2 Samuel 3 39

2 Samuel 3:39 kjv

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 3:39 nkjv

And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me. The LORD shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness."

2 Samuel 3:39 niv

And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!"

2 Samuel 3:39 esv

And I was gentle today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. The LORD repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!"

2 Samuel 3:39 nlt

And even though I am the anointed king, these two sons of Zeruiah ? Joab and Abishai ? are too strong for me to control. So may the LORD repay these evil men for their evil deeds."

2 Samuel 3 verses

2 Samuel 3 39 Meaning

David, newly established as king over both Judah and Israel, expresses his profound vulnerability and frustration despite his divine anointing. He declares himself "weak" or "feeble" on that very day, highlighting his inability to dispense justice against the powerful and ruthless sons of Zeruiah, Joab and Abishai, who had treacherously murdered Abner. In the face of his personal limitation and their insurmountable influence, David openly states his reliance on the LORD for divine retribution, believing that God alone will "reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness." This public pronouncement served to distance David from the murder and entrusted the ultimate judgment to God's perfect justice.

2 Samuel 3 39 Context

The events leading to 2 Samuel 3:39 unfold immediately after the murder of Abner by Joab, David's nephew and commander of his army. Abner, formerly the commander of Ish-bosheth's army and the key supporter of the rival northern kingdom, had defected to David and was in the process of bringing all Israel under David's rule. His assassination was a personal act of vengeance by Joab for Abner's killing of Joab's brother, Asahel, in an earlier skirmish. However, it put David in an extremely precarious position, making it appear that he might have ordered or sanctioned Abner's death.

David publicly distances himself from the crime by vehemently mourning Abner, fasting, and commanding the people to lament. This verse, therefore, serves as David's open declaration of innocence regarding Abner's murder, an acknowledgement of his limited political power, and a public commitment to God's ultimate justice. Historically, it highlights the challenges of consolidating power in a new monarchy where the king's authority was not yet absolute and powerful warlords like Joab held significant independent influence, even within David's own family. Zeruiah, their mother, was David's sister, making Joab and Abishai David's nephews, which further complicated David's ability to act decisively against them.

