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2 Samuel 3
3:1 The war was long between the house of Saul and the house of David;
David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker
and weaker.
i 2
Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon,
of Ahinoam of Jezreel;
3
his second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal of
Carmel; the third, Absalom son of Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of
4
Geshur;
Abital;
5
the fourth, Adonijah son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah son of
and the sixth, Ithream, of David's wife Eglah. These were born to
David in Hebron.
6
While there was war between the house of Saul and the
house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul.
ii 7
Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And
Ishbaal said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?"
8
The words of Ishbaal made Abner very angry; he said, "Am I a dog's head for
Judah? Today I keep showing loyalty to the house of your father Saul, to his
brothers, and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David;
and yet you charge me now with a crime concerning this woman.
iii 9
So may
God do to Abner and so may he add to it! For just what the LORD has sworn
to David, that will I accomplish for him,
10
to transfer the kingdom from the
house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah,
from Dan to Beer-sheba."
iv 11
word, because he feared him.v
And Ishbaal could not answer Abner another
12 Abner
sent messengers to David at Hebron,
saying, "To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and I
will give you my support to bring all Israel over to you."
13
He said, "Good; I
will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you: you shall never
appear in my presence unless you bring Saul's daughter Michal when you
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come to see me."
14
Then David sent messengers to Saul's son Ishbaal,
saying, "Give me my wife Michal, to whom I became engaged at the price of
one hundred foreskins of the Philistines."
15
Ishbaal (he) sent and took her
from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish.
16
But her husband went with her,
weeping as he walked behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to
him, "Go back home!" So he went back.
vi 17
Abner sent word to the elders of
Israel, saying, "For some time past you have been seeking David as king over
you.
18
Now then bring it about;vii for the LORD has promised David: Through
my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines,
and from all their enemies."
viii19
Abner also spoke directly to the Benjaminites;
then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of
Benjamin were ready to do.
20
When Abner cameix with twenty men xto David
at Hebron, David made a feast for Abnerxi and the men who were with him. xii
21
Abner said to David, "Let me go and rally all Israel to my lord the king, in
order that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over
all that your heart desires." So David dismissed Abner, and he went away in
peace.
22
Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid,
bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for
David had dismissed him, and he had gone away in peace.
23
When Joab
and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, "Abner son of Ner
came to the king, and he has dismissed him, and he has gone away in
peace."
24 Then
Joab went to the king and said, "What have you done? Abner
came to you; why did you dismiss him, so that he got away?
25 You
know that
Abner son of Ner came to deceive you, and to learn your comings and goings
and to learn all that you are doing."
26
When Joab came out from David's
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presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from
the cistern of Sirah; but David did not know about it.
27
When Abner returned
to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gateway to speak with him privately,
and there he stabbed him in the stomach. So he died for shedding the blood
of Asahel, Joab's brother.
xiii 28
Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, "I
and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the LORD for the blood of Abner
son of Ner.
29
May the guilt fall on the head of Joab, and on all his father's
house; and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a
discharge, or who is leprous, or who holds a spindle, or who falls by the
sword, or who lacks food!"
30
So Joab and his brother Abishai murdered
Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon. xiv
31
Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, "Tear your
clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourn over Abner." And King David
followed the bier.
32
They buried Abner at Hebron. The king lifted up his voice
and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept.
for Abner, saying, "Should Abner die as a fool dies?
34
33 The
king lamented
Your hands were not
bound, your feet were not fettered; as one falls before the wicked you have
fallen."xv And all the people wept over him again.
35 Then
all the people came
to persuade David to eat something while it was still day; but David swore,
saying, "So may God do to me, and more, if I taste bread or anything else
before the sun goes down!"
36
All the people took notice of it, and it pleased
them; just as everything the king did pleased all the people.xvi
37
So all the
people and all Israel understood that day that the king had no part in the
killing of Abner son of Ner.
38
And the king said to his servants, "Do you not
know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?
