Limitless Word
So everyone in Judah and all Israel understood that David was not responsible for Abner’s murder.
2 Samuel 3:37 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to kill Abner the son of Ner.
  • KJV For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner.
  • BSB So on that day all the troops and all Israel were convinced that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.
  • NKJV For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s intent to kill Abner the son of Ner.
  • NASB So all the people and all Israel understood on that day that it had not been the desire of the king to put Abner the son of Ner to death.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

All Israel becomes convinced that the king had no part in Abner's death. David's innocence is publicly established.

Overview

The whole nation understands that day that David did not order Abner's killing. This vindication was vital, since Abner had been the key to uniting Israel under David. By God's providence, what could have shattered David's claim instead confirmed the integrity of his reign in the eyes of all the tribes.

Cross-references & the web

No cross-references recorded for this verse.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 2 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 2 Samuel 3:37YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 2 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.

How 2 Samuel 3:37 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.