And Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;
Saul has fallen, and Judah has just anointed David at Hebron — but the throne is not settled. Saul's old commander then takes a son of Saul and sets up a rival kingdom. That raises a question: what happens when a man defends the old order against the king God has chosen?
The act looks like loyalty to a fallen family. One writer measures it instead by who the Lord had anointed.
War has not yet ended. If it is not against enemies outside, it goes on against those inside. Whatever was tied to Saul's natural importance cannot support David. All is now changed, for Ish-bosheth was not the Lord's anointed, and to make him king was in fact to rebel against God.
Abner needed someone to crown. One writer notes what this son of Saul offered him, and what his name says.
Abner asks no counsel of God. His wisdom comes from himself, prompted by that ready adviser, self-interest — or by what looks like it. As commander of the army that had been Saul's, he had the opportunity, and in Ish-bosheth he had a man who carried whatever shadow of title could come from Saul... Ish-bosheth means "man of shame." You could easily suppose that name came from his history rather than being the one he was born with. Chronicles tells us that his original name was in fact Esh-baal (1 Chronicles 8:33). The same change happened to Jonathan's son Merib-baal, whose name became Mephibosheth. Hosea 9:10 calls Baal himself "that shame." There is no real question that this sense of the shameful character of idolatry led to the name changes.
Another writer saw the move as a measure of how low the nation had sunk.
Abner's move to set up Ish-bosheth, a younger son of Saul, announced how low Israel had fallen. He was not anointed and not gifted. He was only a tool in Abner's hands, used for Abner's purpose, and in the end two of his own captains murdered him.
Abner was not a villain by the world's reckoning. What he stood for, though, was a claim of birth dressed up as a claim of right.
Abner is an honourable man by the world's standards. He is very brave, with a natural nobility of heart. But his character is violent and proud. In supporting Ish-bosheth he supports the principle that the throne passes down by natural family ties. That principle wore the appearance of right, because God had chosen Saul. Men defend this principle to the extreme, for it is the principle of their fathers' religion... What objection is there? Only that this whole system stands against the mind of God and makes war on His anointed.
Abner was not acting in ignorance.
It should not surprise us that Abner resists the Lord by supporting Ish-bosheth, and that he does it knowingly and willingly. Abner knows that David is the Lord's anointed... Abner knows he is not on God's side. But the Lord is not the object of his plans and his activity, so he barely cares that his opinions and his conduct contradict each other.
The place Abner chose has its own history, going back to Jacob.
Mahanaim was the place where Jacob saw angels, and where God's host and his own camp made "two camps." It ends with Jacob's own camp split in two, just as Abner had now divided Israel — and these camps were hostile to each other. Reliance on human strength had worked like that all through the history in between. God will not be content to be one force among other forces. And half-way dependence on Him, which is more than half independence, soon turns into real hostility.
Two rival camps meant years of fighting. One writer names the cause.
All this shows the sorrowful conditions that existed in Israel... Wars and bloodshed will continue as long as God's true King is not on the throne, ruling in righteousness and in peace. Nothing can stop the sword until He reigns.
Commentators differ on how far the picture of a future false king can be pressed. One writer finds "many difficulties in the way of such a view."
Here are faint hints of what Israel's future history will repeat. Another Ish-bosheth, a pretender to the throne of Israel, the false king, will be on the earth. He comes in his own name, with no claim whatever to the throne. And only a faithful remnant of His people will acknowledge the true King, just as with David... But Ish-bosheth's weakness, and above all his end, make it impossible to press the picture any further.
- Rebellion. Ish-bosheth was not the Lord's anointed. Crowning him was not politics but rebellion against God.
- Shame. He carried only a shadow of title from Saul: not anointed, not gifted, a tool in Abner's hand, and named "man of shame."
- Flesh. Abner defended succession by family ties. The old system looked right, but it warred against God's chosen king.
- Division. Mahanaim was the place of "two camps." Half-dependence on God soon hardened into two camps at war in Israel.
- Sword. Where the true king is not on the throne, the sword never stops; peace waits on His reign.
and made him king over Gilead, and over the Asshurites, and over Jizreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
David has just been crowned king in Hebron, and Abner answers by crowning Saul's surviving son over nearly every tribe but Judah. That leaves Israel with two kings and one question: who has the right to the throne?
The list of regions is impressive, but nobody asked God. One commentator traces the whole move back to the way a soldier thinks.
Abner, the captain of Saul's army, could only understand natural succession. He did not seek the will of God, but decided to put Saul's son Ish-bosheth on the throne of Israel. How many since him have thought that the military has the right of such decisions! But this choice belongs to God alone, and He had already anointed David as king of Israel — not only of Judah.
A reference work fills in the dates. Its count of the tribes he actually held falls short of the list in the verse:
It seems he did not begin to reign until five years later. He then reigned two years, over all the tribes except Judah, Benjamin, and perhaps Simeon. Abner, the head of Saul's army, supported him, but he made his headquarters at Mahanaim, east of the Jordan. There was long war between the two houses, but David grew stronger and stronger, and Ish-bosheth grew weaker and weaker.
The verse traces the claim outward, region by region. One commentator follows that line, reading "the Ashurites" as Asher.
Ish-bosheth's kingdom grows from its beginning in Gilead, spreading to Asher, to Jezreel, and on, until there is a united Israel set against the one tribe of Judah that holds to David. How quickly the yeast of rebellion spreads! And for what is of God, a time of patience and seeming failure is just as surely appointed.
The new king's own name is a comment on him. Family records keep two forms of it.
Abner, who had been the captain of Saul's army, took a son of Saul named Ish-bosheth and made him king in Gilead. The original name of this son was "Esh-baal," which means "the fire of Baal" (1 Chronicles 8:33). "Ish-bosheth" was his other name; it means "man of shame." He seems to have been a weakling and a tool in Abner's hand.
The capital Abner chose carries its own irony. Its name describes what he has just done to the nation.
Mahanaim was the place where Jacob saw the angels. There God's army and Jacob's own company stood for "two camps." It ended with Jacob's own camp divided into two, just as Abner had now divided Israel — and here the two camps were hostile to each other. Reliance on human strength had worked the same way all through the history in between. God will not be content to be one force among other forces. Half-hearted dependence on Him is more than half independence, and it soon hardens into real hostility.
David says nothing and does nothing. His own claim was beyond question, and that certainty is what kept him still.
Ish-bosheth had no title at all. Yet David showed great tenderness toward him, and all the more because he knew his own title could not be disputed. When people are in the wrong, do not be surprised if they are touchy. When they have the confidence of the truth of God, they can afford to leave things alone, without worry or bluster... The pretender may have been very annoying, and a harm to the people as well. Even so, violent methods would not have suited the king God had chosen in grace. So David leaves it all with Him.
Kelly adds that this time was harder in one way than the years of running from Saul. "In Saul's case there was a title; in Ish-bosheth's there was none."
Two kings, one true and one propped up by men — readers have long looked here for a picture of something later. Commentators are cautious.
If we read the rivalry to David as a picture of things to come, Ish-bosheth might seem to stand for the Antichrist... Yet in Ish-bosheth himself, and in his history also, there are many difficulties with that view. The weak son of Saul is only a tool in Abner's hands, and Abner is all along the real heart and soul of the opposition to David.
Gaebelein sees the same faint hints: a false king accepted, while the true King is owned by only a faithful few. But he concludes that "Ish-bosheth's weakness and especially his end makes a fuller application on these lines impossible."
- Title. David held one tribe and God's word. Ish-bosheth held most of the tribes and no title at all.
- Tool. The man crowned here is a "man of shame," a weakling used by Abner, whose real quarrel was with God's choice.
- Two camps. Abner's capital was the place of "two camps." Half-dependence on God soon hardens into real hostility.
- Patience. David was sure of his right, so he used no force. Confidence in God's truth can afford to be quiet.
- Time. A long war followed, but David only grew stronger and Ish-bosheth weaker. What is of God is given a time of patience first.
Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. However, the house of Judah followed David.
Two men wear a crown at the same time here: Ish-bosheth over Israel for two years, and David over Judah. Why does the man God chose hold one tribe only, while a man God never chose holds the rest?
Saul had four sons. Only one outlived him, and his name carries its own verdict.
Saul's sons, as given here, are three, though we learn elsewhere of a fourth, who does not come into this picture — Ish-bosheth. According to the meaning of his name he is the "man of shame," the only one who survives his father.
The name in this verse was not the name he was born with.
The original name of this son was "Esh-baal," which means "the fire of Baal" (1 Chronicles 8:33). "Ish-bosheth" was his other name. He seems to have been a weakling and a tool in Abner's hand.
Abner commanded Saul's army. He settled the succession the way a soldier would.
Abner, the captain of Saul's army, could only understand natural succession. He did not seek the will of God, but decided to put Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, on the throne of Israel. How many since him have thought that the military has the right of such decisions! But this is God's right alone, and He had already anointed David as king of Israel — not only of Judah. Abner made Mahanaim the headquarters of Ish-bosheth's kingdom. Mahanaim means "two camps," which shows that Israel was divided. God would not allow this to continue, but Ish-bosheth did reign over Israel for two years.
Saul at least had a title. His son had none, and that difference shaped how David waited.
Ish-bosheth had no title at all. Yet David treated him with great tenderness, all the more because he knew his own title could not be disputed. When people are wrong, do not be surprised if they are usually touchy. When they have the confidence of the truth of God, they can leave things alone without anxiety or bluster… So patience did its perfect work in David — not only while he suffered under Saul, but now, even after God had sent him up to reign in Hebron as the anointed king. In a way it was perhaps harder now. Saul at least had a title; Ish-bosheth had none.
Everyone in Israel knew whom God had chosen. A rival throne still went up.
In a world like this, whatever is of God is sure to stir up opposition. Nobody thought of dividing the kingdom under Saul, though some might despise him. Everyone must have known long since that God had chosen David, and that God had set Saul's house aside along with Saul himself. Yet Abner is able to make the feeble Ish-bosheth king over the rest of the kingdom, as it slowly recovers out of the hands of the Philistines. He reigns two years over the whole of Israel, while David stays king over Judah only for all of that time — seven years and a half. In those last two years Abner must have found himself strong enough at last to try to conquer Judah too.
