Tyndale Open Study Notes2 Samuel 2

After Saul died, those loyal to David (the tribe of Judah) came into conflict with those loyal to Saul’s son Ish-bosheth (the remaining tribes of Israel).

At this time, the Philistines controlled much of the land west of the Jordan River. They likely encouraged this division among the Israelites because a divided people were easier for them to control.

• David asked the Lord for guidance (see 2 Samuel 5:23–24; Judges 1:1–2; 20:18; 1 Samuel 10:22). He did this by consulting the Urim and Thummim (see Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8; Deuteronomy 33:8; 1 Samuel 14:41). Abiathar, David’s priest, administered them (1 Samuel 23:1–12; 30:7–8). David acted only when God directed him. He did not act before receiving guidance.

• Hebron was about thirty kilometers (nineteen miles) southwest of Jerusalem. Abraham lived in this area for a time and later bought a nearby cave as a family burial place (Genesis 23). The people of this region supported David (see 1 Samuel 30:26–31).

Ahinoam: See study note on 1 Samuel 25:43. David’s other wife, Michal, the daughter of Saul, had been given to another man after David fled from Saul (1 Samuel 25:44).

Abigail: See 1 Samuel 25.

After David established his rule in Hebron, he showed kindness to people who were still loyal to Saul. This included the men of Jabesh-gilead. However, because they remained loyal to Saul and his family line, they did not accept David as king (2 Samuel 2:8–11). David also had friendly relations with Nahash, the king of the Ammonites (see 2 Samuel 10:2; 17:27–29). Nahash had earlier attacked Jabesh-gilead and caused great suffering there (1 Samuel 11:1–15).

David became king because the people of Judah anointed him, which gave him a legal basis for his rule, just as it had for Saul (1 Samuel 11:15). Years earlier, the prophet Samuel had also anointed David, showing that God had chosen him to be king (1 Samuel 16:13).

• Abner: See study note on 1 Samuel 20:25.

• Mahanaim was east of the Jordan River, high in the hills of Gilead, near a source of fresh water. Saul and his family had a close connection to the region of Gilead (1 Samuel 11:1–11; 31:11–13). Because Mahanaim was east of the Jordan River, Ish-bosheth’s rule was harder for David’s forces to attack. Later, King David also used this same area as a temporary place of safety after Absalom’s rebellion (2 Samuel 17:24, 27).

• The name Ish-bosheth means “man of shame.” His original name was Esh-baal, which means “man of Baal.” Baal means “lord,” “master,” or “possessor,” and was also the name of a Canaanite god worshiped by Israel’s neighbors (see Numbers 25:3). Because of this association, Ish-bosheth’s name was likely changed later to avoid using the name of a foreign god.

Gilead was the easternmost district of the northern kingdom. Jezreel was the northernmost area, and Benjamin was the southernmost. Ephraim lay between them.

It is not clear where the land of the Ashurites was located. The phrase all Israel refers to the tribes that Ish-bosheth ruled over, not to the physical size or boundaries of his kingdom within Israel.

Ish-bosheth ruled from Mahanaim for two years during David's seven-and-a-half-year reign from Hebron. This suggests that there was a gap of about five years when the northern tribes had no king.

A long civil war followed between Judah, led by David, and the northern tribes, led by Saul’s family. These events led directly to the murder of Abner (2 Samuel 3:22–39).

Gibeon, about eight kilometers (five miles) northwest of Jerusalem, was an important city in the region of Benjamin.

The pool of Gibeon goes down about 24 meters (80 feet) to reach the water table (the level underground where water collects). Archaeologists estimate that the original builders removed about 3,000 tons of limestone (about 2,700 metric tons) to make the pool.

the young men: In ancient times, enemy armies sometimes picked individuals or small groups to fight as representative gladiators. This practice is often called champion warfare (see also 1 Samuel 17).

compete: The Hebrew term usually suggests an element of play. A contest of champions might have been seen as a high-stakes game. In this case, it resolved nothing. The fighting grew into a much larger battle with more casualties (2 Samuel 2:17–32).

The number of people killed in this battle is recorded in 2 Samuel 2:30–31.

Zeruiah was David’s sister (1 Chronicles 2:15–16). So, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel were his nephews.

Turn to your right or to your left … Stop chasing me: Abner’s words show respect between men trained for the same kind of military work, along with a desire for fairness in battle. Asahel, who was still young, would not have been able to defeat the more experienced Abner. Abner also understood that killing Asahel would worsen the conflict with David, and David’s troops would try to take revenge (see 2 Samuel 3:22–39).

• Joab and Abishai pursued Abner: See 2 Samuel 3:27.

• Ammah means “conduit” (a channel for carrying water), and Giah means “gushing.” These names suggest that an aqueduct system (a structure that carries water) was connected to the pool at Gibeon (2 Samuel 2:12–13).

this will only end in bitterness: Realizing that such wars go on generation after generation, Abner wisely negotiated a truce.

The ram’s horn signaled the beginning and end of combat (see also 2 Samuel 18:16; Joshua 6:15–16). For other uses of the ram’s horn, see study note on 2 Samuel 6:15.

Abner acted wisely by putting as much distance as possible between his troops and the forces of Joab. He understood that their desire for blood vengeance (revenge for a killing) could break the truce.

The 360 men who died all belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, the tribe of Saul. They were fighting under the command of one of Saul’s relatives. This defeat was a direct blow to Saul’s family line and its claim to rule (compare 2 Samuel 3:1).