Shmuel Bais 2:21

21 And Avner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the ne’arim, and capture thee his armor. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.

Shmuel Bais 2:21 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 2:21

And Abner said unto him
Having a respect for him, and consulting his good, and however fearing his brother Joab should he slay him:

turn thee aside to thy right or to thy left;
he does not advise him to go back, which would have been to his disgrace, having engaged in the pursuit, but to turn to the right or left, as if pursuing some other person and not Abner:

and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour;
one of the common soldiers, or an attendant on Abner, a young man like himself, whom he might be able to cope with, and take him a prisoner and disarm him, when he was not a match for such an old experienced officer as he was; and this Abner seems to speak as a friend, consulting the young man's safety and his honour too.

But, Asahel would not turn aside from following him;
fired with the ambition of taking him, and not content with any prey short of him; and perhaps was the more animated by what he said, as supposing it arose from fear of him.

Shmuel Bais 2:21 In-Context

19 Asahel pursued after Avner; and in going he turned not to the right nor to the left from following Avner.

20 Then Avner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.

21 And Avner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the ne’arim, and capture thee his armor. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.

22 And Avner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me; why should I strike thee to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Yoav achicha?

23 Howbeit he refused to turn aside; therefore Avner with the butt end of the khanit struck him under the fifth rib, that the khanit came out his back; and he fell down there, and died in the same place; and it came to pass, that as many as came to the makom where Asahel fell down and died, stopped.