And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth?
The lament poses the searching question whether Abner's end was the death of a fool. The answer denies that his death was befitting a fool, since his hands were not bound and his feet were not put in fetters. He did not die as a condemned criminal secured for just punishment, but as a free man cut down without restraint or lawful cause. The lament declares instead that he fell as a man falls before wicked men. That verdict exposes the killing as treacherous murder rather than a lawful or deserved death, and in doing so it rebukes those responsible for the deed.
The lament poses the searching question whether Abner's end was the death of a fool. The answer denies that his death was befitting a fool, since his hands were not bound and his feet were not put in fetters. He did not die as a condemned criminal secured for just punishment, but as a free man cut down without restraint or lawful cause. The lament declares instead that he fell as a man falls before wicked men. That verdict exposes the killing as treacherous murder rather than a lawful or deserved death, and in doing so it rebukes those responsible for the deed.