2 Samuël 3:28

28 Als David dat daarna hoorde, zo zeide hij: Ik ben onschuldig, en mijn koninkrijk, bij den HEERE, tot in eeuwigheid, van het bloed van Abner, den zoon van Ner.

2 Samuël 3:28 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 3:28

And afterward, when David heard [it]
That Joab had sent to fetch Abner back, and that he had stabbed him in the gate of the city, and he was dead; it was some time after it was done that the news of it was brought to David; this circumstance is observed, the more to clear the king from any concern in this affair:

he said;
in a public manner, in open court, before all his princes; he called God to witness, and, as Josephus ^F9 says, stretching out his right hand to God, he cried aloud:

I and my kingdom [are] guiltless before the Lord for ever from the
blood of Abner the son of Ner;
he was sensible it would be known that Abner had been with him, and that Joab his general had killed him; and therefore it might be suspected that he had an hand in it, and that it was done by his order, with his privy council; and therefore, to purge him and them from it, he made this public declaration, that neither he nor his council knew anything of it; and that it was not done with their knowledge and consent, and by their order, but through the resentment of a single person; and therefore hoped that no man would impute the shedding of this blood unto them, or that God would punish them for it; and he was the rather led to make this public declaration, because he knew that the death of Abner in this way would be resented by the friends of Saul's family, and be an obstruction to the union of the two kingdoms, which it was known Abner was endeavouring to bring about.

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 Antiqu. l. 7. c. 1. sect. 6.

2 Samuël 3:28 In-Context

26 En Joab ging uit van David, en zond Abner boden na, die hem wederom haalden van den bornput van Sira; maar David wist het niet.

27 Als nu Abner weder te Hebron kwam, zo leidde Joab hem ter zijde af in het midden der poort, om in de stilte met hem te spreken; en hij sloeg hem aldaar aan de vijfde, dat hij stierf, om des bloeds wil van zijn broeder Asahel.

28 Als David dat daarna hoorde, zo zeide hij: Ik ben onschuldig, en mijn koninkrijk, bij den HEERE, tot in eeuwigheid, van het bloed van Abner, den zoon van Ner.

29 Het blijve op het hoofd van Joab, en op het ganse huis zijns vaders; en er worde van het huis van Joab niet afgesneden, die een vloed hebbe, en melaats zij, en zich aan den stok houde, en door het zwaard valle, en broodsgebrek hebbe!

30 Alzo hebben Joab en zijn broeder Abisai Abner doodgeslagen, omdat hij hun broeder Asahel te Gibeon in den strijd gedood had.