2 Samuel 3:12

KJV1611 – Modern English

And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make your league with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you, to bring about all Israel unto you.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיִּשְׁלַח֩ אַבְנֵ֨ר מַלְאָכִ֧ים ׀ אֶל־דָּוִ֛ד *תחתו **תַּחְתָּ֥יו לֵאמֹ֖ר לְמִי־אָ֑רֶץ לֵאמֹ֗ר כָּרְתָ֤ה בְרִֽיתְךָ֙ אִתִּ֔י וְהִנֵּה֙ יָדִ֣י עִמָּ֔ךְ לְהָסֵ֥ב אֵלֶ֖יךָ אֶת־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Transliteration

wayyišlaḥ 'abnēr mal'ākîm to-dāwid taḥtāyw to-lē'mōr to-who-'āreṣ to-lē'mōr kāretāh berîtekā with-me and-hinnēh yādî with-you to-hāsēb to-you 'et-all-yiśrā'ēl

Grammar Details

• *wayyišlaḥ*: qal imperfect consecutive 3rd masculine singular - and he sent
• *'abnēr*: proper noun - Abner
• *mal'ākîm*: noun, masculine plural - messengers/angels
• *dāwid*: proper noun with prefixed preposition el - to David
• *taḥtāyw*: preposition with 3rd masculine singular suffix - in his place/on his behalf
• *lē'mōr*: qal infinitive construct with prefixed preposition lamed - to say
• *'āreṣ*: noun, feminine singular with prefixed interrogative mî - whose [is the] land
• *kāretāh*: qal imperative masculine singular - cut
• *berîtekā*: noun, feminine singular construct with 2nd masculine singular suffix - your covenant
• *hinnēh*: demonstrative particle - behold
• *yādî*: noun, feminine singular construct with 1st common singular suffix - my hand
• *hāsēb*: hiphil infinitive construct with prefixed preposition lamed - to bring around/turn
• *yiśrā'ēl*: proper noun with direct object marker and kol (all) - all Israel

Word Meanings

• *taḥtāyw*: in his place/on his behalf/where he was
• *lemi-'āreṣ*: to whom [does] the land [belong]/whose is the land (idiom suggesting Abner's power)
• *kāretāh berîtekā*: make your covenant/cut [establish] your treaty
• *yādî*: my hand (idiom for power/support)
• *hāsēb*: to turn/to bring around/to cause to turn to

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, saying, 'Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help bring all Israel to you.'

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying [also], Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And Abner sent messaungers vnto Dauid, sayenge: Whose is the londe? And sayde: Make thy couenaunt with me. Beholde, my hande shall be with the, to turne all Israel vnto the.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Then Abner sent messengers to Dauid on his behalfe, saying, Whose is the lande? who should also say, Make couenant with me, and beholde, mine hande shalbe with thee, to bring all Israel vnto thee.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And Abner sent messengers to Dauid secretly, saying: Whose is the land? Who should also say, Make a bond with me, and beholde my hande is with thee, to bring all Israel vnto thee.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose [is] the land? saying [also], Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand [shall be] with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying [also], Make your league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with you, to bring about all Israel to you.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And Abner sendeth messengers unto David for himself, saying, `Whose `is' the land?' saying, `Make thy covenant with me, and lo, my hand `is' with thee, to bring round unto thee all Israel.'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying `also', Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying [also], Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And Abner sent men to David at Hebron, saying, Make an agreement with me, and I will give you my support in getting all Israel on your side.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, "Whose is the land?" and saying, "Make your alliance with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you, to bring all Israel around to you."

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Then Abner sent messengers to David saying,“To whom does the land belong? Make an agreement with me, and I will do whatever I can to cause all Israel to turn to you.”

Referenced Verses

• 2 Sam 3:21 : 21 And Abner said to David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a league with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires. And David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.
• 2 Sam 3:27 : 27 And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gate to speak with him quietly, and struck him there under the fifth rib, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
• 2 Sam 5:1-3 : 1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. 2 Also, in times past when Saul was king over us, it was you who led Israel out and brought them in. And the LORD said to you, You will feed my people Israel, and you will be a captain over Israel. 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.
• 2 Sam 19:6 : 6 In that you love your enemies and hate your friends. For you have declared today that you regard neither princes nor servants; for I perceive this day, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died today, then it would have pleased you well.
• 2 Sam 19:14 : 14 And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, as the heart of one man; so they sent this word to the king, Return, you and all your servants.
• 2 Sam 19:41-20:13 : 41 And behold, all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, Why have our brethren, the men of Judah, stolen you away and brought the king and his household, and all David's men with him, over the Jordan? 42 And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us; why then are you angry for this matter? Have we eaten at all of the king's expense? Or has he given us any gift? 43 And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than you; why then did you despise us, that our advice was not first in bringing back our king? And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel. 1 And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite; and he blew a trumpet and said, We have no part in David, nor any inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel. 2 So all the men of Israel left David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri, but the men of Judah stayed loyal to their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem. 3 And David returned to his house in Jerusalem, and the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to keep the house and put them in confinement. He provided for them but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as widows. 4 Then the king said to Amasa, Gather the men of Judah for me in three days, and be here yourself. 5 So Amasa went to gather the men of Judah, but he delayed beyond the appointed time. 6 And David said to Abishai, Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom did; take your master’s servants and pursue him, lest he find fortified cities and escape from us. 7 So Joab's men, the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men went out after him, and they left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 8 When they reached the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing his military garment, with a belt and a sword fastened at his waist in its sheath; as he went forward, it fell out. 9 And Joab said to Amasa, Are you well, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 But Amasa did not notice the sword in Joab’s hand, so Joab struck him in the stomach, spilling his intestines to the ground. He did not strike him again, and Amasa died. Joab and his brother Abishai then pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. 11 And one of Joab's men stood by Amasa and said, Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab. 12 Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and when the man saw that all the people stopped, he moved Amasa from the road into the field and threw a cloth over him, because everyone who came by stopped. 13 Once he was removed from the road, all the people continued after Joab, pursuing Sheba the son of Bichri.
• 1 Chr 11:1-3 : 1 Then all Israel gathered to David at Hebron, saying, Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. 2 Moreover, in times past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led and brought in Israel. And the LORD your God said to you, You shall shepherd my people Israel, and you shall be ruler over my people Israel. 3 Therefore, all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD through Samuel.
• 1 Chr 12:38-40 : 38 All these men of war, who could keep ranks, came with a perfect heart to Hebron to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of one heart to make David king. 39 They were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them. 40 Moreover, those who were near them, from as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen; provisions of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, wine and oil, oxen and sheep in abundance, for there was joy in Israel.
• Ps 62:9 : 9 Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie; to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.
• Matt 21:8-9 : 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and those that followed, cried out, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest! 10 And when he came into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
• Luke 16:5-8 : 5 So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, How much do you owe my master? 6 And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7 Then he said to another, And how much do you owe? And he said, A hundred measures of wheat. And he said to him, Take your bill, and write eighty. 8 And the master commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.