Abner, wronged over Rizpah, turns his strength to David and is sent away in peace — then Joab's dagger in the gate of Hebron; David weeps at the grave: 'a prince and a great man is fallen this day in Israel.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David waxed stronger and stronger, but the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.
verse value 3226
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "between" (בֵּ֚ין, 3 letters) and the longest is "battle" (הַמִּלְחָמָה֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 412: house·of, house·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "healing" (אֲרֻכָּ֔ה), "and·growing·stronger" (וְחָזֵ֔ק), "and·low" (וְדַלִּֽים). The root בית appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "between" (root בין, 98x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Metzudat David
Long. A long time:
"Going and growing strong." At every period he grew stronger:
And the poor. The humble and the weak:
Metzudat Zion
And weakening. Weak, as (Genesis 41:19): lean and bad-looking.
Malbim
"And there was war" — from the time that the war broke out between them, it lasted for a long period, namely the last five years of Ish-bosheth’s reign. From then on, the house of Saul continued to diminish; that is to say, many of Israel left Ish-bosheth and attached themselves to the kingdom of the house of David, as explained in I Chronicles 12, and as stated above (II Samuel 2:10), for this reason he counted only two years for Ish-bosheth.
And to David were sons born in Hebron; and his first-born was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;
verse value 1876
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "of·David" (לְדָוִ֛ד, 4 letters) and the longest is "Jezreelitess" (הַיִּזְרְעֵאלִֽת, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·they·bore" ((וילדו)), "his·first-born" (בְכוֹרוֹ֙), "to·Ahinoam" (לַאֲחִינֹ֖עַם). The root ילד appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "son" (root בן, 76x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root ילד ("and·they·bore") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root בכור ("his·first-born") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Hebron', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: (וילדו) [and·they·bore] (56) + וַיִּוָּלְד֧וּ [and·were·born] (62) + לְדָוִ֛ד [of·David] (44) + בָּנִ֖ים [son] (102) + בְּחֶבְר֑וֹן [in·Hebron] (268) + וַיְהִ֤י [and·it·was] (31) + בְכוֹרוֹ֙ [his·first-born] (234) + אַמְנ֔וֹן [Amnon] (147) + לַאֲחִינֹ֖עַם [to·Ahinoam] (209) + הַיִּזְרְעֵאלִֽת [Jezreelitess] (723) = 1876.
and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;
verse value 4408
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "to·Abigail" (לַאֲבִיגַ֕יִל) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "wife·of" (אֵ֖שֶׁת, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Abigail" (לַאֲבִיגַ֕יִל, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·his·second" (וּמִשְׁנֵ֣הוּ), "Chileab" (כִלְאָ֔ב), "Abigail" ((לאביגל)). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "son·of·Maacah" (root בין, 98x in II Samuel); "Absalom" (root אבשלום, 64x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root אבשלום ("Absalom") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root גשור ("Geshur") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Carmelite', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּמִשְׁנֵ֣הוּ [and·his·second] (407) + כִלְאָ֔ב [Chileab] (53) + (לאביגל) [Abigail] (76) + לַאֲבִיגַ֕יִל [to·Abigail] (86) + אֵ֖שֶׁת [wife·of] (701) + נָבָ֣ל [Nabal] (82) + הַֽכַּרְמְלִ֑י [Carmelite] (305) + וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁי֙ [and·third] (651) + אַבְשָׁל֣וֹם [Absalom] (379) + בֶּֽן־מַעֲכָ֔ה [son·of·Maacah] (187) + בַּת־תַּלְמַ֖י [daughter·of·Talmai] (882) + מֶ֥לֶךְ [king] (90) + גְּשֽׁוּר [Geshur] (509) = 4408.
Rashi
'And his second, Kilav.' In another place [Scripture] calls him, 'and his second, Daniel'; and why was he named Kilav [i.e., 'like a father']? Rabbi Yitzchak said: because the mockers of the generation would say that Avigayil was pregnant from Nabal, [and so] his countenance was transformed and he resembled his father. And our Sages said (Berachot 4a): that he would put Mephibosheth to shame in halacha.
Radak
Kilab. And in the Book of Chronicles, Daniel had two names, and there are many like him in Scripture. There is a midrashic interpretation concerning this: since David took Abigail after Nabal’s death, people would say that she was pregnant by Nabal, and that the son Abigail bore to David was actually Nabal’s son. Therefore, the countenance of his face was like the countenance of his father David’s, to dispel the suspicion. Therefore, he was called Kilab, meaning “like his father” — that is, in all his features he resembled his father. His primary name was Daniel, for David said, “God has judged me concerning Nabal” (Dan-ni El).
Absalom, the son of Maacah. They expounded upon him that since he was the son of a woman of beautiful appearance whom David took in war, therefore Absalom was a rebellious and stubborn son toward his father. Therefore, the passage of the rebellious and stubborn son is juxtaposed with the passage of the woman of beautiful appearance, to tell you: anyone who marries her, or an unworthy woman, a rebellious and stubborn son emerges from her. And this exposition is correct, for since she is a captive, she is as if compelled to return to the Jewish faith, yet her heart is not inclined toward the faith, and the planted tree emerges in the likeness of its root.
Metzudat David
The son of Maakah. She was beautiful of form, and he took her in battle:
Metzudat Zion
And his second. From the word 'two'.
Malbim
"Chileab" — and in Chronicles (I, chapter 3) he is called Daniel. There is a homiletical teaching on this in [tractate] Berakhot (page 4), and in the Midrash they said: Because the cynical people of the generation were saying that he was from Nabal (requires examination — surely he waited the months of verification), his facial appearance was like his father's, and he was called after his father. Therefore, here it says "the wife of Nabal the Carmelite," and in Chronicles (ibid.) it says "Daniel, to Abigail the Carmelite," for here it states that he was called after his father because she was initially the wife of Nabal.
and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
verse value 1733
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "Adonijah" (אֲדֹנִיָּ֣ה, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·the·fourth" (וְהָרְבִיעִ֖י, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·the·fourth" (וְהָרְבִיעִ֖י), "Adonijah" (אֲדֹנִיָּ֣ה), "son·of·Haggith" (בֶן־חַגִּ֑ית). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Abital" (root בין, 98x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Haggith', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְהָרְבִיעִ֖י [and·the·fourth] (303) + אֲדֹנִיָּ֣ה [Adonijah] (70) + בֶן־חַגִּ֑ית [son·of·Haggith] (473) + וְהַחֲמִישִׁ֖י [and·the·fifth] (379) + שְׁפַטְיָ֥ה [Shephatiah] (404) + בֶן־אֲבִיטָֽל [son·of·Abital] (104) = 1733.
and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron.
verse value 2592
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵ֛לֶּה) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 2592 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "wife·of" (אֵ֣שֶׁת, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·Hebron" (בְּחֶבְרֽוֹן, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·sixth" (וְהַשִּׁשִּׁ֣י), "Ithream" (יִתְרְעָ֔ם), "to·Eglah" (לְעֶגְלָ֖ה). The root דוד appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "wife·of" (root אשה, 45x in II Samuel); "were·born" (root ילד, 25x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root עגלה ("to·Eglah") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהַשִּׁשִּׁ֣י [and·sixth] (621) + יִתְרְעָ֔ם [Ithream] (720) + לְעֶגְלָ֖ה [to·Eglah] (138) + אֵ֣שֶׁת [wife·of] (701) + דָּוִ֑ד [David] (14) + אֵ֛לֶּה [these] (36) + יֻלְּד֥וּ [were·born] (50) + לְדָוִ֖ד [of·David] (44) + בְּחֶבְרֽוֹן [in·Hebron] (268) = 2592.
Rashi
To a cow. This is Michal, who was beloved to him; and so it says (Judges 14:18): 'Were it not that you plowed with my heifer.' And it is written (below 6:23): 'And Michal the daughter of Sha'ul had no child until the day of her death'—until the day of her death there was no child from that act onward; before that act she had one.
Radak
"To Eglah, wife of David." Our Sages of blessed memory expounded: this Eglah is Michal daughter of Saul; and because she was beloved to David, he called her Eglah [heifer], as in "Had you not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle." And what it says, "wife of David," supports this exposition, even though they [the Sages] did not adduce it [as proof]; for why does it say of this one "wife of David," which it does not say of the others, except because she was his first wife? And as for its saying, "and Michal daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death" — from that incident onward she had no child, as punishment for having disgraced David when he danced before the LORD; but originally she did have [a child].
And according to the plain sense, one may explain that this Eglah is a different woman, and Michal is not mentioned here because he had no son from her; and so it says of "the sons that were born to him in Hebron" — therefore it mentions the wives; and as for Michal, even though Abner brought her to him while he was still in Hebron, she is not mentioned here because he had no son from her. But as for its saying "wife of David" — and likewise in Chronicles it says "to Eglah his wife" — perhaps she was not from a prominent family and was not known well enough to be recorded except as "wife of David."
And one may further explain that this Eglah was the wife of Saul, and David took her after Saul's death, as it says, "and your master's wives into your bosom." And even though it was said that one may not marry the widow of a king, they also said that a king may marry the widow of another king; for this reason it says "wife of David," meaning that she was not fit to be the wife of any other man but only the wife of David, since he was a king. And even though this reasoning is only according to the view of Rabbi Yehudah, who says a king may marry the widow of another king, and the Sages do not agree with him, nevertheless the plain sense of the verse fits Rabbi Yehudah's view. And even though the wife of one's father-in-law is permitted — and even according to the Jerusalem Talmud, which says the wife of one's father-in-law is forbidden, they forbade it only because of the appearance of impropriety, but by Torah law she is not forbidden — and they said that David took Rizpah, Saul's concubine, as a wife.
Ralbag
to Eglah, David's wife. Our Sages said that because of this it says 'David's wife' of this one alone and not of the others, for she was fit for none but David, because she had been Saul's wife, as it is said, 'and I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your bosom.' And behold, a king's widow is fit only for a king. And it also seems that the women he took in Jerusalem, and the concubines, as he states afterward, were partly from the house of Saul.
