Chapter Three

The Alliance Between Abner and David. The Violent Death of Abner.

2 Samuel 3:1. There was a long conflict between the house of Saul and the house of David. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. “David’s advantage over Ish-bosheth lay in the fact that his kingdom, though small, was densely populated, contained no heterogeneous elements, had well-defined boundaries, and was threatened by no one. David himself was a genius as a general and administrator and was surrounded by talented, decisive, and devoted people who had been gathered to him from all the tribes since Saul’s lifetime, not excluding Benjamin. Ish-bosheth’s kingdom, while extensive, was diverse, bisected by the Jordan into two halves that differed considerably from each other. Ish-bosheth was a weak man, incapable of initiative and decisive action. His personality was overshadowed not only by David’s personality but by his own general as well. The fall of his kingdom was inevitable sooner or later, and the circumstances preparing David’s sole rule matured rapidly” (Y. Bogorodskii, “Hebrew Kings,” pp. 142-143).

2 Samuel 3:2. And there were born to David six sons in Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, born of Ahinoam the Jezreelite; See (1 Sam 25:43).

2 Samuel 3:3. His second was Chileab, born of Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third was Absalom, son of Maacah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; See (1 Sam 25:42). Geshur is in the northern part of the eastern region beyond the Jordan, at the foot of Mount Hermon.

2 Samuel 3:6. During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was strengthening his position in the house of Saul. 2 Samuel 3:7. Now Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine? 2 Samuel 3:8. Then Abner was very angry at the words of Ish-bosheth and said, “Am I a dog’s head? I have shown loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers and his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David; and yet you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman. 2 Samuel 3:9. May God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him, 2 Samuel 3:10. To transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba. 2 Samuel 3:11. And Ish-bosheth could not answer Abner a word, because he feared him. “Abner saw Ish-bosheth’s cause as completely lost and perhaps conceived the plan to establish his own rule on the ruins of his kingdom. He seduced Rizpah, Saul’s former concubine, and took her. By the customs of that time, this meant that Abner was, so to speak, assuming Saul’s rights. What Abner would undertake further as, so to speak, Ish-bosheth’s father, is unknown. Most likely, he would somehow gradually transfer to himself all the prerogatives of royal power and, perhaps without any physical violence against Ish-bosheth, would deprive him even of the appearance of royal authority. Ish-bosheth, however, felt the danger and, with unexpected firmness toward Abner, raised the matter of the shamelessness of his action. Never having felt himself to be truly Ish-bosheth’s subject, Abner, instead of fear and repentance, answered this just remark with an outburst of unbridled rage. Nevertheless, he had to abandon his original plan, the success of which rested mainly on the presumed incapacity of Ish-bosheth for any protest whatsoever, and resolved in annoyance (otherwise difficult to explain) to carry out his threat: to betray Ish-bosheth in favor of David” (Y. Bogorodskii, “Hebrew Kings,” pp. 142-143).

2 Samuel 3:12. And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, “Whose is the land? Make a covenant with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you. “Whose is the land,” that is, to whom should the land of the Hebrews belong? “All Israel,” that is, the entire kingdom of Ish-bosheth.

2 Samuel 3:13. And he said, “Good; I will make a covenant with you, but one thing I ask of you: you shall not see my face, unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see me. “What would have happened if David had not accepted Abner’s offer? There would have arisen in place of Ish-bosheth in a short time an usurper – either Abner himself or someone else – whom David could not, and indeed should not, have tolerated. He would have had to undertake another, perhaps lengthy, civil war. The hostile neighboring peoples surrounding the Hebrews could have taken advantage of this, and Israel would have been reduced to complete political insignificance. It was doubtless such considerations that led David to decide to hasten the inevitable denouement” (Y. Bogorodskii, “Hebrew Kings,” p. 144). “You shall not see my face, unless you bring Michal, Saul’s daughter” (1 Sam 18:20). The restoration of Michal, forcibly taken from him by Saul and given to another, would be a restoration of David’s honor, and at the same time a restoration of his connection with the reigning house of Saul, which would strengthen in the eyes of the people his claim to the Hebrew throne.

