2 Samuel 2:18

18 Là se trouvaient les trois fils de Tseruja: Joab, Abischaï et Asaël. Asaël avait les pieds légers comme une gazelle des champs:

2 Samuel 2:18 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 2:18

And there were three sons of Zeruiah there
In the battle,

Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel;
Joab was the general of the array, Abishai was he who went into Saul's host at night, and took away his spear and cruse of water at his head, ( 1 Samuel 26:6 1 Samuel 26:7 ) ; and it is for the sake of the third, Asahel, that the account is given, the story of his death being about to be told.

And Asahel [was as] light of foot as a wild roe:
swiftness of foot, as well as courage, for which this man was famous, ( 1 Chronicles 11:26 ) ; was a very great qualification for a warrior F5. So Achilles, in Homer F6, is often said to be swift of foot, and others of his heroes are commended for their swiftness. Harold son of King Canutus, was from his swiftness


FOOTNOTES:

F7 called Harefoot; as here this man for the same reason is compared to a wild roe, which is a very swift creature, or to one of the roes that were in the field as in the original text. See ( Song of Solomon 2:7 Song of Solomon 2:17 ) ( 8:14 ) ; one sort of which, called "kemas", is said to run as swift as a tempest {h}.


F5 Cornel. Nepos, Epaminond. l. 2.
F6 (podav wkuv) , Iliad. 1. lin. 15.
F7 Rapin's History of England, vol. 1. p. 128.
F8 Aelian. Hist. de Animal, l. 14. c. 14.

2 Samuel 2:18 In-Context

16 Chacun saisissant son adversaire par la tête lui enfonça son épée dans le flanc, et ils tombèrent tous ensemble. Et l'on donna à ce lieu, qui est près de Gabaon, le nom de Helkath-Hatsurim.
17 Il y eut en ce jour un combat très rude, dans lequel Abner et les hommes d'Israël furent battus par les gens de David.
18 Là se trouvaient les trois fils de Tseruja: Joab, Abischaï et Asaël. Asaël avait les pieds légers comme une gazelle des champs:
19 il poursuivit Abner, sans se détourner de lui pour aller à droite ou à gauche.
20 Abner regarda derrière lui, et dit: Est-ce toi, Asaël? Et il répondit: C'est moi.
The Louis Segond 1910 is in the public domain.