2 Samuel 3:31

2Sa 3:31 And David said to Joab, and to all the people that [were] with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David [himself] followed the bier.

Ver. 31. And David said to Joab.] As a part of his punishment. So the Pope forced our Henry II to kneel and pray to Becket’s shrine, yea, to go barefoot a great way in pilgrinmge thereunto for a penance. Joab might hereby be possibly brought to some sight of his foul sin. So could Henry hardly, for one Roger, a Norman doctor, maintained publicly that Becket had justly deserved death, for rebelling against his sovereign: and though the Pope sainted him, yet it was disputed among the doctors of Paris whether he were damned or saved, saith the French chronicler. {a}

And king David himself followed the bier.] Heb., The bed. So the grave is called a bed, {Isa 57:2} and the burying place, κοιυητηριον, a sleeping place. It was not usual for princes to attend upon funerals; - there was a veil laid between Tiberius, who counterfeited grief at the funeral of Drusus, and the dead corps, for state’s sake; - but David would do it in honour of Abner, and to clear his own innocency.

{a} Dan., Hist., fol. 99.

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.

2Sa 3:31. David said to Joab and all the people, &c. — The command was especially given to Joab, to bring him to repentance for his sin, and to expose him to public shame. Rend your clothes and gird you with sackcloth, &c. — These were all outward expressions of very great sorrow, which Joab himself was forced, however reluctant, to make a show of. And King David himself followed the bier — Was the chief mourner, attending upon the corpse, and paying Abner that respect which was due to his quality. Though this was contrary to the usage of kings, and might seem below David’s dignity; yet it was now expedient to vindicate himself from all suspicion of concurrence in this action. The word המשׂה, hammittah, here rendered the bier, properly means the bed. It was that on which persons of quality were wont to be carried forth to their graves, as ordinary people were upon what we call a bier.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3:31 David himself walked: David’s public presence in the mourning procession, his open weeping at the gravesite (3:32), and his dramatic fast (3:35) made evident to the public that he had not ordered Abner’s killing (3:37).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Meaning before the corpse.

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

David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth--David's sorrow was sincere and profound, and he took occasion to give it public expression by the funeral honors he appointed for Abner.

King David himself followed the bier--a sort of wooden frame, partly resembling a coffin, and partly a hand-barrow.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 31. David said to Joab] He commanded him to take on him the part of a principal mourner.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(31) Rend your clothes.—David commands a public mourning with the usual signs of rent clothes and sackcloth, and lays this command especially upon Joab, who is thus required, as it were, to do public penance for his act. David himself followed the bier as chief mourner.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

31–39. David’s lamentation for Abner

31. gird you with sackcloth] The practice of wearing garments of the coarse dark hair-cloth used for making sacks as a sign of mourning was very ancient (Gen_37:34). In cases of extreme grief or humiliation they were worn next the skin, but ordinarily outside the usual tunic.

mourn before Abner] Preceding the bier in the funeral procession.

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 David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him,.... To his whole court, Joab being present: for he did not flee, nor was he laid hold on in order to be brought to justice; which shows how great his power was, and that he was too hard for David, as in Sa2 3:39; however this he did, he enjoined his whole court, and Joab also, to express public mourning on this account:

rend your clothes and gird you with sackcloth; which were expressions of mourning used on various occasions, and on account of the dead, and which with the Heathens were carried to a greater excess, even to the tearing of their flesh:

and mourn before Abner; before his corpse, as carried to the grave, when it was usual to make great lamentations: see Act 8:2,

and King David himself followed the bier; or "bed" (l) on which his body was laid, and carried to the grave. On these the rich and noble among the Greeks and Romans were carried, and those of the meaner sort on biers (n); and so with the Jews; See Gill on Luk 7:14; some of which were gilded with gold, and were made of ivory, and had ivory feet (o); that of Herod's was all of gold, inlaid with precious stones, and the body covered with purple, and followed by his sons and kindred, the soldiers going before armed, and their leaders following (p); the bier or bed with the Romans was sometimes carried by six persons, sometimes by eight or more (q). It was not usual for kings, as the Jews say (r), to attend a funeral, to go out of the doors of their palace after their own dead, and much less others; but David did this to satisfy the people, and to root out of their mind all suspicion of his having any hand in Abner's death; and to show that he was not slain by his will, and with his consent.

(l) , Sept. "lectum", Piscator. (n) Salmuth. ad Pancirol. par. 1. tit. 62. p. 343. Kirchman. de Funer. Roman. l. 2. c. 9. p. 375. (o) Alstorph. de lect. vet. c. 19. p. 149. (p) Joseph. de Bello Jud. l. 1. c. 33. sect. 9. (q) Kirchman. ut supra. (de Funer. Roman. l. 2. c. 9. p. 375.) (r) Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 2. sect. 3. Maimon in Hilchot Ebel. c. 7. sect. 7. David de Pomis, Lexic. fol. 119. 4.

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

Joab. Requiring him to make some reparation, at least, for the offence, and to render the funeral pomp more solemn. All were obliged to rend their garments, and to put on sackcloth, on such occasions. It was very rough, and consisted chiefly of goat and camel’s hair. --- Bier, contrary to the custom of kings. Some copies of the Septuagint say, he "went before the bier," (Calmet) where women commonly were placed. (Grotius)

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).

David said to Joab; him he especially obliged to it; partly to bring him to repentance for his sin; partly to expose him to public shame, and to the contempt and hatred of all the people, with whom he had too great an interest, which hereby David designed to diminish.

