KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)
TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT
To get what 2 Samuel 3:31 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity.
“And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David himself followed the bier.”
What does this verse really mean? Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1].
| KJV Verse | Original Hebrew | Meaning/ Definition This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. Follow the buttons on the right to get more detail. | More Use the buttons below to get details on the Hebrew word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word. |
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| “And David” | דָּוִ֨ד | David, the youngest son of Jesse | David |
| “said” | וַיֹּאמֶר֩ | To say (used with great latitude) | said |
| “to” | אֶל | Near, with or among; often in general, to | to |
| “Joab,” | יוֹאָ֜ב | Joab, the name of three Israelites | Joab |
| “and to” | וְאֶל | Near, with or among; often in general, to | and to |
| “all” | כָּל | Properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense) | all |
| “the people” | הָעָ֣ם | A people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock | people |
| “that” | אֲשֶׁר | Who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc | that |
| “were” | (No Hebrew definition. English implied.) | ||
| “with” | אִתּ֗וֹ | Properly, nearness (used only as a preposition or an adverb), near; hence, generally, with, by, at, among, etc | with |
| “him, Rend” | קִרְע֤וּ | To rend, literally or figuratively (revile, paint the eyes, as if enlarging them) | Rend |
| “your clothes,” | בִגְדֵיכֶם֙ | A covering, also treachery or pillage | clothes |
| “and gird” | וְחִגְר֣וּ | To gird on (as a belt, armor, etc.) | gird |
| “you with sackcloth,” | שַׂקִּ֔ים | Properly, a mesh (as allowing a liquid to run through), i.e., coarse loose cloth or sacking (used in mourning and for bagging); hence, a bag (for grain, etc.) | sackcloth |
| “and mourn” | וְסִפְד֖וּ | Properly, to tear the hair and beat the breasts (as Middle Easterners do in grief); generally to lament; by implication, to wail | mourn |
| “before” | לִפְנֵ֣י | The face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.) | before |
| “Abner.” | אַבְנֵ֑ר | Abner, an Israelite | Abner |
| “And king” | וְהַמֶּ֣לֶךְ | A king | king |
| “David” | דָּוִ֔ד | David, the youngest son of Jesse | David |
| “himself” | (No Hebrew definition. English implied.) | ||
| “followed” | הֹלֵ֖ךְ | To walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively) | followed |
| “the bier.” | הַמִּטָּֽה׃ | A bed (as extended) for sleeping or eating; by analogy, a sofa, litter or bier | bier |
See 2 Samuel 3:31 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Follow either of the two large buttons below to see these verses in their broader context of the King James Bible or a Bible concordance.
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29 Let it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his father's house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on the sword, or that lacketh bread.
30 So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.
31 And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David himself followed the bier.
32 And they buried Abner in Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept.
33 And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth?
The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.