SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:39
Que yo ahora aún soy tierno rey ungido; y estos hombres, los hijos de Sarvia, muy duros me son; el SEÑOR dé el pago al que mal hace, conforme a su malicia.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 3:39
Verse 39. I am this day weak] Had Abner lived, all the tribes of Israel would have been brought under my government. Though anointed king] I have little else than the title: first, having only one tribe under my government; and secondly, the sons of Zeruiah, Joab and his brethren, having usurped all the power, and reduced me to the shadow of royalty.
The Lord shall reward the doer of evil] That is, Joab, whom he appears afraid to name.
WE talk much of ancient manners, their simplicity and ingenuousness; and say that the former days were better than these. But who says this who is a judge of the times? In those days of celebrated simplicity, &c., there were not so many crimes as at present I grant: but what they wanted in number they made up in degree: deceit, cruelty, rapine, murder, and wrong of almost every kind, then flourished. We are refined in our vices; they were gross and barbarous in theirs: they had neither so many ways nor so many means of sinning; but the sum of their moral turpitude was greater than ours. We have a sort of decency and good breeding, which lay a certain restraint on our passions, they were boorish and beastly, and their bad passions were ever in full play. Civilization prevents barbarity and atrocity; mental cultivation induces decency of manners: those primitive times were generally without these. Who that knows them would wish such ages to return?
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 39. And I [am] this day weak, though anointed king , etc.] Which seems to be given as a reason, or for an excuse why he did not inflict just punishment upon the murderer, according to the law of God, because he was “weak”; not in body or mind, but with respect to the kingdom, that was like a tender branch, or in its infant state; and great care and caution were to be used that it was not overturned: he was a king by unction, not by birth; a son of the late king was yet up against him, and was possessed of the far greater part of the kingdom; he was indeed anointed by Samuel to be king over all Israel; but as yet he was not put into the possession of the kingdom he was anointed to; he was anointed and made king over Judah, and invested with the office of king there, and settled in it; and yet his power was not very great there, for as follows: and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, [be] too hard for me ; his sister’s sons, Joab and Abishai, they were a check upon him; he could not do what he would, their influence was so great, both in the court and in the camp; the one was general of the army, and the other a considerable officer in it, and both variant men, and very respectable among the people, for their achievements in war, and the success they had; so that they were very much out of the reach of David to bring them to justice, without shaking his kingdom; and therefore in point of prudence he thought it best to connive at this fact until he was more established in the kingdom. Whatever may be said for this conduct, it is certain he was too dilatory, and which did not sit easy upon his mind, and therefore gave it in charge to Solomon before his death not to suffer Joab to go to his grave in peace, ( 1 Kings 2:5,6,31-34). Some take these words, “weak” and “hard”, in a different sense, that David was weak or “tender” f75 , as it may be rendered, tenderhearted, of a merciful disposition, and therefore spared Abner when he was in his hands, though he had done him so much harm, who was the Lord’s anointed; but these men, his sister’s sons, were of cruel tempers, more unmerciful than he, and therefore slew him; but the first sense seems best: the Lord shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness ; which may be considered either as an imprecation of evil on Joab, or a prediction, that sooner or later righteous judgment would be rendered to him by the Lord; with whom he leaves it to take vengeance on him, satisfying himself with this for the present, that though it was not in his power to do it, the Lord would in his own time and way: but after all that can be said in favour of David, he seems to have been too much in fear of men, and too distrustful of the power and promise of God to establish him in his kingdom, and was too negligent of public justice; which had it been exercised, might have prevented other sins, as the murder of Ishbosheth, to which the authors of it might be encouraged by this lenity.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 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 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 ow days, and those who make no provision for another world. Who would be fond of power, when a man may have the name of it, and must be accountable for it, yet is hampered in the use of it? David ought to have done his duty, and then trusted God with the issue. Carnal polic spared Joab. The Son of David may long delay, but never fails to punis impenitent sinners. He who now reigns upon the throne of David, has kingdom of a nobler kind. Whatever He doeth, is noticed by all his willing people, and is pleasing to them __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
ואנכי 595 היום 3117 רך 7390 ומשׁוח 4886 מלך 4428 והאנשׁים 376 האלה 428 בני 1121 צרויה 6870 קשׁים 7186 ממני 4480 ישׁלם 7999 יהוה 3068 לעשׂה 6213 הרעה 7451 כרעתו׃ 7451
