2 Samuel 2:23
WEB
However, he refused to turn away. Therefore Abner with the back end of the spear struck him in the body, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there and died in the same place. As many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.
BSB
But Asahel refused to turn away; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into his stomach, and it came out his back, and he fell dead on the spot. And every man paused when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
KJV
Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H3985
v — refuse
Derivation: a primitive root;
to refuse
KJV: refuse, × utterly.
vb — refuse
[מָאֵן] vb. Pi. refuse
H5493
v — turn
Derivation: or שׂוּר; (Hosea 9:12), a primitive root;
to turn off (literally or figuratively)
KJV: be(-head), bring, call back, decline, depart, eschew, get (you), go (aside), × grievous, lay away (by), leave undone, be past, pluck away, put (away, down), rebel, remove (to and fro), revolt, × be sour, take (away, off), turn (aside, away, in), withdraw, be without.
vb — turn aside
סוּר and [שׂוּר] 300 vb. turn aside
Qal
1. turn aside, out of one's course
2. depart
3. of lifeless things = be removed
4. = come to an end
Pô‛lēl he turned aside my ways (my steps)
Hiph.
1. cause to (turn aside,) depart, common word for remove, take away
2. rarer uses
Pô‛lēl be taken away, removed
H5221
v — strike
Derivation: a primitive root;
to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)
KJV: beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), × go forward, × indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, × surely, wound.
vb — smite
[נָכָה] 501 vb. smite (not in Qal)
Niph. and he shall be smitten [struck by weapon in battle] and die
Pu. both be smitten down by the hail
Hiph.
1.
a. lit., smite (with a single, non-fatal, blow), strike
b. smite repeatedly, beat a man
c. and they clapped hands (in applause)
d. give a thrust (with fork) into pot; strike roots
e. rarely smite (in battle) so as (merely) to wound
f. smite, of sun
2. Smite fatally
3. Smite = attack, attack and destroy a company
4. Of God
a. smite with a plague, disease, etc.
b. smite = chastise, or send judgment upon
c. of God’s destroying palaces
Hoph. be smitten
H74
n-pr-m — Abner
Derivation: or (fully) אֲבִינֵר ; from 1 and 5216; father of light (i.e. enlightening);
Abner, an Israelite
KJV: Abner.
n.pr.m — Abner
אֲבִינֵר n.pr.m. (my father is Nêr, or is a lamp)—cousin of Saul, and captain of host
H310
adv a — the hind part, after
Derivation: from 309;
properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)
KJV: after (that, -ward), again, at, away from, back (from, -side), behind, beside, by, follow (after, -ing), forasmuch, from, hereafter, hinder end, + out (over) live, + persecute, posterity, pursuing, remnant, seeing, since, thence(-forth), when, with.
adv — the hinder
אַחַר prop. subst. the hinder or following part
1. adv.
a. of place, behind
b. of time, afterwards
2. prep.
a. of place, behind, after
b. of time, after
3. conj. after that.
H2595
n-f — lance, thrusting, pitching
Derivation: from 2583;
a lance (for thrusting, like pitching a tent)
KJV: javelin, spear.
n.f — spear
חֲנִית n.f. spear (as flexible?)
1. spear, as hurled
2.
a. shaft of spear
b. spear-head
c. butt of spear
3. metaph. of teeth of lions
H413
prep — near, with, among, to
Derivation: (but only used in the shortened constructive form אֶל ); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e.
near, with or among; often in general, to
KJV: about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, × hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).
prep — motion to
אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).
1. of motion to or unto a person or place
2. Where the limit is actually entered, into
3. Of direction towards anything
4. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against
5. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to
6. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of
7. Of rule or standard according to (rare)
8. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion
9. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to
H2570
n-m — abdomen
Derivation: from an unused root probably meaning, to be stout;
the abdomen (as obese)
KJV: fifth (rib).
n.m — belly
חֹ֫מֶשׁ n.m. belly
H3318
v — go, bring, out
Derivation: a primitive root;
to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.
