II Samuel 7, The Davidic Covenant

David is now king of all Israel, with a palace built by the king of Tyre (2 Samuel 5: 11.)

2 Samuel 7:1-3, A palace for God?

After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent."

Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you."
 

David feels guilty about having a nice palace when the ark sits in a tent. Nathan says, "Go for it!" and David is ready to build a permanent temple.

This is the first we hear of the prophet Nathan. (Tradition has Nathan as one of the authors of the scroll of Samuel.)

2 Samuel 7:7-11a, A house to be established

That night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying: "Go and tell my servant David, `This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'
 

"Now then, tell my servant David, `This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. 

YHWH tells Nathan that, Yes, He has established and protected David, that He will make the line of David strong and great. Eventually they will have rest from their enemies. But it is not David who will build the temple. (In 1 Chronicles 28:2-3 we learn that God told David he could not build the temple because he was a warrior and had shed blood.)

2 Samuel 7:11b-16, "Your kingdom will endure forever"

"`The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'"

Despite David's enthusiasm for building a temple, it will be a son of his that will build the temple. Then David's line will last forever.

2 Samuel 7:17-24, David's response

Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD?

"What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Sovereign LORD. For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

"How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel--the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God.

When Nathan reports YHWH's response, David goes and prays, "Who am I?",  a rhetorical question, as the answer is the same as that of Jacob and Moses -- YHWH chose them for His own reason and purpose.

2 Samuel 7: 25-29, A song of praise

"And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, `The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!' And the house of your servant David will be established before you.

"O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, `I will build a house for you.' So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer. O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."

David sings a song of praise, thanking YHWH for blessing both him and Israel. He expects Israel to forever be blessed by YHWH choosing them.

This is the height of David's reign.  His political power will continue to grow and be consolidated over the next few chapters before it all falls apart.

First published September 4, 2023, updated September 3, 2026

II Samuel 6, Bring the Ark to Jerusalem

David is now king of all Israel and has pushed the Philistines out of the center of the country.

2 Samuel 6:1-5, The ark on a cart

David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.

Now that he is king, David wants the ark to reside in the new capital city of Israel, Jerusalem.

The thirty thousand (or thirty elefs) that David gathers to bring up the ark is equal to the number killed when the ark was first captured by the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4:10-11.

2 Samuel 6:6-8, Death of Uzzah

When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.

Then David was angry because the LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.

This is a shocking event -- the ark is apparently to be treated much more carefully than it has been. Apparently for merely touching the ark, Uzzah is struck down. And then David, naturally enough, is angry at YHWH.

We have no real explanation for this event -- except for a dramatic message about the importance of the ark.

In verse 8, Perez Uzzah means "outbreak against Uzzah" (according to NIV footnotes.)

2 Samuel 6:9-11, The ark at Obed-Edom

David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, "How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?" He was not willing to take the ark of the LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.

Shaken by the death of Uzzah, David is not sure he wants the ark close to him. So the ark is set aside at the house of a man named Obed-Edom. Obed-Edom is a Gittite, a former resident of Gath, and likely a former Philistine.

2 Samuel 6:12, The ark at Obed-Edom

Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.

After some time, David hears how the house of Obed-Edom has prospered and so again makes plans to move the ark on to Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 6:13-15, Sacrifice and dancing

When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

David slowly, with great fanfare and rejoicing, moves the ark.  After the first six steps, he sacrifices a bull and a calf. He then begins to dance and shout, as trumpets are played. One imagines this excited dancing continuing on into the city of Jerusalem, all the way to the palace.

2 Samuel 6:16, Michal's mistake

As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.

Michal is embarrassed by the actions of her husband, the king. This is a foolish reaction, focusing on an outward appearance -- and by association, on her own status as a queen -- instead of embracing David's joy at the return of the ark.

2 Samuel 6:17-19, The ark in Jerusalem

They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. 

And all the people went to their homes.

The ark is finally in its place in Jerusalem, within a tent near the palace.

2 Samuel 6:20-23, Separation from Michal

When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" 

David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel--I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

Michal had lived with another husband, having been given to another man by Saul. Here, finally in the palace with the new king, she reacts in disgust at David's exhibition of excitement and joy. When she expresses her disgust, David sharply defends himself. 

David's words to Michal echoes those of Samuel to Saul in I Samuel 13:14, reminding her that God has chosen him, David, not Saul, her father, as king.

We are told that Michal then had no children. Presumably this is because David rejected her and no longer slept with her.

