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2 SAMUEL 2

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:1-4a
  ¹Then it came about afterwards that David inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?" And the Lord said to him, "Go up." So David said, "Where shall I go up?" And He said, "To Hebron." ²So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. ³And David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they lived in the cities of Hebron. ⁴Then the men of Judah came and there anointed David king over the house of Judah.

2:1 "David inquired of the Lord" David wanted to follow YHWH's leadership. He sought guidance often from the Urim and Thummim of the High Priest (see notes at 1 Sam. 22:13; 23:2,4,9-12; 30:8; 2 Sam. 5:19,23; Josephus, Antiq. 7.1.2, says he inquired of the prophet not by the sacred lots).

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D

SPECIAL TOPIC: URIM AND THUMMIM

▣ "to Hebron" This was one of the places David had camped. He gave them part of the spoil from the slaughter of the Amalekites (cf. 1 Sam. 30:31). David wanted to leave Philistia and return to Judah. It would be the place where he would be anointed King of Judah (cf. v. 4). At the time it was possibly the largest city in Judah. For more information on Hebron, see NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 698-700.

2:3 "the cities of Hebron" David apparently did not stay in Hebron itself but resided in the surrounding villages.

2:4 "anointed David king" This is the second of three royal anointings.

1. by Samuel (at Bethlehem)
2. by Judah at Hebron
3. by all Israel at Hebron

SPECIAL TOPIC: "ANOINTING" IN THE BIBLE

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:4b-7
  ^4bAnd they told David, saying, "It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul." ⁵David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, "May you be blessed of the Lord because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him. ⁶Now may the Lord show lovingkindness and truth to you; and I also will show this goodness to you, 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 has anointed me king over them."

2:4b This paragraph describes David's blessing on the city of Jabesh-gilead, who buried Saul and his sons (cf. 1 Sam. 31:11-13).

David's blessing is part of his attempt to unify all Israel under one king. Obviously Jabesh-gilead supported Saul. Saul is dead; David wants them to support him and not Ish-bosheth.

Notice the elements of David's blessing (v. 5)

1. lovingkindness (BDB 338 I, KB 336 II; NASB translates the same root as "kindness" in v. 5), 2 Sam. 2:6
2. truth (BDB 54, NRSV, "faithfulness")
3. goodness (BDB 375 III) from David

SPECIAL TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (hesed)

SPECIAL TOPIC: BELIEVE, TRUST, FAITH, AND FAITHFULNESS (OT)

2:5 "because you have shown kindness to Saul" Even after Saul's terrible acts toward David, David still respected YHWH's anointed king.

1. killed the Amalekite that claimed to have killed Saul (2 Samuel 1)
2. blessed the city that showed kindness to Saul in his burial

SPECIAL TOPIC: BURIAL PRACTICES

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:8-11
  ⁸But Abner the son of Ner, commander 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, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel. ¹⁰Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. ¹¹The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

2:8-11 David was anointed king of Judah (v. 4). Abner, Saul's military commander (and cousin or uncle, cf. 1 Sam. 14:50), anointed Saul's son, Ishbosheth, king over Benjamin and Israel.

The dates given are very specific, not round numbers. The Hebrews were good historians.

SPECIAL TOPIC: OT HISTORIOGRAPHY COMPARED TO NEAR EASTERN CULTURES

Originally "ba'al" was used of YHWH. But later, it must have been embarrassing for a king of YHWH's covenant people to be named "man of Baal" (the male Canaanite fertility god, cf. 1 Sam. 14:50; 1 Chr. 8:33; 9:39). So later Jewish editors, as they often did, altered the name to "man of shame" (Bosheth). Also note how Jonathan's son, Merib-baal (cf. 1 Chr. 8:33-34) was changed to Mephibosheth (cf. 2 Sam. 9:6). See NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 626 and vol. 4, p. 424, c. and p. 1298, 5. d.

The UBS Text Project, p. 220, gives "Ishbaal" a "B" rating (some doubt). The name change would have been done by later scribes.

It is possible that "Ishvi" of 1 Sam. 14:49 is also another name for this same person.

2:8 "Mahanaim" This location is first mentioned and named in Gen. 32:2,10. Jacob recognized that his family was accompanied by angels and so named the place Mahanaim, "this is God's company" or "two companies" (BDB 334).

The location seems to be on the eastern plain east of the Jordan River on the Jabbok River (border between Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh, cf. Josh. 13:26,30), near the city of Penuel.

David fled to this same area when he ran from his son Absalom (cf. 2 Sam. 17:24).

2:9 "over Gilead" This area was on the eastern bank of Jordan, northeast of the Dead Sea. The Philistines controlled most of the area west of the Jordan.

▣ "Ashurites" The MT has "Ashurites" (BDB 79). There have been several theories about this name, אשׁורי.

1. the city of Ashur, אשׁור, Num. 24:24
2. the nation of Assyria, אשׁרי, cf. Gen. 2:14; 25:18; Ps. 83:8 (Targum)
3. the tribe of Asher, אשׁיר, cf. Jdgs. 1:32
4. an Arab tribe, אשׁורם (BDB 78, plural)

The JPSOA footnotes says "the meaning of the Hebrew uncertain." The other places mentioned are not close to Assyria, so #3 or #4 seems best. I think #3 fits the context best.

