Bible Strands
2 Samuel 3:19
Abner also spoke to the Benjamites. Then he went to Hebron to tell David all that seemed good to Israel and to the whole house of Benjamin.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Abner addresses the Benjamites and then travels to Hebron to deliver a political proposal to David. This occurs immediately after the Lord’s declaration that He will rescue Israel through David, framing Abner’s mission as a direct response to that divine directive.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יְדַבֵּ֥ר (va/y.da.Ber) denotes a deliberate speaking or communication, while גַּם\־ (gam-) functions as an emphatic "also" or "even." These terms frame Abner’s actions as a deliberate extension of his prior engagement with his own tribe.
The thread — The narrative of Benjamin’s political alignment resurfaces in 1 Chronicles 12:29, which notes three thousand Benjamites remaining loyal to Saul’s house, and echoes the tribe’s historical selection in 1 Samuel 10:20.
Why it lands — The text records Abner’s political maneuvering without endorsing it, requiring the reader to observe how human diplomacy operates within the unfolding divine promise. It asks the reader to track how tribal loyalties shift as the narrative moves toward David’s consolidation of power.
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 Abner also spake in the ears of Benjamin: and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin.
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 12:29 From Benjamin, the kinsmen of Saul: 3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to the house of Saul up to that time.
- 1 Samuel 10:20 Thus Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected.
- Psalms 68:27 There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them, the princes of Judah in their company, the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.