2 Samuel 2 Introduction

Structure and Formatting

This chapter continues the story of how David became king of Israel. It tells how he returned to live in the city of Hebron in the territory of the tribe of Judah. There the leaders of that tribe anointed him to be the king of Judah. This chapter also tells how Abner, who had been Saul’s commander, installed Saul’s son Ishbosheth as a rival king in the city of Mahanaim on the other side of the Jordan River. It tells how Abner reconquered the territory that the Israelites had lost to the Philistines and then led a group of soldiers to challenge David’s rule. But soldiers loyal to David, under the command of his nephew Joab, defeated Abner’s soldiers and drove them away.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

For which “two years” did Ishbosheth reign?

The author says in [2:10](../02/10.md) that Ishbosheth reigned for two years after the death of his father Saul. He says in [2:11](../02/11.md) that David “was king in Hebron over the house of Judah” for seven years and six months, also starting shortly after the death of Saul. However, it appears from [5:1](../05/01.md) that the other tribes of Israel came and anointed David as their king shortly after the death of Ishbosheth. So what accounts for the difference of five and a half years? The explanation may be in what the author says in [2:9](../02/09.md), that Abner, by steadily reconquering territory from the Philistines, made Ishbosheth “rule over Gilead and over the Ashurite and over Jezreel and over Ephraim and over Benjamin and over Israel, all of it.” The statement that Ishbosheth was 40 years old “when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years” would be dating the beginning of his reign from the time when Abner had reconquered all of Israel’s territory from the Philistines. So the other five and a half years represent the time it took for Abner to complete this reconquest.

Why did Joab’s soldiers stop when they got to Asahel’s body?

In [2:23](../02/23.md), the author says that after Abner killed Asahel, when any of Joab’s soldiers came to the place where Asahel’s body was lying, they stopped pursuing Abner’s soldiers and just stood there. There are several reasons why they may have done this. One possibility is that they wanted to protect Asahel’s body from being mistreated (as Saul said in [1 Samuel 31:4](../../1sa/31/04.md) that he was concerned might happen to his body). Another possibility is that they stopped as an act of mourning, as an expression of grief and respect for Asahel. A further possibility is that seeing that Asahel had died in this way upset them so much that they were not able to continue pursuing Abner’s soldiers. However, as the author does not say specifically why the soldiers stopped, we recommend that you do not indicate anything about this in the text of your translation.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

A standard way of describing a king’s reign

The statement in [2:10](../02/10.md), “Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, was a son of 40 years when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years,” is the first instance in this book of a standard description that occurs repeatedly in this history of Israel that extends through 1–2 Samuel and 1–2 Kings. At the start of the account of each king’s reign, the history tells how old that man was when he became king and for how long he reigned. In your translation, be sure to translate this description consistently throughout these books so that your readers will recognize how the history is using it. If you have already translated the book of 1 Samuel, see how you translated the similar description in [1 Samuel 13:1](../../1sa/13/01.md).

The meaning of “play” in [2:14](../02/14.md)

In [2:14](../02/14.md), Abner says to Joab, “May the young men now arise and play to our faces.” Abner could be suggesting to Joab that some of their soldiers engage in single combat in order to determine the victor of the conflict between them. Abner may have felt that it would be wise for both sides not to suffer many casualties fighting each other with full armies when they were still threatened by the Philistines. The term “play” would denote the war-play of single combat. Another possibility is that Abner wants a battle to decide whether David or Ishbosheth would rule over Judah, but he recognizes how both armies have cautiously taken up defensive positions. So he is suggesting an initial skirmish that he is confident will lead to a full battle. The word “play” would describe the fighting as a spectacle that would incite the soldiers of each army to attack their opponents, in much the same way that joining together in a war cry would arouse soldiers to fight. A note to [2:14](../02/14.md) suggests ways of representing each of these possible meanings.