Metzudat David
Wife of David. Returning to all of them, to say: each one was a wife of David, not a concubine:
Malbim
Regarding "Eglah," our Sages of blessed memory explained (Midrash Shocher Tov, Psalms 59) that she is Michal, and she is called "Eglah" [heifer] on account of endearment, as it is written (Judges 14:18), "Had you not plowed with my heifer." Therefore it says "David's wife." Likewise, in Chronicles (ibid., verse 3), "Eglah his wife," meaning she was fitting for him by virtue of being a king's daughter.
And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner showed himself strong in the house of Saul.
verse value 3472
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "between" (בֵּ֚ין, 3 letters) and the longest is "battle" (הַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 412: house·of, house·of. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "holding" (מִתְחַזֵּ֖ק). The root היה appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "between" (root בין, 98x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֗י [and·it·was] (31) + בִּֽהְיוֹת֙ [while·there·was] (423) + הַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה [battle] (128) + בֵּ֚ין [between] (62) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + שָׁא֔וּל [Saul] (337) + וּבֵ֖ין [and·between] (68) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + דָּוִ֑ד [David] (14) + וְאַבְנֵ֛ר [and·Abner] (259) + הָיָ֥ה [was] (20) + מִתְחַזֵּ֖ק [holding] (555) + בְּבֵ֥ית [in·the·house·of] (414) + שָׁאֽוּל [Saul] (337) = 3472.
Rashi
He was strengthening himself. With all his strength, on behalf of the house of Sha'ul, to establish its kingdom.
Metzudat David
In the house of Saul. To establish the kingship in the hand of Ish-bosheth his son:
Malbim
"And it came to pass, when..." — Abner was growing strong. He means to say that during the first two years, the kingship was associated with Ish-bosheth. However, from the time the war began, since Ish-bosheth was not a man of war from his youth (and for this very reason he was not found with Saul and his sons in the war against the Philistines), Abner, the commander of the army, was the one who fought and ruled, and he grew strong in the house of Saul; he was the one who led the house and the monarchy (as you will see how he dared to defy his king, and did not fear him). And at that time,
Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and [Ish-bosheth] said to Abner: ‘Wherefore have you gone in to my father’s concubine?’
verse value 3466
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "my·father" (אָבִֽי) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "my·father" (אָבִֽי, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·concubine" (אֶל־פִּילֶ֥גֶשׁ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·to·Saul" (וּלְשָׁא֣וּל), "you·went·in" (בָּ֖אתָה), "to·concubine" (אֶל־פִּילֶ֥גֶשׁ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "to·concubine" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "you·went·in" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root פלגש ("concubine") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root רצפה ("Rizpah") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·daughter·of·Aiah', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּלְשָׁא֣וּל [and·to·Saul] (373) + פִּלֶ֔גֶשׁ [concubine] (413) + וּשְׁמָ֖הּ [and·her·name] (351) + רִצְפָּ֣ה [Rizpah] (375) + בַת־אַיָּ֑ה [the·daughter·of·Aiah] (418) + וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + אֶל־אַבְנֵ֔ר [to·Abner] (284) + מַדּ֥וּעַ [why?] (120) + בָּ֖אתָה [you·went·in] (408) + אֶל־פִּילֶ֥גֶשׁ [to·concubine] (454) + אָבִֽי [my·father] (13) = 3466.
Radak
"And he said." [This refers to] Ish-bosheth [speaking] to Abner; and even though he was not mentioned above in the verse, behold, the house of Saul is mentioned, and he is Ish-bosheth, for the house of Saul depends on him.
"Concerning my father's concubine." He [Ish-bosheth] suspected him [Abner] regarding his father's concubine; and if the matter had been true, he should have seized him for it, out of respect for his father. Furthermore, she was forbidden to any man, for she was the king's concubine, and one does not marry the widow of a king. Even though she was not his wife but rather his concubine, since she was designated exclusively for him, she is considered his widow. Moreover, since he had made use of her, they said that one may not make use of the king's scepter. This is [the meaning of] what he [Abner] says: "Yet you charge me this day with the iniquity of the woman," for she was forbidden to a commoner.
Metzudat David
And he said. The text is general and does not specify who the speaker is, but it is understood on its own that the speaker was Ish-bosheth, as it is written: "to my father's concubine."
"Why have you come, etc." For the widow of a king is forbidden to a commoner (Sanhedrin 18a).
Metzudat Zion
Came. From the word coming and cohabitation.
Malbim
And regarding Saul’s concubine: by strict law, a king’s concubine is forbidden to a private individual, for one may not make use of the king’s scepter, on account of the king’s honor. Abner did not heed this and lay with the king’s concubine, as if matters of kingship were also fitting for him, since he was the support of the monarchy. This angered Ish-bosheth, for this was rebellion against the monarchy; therefore, he rebuked him for this.
Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ish-bosheth, and said: ‘Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? This day do I show kindness to the house of Saul your father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David, and yet you charge me this day with a fault concerning this woman.
verse value 6983
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 121 letters. The shortest word is "very" (מְאֹ֜ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·his·companion" (וְאֶל־מֵ֣רֵעֵ֔הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: day, day. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "upon·words·of" (עַל־דִּבְרֵ֣י), "to·Judah" (לִֽיהוּדָה֒), "with·house·of" (עִם־בֵּ֣ית). The root יום appears 2 times in this verse. 25 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "in·hand·of·David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "to·his·brothers" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root חרה ("and·was·angry") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root מצא ("I·delivered·you") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·hand·of·David', dividing the verse into phrases of 21 and 5 words.
Rashi
I am the head, a dog to Judah. Am I considered even as the head of the dog-keepers that belong to David? But according to the pointing, where the trope is under 'the head,' and 'a dog am I' is joined by a maqaf, thus is its interpretation: The head! And should I desire to be the head in your house, it is better for me to be a dog and a commoner in David's house. And so too did Yonatan translate.
Today I will do kindness. From now on it is fitting for me to do kindness with the house of Sha'ul and with all his loved ones, as I have done until now and have not delivered you into David's hand.
Radak
"I am the head of a dog." He mocks him, saying: "If I were the head of dogs—that is to say, even if I were appointed only over the dogs, so that I would be called 'the head of a dog'—and furthermore, even regarding the tribe of Judah, which you hate, if I had any authority over them, you would not have the right to insult me so much. Today I have cause to do a kindness for the house of Saul, since you have disgraced me. And yet, did I not perform a great act of kindness while I was still with the house of your father? I strengthened his house, maintaining it in its kingship, and I did not hand you over into the hands of David. And you have brought upon me the charge of the sin of the woman." And Targum Yonatan [renders]: "Am I not a head? Shall I from now become a common man to the remnant of the house of Judah?"
"And I did not deliver you." It is written in the pattern of he-root verbs, even though it belongs among the aleph-root verbs. Its meaning is like "and they brought the burnt offering to him," implying the notion of provision and handing over.
Ralbag
And behold God, by Whom deeds are weighed, caused that a quarrel arose between Abner and Ish-bosheth, and because of this Abner made an effort to make David king over all Israel, for from God was his kingship. And it should not escape one's notice that Michal was not defiled with Palti son of Laish, for if the matter were so she would be forbidden to David. But what the verse mentions of Michal's children -- they are the children of Merab her sister, and Michal raised them, and because she raised them they were called her children. And for this it says that she bore them to Adriel the Meholathite, who was Merab's husband.
Metzudat David
"The head of a dog, etc." He meant to say: Why have you despised me? Am I not a prince and an officer over the men of your kingdom? And am I the head and overseer of the dogs in the kingdom of Judah, your men of war, whom you hate? It is as if he said: It is not fitting to despise except one who is a hater and a lowly person, and not a man like me, in whom there is not one of those traits.
"Today I will perform an act of kindness." He means to say: Is it fitting for me, from this day onward, to perform an act of kindness, etc.?
"And I have not delivered you." This means: Since until now I have not delivered you into the hand of David, and you have repaid me evil by holding against me the sin of the concubine.
Metzudat Zion
His brothers. His relatives.
His companions. Those who love him.
I delivered you. A matter of providing and handing over, as (Leviticus 9:13): and they brought the burnt offering to him.
And you remember. A matter of remembrance.
Malbim
The Questions: The phrase "Am I a dog's head?" etc. is difficult, and why is the word "today" doubled?
The head of a dog: He meant to say that it is fitting for a king to guard even the honor of his minor officials, since they are loyal to him and serve him. Likewise, it is fitting that he should show honor to a great commander-in-chief on account of the intrinsic greatness of his stature, even if that commander-in-chief belongs to his enemies. All the more so should he guard the honor of a commander-in-chief of his own army, on account of two considerations: on account of the greatness of his stature, and on account of his service. Yet you have humiliated me as if I possessed both deficiencies, as if I were the head of dogs—that is to say, the head of the lowly, and not of your army, but only of the army belonging to Judah. And not only that, but you have done this unwisely. You should have harbored this matter in your heart for another time, when you would no longer need me and would not fear me. How then, today, when you need me? First, because I will show kindness to the house of Saul, etc. Second, because you ought to fear me, for I have not delivered you into the hand of David; rather, you are in my hand like clay in the hand of the potter. How then can you hold the sin of the woman against me today? This is great folly.
God do so to Abner, and more also, if, as Hashem has sworn to David, I do not even so to him;
verse value 2561
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִים֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 2561 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "thus·may·He·do" (כֹּֽה־יַעֲשֶׂ֤ה, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "thus·may·He·do" (כֹּֽה־יַעֲשֶׂ֤ה), "swore" (נִשְׁבַּ֤ע), "for·so" (כִּי־כֵ֖ן). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "as" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root כה ("and·thus") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: כֹּֽה־יַעֲשֶׂ֤ה [thus·may·He·do] (410) + אֱלֹהִים֙ [God] (86) + לְאַבְנֵ֔ר [to·Abner] (283) + וְכֹ֖ה [and·thus] (31) + יֹסִ֣יף [adds] (160) + ל֑וֹ [to·him] (36) + כִּ֗י [for] (30) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר [as] (521) + נִשְׁבַּ֤ע [swore] (422) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + לְדָוִ֔ד [of·David] (44) + כִּי־כֵ֖ן [for·so] (100) + אֶעֱשֶׂה־לּֽוֹ [I·will·do·to·him] (412) = 2561.
