Bible Strands
2 Samuel 3:30
(Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator reports Joab and Abishai killing Abner immediately after David curses Joab’s house and before David commands public mourning for the slain commander.
The words — The Hebrew הָרְגוּ (ha.re.Gu) literally means “they killed,” and עַל (‘al) functions here as “on account of” or “because of.”
The thread — The motive of avenging a slain brother connects to the pursuit account in 2 Samuel 2:19 and mirrors the bloodguilt warning of Proverbs 28:17.
Why it lands — The passage records a calculated retaliation that stands in direct tension with David’s immediate royal response, requiring the reader to weigh human vengeance against institutional justice.
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
So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 2:19 and he chased Abner, not turning to the right or to the left in his pursuit.
- Proverbs 28:17 A man burdened by bloodguilt will flee into the Pit; let no one support him.
- Acts 28:4 When the islanders saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “Surely this man is a murderer. Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”