2 Samuel 3 · Verse 24

2 Samuel 3:24

Then 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?
2 Samuel 3:24, King James Version

2 Samuel 3:24 in other translations

BSBSo Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you dismiss him? Now he is getting away!
WEBThen Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, and he is already gone?
ASVThen 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?
YLTAnd Joab cometh unto the king, and saith, ‘What hast thou done? lo, Abner hath come unto thee! why is this--thou hast sent him away, and he is really gone?
DARBYThen Joab came to the king, and said, What hast thou done? behold, Abner came to thee; why is it that thou hast sent him away, and he is gone?
BBEThen Joab came to the king, and said, What have you done? when Abner came to you why did you send him away and let him go?
WebsterThen Joab came to the king, and said, What hast thou done? behold, Abner came to thee; why is it that thou hast sent him away, and he is quite gone?

What does 2 Samuel 3:24 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 3:24-27
24-27. Joab came to the king, and said, What hast thou done?--Joab's knowledge of Abner's wily character might have led him to doubt the sincerity of that person's proposals and to disapprove the policy of relying on his fidelity. But undoubtedly there were other reasons of a private and personal nature which made Joab displeased and alarmed by the reception given to Abner. The military talents of that general, his popularity with the army, his influence throughout the nation, rendered him a formidable rival. In the event of his overtures being carried out, the important service of bringing over all the other tribes to the king of Judah would establish so strong a claim on the gratitude of David, that his accession would inevitably raise a serious obstacle to the ambition of Joab. To these considerations was added the remembrance of the blood feud that existed between them since the death of his brother Asahel (2Sa 2:23). Determined, therefore, to get Abner out of the way, Joab feigned some reason, probably in the king's name, for recalling him, and, going out to meet him, stabbed him unawares; not within Hebron, for it was a city of refuge, but at a noted well in the neighborhood.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 3:22-39

Judgments are prepared for such scorners as Abner; but Joab, in what he did, acted wickedly. David laid Abner's murder deeply to heart, and in many ways expressed his detestation of it. The guilt of blood brings a curse upon families: if men do not avenge it, God will. It is a sad thing to die like a fool, as they do that any way shorten their own days, and those who make no provision for another world. Who would be…

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 3:22-39 →

2 Samuel 3:24 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיָּבֹ֤אvai.ya.Vo'and he wentH935
יוֹאָב֙yo.'AvJoabH3097
אֶל\־'el-toH413
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
וַיֹּ֖אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
מֶ֣הmehwhat?H4100
עָשִׂ֑יתָה'a.Si.tahhave you doneH6213
הִנֵּה\־hi.neh-here!H2009
בָ֤אva'he cameH935
אַבְנֵר֙'av.NerAbnerH74
אֵלֶ֔יךָ'e.Lei.khato youH413
לָמָּה\־la.mah-<to> why?H4100
זֶּ֥הzehthisH2088
שִׁלַּחְתּ֖וֹshi.lach.Todid you send away himH7971
וַיֵּ֥לֶךְvai.Ye.lekhand he has goneH1980
הָלֽוֹךְ\׃ha.Lokhcompletely <to go>H1980

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Samuel 3:24

  • 2 Samuel 19:5-7

    And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines; In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well. Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the Lord, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now.

  • 2 Samuel 3:39

    And I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me: the Lord shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness.

  • 2 Samuel 3:8

    Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ish–bosheth, and said, Am I a dog’s head, which against Judah do shew kindness this day unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, that thou chargest me to day with a fault concerning this woman?

  • John 18:35

    Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?

  • Numbers 23:11

    And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
What hast.Joab and his brother Abishai, David's nephews, had been very faithful and highly useful to him in his distresses; and, from gratitude and natural affection, he had inadvertently permitted them to assume almost as much ascendancy over him as Abner had over the pusillanimous Ishbosheth: he trusted and feared them too much, and allowed them all the importance they claimed; which had emboldened them, especially Joab, to a high degree of presumption.
8,39; 19:5-7; Nu 23:11; Joh 18:35

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Samuel 3:23

    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 3:24

    Then 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?

  • 2 Samuel 3:25

    Thou 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.

Read all of 2 Samuel 3

2 Samuel 3:24 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces Joab vino al rey, y díjole: ¿Qué has hecho? He aquí habíase venido Abner á ti: ¿por qué pues lo dejaste que se fuése?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Joab entra auprès du roi et dit: Qu’as-tu fait? Voici, Abner est venu vers toi; pourquoi l’as-tu congédié, en sorte qu’il s’en est allé?
German
Elberfelder 1871		Da kam Joab zum König und sprach: Was hast du getan! Siehe, Abner ist zu dir gekommen; warum doch hast du ihn entlassen, daß er ungehindert weggegangen ist?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et ingressus est Joab ad regem, et ait: Quid fecisti? Ecce venit Abner ad te: quare dimisisti eum, et abiit et recessit?