Radak
"As the LORD swore to David." His word is His oath; and so it says, "I have sworn to David My servant." Or perhaps because he [Samuel] said it twice to Saul in the name of God — at Gilgal, and concerning the matter of Amalek — "the LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart" and has given it to your fellow. And they said: "Yes, yes" is an oath; "No, no" is an oath.
Metzudat David
"Thus may He do." It is the matter of an oath, and there are many such cases in the Bible:
As the Lord swore. To make him king over all Israel:
"I will make for him." For David, to support him in the matter of kingship.
Malbim
"For thus I will do for him" is a comprehensive statement. A. He sees that this is a cause from the Lord that David will reign; B. He sees that he [Abner] was appointed by the Lord as a means to complete the matter, as if the Lord swore, "Thus I will do for him." And because of this, the word "for" (ki) is doubled.
to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba.’
verse value 3459
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָוִ֗ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·over·Judah" (וְעַל־יְהוּדָ֔ה, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "kingdom" (הַמַּמְלָכָ֖ה), "and·to·set·up" (וּלְהָקִ֞ים), "and·over·Judah" (וְעַל־יְהוּדָ֔ה). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "upon·Israel" (root על, 121x in II Samuel); "from·the·house·of" (root בית, 97x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root כסא ("throne") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root דן ("from·Dan") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Saul', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: לְהַעֲבִ֥יר [to·transfer] (317) + הַמַּמְלָכָ֖ה [kingdom] (140) + מִבֵּ֣ית [from·the·house·of] (452) + שָׁא֑וּל [Saul] (337) + וּלְהָקִ֞ים [and·to·set·up] (191) + אֶת־כִּסֵּ֣א [throne] (482) + דָוִ֗ד [David] (14) + עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ [upon·Israel] (641) + וְעַל־יְהוּדָ֔ה [and·over·Judah] (136) + מִדָּ֖ן [from·Dan] (94) + וְעַד־בְּאֵ֥ר [and·even·to·Beer] (283) + שָֽׁבַע [Sheba] (372) = 3459.
And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.
verse value 2448
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. Verse gematria: 2448 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "again" (ע֔וֹד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·he·was·able" (וְלֹא־יָכֹ֣ל, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·not·he·was·able" (וְלֹא־יָכֹ֣ל), "because·he·feared" (מִיִּרְאָת֖וֹ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "a·word" (root דבר, 107x in II Samuel); "to·answer" (root שוב, 52x in II Samuel); "Abner" (root אבנר, 46x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root יכל ("and·not·he·was·able") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'a·word', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְלֹא־יָכֹ֣ל [and·not·he·was·able] (97) + ע֔וֹד [again] (80) + לְהָשִׁ֥יב [to·answer] (347) + אֶת־אַבְנֵ֖ר [Abner] (654) + דָּבָ֑ר [a·word] (206) + מִיִּרְאָת֖וֹ [because·he·feared] (657) + אֹתֽוֹ [him] (407) = 2448.
And Abner sent messengers to David straightway, saying: ‘Whose is the land?’ saying also: ‘Make your league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with you, to bring over all Israel to you.’
verse value 5558
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "with·me" (אִתִּ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·Israel" (אֶת־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 271: saying, saying. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "to·who?·land" (לְמִי־אָ֑רֶץ), "cut" (כׇּרְתָ֤ה), "your·covenant" (בְרִֽיתְךָ֙). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "to·David" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "with" (root עם, 90x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root כרת ("cut") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root ברית ("your·covenant") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·who?·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 10 words.
Rashi
Instead of him, to say. (Targum:) From his place, to say: I uphold [my word] with whoever possesses the land.
To whom the land. Language of an oath—he who owns the land; another explanation: 'instead of him'—he mentioned his name first in the letter, and afterward mentioned David's name, and therefore he was punished. He wrote: 'From me, Avner, commander of the army of Israel, to David, king of Israel, peace.'
To whom the land. To him to whom the kingdom is fitting, I send to him, saying: 'Establish your covenant, etc.'
Radak
"Tachtav [in his place], saying: To whom does the land belong?" In secret he sent to him [saying]: "To whom is the land's desire, if not to you?" — as is said further [in the verse]: "Let your covenant be made with me, and I will turn all Israel over to you." And Targum [renders] "tachtav" as "from his place," [continuing]: "I will maintain [my word] with whoever holds the land." And there is a midrashic interpretation: that when he wrote to David, [he wrote] "From Abner to David," placing his own name before David's name; this is [the meaning of] "to David tachtav" [in his own place, ahead of him] — therefore Abner was punished.
Metzudat David
In his stead, to say. Meaning: he sent messengers from his place, who would say with an oath 'To whom [does the land belong]', meaning: we swear by Him whose is the land, for the Lord's is the land, and the matter of the oath was that he would say in his heart: make a covenant with me, to be my friend, and the strength of my hand shall be with you etc.:
Metzudat Zion
In his stead. In his place.
To bring around. [Same as] to turn around.
Malbim
The questions: What is the meaning of "in his stead," and what is the meaning of "saying, 'To whom is the earth?'"?
"Messengers in his place" means that the messengers were authorized by him to stand in his stead and in his place, so that their hand would be as his hand. This serves two purposes: 1) To declare to whom the land belongs, so that they would say and determine to whom the land belongs and who reigns over it, for since they had fought until now over the question of to whom the land belongs, and Abner fought on the side of Saul, if he [Abner] would acknowledge that the land belongs to David and that he will reign over it, the war would cease, for such is the law of warriors: if the army commander surrenders the city or the country, his actions are valid. 2) To declare "Make a covenant with me," meaning that they would stand in his place to make a covenant with David, and through this all the kingdom of Israel would be obligated to gather to him.
And he said: ‘Well; I will make a league with you; but one thing I require of you, that is, you shall not see my face, except you first bring Michal Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.’
verse value 7273
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 95 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֡ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֣ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·you·shall·see" (לֹא־תִרְאֶ֣ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 637: not·you·shall·see, to·see. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "I·will·cut" (אֶכְרֹ֥ת), "from·you" (מֵאִתְּךָ֤), "not·you·shall·see" (לֹא־תִרְאֶ֣ה). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "you·bring" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel); "for" (root כי, 110x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root אני ("I") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root פני ("my·face") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'covenant', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 18 words.
Rashi
"Before you bring [her]." Before you see my face — you must bring Michal.
Radak
"Except before you bring [her]." [Meaning:] only before anything else shall be your bringing of Michal.
Metzudat David
Only before. Meaning: only before all, let it be that you bring Michal etc. at the time of your coming to me:
Malbim
The questions: He should have said, "You shall not see my face until you bring her to me," so why did he want this now? It would be better that he take her after he becomes king over all Israel.
"Good, etc. But one thing, etc." Since David had conceived plans from beginning to end, so that he would not be likened to a rebellious servant who destroys his master's house and rules in his stead by force, but rather as one who assumes kingship by the word of a prophet, according to law, and with the consent of Israel and its elders, he desired that Michal be returned to him. For from this perspective, he is the son-in-law of the king who preceded him [Saul], and he has a claim to the monarchy also on account of Saul. Moreover, he desired that it not appear that Abner came before him [David] as an officer rebelling against his king, but rather as one going to bring his [David's] wife to him by the permission of his [Abner's] master, so that the foremost and most distinguished member of her father's house would go with her, and before bringing her before him, he would first see his [David's] face. This is what is written: "except before you bring [her]," etc., "when you come," etc., meaning that the seeing of the face should precede the coming of Michal (who will come with you) to my house.
And David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth Saul’s son, saying: ‘Deliver me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to me for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.’
verse value 7347
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Ish-bosheth" (אֶל־אִֽישׁ־בֹּ֥שֶׁת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: Michal, that. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "to·Ish-bosheth" (אֶל־אִֽישׁ־בֹּ֥שֶׁת), "give" (תְּנָ֤ה), "my·wife" (אֶת־אִשְׁתִּי֙). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "to·Ish-bosheth" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root נתן ("give") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root מאה ("for·a·hundred") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Radak
"And David sent messengers." Even though he sent [messengers] to Abner, he also sent to Ish-bosheth, out of respect for him, because he did not wish to take her without his permission.
That I espoused for myself. This supports the explanation of our Sages of blessed memory that we cited above regarding this matter, namely, that she is my wife, and I espoused her with the hundred Philistine foreskins; that is to say, my intention was directed toward them, not toward wealth, since the wealth Saul had promised me remained but a loan owed by him. Therefore, she is truly my wife. And according to the plain meaning, he said, "I espoused for myself," meaning that I placed myself in danger for her sake; therefore, you are obligated to return her to me. And when he said "a hundred," although he gave two hundred, he said "a hundred" because a hundred was the agreed condition between them.
Metzudat David
"And David sent" – because he was now confident that Abner would carry out his word.
“With a hundred foreskins.” And it shall be counted as betrothal, or perhaps he means: Behold, from that time I have placed myself in danger for her sake, implying that even now he will extend his hand to fight for her (even though he gave two hundred foreskins, nevertheless the condition was only for a hundred):
Metzudat Zion
I have betrothed. From the word betrothed, and so (Deuteronomy 20:7): he who has betrothed a wife.
Malbim
The questions: Why did he mention that he had betrothed her with a hundred Philistine foreskins?
And he sent: And according to this, he sent to Ish-bosheth, that he should return his wife to him. And since Saul had decided that they were a betrothal in error, because he had betrothed her with a loan and a perutah, and his intention was for the loan, David specified: "Whom I betrothed to myself with a hundred foreskins of the Philistines," not with a loan, and therefore her betrothal was a valid betrothal. And we have already explained above (section 25) how David came to her after she had been [given] to another man; see there.