39
Today I
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am powerless, even though anointed king; these men, the sons of Zeruiah,
are too violent for me. The LORD pay back the one who does wickedly in
accordance with his wickedness!" xvii
i
Note the fracture between 3:1 and 3:2, 3:1 reports on the civil war, and then in a
complete non sequitor 3:2 lists David’s sons; the war narrative resumes with 3:7, and
note the resumptive repetition in vs. 6 indicating that vss. 3:2-3:6 were inserted:
6
While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David,,
which is a recap of vs. 1 3:1 The war was long between the house of Saul and
the house of David.
ii
Just like at the end of Chapter 14 (J’s parallel narrative in his Saul and David cycle),
Dtr 1 adds a list of the monarch’s children and wives.
iii
Abner and Ish-baal argue as in J’s parallel narrative of I Samuel 14, where the two
senior officials in the administration - Saul and Jonathan are at odds. Ish-baal’s
reaction follows in vs. 11, after the insertion of vss. 9-10
iv
The oath of vss. 9-10, is a difficult fit here. It is quite unlikely that Abner would
view David’s kingship as ordained by the Lord, since he’d hotly contested David’s
claim for two years. This type of statement, however, fits quite well with “A’s”
overall agenda, which seeks to legitimize David, and delegitimize Saul, thus even Ishbaal’s general Abner acknowledges that David’s claim to the throne is legitimate.
Note also that the name of the deity employed here is God/Elohim, which is rarely
used by J.
v
vi
See comment iii.
David’s demand that Michal be given back to him, does not make a lot of sense in
context. Abner promises him the throne without any preconditions. It is hardly likely
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that David would then postulate – if you don’t give me my wife back I don’t want the
throne. This section was added here because Michal appears subsequently in I Samuel
6:16 (“As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal
daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David
leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her
heart”) where she is vilified, and thus one more nail is placed in Saul’s coffin by
“A”.
Abner asks the elders to bring about David’s Kingship, reasoning that they have
vii
wanted him as king for some time; this does not fit with the subsequent verse in which
Abner once again quotes that the Lord promised David the throne, and see comment
iv.
viii
See comment iv.
ix
It seems that Abner came to see David alone, or at least with an unspecified
number of men, since when Joab calls him back he comes by himself. The number 20
was added once again to conform to I Samuel 14:14 (the parallel J episode), where
Jonathan and his armor bearer kill 20 men. The figure of 20 was also added to the
previous chapter by “A” (and see 2:30).
x
See comment ix.
xi
David makes the feast for Abner himself and not his men, and see comment ix.
xii
See comment ix.
xiii
Joab kills Abner in exactly the same way that Abner killed Asahel by stabbing him
in the stomach. J further draws an allusion between the murders by using some of the
same phraseology - Joab takes Abner aside (vs. 27), just like Abner asked that Asahel
do in 2:22"Turn away (aside) from following me; why should I strike you to the
ground?”
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xiv
It seems unlikely that David would curse Joab so vehemently (29 May the guilt fall
on the head of Joab, and on all his father's house; and may the house of Joab
never be without one who has a discharge, or who is leprous, or who holds a
spindle, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks food!), the same man who
becomes his general in the following chapters, especially since Joab had a blood feud
with Abner and the murder was somewhat justified. The curse was likely added to
further shift blame for Abner’s murder away from David. Note also the resumptive
repetition in vs. 30 (30 So Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner
because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.) repeating
vs. 27 (So he died for shedding the blood of Asahel, Joab's brother.) which
indicates that this curse is an addition.
xv
In 1 Samuel 14, Saul almost kills Jonathan for a very foolhardy reason, after his
victory against the Philistines. Here Abner is killed after handing over the crown to
David.
xvi
David’s fast was added by “A” to enhance the parallelism with I Samuel 14 where
Saul also makes a vow not to eat any food until he completes his campaign against the
Philistines (vs. 24) He had laid an oath on the troops, saying, ‘Cursed
be anyone who eats food before it is evening and I have been
avenged on my enemies.’ So none of the troops tasted food. Note the
irony here when the two texts are read together. Saul’s reason for fasting is to focus
on the avenging of enemies, and here David is fasting for the death of someone who
was once his enemy.
xvii
David's wish that the Lord judge the wicked is also found J in I Samuel 24, when
he confronts Saul for unjustly pursuing him: 15 May the LORD therefore be judge,
and give sentence between me and you. May he see to it, and plead my
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cause, and vindicate me against you.", Saul reciprocates in vs. 19 with So may
the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.