2 Samuel 3:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the king lamented for Abner, saying, "Should Abner die as a fool dies?

NIV: The king sang this lament for Abner: "Should Abner have died as the lawless die?

NASB: And the king sang a song of mourning for Abner and said, 'Should Abner die as a fool dies?

CSB: and the king sang a lament for Abner: Should Abner die as a fool dies?

NLT: Then the king sang this funeral song for Abner: 'Should Abner have died as fools die?

KJV: And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth?

NKJV: And the king sang a lament over Abner and said: “Should Abner die as a fool dies?

In 2 Samuel 3:31—39, Abner ends the war but loses his life. For two years, David, king of Judah, has been at war with Ish-bosheth, king of the northern and western tribes. David grows stronger while Ish-bosheth declines (2 Samuel 2). General Abner, the power behind the crown, grows tired of Ish-bosheth and convinces Israel to follow David. Although he's killed, his plan works. Once Ish-bosheth is assassinated, all Israel will be subject to David's throne (2 Samuel 4:1—5:5).

In 2 Samuel 3, God arranges for all of Israel to accept David as king. Abner, the former commander of Saul's army, turns against David's rival, Ish-bosheth, after an argument about a woman. Abner persuades the elders of Israel to take David as their king and arrives in Hebron to deliver the news. Joab, the commander of David's army, is furious because Abner killed his brother Asahel. When Abner leaves, Joab murders him. David declares a curse on Joab and his descendants and publicly mourns for Abner, demonstrating to all that he had nothing to do with Abner's death.

In 2 Samuel 3, the civil war winds down. Abner, Saul's cousin, made Saul's son Ish-bosheth king. Abner commands the army of Israel. Joab, David's nephew, commands Judah's army. They have been locked in a civil war for two years, not least because Abner killed Joab's brother in self-defense (2 Samuel 2). When Abner realizes he can't take the throne from Ish-bosheth, he arranges for Israel to follow David before he's killed by Joab. Not long after, Ish-bosheth is murdered, and David is made king of all Israel (2 Samuel 4:1—5:4).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.

Accessed 11/19/2025 7:27:45 AM