First published September 2, 2023, updated September 2, 2026

II Samuel 5, The City of David

After the death of Saul, David continues to collect allies and solidify control of Israel.

2 Samuel 5:1-3, Israel submits to David

All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, 

`You will shepherd my people Israel, 

and you will become their ruler.'"

When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.

 

Israel comes together at Hebron to make David king of all twelve tribes.

2 Samuel 5:4-5, The Reign of David

David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

David's reign is summarized. He will shortly conquer the city that will be called the City of David.

2 Samuel 5:6-8, Capture of Zion

The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, "You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off." They thought, "David cannot get in here."

Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.

On that day, David said, "Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those `lame and blind' who are David's enemies." That is why they say, "The `blind and lame' will not enter the palace." 

David has been living in Hebron.  But now he conquers Jerusalem and lives there.  

The Hebrew passage about the blind and lame is unclear and the NIV translation is one of several different options. Apparently the city was so well defended that the blind and lame could defend it but, in mockery of the blind and lame, David's men entered through a water shaft.

2 Samuel 5:9-10, The City of David

David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces inward. And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him.

The city David has conquered is now claimed as his capital and the center of power in Israel. Jerusalem becomes, for all ages, the City of David.

(The Hebrew translated "supporting terraces" by the NIV is unclear. It is literally "the Millo" and is mentioned several times in the Old Testament history. Wikipedia has an article on it here and the Biblical Archealogical Society has an online article on it here.)

2 Samuel 5:11-12, Hiram helps build a palace for David

Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

Hiram recognizes David's reign and seeks alliance with David.

2 Samuel 5:13-16, More concubines, more sons

After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

 

This is a summary paragraph. As king, David has more power, thus more wives and more children. The birth of Solomon will be described in more detail later.

2 Samuel 5:17-21, Victory of the Philistines

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.

Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?" 

The LORD answered him, "Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you."

So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, "As waters break out, the LORD has broken out against my enemies before me." So that place was called Baal Perazim.

The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.

The Philistines see an old enemy and seek to bring him down. But David wins in a battle at a place later called Baal Perazim which means (according to the NIV footnotes) "the lord who breaks out."

2 Samuel 5:22-25, The Philistines again

Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the LORD, and he answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army."

So David did as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

The Philistines return and once again, YHWH guides David to victory but this time in a different way. Eventually David drives the Philistines out of central Canaan.

First published September 1, 2023, updated September 1, 2026

II Samuel 4, Murder of Ish-Bosheth

Abner has betrayed Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, and helped bring Israel over to David. Joab has then murdered Abner. As David wraps up his power, the followers of Saul must worry.

2 Samuel 4:1-4, Alarm in Saul's camp

When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. Now Saul's son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Recab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin--Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin, because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have lived there as aliens to this day. 

(Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became crippled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

 

Ish-Bosheth has two leaders, brothers, Baanah and Recab, who are Benjamites. We are tangentially introduced to Jonathan's young son, Mephibosheth, who was injured at the age of five when he fell while fleeing with his nurse. We don't know the details; presumably he broke legs which did not heal properly.

Recab and Baanah are apparently frightened of the increasing power of David's followers and are expecting imminent defeat and possibly execution as an enemy of David.

2 Samuel 4:5-7, Murder of Ish-Bosheth

Now Recab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest. They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Recab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah.

Recab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon, turn on Ish-Bosheth and kill him, then flee. So ends Ish-Bosheth attempt to regain the throne.

2 Samuel 4: 8, A head brought to David

They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to take your life. This day the LORD has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring."

Apparently with plans to engragiate themselves to David, the two former soldiers bring Ish-Bosheth's head to David, as evidence that they have killed the usurper. But if one has been reading earlier accounts, one realizes this is not a good idea.

2 Samuel 4:9-12, David responds

David answered Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, "As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of all trouble, when a man told me, `Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news!

How much more--when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed--should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!" So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner's tomb at Hebron.

David, as before, reacts to the murder by having these two men killed.

First published August 31, 2023, updated August 31, 2026

Is the Bible Perfect?

This Sunday essay is the result of conversations with Christian friends who live in a predominantly Muslim community. In that community, a common Muslim apologetic is:

1. The Quran is perfect, without error, across thousands of copies & hundreds of years.
2. The Christian Bible is imperfect, with lots of flaws and errors in its transmission.

The Muslim then concludes that Islam is correct and Christianity is not.

