2 Samuel 2:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing.

NIV: May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this.

NASB: And now may the Lord show kindness and truth to you; and I also will show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing.

CSB: Now, may the Lord show kindness and faithfulness to you, and I will also show the same goodness to you because you have done this deed.

NLT: May the Lord be loyal to you in return and reward you with his unfailing love! And I, too, will reward you for what you have done.

KJV: And now the Lord shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing.

NKJV: And now may the Lord show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing.

Shortly after Saul became king, a messenger from the town of Jabesh-gilead sent a desperate plea: the Ammonites had besieged the city, and the people needed rescue. Saul gathered an army and decimated the Ammonite army (1 Samuel 11). When Saul died in battle against the Philistines, the men of Jabesh-gilead rescued his desecrated corpse. They snuck to a Philistine city, removed Saul and his sons' bodies from the wall where they were hanged, and buried them properly (1 Samuel 31:11–13).

David learns what they did and commissions messengers to communicate his deep respect and appreciation. He begins by praying God's blessings over them for their loyalty to Saul (2 Samuel 2:5). He asks God to give them steadfast love and promises he will bless them, as well. David finishes by encouraging the people to remain strong, even though Saul is dead, and letting them know he is now king of Judah (2 Samuel 2:7).

Commentators suggest that David is showing genuine gratitude on behalf of Saul, while also trying to gain support from Jabesh-gilead for his own kingship. He may be suggesting that they have fulfilled their obligation to the line of Saul with this deed and are free to transfer that loyalty to David.

Second Samuel 2:5–7 is David's thanks to those who honored the body of his own enemy. Early in his reign, King Saul saved Jabesh-gilead from the Ammonites (1 Samuel 11:1–11). At Saul's death, the Philistines hanged Saul's and three of his sons' bodies on a wall. The men of Jabesh-gilead risked their lives to rescue the bodies and bury them properly (1 Samuel 31). David's thanks are sincere yet may also be a way to win support. Meanwhile, Saul's general Abner makes Saul's son Ish-bosheth king of Israel (2 Samuel 2:8–11).

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.