---
title: 2 Samuel 2:23 (JPS 1917) — Howbeit he refused to turn aside; wherefore Abner with the hinder en… · tree and pragmatics
description: Howbeit he refused to turn aside; wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him in the groin, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place; and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still. Who a
---

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# 2 Samuel 2:23 · JPS 1917

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Howbeit he refused to turn aside; wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him in the groin, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place; and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.

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**Who acts:** Abner, spear, many, Asahel · **What happens:** refuse, not turn, smote, come out, fall down, die · **To what, where:** Asahel, groin, place

<!-- .vabout -->
This is 2 Samuel 2:23 · JPS 1917 in the English of the Jewish Publication Society's 1917 translation, from Mova's open Bible corpus. The page gives the sentence's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, parsed by Mova and checked by a teacher model — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (Abner, spear, many, Asahel), what happens, when and where, as Mova's frames read it. The original of the verse links back to its own tree and to the Targum.

## The tree {#tree}

```conllu
# sent_id = jps:2SA:57
# text = Howbeit he refused to turn aside; wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him in the groin, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place; and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.
1	Howbeit	howbeit	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
2	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	refused	refuse	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	turn	turn	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	aside	aside	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
7	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	17	punct	_	_
8	wherefore	wherefore	SCONJ	IN	_	17	mark	_	_
9	Abner	Abner	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	17	nsubj	_	_
10	with	with	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
12	hinder	hinder	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	amod	_	_
13	end	end	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obl	_	_
14	of	of	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	spear	spear	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	13	nmod	_	_
17	smote	smote	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
18	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	17	obj	_	_
19	in	in	ADP	IN	_	21	case	_	_
20	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	21	det	_	_
21	groin	groin	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obl	_	_
22	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	26	punct	_	_
23	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	26	mark	_	_
24	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	25	det	_	_
25	spear	spear	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	26	nsubj	_	_
26	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	17	advcl	_	_
27	out	out	ADV	RB	_	26	advmod	_	_
28	behind	behind	ADP	IN	_	29	case	_	_
29	him	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	26	obl	_	_
30	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	33	punct	_	_
31	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	33	cc	_	_
32	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	33	nsubj	_	_
33	fell	fall	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
34	down	down	ADV	RB	_	35	advmod	_	_
35	there	there	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	33	advmod	_	_
36	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	38	punct	_	_
37	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	38	cc	_	_
38	died	die	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	33	conj	_	_
39	in	in	ADP	IN	_	42	case	_	_
40	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	42	det	_	_
41	same	same	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	42	amod	_	_
42	place	place	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	38	obl	_	_
43	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	46	punct	_	_
44	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	46	cc	_	_
45	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	46	nsubj	_	_
46	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
47	to	to	PART	TO	_	48	mark	_	_
48	pass	pass	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	46	xcomp	_	_
49	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	64	punct	_	_
50	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	64	mark	_	_
51	as	as	ADV	RB	_	52	advmod	_	_
52	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	64	nsubj	_	_
53	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	54	mark	_	_
54	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	52	advcl	_	_
55	to	to	ADP	IN	_	57	case	_	_
56	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	57	det	_	_
57	place	place	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	54	obl	_	_
58	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	60	advmod	_	_
59	Asahel	Asahel	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	60	nsubj	_	_
60	fell	fall	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	57	acl:relcl	_	_
61	down	down	ADV	RB	_	60	advmod	_	_
62	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	63	cc	_	_
63	died	die	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	60	conj	_	_
64	stood	stand	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	46	csubj	_	_
65	still	still	ADV	RB	_	64	advmod	_	_
66	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

## Pragmatics {#pragmatics}

<!-- sa -->
- form: statement
- act: assert
- voice: narrator
- polarity: none
- teacher: kept the draft

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **refuse** | past | Abner |  |  |  |  | howbeit *property* | vn reject-77.2 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Agent clause=Theme |
| 2 | **not** **turn** | to-infinitive | Abner *not said here* |  |  |  |  | aside *property* | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP.theme V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **smote** | past | Abner | Asahel |  | the groin | with the hinder end of the spear |  | tree rules |
| 4 | **come out** | past | the spear |  |  |  |  | behind Abner; out *property* | vn become-109.1 «NP V ADJ»: agent=Patient |
| 5 | **fall down** | past | Abner |  |  | there |  |  | vn occur-48.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 6 | **die** | past | Abner *not said here* |  |  |  |  | in the same place | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1 «NP.patient V PP.attribute»: agent=Patient in place=Attribute |
| 7 | **come** | past | spear |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 8 | **pass** | to-infinitive | spear *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 9 | **come** | past | many *not said here* |  |  | the place |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to place=Initial\_Location |
| 10 | **fall down** | past | Asahel |  |  |  |  | down *property* | vn occur-48.3 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 11 | **die** | past | Asahel *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |
| 12 | **stand** | past | many |  |  |  | still |  | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## The Hebrew of this verse {#hebrew}

<!-- .vhe dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
וַיְמָאֵ֣ן לָס֗וּר וַיַּכֵּ֣הוּ אַבְנֵר֩ בְּאַחֲרֵ֨י הַחֲנִ֜ית אֶל־הַחֹ֗מֶשׁ וַתֵּצֵ֤א הַֽחֲנִית֙ מֵאַחֲרָ֔יו וַיִּפָּל־שָׁ֖ם וַיָּ֣מָת תַּחְתָּ֑יו וַיְהִ֡י כָּל־הַבָּ֣א אֶֽל־הַמָּקוֹם֩ אֲשֶׁר־נָ֨פַל שָׁ֧ם עֲשָׂהאֵ֛ל וַיָּמֹ֖ת וַֽיַּעֲמֹֽדוּ׃

[2 Samuel 2:23: the Hebrew tree, its pragmatics and Targum Jonathan →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/2SA.2.23/)

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**Source.** The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text, Jewish Publication Society, 1917, from eBible.org: public domain. Sentence `jps:2SA:57` of Mova's parse database.

**The tree and the speech act** come from Mova's cycle: the small model's draft, read by a large model as teacher, passed by Mova's gates (Elamur Cosmic License). **The frames** are read from the tree by Mova's frames reader (`prag`) when this page is built, the chapter read in order, so a pronoun may be resolved from an earlier sentence of the chapter.

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