For many Muslims, without much experience in conversations with Christians, these claims are convincing. Both claims are often backed up with copious notes and references, so that the Muslim feels comfortable in their claim that their scripture trumps Christian scripture.

For example, here is a Muslim apologetic on the Quran (from an Ahmadiyya perspective.)  But there are significant issues with that first claim, that the Quran is perfectly preserved. (The Quran is not perfectly preserved! -- see the details in the pdf file here.; another response is here.) 

However, I want to focus on the second claim, above.  That second claim is often phrased, in the Muslim apologetic, as follows:

Christians believe that their Scripture, the Bible, is perfect. 

But Christians are not aware of the many flaws and errors in their Scripture.

This is sometimes communicated with a "gotcha!" list of discrepancies between the Old Testament Masoretic Text (MT) and the Septuagint (LXX). Most of these discrepancies are quite minor. One of the most famous discrepancy occurs in the Old Testament story of David and Goliath.  (That disagreement, along with a possible explanation for it, are given here.) As we work through the books of 1 & 2 Samuel, we will find other examples appearing in the Scroll of Samuel in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Before I confront the Muslim argument that Christians naively believe their scripture is "perfect" in transmission, I want to describe the underlying "straw man" fallacy of this debate.

A Straw Man

The second argument, that Christians believe the Bible is "perfect" in transmission yet it clearly is not, is an example of a straw man argument and demonstrates an important difference between the Muslim and Christian views of their sacred texts.

A straw man argument is a logical fallacy in which one wins one's point by attributing to their opponent a ridiculous claim and then easily knocking that claim down, as if it were a man of straw. (See this Wikipedia page on this logical fallacy.) An example, in a religious setting, might be

"The Bible says the world is flat.

The world is obviously not flat.

So the Bible is wrong."

A straw man argument often assigns to one's opponent a statement that they would in fact deny.  Another example:

"Muslims are terrorists.

Terrorists should not be in our country.

Therefore Muslims should not be in our country."

In both examples, the straw man argument is set up with a simplistic first statement. Yes, there are a few (even today) who believe that the Bible teaches a flat earth. Yes, there are a few Muslims who are terrorists. But the first lines of these centered arguments are misleading and deceptive.

In conversations involving an apologetic for Christianity, 

one must be alert for these Straw Man arguments!

The Islamic argument, "Christians believe that their Scripture, the Bible, is perfect", is, in fact, a straw man.  This straw man argument is set up by the very different views of scripture between Islam and Christianity.

Differing Views of Scripture

The Islamic view of the Quran is that it was dictated orally to Mohammed by the angel Gabriel across a period of more than twenty years. The dictation is in Arabic and is the literal "Word of God."  It is perfect and unchangeable. This belief gives Muslims significant incentive to learn Arabic and to recite the Quran in Arabic.

Christians believe that the Bible was "inspired by the Holy Spirit", acting through various human writers over centuries.  (The paragraph in 2 Peter 1:20-21 is one of a number of passages cited to support this view.)  The Scriptures were not dictated, but used human thought and languages (different languages over different times) and this is evident from reading the Bible text.  

The human element is important to emphasize. My favorite passage that demonstrates this human element is 1 Corinthians 1:14-17. In that passage, the apostle Paul confronts a certain rivalry within the church in Corinth, divisions caused by disputes as to who was the best leader. Some new believers in Corinth were proud to have been baptized by Apollos, others by Peter, and so on. Into that dispute, Paul claims

"I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius..." (verse 14)

Is this a correct statement?  NO, for Paul immediately corrects it!

"(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; 

beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.)"

We read an "oops" in Paul's first claim, "Oh wait, I forgot -- I also baptized the household of Stephanas.  And maybe some others."  

So verse 14 is false! This is not a problem -- unless one believes that this letter of Paul was dictated by an angel. Instead, it was written by a very human person who sometimes forgot things. Paul goes on to say, 

"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel..."

This is the point of the passage in 1 Corinthians. Indeed, Paul's very forgetfulness emphasizes his message! He does not even remember whom he baptized!

If Christians treat the Bible as magically and perfectly dictated to us, they are using a Muslim view of Scriptures, not a Biblical/Christian one. The Bible, written in Hebrew and Greek (and a little Aramaic) comes to us through the voices of human beings over the centuries.

One can say more. Muslims believe that the Word of God (the Quran) is perfect and was given to Mohammed. But for Christians, the Word of God is Messiah Jesus!  (More accurately, the  "word" of God in the Old Testament was God's voice, God's plans and, in the New Testament, this is revealed as Jesus, see John 1:14, Hebrews 4:12-13.) If one wishes to compare views on the Word of God between Muslims and Christians, one should compare the Quran with Jesus! 

