becauseאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• he fellפָּגַעpâga‛ · to fall onH6293
• upon twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• moreמִן־min minnîy minnêy · fromH4480
• righteousצַדִּיקtsaddîyq · righteousH6662
• and betterטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• thanמִן־min minnîy minnêy · fromH4480
• he and killedהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
• them with the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• while my fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
• Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• did not knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• Abnerאֲבִינֵר'abnêr 'ăbîynêr · AbnerH74
• the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of Nerנֵרnêr · NerH5369
• commanderשַׂרώar · rulerH8269
• of the armyצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · armyH6635
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• Amasaעֲמָשָׂא‛ămâώâ' · AmasaH6021
• of Jetherיֶ֫תֶרyether · JetherH3500
• of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063

Cross-references for 1 Kings 2:32

• 1 Kings 2:44The king also said to Shimei, “You know all the evil which you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore the Lord shall return your evil on your own head.
• Genesis 4:11Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
• Judges 9:24so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers.
• Psalms 7:16His mischief will return upon his own head, And his violence will descend upon his own pate.
• 2 Samuel 3:27So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the belly so that he died on account of the blood of Asahel his brother.
• 2 Samuel 20:10But Amasa was not on guard against the sword which was in Joab’s hand so he struck him in the belly with it and poured out his inward parts on the ground, and did not strike him again, and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.
• 1 Samuel 15:28So Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.
• 2 Samuel 4:11How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hand and destroy you from the earth?”
• 2 Chronicles 21:13but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot as the house of Ahab played the harlot, and you have also killed your brothers, your own family, who were better than you,
• Esther 1:19If it pleases the king, let a royal edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she.
• 2 Samuel 3:26When Joab came out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David did not know it.
• 1 Kings 2:5“Now you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt about his waist, and on his sandals on his feet.
• 2 Samuel 17:25Absalom set Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Ithra the Israelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of 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
• Curse
• Fail
• Gibeon
• Gone
• Jether
• Joab

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