2 Samuele 2:21

21 E Abner gli disse: "Volgiti a destra o a sinistra, afferra uno di que’ giovani, e prenditi le sue spoglie!" Ma Asael non volle cessare dall’inseguirlo.

2 Samuele 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.

2 Samuele 2:21 In-Context

19 Asael si mise ad inseguire Abner; e, dandogli dietro, non si voltava né a destra né a sinistra.

20 Abner, guardandosi alle spalle, disse: "Sei tu, Asael?" Quegli rispose: "Son io".

21 E Abner gli disse: "Volgiti a destra o a sinistra, afferra uno di que’ giovani, e prenditi le sue spoglie!" Ma Asael non volle cessare dall’inseguirlo.

22 E Abner di bel nuovo gli disse: "Cessa dal darmi dietro! Perché obbligarmi a inchiodarti al suolo? Come potrei io poi alzar la fronte dinanzi al tuo fratello Joab?"

23 Ma quegli si rifiutò di cambiare strada; allora Abner con la estremità inferiore della lancia lo colpì nell’inguine, sì che la lancia lo passò da parte a parte. Asael cadde e morì in quello stesso luogo; e quanti passavano dal punto dov’egli era caduto morto, si fermavano.