Muslims believe the Quran is perfect.

Christians believe that Jesus is perfect.

The Muslim believes that Mohammed points them to the perfect Quran. But the Christian believes that the Bible points them to the perfect Jesus.  

Is the Bible Perfect?

Is the Bible "perfect"?  I suspect a Christian's response to that question would depend on the definition of "perfect".  If one means "dictated correctly by God" then the answer is "No!"

There are, in fact, a variety of differing Christian views of the Bible. Many Christians believe that the Bible is "inerrant" or "infallible". (These are slightly different terms, see this Wikipedia site on inerrancy and this one on infallibility.)  

If a Muslim friend were to say to me, 

"Your Scriptures have textual disputes and transmission errors!" 

and then were to argue that this makes Christianity false, I would not accept this straw man. I would agree that there are textual disputes and transmission errors and merely shrug. These textual disputes are not a threat to my beliefs. (However textual differences in the Quran -- see the links in the third paragraph from the top -- are a threat to a Muslim's worldview!)

If we understand how the Old and New Testaments were communicated to us, we can confront a simplistic straw man argument. (Please see the previous Sunday essays: Transmission of the Old Testament, and The Old Testament Manuscripts.)

Acknowledgement

Thanks to my dear friends who started this conversation!  (You know who you are!) 😁😘

First published August 6, 2023; updated August 30, 2026

II Samuel 3, Ish-bosheth's Blunder

Joab and his men have arrived at Hebron, leaving Abner, commander of Saul's army remnant, in the tranjordan region of Gad.

2 Samuel 3:1, Warfare

The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

 

After the first battle, in the previous chapter, the civil war continues. We are not provided details, but David's side is winning.

2 Samuel 3:2-5, Sons of David

Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;  and the sixth, Ithream the son of David's wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

At this point our narrator interrupts the story to catch us up on David's life and genealology. As Alter points out, the guerilla band leader with two wives now is a reigning king with six wives, as is typical of one with power. The wife, Maacah, is daughter of a king of Geshur, a region to the north of Benjamin, along the shore of Galilee. David is slowly gaining power over the northern tribes.

Six wives give David six sons. Maacah will later have a daughter, Tamar. Kileab, the son of Abigail, disappears from history and has no part in the succession battles that follow later. Presumably he died young. In 1 Chronicles 3:1, he has an alternate name, Daniel.

2 Samuel 3:6-11, Ish-Bosheth accuses Abner

During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul. Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, "Why did you sleep with my father's concubine?"

Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said and he answered, "Am I a dog's head--on Judah's side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven't handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving this woman! May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the LORD promised him on oath and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David's throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba."

Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

The army general has more power than the putative king and Ish-bosheth is now merely a puppet. He learns this when Abner sleeps with one of the concubines of Saul. (Having sex with one of the king's concubines is a political statement. David's son, Adonijah, will make a similar statement by asking for Abishag, the Shunammite woman, in 1 Kings 2.)

2 Samuel 3:12-16, Abner's agreement

Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, "Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you."

"Good," said David. "I will make an agreement with you. But I demand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless you bring Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me."

Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding, "Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins." So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish.  Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. 

Then Abner said to him, "Go back home!" So he went back.

David has recaptured his wife, Michal, who had been given away by Saul. David's feelings for Michal are not clear. Does he love her, or merely see her as a sign of his kingship, since she was a daughter of Saul. But Michal's current husband, Paltiel, loves her.

2 Samuel 3:17-21, Abner supports David

Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, "For some time you have wanted to make David your king. Now do it! For the LORD promised David, `By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.'"

Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person. Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin wanted to do. 

When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for him and his men. Then Abner said to David, "Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a compact with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires." So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

Abner agrees to turn over the rest of the kingdom to David. Since Judah is in the southern part of the tribes, Abner is apparently bringing over the northern tribes.

2 Samuel 3:22-25. Joab's anger

Just then David's men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.

When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace.

So Joab went to the king and said, "What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing."

Joab is not willing to let Abner get away. Abner is an enemy that Joab intends to kill.

2 Samuel 3:26-27, Murder of Abner

Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it. Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the gateway, as though to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died.

Joab gets his revenge. Joab's life is one of violence --  intelligent violence -- but violence none the less.