Hebron was a real crown, but far less than Samuel's anointing had promised. God uses the gap.
He was a king now, but this was far short of the place Samuel anointed him for. And there was still to be "long war between the house of Saul and the house of David," though David's house would grow stronger and stronger. By what slow and measured steps the Lord leads His servants to their appointed place… How often God's servant is, like David, set in Hebron for a season — that is, holding only part of the service appointed for him. And how necessary this is, to develop the right qualities in him.
Some read the divided kingdom here as a preview of Israel's future.
Here we see faint hints of what Israel's future history will repeat. Another Ish-bosheth, a pretender to the throne of Israel, the false king, will be in the earth. He comes in his own name, with no claim whatever to the throne. And only a faithful remnant of His people will acknowledge the true King, just as with David… But Ish-bosheth's weakness, and above all his end, make it impossible to push the comparison further.
- Shame reigns. The one survivor of Saul's house is the "man of shame," and he takes a throne he has no title to.
- Shame gets a crown. Abner decides it as a soldier, not by asking God, and bases him at Mahanaim, "two camps" — a split nation in one word.
- Patience answers shame. David neither argues nor strikes. He knows his title is beyond dispute, so he can leave the matter alone without bluster.
- Patience forms the man. Two years of a rival reign sit inside seven and a half years of waiting. God uses that partial holding to form David for the full place.
- Patience outlasts the pretender. Many own a false king; a few own the true one. Writers see a picture of a later day here, while noting its limits.
And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
Two verses earlier the men of Judah had crowned David. This verse gives the length of that half-kingdom: seven years and six months in Hebron, while a rival king held the rest of Israel. Why did God's chosen king wait so long for what God had already promised him, and what was he learning in the meantime?
Behind this verse stands a split nation. One writer explains how the split came about, and what the rival capital's name admits:
Abner, the captain of Saul's army, could only understand natural succession. He did not seek the will of God, but decided to elevate Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, to the throne of Israel. How many since him have thought that the military has the right of such decisions! But this choice belongs to God alone, and He had already anointed David as king of Israel — not only of Judah. Abner made Mahanaim the headquarters of Ish-bosheth's kingdom. Mahanaim means "two camps," so the name itself stresses that Israel was divided.
One writer traces the division to something deeper than politics.
In a world like this, whatever is of God is sure to stir up opposition. Under Saul there was no thought of division, though some might despise him. As for David, everyone must have known long before that God had chosen him, and that Saul's house was set aside along with Saul himself. Yet Abner is able to make the feeble Ishbosheth king over the rest of the kingdom... He reigns two years over the whole of Israel. All that time — seven years and a half — David remains king over Judah only.
David had already been anointed and was already reigning. Yet he did nothing to remove the man who held the rest of his kingdom — and one writer finds these years more trying than the years of running from Saul.
Ish-bosheth had no right to the throne at all. Still, David showed great tenderness toward him — all the more because he knew his own right could not be disputed. When people are wrong, do not be surprised if they are quick to take offence. When they are sure of the truth of God, they can afford to leave things alone, without worry or loud talk... So patience had its perfect work in David. Notice that this was not only while he suffered under Saul. It went on even now, after he had been reigning in Hebron as the anointed king, where God had told him to go... In a way it may have been harder now, because Saul had a title to the throne, and Ish-bosheth had none.
David did not choose his capital. He asked God for it, and the name he was given carries its own lesson.
He asks the Lord about leaving Ziklag and returning to Judah, and the Lord tells him to do so. Then, in a spirit of felt dependence, he asks further which city. God's answer, "Hebron," is not only meant to point out a good location. Its name means "communion," which would be a strong reminder to David that if he is to reign as king, he will need the place of constant communion with God.
One writer finds in these years a pattern for anyone God uses.
He was now set up in royal dignity, but this position fell far short of the place Samuel had destined and anointed him for... By what slow and measured steps the Lord leads His servants to their appointed place... How often God sets His servant, like David, in Hebron for a season — that is, with only part of his appointed service in hand. And how necessary this is, to develop the right qualities in him.
Two writers read this divided period as a picture of Christ. The first sees in the false king and the faithful remnant a sketch of what is still to come — and says where the picture breaks down:
Another Ish-bosheth, a pretender to the throne of Israel, the false king, will be in the earth. He comes in his own name, with no claim whatever to the throne. And only a faithful remnant of His people will acknowledge the true King, as with David... But Ish-bosheth's weakness, and above all his end, make it impossible to press the comparison further.
Another writer gives a reason for the slow pace:
Christ will not set up His reign in this world by one sudden stroke, any more than David did. His judgment will be sudden, but not His reign. That would not fit the mind of God, who wants to give the consciences of His own people time to be exercised.
- Anointed — God settled David's right to the whole throne long before. Whatever is of God stirs up opposition.
- Asked — He asked God which city, and God sent him to Hebron, a name that means communion — the strength a king would need.
- Divided — Abner crowned Ishbosheth by natural succession and set his capital at Mahanaim, "two camps" — the split was on the map.
- Patient — Seven and a half years of a rival with no title may have tried David more than the years of persecution, yet he used no violence to shorten them.
- Partial — God leads His servants to their place by slow, measured steps; Hebron is the season of half possession that forms the man for the whole.
And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
Two armies march out from rival capitals and meet at Gibeon — Abner for Ish-bosheth, Joab for David. How did God's people end up armed against each other, and where is David himself while they fight?
Abner had already made Saul's son king at Mahanaim. One commentator notes that even the place name told the story:
Abner, the captain of Saul's army, could only understand natural succession. He did not seek the will of God, but decided to elevate Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, to the throne of Israel. How many since him have thought that the military has the right of such decisions! But this is God's prerogative, and He had already anointed David as king of Israel (not only of Judah). Abner made Mahanaim the headquarters of Ish-bosheth's kingdom. Mahanaim means "two camps," therefore emphasising that Israel was divided.
The name of the man Abner crowned points the same way. His original name was Esh-baal; the name Israel used for him, Ish-bosheth, means "man of shame" — a weak son who was, in one writer's words, "a mere tool in the hands of Abner for his purpose."
Abner's stand looked like loyalty to something God Himself had once set up. One commentator traces the argument, then names the flaw:
In supporting Ish-bosheth he is supporting the principle of succession by natural family ties. It is dressed up to look right, for God had chosen Saul. Men defend this principle to the extreme. It is the principle of their fathers' religion, a national religion. In man's sight that is far more respectable than the opinion of a few who make themselves conspicuous by following the son of Jesse… What objection is there? Only this: the whole system goes against the mind of God and makes war on His anointed.
One writer weighs the man who leads David's side:
Joab, an ambitious man, seeks to advance in the world and to win the first place in the kingdom… He can recognise righteousness and unrighteousness. But he only opposes unrighteousness when it crosses his own plans. And when something righteous runs against his interests, he suppresses it… Joab is a figure of political flesh. It is to his advantage to support David's cause. If we compare Abner with Joab, Abner is the better man.
So the better man fought for the wrong cause.
The two companies stop face to face. One commentator sees an order in this history that the Lord Jesus Himself follows:
This history illustrates the necessity of the Lord Jesus first subduing His own people under Him before subduing His enemies. Abner was the strong man in Israel; Ish-bosheth was of no significance. Abner of course wanted to see Judah subject to him too, and wanted to start a test of strength. He came to Gibeon with some of his men. Joab, the captain of David's army, was fully willing for the test. He went out with his men. They sat down on one side of the pool of Gibeon, with Abner and his men on the other side. But the occasion is not to be a discussion of their differences.
David's rights are the stated issue, yet David himself is nowhere in the chapter:
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be vindicating his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
The men on both sides of that pool belonged to one people. That is the heart of the lesson drawn from these verses:
All these men belong to the people of God. They are brothers. Yet here they stand with weapons in their hands, ready to attack one another for the cause that looks right in their own eyes. This is war in the middle of the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Cor. 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to overrule in things that come up between brothers?
The same writer follows the fight to its close:
Final result? No victory for either side, many sorrowful losses on both sides, much mourning and tears! These are brothers who would have torn each other apart. In the end both sides are still stuck where they started.
- Cause — Abner crowned a man God never anointed. The claim looked lawful, but the real quarrel was with God's chosen king.
- Camps — Mahanaim means "two camps," and the divided nation lived up to its capital's name.
- Champions — Joab fought for David out of ambition; Abner, the better man, fought for the wrong cause.
- Contest — the pool of Gibeon was no place for talk, only a test of strength; the Lord Jesus must subdue His own people before He subdues His enemies.
- Cost — David never came to the field, neither side gained ground, and the day left only losses, mourning and tears.
And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out. And they met together by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, these on the one side of the pool, and those on the other side of the pool.
Two armies of the same nation sit facing each other across a pool near Gibeon — David's men on one bank, the men of Saul's son on the other. One question drives the whole chapter: why do Israelites face Israelites at all?
One writer traces the division back to the way Saul's son got his throne.
Abner, the captain of Saul's army, could only understand natural succession. He did not seek the will of God, but decided to elevate Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, to the throne of Israel. How many since him have thought that the military has the right of such decisions! But this decision belongs to God alone, and He had already anointed David as king of Israel (not only of Judah). Abner made Mahanaim the headquarters of Ish-bosheth's kingdom. Mahanaim means "two camps," so the name itself underlines that Israel was divided.
One writer measures the two commanders against each other, and names the enemy both sides had forgotten.
It is Joab, a clever, ambitious, bloodthirsty, and heartless man. It is Abner, a man morally better than Joab. But he fights as a party man, on the principles of the flesh, against the king whom God has chosen… And where is the skill and bravery of the chiefs of Benjamin and Judah now shown in this "field of strong men"? In slaying each other. The Philistines were forgotten. But the family of Saul were entirely in the wrong. It was nature which, with its supposed rights, would not submit to God and to His will.