2 Samuel 3:14. And David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I espoused for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines. See (1 Sam 18:20-28).

2 Samuel 3:15. And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. See (1 Sam 25:44). According to the explanation of the blessed Theodoret, in this case there was no violation of the law set forth in (Deut 24:4), since “David did not send away Michal from him; but her father, unlawfully separating her from her husband, gave her to another. Therefore, the union with another (Paltiel) was not a marriage, but violence” (commentary on 2 Samuel, question 11).

2 Samuel 3:16. But her first husband went with her, weeping as he went, and he went to Bahurim. But Abner said to him, “Go, return.” And he returned. Bahurim is a city of the tribe of Benjamin.

2 Samuel 3:17. And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, “In times past you sought David as your king. “In times past,” that is, formerly, during Saul’s reign, you earnestly desired to see the slayer of the Philistines – the brave, wise, and humble David as your king.

2 Samuel 3:18. Now then act, for the Lord has spoken concerning 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.’ See (1 Sam 16:1-13; 2 Sam 5:1-2).

2 Samuel 3:19. Abner also spoke to Benjamin. Then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that would be agreeable to Israel and to the whole house of Benjamin. Everything that Israel and the entire house of Benjamin desired from their future king.

2 Samuel 3:27. When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the abdomen. So he died for the blood of Asahel, Joab’s brother. “So he died for the blood of Asahel.” See (2 Sam 2:18-23). At the same time, another explanation of Joab’s action is possible: in killing Abner, Joab desired to rid himself of his rival at David’s court.

2 Samuel 3:28. And afterward David heard of it and said, “I and my kingdom are innocent before the Lord forever regarding the blood of Abner, son of Ner. 2 Samuel 3:29. May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father’s house; and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or is a leper or leans on a staff or falls by the sword or lacks bread. 2 Samuel 3:30. So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon. 2 Samuel 3:31. And David said to Joab and to all the people with him, “Rend your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner.” And King David himself went behind the bier. 2 Samuel 3:32. They buried Abner in Hebron; and the king wept aloud at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 2 Samuel 3:33. And the king lamented for Abner, saying, “Should Abner die as a fool dies? 2 Samuel 3:34. Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered; as one falls before the wicked, so you have fallen.” And all the people wept again over him. 2 Samuel 3:35. Then all the people came to persuade David to eat something while it was still day; but David swore, saying, “May God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down. 2 Samuel 3:36. All the people took note of it, and it pleased them, just as everything the king did pleased all the people. 2 Samuel 3:37. So all the people and all Israel knew that day that the king had no part in the killing of Abner, son of Ner. 2 Samuel 3:38. And the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? The unexpected death of the tested commander and gifted politician (verse 38) Abner, occurring at the very moment when he was about to deliver the remaining Hebrews to David’s rule and thereby reunite the kingdom once more, could not help but affect the king in a distressing manner. The work of reuniting the tribes was postponed indefinitely. The just-emerging desire of Israel to join the house of David under the influence and guidance of the friends of the house of Saul and under the unhappy impression of Abner’s tragic death might well have been extinguished and might even have taken a completely opposite direction. But this did not happen. David’s sharply expressed grief for the untimely deceased commander convinced the people that David was not a party to the crime, and his nobly responsive heart bound the hearts of the Hebrews to him even more firmly.

2 Samuel 3:39. “I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too hard for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness! “These men, the sons of Zeruiah (David’s sister), Joab and Abishai, are stronger than I,” that is, they enjoy enormous authority and love among the people for their bravery and devotion to their country, which, incidentally, explains the fact that David did not venture to punish Joab as he deserved for his inopportune observance of the custom of blood revenge.