2 Samuel 3:28-30. David's protest

Later, when David heard about this, he said, "I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. May his blood fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house! May Joab's house never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food." (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

David blames Joab for the murder of Abner but does nothing to reign him in.

There is an interesting collection of curses here: running sores, "leprosy", being crippled so one has to use a crutch, dying in battle, or starving. This list says something about the common health fears of this culture.

2 Samuel 3:31-35, Abner mourned

Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, "Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner." King David himself walked behind the bier. They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept aloud at Abner's tomb. All the people wept also.

The king sang this lament for Abner: "Should Abner have died as the lawless die? Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. You fell as one falls before wicked men." And all the people wept over him again.

Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!"

Abner is buried with honor. David publicly grieves Abner and makes it clear that he did not support the killing of Abner.

2 Samuel 3:36-39, The people are pleased

All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them.

So on that day all the people and all Israel knew that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.

Then the king said to his men, "Do you not realize that a prince and a great man has fallen in Israel this day?  And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!"

The people appreciate a king who does not seem to bear grudges.

First published August 30, 2023, updated August 29, 2026

II Samuel 2, Generals Abner and Joab

Saul and his sons are dead. David is heir-apparent, anointed by Samuel as next king, although those in the regime and tribe of Saul will be resistant.

2 Samuel 2:1-3, David goes to Hebron

In the course of time, David inquired of the LORD. "Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?" he asked. 

The LORD said, "Go up." 

David asked, "Where shall I go?" 

"To Hebron," the LORD answered.

So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns.

David receives guidance on the next steps in his life, on the place where he and his wives will live, now that he is no longer on the run. The throne is unoccupied and, as the one anointed by Samuel, David should be the next to reign.

2 Samuel 2:4-7, Anointed at Hebron

Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When David was told that it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead to say to them, "The LORD bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. May the LORD now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this.

Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."

The people of Judah go to Hebron to anoint David as king. David recognizes the loyalty of Jabesh Gilead to Saul and compliments them, while inviting them to join him.

2 Samuel 1:8-11, Ish-Bosheth, king of Gilead

Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel. Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. 

The house of Judah, however, followed David. The length of time David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

 

Despite David's anointment by Judah, Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, is anointed king by Abner and those in Saul's power structure. This sets up a conflict between Benjamin, the tribe of Saul, and Judah, the tribe of David.

2 Samuel 2:12-17, Abner vs. Joab

Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. Joab son of Zeruiah and David's men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.

Then Abner said to Joab, "Let's have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us." "

All right, let them do it," Joab said.

So they stood up and were counted off--twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent's side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.

The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David's men.
 

Abner and Joab arrange a battle between twelve pairs of fighters. The fighters all kill each other and subsequent warfare leads to victory by David's men.

(NIV footnotes, in verse 16, "Helkath Hazzurim" means "field of daggers" or "field of hostilities.")

2 Samuel 2:18-23, Asahel chases Abner

The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him.

Abner looked behind him and asked, "Is that you, Asahel?" 

"It is," he answered.

Then Abner said to him, "Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons." 

But Asahel would not stop chasing him.

Again Abner warned Asahel, "Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?"

But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel's stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.

Zeruiah is David's sister (1 Chronicles 2:13-16) and so Joab, Abishai and Asahel are all nephews of David. Asahel may be the youngest and is clearly a fast runner.  

After defeat by Joab, Abner flees. He tries to get Asahel to back off but when Asahel refuses, Abner kills him with a sudden surprise blow through his stomach.

2 Samuel 2:24-25, Abner protected

But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.

Abner runs on and eventually men of Benjamin come to his rescue.

2 Samuel 2:26-29, Truce

Abner called out to Joab, "Must the sword devour forever? Don't you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their brothers?"

Joab answered, "As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued the pursuit of their brothers until morning."

So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore. All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the whole Bithron and came to Mahanaim.

 

Abner suggests a cessation of hostilities and Joab, David's general, agrees. The followers of Saul march away, crossing the Jordan and moving northeast to Mahanaim, once part of Gad.

(NIV footnotes: The word "Bithron" is unclear.  It could mean "morning" or "ravine.")

2 Samuel 2: 30-32. On to Hebron

Then Joab returned from pursuing Abner and assembled all his men. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David's men were found missing. But David's men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. They took Asahel and buried him in his father's tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.

David's men have won the first battle of this civil war. Burying their dead, they march back to Hebron, in Judah, south of Jerusalem. Both sides have now separated and put some distance between them.

First published August 29, 2023, updated August 28, 2026