2 Samuel 2:22

2Sa 2:22 And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?

Ver. 22. Wherefore should I smite thee to the ground?] As I shall be forced to do, if thou desist not. If a man must kill or be killed, (1.) He must flee; (2.) Defend himself by all means possible, dissuading the party, as here, and otherwise as he may. That tenet of Navarrus is most false, that a man may lawfully kill another, for the avoiding of a box on the ear, and to recover his honour. And so is that of Soto, A man may kill another in his own defence, because it is a shame to flee from an adversary. These are your Popish casuists.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Why dost thou provoke me to kill thee?

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

22. Turn thee aside] Asahel was probably a mere stripling, and no match for Abner, who, wishing to avoid a feud with Joab and an obstacle to making favourable terms with David on the fall of Saul’s house, again exhorted Asahel to abandon the pursuit.

hold up my face to Joab] Meet him with the steady gaze which is the index of a clear conscience, the opposite of the downcast look which betokens shame and guilt. Cp. Job_11:15.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Abner said again to Asahel,.... Being loath to dispatch him:

turn thee aside from following me, wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? which was giving him fair warning, and letting him know what he must expect, if he did not desist from his pursuit:

how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother? the general of David's army, a stout valiant commander, a man of spirit and resentment, whom Abner knew full well, and that should he slay his brother, he would never be friendly with him, or look pleasantly on him; he would never forgive him, but seek ways and means to avenge his blood on him and by this it seems as if Abner was conscious to himself that he was in a wrong cause, that the kingdom was of right David's, and would be his, and he must be obliged to make peace with him; when he should stand in need of Joab as his friend, which he could not expect, if he slew his brother, nor to live in favour and friendship with him hereafter.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Brother. It seems they were great friends, though they had espoused different parties. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

He was loth to enrage Joab too much against him, because his guilty conscience told him that his cause was bad, and herefore he presaged ill success, and that he might need such a friend as Joab to make his peace with David.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

22. Wherefore should I smite thee to the ground — Abner knew that his youthful pursuer was no match for him in strategy or war, and he did not wish to kill him because of the personal enmity that would thus arise between himself and Joab. See note on 2Sa_3:39.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Why should I strike you to the ground?

This rhetorical question is used to warn Asahel of the danger he faced. "Strike to the ground" is a polite way of saying "to kill." AT: "I do not wish to kill you" (See: Rhetorical Question and Euphemism)

How then could I hold up my face to Joab, your brother?

This rhetorical question emphasizes that Abner does not want to fight and kill Asahel because it would destroy Abner's relationship with Joab. Here "hold up my face to Joab" is an idiom that means that he would be too ashamed to look at Joab. AT: "I would be too ashamed to look at your brother, Joab" (See: Rhetorical Question and Idiom)

turn aside

This means to "halt" or "stop chasing."

the blunt end of his spear

This refers to the handle, which is not sharp or designed to pierce anything. It can be implied that Abner was only trying to stop Asahel from following him, and did not intend to kill him. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

face

body

spear

die

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.