Mourn before Abner, i.e. attending upon his corpse, and paying him that respect and honour which was due to his quality.

King David himself followed the bier; which was against the usage of kings, and might seem below David’s dignity; but it was now expedient, to vindicate himself from all suspicion and contrivance or concurrence in this action.

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

David said to Joab. The excuse of the blood feud made it impossible for David to punish Joab further than by depriving him of his command; but he made him condemn his own deed by taking part in the public mourning for the man he had murdered. This mourning consisted in going in solemn procession, clad in sackcloth, before Abner"s body, carried on a bier to the grave, while David followed as chief mourner; and the emphatic way in which he is called King David suggests the thought that he went in royal state, so as to give all possible dignity to the funeral. His tears and lamentations with uplifted voice were so genuine and hearty as to move the people to a similar outburst of grief. But while all those at Hebron had proof that David was innocent, the people generally would know only that, when Abner was escorting the king"s wife back to him, and arranging for his election to rule over all Israel, he was treacherously murdered at the gate of Hebron by one who was chief over David"s army and also his nephew.

Vers. 31-35. (HEBRON.) David"s lament over Abner.

As a fool dies should Abner die? Thy bands unbound, Thy feet not set in fetters: As one falls before the wicked, thou didst fall!

On hearing of the death of Abner, David exhibited the same generous spirit as formerly at the death of Saul. (2Sa_1:11, 2Sa_1:12)

1. He disclaimed (before his trusted servants, as afterwards, ver. 38) against having had any part therein; declaring, "I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord," etc. Malicious persons, judging others by themselves, might accuse him of it; and if it had been instigated by him, he would have brought guilt upon his people as well as himself. (2Sa_21:1 2Sa_24:1, 2Sa_24:17)

2. He invoked a curse on the head of the author of the deed; not from a feeling of personal hatred and vindictiveness, but of righteous indignation. (1Sa_26:19)

3. He ordered a public mourning in honour of the deceased. "And David said to Joab," etc. (ver. 38). Although he durst not arrest him, he clearly indicated what he thought of his conduct, and sought to remove the odium which it cast on his own good name.

4. He followed in the procession as chief mourner, wept at the grave, (Joh_11:35) and fasted until sunset. "There is no more beautiful picture in his life than that of his following the bier where lay the bloody corpse of the man who had been his enemy ever since he had known him, and sealing the reconciliation which death ever makes in noble souls by the pathetic dirge he chanted over Abner"s grave" (A. Maclaren). "This short poem is not only a dirge; it is also an apology for David and for Abner himself" (Wordsworth). It expresses

I ADMIRATION OF EMINENT WORTH. Abner was not a villain (fool) or murderer, deserving of being put in fetters and dying a felon"s death; but brave, capable, noble-minded, "great in council, great in war," and worthy of respect and honour. A generous man sees and appreciates what is best in other men. "The generous spirit of David kept down all base and selfish feeling, and added another to those glorious conquests over his own heart which were far higher distinctions than his other victories, and in which he has left us an example which all, from the least to the greatest, should try to emulate" (Blaikie).

II AFFLICTION FOR A PUBLIC LOSS. A light was quenched in Israel (ver, 38). His presence and influence would have contributed to the reconciliation of the tribes and the welfare of the nation (ver. 21). David"s sorrow was sincere; his tears (in confirmation of his words) evinced the tenderness and sympathy of his heart, moved the people also to tears, and (in contrast with the bearing of Joab) convinced them of his innocence and uprightness.

III ASTONISHMENT AT AN EXTRAORDINARY FATE. "The point of this indignant, more than sorrowful, lament lies in the mode in which Abner was slain" (Kitto, "Cyc."). How strange that Abner should have fallen in the full possession of strength to defend himself and liberty to flee from danger; neither as a prisoner taken in battle nor (in allusion to the right of blood-revenge which Joab claimed) as a murderer delivered up in bonds to the avenger by lawful authority, as he would have been if he were guilty! His fall so different from what might have been expected and from what he merited could be accounted for only by its having been caused by the treacherous malice and murderous violence of "sons of wickedness.

IV ABHORRENCE OF A WICKED DEED. (Vers. 29, 39.) The death of Abner was, even more than his life would have been, conducive to David"s interests. "It must have seemed to him, from a prudential point of view, that it was a piece of good fortune.

But the strength of his moral indignation does not suffer itself to be assuaged by worldly considerations" (Delitzsch). Hatred of wrong is a sign and measure of the love of right. "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil". (Psa_97:10) David was as severe toward evil doers as he was tender and pitiful toward the victims of their wickedness. "He was a man extreme in all his excellences a man of the highest strain, whether for counsel, for expression, or for action, in peace and in war, in exile and on the throne" (E. Irving). D.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Joab - Him he especially obliged to it, to bring him to repentance for his sin, and to expose him to public shame. Followed - That is, attending upon his corps, and paying him that respect which was due to his quality. Though this was against the usage of kings, and might seem below David's dignity; yet it was now expedient to vindicate himself from all suspicion of concurrence in this action.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth

These were symbolic actions to demonstrate their grief and sadness. (See: Symbolic Action)

The king wept and cried loudly

The words "wept" and "cried loudly" mean basically the same thing and emphasize how much David mourned for Abner. (See: Doublet)

translationWords

sackcloth

mourn

body

king

bury

grave

people group

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