Bible Strands
2 Samuel 2:17
The battle that day was intense, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the immediate aftermath of the fatal single combat at Gibeon, positioning the account right before David's warriors pursue the fleeing Israelite forces.
The words — The Hebrew קָשָׁה (qashah) literally means "severe" or "hard," quantifying the battle's intensity, while וַ/יִּנָּ֤גֶף (va/yi.nnāgef) comes from נָגַף (nāgaf), meaning "to strike down" or "be defeated."
The thread — This defeat marks a shift in the protracted conflict between the house of Saul and the house of David, which 2 Samuel 3:1 explicitly notes as the period when David's strength continuously increased.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to observe how tactical losses accumulate into strategic reality, forcing a clear-eyed assessment of shifting political power without moralizing the violence.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 3:1 Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was protracted. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.