One writer asks what these men should have done instead of fighting.
All these men belong to the people of God. They are brothers, but here they are with weapons in their hands — ready to fall on one another in support of the cause that seems right in their eyes. This is war in the middle of the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Cor. 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to settle the things that arise between brothers?
That blindness did not end at Gibeon.
They did not stop to consider that they were all Israelites, and therefore brothers. But since that time the people of God have too often used the sword of the word of God cruelly against others of God's people. They might have used it for the positive good of others.
David's rights were the reason given for this fighting.
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be defending his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
Abner stood on one side of the pool. Who stood on the other?
The other prominent person is Joab, the son of Zeruiah, who went out with the servants of David. (Joab was David's nephew. See 1 Sam. 26:6; 1 Chronicles 2:16.) They met Abner's force about six miles northwest of Jerusalem by the pool of Gibeon.
One writer weighs what Joab's rise cost David's kingdom.
Only now is the name of Joab first heard during these sorrowful scenes in Israel. There this shrewd and bold man begins to take a very leading part. Joab appears on perhaps only two kinds of occasion: when there was anything bad to be done, or when there was anything great to be won. Joab was a man as far as possible from the faith of David. To allow such a chief his prominence and influence was one of the fatal weaknesses of David's kingdom.
So what did the fighting achieve?
Final result? No victory for either side, many sorrowful losses on both sides, much mourning and tears! These are the brothers who would have torn each other apart. In the end both sides are still stuck where they started.
One writer looks past this battle to the only thing that ends such fighting.
"Shall the sword devour forever?" was Abner's question. As long as God's true King does not occupy the throne, ruling in righteousness and in peace, wars and bloodshed will continue. The sword cannot be stopped till He reigns.
- Two camps. Abner settled the throne by natural succession instead of asking God, who had already chosen David.
- Two banks. Across that pool sat brothers, not enemies. The remedy for wrong between brothers is to suffer it and wait for the Lord.
- No king. David's rights were the excuse for the fight, but David was not there. The Lord is never with us when we fight our brothers.
- No gain. Both sides ended where they began: no victory, heavy losses, mourning and tears.
- One throne. The sword stops only when God's true King reigns in righteousness and peace.
And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise and make sport before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.
Two armies sit facing each other across the pool of Gibeon. Abner leads the men of Ish-bosheth; Joab leads the men of David. The words that break the silence are not an offer to talk, but a challenge. They sound almost light-hearted. By the end of the day twenty-four men lie dead, and the place has a new name.
Abner came to Gibeon to test whether he could bring Judah under him too. He called for a match between picked men, and Joab needed no persuading.
This history shows why the Lord Jesus must first bring His own people under Him before He subdues His enemies. Abner was the strong man in Israel: Ish-bosheth was of no significance. Abner of course wanted to see Judah subject to him too, and desired to initiate a test of strength. But the occasion is not to be a discussion of their differences. Abner asks that the young men should hold a contest (v.14) and Joab readily responds. Twelve men from each side then meet in deadly combat.
Neither side was facing a foreign enemy. The men on both banks of the pool came from one people.
All these men belong to the people of God. They are brothers, yet here they stand with weapons in their hands. Each side is ready to attack the other for the cause that looks right in its own eyes. This is war inside the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Cor. 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to overrule in things that may arise between brothers?
One writer reads the scene by asking who is missing from it.
Where is God? Absent. Where is David? His name is not even mentioned. It is a matter of who will come out on top in this tournament. Not a single one of the contending parties escapes. David loses his servants and his cause is not advanced in the least.
Joab's men claimed to be fighting for David. Another writer draws a warning from his absence:
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be vindicating his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
The ground where those men fell got a name that kept the memory of the day.
They met Abner's force about six miles northwest of Jerusalem by the pool of Gibeon. Then, at Abner's suggestion, twelve young men of Benjamin — the subjects of Ish-bosheth — fought twelve of David's servants. A wicked scene followed. They slaughtered each other at Helkath-hazzurim, "the field of sharp swords." After that came a severe battle, which ended with the defeat of Abner.
One writer asks what all that bravery achieved:
And where is the skill and bravery of the leaders of Benjamin and Judah now shown in this "field of strong men"? In killing each other. The Philistines were forgotten. But the family of Saul were entirely in the wrong. It was human nature which, with its pretended rights, would not submit to God and to His will.
Abner treated it as a small thing between young men. The outcome was not small, and it settled nothing.
At the first, it seems that the fighting will be of little importance. In Abner's eyes, it will just be a game between young men. It is only to test who is the stronger and more skilful! But what a frightful event! They are all stabbed, each killed by the other, with no gain for either side. Nothing came of this encounter between brothers except death, mourning, tears and humiliation. Can God give His people any victory other than the victory of love — love that always wins when it is at work?
One writer carries the scene forward to the weapon believers hold today.
They did not stop to consider that they were all Israelites, and therefore brothers. But since that time the people of God have too often used the sword of the word of God as a cruel weapon against others of God's people. They could have used it for their positive good instead.
- Contest. Abner passed off a fight between brothers as a contest. Twenty-four men died proving that quarrels among God's people are never a game.
- Absent. God is nowhere in this account, and neither is David. Those who fight their brothers cannot claim the Lord is with them.
- Forgotten. Real courage was on show. But the Philistines went untouched while Benjamin and Judah destroyed each other.
- Nothing. Neither side gained a thing. David lost servants, his cause stood still, and only love wins victories among God's people.
- Ours. The same sword can wound or serve. God's people have too often turned Scripture against each other instead of using it for each other's good.
And they arose and went over by number, twelve for Benjamin, and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
Twelve men from Benjamin and twelve from David's side step out at the pool of Gibeon, and within moments all of them are dead. Both sides belonged to the same people of God, which raises the question that runs through the chapter: what did their deaths settle?
This was not Israel against a foreign army. The twenty-four were one people, divided only by the man each side served: David, or Ish-bosheth the son of Saul.
All these men belong to the people of God. They are brothers, but here they are with weapons in their hands — ready to fall on one another in support of the cause that is right in their eyes. This is war in the middle of the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Cor. 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to take charge of matters that may arise between brothers?
Leslie Grant sees the same danger among God's people long after that day.
Verse 15 seems to show that all these men, on both sides, were ready to catch each other by the head. Each was ready to pierce the other with his sword at the same moment, so that they fell down together. They did not stop to consider that they were all Israelites, and therefore brothers. But since that time the people of God have too often used the sword of the word of God cruelly against others of God's people. They could have used it instead for the real good of those people.
Abner proposed the contest, and not one of the twenty-four men walked away from it.
At first it seems the fighting will be of little importance. In Abner's eyes it will just be a game between young men. It is only to test who is stronger and more skilful! But what a frightful event! They are all stabbed, killed one by another, and without a positive result for either side. Nothing came of this encounter between brothers except death, mourning, tears and humiliation. Can God give His people any other victory than the victory of love — love that always triumphs when it is active?
The place where they fell kept a name for what happened there, and Arno Gaebelein sees in the whole scene a picture of worse days to come.
At Abner's suggestion, twelve young men of Benjamin, the subjects of Ish-bosheth, fought twelve of David's servants. A wicked scene followed. They slaughtered each other at Helkath-hazzurim, "the field of sharp swords." A severe battle followed, and it ended with Abner's defeat. All this shows the sad state of things among Israel, and it points again to worse conditions throughout this age, especially at its close.
Two names you would expect in a fight over the throne are missing from the account.
The two troops meet (vv. 12-17). For what purpose? To test their strength. Where is God? Absent. Where is David? His name is not even mentioned. It is a matter of who will come out on top in this tournament. Not a single one of the contending parties escapes. David loses his servants and his cause is not advanced in the least.
Alfred Guignard turns David's absence into a warning:
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be defending his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake: the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
The wider battle that followed left the two camps exactly where they began.
No victory for either side, many sorrowful losses on both sides, much mourning and tears! These are brothers who would have torn each other apart, and in the end both are still stuck in their original positions. The servants of Ish-bosheth have not changed their point of view, and the servants of David have gained no advantage from the blood of their brothers that has been shed in the process.
The day's fighting cost both camps dearly, and Gaebelein looks past it to the one thing that will end such wars.
The battle ended with the loss of nineteen of David's servants and Asahel, while Abner lost 360 men. "Shall the sword devour forever?" was Abner's question. As long as God's true King is not on the throne, ruling in righteousness and peace, wars and bloodshed will continue. The sword cannot be stopped till He reigns. In His coming kingdom nations will learn war no more and beat their swords into plowshares.
- Brothers. The twenty-four who stepped forward were one people. Only the leader each had chosen divided them.
- Game. Abner called it sport for young men; a test of who was stronger left all twenty-four dead.
- Field. Helkath-hazzurim, "the field of sharp swords," keeps the name of what the "game" produced: death, mourning and tears.
- Absent. David's name never appears in a fight fought for his rights, and the Lord is not with anyone who fights his brothers.
- King. Nothing was settled that day, and nothing will be, until the true King reigns and swords become plowshares.
And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and [thrust] his sword in his fellow's side, and they fell down together. And that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is by Gibeon.
Two armies sit facing each other across the pool of Gibeon: Abner with the men of Israel, Joab with the men of David. Twelve fight twelve, all twenty-four fall together, and the place is left with a name and a question — what did anyone gain?
Abner wanted a test of strength, and Joab took it up at once. Neither side sat down to talk.
Abner of course wanted to see Judah subject to him too, and desired to initiate a test of strength. He came to Gibeon with some of his men (v.12). Joab, the captain of David's army, was completely willing for the test and went out with his men. They sat down on one side of the pool of Gibeon, with Abner and his men on the other side. But this meeting was not going to be a discussion of their differences.
Abner called it a game. It was nothing of the kind.
At the first, it seems that the fighting will be of little importance. In Abner's eyes, it will just be a game between young men. It is only to test who is the stronger and more skilful! But what a frightful event! They are all stabbed, killed one by the other and without a positive result for either side. Nothing came of this encounter between brothers except death, mourning, tears and humiliation.
