2 Samuel 3:23-27

3:23 When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, Joab was told: “Abner the son of Ner came to the king; he sent him away, and he left in peace!”

3:24 So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner ¹  has come to you! Why would you send him away? Now he’s gone on his way! ²  3:25 You know Abner the son of Ner! Surely he came here to spy on you and to determine when you leave and when you return ³  and to discover everything that you are doing!”

3:26 Then Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought him back from the well of Sirah. (But David was not aware of it.) 3:27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gate as if to speak privately with him. Joab then stabbed him ⁴  in the abdomen and killed him, avenging the shed blood of his brother Asahel. ⁵ 

[3:24]  ¹ tn Heb “Look, Abner.”

[3:24]  ² tc The LXX adds “in peace.”

[3:25]  ³ tn Heb “your going out and your coming in.” The expression is a merism. It specifically mentions the polar extremities of the actions but includes all activity in between the extremities as well, thus encompassing the entirety of one’s activities.

[3:27]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he struck him down there [in] the stomach.”

[3:27]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he [i.e., Abner] died on account of the blood of Asahel his [i.e., Joab’s] brother.”