Cross-references: Exodus 22:15; Deuteronomy 20:7; I Samuel 18:27
And Ish-bosheth sent, and took her from her husband, even from Paltiel the son of Laish.
verse value 2995
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֣ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Paltiel" (פַּלְטִיאֵ֥ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: man, man. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "Paltiel" (פַּלְטִיאֵ֥ל), "son·of·Laish" (בֶּן־לָֽיִשׁ). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 140x in II Samuel); "son·of·Laish" (root בין, 98x in II Samuel); "with" (root עם, 90x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'man', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words.
Rashi
"From a man." Targum Yonatan renders it: "from beside her husband."
Radak
"From [with] a man." [Meaning] from with her husband; and the Targum has the Aramaic for "from beside her husband." And afterward it specifies who her husband was: Paltiel son of Laish, who is the same as Palti son of Laish mentioned above. And according to the midrash, he is now called Paltiel because [God] delivered him from transgression, in that he did not come upon Michal, as we explained above. And what it says, "walking and weeping after her as far as Bahurim," [alludes] to the mitzvah that slipped from his hand, and that he suppressed his [evil] inclination until Bahurim, [meaning] that he became like young men [bachurim] who had not tasted the taste of that sin. And all this is far from the plain sense. Rather, Bahurim is the name of a place in the land of Benjamin, like [in] "Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite, of Bahurim." And Targum Yonatan [renders it] "Alemeth"; "Alemeth" and "Bahurim" are the same place. And this place is also mentioned in the Book of Joshua as "Almon," and in Chronicles as "Alemeth." And it is possible that it was named after a man called Alemeth son of Jarah, of the tribe of Benjamin, to whom this city belonged. And we have already written above that Michal and Palti were [guilty only] of an inadvertent sin.
Metzudat David
"From [her] husband." And he goes on to explain that he was Paltiel, and he is [the same as] Palti mentioned above (I Samuel 25:44):
And her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her to Bahurim. Then said Abner to him: ‘Go, return’; and he returned.
verse value 2673
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֥ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "until·Bahurim" (עַד־בַּחֻרִ֑ים, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "until·Bahurim" (עַד־בַּחֻרִ֑ים). The root הלך appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "her·husband" (root איש, 140x in II Samuel); "and·went" (root הלך, 96x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root עד ("until·Bahurim") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'until·Bahurim', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + אִתָּ֜הּ [with·her] (406) + אִישָׁ֗הּ [her·husband] (316) + הָל֧וֹךְ [walking] (61) + וּבָכֹ֛ה [and·weeping] (33) + אַחֲרֶ֖יהָ [after·her] (224) + עַד־בַּחֻרִ֑ים [until·Bahurim] (334) + וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלָ֥יו [to·him] (47) + אַבְנֵ֛ר [Abner] (253) + לֵ֥ךְ [go] (50) + שׁ֖וּב [return] (308) + וַיָּשֹֽׁב [and·he·returned] (318) = 2673.
Rashi
"Weeping as he went." Over the mitzvah [wife] that was departing from him — for all those years he had placed a sword between himself and her in the bed, and had not stumbled with her.
And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying: ‘In times past you sought for David to be king over you;
verse value 4468
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "was" (הָיָ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·word·of·Abner" (וּדְבַר־אַבְנֵ֣ר, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 465: and·word·of·Abner, you·were. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·word·of·Abner" (וּדְבַר־אַבְנֵ֣ר), "with·elders·of" (עִם־זִקְנֵ֥י), "also·yesterday" (גַּם־תְּמוֹל֙). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "to·king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root זקן ("with·elders·of") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root בקש ("seeking") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וּדְבַר־אַבְנֵ֣ר [and·word·of·Abner] (465) + הָיָ֔ה [was] (20) + עִם־זִקְנֵ֥י [with·elders·of] (277) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + לֵאמֹ֑ר [saying] (271) + גַּם־תְּמוֹל֙ [also·yesterday] (519) + גַּם־שִׁלְשֹׁ֔ם [also·day·before·yesterday] (713) + הֱיִיתֶ֞ם [you·were] (465) + מְבַקְשִׁ֧ים [seeking] (492) + אֶת־דָּוִ֛ד [David] (415) + לְמֶ֖לֶךְ [to·king] (120) + עֲלֵיכֶֽם [upon·you] (170) = 4468.
Rashi
And Avner's word was. Before this.
Metzudat David
And the word of Abner. Meaning: and thus was the word of Abner with the elders of Israel, that he said to them: Behold from of old you yourselves sought for David that he should reign, but I alone was strengthening the house of Saul:
Malbim
(17-18) "Even yesterday" means that the coronation of the king depends on two things: 1. That he be pleasing to the people, and regarding this it says, "Even yesterday... you sought David"; 2. That he be chosen by God, and regarding this it says, "Now do it, for the Lord has spoken."
now then do it; for Hashem has spoken of David, saying: By the hand of My servant David I will save My people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.’
verse value 4131
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·enemy" (כׇּל־אֹיְבֵיהֶֽם, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "saves" (הוֹשִׁ֜יעַ), "and·from·hand·of" (וּמִיַּ֖ד), "all·enemy" (כׇּל־אֹיְבֵיהֶֽם). The root יד appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "to·David" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root ישע ("saves") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root עמי ("my·people") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'do', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 15 words.
Rashi
He said to David. About David—and 'to' does not deviate from its meaning of 'to.'
Radak
"By the hand of David My servant, hoshia [he shall save]." [Hoshia] is an infinitive used in place of [the future] 'oshia' [I will save], meaning: I said, 'I will save Israel by his hand.' And similarly, 've'etkhem hotzi mitokhah' [and I will bring you out from within it], as if it said 'otzi' [I will bring out]. And Targum Yonatan renders 'hoshia' as 'efroq' [I will redeem/deliver].
Metzudat David
And now do. Meaning: since Saul's daughter is married to him, also he is reckoned of the house of Saul. Therefore do as you requested from of old, for the Lord said etc., and therefore also my hand is with him, and I am pleased in him more than anyone of the house of Saul:
Metzudat Zion
I will save. Like 'I will save' [אושיע], the heh in place of the aleph, as (Ezekiel 11:7): 'and you I will bring out,' and its proper form is: I will bring out.
And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin; and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and to the whole house of Benjamin.
verse value 4114
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 86 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָוִד֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·that·is·good" (כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־טוֹב֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 296: also·Abner, also·Abner. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "Benjamin" (בִנְיָמִ֑ין), "all·that·is·good" (כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־טוֹב֙). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "all·that·is·good" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "and·spoke" (root דבר, 107x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root אזן ("in·ears·of") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root עין ("in·eyes·of") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Benjamin', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 13 words.
Radak
“And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin.” Just as it says, “Abner also spoke in the ears of the sons of Benjamin.” And since it previously stated, “And Abner spoke with the elders of Israel,” it now clarifies that he also spoke to the tribe of Benjamin. Although the tribe of Benjamin was closely related to the House of Saul, they desired David’s kingship even more, because they saw that he succeeded in all his ways and in all his battles, and they saw that the House of Saul was dwindling and diminishing, and they had no favorable omen for kingship. Moreover, it was Abner who inclined their hearts after David, because he desired to make peace with him. Therefore, it says, “Behold, this is the account of this matter and of this battle.”
Metzudat David
"Also Abner..." – Just as it says, "And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin," even though they were from the tribe of Ish-Bosheth.
"All that is good." That which is right in the eyes of all of them, that he should reign:
So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men that were with him a feast.
verse value 4790
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֧ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·men" (וְלַאֲנָשִׁ֥ים, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·to·men" (וְלַאֲנָשִׁ֥ים), "feast" (מִשְׁתֶּֽה). The root אבנר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "to·David" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "that·with·him" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root עשרים ("twenty") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'man', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֨א [and·came] (19) + אַבְנֵ֤ר [Abner] (253) + אֶל־דָּוִד֙ [to·David] (45) + חֶבְר֔וֹן [Hebron] (266) + וְאִתּ֖וֹ [and·with·him] (413) + עֶשְׂרִ֣ים [twenty] (620) + אֲנָשִׁ֑ים [man] (401) + וַיַּ֨עַשׂ [and·did] (386) + דָּוִ֧ד [David] (14) + לְאַבְנֵ֛ר [for·Abner] (283) + וְלַאֲנָשִׁ֥ים [and·to·men] (437) + אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֖וֹ [that·with·him] (908) + מִשְׁתֶּֽה [feast] (745) = 4790.
Metzudat Zion
Feast. Every banquet is called by the name of feast, as (Esther 7:8): to the house of the wine feast.
And Abner said to David: ‘I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your soul desires.’ And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.
verse value 7208
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 104 letters. The shortest word is "with·you" (אִתְּךָ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·Israel" (אֶת־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "I·arise" (אָק֣וּמָה), "and·let·me·gather" (וְאֶקְבְּצָה֩), "and·you·will·reign" (וּמָ֣לַכְתָּ֔). The root אבנר appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root שלום ("in·peace") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 5 words.
Metzudat David
And they shall make [a covenant]. To be for you as servants:
"In all that..." – This means: You shall be a ruler and sovereign over everything.
And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a foray, and brought in a great spoil with them; but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace.
verse value 2584
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "slave" (עַבְדֵ֨י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "went·in" (בָּ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·the·band" (מֵֽהַגְּד֔וּד, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 66: and·behold, and·went. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "from·the·band" (מֵֽהַגְּד֔וּד), "brought" (הֵבִ֑יאוּ), "nothing" (אֵינֶ֤נּוּ). The root דוד appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "went·in" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel); "for" (root כי, 110x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root גדוד ("from·the·band") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root שלל ("and·spoil") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'brought', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 8 words.
Rashi
From the raid. They raided, to plunder from the enemy.
