3:1The events recorded in chapter 2 led to a long war between David's followers and the troops loyal to Abner and tshbosheth. Civil war rocked the country at great cost to both sides. This war occurred because Israel and Judah had lost sight of God’s vision
Life Application Study Bible2 SamuelChapter 3
2 Samuel 3
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 467, 468
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
32 Samuel 3
3The second was Daniel,* whose mother was Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel.The third was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, kingof Geshur.
4The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith.The fifth was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital.
5The sixth was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, David's wife.These sons were all born to David in Hebron.
Abner Joins Forces with David
66As the war between the house of Saul and the house of David went on, Abner became a powerful leader among those loyal to Saul. 7One day Ishbosheth,* Saul’s son, accused Abner of sleeping with one of his father’s concubines, a woman named Rizpah, daughter of Aiah. 8Abner was furious. “Am I some Judean dog to be kicked around like this?” he shouted. “After all I have done for your father, Saul, and his family and friends by not handing you over to David, is this my reward—that you find fault with me about this woman? 9May God strike me and even kill me if I don’t do everything I can to help David get what the LORD has promised him! 10l'm going to take Saul’s kingdom and give it to David. I will establish the throne of David over Israel as well as Judah, all the way from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.” 11Ishbosheth didn’t dare say another word because he was afraid of what Abner might do. 12Then Abner sent messengers to David, saying, “Doesn't the entire land belong to you? Make a solemn pact with me, and I will help turn over all of Israel to you.” 13“All right,” David replied, “but I will not negotiate with you unless you bring back my wife Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come.” 14David then sent this message to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son: “Give me back my wife Michal, for I bought her with the lives* of 100 Philistines.” 15So Ishbosheth took Michal away from her husband, Palti* son of Laish. 16Palti followed along behind her as far as Bahurim, weeping as he went. Then Abner told him, “Go back home!” So Palti returned. 17Meanwhile, Abner had consulted with the elders of Israel. “For some time now,” he told them, “you have wanted to make David your king. 18Now is the time! For the LORD has said, ‘I have chosen David to save my people Israel from the hands of the Philistines and from all their other enemies.’” 19Abner also spoke with the men of Benjamin. Then he went to Hebron to tel! David that all the people of Israel and Benjamin had agreed to support him. 20When Abner and twenty of his men came to Hebron, David entertained them with a great feast. 21Then Abner said to David, “Let me go and call an assembly of all Israel to support my tord the king. They will make a covenant with you to make you their king, and you will rule over everything your heart desires.” So David sent Abner safely on his way.
Joab Murders Abner
22But just after David had sent Abner away in safety, Joab and some of David's troops returned from a raid, bringing much plunder with them. 22When Joab arrived, he was told that Abner had just been there visiting the king and had been sent away in safety. 24Joab rushed to the king and demanded, “ What have you done? What do you mean by letting Abner get away? 25You know perfectly well that he came to spy on you and find out everything you're doing!” 26Joab then left David and sent messengers to catch up with Abner, asking him to return. They found him at the well of Sirah and brought him back, though David knew nothing about it. 27When Abner arrived back at Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gateway as if to speak with him privately. But then he stabbed Abner in the stomach and killed him in revenge for killing his brother Asahel. 28When David heard about it, he declared, “I vow by the LORD that I and my kingdom are forever innocent of this crime against Abner son of Ner. 29Joab and his family are the guilty ones. May the family of Joab be cursed in every generation with aman who has open sores or leprosy* or who walks on crutches* or dies by the sword or begs for food!” 30So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because Abner had killed their brother Asahel at the battle of Gibeon.
David Mourns Abner’s Death
3131 Then David said to Joab and all those who were with him, “Tear your clothes and put on burlap. Mourn for Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the procession to the grave. 32They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king and all the people weptat his graveside.
33Then the king sang this funeral song for Abner:“Should Abner have died as fools die?
34Your hands were not bound;your feet were not chained.No, you were murdered—the victim of a wicked plot.”All the people wept again for Abner. °5David had refused to eat anything on the day of thefuneral, and now everyone begged him to eat. But David had made a vow, saying, “May Godstrike me and even kill me if I eat anything before sundown.”
36This pleased the people very much. In fact, everything the king did pleased them! 37So everyone in Judah and all Israel understood that David was not responsible for Abner’s murder.
