2 Samuel 2:31 Meaning and Explanation
“But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner's men, so that three hundred and threescore men died.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →David's servants had killed three hundred and sixty of Abner's men from Benjamin.
What Does 2 Samuel 2:31 Mean?
The narrator sets the other side's losses against David's own. The servants of David had struck down three hundred and sixty of Benjamin and of Abner's men. The lopsided count, three hundred sixty against nineteen, makes plain how decisively the day went against the house of Ishbosheth.
The disparity is the narrator's quiet way of showing where God's favor rests, even amid the sorrow of a battle that should never have been fought. Yet there is no gloating in the bare number. Three hundred sixty men of Israel lie dead, kinsmen of the very people David will one day rule. The cost of division is counted on both sides, and the reader is left to grieve the whole.
Frequently Asked Questions About 2 Samuel 2:31
What does 2 Samuel 2:31 mean?
David's servants had killed three hundred and sixty of Abner's men from Benjamin.