2 Samuel 3:31-39

David Mourns for Abner. 2 Samuel 3:31-39

31 And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner, And king David himself followed the bier.

32 And they buried Abner in Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept.
33 And the king lamented over Abner, and said,

Died Abner as a fool dieth?

34 Thy hands were not bound,

nor thy feet put into fetters:
as a man falleth before wicked men,

so fellest thou.

And all the people wept again over him.

35 And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David sware, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or aught else, till the sun be down.
36 And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them: as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people.

37 For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner.
38 And the king said unto his servants, Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?
39 And I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me: the Lord shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness.

24.

Did David justifiably mourn over Abner's death? 2 Samuel 3:31

People respected Abner. Abner's death in such circumstances would cast a cloud of suspicion over David. David did feel real grief at the death of Abner. The deep mourning into which David entered was a token of great sorrow. Rightfully did he grieve over the death of an able captain. David's own captain, Joab, was a skillful leader, but David was not able to control him. Abner might have made a much better leader for the forces of Israel.

25.

How would a fool die? 2 Samuel 3:33

The fool brings an early death upon himself by his careless conduct (Proverbs 7:22). The Septuagint version puts the word napal here for the word foe. A translation of napal would give us a fool or a churlish man. It is doubtful that David asked if Abner died as Nabal died, but the death of Nabal was brought on by his own miserable conduct; Abner had done nothing to deserve death. Abner did not even have the honor of being made a prisoner of war. As David said, Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters (2 Samuel 3:34). He did not fall honorably on a field of battle, but was treacherously tricked.

26.

How did the people react to David's conduct? 2 Samuel 3:35

The people took notice of the king's mourning and they were pleased by it. They knew that David was not putting on a show. David refused to eat anything throughout the day. He fasted until sundown, when a new day began. By this kind of conduct, David demonstrated that he had nothing to do with Abner's death. The people understood that David was guiltless and the king's stature increased in their sight.

27.

What was David's evaluation of Abner's character? 2 Samuel 3:38

David said that Abner was a prince. He was not really eligible to succeed Saul, but he was from the royal family. His tribe was the same as that of Saul, Israel's first king. Both were from the tribe of Benjamin. He was also the cousin of Saul, and the son of Ner, brother to Kish, who was Saul's father. More than this, he was a great man. Little more could be said in appreciation of a person's character than to say that he was a great man. True greatness is hard to achieve, but Abner had proved himself to be this kind of person. David said this in spite of the fact that Abner had supported Ish-bosheth as successor to Saul and in spite of any suspicion with regard to Rizpah. Perhaps David's evaluation was influenced by Abner's final offer to support him as king. The estimation seems true and is quite often applied today to spiritual leaders who die untimely deaths.

28.

Why did David say be was weak? 2 Samuel 3:39

The word in the original text indicates a person who is tender in years, or delicately nurtured (Genesis 33:12 and Deuteronomy 28:54). Neither meaning is appropriate to David. It is, moreover, difficult to connect the word with what follows. He says that he was tender, though anointed king. Some commentators make this clause to apply to Abner, but it is better to leave it as a reference to David's appraisal of his own strength. He is comparing himself with Joab and Abishai who have proved to be too hard for him. He knows that he can hardly cope with these two vicious men, and so he prays that the Lord will reward the doer of the evil according to his wickedness.