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The reign of David in Hebron, over the tribes of Judah and Simeon. The reign of Saul's son Ishbosheth over the rest of the Jewish tribes. Discord between the house of Saul and the house of David. 2 Samuel 2:1. After this David asked the Lord, saying: Shall I go to any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said to him: Go. And David said: Where should we go? And He said: To Hebron. 2 Samuel 2:2. And David and his two wives went there, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the former wife of Nabal, the Carmelite. 2 Samuel 2:3. And David brought the men that were with him, each one with his family, and they settled in the city of Hebron. 2 Samuel 2:4. And the men of Judah came and anointed David there to be king over the house of Judah. And they told David that the inhabitants of Jabez-gilead had buried Saul. The death of Saul and his son Jonathan created circumstances in which it became possible to fulfill God's decree through Samuel: for David to be king over Israel. However, David’s reign over Israel did not take place immediately. David was recognized as king at first only by the tribe of Judah (and Simeon). For Ahinoam and Abigail, see (1 Samuel 25:40–44). “And they told David that the men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul.” See (1 Samuel 31:11–13). 2 Samuel 2:5. And David sent messengers to the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead, saying to them, “Blessed are you of the Lord, because you have shown this kindness to your master Saul [the Lord’s anointed] and buried him [and Jonathan his son], 2 Samuel 2:6. and now may the Lord reward you with mercy and truth; and I will do you a favor because you have done this; 2 Samuel 2:7. Now let your hands be strengthened, and be of good courage; for your lord Saul is dead, and the house of Judah anointed me king over them. Giving the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead tribute of gratitude and respect for their loyal feelings towards Saul, David at the same time informs them that from now on he, David, who has already reigned in Hebron, is the heir of these feelings. It is not known how the inhabitants of Jabez, and with them the entire eastern Transjordan, would have reacted to this proposal if the opposite influence of Saul’s commander Abner had not arrived, who put forward the rights of Saul’s son, Ishbosheth. 2 Samuel 2:8. But Abner the son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him to Mahanaim, 2 Samuel 2:9. and he made him king over Gilead, and Ashur, and Jezreel, and Ephraim, and Benjamin, and over all Israel. 2 Samuel 2:10. Ishbosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah remained with David. 2 Samuel 2:11. The total time that David reigned in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. David's long wanderings within the neighboring pagan nations greatly weakened the popularity that he enjoyed among the Jews during the period of his brilliant clashes with the enemies of the people. The people began to forget about David. And those who remembered or heard about him no longer admired him, seeing him in the camp of their age-old enemies - the Philistines (1 Samuel 27-28). The enterprising and courageous commander of Saul, Abner, took advantage of this circumstance: he pointed out, in all likelihood, the painful oppression, after an unsuccessful battle (1 Samuel 31), of the Philistine yoke, the apparent ambiguity of David’s behavior, and without much difficulty persuaded the Israelites to recognize Saul’s youngest son, Ishbosheth, as their king, promising, for his part, full readiness to march under the banners of the new king against the enslavers of the Jews the Philistine people, who had already established themselves in most of western Transjordan. Mahanaim is a city in the middle part of eastern Transjordan, south of Jabez. Gilead is the nearby region of eastern Transjordan. Instead of Ashur, some read Assir. In order not to remain king only in Hebron, David had to take active measures against Abner’s protege, Ishbosheth. His general Joab appeared as a military representative and defender of David’s rights. 2 Samuel 2:12. And Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. Gibeon is a city of the tribe of Benjamin, neighboring the tribe of Judah. The appearance of Abner's troops in the immediate vicinity of the kingdom of David did not at all speak in favor of the peaceful aspirations of the Ishbosheth commander. It is quite acceptable to assume that, having made Ishbosheth king over Israel, Abner planned to attract Judah to him. To prevent Abner from approaching the tribe of Judah, Joab came out to meet him. 2 Samuel 2:14. And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men arise and play before us. And Joab said, Let them rise. Based on (2 Samuel 2:18–22,26), we can conclude that Abner did not insist on a bloody battle. Instead of a battle, Avenir proposes a minor military duel to determine which of the opponents should leave their positions and retire. 2 Samuel 2:15. And they arose and went out twelve in number from the side of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 2 Samuel 2:16. They grabbed each other by the head, thrust a sword into one another's side and fell together. And the place was called Helkath Hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. 2 Samuel 2:17. And a fierce battle took place that day, and Abner and the people of Israel were struck down by the servants of David. The duel, arranged on the advice of Abner, did not, however, resolve the controversial issue, since all the participants in this duel remained dead on the field of competition. Meanwhile, the inflamed passions of the parties did not wait, but already demanded this decision, and now. A bloody battle took place. Helkav-Hatzurim, - according to the Vulgate text: “Ager robustorum”; according to the text of LXX: Μερὶς ἐπιβούλων. 2 Samuel 2:23. [and where does this happen? return to your brother Joab.] But he did not want to leave behind. Then Abner, turning his spear, struck him in the stomach; the spear went through him, and he fell there and died on the spot. Everyone passing through the place where Asahel fell and died stopped. The death of Asahel made Abner the personal enemy of Joab, who was obliged, according to the concepts of that time, to take revenge on the murderer with a bloody reprisal against him or his closest relatives (see 2 Samuel 3:27,30). 2 Samuel 2:27. And Joab said, God lives! If you had not said otherwise, then in the morning people would have stopped persecuting their brothers. "If you hadn't said otherwise". See Art. 14. 2 Samuel 2:29. Abner and his men walked through the plain all that night and crossed the Jordan, and went through all Bitron, and came to Mahanaim. Bitron is a region in eastern Transjordan. You might be interested in: