2 Samuel 2:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

NIV: He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him.

NASB: Asahel pursued Abner and did not turn to the right or to the left from following Abner.

CSB: He chased Abner and did not turn to the right or the left in his pursuit of him.

NLT: and he began chasing Abner. He pursued him relentlessly, not stopping for anything.

KJV: And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

NKJV: So Asahel pursued Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.

It seems Abner had tried to mitigate this fight. Instead of immediately sending his army against Joab's, he suggested each side present twelve soldiers to duel. All twenty-four died, each killing and being killed by his opponent. The resulting full-scale clash is not going well for Abner. Yet he has little to fear for himself. He was Saul's commander, and now is the commander of the army of Ish-bosheth. He knows how to fight (2 Samuel 2:12–17).

In the heat of battle, Abner notices Joab's youngest brother, Asahel, running toward him. Abner flees, but not because he's afraid Asahel will kill him. He's more afraid of breaking Joab's heart if he kills his baby brother. Abner tells Asahel to break off, fight the other enemy soldiers, and gather his spoils. Asahel refuses. Reluctantly, Abner stabs Asahel through the stomach with the butt of his spear (2 Samuel 2:20–23). The back side of the weapon would not have been as sharp as the front, but pointed enough to be stuck into the ground (1 Samuel 26:7).

Joab and his older brother Abishai pursue Abner. Finally, standing between the army of Judah and the remnants of his army, Abner stops and convinces Joab to stop the battle. There's no sense in Israelites fighting their fellow countrymen. Joab agrees (2 Samuel 2:24–28). Yet the civil war persists for two years. So does Joab's grudge. He will eventually have his revenge (2 Samuel 3:26–27).

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.