John Gill Commentary 2 Samuel 3:33

"And the king lamented for Abner, and said, Should Abner die as a fool dieth?" — 2 Samuel 3:33 (ASV)

And the king lamented over Abner
Delivered an elegy or funeral oration, which he had composed on this occasion, as Josephus^F21.

---

and said, died Abner as a fool dies ?
the meaning of the interrogation is, he did not; the Targum is ``did Abner die as wicked men die?'' no, he did not;

he did not die for any wickedness he had been guilty of; he did not die as a malefactor, whose crime has been charged and proved in open court, and sentence of condemnation pronounced on him righteously for it; but he died without anything being laid to his charge, and much less proved, and without judge or jury; he was murdered in a clandestine, insidious, and deceitful manner; so the word "fool" is often taken in Scripture for a wicked man, especially in the book of Proverbs; the Septuagint version leaves the word untranslated, ``died Abner according to the death of Nabal?'' no; but it could hardly be thought that David would mention the name of any particular person on such an occasion.

FOOTNOTES:

• F21: Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 7. c. 1. sect. 6.) F21 suggests: for he had cried and wept before, but now he expressed something as follows: