(KJV) 2 Samuel 21

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⥃David Anointed King of Judah

[1] And it came to pass after this, that David enquired2 of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron3. [2] So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal’s wife the Carmelite.4 [3] And his men5 that [were] with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities6 of Hebron. [4] And the men of Judah7 came, and there they anointed8 David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, [That] the men of Jabesh–gilead9 [were they] that buried Saul.

[5] [¶]And David10 sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh–gilead, and said unto them, Blessed11 [be] ye of the Lord, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, [even] unto Saul, and have buried him. [6] And now the Lord12 shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also13 will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing. [7] Therefore now let your14 hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant15: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.

⥃Ish-bosheth Made King of Israel

[8] But Abner16 the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host17, took Ish–bosheth18 the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim19; [9] And made him king over Gilead20, and over the Ashurites21, and over Jezreel22, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. [10] Ish–bosheth Saul’s son [was] forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years23. But the house of Judah followed David. [11] And the time24 that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

⥃The Battle of Gibeon

[12] [¶]And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish–bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim25 to Gibeon26.27 [13] And Joab28 the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together29 by the pool30 of Gibeon: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. [14] And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play before31 us. And Joab said, Let them arise. [15] Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin, which [pertained] to Ish–bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. [16] And they caught every one his fellow by the head32, and [thrust] his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkath–hazzurim33, which [is] in Gibeon. [17] And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner34 was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.

[18] And there were three35 sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel [was as] light36 of foot37 as a wild roe38. [19] And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned39 not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner40. [20] Then Abner looked behind him, and said, [Art] thou Asahel? And he answered, I [am]. [21] And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee41 his armour42. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him. [22] And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore43 should I smite thee to the ground? how then44 should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother? [23] Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth [rib45], that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, [that] as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still46. [24] Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that [lieth] before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

[25] And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of an hill. [26] Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall47 the sword48 devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be49 bitterness in the latter end? how long50 shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren? [27] And Joab said, [As] God51 liveth, unless52 thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning53 the people had gone up54 every one from following his brother. [28] So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more. [29] And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Jordan, and went through all Bithron55, and they came to Mahanaim56. [30] And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel. [31] But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner’s men, [so that] three hundred57 and threescore men died.

[32] [¶]And they took up Asahel, and buried58 him in the sepulchre of his father, which [was in] Beth–lehem. And Joab and his men went59 all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.

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  1. 2Sam 2:1, David, by God’s direction, with his company goes up to Hebron, where he is made king of Judah; 2Sam 2:5, He commends them of Jabesh–gilead for their kindness to Saul; 2Sam 2:8, Abner makes Ish–bosheth king of Israel; 2Sam 2:12, A mortal skirmish between twelve of Abner’s and twelve of Joab’s men; 2Sam 2:18, Asahel is slain; 2Sam 2:25, At Abner’s motion, Joab sounds a retreat; 2Sam 2:32, Asahel’s burial. ↩

  2. 2Sam 5:19, 2Sam 5:23; Num 27:21; Judg 1:1; 1Sam 23:2, 1Sam 23:4, 1Sam 23:9-12, 1Sam 30:7-8; Ps 25:4-5; Ps 27:4, Ps 143:8; Prov 3:5-6; Ezek 36:37 ↩

  3. 2Sam 2:11, 2Sam 5:1-3, 2Sam 15:7; Gen 32:2; Num 13:22; Josh 14:14-15; 1Sam 30:31; 1Kgs 2:11; 1Chr 29:7 ↩

  4. 1Sam 25:42-43, 1Sam 30:5; Luke 22:28-29 ↩

  5. 1Sam 22:2, 1Sam 27:2-3, 1Sam 30:1, 1Sam 30:9-10; 1Chr 12:1-7 ↩

  6. Josh 21:11-12 ↩

  7. 2Sam 2:11, 2Sam 19:11, 2Sam 19:42; Gen 49:8-10 ↩

  8. 2Sam 2:7, 2Sam 5:3, 2Sam 5:5, 2Sam 5:17; 1Sam 16:13; 1Chr 11:3 ↩

  9. 1Sam 31:11-13 ↩

  10. This was a generous and noble act, highly indicative of the grandeur of David's mind. He respected Saul, though he had been greatly injured by him, as the anointed king of Israel, and once his legitimate sovereign; and he loved Jonathan as his most intimate friend. ↩

  11. Ruth 1:8, Ruth 2:20, Ruth 3:10; 1Sam 23:21, 1Sam 24:19, 1Sam 25:32-33; Ps 115:15 ↩

  12. 2Sam 15:20; Ps 57:3; Prov 14:22; Matt 5:7; 2Tim 1:16-18 ↩

  13. 2Sam 9:3, 2Sam 9:7, 2Sam 10:2; Matt 5:44, Matt 10:16; Phlm 1:18-19 ↩

  14. 2Sam 10:12; Gen 15:1; 1Sam 4:9, 1Sam 31:7, 1Sam 31:12; 1Cor 16:13; Eph 6:10 ↩

