2 Samuel 4:1-12
1 And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.
2 And Saul's son had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the othera Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin:
3 And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.)
4 And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.b
5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon.
6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.
8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.
9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,
10 When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:
11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?
12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.
It was clear that Ishbaal's authority could not long survive Abner. It was only a question who should carry out the schemes which Abner had set on foot. Two of Ishbaal's captains came to his house as he was enjoying his midday siesta. And, behold the portress was cleaning wheat, and she had fallen sound asleep, and they got into the house without being noticed (following LXX of 2 Samuel 4:6 cf. mg.), and slew Ishbaal and took his head to David, who had them put to death.
There are two insertions in this narrative. 2 Samuel 4:2 b, 2 Samuel 4:3 is an archæ ological note as to Beeroth (Deuteronomy 10:6). Its inhabitants, probably on the occasion of some hostile inroad, had fled to Gittaim (not identified), and were sojourners (gerim, 2 Samuel 1:13 *) there, when the note was written.
2 Samuel 4:4 probably implies that the only other legitimate (cf. 2 Samuel 21:8) representative of the house of Saul was a crippled boy, so that the murder of Ishbaal left the way open for David. The boy's name was really Meribbaal (1 Chronicles 8:34), Baal contends, or 1 Chronicles 9:40, Meribaal, perhaps Hero of Baal (Gray, Heb. Proper Names, p. 201); Baal being a title of Yahweh. Mephibosheth has been explained (ICC), that puffs at the shameful thing, but according to Gray it is a mere, meaningless corruption. On the matter generally and for the change to bosheth, see 1 Samuel 14:49 * 1 Samuel 4:4 would be more in place at the beginning of, or at some point in, ch. 9. It might also have come at the end of this chapter.