Bible Strands
2 Samuel 2:20
And Abner glanced back and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” “It is,” Asahel replied.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Abner speaks to Asahel while being pursued, glancing back mid-chase. Asahel confirms his identity as the pursuer continues relentlessly.
The words — וַ/יִּ֤פֶן (va/i.Yi.fen) means “and he turned,” describing Abner’s backward glance. הַ/אַתָּ֥ה זֶ֖ה (ha./'a.Tah zeh) literally translates to “are you this one,” functioning as a direct identification question.
The thread — The pursuit motif recurs in 2 Samuel 2:19 where Asahel refuses to deviate, and in 2 Samuel 2:21 where Abner offers a tactical alternative that Asahel rejects.
Why it lands — It demands recognition that relentless pursuit often blinds the pursuer to available exits. It asks the reader to examine whether personal momentum overrides strategic warning.
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
Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.