And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from pursuing a troop, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace.
Just then, David's soldiers and Joab returned from chasing enemy raiders, bringing back a large amount of stolen goods they had recovered. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron because David had already sent him away safely.
The writer is setting up a tragic situation where Joab returns from battle to find that Abner, his enemy, has already left peacefully after making an agreement with David.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during the civil war between David's supporters and those loyal to Saul's family. Abner, the commander of Saul's army, had just switched sides and made a covenant with David to help unite all Israel under David's rule. Joab was David's military commander who had personal reasons to hate Abner.
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