2 Samuel 2:26 Meaning and Explanation
“Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Abner calls out to Joab, asking how long the sword must keep killing and pleading for an end before more bitterness comes.
What Does 2 Samuel 2:26 Mean?
From the hilltop Abner calls to Joab with words that cut through the bloodshed. Shall the sword devour forever? Does Joab not know that this will end in bitterness? How long before he calls the people back from pursuing their own brethren? Abner names the truth that they are kinsmen shedding kindred blood.
The question 'shall the sword devour for ever?' is one of Scripture's piercing pleas against endless violence. Abner sees what unchecked vengeance will become, bitterness without end. To call the combatants 'brethren' is to name the deepest wrong of civil war. The verse reaches across the centuries to every cycle of retaliation, asking whether the sword must always have the last word, or whether mercy may finally speak.
2 Samuel 2:26 in the Original Language
achar (אַחַר), here in 'latter end' -- the after-time, the eventual outcome; Abner points to where the present violence must finally lead.
Frequently Asked Questions About 2 Samuel 2:26
What does 2 Samuel 2:26 mean?
Abner calls out to Joab, asking how long the sword must keep killing and pleading for an end before more bitterness comes.