KJV: × after, appear, × assuredly, bear out, × begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come (abroad, out, thereat, without), be condemned, depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact, fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence, out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out), going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie) out, lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, × scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring out, stand out, × still, × surely, take forth (out), at any time, × to (and fro), utter.
vb — go out
יָצָא 1068 vb. go or come out
Qal
1. go or come out or forth
a. from (מִן) a place
b. go forth from (the presence of) a person
c. in technical senses
d. of flight, involving escape
e. depart
f. of inanimate things
g. with especial emphasis on idea of origin, source
h. of children as going forth from loins (of father)
2.
a. go forth to a place
b. go forward, proceed to or toward something
c. come or go forth, with esp. ref. to purpose or result
3. of combinations
Hiph.
1. cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out
2. fig. obj. persons, bring out of (מִן) distress, etc.
3. bring out animals
4. inanimate obj.
5. fig. subj. י׳, bring forth from (מִן)
Hoph. be brought forth
H5307
v — fall
Derivation: a primitive root;
to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative)
KJV: be accepted, cast (down, self, (lots), out), cease, die, divide (by lot), (let) fail, (cause to, let, make, ready to) fall (away, down, -en, -ing), fell(-ing), fugitive, have (inheritance), inferior, be judged (by mistake for 6419), lay (along), (cause to) lie down, light (down), be (× hast) lost, lying, overthrow, overwhelm, perish, present(-ed, -ing), (make to) rot, slay, smite out, × surely, throw down.
vb — fall
נָפַל 433 vb. fall, lie
Qal 366
1. fall, by accident
2.
a. Esp. of violent death
b. fig. = go to ruin, perish, etc.
c. fig. = experience calamity
d. fall, of a city
3.
a. Fall prostrate
b. fall = prostrate oneself before
c. fall upon one's neck, in embrace
4.
a. Fall upon = attack
b. desert or fall away to, go over to
5. Fig., of deep sleep
6. Other idiomatic uses
7. = lie; = lie prostrate
Hiph.
1. cause to fall
2. Of causing death; = overthrow, bring to destruction
3. Esp. of casting lot
4. Fig., let drop, cause to fail
5. cause deep sleep to fall
6. Other idioms
Hithp. throw, or prostrate oneself
H8033
adv — there, then, thither, thence
Derivation: a primitive particle (rather from the relative pronoun, 834);
there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thence
KJV: in it, thence, there (-in, of, out), thither, whither.
adv — there
שָׁם adv. there, thither
H4191
v — die, kill
Derivation: a primitive root;
to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill
KJV: × at all, × crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), × must needs, slay, × surely, × very suddenly, × in (no) wise.
vb — die
מוּת vb. die
Qal
1. die, of natural or other causes
2. die as a penalty = be put to death
Po‛lel. kill, put to death, despatch (intens.)
Hiph.
1. abs., elsewhere c. acc., subj. man
2. subj. God, by inflicting penalty
3. of animals killing men
4. bring to a premature death
Hoph. be killed, put to death
H8478
n-m — bottom, below, in lieu of
Derivation: from the same as 8430;
the bottom (as depressed); only adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of, etc.
KJV: as, beneath, × flat, in(-stead), (same) place (where...is), room, for...sake, stead of, under, × unto, × when...was mine, whereas, (where-) fore, with.
n.[m.] — the under part
תַּחַת n.[m.] the under part, hence as adv. accus. and prep. underneath, below, instead of
H1961
v — exist, be, become, come to pass
Derivation: a primitive root (compare 1933);
to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
KJV: beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.
vb — fall out
הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be
Qal
I.
1.
a. Fall out, happen
b. occur, take place, come about, come to pass
2. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass
a.
(1). וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
(2). rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
b. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
II. Come into being, become
1.
a. abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
b. sq. prep.
