2 Samuel 2

KJV · Chapter 2/24

¹And it came to pass after this, that David enquired 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 Hebron.

²So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal’s wife the Carmelite.

³And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

⁴And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabesh–gilead were they that buried Saul.

⁵And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh–gilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the Lord, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him.

⁶And now the Lord shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing.

⁷Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.

⁸But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, took Ish–bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;

⁹And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

¹⁰Ish–bosheth Saul’s son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

¹¹And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

¹²And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish–bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

¹³And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together by the pool 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.

¹⁴And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.

¹⁵Then 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.

¹⁶And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkath–hazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

¹⁷And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.

¹⁸And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.

¹⁹And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

²⁰Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.

²¹And 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 thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.

²²And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?

²³Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, 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 still.

²⁴Joab 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.

²⁵And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of an hill.

²⁶Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?

²⁷And Joab said, As God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother.

²⁸So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.

²⁹And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.

³⁰And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel.

³¹But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner’s men, so that three hundred and threescore men died.

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

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David is anointed king over Judah in Hebron, while Abner, Saul's general, makes Ish-bosheth (Saul's son) king over the rest of Israel. The armies of the two houses clash at Gibeon, and young Asahel, Joab's brother, is killed by Abner.

Explanation

Here begins a period of civil war between the house of Saul and the house of David that lasts for years. Politically, Israel is divided: Judah follows David, while the other tribes follow Saul's son. This conflict shows how rarely a transition of power is simple, even when there is a divine promise behind it. Asahel's death also plants the seed of a future act of revenge by Joab against Abner. Today's lesson is that God fulfills His promises in His own time, even amid human conflicts and power struggles.

Fun facts

Hebron, where David is anointed, was already a city deeply connected to the patriarchs — it was home to the cave of Machpelah, where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were buried.
The name of the battle site, Helkath-hazzurim, means 'field of sharp sides' or 'field of knives,' referring to the deadly combat between the twelve young men from each side.

Verse-by-verse explanation

2 Samuel 2:1David inquires of the LORD before acting: he asks whether he should go up to any city of Judah, and God tells him to go up to Hebron, where he begins to reign.
2 Samuel 2:2David goes up to Hebron, bringing along his two wives as well, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
2 Samuel 2:3David also brings the men who were with him, each with his own household, and they all settle in the towns around Hebron.
2 Samuel 2:4The men of Judah come to Hebron and anoint David king over the house of Judah; they tell him it was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.
2 Samuel 2:5David sends messengers to Jabesh-gilead, thanking and blessing the men for giving Saul a proper burial.
2 Samuel 2:6David promises to repay their kindness, asking that the LORD also deal faithfully with them for this act of honor toward Saul.
2 Samuel 2:7David encourages the men of Jabesh-gilead to be strong and courageous, since Saul has died, but the house of Judah has already anointed him as the new king.
2 Samuel 2:8The name Ish-bosheth (something like “man of shame”) is almost certainly a later alteration of Saul’s son’s original name, probably Esh-baal (“man of Baal”)—copyists swapped the word baal for bosheth (“shame”) to avoid repeating the name of a Canaanite god, even inside personal names from before that word became taboo.
2 Samuel 2:9Abner establishes Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, as king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel—a kingdom rivaling David’s.
2 Samuel 2:10Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years, but the house of Judah followed David, showing the kingdom split into two.
2 Samuel 2:11David reigned in Hebron over the house of Judah for seven years and six months, the period before he unified all Israel under his rule.
2 Samuel 2:12Abner marches out from Mahanaim toward Gibeon with Ish-bosheth’s men—the start of the direct clash between the two rival royal houses.
2 Samuel 2:13Joab and David’s men also march out and meet Abner’s men near the pool of Gibeon, each group standing on one side of the water.
2 Samuel 2:14Abner proposes that some young men rise up and fight before the two groups, a kind of deciding contest before the larger battle.
2 Samuel 2:15Twelve men of Benjamin, on Ish-bosheth’s side, rise up against twelve of David’s servants for the duel arranged by Abner and Joab.
2 Samuel 2:16The arranged duel between twelve young men on each side, in which all of them die at once, each driving his sword into the other, gives the place its name: Helkath-hazzurim, meaning something like “field of sharp edges”—it seems to have been a ritual contest meant to settle the war without a full battle, but it ended only in a bloody draw.
2 Samuel 2:17The battle that follows the duel is fierce, and the men of Israel led by Abner end up defeated by David’s servants.
2 Samuel 2:18The three sons of Zeruiah—Joab, Abishai, and Asahel—were there; Asahel was known for being as swift as a wild roe.
2 Samuel 2:19Asahel chases Abner without turning to the right or to the left, determined to catch him as he flees.
2 Samuel 2:20Abner looks back and asks whether it is Asahel chasing him so closely; he confirms that it is.
2 Samuel 2:21Abner tries to spare Asahel’s life, suggesting he take the weapons of another young soldier instead of continuing to chase him, but Asahel will not give up.
2 Samuel 2:22Abner insists again, warning that he does not want to kill him, because that would complicate things with Joab, Asahel’s older brother.
2 Samuel 2:23Abner kills Asahel with the blunt end (the butt) of his spear, driving it through his belly—a detail that shows the force of the blow: it was not even the sharp side of the weapon, and it was still fatal.
2 Samuel 2:24Joab and Abishai keep chasing Abner until sunset, coming near the wilderness of Gibeon.
2 Samuel 2:25The men of Benjamin regroup behind Abner on top of a hill, forming a defensive position against the pursuit.
2 Samuel 2:26Abner calls out to Joab, asking whether the sword will go on devouring forever, and pleading with him to stop chasing his own Israelite brothers.
2 Samuel 2:27Joab answers that if Abner had not spoken up, the people would have stopped chasing their brothers back in the morning.
2 Samuel 2:28Joab blows the trumpet, and all the people stop pursuing and fighting against Israel, ending that day’s combat.
2 Samuel 2:29Abner and his men march all night through the plain, cross the Jordan, and return to Mahanaim.
2 Samuel 2:30Joab gathers his men and finds that, besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s servants are missing.
2 Samuel 2:31David’s servants had killed three hundred sixty men among Benjamin and Abner’s forces in that clash.
2 Samuel 2:32They bury Asahel in his father’s tomb in Bethlehem, and Joab and his men march all night until they reach Hebron at dawn.

Chapters

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