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2 Samuel 3:23

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 2 Samuel 3:23 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “When Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he is gone in peace.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

When Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he is gone in peace.
2 Samuel 3:23 — American Standard Version

Context — 2 Samuel 3

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
20So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men that were with him a feast.
21And Abner said unto David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thy soul desireth. And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.
22And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a foray, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace.
23When Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he is gone in peace.
24Then Joab came to the king, and said, What hast thou done? behold, Abner came unto thee; why is it that thou hast sent him away, and he is quite gone?
25Thou knowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest.
26And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah: but David knew it not.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“When Joab and all the host that [was] with him were come, etc.] To Hebron, or rather to David’s court; for their coming to the city is before mentioned; this must be understood not of the whole army, of all the common soldiers, but of the chief officers, who with Joab came to court, to wait upon David, and report their success: they told Joab, saying, Abner the son, of Ner came to the king; some of the courtiers informed him of it, who knew it would not be very agreeable to him: and he hath sent him away, and he is gone in peace: instead of seizing him, and laying him in a prison as his enemy, he has let him go with all the marks of friendship and good will.”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification