2 Samuel 2
2
David, king of Judah
1Later, David asked the LORD, “Should I go back to one of the towns of Judah?”
The LORD answered, “Yes.”
David asked, “Which town should I go to?”
“Go to Hebron,” the LORD replied.
2David went to Hebron with his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail. Ahinoam was from Jezreel, and Abigail was the widow of Nabal from Carmel.#1 S 25.42,43. 3David also took his men and their families to live in the villages near Hebron.
4The people of Judah met with David at Hebron and poured olive oil on his head to show that he was their new king. Then they told David, “The people from Jabesh in Gilead buried Saul.”#1 S 31.11-13.
5David sent messengers to tell them:
The LORD bless you! You were kind enough to bury Saul your ruler, 6and I pray that the LORD will be kind and faithful to you. I will be your friend because of what you have done. 7Saul is dead, but the tribe of Judah has made me their king. So be strong and have courage.
Ishbosheth becomes king of Israel
8Abner the son of Ner#2.8 son of Ner: Abner was Saul's cousin (see 1 Samuel 14.50). had been the general of Saul's army. He took Saul's son Ishbosheth#2.8 Ishbosheth: One ancient translation has “Ishbaal” (see also 1 Chronicles 8.33). In Hebrew “baal” means “lord” and was used as the name of a Canaanite god. The people of Israel often changed “baal” to “bosheth” (which means “shame”) in personal names. Ishbosheth was probably called Ishvi or Ishyo in 1 Samuel 14.49. across the River Jordan to Mahanaim 9and made him king of Israel,#2.9 Israel: Sometimes “Israel” means the northern tribes and does not include the tribes of Judah and Simeon. That is how it is used in this verse. including the areas of Gilead, Asher,#2.9 Asher: The Hebrew text has “Ashur”, which is the Hebrew name for the Assyrians. It may be another spelling for Asher (one of the tribes of Israel) or it may refer to Geshur (a small area between Gilead and Jezreel, east of Lake Galilee). Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin. 10Ishbosheth was forty years old at the time, and he ruled for two years. But the tribe of Judah made David their king, 11and he ruled from Hebron for seven and a half years.
The war between David and Ishbosheth
12One day, Abner and the soldiers of Ishbosheth#2.12 Ishbosheth: See the note at 2.8. left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13Meanwhile, Joab the son of Zeruiah#2.13 the son of Zeruiah: Zeruiah was David's elder sister, so Joab was David's nephew (see 1 Chronicles 2.12-17 and the note at 2 Samuel 17.25). was leading David's soldiers, and the two groups met at the pool in Gibeon.#2.13 pool in Gibeon: This pool was just inside the city wall and was used for storing water. It was in the shape of a circle and was about 11 metres wide and about 11 metres deep. Abner and his men sat down on one side of the pool, while Joab and his men sat on the other side. 14Abner yelled to Joab, “Let's get some of our best soldiers to stand up and fight each other!”
Joab agreed, 15and twelve of Ishbosheth's men from the tribe of Benjamin got up to fight twelve of David's men. 16They grabbed each other by the hair and stabbed each other in the side with their daggers. They all died there! That's why the place in Gibeon is called “Field of Daggers”.#2.16 Field of Daggers: Or “Field of Opponents” or “Battlefield”. 17Then everyone started fighting. Both sides fought very hard, but David's soldiers defeated Abner and the soldiers of Israel.
18Zeruiah's three sons were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel could run as fast as a deer in an open field, 19and he ran straight after Abner, without looking to the right or to the left.
20When Abner turned and saw him, he said, “Is that you, Asahel?”
Asahel answered, “Yes it is.”
21Abner said, “There are soldiers all around. Stop chasing me and fight one of them! Kill him and take his clothes and weapons for yourself.”
But Asahel refused to stop.
22Abner said, “If you don't turn back, I'll have to kill you! Then I could never face your brother Joab again.”
23But Asahel would not turn back, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the back end of his spear. The spear went all the way through and came out of his back. Asahel fell down and died. Everyone who saw Asahel lying dead just stopped and stood still. 24But Joab and Abishai went after Abner. Finally, about sunset, they came to the hill of Ammah, not far from Giah on the road to Gibeon Desert. 25Abner brought the men of Benjamin together in one group on top of a hill, and they got ready to fight.
