2 Samuel 2:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle.

NIV: The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle.

NASB: Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was as swift-footed as one of the gazelles that is in the field.

CSB: The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, like one of the wild gazelles.

NLT: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel — the three sons of Zeruiah — were among David’s forces that day. Asahel could run like a gazelle,

KJV: And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.

NKJV: Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle.

Armies under Israel's commander Abner and Judah's commander Joab are locked in combat. Joab's two brothers, Abishai and Asahel, are there, as well. When David came upon Saul's army sleeping, it was Abishai who went with him to the center of camp where Saul and Abner lay. Abishai offered to kill Saul, but David refused. They stole Saul's spear and water jug, crept a safe distance away, and mocked Abner for not protecting his king (1 Samuel 26:6–16).

This battle began by Abner suggesting just twelve men from each side fight each other. Each soldier died while killing his opponent. So the armies joined in (2 Samuel 2:14–17). In the chaos of spears, swords, and fighting bodies, Abner notices that Asahel is chasing after him. Abner tells Asahel to turn back, fight a lesser soldier, and take the spoils he can. But Asahel doesn't want spoils. He wants to kill the man who commanded Saul's troops, installed Saul's son as a puppet-king, and now controls tribes that should belong to David (2 Samuel 2:19–21).

Abner reluctantly kills Asahel. But this lack of malice means nothing to Joab (2 Samuel 2:23). The armies will continue to fight for two years. When Abner switches sides and offers to give Israel to David, Joab doesn't trust him. Abner leaves to bring the Israelite elders, but Joab calls him back and kills him (2 Samuel 3:21–27).

Second Samuel 2:18–23 describes how Abner kills Asahel. The men of Judah have made David king of their tribe; Abner, Saul's general, has made Ish-bosheth king of the rest of Israel (2 Samuel 2:1–4, 8–11). The civil war begins with twelve duels (2 Samuel 2:12–17) and devolves into open warfare. Abner is losing and flees. Asahel, the brother of David's commander Joab, gives chase. Abner reluctantly kills Asahel. Abner convinces Joab to call off the fight (2 Samuel 2:24–28), for now. Within two years, Abner will betray Ish-bosheth and give David Israel, and Joab will avenge his Asahel (2 Samuel 3).

David returns to Israel, where he is anointed king over Judah, and settles in Hebron. Abner declares Saul's son Ish-bosheth king over Israel. David blesses the men of Jabesh-gilead for burying Saul's remains. Abner, leading Ish-bosheth's men, faces off against Joab, leading David's fighters, at Gibeon. In a fierce, one-sided battle, Abner kills Joab's brother, but David's men overwhelm Abner's Benjaminite fighters, losing twenty but killing 360. Abner and the survivors prepare for a last stand on the hill of Ammah, but Joab calls off the battle when Abner pleads with him to stop. Both sides return home.

Saul and three of his sons are dead (1 Samuel 31:1–4). David becomes king of Judah, and Saul's son Ish-bosheth is king of the remaining tribes. When the two sides meet in battle, Ish-bosheth's army fares poorly. David continues to grow stronger over two years of fighting. Ish-bosheth's general Abner appears to make a futile attempt to take the crown from his king, then starts the work to peacefully hand David the crown of Israel (2 Samuel 3:1–12).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.