2 Samuel 2
2
David is Anointed King
1 Afterward David inquired of the Lord, “Should I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” The Lord told him, “Go up.” David asked, “Where should I go?” The Lord replied,#tn Heb “he said.” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons. “To Hebron.” 2 So David went up, along with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, formerly the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 David also brought along the men who were with him, each with his family. They settled in the cities#tc The expression “the cities of Hebron” is odd; we would expect the noun to be in the singular, if used at all. Although the Syriac Peshitta has the expected reading “in Hebron,” the MT is clearly the more difficult reading and should probably be retained here. of Hebron. 4 The men of Judah came and there they anointed David as king over the people#tn Heb “house.” of Judah.
David was told,#tn Heb “and they told David.” The subject appears to be indefinite, allowing one to translate the verb as passive with David as subject. “The people#tn Heb “men.” of Jabesh Gilead are the ones who buried Saul.” 5 So David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh Gilead and told them, “May you be blessed by the Lord because you have shown this kindness#tn Or “loyalty.” to your lord Saul by burying him. 6 Now may the Lord show you true kindness!#tn Or “loyalty and devotion.” I also will reward you,#tn Heb “will do with you this good.” because you have done this deed. 7 Now be courageous#tn Heb “let your hands be strong.” and prove to be valiant warriors, for your lord Saul is dead. The people of Judah have anointed me as king over them.”
David’s Army Clashes with the Army of Saul
8 Now Abner son of Ner, the general in command of Saul’s army, had taken Saul’s son Ish-bosheth#sn The name Ish-bosheth means in Hebrew “man of shame.” It presupposes an earlier form such as Ish-baal (“man of the Lord”), with the word “baal” being used of Israel’s God. But because the Canaanite storm god was named “Baal,” that part of the name was later replaced with the word “shame.” and had brought him to Mahanaim. 9 He appointed him king over Gilead, the Geshurites,#tc The MT here reads “the Ashurite,” but this is problematic if it is taken to mean “the Assyrian.” Ish-bosheth’s kingdom obviously was not of such proportions as to extend to Assyria. The Syriac Peshitta renders the word as “the Geshurite,” while the Targum has “of the house of Ashur.” We should probably emend the Hebrew text to read “the Geshurite.” The Geshurites lived in the northeastern part of the land of Palestine. Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel. 10 Ish-bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he began to rule over Israel. He ruled two years. However, the people#tn Heb “house.” of Judah followed David. 11 David was king in Hebron over the people of Judah for seven and a half years.#tn Heb “And the number of the days in which David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.”
12 Then Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 Joab son of Zeruiah and the servants of David also went out and confronted them at the pool of Gibeon. One group stationed themselves on one side of the pool, and the other group on the other side of the pool. 14 Abner said to Joab, “Let the soldiers get up and fight#tn Heb “play.” What is in view here is a gladiatorial contest in which representative groups of soldiers engage in mortal combat before the watching armies. Cf. NAB “perform for us”; NASB “hold (have NRSV) a contest before us”; NLT “put on an exhibition of hand-to-hand combat.” before us.” Joab said, “So be it!”#tn Heb “let them arise.”
15 So they got up and crossed over by number: twelve belonging to Benjamin and to Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. 16 As they grappled with one another, each one stabbed his opponent with his sword and they fell dead together.#tn Heb “and they grabbed each one the head of his neighbor with his sword in the side of his neighbor and they fell together.” So that place is called the Field of Flints;#tn The meaning of the name “Helkath Hazzurim” (so NIV; KJV, NASB, NRSV similar) is not clear. BHK relates the name to the Hebrew term for “side,” and this is reflected in NAB “the Field of the Sides”; the Greek OT revocalizes the Hebrew to mean something like “Field of Adversaries.” Cf. also TEV, NLT “Field of Swords”; CEV “Field of Daggers.” it is in Gibeon.
17 Now the battle was very severe that day; Abner and the men of Israel were overcome by David’s soldiers.#tn Heb “servants.” So also elsewhere. 18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there – Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. (Now Asahel was as quick on his feet as one of the gazelles in the field.) 19 Asahel chased Abner, without turning to the right or to the left as he followed Abner.
20 Then Abner turned and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?” He replied, “Yes it is!” 21 Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or to your left. Capture one of the soldiers#tn Heb “young men.” So also elsewhere. and take his equipment for yourself!” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him. 22 So Abner spoke again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me! I do not want to strike you to the ground.#tn Heb “Why should I strike you to the ground?” How then could I show#tn Heb “lift.” my face in the presence of Joab your brother?” 23 But Asahel#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Asahel) has been specified in the translation for clarity. refused to turn aside. So Abner struck him in the abdomen with the back end of his#tn Heb “the.” The article functions here as a possessive pronoun. spear. The spear came out his back; Asahel#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Asahel) has been specified in the translation for clarity. collapsed on the spot and died there right before Abner.#tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abner) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Everyone who now comes to the place where Asahel fell dead pauses in respect.#tn Heb “and they stand.”
24 So Joab and Abishai chased Abner. At sunset they came to the hill of Ammah near Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 The Benjaminites formed their ranks#tn Heb “were gathered together.” behind Abner and were like a single army, standing at the top of a certain hill.
