II. By the death of Saul, David was now left as the anointed king of Israel. This chapter narrates the first steps he took towards securing the throne, and the opposition made to him by the adherents of the house of Saul. At first thought it may seem surprising that no invitation to assume the vaca... [ Continue Reading ]
ENQUIRED OF THE LORD. — At this important juncture of affairs, David’s first care is to know the Divine will. His inquiry was, doubtless, made through the high priest Abiathar, as in 1 Samuel 23:9 (comp. 2 Samuel 22:20; 2 Samuel 23:1; 2 Samuel 23:4). The answer definitely directed him to go up to He... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS TWO WIVES. — See 1 Samuel 25:42.... [ Continue Reading ]
DWELT IN THE CITIES OF HEBRON. — David’s whole force of 600 men, with their families, accompanied him, and made their permanent settlement in the towns of the district to which Hebron gave its name... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY ANOINTED DAVID. — The first private anointing of David (1 Samuel 16) had been in token of his Divine commission; this was a sign of his recognition as king by the tribe of Judah; and there was still a third subsequent anointing (2 Samuel 5:4), when he was accepted by all Israel. Comp. Saul’s an... [ Continue Reading ]
I ALSO WILL REQUITE YOU. — David’s message of kindness and blessing is quite in accordance with his whole bearing towards Saul and his house, and. at the same time, was one of wise policy. The literal rendering is, _I also show you this good,_ the Hebrew not conveying directly the idea of future rec... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT ABNER THE SON OF NER. — According to 1 Chronicles 9:36, Ner was the brother of Kish, Saul’s father. Abner was therefore the cousin-german of Saul, and had been made by him the commander in chief of his army (1 Samuel 14:51). He was thus, both by kindred and office, strongly attached to the house... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ASHURITES, AND OVER JEZREEL. — This verse apparently expresses the gradual extension of Ishbosheth’s dominion as the country became freed from the Philistines. At first, his authority was established over Gilead — _i.e.,_ the country on the east of the Jordan; then “over the Ashurites.” No satis... [ Continue Reading ]
TO GIBEON. — Gibeon, in the territory of Benjamin, had become noted in the original conquest of the land as the only city which succeeded, though by craft, in making a league with the conquerors (Joshua 9). It was five and a half miles north-west from Jerusalem, and at a long distance both from Maha... [ Continue Reading ]
JOAB THE SON OF ZERUIAH. — Zeruiah was David’s sister (1 Chronicles 2:16), and Joab the most prominent of her three distinguished sons. Subsequently, by his successful leading of the forlorn hope in the siege of Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 11:6; comp. 2 Samuel 5:8), he became permanently established as... [ Continue Reading ]
LET THE YOUNG MEN. — To avoid unnecessary bloodshed between the tribes of a common parentage, and also, perhaps, to prevent the weakening of the nation in the face of their common Philistine foe, Abner proposes that the struggle should be decided by a combat between a few champions chosen on either... [ Continue Reading ]
HELKATH – HAZZURIM is interpreted in the margin “the field of strong men,” but the etymology is very doubtful. Most modern expositors understand it as meaning “the field of sharp edges.”... [ Continue Reading ]
A VERY SORE BATTLE. — The combat of the twelve on each side having decided nothing, the two hosts joined battle. Abner and the Israelites were worsted. The numbers engaged were probably not large, as the whole number of the slain was nineteen on David’s side, and 360 on that of Israel (2 Samuel 2:30... [ Continue Reading ]
ASAHEL PURSUED AFTER ABNER. — Asahel, the youngest of the three nephews of David, took part in the battle with his elder brothers, and well knowing how completely the cause of Ish-bosheth depended upon Abner, pertinaciously sought him out in the pursuit. His great fleetness enabled him to overtake A... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HILL OF AMMAH. — No identification of either Ammah or Giah has yet been made, but as it was “by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon,” it may be conjectured that it was not far from that town, and hence that the pursuit was not long.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CHILDREN OF BENJAMIN. — The rest of Abner’s force appears to have been hopelessly scattered in the flight, but he succeeded in rallying the Benjamites, his own and Saul’s kinsmen, in a strong position “on the top of an hill.”... [ Continue Reading ]
ABNER CALLED TO JOAB. — It may be that Abner was already considering the expediency of transferring his allegiance to the house of David, or, at least, had had enough experience of Ish-bosheth to see that it would be impossible to unite the tribes under his sway. At all events, his sense of the disa... [ Continue Reading ]
UNLESS THOU HADST SPOKEN. — Joab’s reply to Abner admits of either of two interpretations: (1) Joab seeks to throw the whole blame of the conflict upon Abner, by saying that if he had not proposed the combat between the champions (2 Samuel 2:14) there would have been no battle, but “the people” of b... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER FOUGHT THEY ANY MORE — i.e., in this present campaign. In 2 Samuel 3:1, it is said that “there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David.”... [ Continue Reading ]
THROUGH THE PLAIN (or the _Arabah_). — The wilderness of Gibeon lay to the east of the town, and Abner’s flight had thus carried him towards the Jordan. He now passed up the valley of the Jordan (which the word here used generally designates), and, crossing at a ford, went “through all Bithron to Ma... [ Continue Reading ]
JOAB RETURNED. — He cannot be supposed to have returned that day farther than to Gibeon, since it was already sunset (2 Samuel 2:24) before the pursuit ended. There, doubtless, he mustered his forces, and counted and buried the slain. NINETEEN MEN. — It is uncertain whether these numbers include th... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY TOOK UP ASAHEL. — The bodies of the ordinary soldiers were probably buried on the spot, but on account of Asahel’s position and near relationship to David, his body was carried to Bethlehem, for burial “in the sepulchre of his father.” It thus appears that Zeruiah’s husband (of whom there is no... [ Continue Reading ]