2 Kings 3:28
And when David heard of it, after the thing was now done, he said: I, and my kingdom are innocent before the Lord for ever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner:
Open 2 Kings 3:28 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Quod cum audisset David rem jam gestam, ait : Mundus ego sum, et regnum meum apud Dominum usque in sempiternum, a sanguine Abner filii Ner :
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ ἤκουσεν Δαυεὶδ μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ εἶπεν Ἀθῷός εἰμι ἐγὼ καὶ ἡ βασιλεία μου ἀπὸ Κυρίου καὶ ἕως αἰῶνος ἀπὸ τῶν αἱμάτων Ἀβεννὴρ υἱοῦ Νήρ.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע דָּוִד֙ מֵאַ֣חֲרֵי כֵ֔ן וַיֹּ֗אמֶר נָקִ֨י אָנֹכִ֧י וּמַמְלַכְתִּ֛י מֵעִ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה עַד עוֹלָ֑ם מִדְּמֵ֖י אַבְנֵ֥ר בֶּן נֵֽר
Haydock's commentary
Innocent. I would not purchase a kingdom at such a price. (Calmet)
I beg that the crime may not be imputed to us, who are innocent. (Haydock)
God sometimes punishes a whole kingdom for the sins of the rulers. (Menochius)
Yet not without some fault of the subjects. (Haydock)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Matthew XII. 33
But who avenged himself justly, yet kindled innumerable ills, and pierced himself through with many calamities and sorrows? The captain of David’s host. For he both stirred up a grievous war, and suffered unnumbered evils; not one whereof would have happened, had he but known how to command himself.
St Ambrose Letter LI: To Theodosius After the Massacre at Thessalonica
10. Holy Job, himself also powerful in this world, says: “I hid not my sin, but declared it before all the people.” His son Jonathan said to the fierce King Saul himself: “Do not sin against thy servant David;” and: “Why dost thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?” For, although he was a king, yet he would have sinned if he slew the innocent. And again, David also, when he was in possession of the kingdom, and had heard that innocent Abner had been slain by Joab, the leader of his host, said: “I am guiltless and my kingdom is guiltless henceforth and for ever of the blood of Abner, the son of Ner,” and he fasted for sorrow.