2 Samuel 3:11
in 2 Samuel 3And for fear of Abner, Ish-bosheth did not dare to say another word to him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.
KJV
And he could not answer Abner a word again, because he feared him.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 3
Commentary
6 notes on this verseIf Ish-bosheth had had the spirit of a man, especially of a prince, he might have answered him that his merits were the aggravation of his crimes, that he would not be served by so base a man, and doubted not but to do well enough without him. But he was conscious to himself of his own weakness, and therefore said not a word, lest he should make bad worse.
This site's exposition
as the Lord hath sworn to David
on 2 Samuel 3:9-11
Abner's oath, so do God to Abner and more also, is the same self-cursing form David himself will use at verse 35, and here it turns his whole army over to the man he has spent the chapter's opening fighting. He states the transfer as a thing already sworn, to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah from Dan even to Beer-sheba, language the book has not put in his mouth before this quarrel. Gill notes he speaks of the Lord's own oath as though his defection accomplishes it, and Ish-bosheth, who cannot answer him a word, is left holding a crown Abner has just declared forfeit.
This site's exposition
did not dare to say another word
Matthew Henry reads the silence as a weak king afraid of making his position worse. Adam Clarke calls it the lot of a king ruled by the commander of his own army. Ish-bosheth held the crown, and Abner held the power.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), but because he despised him, or because Joab had not so much good manners as to stay for an answer. He very treacherously sent for Abner back, and, under colour of a private conference with him, barbarously killed him with his own hand. That he made use of David's name, under pretence of giving him some further instructions, is intimated in that, but David knew it not,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And he could not answer Abner a word again,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
He could not answer Abner a word - Miserable is the lot of a king who is governed by the general of his army, who may strip him of his power and dignity whenever he pleases! Witness the fate of poor Charles I. of England and Louis XVI. of France. Military men, above all others, should never be intrusted with any civil power, and should be great only in the field.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
In his behalf saying. From his place to say, We shall keep this [oath] by the One Who made the world.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָכֹ֣ל | yakhol | he was able | H3201 → | 194 times |
| ע֔וֹד | od | again | H5750 → | 490 times |
| לְהָשִׁ֥יב | lehashiv | to bring back | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אַבְנֵ֖ר | ʾavner | Abner | H74 → | 63 times |
| דָּבָ֑ר | davar | a word | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| מִיִּרְאָת֖וֹ | miyirato | <from> because feared he | H3372 → | 315 times |
| אֹתֽוֹ׃ ס | ʾoto | <obj.> him | H853 → | 10935 times |
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
יָכֹ֣לhe was able
yakholH3201 →194 times
ע֔וֹדagain
odH5750 →490 times
לְהָשִׁ֥יבto bring back
lehashivH7725 →1056 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אַבְנֵ֖רAbner
ʾavnerH74 →63 times
דָּבָ֑רa word
davarH1697 →1440 times
מִיִּרְאָת֖וֹ<from> because feared he
miyiratoH3372 →315 times
אֹתֽוֹ׃ ס<obj.> him
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 2 Samuel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.