2nd Samuel Chapter 2 verse 30 Holy Bible
And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel.
read chapter 2 in ASV
And Joab came back from fighting Abner: and when he had got all his men together, it was seen that nineteen of David's men, in addition to Asahel, were not with them.
read chapter 2 in BBE
And Joab returned from following Abner, and gathered all the people together; and there lacked of David's servants nineteen men, and Asahel.
read chapter 2 in DARBY
And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel.
read chapter 2 in KJV
And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had assembled all the people, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men, and Asahel.
read chapter 2 in WBT
Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel.
read chapter 2 in WEB
And Joab hath turned back from after Abner, and gathereth all the people, and there are lacking of the servants of David nineteen men, and Asahel;
read chapter 2 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerses 30, 31. - Nineteen men... three hundred and three score men. Though David's "mighties," as they were called, excelled in the use of arms, yet the disparity of numbers is remarkable; for the Benjamites were also famous warriors. We can only account for it by the superiority of the tactics of Joab, who was a man of consummate military skill, and who knew both how to gain a victory and how to use the advantage which the pursuers have over the pursued to the full. If we sometimes wonder that David endured Joab so long, we ought to remember how much he owed to his nephew's genius, and that Joab was always faithful to himself.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(30) Joab returned.--He cannot be supposed to have returned that day farther than to Gibeon, since it was already sunset (2Samuel 2:24) before the pursuit ended. There, doubtless, he mustered his forces, and counted and buried the slain.Nineteen men.--It is uncertain whether these numbers include the twelve champion combatants on each side. The great disparity of numbers slain on the two sides is to be accounted for partly by the advantage given by bow and spear, the chief weapons of ancient warfare, to the pursuer over the pursued, and partly by the fact that Joab's men had been long trained under David in hardship and deeds of valour, while Abner's men were the remnants of Saul's defeated army.
