And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord.
David called out to Abner, 'Aren't you a brave warrior? Who in all of Israel is as strong as you? So why didn't you protect your master the king? Someone came into the camp to kill King Saul, your lord.'
David is challenging Abner, pointing out that despite being Israel's top military commander, he failed in his most important duty—protecting the king.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during David's second opportunity to kill King Saul while he slept in camp, but David chose to spare him again. Abner was Saul's cousin and the commander of his army, responsible for the king's safety. David had snuck into the camp at night with Abishai and taken Saul's spear and water jug as proof, then called out from a safe distance.
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