38Then King David said to his officials, “Don’t you realize that a great commander hasfallen today in Israel? 29And even though I am the anointed king, these two sons of Zeru-iah—Joab and Abishai—are too strong for me to control. So may the Lor repay these evilmen for their evil deeds.”3:29a Or or a contagious skin disease. The Hebrew word used here can describe various skin diseases. 3:29b Orwho is effeminate; Hebrew reads who handles a spindle.over the northern tribes. Abner’s death could have revived thecivil war. (4) Joab violated David's agreement to protect Abner.Joab's murderous act ruined David's plans, and David was espe-cially angry that his own commander had committed the crime.3:31 By walking behind the procession (that is, behind thecasket), David was leading the mourning.3:31ff David ordered Joab to mourn, possibly because few peoplewere aware that Joab had committed the crime and because Daviddid not want any further trouble. If this is true, David was thinkingmore about strengthening his kingdom than about justice.
Textual footnotes
- read Danfiel]); Hebrew reads Kileab. 3:7 fshbosheth is another name for Esh-baal.
- mentioned. David had an especially hard time controlling Joab
- because, although he was intensely loyal, he was strong willed,
- preferring to do things his own way. In exchange for his loyalty,
- however, David was willing to give him the flexibility he craved.
- Joab’s murder of Abner is an example of his fierce independ-
- ence. While David opposed the murder, he allowed it ta remain
- unpunished because (1) to punish Joab could cause the troops to
- rebel; (2) Joab was David’s nephew, and any harsh treatment could
- 3:3 As in parallel text at 1 Chr 3:1 (see also Greek version, which reads Daiuia, and Dead Sea Scrolls, which
- 3:14 Hebrew the foreskins.
- 3:15 As in 1 Sam 25:44; Hebrew reads Paltiel, a variant spelling of Palti.
- 3:39 Joab and Abishai were the two sons of Zeruiah David
Life Application Notes 9 notes
3:6,7To sleep with any of the king’s wives or concubines was to make a claim to the throne, and it was considered treason. Because Ishbosheth was a weak ruler, Abner was running the country; thus, he may have felt justified in sleeping with Saul’s concubine. Ishbosheth, however, saw that Abner’s power was becoming too great.
3:7Ishbosheth may have been right to speak out against Abner’s behavior, but he didn’t have the moral strength to maintain his authority (3:11). Lack of moral backbone became the root of Israel's troubles over the next four centuries. Only 4 of the next 40 kings of Israel were called “good.” It takes courage and strength to stand firm in your convictions and to confront wrongdoing in the face of opposition. When you believe something is wrong, do not let yourself be talked out of your position. Firmly attack the wrong and uphold the right.
3:8By saying, “Am I some Judean dog to be kicked around?” Abner meant, “Am I a traitor for Judah?” He may have been refuting the accusation that he was trying to take over the throne, or he may have been angry that Ishbosheth scolded him after Abner had helped put him on the throne in the first place. Prior to this conversation, Abner realized that he could not keep David from eventually taking over israel. Because he was angry at Ishbosheth, Abner devised a plan to turn over the kingdom of Israel to David.
3:13,14Michal had been married to David. Saut had arranged he marriage as a reward for David’s acts of bravery (1 Samuel 17:25; 18:24-27). Later, however, in one of his jealous fits, Saul ‘ook Michal away from David and forced her to marry Palti 1 Samuel 25:44). Now David wanted his wife back before he would begin to negotiate peace with the northern tribes. Perhaps David still loved her (but see 6:20-23 for the tension in their relationship). More likely, he thought that marriage to Saut’s daughter would strengthen his claim to rule all Israel and demonstrate that he had no animosity toward Saul’s house. Palti was the unfortunate victim caught in the web of Saul’s jealousy.
3:19Because Saul, Ishbosheth, and Abner were all from the ribe of Benjamin, the support of the elders of that tribe meant that Abner was serious about his offer. There was a strong possibility of overcoming tribal jealousies and uniting the kingdom.
3:26-29Joab took revenge for the death of his brother instead of leaving justice to God. But that revenge backfired on him (1 Kings 2:31-34). God will repay those who deserve it (Romans 12:19). Refuse to rejoice when your enemies suffer, and don't try to get revenge. Seeking revenge will ruin your own peace of mind and increase the chances of further retaliation.
3:27Abner killed Joab’s brother Asahel in self-defense. Joab then killed Abner to avenge his brother's death and also to save his position of military leadership. People who killed in self-defense were supposed to be safe in cities of refuge (Numbers 35:22-25). Joab showed his disrespect for God’s laws by killing Abner out of revenge in Hebron, a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7).
3:29David was saying that Joab’s descendants would be unclean, unhealthy, and in want. Why did David say such harsh words about Joab? David was upset over Abner’s death for several reasons. (1) He was grieved over the loss of a skilled military officer. (2) He wanted to place the guilt of Abner’s murder on Joab, not himself. (3) He was on the verge of becoming king aver the entire nation, and utitizing Abner was the key to winning cause family problems; (3) Joab was from the tribe of Judah, and David didn’t want rebellion from his own tribe; (4) to get rid of Joab would mean losing a skilled and competent commander who had been invaluable in strengthening his army.