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.
• 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.
• New Living Translation (NLT)The Lord will repay him for the murders of two men who were more righteous and better than he. For my father knew nothing about the deaths of Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and of Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.

Context of 1 Kings 2:32

30So Benaiah entered the tent of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’ ” But he answered, “No, I will die here.” Benaiah reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.” 31Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. 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. 33May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord’s peace forever.” 34So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country.

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• shall returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• his bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
• upon his own headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• who fellפָּגַעpâga‛ · to fall onH6293
• upon twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• more righteousצַדִּיקtsaddîyq · righteousH6662
• and betterטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• than he, and slewהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
• them with the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• my fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
• Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• not knowingיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• Abnerאֲבִינֵר'abnêr 'ăbîynêr · AbnerH74
• the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of Nerנֵרnêr · NerH5369
• captainשַׂרώar · rulerH8269
• of the hostצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · armyH6635
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• and 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 in your heart all the wrong you did to my father David. Now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing.
• Genesis 4:11Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
• Judges 9:24God did this in order that the crime against Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons, the shedding of their blood, might be avenged on their brother Abimelek and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers.
• Psalms 7:16The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads.
• 2 Samuel 3:27Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died.
• 2 Samuel 20:10Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger in Joab’s hand, and Joab plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bikri.
• 1 Samuel 15:28Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you.
• 2 Samuel 4:11How 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!”
• 2 Chronicles 21:13But you have followed the ways of the kings of Israel, and you have led Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab did. You have also murdered your own brothers, members of your own family, men who were better than you.
• Esther 1:19“Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she.
• 2 Samuel 3:26Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. But David did not know it.
• 1 Kings 2:5“Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.
• 2 Samuel 17:25Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether, an Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab.

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