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2 Samuel 2

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David Anointed King in Hebron 1–7

1
And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And Jehovah said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron. ​
2
So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ​
3
And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. ​
4
And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, The men of Jabesh-gilead were they that buried Saul. ​
5
And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of Jehovah, that ye have showed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him. ​
6
And now Jehovah show lovingkindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing.
7
Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be ye valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them. ​

Ishbosheth Established as Rival King 8–11

8
Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, had taken Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; ​
9
and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. ​
10
Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. ​
11
And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. ​

War Breaks Out at Gibeon 12–23

12
And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ​
13
And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. ​
14
And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men, I pray thee, arise and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise. ​
15
Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin, and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
16
And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. ​
17
And the battle was very sore that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
18
And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe. ​
19
And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
20
Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Is it thou, Asahel? And he answered, It is I. ​
21
And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armor. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. ​
22
And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?
23
Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him in the body, so 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. ​

Abner Calls for a Truce 24–32

24
But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. ​
25
And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one band, and stood on the top of a hill.
26
Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren? ​
27
And Joab said, As God liveth, if thou hadst not spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone away, nor followed every one his brother. ​
28
So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more. ​
29
And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and came to Mahanaim.
30
And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel. ​
31
But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner’s men, so that three hundred and threescore men died.
32
And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Beth-lehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and the day brake upon them at Hebron. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 2 Samuel 2

Verse 1

enquired of the LORD — Sha'al, to ask; David asks first the region, 'any of the cities of Judah?', then the city, and is told 'Unto Hebron'. He had asked the same way at Ziklag (1 Sam 30:8). Hebron was Caleb's inheritance (Josh 14:13) and the place where Abram 'built there an altar unto the LORD' (Gen 13:18).

Verse 2

Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail — These are the two wives who went with David to Gath (1 Sam 27:3) and were taken captive at Ziklag (1 Sam 30:5). At Hebron Ahinoam bore Amnon, his firstborn, and Abigail bore Chileab (2 Sam 3:2–3).

Verse 3

every man with his household — These are the words of 1 Sam 27:3, where David's six hundred men settled at Gath with their families. The men who shared his wandering now dwell 'in the cities of Hebron', the towns around it, with the households taken at Ziklag and recovered there (1 Sam 30:3, 18–19).

Verse 4

anointed David king over the house of Judah — Mashach. David was anointed first by Samuel 'in the midst of his brethren' (1 Sam 16:13), now by the men of Judah, and finally by 'all the elders of Israel' at Hebron (2 Sam 5:3). The report of Jabesh-gilead's burial of Saul follows at once.

Verse 5

ye have shewed this kindness — Chesed, loyal kindness. Jabesh-gilead's valiant men went all night to Beth-shan, took Saul's body and his sons' from the wall, burned them and buried the bones under a tree at Jabesh (1 Sam 31:11–13). David blesses them 'of the LORD', and asks the LORD to 'shew kindness and truth' (v.6).

Verse 7

be ye valiant — Literally 'be sons of valour' (ben with chayil), joined to 'let your hands be strengthened' (chazaq). David calls Saul their 'master' (adon), says he is dead, and ends with the news that 'the house of Judah have anointed me king over them'.

Verse 8

Abner the son of Ner — Abner was Saul's captain and kinsman (1 Sam 14:50–51). Ish-bosheth, 'man of shame', is the son called Eshbaal in 1 Chr 8:33. Abner brings him over the Jordan to Mahanaim, where Jacob had said 'This is God's host' (Gen 32:2).

Verse 9

king over Gilead… and over all Israel — Five areas are named, Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim and Benjamin, then 'all Israel'. The list begins across the Jordan, where Mahanaim lay, and ends at Benjamin, Saul's own tribe. It leaves out Judah (v.10).

Verse 10

forty years old… reigned two years — Ish-bosheth's two years are set beside David's seven years and six months in Hebron (v.11; 2 Sam 5:5). The verse closes with the division of the kingdom: 'the house of Judah followed David'.