2 Samuel 3 39 Word analysis

• And I (וַאֲנִי, va'ani): The initial "And" connects it to the previous narrative of David's mourning. "I" is an emphatic personal pronoun, drawing immediate attention to David's personal state and dilemma.
• this day (הַיּוֹם, hayyom): Implies an immediate, present reality. It emphasizes the current crisis and David's acute feeling of vulnerability right at that moment.
• weak (רַךְ, rakh): The Hebrew term rakh literally means "tender," "soft," or "feeble." In this context, it signifies political or moral inability, a lack of firm authority or decisive power. David is not physically weak, but he is currently impotent to execute justice.
• though anointed king (כִּמְשֻׁח מֶלֶךְ, kimshuakh melek): "Like an anointed king." The word mashuakh comes from mashach, "to smear, to anoint." This phrase starkly contrasts David's divinely sanctioned authority (his sacred office) with his present practical limitation. Despite being chosen and empowered by God, he lacks the immediate earthly power to punish.
• and these men (וְהָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה, veha'anashim ha'elleh): "And the men, these." The demonstrative pronoun "these" creates a deliberate distancing and slight disdain. It points specifically to Joab and Abishai without needing to name them again.
• the sons of Zeruiah (בְּנֵי צְרוּיָה, bene Tseruyah): Zeruiah was David's sister (1 Chr 2:16), making Joab and Abishai his nephews. This familial connection highlights the complexity of David's dilemma; his key military leaders were his own relatives, making a decisive break or punishment exceptionally difficult. It speaks to the early stages of establishing royal authority in a tribal society.
• are too hard for me (קָשִׁים מִמֶּנִּי, qashim mimmenni): Literally "harder than I." This conveys their immense power, ruthlessness, stubbornness, and entrenched influence, making it impossible for David to overcome them, either politically or militarily, at this early and unstable point in his reign without risking further civil war or rebellion.
• The LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): The covenant name of God. David appeals to divine justice, acknowledging God's sovereignty as the ultimate authority and judge. This is an act of faith and deferral.
• shall reward (יְשַׁלֵּם, yeshallem): From the verb shalem, "to pay, to repay, to recompense." It implies a precise and just requital or retribution, that evil will be met with its due punishment.
• the doer of evil (עֹשֵׂה הָרָעָה, ‘oseh hara‘ah): Singular, specifically pointing to Joab as the prime perpetrator of Abner's murder. "The evil" refers to the treacherous, unwarranted assassination.
• according to his wickedness (כְּרָעָתוֹ, kera‘ato): "According to his evil." This phrase emphasizes the just proportion of God's retribution. God's judgment is not arbitrary but precisely tailored to the specific nature and extent of the wrongdoing.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And I am this day weak, though anointed king": This phrase is a powerful paradox. David publicly admits his practical impotence despite possessing the divine authority of kingship. It showcases the tension between ideal rule and political reality, and perhaps David's awareness of needing his military commanders even when they were disobedient.
• "and these men the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me": This group highlights David's core political challenge. It pinpoints the internal power dynamics and the fact that Joab and Abishai were too influential and too strategically vital to alienate without destabilizing David's nascent kingdom, even after they committed a severe crime. Their family ties to David further complicated the situation, showing how kinship could be both a strength and a weakness in ancient Near Eastern monarchies.
• "The LORD shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness": This concluding declaration functions as an appeal to divine justice. David shifts the burden of retribution from his limited human power to God's ultimate sovereignty, demonstrating faith in God's righteousness and affirming that evil will not go unpunished, even if human courts fail to deliver justice. It is also a public way for David to exonerate himself from the bloodguilt of Abner's murder.

2 Samuel 3 39 Bonus section

• This verse represents David's strategic diplomacy. By publicly lamenting Abner and deferring vengeance to the LORD, David successfully acquitted himself in the eyes of both Judah and the defecting northern tribes, who might otherwise have suspected his complicity in Abner's death. This was critical for uniting the kingdom.
• The "sons of Zeruiah" acted as an almost uncontrollable force throughout much of David's reign. Their loyalty was unwavering, but their methods were often brutal and independent of David's wishes, creating moral and political dilemmas for the king (e.g., their urging to execute Shimei, their killing of Absalom against David's clear command). This verse foreshadows this recurring struggle David would face with his powerful nephews.
• The tension described in this verse—between the ideal king and the limitations of his practical power—is a recurring theme in the biblical narrative. It shows that even a divinely appointed king like David operated within the complex realities of human power structures and had to contend with the flawed characters around him.

2 Samuel 3 39 Commentary

2 Samuel 3:39 stands as a pivotal statement in David's early reign, revealing the profound challenges he faced in establishing full monarchical authority. It is David's open confession of his limitations, caught between his divine calling as the LORD's anointed and the harsh political realities dominated by powerful, often ruthless, allies like Joab. His inability to punish Abner's murderer directly demonstrates that his kingdom, though divinely sanctioned, was not yet fully solidified and reliant on such men for its very foundation.

David's words underscore a crucial theological point: where human justice fails, divine justice prevails. By declaring, "The LORD shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness," David asserts his belief in God's ultimate righteousness and sovereignty over all actions, ensuring that even unpunished earthly crimes will eventually face their righteous recompense. This statement not only served to distance David from the odious crime in the eyes of his people (especially the northern tribes of Israel whom Abner had been leading to David) but also prophetically pointed to a future divine reckoning. Indeed, David, on his deathbed, would remind Solomon of Joab's unpunished acts (1 Kgs 2:5-6), highlighting that the weight of these unaddressed grievances persisted and ultimately led to Joab's demise. The verse thus embodies David's integrity and his profound trust in God as the just arbiter of all.