2. become
a. sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
b. sq. pred. adj.
c. become like
d. sq. pred. לְ pers.
e. sq. לְ pred.
f. oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.
g. with עַל and לְ
h. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
III. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)
1. exist, be in existence
2. abide, remain, continue
3. with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie
4. as copula, joining subj. & pred.
5. periphrastic conjug.
Niph.
1. either be done, be brought about, or occur, come to pass
2. be done, finished, gone
H3605
n-m — whole, all, any, every
Derivation: or (Jeremiah 33:8) כּוֹל; from 3634;
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
KJV: (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).
n.m — the whole
כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all
1. with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
2. Absolutely:
a. without the art., all things, all
b. with the art. הַכֹּל
(a). where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
(b). in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
H935
v — go, come
Derivation: a primitive root;
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
KJV: abide, apply, attain, × be, befall, besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, × certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, × doubtless again, eat, employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, have, × indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, × (well) stricken (in age), × surely, take (in), way.
vb — come in
בּוֹא 2569 vb. come in, come, go in, go
Qal
1. come in
2. come (approach, arrive)
3. go, i.e. walk, associate with
4. go from speaker, but with limit of motion given
Hiph.
1. cause to come in, bring in (conduct, lead, obj. persons and animals)
2. cause to come, bring, bring near, etc. (animate obj.)
Hoph.
a. be brought in (of pers. and things)
b. be brought
c. be introduced, put
H4725
n-m — standing, spot, condition
Derivation: or מָקֹם; also (feminine) מְקוֹמָה; or מְקֹמָה; from 6965;
properly, a standing, i.e. a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific); also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or mind)
KJV: country, × home, × open, place, room, space, × whither(-soever).
n.m — standing-place
מָקוֹם, מָקֹם 399 n.m. standing-place, place
1.
a. standing-place
b. station, where soldiers are placed
c. post, office
2.
a. place where a thing belongs
b. esp.
(1). place of human abode
(2). of י׳’s abode
3. place
4. in gen. place, locality, spot
5.
a. space, room
b. space, distance, between
6. region, quarter, direction
7. peculiar uses
H834
r — who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that
Derivation: a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number);
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.
KJV: × after, × alike, as (soon as), because, × every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), × if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), × though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.
part. of relation — who
אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause.
adv — in which
בַאֲשֶׁר
a. in (that) which
b. adv. in (the place) where
c. conj. in that, inasmuch as
d. on account of whom?
conj — according as
כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when
1. according to that which, according as, as
2. with a causal force, in so far as, since
3. with a temporal force, when
adv — who
מֵאֲשֶׁר
a. from (or than) that which
b. adv. from (the place) where
c. conj. from (the fact) that …, since
H6214
n-pr-m — Asahel
Derivation: from 6213 and 410; God has made;
Asahel, the name of four Israelites
KJV: Asahel.
n.pr.m — Asahel
עֲשָׂהאֵל 18 n.pr.m.
1. brother of Joab and Abishai
2. Levites
3. post-exil. name
H5975
v — stand
Derivation: a primitive root;
to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive)
KJV: abide (behind), appoint, arise, cease, confirm, continue, dwell, be employed, endure, establish, leave, make, ordain, be (over), place, (be) present (self), raise up, remain, repair, serve, set (forth, over, -tle, up), (make to, make to be at a, with-) stand (by, fast, firm, still, up), (be at a) stay (up), tarry.
take one’s stand
עָמַד 620 take one's stand, stand
Qal 435
1.
a. take one's stand, and (esp. pt.) stand, be in a standing attitude
b. stand forth
c. take a stand against, in opposition to
d. present oneself before
e. attend upon, be(come) servant of
f. stand afar
g. stand (silent)
h. stand (appealingly)
i. stand, subj. רֶגֶל
j. stand, of water
2.
a. stand still, stop, cease moving
b. = be inactive
c. = be attentive
d. stop, cease doing a thing
3.
