This verse is often misinterpreted as Abner merely engaging in manipulative politics without regard for God, reducing the oath to empty rhetoric rather than a sincere alignment with divine will; another error is viewing the imprecatory formula 'So do God to Abner, and more also' as promoting self-cursing or masochistic vows, detached from its ancient Semitic context as a customary hyperbolic pledge to ensure truthfulness, or taking it out of the narrative to endorse rash personal oaths today without considering the historical transition of power from Saul to David under God's providence.
II Samuel 3:9
King James Version (1769)
9 So do God to Abner, and more also, except, as the Lord hath sworn to David, even so I do to him;
Abner utters a binding oath invoking divine retribution upon himself if he does not act to fulfill God's sworn promise to David, affirming his commitment to transfer loyalty from Saul's house to David and thereby advance God's covenant plan to establish David as king over all Israel, highlighting themes of divine sovereignty, oath-keeping, and the shifting political landscape toward God's chosen leader.