2 Samuel 3
3
1This battle was the beginning of a long war between the followers of Saul and the followers of David. Saul's power grew weaker, but David's grew stronger.
David's sons born in Hebron
(1 Chronicles 3.1-4)
2-5Several of David's sons were born while he was living in Hebron. His eldest son was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel. David's second son was Chileab, whose mother was Abigail, who had been married to Nabal from Carmel. Absalom was the third. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur. The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith. The fifth was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital. The sixth was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, another one of David's wives.
Abner decides to help David
6As the war went on between the families of David and Saul, Abner was gaining more power than ever in Saul's family. 7He had even slept with a wife#3.7 wife: This translates a Hebrew word for a woman who was legally bound to a man, but without the full privileges of a wife. of Saul by the name of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah. But Saul's son Ishbosheth#3.7 Ishbosheth: See the note at 2.8. told Abner, “You shouldn't have slept with one of my father's wives!”
8Abner was very angry at what Ishbosheth had said, and he told Ishbosheth:
Am I some kind of worthless dog from Judah? I've always been loyal to your father's family and to his relatives and friends. I haven't turned you over to David. And yet you talk to me as if I've committed a crime with this woman.
9I ask God to punish me if I don't help David get what the LORD promised him! 10God said that he wouldn't let anyone in Saul's family ever be king again and that David would be king instead. He also said that David would rule both Israel and Judah, all the way from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.#3.10 from…south: Hebrew “from Dan to Beersheba”. This was one-way of describing all of the Israelite land, from north to south.#1 S 15.28.
11Ishbosheth was so afraid of Abner that he could not even answer.
12Abner sent some of his men to David with this message: “You should be the ruler of the whole nation.#3.12 You…nation: Or “I like you.” If you make an agreement with me, I will persuade everyone in Israel to make you their king.”
13David sent this message back: “Good! I'll make an agreement with you. But before I will even talk with you about it, you must get Saul's daughter Michal back for me.”
14David sent a few of his officials to Ishbosheth to give him this message: “Give me back my wife Michal! I killed a hundred Philistines so I could marry her.”#3.14 I killed…marry her: See 1 Samuel 18.20-27.#1 S 18.27.
15Ishbosheth sent some of his men to take Michal away from her new husband, Paltiel the son of Laish. 16Paltiel followed Michal and the men all the way to Bahurim, crying as he walked. But he went back home after Abner ordered him to leave.
17Abner talked with the leaders of the tribes of Israel and told them, “You've wanted to make David your king for a long time now. 18So do it! After all, God said he would use his servant David to rescue his people Israel from their enemies, especially from the Philistines.”
19Finally, Abner talked with the tribe of Benjamin. Then he left for Hebron to tell David everything that the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of the people of Israel wanted to do. 20Abner took twenty soldiers with him, and when they got to Hebron, David gave a big feast for them.
21After the feast, Abner said, “Your Majesty, let me leave now and bring Israel here to make an agreement with you. You'll be king of the whole nation, just as you've been wanting.”
David told Abner he could leave, and he left without causing any trouble.
Joab kills Abner
22Soon after Abner had left Hebron, Joab and some of David's soldiers came back, bringing a lot of things they had taken from an enemy village. 23Just after they arrived, someone told Joab, “Abner visited the king, and the king let him go. Abner even left without causing any trouble.”
24Joab went to David and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you, and you let him go. Now he's long gone! 25You know Abner—he came to trick you. He wants to find out how strong your army is and to know everything you're doing.”
26Joab left David, then he sent some messengers to catch up with Abner. They brought him back from the well at Sirah,#3.26 well at Sirah: Or “oasis of Sirah” or “cistern at Sirah”. but David did not know anything about it. 27When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pretended he wanted to talk privately with him. So he took Abner into one of the small rooms that were part of the town gate and stabbed him in the stomach. Joab killed him because Abner had killed Joab's brother Asahel.
Abner's funeral
28David heard how Joab had killed Abner, and he said, “I swear to the LORD that I am completely innocent of Abner's death! 29Joab and his family are the guilty ones. I pray that Joab's family will always be sick with sores and other skin diseases. May they all be cowards,#3.29 cowards: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. and may they die in war or starve to death.”
30Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.
31David told Joab and everyone with him, “Show your sorrow by tearing your clothes and wearing sackcloth!#3.31 sackcloth: Sackcloth was a rough, dark-coloured cloth made from goat or camel hair and was used to make grain sacks. People wore sackcloth or tore their clothes in times of trouble or sorrow. Walk in front of Abner's body and cry!”
David walked behind the stretcher on which Abner's body was being carried. 32Abner was buried in Hebron, while David and everyone else stood at the tomb and cried loudly. 33Then the king sang a funeral song about Abner:
Abner, why should you
have died like an outlaw?#3.33 outlaw: Or “fool”.
