2 Samuel 2:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil." But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.

NIV: Then Abner said to him, "Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons." But Asahel would not stop chasing him.

NASB: So Abner said to him, 'Turn aside for your own good to your right or to your left, and take hold of one of the young men for yourself, and take for yourself his equipment.' But Asahel was unwilling to turn aside from following him.

CSB: Abner said to him, "Turn to your right or left, seize one of the young soldiers, and take whatever you can get from him." But Asahel would not stop chasing him.

NLT: Go fight someone else!' Abner warned. 'Take on one of the younger men, and strip him of his weapons.' But Asahel kept right on chasing Abner.

KJV: And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.

NKJV: And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.

Abner started this fight, and now he's trying to end it. He had taken the army of the northern tribes of Israel to Gibeon to meet Joab and the army of Judah. A limited duel turned into an outright battle. Abner's side is losing badly (2 Samuel 2:12–17).

Joab's brother, Asahel, found Abner in the heat of battle and ran after him. Abner fled. But Asahel is known for his speed, and Abner can't outrun him. Asahel is also one of David's thirty strongest warriors (2 Samuel 23:24). Even so, Abner was Saul's army commander back when David fought Goliath (1 Samuel 17:55). Abner will undoubtedly win a fight.

Abner doesn't want to kill Asahel, so he tries to convince Asahel to find an easier target. There are still plenty of Israelite soldiers he can kill—and he can take their armor. During this era in the ancient Near East, soldiers could profit well in battle. David gathered a great trove of spoils from the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:20).

When the promise of riches doesn't stop Asahel, Abner shares what is probably his real concern: he doesn't want to cause injury to Asahel's brother Joab. He would be ashamed to look Joab in the face. Sadly, that doesn't stop Asahel. He keeps coming, and Abner stabs him in the stomach. He seems to do this while facing away, as Asahel gets close. The back end of Israelite spears were probably pointed—but not as sharp as the front—so they could be stuck into the ground (2 Samuel 26:7). Between Abner's strength and Asahel's rapid approach, the spear butt comes out Asahel's back (2 Samuel 2:22–23). What might have been a one-off battle is now a civil war of revenge.

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.