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1 Kings 2:32

in 1 Kings 2

The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And Jehovah will return his blood upon his own head, because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, and my father David knew it not, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.

KJV

And the Lord shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.

This verse in 1 Kings 2

Commentary

4 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

the innocent blood that Joab shed

on 1 Kings 2:31-33

Innocent blood shed by Joab must be removed from David's house, the principle Deuteronomy 21:1-9 sets over even an unsolved killing found in the land. Verse 33 balances the two houses, Joab's blood on his own head and his seed forever, David's house given peace forever from the Lord.

This site's exposition

bring his bloodshed back upon his own head

Albert Barnes reads his bloodshed as the blood Joab shed. Solomon names the victims as commanders of Israel's army and of Judah's, so Joab had cut down the heads of both halves of the kingdom.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

And the Lord shall return his blood upon his own head,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Shalt return his blood - i. e. “his shedding of blood.”

The words behind it

33 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וְהֵשִׁיב֩and he will bring back

    veheshivH7725 →1056 times

  • יְהוָ֨הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • דָּמ֜וֹblood his

    damoH1818 →360 times

  • עַל־on

    ʾal-H5921 →5755 times

  • רֹאשׁ֗וֹhead his

    roshoH7218 →599 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֣רwho

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • פָּגַ֣עhe fell

    paga'H6293 →46 times

  • בִּשְׁנֵֽי־on two

    bishnei-H8147 →768 times

  • אֲ֠נָשִׁיםmen

    ʾanashimH582 →566 times

  • צַדִּקִ֨יםrighteous

    tzadikimH6662 →

  • וְטֹבִ֤יםand good

    vetovimH2896 →538 times

  • מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙more than him

    mimenuH4480 →1188 times

  • וַיַּהַרְגֵ֣םand he killed them

    vaiyahargemH2026 →167 times

  • בַּחֶ֔רֶבwith the sword

    bacherevH2719 →413 times

  • וְאָבִ֥יand father my

    veaviH1 →1212 times

  • דָוִ֖דDavid

    davidH1732 →999 times

  • לֹ֣אnot

    lo'H3808 →5168 times

  • יָדָ֑עhe knew

    yada'H3045 →945 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • אַבְנֵ֤רAbner

    ʾavnerH74 →

  • בֶּן־[the] son of

    ben-H1121 →4930 times

  • נֵר֙Ner

    nerH5369 →

  • שַׂר־[the] commander of

    sar-H8269 →421 times

  • צְבָ֣א[the] army of

    tzeva'H6635 →485 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael

    yisraelH3478 →2507 times

  • וְאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • עֲמָשָׂ֥אAmasa

    ʾamasa'H6021 →

  • בֶן־[the] son of

    ven-H1121 →4930 times

  • יֶ֖תֶרJether

    yeterH3500 →

  • שַׂר־[the] commander of

    sar-H8269 →421 times

  • צְבָ֥א[the] army of

    tzeva'H6635 →485 times

  • יְהוּדָֽה׃Judah

    yehudahH3063 →819 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Psalms 7:16

    His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.

    it leads to

    • Esther 9:25

      But when it came before the king, he commanded by letter that the wicked scheme which Haman had devised against the Jews should come back upon his own head, and that he and his…

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Psalms 37:12–13

      The wicked scheme against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them,

    • Psalms 36:12

      There the evildoers lie fallen, thrown down and unable to rise.

    • 1 Samuel 26:10

      David added, “As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD Himself will strike him down; either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.

    • 1 Samuel 24:12–13

      May the LORD judge between you and me, and may the LORD take vengeance on you, but my hand will never be against you.

  • Through

    2 Chronicles 21:13

    but you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and have caused Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab prostituted itself. You have…

    it leads to

    • 2 Chronicles 21:4

      When Jehoram had established himself over his father’s kingdom, he strengthened himself by putting to the sword all his brothers along with some of the princes of Israel.

    • 2 Chronicles 21:11

      Jehoram had also built high places on the hills of Judah; he had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.

  • Through

    Judges 9:24

    in order that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the leaders of Shechem, who had helped him…

    it leads to

    • Psalms 7:16

      His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.

Where this verse is studied

On this page

About 1 Kings

The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon, Sir Edward John Poynter, 1890. Public domain.
The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon, Sir Edward John Poynter, 1890. Public domain.

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.