34No one tied your hands
or chained your feet,
yet you died as a victim
of murderers.
Everyone started crying again. 35Then they brought some food to David and told him he would feel better if he had something to eat. It was still daytime, and David said, “I swear to God that I'll not take a bite of bread or anything else until sunset!”
36Everyone noticed what David did, and they liked it, just as they always liked what he did. 37Now the people of Judah and Israel were certain that David had nothing to do with killing Abner.
38David said to his officials, “Don't you realize that today one of Israel's great leaders has died? 39I am the chosen king, but Joab and Abishai have more power than I do. So God will have to pay them back#3.39 God…back: Or “I pray that God will pay them back.” for the evil thing they did.”
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
2 Samuel 3
3
1#1Ki 14:30; 2Sa 2:17The struggle between the house of Saul and the house of David endured, but David grew stronger as Saul became weaker.
2#1Ch 3:1–4Sons were born to David in Hebron:
his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;
3#1Sa 27:8; 25:42and his second, Kileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal, the Carmelite;
and the third, Absalom the son of Maakah the daughter of Talmai, the king of Geshur;
4and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;
and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
5and the sixth, Ithream, was born to Eglah, the wife of David.
These were born to David in Hebron.
Abner Defects to David
6#2Sa 2:8–9While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was strengthening himself in the house of Saul. 7#2Sa 21:8–11; 16:21–22Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, and Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”
8#2Sa 9:8; 16:9Abner became very angry over the words of Ish-Bosheth. He said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Each day I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends by not allowing you to fall into the hand of David. Yet today you are charging me with guilt concerning this woman. 9#1Sa 15:28; 1Ki 19:2May God do so to Abner, and more also, for as the Lord has sworn to David, this I will do for him, 10#Jdg 20:1; 1Sa 3:20to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” 11And he could not offer a response to Abner, for fear of him.
12So Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and my hand will be with you to bring over all of Israel to you.”
13#Ge 43:3He responded, “Very well, I will make a covenant with you, but I require one thing from you: you will not see my face unless you bring Michal the daughter of Saul with you when you come to see me.” 14#1Sa 18:27; 18:25Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was betrothed for one hundred Philistine foreskins.”
15#1Sa 25:44So Ish-Bosheth sent for her, and he took her from her husband, Paltiel the son of Laish. 16#2Sa 16:5; 19:16But her husband went with her, weeping as he went, as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go. Return.” So he turned back.
17Abner had a word with the elders of Israel, “In days past, you were seeking David as king over you. 18#1Sa 15:28; 2Sa 3:9So do it now, because the Lord said to David: By the hand of David, I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of every enemy.”
19#1Ch 12:29; 1Sa 10:20–21Abner also spoke privately with Benjamin. Then Abner went to tell David privately at Hebron all that was received favorably by Israel and the entire house of Benjamin. 20So Abner, along with twenty men, went to David at Hebron, and David held a festival for Abner and the men who were with him. 21#2Sa 3:12; 1Ki 11:37Abner said to David, “Let me arise, go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went peaceably.
Joab Murders Abner
22Now the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much plunder with them, but Abner was no longer with David at Hebron, because he had sent him away in peace. 23When Joab and the whole of the army that was with him arrived, they reported to Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king and he sent him away peaceably.”
24So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you. Why is it that you sent him away? Now he is long gone. 25#Dt 28:6; Isa 37:28You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to learn of your coming and going, to discern all that you are doing.”
26When Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah. However, David was not aware of this. 27#2Sa 20:9–10; 1Ki 2:5So Abner returned to Hebron, and Joab pulled him aside in the gateway so as to speak with him undisturbed. There he struck him in the midsection so that he died on account of the blood of Asahel, his brother.
28Afterward when David heard of this, he said, “My kingdom and I are forever blameless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29#2Sa 1:16May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father’s house. May the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks food.”
30So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, because he killed Asahel their brother at Gibeon in the battle.
31#Ge 37:34; Jos 7:6David said to Joab and all of the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” As for King David, he followed behind the bier. 32#Pr 24:17; Job 31:28When they buried Abner at Hebron, the king raised his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all of the people wept.
33#2Sa 1:17; 13:12–13Then, the king lamented for Abner, saying,
“Should Abner have died as a fool dies?
34Your hands were not bound,
and your feet were not put in fetters;
as a man falls before the wicked, so you have fallen.”
And all of the people continued to weep over him.
35#2Sa 1:12; 12:17Then all of the people came to persuade David to eat food while it was still day. But David took an oath, saying, “May God do to me, and more also, if I taste food or anything else before the sun sets.”
36All of the people recognized this, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did was pleasing to all of the people. 37That very day, all of the people, all of Israel, understood that it was not ordered from the king to have Abner the son of Ner killed.
38David said to his servant, “Do you not understand that a great leader has fallen this day in Israel? 39#1Ki 2:33–34; 2:5–6Today, I am weak, even if an anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”
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