Radak
From the raid. And it does not specify from which raid, nor from where they brought the spoils, and it appears that it was from the land of the Philistines; perhaps a Philistine raiding party had gone out into the land of Israel to fight or to plunder, and Joab, together with David’s servants, went out against them, and now he returned from that raiding party and brought much spoil.
Metzudat David
From the band. Those who fought against them:
Malbim
(22–23) The Questions: Why is there a duplication in "And behold, David's servants and Joab have come," and "Joab and all the army have come"?
And behold, David's servants: [Malbim] gives three reasons that emboldened Joab's heart to do this: 1. That they brought with them great spoil, and this emboldened him to do as he pleased; 2. That Abner was not with David, for if he had been, David would have protested against their actions; and also, from the fact that Abner went his way, he found a pretext to bring a charge against him, as will be explained.
When Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab, saying: ‘Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he is gone in peace.’
verse value 2938
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 67 letters. Verse gematria: 2938 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "they·went·in" (בָּ֑אוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·the·host" (וְכׇל־הַצָּבָ֥א, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·all·the·host" (וְכׇל־הַצָּבָ֥א), "came·Abner" (בָּֽא־אַבְנֵ֤ר), "and·banished·him" (וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֖הוּ). The root יואב appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "to·the·king" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "that·with·him" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·went·in', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: וְיוֹאָ֛ב [and·Joab] (25) + וְכׇל־הַצָּבָ֥א [and·all·the·host] (154) + אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֖וֹ [that·with·him] (908) + בָּ֑אוּ [they·went·in] (9) + וַיַּגִּ֤דוּ [and·they·told] (29) + לְיוֹאָב֙ [to·Joab] (49) + לֵאמֹ֔ר [saying] (271) + בָּֽא־אַבְנֵ֤ר [came·Abner] (256) + בֶּן־נֵר֙ [son·of·Ner] (302) + אֶל־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ [to·the·king] (126) + וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֖הוּ [and·banished·him] (365) + וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + בְּשָׁלֽוֹם [in·peace] (378) = 2938.
Metzudat David
And all the host. And not a man of them was missing, and [the verse] comes to say that on account of this and on account of the abundance of spoil that he brought, his heart emboldened him to thwart the king's deed, as it will state:
Malbim
3. And Joab and all the army came, not a man having been missing from among them; and this too gave Joab the strength to act according to his heart’s desire.
Then Joab came to the king, and said: ‘What have you done? behold, Abner came to you; why is it that you have sent him away, and he is quite gone?
verse value 2586
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "what?" (מֶ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·king" (אֶל־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: to·you, utterly. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "behold·he·came" (הִנֵּה־בָ֤א), "you·sent·him" (שִׁלַּחְתּ֖וֹ). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "to·the·king" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "and·came" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·did', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֤א [and·came] (19) + יוֹאָב֙ [Joab] (19) + אֶל־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ [to·the·king] (126) + וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + מֶ֣ה [what?] (45) + עָשִׂ֑יתָה [you·did] (785) + הִנֵּה־בָ֤א [behold·he·came] (63) + אַבְנֵר֙ [Abner] (253) + אֵלֶ֔יךָ [to·you] (61) + לָמָּה־זֶּ֥ה [why·then] (87) + שִׁלַּחְתּ֖וֹ [you·sent·him] (744) + וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + הָלֽוֹךְ [utterly] (61) = 2586.
Malbim
(24–25) The Questions: From what is written, “Why did you send him, and he went on his way,” which is superfluous phrasing? And furthermore, why did Joab not initially raise the objection at the time when Abner sent his messengers? And how did he prove that he had come to spy? And why is there a duplication in “to entice you, to know your going out, to know all that you are doing”?
"What have you done? His argument was that if Abner were truly rebelling against his king and acting against his will, would he not have been afraid to return home, since surely the king would have killed him upon hearing that he had made a covenant with his enemy? He should have remained here to take refuge under your protection on account of his king. And from the fact that it is written, 'Why did you send him away, that he should go?'—from the fact that he went and returned, it is clear that he went with the king's knowledge and came to you as a spy. If so, it was not fitting that you should have sent him away."
You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you do.’
verse value 6259
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·entrance" (וְאֶת־מ֣וֹבָאֶ֔ךָ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 510: and·to·know, and·to·know. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "to·deceive·you" (לְפַתֹּתְךָ֖), "act or place of going out or forth" (אֶת־מוֹצָֽאֲךָ֙), "and·entrance" (וְאֶת־מ֣וֹבָאֶ֔ךָ). The root ידע appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "went·in" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel); "for" (root כי, 110x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'went·in', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Radak
"Your going out and your coming in." This [word] has a ketiv and a qere: the ketiv is 'movakha,' written according to its rule, following the pattern of hollow (ayin-weak) verbs; and the qere, 'mevo'akha,' is for the sake of matching [rhyming with] the preceding word. It is the practice of the language in many places to alter the vowels for the sake of such pairing, as with 'horu' and 'hugu,' and likewise 'tehomot yechasyumu' [the deeps covered them]. In 'mevo'akha,' the qere inverts the position of the root's second radical (ayin) with its first radical (pe); this too is a practice of the language, to write it so, as in 'im yashuv yashivani' [if he returns, he will restore me], and similarly 'rivah Hashem et yerivai' [contend, O LORD, with my adversaries], 'yashuv yitpale bi' [he will again marvel at me], and the like — as we have written in the book Mikhlol.
Metzudat David
"Did you know? Did you not know that Abner hated you, and that he came only to deceive you, to follow his own counsel?"
"And to know..." [etc.] And in order to know all your comings and goings, meaning: what you do in matters of war, and what you do at home:
Malbim
You knew about Abner that he certainly came in one of three ways: A. He came to entice you, so that you would go out to him and fall into his net. B. If he does not succeed in this, in any case he came to know your comings and goings, and there he will fall upon your camp and defeat you. C. If even this does not succeed for him, in any case he will gain by knowing all that you are doing, for even regarding this the enemies will devise schemes to investigate what is happening in the house of their adversaries and their secrets.
And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from Bor-sirah; but David knew it not.
verse value 2641
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "messengers" (מַלְאָכִים֙, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "from·Bor" (מִבּ֣וֹר), "Sirah" (הַסִּרָ֑ה). The root דוד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "Joab" (root יואב, 101x in II Samuel); "with" (root עם, 90x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Sirah', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Rashi
"From the cistern of Sirah." The name of a place; and our Sages said (Sanhedrin 49a): "Cistern and thornbush" caused Avner to be killed — because he did not uphold David's words concerning the flask of water that he took from beside Sha'ul's head, and also, regarding the corner of Sha'ul's cloak, he said perhaps one of the thorns caught in it and tore it.
Radak
"From the cistern of Sirah." It appears that thorn bushes and thistles (sirim) were located at that cistern, and therefore it was called by that name. And our Rabbis of blessed memory expounded: 'The pit and Sirah [i.e., the wordplay on turning aside] caused Abner to be killed' — because he did not uphold David's words to Saul, but rather dismissed them with empty talk. Concerning the flask of water that [David] took from beside [Saul's] head, [Abner] told him: 'One of the young men left it forgotten in the pit, and David merely found it there; it is a lie that he claims he took it from beside your head.' And concerning the corner of the robe, he said: 'Your robe's corner got caught in the thorns and tore, and you did not notice when it tore, and David [merely] found it.'
Metzudat David
And he sent. To call him back in the king's name, as if [the king] had forgotten what he had spoken with him:
From the cistern of Sirah. From the cistern that stands in the place of the thornbushes, for there the messengers of Joab found him.
Metzudat Zion
The thorn. A kind of thorns, as (Ecclesiastes 7:6): like the noise of thorns.
Malbim
"And he went out, etc., and he sent messengers" immediately, so that they would assume that he sent them by David's command; therefore, he revealed the truth, that "David did not know."
And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there in the groin, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
verse value 4582
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "and·he·turned·it·aside" (וַיַּטֵּ֤הוּ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁם֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "Hebron" (חֶבְר֔וֹן, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "to·midst" (אֶל־תּ֣וֹךְ), "in·quietness" (בַּשֶּׁ֑לִי), "fifth part" (הַחֹ֔מֶשׁ). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·midst" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "to·speak" (root דבר, 107x in II Samuel); "Joab" (root יואב, 101x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root שער ("gate") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root חמש ("fifth part") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·quietness', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
Into the gateway. Before the Sanhedrin—to be judged for the blood of his brother Asahel.
"Off-guard." Inadvertently — for Avner did not understand that Joab intended in his heart to kill him; and the verse is transposed [to read]: "Joab led him off-guard, into the gate, to speak with him."
Radak
"Into the gate." The gate of the city of Hebron. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded upon it [relating it to the phrase] 'to the gate, to the elders' [Deuteronomy 25:7]; that is to say, he told him he would bring him before the Sanhedrin to judge him concerning the blood of Asahel. So he told him, and he led him aside with these words, speaking with him privately and deceptively, misleading him; and Abner did not understand, and Joab struck him down.
"To speak with him privately (besheli)." [Understood as] calm/at ease, from [the same root as] 'yishlayu ohalim' [tents are undisturbed] (Job 12:6). Or perhaps its meaning is 'suddenly,' and so too does Targum render 'peta pit'om' [suddenly] as 'bitkhef shalu' [immediately, at ease]. And there is a midrashic interpretation that he [Joab] came to him with cunning and asked him, 'Your maimed [hand] — how is your shoe removed?' and he [Abner] was bending down, showing him that it is removed with the teeth, and then he struck him. And this is [the sense of] 'besheli' — a term related to 'shal na'alekha' [take off your sandal] (Exodus 3:5); this is what is stated, 'and with his sandal that was on his feet' (I Kings 2:5).
The chomesh. Like "to the chomesh," and there are many like it, and we have already explained it above.
