2 Samuel 2:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Abner looked behind him and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" And he answered, "It is I."

NIV: Abner looked behind him and asked, "Is that you, Asahel?" "It is," he answered.

NASB: Then Abner looked behind himself and said, 'Is that you, Asahel?' And he said, 'It is I!'

CSB: Abner glanced back and said, "Is that you, Asahel?" "Yes it is," Asahel replied.

NLT: When Abner looked back and saw him coming, he called out, 'Is that you, Asahel?' 'Yes, it is,' he replied.

KJV: Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.

NKJV: Then Abner looked behind him and said, “ Are you Asahel?” He answered, “I am.”

Abner is running through a battle between the armies of King David and King Ish-bosheth. It's unknown whether Abner came to Gibeon to confront David's men, but a fierce, one-sided battle broke out between the two sides (2 Samuel 2:17).

Yet Abner has not fully escaped. One runner has seen him go and remains doggedly in pursuit across the countryside. Looking behind him as the figure gets closer, Abner becomes even more troubled. He calls out to ask if the man is Asahel. Asahel, the youngest brother of Joab, says yes. This is bad news for Abner. Asahel is famous among the Israelites for being both fast (2 Samuel 2:18) and tough (2 Samuel 23:24).

But that's not Abner's primary concern. Abner has been a commander since David spent his days rounding up sheep (1 Samuel 17:55). He's not worried about being killed by a much younger, much less experienced warrior. Abner's concern is Asahel's older brother, Joab. Abner has a long history with Joab and doesn't want to hurt him by killing his brother (2 Samuel 2:22).

In fact, Abner isn't enthusiastic about Israelite armies fighting each other at all. He knows David doesn't want the carnage. In all the years Abner followed Saul as the king chased David, David ran. Both times David had unguarded access to Saul, David let him go (1 Samuel 24:1–7; 26:1–16). There's no doubt David would rather not make war against his own people.

Abner doesn't want to kill Asahel. He doesn't want to fight David's men (2 Samuel 2:26). But he's triggered a wave he can't stop.

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.