The place kept a name from what happened there. Commentators translate that name in different ways.
The name means 'field of strong men.' It was given to the place where twelve men of Israel and twelve men of Judah killed each other, and it led to a very bitter battle.
Another writer reads the name differently and sees the cross in it:
If Gibeon, "the pit of suffering for iniquity," reminds us of the Cross, then the Cross has always been the battlefield between faith and unbelief. It is Helkath-hazzurim, "the place of sharp swords" — and in the end it is the place of victory for David.
The men who grabbed each other by the head belonged to one people.
Verse 15 seems to show that all these men, on both sides, were ready to catch each other by the head. Each one drove his sword into the other at the same moment, so that they fell down together. They did not stop to consider that they were all Israelites, and therefore brothers. But since that time the people of God have too often used the sword of God's word cruelly against other believers. They could have used it for their good instead.
Both sides believed their cause was right. That was not enough.
They are brothers, yet here they stand with weapons in their hands. They are ready to fall on one another for the cause that looks right in their own eyes. This is war inside the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Cor. 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to overrule in things that may arise between brothers?
Look for the king in this scene.
The two troops meet (vv. 12-17). For what purpose? To test their strength. Where is God? Absent. Where is David? His name is not even mentioned. It is a matter of who will come out on top in this tourney. Not a single one of the contending parties escapes. David loses his servants and his cause is not advanced in the least.
That absence carries a lesson forward.
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be vindicating his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
The bodies fell together, and the deadlock held.
The contest decided nothing. It was only the start of a battle that drew in both armies, and many more were dead before it was over. The battle made no real difference to the situation either, though Judah won it. Only God's work can bring about unity among His people.
The same fighting has a source, and it can reach into the house of God.
Remember that the leaders of each side are in special danger when brothers fight. Shall the sword devour forever? What will be the result? Only bitterness in the end. It cannot be otherwise... He who is a liar and a murderer from the beginning provokes his slaves against one another... Are we going to behave the same way in the house of God? Let us be careful! "If you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another" (Gal. 5:15).
There is somewhere else to be while such fighting goes on.
Alas! what is the result of all these struggles? We find nothing of God and nothing for God in them... The believer has only one resource left: to take refuge at Hebron with the one who is the only center of blessing. His presence gives peace, happiness, and wonderful rest.
- Play — Abner called it a game between young men. It was a test of strength that took the place of talking things out.
- Swords — Twelve met twelve, and every sword found its man. The ground took its name from that: the field of strong men, the place of sharp swords.
- Brothers — Nobody stopped to think that they were all Israelites. Being sure your cause is right does not make a brother a fair target.
- Absent — They fought for David's rights, but David was not there. The Lord is not with us when we fight our own.
- Nothing — The contest settled nothing, and the war that followed changed nothing. Only God's work brings His people together.
And the battle that day was very severe; and Abner and the men of Israel were routed before the servants of David.
Two armies from the same nation meet at the pool of Gibeon, and a contest between picked men turns into slaughter. The real question is not who won, but why Israelites were killing Israelites at all — and what such a win is worth.
One writer sums up the day and draws the lesson from Abner's own question later in the chapter:
They slaughtered each other at Helkath-hazzurim, "the field of sharp swords." After that came a severe battle, which ended with Abner's defeat… "Shall the sword devour forever?" was Abner's question. As long as God's true King is not on the throne, ruling in righteousness and peace, wars and bloodshed will continue. The sword cannot be stopped till He reigns.
One writer asks what these men should have done instead:
All these men belong to the people of God. They are brothers but they are here with weapons in their hands — ready to fall upon one another in support of the cause which is right in their eyes. This is war among the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Cor. 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to overrule in things that may arise between brothers?
One commentator sees the same thing happening among believers now:
How tragic to see Israelites fighting their fellow Israelites! The war against the Philistines, the real enemies of God's people, had now stopped. Israel was following leaders they chose for themselves. The record mentions no effort to find out the will of God in the matter… The highly gifted Corinthians were choosing sides among those whom God was using in that day. "I follow Paul," "I follow Apollos," "I follow Cephas," "I follow Christ" — these were their battle cries (1 Cor. 1:12). Our real battle is abandoned while we fight one another!
The verse calls the winners "the servants of David." That name raises a question:
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be defending his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
So what did the day's fighting settle?
The contest decided nothing. It was only the beginning of a battle that drew in both armies, and many more were dead before it was over. Nor did the battle make any real difference in the situation, though it was won by Judah. Only God's work can bring about unity among His people.
The same writer turns that hand-to-hand killing into a warning for believers:
They did not stop to consider that they were all Israelites, and therefore brothers. But since that time the people of God have too often used the sword of the word of God cruelly against others of God's people. They could have used it for the good of others instead.
One writer traces the fault back to its root:
It is Abner. He is a man morally superior to Joab, but he fights on the principles of the flesh as a party man against the king whom God has chosen… And in what did the courage and valour of the chiefs of Benjamin and Judah now show itself in this "field of strong men"? In slaying each other. The Philistines were forgotten. But the family of Saul were entirely in the wrong. It was nature which, with its pretended rights, would not submit to God and to His will.
The commander who won that day came to his own end:
Even the death of Abner did not put an end to this miserable history… For many long years Joab had been at the head of David's armies, honoured among the people of God, victorious over their enemies. But all this activity was worth nothing, either in the eyes of God or in David's… In the end God's government gave him his due. He died a wretched death by the sword, in the very house of God where he thought he had found safety.
- Cause — Saul's house would not submit to the king God had chosen. That refusal is the root of the whole war.
- Absence — his servants claimed to defend David's rights, but David was not there. The Lord is never with His people when they fight each other.
- Distraction — nobody fought the Philistines while Israel fought Israel. We drop the real battle whenever we turn our weapons on one another.
- Emptiness — Judah won, and nothing changed. Only God's work brings unity among His people.
- Cost — one day's bloodshed led on to Abner's death and Joab's ruin. The sword keeps devouring until the true King reigns.
And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was swift of foot, as one of the gazelles that are in the field.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from behind Abner.
Asahel picks one man out of a retreating army and runs straight at him. It looks like pure courage, but commentators ask two questions: whose battle was this, and what happens when a man's gifts outrun his wisdom?
At Gibeon, Israelites fought Israelites. Men loyal to Saul's house faced men loyal to David. One writer notices who is missing from the scene.
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be vindicating his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
Another writer sees that same absence as the reason the day achieved nothing.
The two troops meet (vv. 12-17). For what purpose? To test their strength. Where is God? Absent. Where is David? His name is not even mentioned. It is a matter of who will come out on top in this contest. Not a single one of the contending parties escapes. David loses his servants and his cause is not advanced in the least.
Asahel's speed let him stay with Abner. One commentator notes what he lacked once he got there.
Judah pursues Israel in the battle, and Asahel, the brother of Joab and Abishai, picks out Abner to pursue him. Being very swift of foot, he could easily keep up with Abner. If Joab had been in his place, he would not have hesitated to kill Abner. But Asahel was clearly not a trained soldier. He only wanted to be sure that Abner did not escape.
Abner warned him off. One writer reads the refusal not as bravery but as self-will.
What follows this strange contest is a full battle. In it Joab loses a much-loved brother — a brother toward whom Abner had shown his natural nobility of character. But Asahel would not take heed. He charges forward, filled with presumption. A victim of his own desire for glory, he falls to the ground, struck down by Abner's spear.
What did the chase cost him? One writer weighs it against the life he might have had.
No special mention is made of Asahel. He might have achieved some act of valor. But his confidence in himself and in his own quickness cost him his career very early, through his meeting with Abner.
Another commentator sums up the same failing in one line.
Asahel did not lack zeal, but did lack knowledge and wisdom as to warfare.
Asahel's death did not end at Gibeon. The chase that starts in this verse ends in a murder.
We might perhaps have thought that all was over, but sadly this was not the case. Joab holds hatred in his heart against Abner for the death of his brother Asahel. At the first chance he gets, he kills him by treachery with the sword. Peace was very far from their hearts.
Another writer looks past this one chase to the reason such fighting never stops.
God's true King does not yet sit on the throne, ruling in righteousness and in peace. Until He does, wars and bloodshed will continue. Nothing can stop the sword until He reigns.
Asahel ran hard after the wrong man. One commentator points to Hebron instead, and to the person found there.
The faithful soul has only one resource left: to take refuge at Hebron with the one who is the only center of blessing. His presence gives peace, happiness, and wonderful rest. But when our David rises to do battle, let us follow Him with courage. To fight with Him is to win a sure and lasting victory over the enemy.
- Absent King. David's name never appears in the fight his servants claim to wage for him. A battle he has not joined is a battle he will not bless.
- Gift. Asahel was very swift of foot. His speed let him keep pace with Abner with ease.
- Straight line. Turning neither right nor left looks like devotion. Commentators call it presumption and a hunger for glory.
- Gap. He had zeal without the knowledge and wisdom to match it — and the gap, not the enemy, is what killed him.
- Aftermath. One chase cost Asahel his life. Joab's revenge then cost Abner his, and David's cause gained nothing.
Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he said, I am.
Abner is fleeing the battlefield at Gibeon, and a fast young man is closing in on him from behind. Before a blow is struck, the old commander turns and asks who is chasing him — and the answer, Joab's own brother, will cost two lives.
The pursuit begins with a deliberate choice of target.
Judah pursues Israel in the battle, and Asahel, the brother of Joab and Abishai, picks out Abner to pursue him. He was very fast on his feet, so he could keep up with Abner. If Joab had been in his place, he would not have hesitated to kill Abner. But Asahel was clearly not an experienced soldier. He only wanted to make sure that Abner did not escape.
Abner's question — "Is it you, Asahel?" — is not idle curiosity. He already suspected the answer, and having it confirmed is what makes him try to shake off his pursuer.
Abner suspected that it was Asahel who followed him. Once he knew for sure, he told him to leave him and chase someone else (v.21). Abner did not want to fight it out with Asahel and kill him. He was afraid that if he did, he would earn Joab's special hatred.