26 Then Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will turn bitter in the end? When will you tell the people to turn aside from pursuing their brothers?” 27 Joab replied, “As surely as God lives, if you had not said this, it would have been morning before the people would have abandoned pursuit#tn The Hebrew verb נַעֲלָה (na’alah) used here is the Niphal perfect 3rd person masculine singular of עָלָה (’alah, “to go up”). In the Niphal this verb “is used idiomatically, of getting away from so as to abandon…especially of an army raising a siege…” (see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 244). of their brothers!” 28 Then Joab blew the ram’s horn and all the people stopped in their tracks.#tn Heb “stood.” They stopped chasing Israel and ceased fighting.#tn Heb “they no longer chased after Israel and they no longer fought.” 29 Abner and his men went through the Arabah all that night. They crossed the Jordan River#tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. and went through the whole region of Bitron#tn Heb “and they went, all the Bitron.” The meaning of the Hebrew word “Bitron,” which is used only here in the OT, is disputed. The translation above follows BDB 144 s.v. בִּתְרוֹן in taking the word to be a proper name of an area east of the Jordan. A different understanding was advocated by W. R. Arnold, who took the word to refer to the forenoon or morning; a number of modern scholars and translations have adopted this view (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, CEV, NLT). See W. R. Arnold, “The Meaning of בתרון,” AJSL 28 (1911-1912): 274-83. In this case one could translate “and they traveled all morning long.” and came to Mahanaim.
30 Now Joab returned from chasing Abner and assembled all the people. Nineteen of David’s soldiers were missing, in addition to Asahel. 31 But David’s soldiers had slaughtered the Benjaminites and Abner’s men – in all, 360 men had died! 32 They took Asahel’s body and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem.#map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4. Joab and his men then traveled all that night and reached Hebron by dawn.
Currently Selected:
2 Samuel 2: NET
Highlight
Share
Compare
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
1996 - 2007 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC
2 Samuel 2
2
David Moves to Hebron
1It happened after this that David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?” And Yahweh said to him, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” 2So David went up there along with#Literally “and also” his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel#Literally “the Jezreelitess” and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 3Also, David brought up his men who were with him, each with#Literally “and” his household, and they settled in the towns of Hebron.
David Anointed King over Judah at Hebron
4Then the men of Judah came, and they anointed David there as king over the house of Judah, and they told David, “The men of Jabesh-Gilead buried Saul.” 5So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by Yahweh because you did this loyal love with your lord, with Saul, and you buried him. 6Now may Yahweh show loyal love and faithfulness with you. I will also show the good with you that you have done in this matter. 7So then, let your hands be strong and be valiant,#Literally “as sons of ability” for your lord Saul is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them.”
Ish-Bosheth over Israel
8But Abner the son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over Israel, all of it. 10Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel and he reigned two years; however, the house of Judah followed#Literally “were after” David. 11The number of days that David was king over Hebron, over the house of Judah, was seven years and six months.
War between Judah and Israel
12Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13Then Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out, and they met at the pool of Gibeon. The one group sat on one side of the pool, and the other sat on the other side. 14Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men come up and fight in our presence.” And Joab said, “Let them come up.” 15So they came forward and passed by in number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. 16Then each seized his opponent#Literally “neighbor” by the head and each thrust his sword in the side of his opponent, so they fell together. So they#Hebrew “he” called the name of that place Helkath Hazzurim,#Helkath Hazzurim possibly means “the slippery slope” which is in Gibeon. 17Then the battle became increasingly fierce#Literally “and it was/became strong/fierce until very” on that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.
18The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was swift with his feet as one of the gazelles which is in the open field. 19So Asahel pursued#Hebrew “pursued after” Abner, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left from going after Abner. 20Abner turned around and said, “Are you this Asahel?” And he said, “Yes.” 21Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or to your left; seize for yourself one of the young men, and take his belongings for yourself.” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from him. 22So Abner said to Asahel once again,#Literally “and he again did again” “For your own sake,#Literally “for yourself” turn aside from following me.#Literally “from after me” Why should I strike you down to the ground? How could I show my face#Literally “lift up my face” to Joab your brother?” 23But he refused to turn away, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of the spear, and the spear went out of his back. He fell there and he died on the spot.#Literally “in his place” Then#Literally “And it happened” all who came to the place where Asahel fell and died just stood there.
24So Joab and Abishai pursued#Hebrew “pursued after” Abner when#Literally “and” the sun went down. And they came to the hill country of Ammah, which is before Giah#Literally “lies on the face of Giah” on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25The descendants#Or “sons” of Benjamin rallied after Abner, and they became as one fighting group and stood on the top of a certain hill. 26Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Will the sword devour forever? Do you not know that there will be bitterness in the end? How long#Literally “And up to when” will you not tell the people to turn away from pursuing#Literally “from after” their brothers?” 27Joab said, “As God lives,#Literally “The life of God” for if you had not spoken, the people would surely have gone up in the morning, each one of them from following after#Literally “from after” his brother.” 28Then Joab blew on the trumpet and all the people stopped, and they no longer pursued after Israel, and they did not fight with them again.
29Then Abner and his men went through the Arabah all that night, and they crossed over the Jordan. They went all the forenoon and came to Mahanaim. 30After Joab returned from pursuing#Hebrew “after” Abner, he gathered all the people; nineteen of the servants of David were missing along with Asahel. 31The servants of David had killed some of the Benjaminites among the men of Abner; three hundred and sixty men had died. 32Then they picked up Asahel and buried him in the grave of his father, which was at Bethlehem. Joab and his men went all that night arriving in Hebron at first light.#Literally “it became light for them in Hebron”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Compare
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2010 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software