"And he died by the blood of Asahel." Our Sages of blessed memory said that he was prosecuted for the blood of Asahel and judged by the Sanhedrin. They said to him, "Why did you kill Asahel?" He replied, "Asahel was a pursuer." They said to him, "You should have saved yourself by wounding him in one of his limbs." He replied, "I could not aim at him." They said to him, "When you aimed at his fifth rib, you could not aim at one of his limbs?"
Ralbag
And behold Joab killed Abner deceitfully, for he brought him within the gate to speak with him in peace and security, and struck him in the chomesh (the fifth rib) to avenge the death of his brother Asahel.
Metzudat David
And He turned him. He turned him from the path into the hollow of the gate.
"Privately." Regarding the matter of forgetfulness, for the king had forgotten to speak with him:
“And he struck him there.” At the time when he was speaking with him, and he was not being careful, then he struck him within that gate.
The fifth wall. To the fifth wall, the place where the liver and gallbladder hang (Sanhedrin 49a):
“With the blood of Asahel.” Because he shed the blood of his brother Asahel.
Metzudat Zion
In a slip. A matter of error and forgetting, as (below 6:7): 'for the error,' and so (Ruth 2:16): 'you shall also purposely pull out.'
Malbim
"To speak with him alone" (from the language of "dropping off," like [Deuteronomy 28:40] "for your olives shall drop off"), he said to him, "Something has slipped David's mind that he forgot to speak with you about," and he sent to inform him of the omitted matter. And he died by the blood of Asahel; only this was the cause of his killing, not any suspicion or for the king's benefit.
Cross-references: II Samuel 2:23; II Samuel 4:6; I Kings 2:5
And afterward when David heard it, he said: ‘I and my kingdom are guiltless before Hashem for ever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner;
verse value 2858
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "so" (כֵ֔ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·my·kingdom" (וּמַמְלַכְתִּ֛י, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·my·kingdom" (וּמַמְלַכְתִּ֛י), "from·blood·of" (מִדְּמֵ֖י). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root שמע ("and·he·heard") in II Samuel. First appearance of the root כן ("so") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'until·long duration', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע [and·he·heard] (426) + דָּוִד֙ [David] (14) + מֵאַ֣חֲרֵי [from·after] (259) + כֵ֔ן [so] (70) + וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [and·said] (257) + נָקִ֨י [innocent] (160) + אָנֹכִ֧י [I] (81) + וּמַמְלַכְתִּ֛י [and·my·kingdom] (546) + מֵעִ֥ם [with] (150) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + עַד־עוֹלָ֑ם [until·long duration] (220) + מִדְּמֵ֖י [from·blood·of] (94) + אַבְנֵ֥ר [Abner] (253) + בֶּן־נֵֽר [son·of·Ner] (302) = 2858.
Ralbag
And behold it was very bad in David's eyes what Joab did, and for this he cursed him with this wondrous curse, namely, that there should never cease from Joab's house one with a discharge, and a leper, and one who leans on a staff because of leg illness and bodily weakness. For these people are considered as dead, since their natural functions, ordered by the soul that is meant to render them properly alive, do not operate as they should. And for this he likened the leper to a dead person, in [Aaron's] saying [of Miriam], 'Please, let her not be as one dead [stillborn].' And so, one who lacks bread is considered as dead, for he has nothing with which to sustain himself.
Metzudat David
I am clean. Meaning: it was not by my knowledge, and I shall be free from the punishment, whether bodily punishment or regarding the matter of the kingdom:
Malbim
And David heard afterward: that if David had heard that [Joab] had sent messengers after him [Abner], it would have been proper for him to consider the possibility that he [Joab] might kill him [Abner]; and if he had not considered this, he would have needed atonement in any case, since he was somewhat a cause [of the matter]; but he did not hear until the deed was completed, and therefore he said, "I am innocent before the LORD."
let it fall upon the head of Joab, and upon all his father’s house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that has an issue, or that is a leper, or that leans on a staff, or that falls by the sword, or that lacks bread.’
verse value 3778
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "one·with·discharge" (זָ֠ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·let·not·be·cut·off" (וְֽאַל־יִכָּרֵ֣ת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 19: Joab, his·father, Joab. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "they·will·fall" (יָחֻ֙לוּ֙), "and·to" (וְאֶ֖ל), "and·let·not·be·cut·off" (וְֽאַל־יִכָּרֵ֣ת). The root יואב appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Joab" (root יואב, 101x in II Samuel); "all·house·of" (root בית, 97x in II Samuel); "and·to" (root אל, 72x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·father', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 10 words.
Rashi
"Let them fall." [I.e.] let them rest — the blood of Avner refers back to the verse before it, where he [David] said, "Clean am I and my kingdom of the blood of Avner"; [now] let his blood rest upon the head of Joab — the "blood" mentioned in the preceding verse.
And leaning on his staff. Leaning on his staff because of a leg ailment.
Radak
“יחולו” – The blood-guilt of Abner shall fall and rest upon the head of Joab; and similarly, [as it is stated elsewhere], “upon the head of the wicked shall it fall.”
"And to all his father's house." If Joab sinned, what did his father's house sin? It does not say so except regarding those who assisted and supported his hand, as it is written in the Torah: "That man and his family," and Onkelos translates: "and his supporters."
"And he who handles the spindle." [This refers to one who] leans on a staff due to an ailment of the legs. And our Sages of blessed memory said: All these curses were fulfilled in the seed of David, because they cursed him unjustly, after it was in his mind to command that he be killed, and so he did. And where were they fulfilled? In Rehoboam, who was a zav (one with a discharge); in Uzziah, who was a leper; in Asa, who leaned on a staff; in Josiah, who fell by the sword; in Jehoiachin, who lacked bread; and others. And our Sages of blessed memory said: Why did they curse him with these curses? And why did he curse his house after him, saying, "From the house of Joab"? Because they said: In five things, a righteous person merits worthy children, meaning that the Holy One, blessed be He, adds to his children in these five matters on account of the merit of their fathers. And these are the five things: beauty, strength, wealth, wisdom, and long days. Beauty, as it is said, "and your splendor [shall be] upon their children"; strength, as it is said, "His seed shall be mighty in the land"; wealth, as it is said, "I have not seen a righteous man forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread"; wisdom, as it is said, "And you shall teach them to your children"; long days, as it is said, "That your days may be many, and the days of your children." And opposite them, for evil, for a generation that is liable for the iniquity of their wicked fathers, they brought a proof from David, who cursed Joab because his guilt was made clear to him. And this is measure for measure: the zav corresponds to strength, for one is mighty and the other is weakened; the leper corresponds to beauty, as it is said, "and the Lord will make a scab on the crown [of the head] of the daughters of Zion" (Isaiah 3:17), for instead of beauty, this generation has ugliness; "he who handles the spindle" corresponds to wisdom, for they interpreted "he who handles the spindle" as a fool; "he who falls by the sword" corresponds to long days, for one lengthens days and the other shortens days; and "lacking bread" corresponds to wealth. And David made it clear to himself that the seed of Joab would be wicked, and he cursed the wicked generation that would come from his seed with these five [curses].
Metzudat David
"יחולו" – The penalties for the blood of Abner shall fall upon the head of Joab.
"Against all..." – Since it was done by their counsel:
"And let it not be cut off." This means: it shall not cease, i.e., it shall not come to an end.
"And handles the spindle." He holds onto a cane, due to an ailment in his legs.
Metzudat Zion
They shall camp. They shall encamp and dwell, as (Jeremiah 30:23): upon the head of the wicked shall it camp.
A flux. An illness that drips from his member like seed.
In your distaff. A matter of support and staff, and like it (Proverbs 31:19): and her hands hold the distaff, and it is the staff with which women spin.
Malbim
"Let there never cease to be from the house of Joab a zav and a metzora." Our Sages of blessed memory stated (in Eduyot, Chapter 2, Mishnah 9) that in five matters a father merits for his sons by virtue of his own merit: in beauty, in wisdom, in wealth, in strength, and in longevity. And it was said that Joab forfeited his merit; and in place of strength, he was a zav; and in place of beauty, he was a metzora; and in place of wisdom, he was one who clings to the distaff (for he did not know how to support himself except through his loom, like women, for there is no wisdom for a woman except in the distaff); and in place of longevity, he fell by the sword; and in place of wealth, he lacked bread.
So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.
verse value 3061
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַל֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "Asahel" (אֶת־עֲשָׂהאֵ֧ל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 25: and·Joab, his·brother. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "he·put·to·death" (הֵמִ֜ית). The root אח appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "upon" (root על, 121x in II Samuel); "and·Joab" (root יואב, 101x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root הרג ("they·killed") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Abner', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְיוֹאָב֙ [and·Joab] (25) + וַאֲבִישַׁ֣י [and·Abishai] (329) + אָחִ֔יו [his·brother] (25) + הָרְג֖וּ [they·killed] (214) + לְאַבְנֵ֑ר [to·Abner] (283) + עַל֩ [upon] (100) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + הֵמִ֜ית [he·put·to·death] (455) + אֶת־עֲשָׂהאֵ֧ל [Asahel] (807) + אֲחִיהֶ֛ם [their·brother] (64) + בְּגִבְע֖וֹן [in·Gibeon] (133) + בַּמִּלְחָמָֽה [battle] (125) = 3061.
Rashi
"They killed Avner" [with the preposition ל]. Like [saying] "Avner" [with את] — and similar to it (Isaiah 38:14): "Oppressed am I; be my pledge" — [meaning] it has oppressed me; and so (Numbers 12:13): "Heal her, I pray" — [meaning] heal her; and like it (II Chronicles 17:7): "he sent his officers, Ben-Hail and Ovadiah, etc., to teach in the cities of Judah" — and its meaning is: he sent his officers, [namely] Ben-Hail.
Radak
"And Joab and Abishai." Abishai was with Joab when they killed [Abner], and he agreed with him, so that it is as though they both killed him.
"They killed Abner (harugu le-Avner)." [The lamed functions] like 'et Avner' [i.e., as the direct-object marker]; and similarly, 'u-lechol kelav ta'aseh nechoshet' [and all its vessels you shall make of copper] (Exodus 27:3) [uses the lamed the same way].