  15. Heb. the sons of valour ↩

  16. 1Sam 14:50, 1Sam 17:55, 1Sam 26:14 ↩

  17. Heb. the host which was Saul's ↩

  18. 2Sam 3:7-8, 2Sam 4:5-6; 1Chr 8:33, 1Chr 9:39, Esh–baal ↩

  19. 2Sam 17:26-27; Gen 32:2 ↩

  20. Num 32:1-42; Josh 13:8-11; Ps 108:8 ↩

  21. The LXX read τον Θασιρι, Thasiri; and the Vulgate Gessuri, "Geshurites;" but it is probable that for ashuri, "Ashurites," we should read ashairi, "Asherites," or those of the tribe of Asher. Gen 30:13; Num 1:40 ↩

  22. Josh 19:18 ↩

  23. Houbigant proposes to read shesh shanah, "six years" instead of shetayim shanim, "two years," of the text, which he contends is a solecism; for, in pure Hebrew, the words should be shetayim shanah; and this is the reading of twenty manuscripts; but two is acknowledged by all the versions and manuscripts yet collated. 2Sam 2:10 ↩

  24. Heb. number of days, 2Sam 5:4-5; 1Kgs 2:11; 1Chr 3:4, 1Chr 29:27 ↩

  25. 2Sam 17:14; Gen 32:2 ↩

  26. Josh 9:3, Josh 10:2, Josh 10:4, Josh 10:12, Josh 18:25 ↩

  27. am 2951, bc 1053, An, Ex, Is, 438 ↩

  28. 2Sam 2:18, 2Sam 8:16, 2Sam 20:23; 1Kgs 1:7, 1Kgs 2:28-35; 1Chr 2:16 ↩

  29. Heb. them together ↩

  30. Jer 41:12 ↩

  31. 2Sam 2:17, 2Sam 2:26-27; Prov 10:23, Prov 17:14, Prov 20:18, Prov 25:8, Prov 26:18-19 ↩

  32. Probably by the beard or hair of the head. Plutarch, in his Apophthegms, informs us, that all things being ready for a battle, Alexander's captains asked him whether he had anything else to command them. "Nothing," said he, "but that the Macedonians shave their beards." Parmenio wondering what he meant, "Dost thou not know," said he, "that in fight, there is no better hold than the beard?" ↩

  33. that is, the field of strong men, 2Sam 2:16 ↩

  34. 2Sam 3:1 ↩

  35. 1Chr 2:15-16, 1Chr 11:26 ↩

  36. 2Sam 1:23; 1Chr 12:8; Ps 147:10-11; Eccl 9:11; Amos 2:14 ↩

  37. Heb. his feet ↩

  38. Heb. one of the roes that is in the field, Ps 18:33; Song 2:17, Song 8:14; Hab 3:19, The word tzevee, rather denotes the gazelle or antelope (see note on Deut 15:22.) ↩

  39. 2Sam 2:21; Josh 1:7, Josh 23:6; 2Kgs 22:2; Prov 4:27 ↩

  40. Heb. after Abner ↩

  41. It seems that Asahel wished to get the armour of Abner as a trophy. ↩

  42. or, spoil, Judg 14:19 ↩

  43. 2Kgs 14:10-12; Prov 29:1; Eccl 6:10 ↩

  44. 2Sam 3:27 ↩

  45. 2Sam 3:27, 2Sam 4:6, 2Sam 5:6, 2Sam 20:10 ↩

  46. 2Sam 20:12-13 ↩

  47. 2Sam 2:14; Acts 7:26 ↩

  48. 2Sam 11:25; Isa 1:20; Jer 2:30, Jer 12:12, Jer 46:10, Jer 46:14; Hos 11:6 ↩

  49. 2Sam 2:16; Prov 17:14 ↩

  50. Job 18:2, Job 19:2; Ps 4:2; Jer 4:21 ↩

  51. This was spoken in allusion to the proposal of Abner (2Sam 2:14), which led to the slaughter of twelve young men of each party, and thus provoked the battle. It is probable, that Joab had orders simply to act on the defensive, and would not have attacked the Israelites that day unless compelled; therefore the blame lay upon Abner and Israel. 1Sam 25:26; Job 27:2 ↩

  52. 2Sam 2:14; Prov 15:1, Prov 17:14, Prov 20:18, Prov 25:8; Isa 47:7; Luke 14:31-32 ↩

  53. Heb. from the morning ↩

  54. or, gone away ↩

  55. Bithron or Bether is probably the same as Betarus, which is placed in the Antonine Itinerary between Cesarea of Palestine and Diospolis or Lydda, 18 miles from the former, and 22 from the latter. The Jerusalem Itinerary mentions a place called Bethar, 16 miles from Cesarea, and 20 from Diospolis, which is probably the same. The Talmudists say that it was four miles distant from the sea. Song 2:17, Bether ↩

  56. 2Sam 2:12 ↩

  57. The slain of Israel, though greatly exceeding those of Judah, were not great. This might be owing to the directions given by David, to be as lenient as possible; but the death of Asahel seems to have stopped the pursuers, and greatly favoured the escape of the vanquished. 2Sam 3:1; 1Kgs 20:11 ↩

  58. 1Sam 17:58; 1Chr 2:13-16; 2Chr 16:14, 2Chr 21:1 ↩

  59. 2Sam 5:1; Prov 22:29 ↩