2 Samuel 2 · WEB
David Anointed King Over Judah; War Begins
Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.
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After this, David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" Yahweh said to him, "Go up." David said, "Where shall I go up?" He said, "To Hebron."
2So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
3David brought up his men who were with him, every man with his household. They lived in the cities of Hebron.
4The men of Judah came and anointed David king over the house of Judah there. They told David, saying, "The men of Jabesh Gilead were those who buried Saul."
5David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, "Blessed are you by Yahweh, that you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him.
6Now Yahweh show loving kindness and truth to you. I also will reward you for this kindness, because you have done this thing.
7Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them."
8But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's army, had taken Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
9He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
10Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
11The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
13Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. They sat down, the one on the one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.
14Abner said to Joab, "Please let the young men arise and play before us." Joab said, "Let them arise."
15Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
16Each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath Hazzurim, which is in Gibeon.
17The battle was very severe that day; and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
18The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was as light of foot as a wild gazelle.
19Asahel pursued Abner; and in going he didn't turn to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
20Then Abner looked behind him and said, "Is that you, Asahel?" He answered, "It is I."
21Abner said to him, "Turn away to your right hand or to your left, and grab one of the young men and take his armor." But Asahel would not turn away from following him.
22Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn away from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to Joab your brother?"
23However he refused to turn away. Therefore Abner struck him with the butt end of the spear in the body, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there and died in the same place. It happened that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.
24But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. The sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah, that lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.
25The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner and became one band, and stood on the top of a hill.
26Then Abner called to Joab and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Don't you know that it will be bitterness in the end? How long will it be then before you tell the people to return from following their brothers?"
27Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone away, and not each have followed his brother."
28So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stood still, and pursued Israel no more, neither did they fight any more.
29Abner and his men walked all that night through the Arabah. They passed over the Jordan and walked through all Bithron, and came to Mahanaim.
30Joab returned from following Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, nineteen of David's servants were found missing, besides Asahel.
31But David's servants had struck of Benjamin and of Abner's men, so that three hundred sixty men died.
32They took up Asahel, and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. Joab and his men went all night, and the dawn came on them at Hebron.
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Summary
David inquires of God and is directed to Hebron (in modern West Bank), where the tribe of Judah anoints him king — beginning a seven-and-a-half-year reign there. Meanwhile, Saul's general Abner installs Ish-bosheth, Saul's surviving son, as king over the rest of Israel at Mahanaim east of the Jordan. A military confrontation at Gibeon turns into full civil war, with Joab's men defeating Abner's forces, though Joab's brother Asahel is killed by Abner during the pursuit.
Themes
- Seeking God's direction before acting
- The cost and tragedy of civil war among God's people
- Political transition and divided loyalties
- The consequences of human ambition (Abner's power move)
Key verses
- 2 Sam 2:1 — “After this, David inquired of Yahweh, saying, 'Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?' Yahweh said to him, 'Go up.'”
- 2 Sam 2:11 — “The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.”
- 2 Sam 2:26 — “Shall the sword devour forever? Don't you know that it will be bitterness in the end?”
- 2 Sam 2:4 — “The men of Judah came and anointed David king over the house of Judah there.”
Context & background
Hebron (modern Hebron/Al-Khalil in the West Bank) was the most important city of Judah and the site of the Cave of Machpelah where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were buried. It was a natural and historically significant choice for David's first capital. Gibeon, where the battle occurs, is near modern El-Jib northwest of Jerusalem (modern Jerusalem, Israel). Mahanaim, Ish-bosheth's capital, was east of the Jordan River in the region of Gilead, in modern Jordan. The seven-and-a-half years of David's reign in Hebron set the stage for his eventual unification of all Israel.
Cross-references
- 1 Kgs 2:5 — Solomon references Joab's killing of Abner as a reason for judgment
- 1 Sam 16:13 — David's original anointing by Samuel as king
- 2 Sam 5:1-5 — David later anointed over all Israel at Hebron
- Prov 11:2 — Pride (like Abner's) leads to strife
- Ps 27:14 — "Wait for Yahweh" — David's practice of seeking God before acting