"In war." That is to say, he killed Asahel in war, whereas they killed Abner in peace. This is what David said: "He has put the blood of war upon peace."
Metzudat David
And Avishai. Since he entered with Yoav through the gate to serve as his aid, the Scripture credits him as though he, too, had killed him.
"In battle." This is as if it were saying: Behold, they did not act in the same manner, for Abner killed Asahel in battle, whereas they killed Abner in times of peace.
Metzudat Zion
To Abner. [Equivalent to] 'Abner' [the direct-object marker], as (Exodus 27:3): 'to all its vessels,' and its proper form is: 'all its vessels' [with the direct-object marker].
Malbim
The questions: This matter does not belong here, but rather above.
And Joab and his brother Abishai: [The text] clarifies why [David] cursed the house of Joab, for Abishai, Joab's brother, also assisted in this murder. And do not say that it was according to the law, that they were the blood-avengers of Asahel; this is not so, for he [Abner] killed him [Asahel] at Gibeon in battle, where [Asahel] was the pursuer and [Abner] could have killed him [in self-defense].
And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him: ‘Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and wail before Abner.’ And king David followed the bier.
verse value 3586
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֨ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·all·the·people" (וְאֶל־כׇּל־הָעָ֣ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 14: David, David. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·to·all·the·people" (וְאֶל־כׇּל־הָעָ֣ם), "tear" (קִרְע֤וּ), "your·clothes" (בִגְדֵיכֶם֙). The root דוד appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "and·the·king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root חגר ("and·gird") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Abner', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Radak
And David said. Even though Joab had killed him, he told him to tear his garments and mourn for him, because he had been killed unjustly.
He went after the bier. When they were taking him to burial, and even though it was said that the king does not go out after the dead, and even if he had a close relative who died, he does not go out from the door of his palace, David did so in order to remove from the hearts of Israel that they would not suspect him that Abner was killed by his counsel, as it says at the end of the matter: "And all the people and all Israel knew that day that it was not from the king to kill Abner."
Metzudat David
"To Joab." [Singled out] so that he too would be like one grieving over his death, and would regret having killed him.
He was walking. He walked behind the bier, so that all would know that it was not done at his suggestion.
Malbim
"Tear your garments," so that he [Joab] might repent of the murder, and so that it would be known that he was killed unjustly. And King David followed the bier, even though a king does not exit after the bier; this was done to remove suspicion, lest they think that it was by his decree. And in the Gemara, Sanhedrin (page 20), it states that women followed the bier, and David was exiting from among the men and going among the women to appease the people. The intention is that they could still have said that he was doing this deceitfully to conceal the matter, and in truth his killing was by his command. However, his walking among the women would only be possible during a time of mourning, so as not to come to improper thoughts, as the Tosafot wrote there (on the phrase "women"). And if he had not truly mourned in his heart, the pious David would not have gone among the women.
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.
verse value 3034
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "and·lifted" (וַיִּשָּׂ֧א, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·they·buried" (וַיִּקְבְּר֥וּ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "voice" (אֶת־קוֹל֗וֹ), "to·grave·of" (אֶל־קֶ֣בֶר). The root אבנר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "to·grave·of" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel); "all·the·people" (root כל, 95x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root קול ("voice") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Hebron', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקְבְּר֥וּ [and·they·buried] (324) + אֶת־אַבְנֵ֖ר [Abner] (654) + בְּחֶבְר֑וֹן [in·Hebron] (268) + וַיִּשָּׂ֧א [and·lifted] (317) + הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ [king] (95) + אֶת־קוֹל֗וֹ [voice] (543) + וַיֵּבְךְּ֙ [and·wept] (38) + אֶל־קֶ֣בֶר [to·grave·of] (333) + אַבְנֵ֔ר [Abner] (253) + וַיִּבְכּ֖וּ [and·they·wept] (44) + כׇּל־הָעָֽם [all·the·people] (165) = 3034.
Radak
"El kever" [to the grave] – like "al kever" (over the grave); and similarly "el he-harim lo akhal" [he did not eat upon the mountains] – like "al ha-harim" (over the mountains); and so "vayekonen hamelekh el Avner" (and the king lamented over Abner) – like "al Avner" (over Abner).
Ralbag
And behold David wept with great weeping and lamented over Abner, and did not taste bread all that day for two causes: the first, because the killing of Abner was very difficult in his eyes, for he was a commander and important man in Israel, even though he was in a covenant with him; and the second cause, so that Israel should recognize that it was not from the king to kill Abner, for this was of that which would distance them very much from anointing him over them, that is to say, in their seeing that he killed a commander and important man like him.
Metzudat Zion
To the grave. Like 'upon the grave'.
Malbim
(32-34) The questions: Why is there a duplication in "and he wept at the grave of Abner" and "the king intoned a dirge over Abner," and why did they add to their weeping, and what is the significance of the dirge?
At the grave of Abner, the weeping was initially for the murder that had been committed, for the land in which the murdered man was buried and in which his blood was shed requires atonement, and this was the matter of the Eglah Arufah (the heifer whose neck is broken) [brought] to an ever-flowing wadi, as it is stated (Numbers 35:33): "And the land shall not be atoned for the blood that is shed therein except by the blood of him who shed it." And this weeping was for the general matter.
And the king lamented for Abner, and said: Should Abner die as a churl dies?
verse value 2114
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "churl" (נָבָ֖ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Abner" (אֶל־אַבְנֵ֖ר, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "to·the·death·of" (הַכְּמ֥וֹת). The root אבנר appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "to·the·death·of" (root מות, 78x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·said', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְקֹנֵ֥ן [and·he·lamented] (216) + הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ [king] (95) + אֶל־אַבְנֵ֖ר [to·Abner] (284) + וַיֹּאמַ֑ר [and·he·said] (257) + הַכְּמ֥וֹת [to·the·death·of] (471) + נָבָ֖ל [churl] (82) + יָמ֥וּת [will·die] (456) + אַבְנֵֽר [Abner] (253) = 2114.
Rashi
As the worthless perish. As the wicked perish by the sword.
Radak
"Should [he] die the death of a churl?" By the sword, like a wicked man; or its meaning is: like a person who falls and is lowly, so should Abner die — who was mighty and great. How did he not turn back his hand against the one who struck him?
Metzudat David
Like the death of a churl. And is it fitting that Abner should die by the sword outside of war, like the death of a senseless man:
Metzudat Zion
A fool. A man of low degree.
Malbim
And he lamented, and afterward the king lamented the special dirge for Abner, who was not like the common people, and over whom they would weep in particular due to his exalted status and the great loss that befell them upon his death. And regarding this it says, "Should Abner have died the death of a churl?" Was he not a prince and a great man among the Jews?
Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put into fetters; As a man falls before the children of iniquity, so did you fall. And all the people wept again over him.
verse value 4174
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "hand" (יָדֶ֣ךָ, 3 letters) and the longest is "not·to·fetters" (לֹא־לִנְחֻשְׁתַּ֣יִם, 9 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "not·bound" (לֹא־אֲסֻר֗וֹת), "and·your·feet" (וְרַגְלֶ֙יךָ֙), "not·to·fetters" (לֹא־לִנְחֻשְׁתַּ֣יִם). The root נפל appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·him" (root על, 121x in II Samuel); "all·the·people" (root כל, 95x in II Samuel); "to·face·of" (root פנים, 68x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root נחשת ("not·to·fetters") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·fell', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: יָדֶ֣ךָ [hand] (34) + לֹא־אֲסֻר֗וֹת [not·bound] (698) + וְרַגְלֶ֙יךָ֙ [and·your·feet] (269) + לֹא־לִנְחֻשְׁתַּ֣יִם [not·to·fetters] (869) + הֻגָּ֔שׁוּ [they·were·drawn·near] (314) + כִּנְפ֛וֹל [as·falling] (186) + לִפְנֵ֥י [to·face·of] (170) + בְנֵֽי־עַוְלָ֖ה [sons·of·iniquity] (173) + נָפָ֑לְתָּ [you·fell] (560) + וַיֹּסִ֥פוּ [and·they·continued] (162) + כׇל־הָעָ֖ם [all·the·people] (165) + לִבְכּ֥וֹת [to·weep] (458) + עָלָֽיו [upon·him] (116) = 4174.
Rashi
Your hands were not bound. They truly were not, and how did a mighty man like you fall before the sons of iniquity?
Radak
"Your hands are not bound." How is it that you did not also strike them? And your feet were not put in bronze fetters; how is it that you did not flee from them? "As a churl falls, so have you fallen before the sons of iniquity." Even though the term "churl" is not mentioned here, only "as one falls," this means that since "churl" was mentioned above, [the verse] relies on the reader's understanding. And this is the custom of language in many places.
Metzudat David
"Your hands were not bound." It frequently happens that a prince and a great man is taken captive, his hands and feet are bound, and he is eventually killed by the sword outside of warfare. Therefore, it says, "Were not your hands bound?" etc., for you were not taken captive. And if so, why were you killed by the sword outside of warfare?
"As you have fallen..." This is to say: Although it has never happened since the beginning of time that a prince and a great man was put to death by the sword outside of war, nevertheless, at times it has happened at the hands of the children of the wicked. And so too have you fallen, as one falls before the children of the wicked, for even the sons of Zeruiah are considered as children of the wicked.
Metzudat Zion
Bound. Tied.
To copper. Copper chains, they bind with them the legs of prisoners.
Malbim
"Your hands" means to say: Were you not killed for a sin, in judgment — in which case the hands and feet of the sinner are bound in shackles until his judgment is completed? Indeed, you were not killed for a sin, nor in judgment; you only fell before the children of iniquity, who killed you by ambush and murder. And there is also an allusion here that his hands were not bound by the chains of the yetzer (the evil inclination) from performing charity and kindness, and his feet were like eagles, swift, and were not bound from executing justice and righteousness. And he fell as an atonement for the generation, or so that he would not see the distress of the generation, as is the manner of the death of the righteous, which is hinted at in the statement "you fell before the children of iniquity." Therefore, "all the people continued to mourn for him," especially upon hearing of the greatness of his stature.
