2 Samuel 2:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore.

NIV: So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.

NASB: So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the people halted and no longer pursued Israel, nor did they continue to fight anymore.

CSB: Then Joab blew the ram’s horn, and all the troops stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or continued to fight.

NLT: So Joab blew the ram’s horn, and his men stopped chasing the troops of Israel.

KJV: So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more.

NKJV: So Joab blew a trumpet; and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore.

The first battle of this civil war between the tribes of Judah and their allies has reached its end. The forces of David, God's choice for Israel's next king, have badly defeated the fighting men of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, Abner's choice for Israel's next king.

Lost in the battle are nearly 400 men, almost all on Abner's side. Yet the most significant death is that of David's nephew and Joab's brother, Asahel, at Abner's hand. Abner, though, is the one who begged Joab for an end to the fighting, and Joab agreed. The trumpet blast is the signal to end the fighting, collect the fallen, and go home.

Both sides march through the night. Israel's army crosses the Jordan; apparently Ish-bosheth's native Benjamin is too close to David's Judah. Joab, his older brother Abishai, and their army retrieve Asahel's body and carry it to Bethlehem. They bury it in the tomb of their father. By morning, they'll be home in Hebron, David's capital (2 Samuel 2:29–32).

The battle will continue for another two years. Finally, Joab will become fully disillusioned with Ish-bosheth. He'll meet with David and promise to convince the tribes of Israel to accept him as king (2 Samuel 3:12). This is what David wanted. Since he first fled from Saul until this battle, he always used diplomacy to win the favor of his fellow Israelites, never violence to take it.

Second Samuel 2:24–28 records Abner calling for a truce. The armies of Israel, led by Abner, and Judah, led by Joab, have met in what seems to be their first battle. Israel is losing badly. During the fighting, Abner has killed Joab and Abishai's brother. As the sun sets, Abner reminds Joab that they are all brothers: Israelites. Joab agrees to suspend the hostilities. The two armies march all night to their homes (2 Samuel 2:29–32).

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.