2 Samuel 2:16
ESV
And each caught 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 at Gibeon.
NIV
Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.
NASB
And each 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.
CSB
Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side so that they all died together. So this place, which is in Gibeon, is named Field of Blades.
NLT
Each one grabbed his opponent by the hair and thrust his sword into the other’s side so that all of them died. So this place at Gibeon has been known ever since as the Field of Swords.
KJV
And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which is in Gibeon.
NKJV
And each 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 the Field of Sharp Swords, which is in Gibeon.
What does 2 Samuel 2:16 mean?
Civil war for control of Israel seems unavoidable. The fighting men of David and those of Ish-bosheth have come together for an apparent confrontation at Gibeon. The commanders of the two armies, Joab and Abner, have agreed to what may have been meant as an alternative to all-out battle: They will each put up a dozen fighters to square off and fight each other to decide the outcome (2 Samuel 2:12–15).Yet the fight ends in a terrible draw. Each pair of opponents grabs the other by the head or neck in close combat and stabs the other in the side with a short sword at the same time. All twenty-four men are quickly killed, and neither side wins. The outcome is so unusual that the place at Gibeon is named for the event: Helkath-hazzurim, which means something like "the field of sword edges."
Whether the twelve-on-twelve match was intended to prevent a full-scale battle or not, the conflict happens anyway. The clash and its strange result sparks a fierce fight between the two armies. David's men win decisively, but the duels have opened a door that can't be shut. Abner kills Joab's brother (2 Samuel 2:21–23). The two-year civil war is as much an act of vengeance as it is a fight for the unity of the nation.