And all the people came to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore, saying: ‘God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or aught else, till the sun be down.’
verse value 4105
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 94 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִים֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "coming·of·the·sun" (בוֹא־הַשֶּׁ֛מֶשׁ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "to·feed" (לְהַבְר֧וֹת), "coming·of·the·sun" (בוֹא־הַשֶּׁ֛מֶשׁ), "I·taste·bread" (אֶטְעַם־לֶ֖חֶם). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 250x in II Samuel); "and·came" (root בוא, 131x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root ברה ("to·feed") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'day', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 14 words.
Rashi
To satisfy. Language of a meal.
Radak
“To feed David with bread.” Our Sages of blessed memory said: It is written “le-hakrot” with a kaf, and we read “le-havrot” with a bet; at first it meant “to cut him off,” and in the end, “to feed him.” And so wrote Rabbi Menachem ben Saruq, that the text is “le-hakrot.” And so wrote Rabbi Yehuda Hayyuj, and so wrote my master and father of blessed memory. And we did not find it in any precise book that we saw. And so wrote Rabbi Yonah, that he did not see it written thus, “le-hakrot,” neither in the codices nor in the Masorah. And the explanation of “le-havrot” is “to feed,” even a small amount of food. And he did not wish [to say] that “ha-beriah” is the small amount of food. And similarly, “ve-evreh miyadah.”
Metzudat David
“While it was still day.” When there was still day:
"Thus he shall do, etc." This is a matter of an oath, and many similar instances are found in Scripture.
"but only before, etc." – Just as if, before the sun goes down, I were to taste bread, etc., then the oath would take effect and be fulfilled against me.
Metzudat Zion
To give a morsel. To feed him a small meal, as (below 13:6): "and I will eat from her hand."
Anything. Any thing.
Malbim
"If I were to taste bread" — as it is written that one fasts for the great ones, and he [David] regarded him [Abner] as great in Torah.
And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them; whatsoever the king did, pleased all the people.
verse value 2001
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "as·them" (כְּכֹל֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·their·eyes" (בְּעֵינֵיהֶ֑ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "recognized" (הִכִּ֔ירוּ), "and·it·was·good" (וַיִּיטַ֖ב), "in·their·eyes" (בְּעֵינֵיהֶ֑ם). The root כל appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 188x in II Samuel); "and·all·the·people" (root כל, 95x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root נכר ("recognized") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·eyes', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְכׇל־הָעָ֣ם [and·all·the·people] (171) + הִכִּ֔ירוּ [recognized] (241) + וַיִּיטַ֖ב [and·it·was·good] (37) + בְּעֵינֵיהֶ֑ם [in·their·eyes] (187) + כְּכֹל֙ [as·them] (70) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + עָשָׂ֣ה [did] (375) + הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ [king] (95) + בְּעֵינֵ֥י [in·eyes·of] (142) + כׇל־הָעָ֖ם [all·the·people] (165) + טֽוֹב [good] (17) = 2001.
Metzudat David
They recognized. That it was done without David’s knowledge:
"As all that he had done." It was good in their eyes, all that he had done, namely: walking behind the bier, the weeping, and the lamentation.
Malbim
(36-37) The questions: What is the meaning of "as the king had done in the eyes of all the people, it was good"? It is a superfluous phrase, lacking clarity. And why is there a repetition in "and all the people recognized" and "and all the people knew"?
(36-37) "And all the people recognized" – this means that, despite all this, there was still room to say that David had done all this through cunning, so that Israel would not be angry with him for having ordered his [Abner's] execution. Therefore, it states that all the people recognized that there was no deceit in this matter, because the truth is evident, and forgery cannot be concealed from the entire populace. "As the king had done in the eyes of all the people, it was good" – for an act performed with sincerity and an upright heart will find favor in the eyes of all; this is not so with forgery. Now, there were aspects of the matter that ought to have raised objections, such as the dishonor done to royalty by going out after the bier and mourning. Nevertheless, "as the king had done, it was good in the eyes of all," and this is a sign that it was a true act, not one of pretense. (It also serves as an argument that it was impossible for this to be a forgery intended to appease the people, because whatever the king did was always good in the eyes of the people, and it was not their way to raise objections against him at any time. Surely, even if he had killed Abner by his command, there would have been no objection from the people, and he would not have needed stratagems to appease them.) And through this, "and all the people knew" – they knew with clear certainty that it was not from the king to put Abner to death.
So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner.
verse value 2990
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. Verse gematria: 2990 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·Israel" (וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "and·they·perceived" (וַיֵּדְע֧וּ), "from·the·king" (מֵֽהַמֶּ֔לֶךְ). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·the·king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "was" (root היה, 153x in II Samuel); "for" (root כי, 110x in II Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּדְע֧וּ [and·they·perceived] (96) + כׇל־הָעָ֛ם [all·the·people] (165) + וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [and·all·Israel] (597) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֑וּא [that] (17) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + לֹ֤א [not] (31) + הָֽיְתָה֙ [was] (420) + מֵֽהַמֶּ֔לֶךְ [from·the·king] (135) + לְהָמִ֖ית [to·put·to·death] (485) + אֶת־אַבְנֵ֥ר [Abner] (654) + בֶּן־נֵֽר [son·of·Ner] (302) = 2990.
And the king said to his servants: ‘Know you not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?
verse value 2357
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "fell" (נָפַ֛ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·his·servants" (אֶל־עֲבָדָ֑יו, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "you·will·know" (תֵֽדְע֔וּ), "for·prince" (כִּֽי־שַׂ֣ר). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 334x in II Samuel); "king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "to·his·servants" (root איל, 202x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root גדול ("and·great") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·servants', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ [king] (95) + אֶל־עֲבָדָ֑יו [to·his·servants] (123) + הֲל֣וֹא [not] (42) + תֵֽדְע֔וּ [you·will·know] (480) + כִּֽי־שַׂ֣ר [for·prince] (530) + וְגָד֗וֹל [and·great] (49) + נָפַ֛ל [fell] (160) + הַיּ֥וֹם [day] (61) + הַזֶּ֖ה [this] (17) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל [in·Israel] (543) = 2357.
Metzudat David
Do you not know. For David thought that his servants would be astounded at the great mourning, even though he did not slay him. Therefore he said: Do you not know of yourselves that a leader and a great man has fallen today, and what is fitting therefore is to multiply the mourning:
Malbim
(38–39) The questions: What did he intend by saying, “Do you not know...,” since he had already lamented over him? And what was the purpose of this statement in general?
"Are you not aware?" He said to them, "Behold, now you shall know with clear knowledge that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel, and you shall perceive the great loss that will befall the entire community of Israel due to his death." And he elucidated the matter:
And I am this day weak, and just anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me; Hashem reward the evildoer according to his wickedness.’
verse value 4021
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "tender" (רַךְ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·men" (וְהָאֲנָשִׁ֥ים, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Samuel. Unique to this verse in II Samuel (hapax): "tender" (רַךְ֙), "and·anointed" (וּמָשׁ֣וּחַ), "and·the·men" (וְהָאֲנָשִׁ֥ים). The root רע appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 242x in II Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 151x in II Samuel); "and·the·men" (root איש, 140x in II Samuel). First appearance of the root שלם ("shall·pay") in II Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
"And I today am but a fledgling." (Targum:) "And I, this day, am a commoner, yet anointed to be king."
Radak
“Anointed king, tender in kingship.” Tender in kingship, as if I were anointed king today, for that day was the beginning of my kingship over Israel through Abner and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, who were harsher than me and disrupted my kingship. He remembered Zeruiah, their mother, but did not remember their father, meaning they were the sons of my sister [i.e., my nephews], and they ought to have shown concern for me, but they did not. In other places where he remembers their mother and says “Joab son of Zeruiah,” “Abishai son of Zeruiah,” it is because they were more distinguished, and he mentioned their mother for David's honor. And Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] translated “Anointed king, tender in kingship” as “a commoner who was elevated to kingship,” meaning: until today I did not consider myself a king, but a commoner, and as if I were anointed king today. And our Sages of blessed memory explained that “tender” is a term of kingship, as they said: “Neither tender nor son of tender are you.” And he said: From where do we know that this “tender” is a term of kingship? As it is written: “Anointed king, tender in kingship.”
Metzudat David
And I am today. Meaning: and if you are surprised why I did not take vengeance, behold I am today anointed king over all Israel and my kingship rules over all, and yet I am weak of heart compared to the sons of Zeruiah, for they are mightier than me and I cannot contend with them. And since by law Joab does not deserve a death sentence, for there were no witnesses or warning, but the king was given permission to punish as the occasion required, by his absolute power, therefore he refrained his hand from him, for he could not overcome them, and he left his judgment to Heaven:
Metzudat Zion
Tender. Meaning: tender of heart, [too soft] to contend with anyone.
Hard. It is the opposite of the tender.
Malbim
"And I am weak today" – this means: even though I am anointed king, nevertheless I am weak compared to those stronger than me, namely the sons of Zeruiah, against whom I cannot execute judgment as is fitting for murderers. And if Abner were still alive, he would already have strengthened my hand, and I would have been able to stand against the children of iniquity. From this you shall know that we have suffered great loss through his death, for no man like him remains to strengthen my hand against the sons of Zeruiah, who will inevitably remain as commanders of the army, and I am unable to execute judgment upon them (for although he could not try them before the Sanhedrin, since there was no prior warning, he could have put them to death by the law of the king). And since it is impossible to execute judgment in the land, the Lord shall repay the evildoer according to his evil; thus the matter remains for the Great Judgment, the judgment of Heaven. (And likewise our Sages of blessed memory stated that the prohibition against delivering judgment to Heaven applies only in cases where there is a court in the land that can adjudicate the matter.)
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim