Bible Study 2 Samuel 4
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2 Samuel 4 · WEB

Ish-bosheth Assassinated; David Executes the Killers

Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.

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When Saul's son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, his hands became feeble, and all Israel was troubled.
2Saul's son had two men who were captains of raiding bands. The name of the one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin (for Beeroth also is counted with Benjamin;
3and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and have been foreigners there to this day).
4Now Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. It happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
5The sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went and came in the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, as he was taking his rest at noon.
6They came there into the middle of the house as if they would have fetched wheat, and they struck him in the body. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
7Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and killed him and beheaded him. They took his head and went by the way of the Arabah all night.
8They brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, "Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life. Yahweh has avenged my lord the king today of Saul and of his offspring."
9David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, "As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity,
10when someone told me, 'Behold, Saul is dead,' thinking to bring good news, I took hold of him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.
11How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hand and remove you from the earth?"
12David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and their feet and hanged them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.
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Summary

With Abner dead, Ish-bosheth's kingdom collapses. Two of his own captains, Rechab and Baanah, assassinate him in his bedroom at midday, hoping to win David's favor by bringing him Ish-bosheth's severed head. Instead, David is outraged and executes the assassins, honoring Ish-bosheth with burial beside Abner in Hebron. A brief note about Mephibosheth (Jonathan's lame son) sets the stage for David's future act of covenant loyalty.

Themes

  • David's consistent refusal to benefit from unauthorized violence
  • The sanctity of life, even an enemy's life
  • God's sovereignty in bringing David to power — no human scheming is needed
  • Justice and accountability for wrongdoing

Key verses

  • 2 Sam 4:11 — “How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hand?”
  • 2 Sam 4:9-10 — “As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity, when someone told me, 'Behold, Saul is dead,' thinking to bring good news, I took hold of him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.”

Context & background

Ish-bosheth's capital was at Mahanaim, east of the Jordan in modern Jordan, but the assassination apparently took place there. David remained at Hebron (modern Hebron/Al-Khalil, West Bank) throughout this period. The road "by the way of the Arabah" (v. 7) refers to the Jordan Rift Valley route — the deep valley running from the Sea of Galilee south through the Dead Sea to the Red Sea, still a major geographical feature of modern Israel and Jordan. The note about Mephibosheth in verse 4 is a narrative aside that points forward to chapter 9, showing the reader there is still a survivor of Saul's house whom David will need to address.

Cross-references

  • 2 Sam 1:14-16 — David's execution of the Amalekite who claimed to kill Saul
  • 2 Sam 9:1-7 — David's kindness to Mephibosheth, fulfilling his covenant with Jonathan
  • Gen 9:6 — Whoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed
  • Prov 24:17 — Do not rejoice when your enemy falls
  • Rom 13:4 — Rulers are servants of God to execute judgment on wrongdoers

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    What did Rechab and Baanah do, and what did they expect to receive from David as a result?

  2. Observe

    How did David respond, and what reason did he give for executing them?

  3. Interpret

    Why does David repeatedly refuse to benefit from the murder of his rivals, even when those murders seem to serve his political interests?

  4. Interpret

    What is the significance of the brief mention of Mephibosheth in verse 4 at this particular point in the narrative?

  5. Apply

    David refused to take shortcuts to power even when opportunities fell in his lap. What "shortcuts" are you tempted to take to achieve goals that seem good?

  6. Apply

    How does trusting in God's timing (as David did) free you from the temptation to act unethically when the stakes are high?

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