26Abner shouted to Joab, “Aren't we ever going to stop killing each other? Don't you know that the longer we keep on doing this, the worse it's going to be when it's all over? When are you going to order your men to stop chasing their own relatives?”
27Joab shouted back, “I swear by the living God, if you hadn't spoken, my men would have chased their relatives all night!” 28Joab took his trumpet and blew the signal for his soldiers to stop chasing the soldiers of Israel. Straight away, the fighting stopped.
29Abner and his troops marched through the Jordan valley all that night. Then they crossed the river and marched all morning#2.29 all morning: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. until they arrived back at Mahanaim.
30As soon as Joab stopped chasing Abner, he got David's troops together and counted them. There were nineteen missing besides Asahel. 31But David's soldiers had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin. 32Joab and his troops carried Asahel's body to Bethlehem and buried him in the family burial place. Then they marched all night and reached Hebron before sunrise.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
2 Samuel 2
2
David Anointed King Over Judah
1#1Sa 23:2; 30:31After this, David consulted the Lord, asking, “Shall I go to one of the cities of Judah?”
The Lord responded to him, “Go up.”
David asked, “Where should I go?”
And He said, “Hebron.”
2#1Sa 25:42–43; 30:5So David went up there, along with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3#1Sa 27:2–3; 30:1And David brought the men who were with him, each man with his household, and they lived in the cities of Hebron. 4#1Sa 31:11–13; 2Sa 5:5Then the men of Judah came and there anointed David as king over the house of Judah, and they informed David that it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul.
5#1Sa 23:21; Ru 2:20So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead saying, “May you be blessed by the Lord, you who have shown this loyalty to your lord Saul by burying him. 6Now may the Lord show you loyalty and faithfulness, even as I deal kindly with you who have done this thing. 7Now may your hands be strong and may you be courageous, since your lord Saul is dead and the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them.”
War Between the Houses of David and Saul
1Ch 3:1–4
8#1Sa 14:50; Ge 32:2However, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Saul, had taken Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9He installed him as king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, over Israel in its entirety.
10Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he ruled for two years. However, the house of Judah followed David. 11#1Ki 2:11The length of time during which David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12#Jos 18:25; 10:12Abner the son of Ner, with the servants of Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim toward Gibeon. 13#2Sa 8:16; 1Ch 2:16And Joab the son of Zeruiah, with the servants of David, went out in order to meet together at the pool of Gibeon. They sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the side of the pool opposite them.
14#2Sa 2:17Abner suggested to Joab, “Let the young men come forward and compete before us.”
And Joab replied, “Let them come.”
15So they stepped forward and were counted, twelve from Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth and twelve from the servants of David. 16Each one grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath Hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.
17#2Sa 3:1The fighting was very fierce that day, but Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.
18#1Ch 12:8; Hab 3:19Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was as fast as a wild gazelle. 19So Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner. 20Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?”
He answered, “It is I.”
21Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or left, overtake one of the young men, and take his equipment for yourself,” but Asahel was not willing to desist.
22#2Sa 3:27Abner continued still to reason with Asahel, “Abandon your pursuit. Why should I strike you down? How then could I show my face to your brother Joab?”
23#2Sa 3:27; 4:6But he refused to desist. So Abner struck him in the abdomen with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out of his back. He fell there and died on the spot. When all of the others came to the place where Asahel fell and died, they halted.
24But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. As the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is next to Giah on the way to the Wilderness of Gibeon. 25The sons of Benjamin gathered to the rear of Abner into a single formation, and they took their stand atop one of the hills.
26#Jer 46:10; 46:14Abner called to Joab, “Must the sword consume forever? Do you not understand that a bitter taste will result in the end? How long will you refuse to command the people to withdraw from chasing their brothers?”
27#2Sa 2:14; Pr 17:14Joab responded, “As God lives, I assure you that if you had not said this, the people would have each pursued his brother throughout the night.”
28So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still. They pursued Israel no longer, nor did they continue to fight anymore.
29#2Sa 2:8So Abner and his men traveled through the Arabah all that night, crossed the Jordan, and marched all morning until they returned to Mahanaim.
30Joab refrained from pursuing Abner, but instead mustered all of the people. There were nineteen men besides Asahel missing from among the servants of David. 31But the servants of David routed Benjamin and the men of Abner; three hundred and sixty of their men died. 32They carried Asahel back and interred him in his father’s tomb, which was at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men traveled throughout the night and reached Hebron at dawn.
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