The name Asahel, spoken aloud, is the name of Joab's brother. Abner is a seasoned soldier, cousin to Saul and captain of Saul's army, and he sees exactly where this is heading.
In one of the conflicts between the two houses Abner was overcome, and Asahel, Joab's brother, 'light of foot as a wild roe,' pursued Abner. Abner cautioned him twice, and then slew him. 2 Sam. 2:17-23. This act of self-defence was afterwards made the plea for Abner's death.
Commentators read Abner's conduct as genuine decency, and Asahel's refusal to heed it as the failure.
What follows this strange contest is a full battle. In it Joab loses a much-loved brother — a brother toward whom Abner had shown his natural nobility of character. But Asahel would not listen. He charges forward, full of presumption, and Abner's spear strikes him down. He falls to the ground, a victim of his own desire for glory.
Later, when David's best soldiers are honoured, Asahel's record is thin. The reason goes back to this chase.
There is no special mention of Asahel. He might have done some brave deed. But his confidence in himself and in his speed cut his career short very early, through his encounter with Abner (2 Sam. 2:18-24).
The lesson here is about who a servant of Christ is willing to harm.
Asahel's career was cut short by too much zeal, without the grace and wisdom needed to balance it. What might have been a brilliant path of service came to a sudden end. The spear of one of God's own people killed him — a distinguished soldier whom he insisted on chasing, despite a warning that came in time. It is not for the servants of Christ to seek the harm of any of God's children. Let us learn a lesson from Asahel's sad mistake. David never chased Saul, though Saul often sought David's life.
Both sides in this battle belong to God's people.
All these men belong to the people of God. They are brothers. Yet here they stand with weapons in their hands, ready to attack one another for the cause that seems right in their own eyes. This is war among the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? 'Why not rather suffer wrong?' (1 Cor. 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to overrule in things that may arise between brothers?
The king whose rights are at stake never appears in the scene.
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be vindicating his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
Abner's caution was well-founded. Joab later took his revenge, treating a battlefield death as murder.
Joab no doubt considered that he was "the avenger of blood" for his brother Asahel, and he was able to kill Abner just outside Hebron, the city of refuge (Josh. 20:7-9). Inside the city Abner would have been safe. Joab ignored that Asahel had died in battle, and he killed Abner while acting as a friend toward him. Joab had rebuked David for letting Abner deceive him, but his own dealings with Abner were far more cunning and deceitful.
- Recognition. Abner looks back and names his pursuer. Knowing who is chasing him changes everything: this is no enemy, but a fellow Israelite and Joab's own brother.
- Warning. Abner tells Asahel to turn aside. He knows that killing him would bring Joab's lasting hatred down on his head.
- Refusal. Asahel keeps running. Commentators trace his death to self-confidence and a hunger for glory, not to any lack of courage.
- Cost. Speed without wisdom ended what could have been a fine career. When David's best soldiers are honoured, Asahel gets no special mention.
- Aftermath. The pursuit did not stop at Gibeon. Joab took his revenge by treachery. And the Lord is never with His people when they fight one another.
And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside, to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay hold of one of the young men, and take for thyself his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.
Abner is running from a lost battle, and Asahel — Joab's brother, very fast on his feet — is closing in on him. Abner calls back an easier offer: leave me, take a younger soldier and his spoil instead — and everything that follows hangs on why he offered that, and why Asahel said no.
This chase is not Israel against an outside enemy. Both armies belong to the same people. One commentator calls it what it is:
All these men belong to the people of God. They are brothers but they are here with weapons in their hands — ready to fall upon one another in support of the cause which is right in their eyes. This is war among the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Cor. 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to overrule in things that may arise between brothers?
David's throne is what both sides claim to be fighting over. Yet he is not there:
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be defending his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
The offer of spoil is not a taunt. Abner is trying to get rid of Asahel without killing him, and he has a reason:
Asahel, the brother of Joab and Abishai, picks out Abner to pursue him. Being very swift of foot, he could easily keep up with Abner. If Joab had been in his place, he would not have hesitated to kill Abner. But Asahel was clearly not a practised man of war. He only wanted to be sure that Abner did not escape. Abner suspected it was Asahel who followed him, and when he was sure of it, he told him to leave him and follow someone else (v. 21). Abner did not want to fight it out with Asahel and kill him. He was afraid that doing so might bring on himself the special hatred of Joab.
When Abner does finally strike, one writer treats it as an act of battle, not a crime. Abner "had killed him in the battle," and he takes that as "proof that there was nothing to condemn in Abner's act" (H. L. Rossier).
Speed is not skill. The gap between them cost him his life:
Asahel, however, after a second warning from Abner, refused to listen to him. He kept following very close behind him. He was not ready for Abner's cunning expertise in war… Asahel did not lack zeal, but he did lack knowledge and wisdom about warfare.
Another writer reads the same refusal as a hunger to be the one who brought down the enemy commander:
But Asahel would not pay attention; he charges forward, filled with presumption and, a victim of his own desire for glory, falls to the ground, struck down by Abner's spear. Joab will not forget this death. He will satisfy his desire for revenge at the moment when it brings him the greatest advantage.
One writer looks for Asahel's record of achievement and finds it empty:
No special mention is made of Asahel. He might have accomplished some act of valour. But his confidence in himself and in his agility ended his career very early, in his encounter with Abner.
Another writer turns that danger on the reader, and traces most of our falls to one root:
Let us beware of self-confidence. I suspect it has something to do with nine-tenths of the falls that we suffer. Does someone say, "I do not think I am self-confident"? Wait a moment: do not settle that too quickly. If you are a young believer there is nothing that is more likely to be a snare. You may be earnest and enthusiastic after a bright conversion. That very fact may lead you to feel you have a bright future, with nothing to stop you.
Asahel's refusal did not end with his own death. It left a grudge in his brother:
We might have thought that all was over, but sadly it was not. Joab holds hatred in his heart against Abner for the death of his brother, Asahel. At the first opportunity he kills him by treachery with the sword. Peace was very far from their hearts.
- Absent King. David is nowhere in this fight, though both sides claim his rights are the issue. The Lord is never with us when we fight our brothers.
- Offered Exit. Abner's words are an offer of escape, not an insult; he did not want to kill Asahel and warned him twice.
- Refused Warning. Asahel had zeal but not knowledge. Presumption and a desire for glory carried him past his last chance to stop.
- Shortened Career. Confidence in his own speed ended a life that might have earned real honour. No special mention of him remains.
- Long Bitterness. One ignored warning bred Joab's grudge and then Abner's murder. Fighting your own brothers can never be good.
And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me why should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?
Abner is running for his life after a lost battle. Asahel — Joab's brother, and fast on his feet — is closing in behind him. Abner's second warning is not a boast. It is a plea, and his reason has nothing to do with Asahel. It has everything to do with Asahel's brother Joab.
Both armies here belong to the same people. One writer refuses to soften what that means.
All these men belong to the people of God. They are brothers but they are here with weapons in their hands — ready to fall upon one another in support of the cause which is right in their eyes. This is war among the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Cor. 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to overrule in things that may arise between brothers?
One name is missing from the fight.
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be defending his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
Abner was the stronger, more experienced fighter. He warns instead of striking, and his reason is fear of Joab.
Judah pursues Israel in the battle, and Asahel — the brother of Joab and Abishai — picks out Abner to chase. Asahel was very swift of foot, so he could keep up with Abner easily. If Joab had been in his place, he would not have hesitated to kill Abner. But Asahel was clearly not a trained soldier. He only wanted to be sure that Abner did not escape. Abner suspected it was Asahel who followed him. Once he was sure of it, he told him to leave him and follow someone else (v. 21). Abner did not want to fight it out with Asahel and kill him. He was afraid that if he did, he might bring Joab's particular hatred down on himself.
Asahel's speed was real, and so was his courage. What he lacked was the judgment to hear a warning.
But Asahel would not take heed; he charges forward, filled with presumption and, a victim of his own desire for glory, falls to the ground, struck down by Abner's spear. Joab will not forget this death but will satisfy his desire for vengeance later, when it will bring him the greatest advantage.
The cost shows up much later, in the roll of David's honoured soldiers, where Asahel's name is absent.
No special mention is made of Asahel. He might have accomplished some act of valour, but his confidence in himself and in his speed cut short his career very early through his encounter with Abner (2 Sam. 2:18-24).
His fear of facing Joab afterwards was not cowardice. It was accurate, and years later it killed him — because he forgot his own warning.
If Abner had been on guard, he would have made sure to get inside the city of refuge before meeting Joab. He had expected long before that killing Asahel would bring Joab's anger on him (ch. 2:22). But his wisdom deserted him at that moment, and he fell "as one falls before the wicked."
Long afterwards, the law still stood on Abner's side, and not on Joab's.
Joab commits murder in a time of peace and so avenges himself for Asahel's death. Yet Abner had "put him to death in the battle" (v. 30) — proof that there was nothing blameworthy in Abner's act (compare 2 Sam. 2:20-23). This is the personal motive behind the terrible deed. But anyone who knows Joab and his ambition to command the army suspects another motive. Joab fears Abner's worth and authority, which at that time had been shown far more than his own merits. Joab has everything to gain through his revenge.
Abner's question about facing Joab shows how a feud works. One writer presses that home.
Let us remember that the leaders of parties are especially at risk in conflicts between brothers. Shall the sword devour for ever? What will be the result? Only bitterness in the end. It cannot be otherwise. Dear redeemed of the Lord — we for whom Christ died — let us beware of this today more than ever. He who is a liar and a murderer from the beginning stirs up his slaves against one another. Are we going to behave the same way in the house of God? Let us be careful! "If you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another" (Gal. 5:15).
- Brothers. Both armies belonged to the same people. Pursuer and pursued should never have been on opposite sides.
- Absent. David's name never appears in the fight fought in his name — and the Lord is never with us when we fight our brothers.
- Warned. Abner asked Asahel twice to turn aside. That was not weakness. He could see the blood feud his own self-defence would start.
