3
📚Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, but David became stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.3:1 This was a sad and unnecessary war brought about by personal rivalries and a desire to cling to power on the part of the family of Saul.⚜
David’s sons born in Hebron
2 📚And sons were born to David in Hebron, and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam from Jezreel; 3 📚and his second, Kileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal, from Carmel; and the third, Absalom, the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; 4 📚and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 5 and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.
3:2-5 Polygamy is not God’s instructions for men. See note at Gen 30:1. Of David’s six sons born in Hebron, none was outstanding, and three at least, Amnon, Absalom and Adonijah, were self-seeking, scheming men who died in sad circumstances (chapters 13–18; 1 Kings chapters 1 and 2).⚜
Abner comes over to David’s side
6 📚And it came about, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. 7 📚And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”
3:7 Abner denied this accusation in the next verse, but it could have been true. Taking a king’s concubine was, in the eyes of the people, practically the equivalent of taking his throne (2 Sam 16:20-22; 1 Kings 2:22). And Abner had been strengthening his own position (v 6).⚜
8 📚Then Abner was very angry at the words of Ish-bosheth, and said, “Am I a dog’s head, who against Judah am showing kindness today to the house of your father Saul, to his brethren and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David, that you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman? 9 📚So may God do harm to Abner, and more also, unless I do for David just as the LORD has sworn to him, 10 📚to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba 📖”.
3:9-10 1 Sam 15:28; 1 Sam 23:16-17. Since Abner knew this he had no business making Ish-Bosheth king (2 Sam 2:8-9). Ish-Bosheth was a weak man, Abner the real power behind him.⚜
11 And he could not answer Abner another word, because he was afraid of him.
12 📚And Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, saying, “Whose land is this? I say make your treaty with me, and see that my hand will be with you, to bring all Israel over to you”.
13 📚And David said, “Good! I will make a treaty with you. But one thing I require of you, that is, you will not see my face unless you first bring Saul’s daughter Michal, when you come to see my face”. 14 📚And David sent messengers to Saul’s son Ish-bosheth, saying, “Deliver my wife Michal to me, whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines”.
15 📚And Ish-bosheth sent men and took her from her husband, from Phaltiel the son of Laish. 16 📚And her husband went along with her, weeping behind her to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return”. And he returned.
17 And Abner spoke with the elders of Israel, saying, “In times past you were seeking for David to be king over you.
3:17 Ish-Bosheth had little support in Israel except for the tribe of Benjamin and the people of Gilead.⚜
18 📚Now then do it. For the LORD has spoken of David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.’ ”
19 📚And Abner also spoke in the ears of the people of Benjamin, and Abner also went to Hebron to speak in the ears of David all that seemed good to Israel and that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin.
3:19 Abner knew that the tribe of Benjamin could be the greatest stumbling-block to an agreement with David.⚜
20 📚So Abner came to David at Hebron, and twenty men came with him. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.
Joab kills Abner
21 📚And Abner said to David, “I will arise and go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a treaty with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires”. And David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.
22 And just then the servants of David and Joab came from pursuing a troop, and brought in great plunder with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.
3:22 All went smoothly and peaceably until Joab arrived.⚜
23 When Joab and all the army that was with him had come, they told Joab, saying, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he has gone in peace”.
24 📚Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? See, Abner came to you! Why have you sent him away? And he is already gone! 25 📚You know Abner the son of Ner. He came to deceive you and to find out your going out and your coming in, and to learn all that you are doing”.
3:25 This was a completely false charge.⚜
26 📚And when Joab came away from David, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know this. 27 📚And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly and stabbed him there in the stomach, so that he died, because of the blood of his brother Asahel.
3:27 2 Sam 2:23; 20:9-10; 1 Kings 2:5. Joab had no right whatever to take personal vengeance (Lev 19:18; Num 31:2). Compare Prov 20:22; 24:29; Rom 12:17, 19.⚜
28 📚And afterwards, when David heard this, he said, “Before the LORD I and my kingdom are forever innocent of the blood of Abner the son of Ner.
3:28 David did not know what Joab intended to do (v 26).⚜
29 📚May it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his father’s house, and may the house of Joab never fail to have someone who has a discharge or who is a leper 📖 or who leans on a cane or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread”.
30 📚So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.
31 📚And David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, and tie on sackcloth and mourn in front of Abner”. And King David himself followed the bier. 32 📚And they buried Abner in Hebron, and the king raised his voice and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept.
3:32 In spite of living in violent times and frequently engaging in warfare, David had a tender heart, like God’s (1 Sam 13:14; Ps 35:11-14).⚜
33 📚And the king lamented over Abner and said,
“Should Abner have died as a fool dies?
34 📚Your hands were not bound,
nor your feet put into fetters.
You fell as a man falls before wicked men”.
And again all the people wept over him.
35 📚And when all the people came to have David eat food while it was still day, David took an oath, saying, “May God do harm to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else until the sun sets”.
36 📚And all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, just as whatever the king did pleased all the people. 37 For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not the idea of the king to kill Abner the son of Ner.
3:37 One reason for David’s public display of sorrow was to convince them of this.⚜
38 📚And the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen today in Israel? 39 📚And today I am weak, even though the anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too hard 📖 for me. The LORD will repay 📖 the evildoer in accordance with his wickedness”.