2 Samuel 3:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Ish-bosheth could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

NIV: Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

NASB: And Ish-bosheth could no longer say a word in response to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

CSB: Ish-bosheth did not dare respond to Abner because he was afraid of him.

NLT: Ishbosheth didn’t dare say another word because he was afraid of what Abner might do.

KJV: And he could not answer Abner a word again, because he feared him.

NKJV: And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

In 2 Samuel 3:6–11, General Abner makes a move for the crown. He installed Saul's son Ish-bosheth as king over the northern and eastern tribes, but after two years, he's grown tired of his puppet. He sleeps with Saul's concubine Rizpah: a move typically made to demonstrate authority over the woman's husband. Ish-bosheth confronts Abner, and Abner gets so angry he vows to give Ish-bosheth's kingdom to David. He will, but he will give his life to do it (2 Samuel 3:12–30).

In 2 Samuel 3, God arranges for all of Israel to accept David as king. Abner, the former commander of Saul's army, turns against David's rival, Ish-bosheth, after an argument about a woman. Abner persuades the elders of Israel to take David as their king and arrives in Hebron to deliver the news. Joab, the commander of David's army, is furious because Abner killed his brother Asahel. When Abner leaves, Joab murders him. David declares a curse on Joab and his descendants and publicly mourns for Abner, demonstrating to all that he had nothing to do with Abner's death.

In 2 Samuel 3, the civil war winds down. Abner, Saul's cousin, made Saul's son Ish-bosheth king. Abner commands the army of Israel. Joab, David's nephew, commands Judah's army. They have been locked in a civil war for two years, not least because Abner killed Joab's brother in self-defense (2 Samuel 2). When Abner realizes he can't take the throne from Ish-bosheth, he arranges for Israel to follow David before he's killed by Joab. Not long after, Ish-bosheth is murdered, and David is made king of all Israel (2 Samuel 4:1—5:4).

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.

Accessed 11/19/2025 1:41:06 AM