2 Samuel 3:27-39
And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
And afterward when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD for ever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner: Let it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his father’s house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on the sword, or that lacketh bread.
So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle. 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. And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? 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.
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 ought else, till the sun be down. And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them: as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people. For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner. And the king said unto his servants, Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel? 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.
G. CAMPBELL MORGAN (1863-1945): Asahel’s death entered like iron into Joab’s soul, who never rested until his vengeance was satisfied on Abner.
JOHN GILL (1697-1771): Joab did this willfully, and in great deceit and hypocrisy.
G. CAMPBELL MORGAN: In some respects, Abner was more admirable than Joab.
MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714): Abner had indeed slain Joab’s brother Asahel, and Joab and Abishai pretended to be the avengers of his blood; but Abner slew Asahel in open war, wherein Abner indeed had given the challenge, but Joab himself had accepted it and had slain many of Abner’s friends. Abner did likewise in his own defence, but not until he had given Asahel fair warning—which Asahel would not take, and Abner did it reluctantly—but Joab here shed “the blood of war in peace,” 1 Kings 2:5.
CHARLES SIMEON (1759-1836): What an evil is revenge! What need have we to guard against the very thought of it rising in our hearts! There is no crime so atrocious but a person under the influence of a vindictive spirit will commit it.
MATTHEW HENRY: What we have reason to think was at the bottom of Joab’s enmity to Abner made it much worse. Joab was general of David’s forces; but if Abner came into David’s interest, he would possibly be preferred before him, being a senior officer and more experienced in the art of war. This Joab was jealous of, and could better bear the guilt of blood than the thoughts of a rival. He did it treacherously, under pretense of speaking peaceably to him, Deuteronomy 27:24. Had he challenged him, Joab would have done like a soldier; but to assassinate him was done villainously, like a coward. “His words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords,” Psalm 55:21.
JOHN GILL: If it had been in David’s power, he would have prevented it.
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): He did his best to exonerate himself from it and pronounced an awful curse upon Joab and upon all his posterity.
MATTHEW HENRY: David laid deeply it to heart, and in many ways expressed his detestation of this villainy. He washed his hands from the guilt of Abner’s blood. He solemnly appealed to God concerning his innocency: “I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord forever. Let it rest on the head of Joab.” But a resolute punishment of the murderer himself would better have become David than this passionate imprecation of God’s judgments.
W. PINK (1886-1952): Nevertheless, David was not afraid to rebuke him for his slaying Abner. He openly asserted his authority by compelling Joab to rend his clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner—a most humiliating experience for Joab’s proud heart.
MATTHEW POOLE (1624-1679): “And David said to Joab”—partly to bring him to repentance for his sin; partly to expose him to public shame, and to the contempt and hatred of all the people, with whom Joab had too great an interest, which David designed to diminish— “Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David himself followed the bier…and the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? 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.” Thus David reproached Joab to his very face, before all the people, which was a great evidence of his own innocency herein; because otherwise Joab, being so powerful, and proud, and petulant to his sovereign, would never have taken the shame and blame of it wholly to himself, as he did.
ADAM CLARKE (1760-1832): This song was a heavy reproof, and must have galled Joab extremely, being sung by all the people.
C. H. SPURGEON: David had not, however, the manly courage to summon Joab to the bar as a murderer.
ALEXANDER WHYTE (1836-1921): Was it not a blunder?
JOHN TRAPP (1601-1699): David answereth: ‘If I provoke Joab, being so potent with the army, they may serve me as Abner did Ishbosheth in a displeasure’—thus carnal reason argued.
A. W. PINK: Joab was too strongly entrenched to be displaced.
THE EDITOR: So David thought. “These men, the sons of Zeruiah, be too hard for me,” he said, confessing his weakness in the matter. But as the murder was committed in a public place, Joab could not deny his guilt.
MATTHEW POOLE: David’s indulgence proceeded from a distrust of God’s power and faithfulness; as if God could not, or would not, make good His promise of the kingdom to him without, or against Joab.
ALEXANDER WHYTE: David knew his duty quite well. “The Lord shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness,” David proclaimed over Abner’s mangled body. Yes; but David held the sword for no other purpose than to be the Lord’s right hand in rewarding all the evil that was done in Israel. But Joab was the most powerful and necessary man in Israel, and David contented himself with pronouncing an eloquent requiem over Abner, and leaving his murderer to go free in all his offices and honours. Joab was deep enough to understand quite well why his life was spared. He knew quite well that it was fear and not love that moved David to let him live.
JOHN GILL: David was sensible it was known that Abner had been with him; and it might be suspected he had a hand in it, that it was done by his order; therefore, to purge himself from it, he made this public declaration, that neither he nor his council knew anything of it—it was not done with their knowledge and by their order, but through the resentment of a single person. Therefore he hoped no man would impute the shedding of this blood unto them, or that God would punish them for it; and he made this public declaration because he knew that the death of Abner would be resented by the friends of Saul’s family, and be an obstruction to the union of the two kingdoms, which Abner was endeavouring to bring about.
JOHN TRAPP: David not only mourned, but fasted; to testify his unfeigned grief. This was the end that David aimed at and attained, in the carriage of the whole business.
THOMAS COKE (1747-1814): David’s behaviour towards Abner had its success. The sincerity of his sorrow was seen by all the people, and he was universally acquitted of all guilt in his death.
THE EDITOR: Everyone—Abner, Ish-boseth, Joab, David—had acted entirely from their own motives in this matter. But why did God allow Abner’s murder?
MATTHEW HENRY: Now in this, it is certain that the Lord was righteous. Against the convictions of his conscience, Abner had maliciously opposed David. Then he basely deserted Ishbosheth and betrayed him, under pretence of regard to God and Israel, but really from a principle of pride, revenge, and impatience of control. God will not therefore use so bad a man, though David might, in so good a work as the uniting of Israel. Judgments are prepared for such scorners.
THE EDITOR: God judged Abner, certainly. “Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?” Amos 3:6. But why did God allow Joab to go unpunished?