Verse 11

seven years and six months — Literally 'the number of days' (mispar) of David's reign over Judah at Hebron, confirmed in 2 Sam 5:5, which adds that in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years 'over all Israel and Judah'.

Verse 12

from Mahanaim to Gibeon — Abner leaves the Jordan side for Gibeon, a Benjamite city (Josh 18:25) and 'a great city' (Josh 10:2), where Joshua had said 'Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon' (Josh 10:12). Ish-bosheth's men go out to it, and Joab's come to meet them (v.13).

Verse 13

Joab the son of Zeruiah — He is named by his mother, a sister of David (1 Chr 2:16), as are his brothers Abishai and Asahel (v.18). Jer 41:12 mentions 'the great waters that are in Gibeon'. The two companies meet at the pool (berekah) and sit down on opposite sides of it.

Verse 14

play before us — Sachaq, to play or make sport; the verb of Samson, 'that he may make us sport' (Judg 16:25) and of David's dancing (2 Sam 6:5). Here it names a contest of twelve against twelve (v.15), and ends in the dead of v.16. Joab agrees: 'Let them arise.'

Verse 16

Helkathhazzurim — This is a name made of chelqath, a field or portion, and tsurim, rocks; it occurs only here. The place is named for the twelve pairs who 'fell down together', each with his sword in his fellow's side, and the 'very sore battle' of v.17 follows.

Verse 18

light of foot as a wild roe — Qal, light or swift, and tsebi, the gazelle. The Gadites who joined David were 'as swift as the roes upon the mountains' (1 Chr 12:8). Asahel is later numbered among 'the thirty' (2 Sam 23:24). All three sons of Zeruiah are named here.

Verse 20

Art thou Asahel? — Abner turns round and speaks to the man who has followed him, who 'turned not to the right hand nor to the left' (v.19). The question leads into two warnings, in vv.21 and 22, the second asking 'wherefore should I smite thee to the ground?'

Verse 21

take thee his armour — Chalitsah, stripped gear, used only here and in Judg 14:19. Abner points Asahel to 'one of the young men' to take it from. Asahel 'would not turn aside' (sur), the verb used again by Abner in v.22 and of the refusal in v.23.

Verse 23

under the fifth rib — Chomesh, the belly. The same word marks Joab's killing of Abner 'for the blood of Asahel his brother' (2 Sam 3:27), and later blows at Ish-bosheth (4:6) and Amasa (20:10); it is used only in those four verses. The spear's hinder end drives through Asahel.

Verse 24

the hill of Ammah — Joab and Abishai pursue until sundown to a hill 'that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon'. Ammah and Giah are named only here, in a pursuit that had begun at the pool of Gibeon (v.13).

Verse 26

Shall the sword devour for ever? — Abner calls to Joab across the pursuit. He speaks of 'bitterness in the latter end' (mar) and calls the opposing army 'their brethren' (ach); the war is between Israelites of one nation. Prov 17:14 says the beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water.

Verse 27

As God liveth — Joab swears by the living God (Elohim) and answers that, had Abner not spoken, the people would have gone home at morning 'every one from following his brother'. 'Unless thou hadst spoken' may point back to Abner's proposal in v.14 or forward to his appeal in v.26.

Verse 28

Joab blew a trumpet — Shophar, the ram's horn. Joab ends the pursuit by signal, as he does at the end of Absalom's war (2 Sam 18:16) and of Sheba's (20:22). 'Neither fought they any more' closes this day's fighting, but not the war: the 'long war' of 3:1 follows.

Verse 30

nineteen men and Asahel — Joab counts his losses: nineteen of David's servants and Asahel. Abner's men lost 'three hundred and threescore' (v.31). The count is made after the trumpet; Abner and his men walked all that night to Mahanaim (v.29).

Verse 32

the sepulchre of his father… in Bethlehem — Asahel is carried to the family grave at Bethlehem, David's city, and Joab and his men then 'went all night' back to Hebron. Zeruiah and Abigail were David's sisters (1 Chr 2:16). Joab's vengeance for Asahel comes at Hebron's gate in 2 Sam 3:27.