And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth?
The king lamented over Abner. This brief elegy is an effusion of indignation as much as of sorrow. Since Abner had stabbed Asahel in open war, Joab did not hvae the right of the go'el; and besides, had adopted a lawless and execrable method of obtaining satisfaction (see the note at 1 Kings 2:5), not waiting for the legal formalities according to which only satisfaction could be obtained for the relatives of a slain person in the land of Israel.
Died Abner as a fool dieth?, х hakªmowt (H4194) naabaal (H5036)] - as Nabal dieth, or as a felon dieth. This deed was an insult to the authority, as well as most damaging to the prospects of the king. But David's feelings and conduct on hearing of the death, together with the whole character and accompaniments of the funeral solemnity, tended not only to remove all suspicion of guilt from him, but even to turn the tide of popular opinion in his favour, and to pave the way for his reigning over all the tribes more honourably than by the treacherous negotiations of Abner, whose services, in consequence of his vile Conduct, the Lord did in so important a transaction employ. In the neighbourhood of Hebron, at a spot now covered by the house of a Moslem inhabitant, is shown the traditional grave of Abner, who, according to the legend, belonged to the race of giants (Van de Velde, 'Syria and Palestine,' 2:, p. 67).