Alfred Edersheim, The Bible History, p. 154 footnote and the NET Bible suggest an emendation to "Geshurites," גשׁורי (BDB 178, #2), following the Peshitta. They are mentioned in Deut. 3:14; Josh. 12:5; 1 Sam. 27:6. This too, would fit in with the other geographical names mentioned in the text.

2:10 The use of the number "forty" is often symbolic. NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 496, says "the fortieth year is the prime of life, a good age for a new start."

SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE, #7.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:12-17
  ¹²Now Abner the son of Ner, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon with the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul. ¹³And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, one on the one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool. ¹⁴Then Abner said to Joab, "Now let the young men arise and hold a contest before us." And Joab said, "Let them arise." ¹⁵So they arose and went over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. ¹⁶Each one of them seized 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. ¹⁷That day the battle was very severe, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

2:12-17 This paragraph describes the rivalry between Judah and Simeon and the rest of the tribes. To moderns it seems a strange account but in the period it was not (i.e., Goliath, the Philistine champion, fights David, the Israelite champion). However, after the individual contest (v. 14), which was meant to designate the victor without a battle, the battle occurred anyway.

The select warriors from each side approached an equal number. They each killed the other (v. 16). This civil war revealed YHWH's choice of David.

2:16 "by the head" This is an idiom for grabbing the hair so as to control a person's movement. Obviously these young soldiers on both sides were trained in the same fighting tactics.

▣ "Helkath-hazzurim" The Hebrew compound word means "the field of sword-edges"(BDB 324). JPSOA translates it as "the field of the flints (or blades)." Often places where major events occurred are named after the event (cf. v. 8, "Mahaniam").

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:18-23
  ¹⁸Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel; and Asahel was as swift-footed as one of the gazelles which is in the field. ¹⁹Asahel pursued Abner and did not turn to the right or to the left from following Abner. ²⁰Then Abner looked behind him and said, "Is that you, Asahel?" And he answered, "It is I." ²¹So Abner said to him, "Turn to your right or to your left, and take hold of one of the young men for yourself, and take for yourself his spoil." But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him. ²²Abner repeated again to Asahel, "Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?" ²³However, he refused to turn aside; therefore Abner struck him in the belly with the butt end of the spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died on the spot. And it came about that all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

2:18-23 This describes the death of Joab's younger brother, Asahel, by Abner. This caused a blood-feud between them that would threaten David's plan to unite kingdoms of Judah and Israel (cf. 2 Samuel 3).

2:18 "Zeruiah" This was David's sister (cf 1 Chr. 2:16).

2:21 Abner is suggesting that Asahel kill another of Saul's soldiers and take all his valuables.

2:23 This is very specific information. It must have been seen by someone in Judah's army. It was probably oral tradition before being codified later. See John H. Walton and D. Brent Sandy, The Lost World of Scripture, which shows how oral cultures passed on their traditions.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:24-29
  ²⁴But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and when the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is in front of Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵The sons of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became one band, and they stood on the top of a certain hill. ²⁶Then Abner called to Joab and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long will you refrain from telling the people to turn back from following their brothers?" ²⁷Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then the people would have gone away in the morning, each from following his brother." ²⁸So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people halted and pursued Israel no longer, nor did they continue to fight anymore. ²⁹Abner and his men then went through the Arabah all that night; so they crossed the Jordan, walked all morning, and came to Mahanaim.

2:24-29 This paragraph describes how Abner warns Joab of the pending destruction of the Israeli tribes. A truce was needed!

2:27 "As God lives" This is an oath formula based on the covenant name for Israel's God, YHWH, from the Hebrew VERB "to be" (cf. Exodus 3).

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D.

2:28 "the trumpet" Israel used trumpets to communicate. Here, to call off the pursuit (cf. 2 Sam. 18:16; 20:1,22).

SPECIAL TOPIC: HORNS USED BY ISRAEL

The MT has "all the Bithron" (BDB 144), which makes it a proper name of a place. This name occurs only here in the OT.

1. NET calls it "the whole region of Bithron"
2. BDB suggests "a cleft" or "a ravine" on the eastern side of the Jordan (BDB 144, KB 167)
3. KB also suggests (KB 167 III) a location southwest of Jerusalem

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2:30-32
  ³⁰Then Joab returned from following Abner; when he had gathered all the people together, nineteen of David's servants besides Asahel were missing. ³¹But the servants of David had struck down many of Benjamin and Abner's men, so that three hundred and sixty men died. ³²And they took up Asahel and buried him in his father's tomb which was in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men went all night until the day dawned at Hebron.

2:30-31 Notice how one sided the victory was.

1. 19 Judean soldiers killed
2. 360 Israeli soldiers killed

It does not state if these figures include the twelve pairs of vv. 15-16.

2:32 Families were buried together in family tombs.

SPECIAL TOPIC: BURIAL PRACTICES

SPECIAL TOPIC: WHERE ARE THE DEAD?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. How did David inquire of the Lord?
2. How many times and by whom was David anointed king?
3. What was the symbolism in anointing?
4. Why did David bless Jabesh-gilead?
5. Is the number 40 always literal?
6. What was the intended purpose of the "contest" in vv. 12-17?
7. How do the numbers of 2 Sam. 2:30-31 show YHWH's choice of David?

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