2 Samuel 3:29

29 let it fall on the head of Yo'av, and on all his father's house; and let there not fail from the house of Yo'av one who has an issue, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.

2 Samuel 3:29 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 3:29

Let it rest on the head of Joab
That is, the blood of Abner, who was the shedder of it; let the guilt of it be charged to him, and let punishment for it be inflicted on him:

and on all his father's house;
on Abishai his brother, and other relations that might be privy to the death of Abner, and advising to it, and ready to assist in it if necessary:

and let there not fail from the house of Joab;
let there be always in his family, and of his seed, one or other of the persons described as follows:

one that hath an issue;
a gonorrhoea, which was reckoned infamous, and very impure, according to the Jewish law, and rendered persons unfit for society; see ( Leviticus 15:1-33 ) ;

or that is a leper;
whose disease was very loathsome and infectious, and shut him out of the company of men; see ( Leviticus 13:1-59 ) ;

or that leaneth on a staff;
being blind, as Aquila renders the word; or through weakness of body, not being able to walk without one; or through some disease of the feet, as the Jewish writers generally understand it; and R. Isaiah interprets it of the gout particularly: the word for "staff" is rendered "spindle", ( Proverbs 31:19 ) ; and to this sense it is rendered here in, the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions; and then the meaning is, let his posterity, or some of them, be so poor, that they shall be obliged to get their livelihood in so mean a way as by spinning; or let them be of such an effeminate disposition, as be more fit to handle the spindle, and do the, work of women, than to use the sword:

or that falleth on the sword;
not by it honourably in the field of battle, but cowardly destroying themselves with it:

or that lacketh bread;
and is obliged to beg it: all which David might say, not by a spirit of prophecy, but in a passion; and to show with what horror he resented the action, and how detestable it was to him, and how far it was for him to have any concern in it: but though it was a very wicked action in Joab to murder Abner in this manner, and for the reasons he did; yet it was a just vengeance from the Lord on Abner for fighting against God, and acting against the dictates of his own conscience; for his rebellion against David, and perfidy to Ishbosheth, and for having been the cause of much bloodshed in Israel.

2 Samuel 3:29 In-Context

27 When Aviner was returned to Hevron, Yo'av took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and struck him there in the body, so that he died, for the blood of `Asa'el his brother.

28 Afterward, when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD forever of the blood of Aviner the son of Ner:

29 let it fall on the head of Yo'av, and on all his father's house; and let there not fail from the house of Yo'av one who has an issue, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.

30 So Yo'av and Avishai his brother killed Aviner, because he had killed their brother `Asa'el at Giv`on in the battle.

31 David said to Yo'av, and to all the people who were with him, Tear your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Aviner. King David followed the bier.