New Living Translation
2 Samuel 3:33
33Then the king sang this funeral song for Abner: “Should Abner have died as fools die?
2 Samuel 3:33 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth?
- New International Version (NIV)The king sang this lament for Abner: “Should Abner have died as the lawless die?
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the king lamented for Abner, saying, "Should Abner die as a fool dies?
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the king sang a lament over Abner and said: “Should Abner die as a fool dies?
Context of 2 Samuel 3:33
31Then David said to Joab and all those who were with him, “Tear your clothes and put on burlap. Mourn for Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the procession to the grave. 32They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king and all the people wept at his graveside. Then the king sang this funeral song for Abner: “Should Abner have died as fools die? 34Your hands were not bound; your feet were not chained. No, you were murdered— the victim of a wicked plot.” All the people wept again for Abner. 35David had refused to eat anything on the day of the funeral, and now everyone begged him to eat. But David had made a vow, saying, “May God strike me and even kill me if I eat anything before sundown.”
Read all of 2 Samuel 32 Samuel 3:33 word by word
וַיְקֹנֵ֥ן הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ אֶל־אַבְנֵ֖ר וַיֹּאמַ֑ר הַכְּמ֥וֹת נָבָ֖ל יָמ֥וּת אַבְנֵֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 2 Samuel 3:33
- 2 Samuel 13:12“No, my brother!” she cried. “Don’t be foolish! Don’t do this to me! Such wicked things aren’t done in Israel.
- Proverbs 18:7The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.
- Ecclesiastes 2:15Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!”
- Jeremiah 17:11Like a partridge that hatches eggs she has not laid, so are those who get their wealth by unjust means. At midlife they will lose their riches; in the end, they will become poor old fools.
- Luke 12:19And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 3:33
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 33The king lamented over Abner - This lamentation, though short, is very pathetic. It is a high strain of poetry; but the measure cannot be easily ascertained. Our own translation may be measured thus: - Died Abner as a fool dieth? Thy hands were not bound, Nor thy feet put into fetters. As a man falleth before the wicked. So hast thou fallen! Or thus: - Shall Abner die a death like to a villain's? Thy hands not bound, Nor were the fetters to thy feet…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 33Lamented - i. e. composed and sang the funeral dirge which follows (compare 2 Samuel 1:17). Died Abner - i. e. The great and noble and valiant Abner had died as ignobly and as helplessly as the meanest churl!Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-39Verses 22-39 Judgments are prepared for such scorners as Abner; but Joab, in what he did, acted wickedly. David laid Abner's murder deeply to heart, and in many ways expressed his detestation of it. The guilt of blood brings a curse upon families: if men do not avenge it, God will. It is a sad thing to die like a fool, as they do that any way shorten their own days, and those who make no provision for another world. Who would be fond of power, when a man…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 33die the death of a fool: Joab deceived Abner by pretending to be his friend. He was actually an enemy (see 2 Samuel 3:27).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33-3433-34. the king lamented over Abner--This brief elegy is an effusion of indignation as much as of sorrow. As Abner had stabbed Asahel in open war [2Sa 2:23], Joab had not the right of the Goel. Besides, he had adopted a lawless and execrable method of obtaining satisfaction (see on 1Ki 2:5). The deed was an insult to the authority, as well as most damaging to the prospects of the king. But David's feelings and conduct on hearing of the death, together…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Samuel 3:33
In the dictionaries
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
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