Murder of Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth
4
📚And when Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands became weak, and all the Israelites were troubled 📖. 2 📚And Saul’s son had two men who were captains of bands. The name of one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab. They were the sons of Rimmon, a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin (for Beeroth also was reckoned part of Benjamin. 3 📚And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and have been staying there until this day). 4 📚And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news came from Jezreel about Saul and Jonathan, and his nurse picked him up and fled; and it so happened that as she hurried to get away, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.
4:4 Mephibosheth was next in line in the house of Saul for the throne of Israel. David later dealt very kindly with him (2 Sam 9:1-13).⚜
5 📚And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went and in the heat of the day arrived at the house of Ish-bosheth, who lay on a bed at noon. 6 📚And they came there into the middle of the house, as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped. 7 📚For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedroom, and they struck him and killed him and beheaded him, and took his head and travelled through the plain all night. 8 📚And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “See the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul your enemy who sought your life. And the LORD has taken vengeance on Saul and on his offspring, for my lord the king”.
4:8 They actually thought David would be pleased with their murder of Ish-Bosheth, and reward them. They claimed God’s approval upon their deed, though they were not concerned for God’s interests. Some people who pursue their own ends still like to make a show of piety by bringing God’s name into their talk.⚜
9 📚And David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 10 📚when someone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead’, thinking he had brought good news, I took hold of him and killed him in Ziklag. He thought that I would give him a reward for his news. 11 📚When wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed, shall I not much more certainly now require his blood from your hand and take you away from the earth?”
12 📚And David gave an order to his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and their feet, and hung them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.
4:11-12 Treachery and murder received their just reward.⚜