- Deaf. Asahel's speed was genuine. His self-confidence was fatal. He charged past a warning and died on Abner's spear.
- Bitter. Abner's fear came true. Joab murdered him outside the city of refuge. Conflict between brothers ends only in bitterness.
But he refused to turn aside; therefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him in the belly, so 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.
Two armies of God's own people are at war, and here one backward thrust of a spear kills Asahel, the fastest runner on the field. Commentators read the scene as a warning about zeal that refuses correction, and as the seed of a later murder.
Abner twice told Asahel to turn aside before he struck. Writers note that the young man's courage was real but his judgment was not.
Asahel, however, after a second warning from Abner, refused to listen to him. He kept following close behind him. He was not ready for Abner's cunning skill in war. … Asahel did not lack zeal, but he did lack knowledge and wisdom about warfare.
Another writer names the motive behind the refusal.
But Asahel would not listen. Full of presumption, he charges forward. He is the victim of his own desire for glory, and he falls to the ground, struck down by Abner's spear. Joab will not forget this death. He will take his revenge at the moment when it brings him the greatest advantage.
Years later David's roll of honour lists his bravest soldiers. Asahel's name is there with no deed beside it.
There is no special mention of Asahel. He might have done some brave deed. But he trusted in himself and in his speed, and that trust cut his career short very early, through his meeting with Abner.
Abner did not want this death. He had his own reason for trying to send Asahel away.
Abner did not want to fight it out with Asahel and kill him. He was afraid that if he did, he might earn Joab's particular hatred.
That distinction matters for everything that follows. Joab will later kill Abner and call it justice for his brother. The record refuses him that cover.
Joab commits murder in a time of peace, and so takes his revenge for Asahel's death. Yet Abner had killed Asahel "in the battle" (v. 30). That is proof that there was nothing blameworthy in Abner's act.
The verse ends with every man who reaches the spot standing still. One writer explains why the chase died there.
The pursuers following Asahel were so shocked to find him dead that they stopped chasing Israel. They had thought Israel was completely beaten, and finding that Israel had struck back by killing Asahel clearly gave them second thoughts.
The men on both sides belonged to the people of God. That is what makes the fight so grim.
All these men belong to the people of God. They are brothers. Yet here they stand with weapons in their hands — ready to attack one another for the cause that seems right in their own eyes. This is war among the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Cor. 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to settle the things that come up between brothers?
Notice who is missing. David's rights are the stated reason for the quarrel, yet he is nowhere near it.
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be defending his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake: the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
One writer adds up the whole episode.
The two troops meet (vv. 12-17). For what purpose? To test their strength. Where is God? Absent. Where is David? His name is not even mentioned. It is a matter of who will come out on top in this contest. Not a single one of the contending parties escapes. David loses his servants and his cause is not advanced in the least.
One writer turns the scene on the reader.
Let us remember that the leaders of parties are especially at risk in conflicts between brothers. … Shall the sword devour forever? What will be the result? Only bitterness in the end. It cannot be otherwise. … He who is a liar and a murderer from the beginning stirs up his slaves against one another. Is this not happening in the world today? Are we going to behave the same way in the house of God? Let us be careful! "If you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another" (Gal. 5:15).
- Warning — Abner warned Asahel twice and wanted no fight at all. Asahel died only after he refused both warnings.
- Presumption — Zeal without wisdom killed him. Trust in his own speed ended a promising life and left his name in David's honour roll with no deed beside it.
- Self-defence — Abner struck in open battle. That is why Joab's later killing of Abner counts as murder, not justice.
- Emptiness — Brother fought brother, and God and David were both absent. The pursuit halted at Asahel's body, and neither side gained a thing.
- Application — The sword between brothers still devours. Suffer wrong, wait for the Lord to settle it, and refuse to bite and devour one another.
And Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner; and the sun went down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
Asahel's body lies in the road behind them, and the men who reach it stop dead; two of his brothers do not. Joab and Abishai chase Abner until sunset, past place names no one today would recognise. Two questions sit under the scene: what is this war for, and who is it between?
The chase began with a contest between the two armies earlier that day. One writer points out what both sides had forgotten about each other:
They did not stop to think that they were all Israelites, and so brothers. But ever since, the people of God have too often turned the sword of God's word cruelly on other believers. They could have used it for their good instead.
The hill named in this verse is where Abner regroups. From the top of it he calls out to Joab:
Joab and Abishai kept up the chase, and both of them were capable warriors (v.24). But Abner was able to regroup as the Benjamites came to him, and they all went up to the top of a hill. From there Abner calls to Joab and asks him to stop the fighting. He does not offer to surrender. He asks, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter?"
Asahel had already died chasing Abner. One writer weighs what he had and what he lacked:
Asahel did not lack zeal. He did lack knowledge and wisdom about warfare. The men following him were so shocked to find him dead that they gave up the chase. They had thought Israel was beaten for good. Finding that Israel had struck back and killed Asahel gave them second thoughts.
Another writer sees a career cut off before it started:
Asahel gets no special mention. He might have done something brave. But he trusted himself and his own speed, and his meeting with Abner cut his career short very early.
The men dying here are David's servants, but one writer finds the king himself missing from the account:
The two troops meet (vv. 12-17). For what purpose? To test their strength. Where is God? Absent. Where is David? His name is not even mentioned. It is a matter of who will come out on top in this tourney. Not a single one of the contending parties escapes. David loses his servants and his cause is not advanced in the least.
The pursuit ends at sundown. Asahel's death does not end with it, and Joab settles it later by deceit:
Joab no doubt thought of himself as "the avenger of blood" for his brother Asahel. He managed to kill Abner just outside Hebron, the city of refuge. Inside the city Abner would have been safe. Joab ignored that Asahel had died in battle, and he killed Abner while acting as his friend.
If the battlefield gains nothing, there is still a place worth running to:
What is the result of all these struggles? We find nothing of God and nothing for God in them. Even the world appears to fight under Christ's banner. The faithful soul has only one resource left: to take refuge at Hebron with the One who is the only center of blessing. His presence gives peace, happiness, and wonderful rest. But when our David rises to go to battle, let us follow Him with courage. To fight with Him is to win a sure and lasting victory over the enemy.
- Brothers. Both armies at Gibeon were Israelites, and they forgot it. God's people still turn the sword of His word on each other instead of using it for each other's good.
- Zeal. Asahel had courage but not the wisdom to match it. Trusting his own speed ended his career before it started.
- Absence. David's name never comes up, though his servants are the ones dying. Where God and the king are missing, no one gains and no one escapes.
- Aftermath. A death in battle became Joab's private grudge. He settled it later by deceit, outside the city of refuge.
- Refuge. The answer to fruitless conflict is Hebron. Go where David is, and fight when He rises to lead.
And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of a hill.
Abner's men have been beaten and are running. Now the men of Benjamin re-form behind their commander and take a hilltop. A beaten side has become one solid group, and from that height Abner calls to Joab to stop the fighting. Can a war between two parts of God's own people settle anything?
The losing side regroups on high ground, and from there Abner asks for the fighting to stop.
Abner was able to regroup as the Benjamites came to him, and all ascended to the top of a hill. From there Abner calls to Joab, desiring an end to fighting. He does not offer to surrender, but asks, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end?" This was true. Continued fighting would not settle who should be king. Yet Abner conveniently forgot that it was he who had started the battle.
Being on the losing side did not soften these men. Bloodshed drew them tighter around the leader who had led them into it.
Remember that the leaders of factions are at special risk in conflicts between brothers. Blood was flowing. Those who seemed beaten in the second encounter rallied again, and became even more united in their determination to fight. Shall the sword devour for ever? What will be the result? Only bitterness in the end. It cannot be otherwise.
The men facing each other across that hill were not foreigners.
All these men belong to the people of God. They are brothers. Yet here they stand with weapons in their hands, ready to attack one another for the cause each thinks is right. This is war inside the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if needed? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Cor. 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to overrule in matters that come up between brothers?
Joab's men claimed to be defending David's throne. David himself never appears.
Where is God? Absent. Where is David? His name is not even mentioned. It is a matter of who will come out on top in this contest. Not a single one of the contending parties escapes. David loses his servants and his cause is not advanced in the least.
A commentator applies this to us:
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be vindicating his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
So what did the day's fighting buy?
At last Abner grows weary of a conflict that has brought no one any benefit. He appeals for the battle to end, and everyone returns from pursuing his brother. Final result? No victory for either side, many sorrowful losses on both sides, much mourning and tears! These are the brothers who would have torn each other apart, and in the end both sides are still stuck where they began.
Abner's question has an answer, and a truce on a hilltop is not it.
"Shall the sword devour forever?" was Abner's question. Wars and bloodshed will continue as long as God's true King is not on the throne, ruling in righteousness and peace. Nothing can stop the sword till He reigns. In His coming kingdom nations will learn war no more and beat their swords into plowshares.
Hebron was where David was. There is somewhere to go that is neither hilltop.
What is the result of all these struggles? We find nothing of God and nothing for God in them. Even the world appears to fight under Christ's banner. The faithful soul has only one resource: to take refuge at Hebron with the one who is the only centre of blessing. His presence gives peace, happiness, and wonderful rest. But when our David rises to fight, let us follow Him with courage. To fight with Him is to win a sure and lasting victory over the enemy.
- Gathered — Benjamin closes ranks behind a beaten commander. Losing did not humble them; it made them more set on fighting.
- Brothers — the men on both hills belong to the same people of God. The remedy: suffer wrong, and wait for the Lord to overrule.
- Absent — David's name is never mentioned in a battle fought for his rights. The Lord is never with us when we fight our brothers.
- Bitter — the day ends with no victory, heavy losses, and both sides standing where they began.
- Reigning — "Shall the sword devour forever?" Only the true King on the throne ends it. Until then, stand with David, not against a brother.
And Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? and how long shall it be ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And 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.
Abner, beaten in battle, calls across to Joab and asks whether the sword will devour forever. Joab answers with an oath, and the chase stops. Both men belong to the people of God. Both claim a rightful cause. So who kept this fighting going, and what did anyone gain by it?