a. tarry, delay
b. remain
c. continue, abide
d. endure
e. be steadfast
f. persist
4. make a stand, hold one's ground
5. stand upright
6.
a. arise, appear, come on the scene
b. stand forth, appear = come into being
c. rise up as foe
7. rare usages
Hiph. 83
1. station, set
2. cause to stand firm
3. cause to stand up, set up, erect
4. present one before king
5. appoint
6. other meanings
Hoph. be presented
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Verses 18–24
2 Samuel 2:18–24
We have here the contest between Abner and Asahel. Asahel, the brother of Joab and cousin-german to David, was one of the principal commanders of David's forces, and was famous for swiftness in running: he was as light of foot as a wild roe (Sa2 2:18); this he got the name of by swift pursuing, not swift flying. Yet, we may suppose, he was not comparable to Abner as a skilful experienced soldier; we must therefore observe,
I. How rash he was in aiming to make Abner his prisoner. He pursued after him, and no other, Sa2 2:19. Proud of his relation to David and Joab, his own swiftness, and the success of his party, no less a trophy of victory would now serve the young warrior than Abner himself, either slain or bound, which he thought would put an end to the war and effectually open David's way to the throne. This made him very eager in the pursuit, and careless of the opportunities he had of seizing others in his way, on his right hand and on his left; his eye was on Abner only. The design was brave, had he been par negotio - equal to its accomplishment: but let not the swift man glory in his swiftness, any more than the strong man in his strength; magnis excidit ausis - he perished in an attempt too vast for him.
II. How generous Abner was in giving him notice of the danger he exposed himself to, and advising him not to meddle to his own hurt, Ch2 25:19. 1. He bade him content himself with a less prey (Sa2 2:21): "Lay hold of one of the young men, plunder him and make him thy prisoner, meddle with thy match, but pretend not to one who is so much superior to thee." It is wisdom in all contests to compare our own strength with that of our adversaries, and to take heed of being partial to ourselves in making the comparison, lest we prove in the issue enemies to ourselves, Luk 14:31. 2. He begged of him not to put him upon the necessity of slaying him in his own defence, which he was very loth to do, but must do rather than be slain by him, Sa2 2:22. Abner, it seems, either loved Joab or feared him; for he was very loth to incur his displeasure, which he would certainly do if he slew Asahel. It is commendable for enemies to be thus respectful one to another. Abner's care how he should lift up his face to Joab gives cause to suspect that he really believed David would have the kingdom at last, according to the divine designation, and then, in opposing him, he acted against his conscience.
III. How fatal Asahel's rashness was to him. He refused to turn aside, thinking that Abner spoke so courteously because he feared him; but what came of it? Abner, as soon as he came up to him, gave him his death's wound with a back stroke (Sa2 2:23): He smote him with the hinder end of his spear, from which he feared no danger. This was a pass which Asahel was not acquainted with, nor had learned to stand upon his guard against; but Abner, perhaps, had formerly used it, and done execution with it; and here it did effectual execution. Asahel died immediately of the wound. See here, 1. How death often comes upon us by ways that we least suspect. Who would fear the hand of a flying enemy or the butt-end of a spear? yet from these Asahel receives his death's wound. 2. How we are often betrayed by the accomplishments we are proud of. Asahel's swiftness, which he presumed so much upon, did him no kindness, but forwarded his fate, and with it he ran upon his death, instead of running from it. Asahel's fall was not only Abner's security from him, but put a full stop to the conqueror's pursuit and gave Abner time to rally again; for all that came to the place stood still, only Joab and Abishai, instead of being disheartened, were exasperated by it, pursued Abner with so much the more fury (Sa2 2:24), and overtook him at last about sunset, when the approaching night would oblige them to retire.
Cross-references: 2Sam 2:18 · 2Sam 2:19 · 2Chr 25:19 · 2Sam 2:21 · Luke 14:31 · 2Sam 2:22 · 2Sam 2:23 · 2Sam 2:24