2 Samuel 2:17-32

Asahel Slain. 2 Samuel 2:17-32

17 And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
18 And there were three sons of Zeruiah 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, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.

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 under the fifth rib, 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.

24 Joab also 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 troop, and stood on 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, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother.

28 So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.
29 And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they 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 sepulcher of his father, which was in Beth-lehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.

13.

Who won the battle? 2 Samuel 2:17

The Israelites were beaten by the men of Judah. This is the meaning of the statement that Abner was beaten. Abner was the leader of Ish-bosheth's army. They fell before the servants of David, the men of Judah who were under the leadership of Joab. Although there were ten tribes in the north and only one (Judah and Simeon combined) in the south, the southern armies were victorious.

14.

Who was Zeruiah? 2 Samuel 2:18

Zeruiah was David's sister. She had three sons, Joab, Abishai and Asahel. These men were David's nephews and valiant men. Asahel is described as being as light of foot as a wild roe.

15.

Why did Asahel continue to pursue Abner? 2 Samuel 2:19

Asahel wanted to get the glory of having killed the commander of the opponent. Although Abner, shrinking from arousing the animosity of Joab, showed forbearance in asking Asahel to turn aside and pursue one of the younger men, Asahel continued to pursue him. Abner then thrust his spear behind him and stopped abruptly. Asahel ran against the spear and so died. The hinder part of the spear was pointed so that it could be stuck in the ground when not in use.

16.

What is the meaning of under the fifth rib? 2 Samuel 2:23

This is the King James picturesque way of stating that a man was smitten in the abdomen. The American Standard Version gives the translation of the phrase as in the midst of his body. Repeatedly throughout this part of the Bible reference will be made to men who are smitten under the fifth rib. A man who was wounded in this area would normally die from his wounds. This happened to Asahel as Abner stuck out the hinder end of the spear. The hinder end of the spear was also sharpened so that it could be stuck in the ground (1 Samuel 26:7).

17.

Why did Abner call to Joab? 2 Samuel 2:26

Abner's calling to Joab indicates that Joab had been the aggressor. He asked Joab if he wanted to see the battle continued and more lives be lost. He reasoned with Joab that in the end there would be bitterness. He asked Joab how long he intended to press this battle. Joab indicated that the battle would have been over by the next day, but since Abner had spoken Joab blew a trumpet and stopped his men from pursuing Israel. This was the end of that particular battle.

18.

How many of David's men died? 2 Samuel 2:30

The Scriptures say, ... there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel. We cannot be sure that this mention of twenty who died included the twelve who also killed twelve of their opponents. More than likely it did; nothing definite is stated. Had there not been the gathering of the Benjamites on the top of the hill, the slaughter might have been greater. No doubt the Benjamites tried to check Joab in order that the rest might escape. Abner pled that humanity demanded the cessation of the pursuit. Joab replied that he intended to pursue until morning. Both armies did at length return to their headquarters. It was not customary for them to stay in the field. It was their duty to go home and guard the country against other invaders.

19.

How many men of Israel were killed? 2 Samuel 2:31

Abner's losses were much heavier than the losses of Joab. There were 360 of the men of Israel killed in the battle at Gibeon. The loss of Asahel was a very severe loss. He was not only the king's nephew, but he was the brother of Joab who became David's captain. Joab never quite forgot the fact that Abner killed Asahel. From that day forth he was determined to kill Abner. He really had no right to be the avenger of blood since Asahel died in battle and Abner slew him reluctantly.