The men in this battle were not two nations. They were one people split into two armies, each convinced of its own cause.
All these men belong to the people of God. They are brothers. Yet here they are with weapons in their hands, ready to fall on one another for the cause that is right in their eyes. This is war in the middle of the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Corinthians 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to overrule in things that come up between brothers? Can God give His people any victory other than the victory of love — love that always wins when it is at work?
Joab's own words admit it. The men he calls off were in "pursuit of their brothers."
One name is missing from this whole battle.
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be vindicating his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
The men around the throne ran the day.
All through the second part of 2 Samuel 2 the king disappears behind these men. The men around him become restless, make decisions, and fight against the enemy from the house of Saul. They never even dream of consulting the one man who alone had the right to act. Sad accompaniment of power! Here David is responsible for the authority he has, yet he lets it slip out of his control. His companions make it look as if they are using that authority for his cause. In reality they use it to compromise the character of the Lord and of His anointed.
after_note: DELETE
Who is this man swearing by the living God?
Soon we find Abner and Joab coming into collision. Only now is the name of Joab first heard during these sorrowful scenes in Israel. There this shrewd and bold man begins to take a very leading part. There are perhaps only two occasions when Joab ever appears. One is when there is something bad to do. The other is when there is something great to win.
Abner is the one who asked for the sword to stop.
Yet Abner conveniently forgot that it was he who had started the battle. Still, Joab knew it would be wise to stop the battle, and tells Abner that if he had not spoken, the battle would have ended by the next morning anyway (v. 27). As it happened, though, Abner's speaking was an admission of defeat, even if he did not say so.
What did the fighting settle?
At last Abner, weary of a conflict that has brought no one any benefit, appeals for the battle to end, and everyone turns back from pursuing his brother. The final result? No victory for either side, many sorrowful losses on both sides, much mourning and tears! These are brothers who would have torn each other apart. In the end both are still stuck in their original positions. The servants of Ishbosheth have not changed their view. The servants of David have gained no advantage from the blood of their brothers spilled in the process.
The fighting stopped. The hatred did not.
We might have thought it was all over, but sadly it was not. Joab keeps hatred in his heart against Abner for the death of his brother Asahel. At the first chance he kills him by treachery with the sword. Peace was very far from their hearts.
Abner's question reaches past that one night.
"Shall the sword devour forever?" was Abner's question. As long as God's true King does not occupy the throne, ruling in righteousness and in peace, wars and bloodshed will continue. Nothing can stop the sword till He reigns. In His coming kingdom nations will learn war no more and will beat their swords into plowshares.
- Brothers. Israel drew the sword on Israel — men in "pursuit of their brothers" over a cause each side thought right.
- Absent. No one consulted the king whose rights they claimed to defend. The Lord is not with us when we fight our brothers.
- Sworn. Joab ends the chase with God's name on his lips, yet the record shows a man who appears where there is something bad to do or something great to win.
- Nothing. Both sides ended where they started: no victory, heavy losses, and no gain from the blood they shed.
- Until. The sword stopped for a night, not for good. It rests only when the true King reigns in righteousness and peace.
And Joab blew the trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither did they fight any more.
Two armies of Israelites met at the pool of Gibeon. Abner led the men of Ishbosheth, Joab the men of David. What started as a contest between chosen young men turned into a day of killing among brothers. The trumpet in this verse is the sound that stops it. But what does such a halt settle, and why did the fighting start at all?
The pursuit did not end because one side won. It ended because Abner, standing on a hilltop, called out to Joab.
From there Abner calls to Joab, desiring a stop to the fighting. He does not offer to surrender, but asks, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter?" This was true, for continued fighting would not resolve the issue as to who should be king. Yet Abner conveniently forgot that it was he who had started the battle. Still, Joab knew it would be wise to stop the battle, and tells Abner that if he had not spoken the battle would have ended by the next morning anyway. As it happened, Abner's speaking was an admission of defeat, though not in so many words.
Joab sounds the trumpet at other moments in these books too. One writer reads the occasions together:
And again, 2 Samuel 20:22: and then "they retired from the city, every man to his tent." In these three cases, as in the case of Sheba in 2 Samuel 20:1, it was the signal of retreat.
When the chase stops and the two sides count their dead, the ledger is empty on both sides.
At last Abner, weary of a conflict that has brought no one any benefit, appeals for the battle to end. Everyone turns back from chasing his brother. Final result? No victory for either side, many sorrowful losses on both sides, much mourning and tears! These are the brothers who would have torn each other apart. In the end both are still stuck where they started. The servants of Ishbosheth have not changed their point of view. The servants of David have gained no advantage from the blood of their brothers spilled along the way.
David's name does not appear anywhere in the episode, though the fight was about who should be king.
The two troops meet (vv. 12-17). For what purpose? To test their strength. Where is God? Absent. Where is David? His name is not even mentioned. It is a matter of who will come out on top in this contest. Not a single one of the contending parties escapes. David loses his servants and his cause is not advanced in the least.
The same writer sets that absence beside a question: why fight at all?
This is war among the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Corinthians 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to settle whatever comes up between brothers? We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be defending his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
The trumpet silenced the weapons. It did not touch what was underneath them.
We might perhaps have thought that all was over, but sadly this was not the case. Joab cherishes hatred in his heart against Abner for the death of his brother Asahel. At the first opportunity he kills him treacherously with the sword. Peace was very far from their hearts.
A truce can pause a war. One writer points past the trumpet to what finally ends one.
"Shall the sword devour forever?" was Abner's question. As long as God's true King is not on the throne, ruling in righteousness and peace, wars and bloodshed will continue. Nothing can stop the sword until He reigns. In His coming kingdom nations will learn war no more and beat their swords into plowshares.
- Sword drawn. A test of strength between brothers ended with dead men on both sides.
- Sword paused. The trumpet was a signal of retreat, sounded after the man who started the fight asked for it to stop.
- Sword wasted. Neither side changed its mind. The losses bought no advantage for anyone.
- King absent. David's name never appears, though his men said they fought for his rights. The Lord is not with His people when they fight each other.
- Sword still in the heart. Joab's later murder of Abner shows a ceasefire is not peace; only the true King's reign ends war for good.
And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.
Abner's night march is what a losing army does. After a day of fighting he pulls his men out of the hills, crosses the Jordan, and puts a river between himself and Joab. The verse reads like a simple travel note. But each step of it — the retreat, the river, the destination — shows how the war for Israel's throne was going.
The march began with a plea for peace. One writer reads Abner's call not as statesmanship but as surrender by another name.
From there Abner calls to Joab, wanting the fighting to stop. He does not offer to surrender, but asks, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter?" This was true. More fighting would not settle the question of who should be king. Yet Abner conveniently forgot that it was he who had started the battle. Still, Joab knew it would be wise to stop fighting. He tells Abner that if he had not spoken, the battle would have ended by the next morning anyway. As it happened, Abner's speaking was an admission of defeat, though not in so many words.
The day's casualty list tells the same story.
Returning from the war, Joab found that twenty men of Judah had died in this sad conflict, including Asahel. But Abner lost 360 men. Yet this decided nothing, though it showed that Israel's opposition was slowly weakening.
Other translations keep a Hebrew place-name here. Where the ESV has "marching the whole morning," they read "all Bithron":
District on the east of the Jordan. 2 Sam. 2:29. The name means "the broken ground," and "all Bithron" implies a district.
Mahanaim was not a neutral address. Its name carried a meaning that became a verdict on Abner.
He is the one, we find, who "took Ishbosheth, and brought him over to Mahanaim, and made him king." Mahanaim was the place where Jacob saw the angels, and where "God's host" and his own stood for "two camps." It ends with his own camp split into two, just as Abner had in fact now divided Israel. What is more, the two camps were hostile to each other. Reliance on human strength had worked like this all through the history in between. God will not be content to be one force among other forces. Half-way dependence on Him, which is more than half independence, works quickly and sadly into real hostility.
One writer weighs the whole contest and asks who was missing from it.
The two troops meet. For what purpose? To test their strength. Where is God? Absent. Where is David? His name is not even mentioned. It is a matter of who will come out on top in this contest. Not a single one of the fighting parties escapes. David loses his servants and his cause is not advanced in the least.
Behind the retreat lies a refusal. Abner is the better man of the two captains, and that is the problem: he fought for the wrong side.
It is Abner, a man morally better than Joab, but who fights on the principles of mere human nature, as a party man against the king whom God has chosen... And where is the skill and courage of the leaders of Benjamin and Judah now shown in this "field of strong men"? In killing each other. The Philistines were forgotten. But the family of Saul were entirely in the wrong. It was nature which, with its pretended rights, would not submit to God and to His will.
Two armies march through the same night. Abner goes east, over the Jordan, to a divided camp. Joab turns back to Hebron.
Asahel received an honourable burial, and Joab and his men returned by night to Hebron. This tells us something important: Judah must remain in "communion" with the Lord, to wait for His clear leading about reuniting the nation.
For anyone caught between the two camps, one writer names the same destination.
The soul of the faithful has only one resource: to take refuge at Hebron with the one who is the only centre of blessing. His presence gives peace, happiness, and wonderful rest.
- Refusal — Abner was not really fighting Joab. He was fighting God's choice of king. Nature, with its pretended rights, would not submit to God.
- Retreat — his call to stop the sword was an admission of defeat. His 360 dead against Judah's twenty showed which way the war was turning.
- Road — he travels broken ground by night and crosses out of the land, the route matching the cause.
- Rival camp — at Mahanaim, "two camps," his own camp ended up split in two, just as he had divided Israel. Half-dependence on God hardens into open hostility.
- Refuge — the same night, Joab rides back to Hebron. That is the only centre of blessing, and the one direction worth marching.
And Joab returned from following Abner, and gathered all the people together; and there lacked of David's servants nineteen men, and Asahel.
