2 Samuel 3:12

2 Samuel 3:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.
• New International Version (NIV)Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, “Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, "To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, saying, “Whose is the land?” saying also, “Make your covenant with me, and indeed my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel to you.”

Context of 2 Samuel 3:12

10I’m going to take Saul’s kingdom and give it to David. I will establish the throne of David over Israel as well as Judah, all the way from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.” 11Ishbosheth didn’t dare say another word because he was afraid of what Abner might do. Then Abner sent messengers to David, saying, “Doesn’t the entire land belong to you? Make a solemn pact with me, and I will help turn over all of Israel to you.” 13“All right,” David replied, “but I will not negotiate with you unless you bring back my wife Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come.” 14David then sent this message to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son: “Give me back my wife Michal, for I bought her with the lives of 100 Philistines.”

2 Samuel 3:12 word by word

וַיִּשְׁלַח֩ אַבְנֵ֨ר מַלְאָכִ֧ים׀ אֶל־דָּוִ֛ד תַּחְתָּ֥יו לֵאמֹ֖ר לְמִי־אָ֑רֶץ לֵאמֹ֗ר כָּרְתָ֤ה בְרִֽיתְךָ֙ אִתִּ֔י וְהִנֵּה֙ יָדִ֣י עִמָּ֔ךְ לְהָסֵ֥ב אֵלֶ֖יךָ אֶת־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Abnerאֲבִינֵר'abnêr 'ăbîynêr · AbnerH74
• sentשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• messengersמַלְאָךְmal'âk · messengerH4397
• to Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• on his behalf, sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• Makeכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
• thy leagueבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• with me, and, behold, my handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• with thee, to bring aboutסָבַבsâbab · to turn: turnH5437
• all Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478

Cross-references for 2 Samuel 3:12

• 2 Samuel 19:6You seem to love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that your commanders and troops mean nothing to you. It seems that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died, you would be pleased.
• 2 Samuel 20:1There happened to be a troublemaker there named Sheba son of Bicri, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. Sheba blew a ram’s horn and began to chant: “Down with the dynasty of David! We have no interest in the son of Jesse. Come on, you men of Israel, back to your homes!”
• Psalms 62:9Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind, and the powerful are not what they appear to be. If you weigh them on the scales, together they are lighter than a breath of air.
• Luke 16:5“So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’
• 2 Samuel 3:21Then Abner said to David, “Let me go and call an assembly of all Israel to support my lord the king. They will make a covenant with you to make you their king, and you will rule over everything your heart desires.” So David sent Abner safely on his way.
• 2 Samuel 5:1Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, “We are your own flesh and blood.
• 2 Samuel 19:14Then Amasa convinced all the men of Judah, and they responded unanimously. They sent word to the king, “Return to us, and bring back all who are with you.”
• 1 Chronicles 11:1Then all Israel gathered before David at Hebron and told him, “We are your own flesh and blood.
• Matthew 21:8Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 3:12

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Whose is the land? - Meaning, Is not the land thine by God‘s promise?Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-21Verses 7-21 Many, like Abner, are not above committing base crimes, who are too proud to bear reproof, or even the suspicion of being guilty. While men go on in sin, and apparently without concern, they are often conscious that they are fighting against God. Many mean to serve their own purposes; and will betray those who trust them, when they can get any advantage. Yet the Lord serves his own designs, even by those who are thus actuated by revenge…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12In the proposed solemn pact (or covenant), Abner acknowledged that David would become king. Abner may have hoped to serve as David’s chief leader under him (that is, second in authority).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 12-1312-13. Abner sent messengers to David--Though his language implied a secret conviction, that in supporting Ish-bosheth he had been laboring to frustrate the divine purpose of conferring the sovereignty of the kingdom on David, this acknowledgment was no justification either of the measure he was now adopting, or of the motives that prompted it. Nor does it seem possible to uphold the full integrity and honor of David's conduct in entertaining his secret…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Samuel 3:12

• Abner
• Conspiracy
• Ish-Bosheth
• Treason

In the dictionaries

• Abner
• David
• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Communication
• Ishbosheth
• Sackcloth
• Translate
• Covenant, in the Old Testament

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