The fighting at the pool of Gibeon ends with a roll call. Joab breaks off the chase, gathers his men and counts the cost. The losses are small for a battle — nineteen men, and Asahel named apart from them. Yet every one of them was an Israelite killed by fellow Israelites.
One writer sets the two casualty totals side by side, then turns to the question Abner asked:
The battle ended with the loss of nineteen servants of David and Asahel, while Abner lost 360 men. "Shall the sword devour forever?" was Abner's question. As long as God's true King does not occupy the throne, ruling in righteousness and in peace, wars and bloodshed will continue. The sword cannot be stopped till He reigns.
Nineteen men are a number; Asahel is a name. The verse counts him apart from the rest. One writer treats his death as a warning about zeal:
Asahel's career was cut short through too much zeal, without the grace and wisdom he needed. What might have been a brilliant path of service ended suddenly. One of God's own people killed him with a spear — a distinguished soldier whom Asahel insisted on chasing, despite a warning given in time. It is not for the servants of Christ to seek the hurt of any of God's children. Let a lesson be learned from Asahel's sad mistake. David never chased Saul, though Saul often sought David's life.
Joab's side lost far fewer men, but the count settled nothing:
No victory for either side, many sorrowful losses on both sides, much mourning and tears! These are the brothers who would have torn each other apart. In the end both are still stuck in their original positions. The servants of Ishbosheth have not changed their point of view. The servants of David gained nothing by shedding their brothers' blood.
Joab gathers the men. Nobody asks David — not before the fight, not at the count. One writer weighs what that silence means for a king:
Throughout the entire second portion of 2 Samuel 2 the king disappears before these men. Those surrounding him become restless, make decisions, and fight against the enemy from the house of Saul. They never even dream of consulting the one man who alone had the right to take any initiative. Sad accompaniment of power!
Another writer draws the lesson for anyone certain that his cause is right:
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be defending his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
Nineteen dead did not decide the throne. One writer reads that indecisive result as a pattern for God's future dealings with Israel:
Yet this had no decisive consequences. It did show a gradual weakening of Israel's opposition. The same will be true at the time of the Tribulation. Israel's rebellion against the Lord Jesus will wear down, until an event of great public significance breaks them completely in repentance and faith.
Joab does not camp on the battlefield. He takes his men home to Hebron, and one writer calls that the day's one right step:
Asahel received an honourable burial, and Joab and his men returned by night to Hebron. This tells us something important. Judah must stay in communion with the Lord and wait for His clear leading about reuniting the nation.
- Count. Nineteen missing against Abner's 360 looks like a win on paper. Yet nothing was settled. Both sides went home holding the views they came with.
- Name. The verse names Asahel apart from the number. Zeal without wisdom cut short a promising path, and it ended on a fellow Israelite's spear.
- King. David never appears in the fight or the count. When brothers take up arms against brothers, the Lord is not with them — whichever side claims His cause.
- Sword. Abner asked whether the sword would devour forever. The answer: bloodshed goes on until the true King reigns in righteousness and peace.
- Hebron. After the losses, one step is right: the march back to Hebron. There Judah waits for God's leading instead of forcing the outcome.
And the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner's men, three hundred and sixty men, who had died.
Twelve young men from each side fought, and the day ended with a count of the dead: nineteen of David's men and Asahel, against 360 of Abner's men. The numbers look like a win for Judah, but the commentators ask what that win was worth.
The verse counts the dead "of Benjamin" — the people ruled by Ish-bosheth. One writer traces the day from the pool of Gibeon to the question Abner asked at the end:
They met Abner's force about six miles northwest of Jerusalem by the pool of Gibeon. At Abner's suggestion, twelve young men of Benjamin — the subjects of Ish-bosheth — then fought twelve of David's servants. A wicked scene followed. They slaughtered each other at Helkath-hazzurim, "the field of sharp swords." After that came a severe battle, which ended with the defeat of Abner... The battle ended with the loss of nineteen servants of David and Asahel, while Abner lost 360 men. "Shall the sword devour forever?" was Abner's question. Wars and bloodshed will go on as long as God's true King is not on the throne, ruling in righteousness and peace.
The lopsided figures did not end the war. They only marked the start of a slow decline in the other side's strength:
When Joab returned from the war, he found that twenty men of Judah had died in this sad conflict, including Asahel. Abner lost 360 men. Yet this settled nothing, though it did show that Israel's opposition was slowly weakening.
The verse credits the killing to David's servants, yet David himself never appears in the story.
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be vindicating his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
Another writer asks where God and David were while the two sides tested their strength:
The two troops meet (vv. 12-17). For what purpose? To test their strength. Where is God? Absent. Where is David? His name is not even mentioned. Neither side comes out of it unharmed. David loses his servants, and his cause gains nothing at all.
Abner led the 360 who fell. He fought for a principle that looked respectable but stood against God's chosen king:
In supporting Ish-bosheth, Abner supports the principle of succession by family ties. It looks right, because God had chosen Saul... What objection is there? Only that this whole system goes against the mind of God and makes war on His anointed. Men fight for their own cause. Like Saul of Tarsus later on, they find themselves enemies of the One God has set over all.
The winner of the count was not the better man, and the fighting stopped for a reason that had nothing to do with skill:
The conflict was all the more sorrowful because Abner, the commander for Ish-bosheth, was a better man than Joab, David's own second in command — by David's own admission. And in the end it was Abner's wounded pride that stopped the fighting, not Joab's strength or skill.
Count both sides, and neither gained anything from the day:
Final result? No victory for either side, many sorrowful losses on both sides, much mourning and tears! These are brothers who would have torn each other apart, and in the end both sides are still stuck where they started. The servants of Ish-bosheth have not changed their point of view. The servants of David have gained nothing from the blood of their brothers that they shed.
Every man in that count belonged to the same people, and there was another way to handle the dispute:
They are brothers, yet here they stand with weapons in their hands. They are ready to attack one another for the cause that looks right in their own eyes. This is war among the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Cor. 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to overrule in things that may arise between brothers?
The same writer asks whether God's people today are doing the same thing:
He who is a liar and a murderer from the beginning provokes his slaves against one another. Is this not happening in the world today? Are we going to behave the same way in the house of God? Let us be careful! "If you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another" (Gal. 5:15).
- Cause — Abner fought for succession by family ties. It looked right, and it set him at war with God's anointed.
- Cost — 360 dead on one side, twenty on the other. Both sides ended exactly where they started.
- Absence — David's name never appears in the fight his servants claimed to be winning for him. The Lord is not with us when we fight our brothers.
- Count — the numbers wore the other side down but decided nothing. Only the reign of the true King ends the sword's devouring.
- Cure — suffer the wrong and wait for the Lord to settle it. The other road ends with brothers devouring each other.
And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.
The chapter ends with a burial and a night march home. Both sides are back where they started and the only thing gained is a grave — so what does fighting your own brothers ever win?
What did a full day of fighting achieve? One writer adds up the result.
At last, Abner, weary of a conflict that has brought no one any benefit, appeals for the battle to end and everyone returns from pursuing his brother. Final result? No victory for either side, many sorrowful losses on both sides, much mourning and tears! These are brothers who would have torn each other apart. In the end both sides are still stuck where they started. Ishbosheth's servants have not changed their point of view. David's servants have gained no advantage from the blood of their brothers spilled in the process.
These armies were not strangers to each other.
All these men belong to the people of God. They are brothers. Yet here they stand with weapons in their hands, ready to attack one another for the cause each thinks is right. This is war among the people of God. Such a course can never be good. Why not suffer injustice, if necessary? "Why not rather suffer wrong?" (1 Cor. 6:7). Why not wait for the Lord to overrule in matters that come up between brothers?
Joab's men claimed to be fighting for David's rights. Notice who is missing from the battlefield.
The two troops meet. For what purpose? To test their strength. Where is God? Absent. Where is David? His name is not even mentioned. It is a question of who will come out on top in this contest. Neither of the fighting sides escapes. David loses his servants and his cause is not advanced in the least.
Another writer turns that absence into a warning:
We notice that David himself does not appear in this incident. Even though his servants claim to be vindicating his rights, he is not with them. Make no mistake, the Lord will never be with us when we fight against our brothers.
Asahel's problem was not a lack of eagerness.
Asahel did not lack zeal, but he did lack knowledge and wisdom about war.
Another writer names a harsher motive:
But Asahel would not listen. He charges forward, full of presumption. A victim of his own desire for glory, he falls to the ground, struck down by Abner's spear. Joab will not forget this death. He will satisfy his desire for revenge at the moment when it brings him the greatest advantage.
Joab's night march ends at Hebron. That destination matters.
Asahel received an honorable burial, and Joab and his men returned by night to Hebron. This is significant. It tells us that Judah must stay in "communion" with the Lord and wait for His clear leading about re-uniting the nation.
One writer makes that retreat the reader's own way out:
Sadly, what is the result of all these struggles? We find nothing of God and nothing for God in them. Even the world seems to fight under Christ's banner. The faithful soul has only one resource left: to seek refuge at Hebron with the one who is the only center of blessing. His presence gives peace, happiness, and wonderful rest. But when our David rises to do battle, let us follow Him with courage. To fight with Him is to win a sure and lasting victory over the enemy.
Asahel was buried. The grudge was not.
Joab holds on to hatred in his heart against Abner for the death of his brother Asahel. At the first opportunity he kills him by treachery with the sword. Peace was very far from their hearts.
And the two men who led the day's fighting both ended the same way:
So the struggle that began at the pool of Gibeon ended in the miserable deaths of Abner and Joab. They were the two leaders who had guided the people in this conflict between brothers.
- Cause — It began as a contest to see whose side was stronger; it ended with nothing of God and nothing for God in it.
- Absence — David never appears in the fight waged for him. The Lord is not with us when we fight our brothers.
- Casualty — Asahel had zeal but no wisdom for war. He charged on and fell to Abner's spear.
- Consequence — The grave in Bethlehem did not end it. Joab's stored hatred later killed Abner, and both leaders met miserable deaths.
- Cure — The night march back to Hebron is the pattern. Withdraw to the only center of blessing and wait for the Lord's clear leading.