2 Samuel 4 - Printer Friendly

What does 2 Samuel 4 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

Second Samuel 4 exemplifies David's patience and trust in God. God promised to make him king when he was a teenager (1 Samuel 16:12–13). Seven years prior to this chapter's events, Saul died in battle (1 Samuel 31:1–7). David became king of the tribe of Judah. He stayed in Judah, content to let God bring the other tribes to him rather than fight to conquer them. Two years prior to the events of 2 Samuel 4, Saul's general Abner made Saul's son Ish-bosheth king over the remaining tribes. Still, David waited, even as Abner started a civil war (2 Samuel 1—3).

Now, Abner has been murdered by Joab in revenge for his brother Asahel (2 Samuel 3:30). Ish-bosheth is terrified. Abner used all his power and influence to put Ish-bosheth on the throne and fight a war with David for control of Israel. But before he died, Abner rebelled against Ish-bosheth and convinced the elders of Israel to follow David as king (2 Samuel 3:17–19). Both Ish-bosheth and Israel are in a dangerous situation (2 Samuel 4:1).

In fact, two men are already plotting to kill Ish-bosheth to gain David's favor. Rechab and Baanah are brothers from the Benjaminite town of Beeroth. They are bandit captains supposedly loyal to their king. With Abner's death, their loyalties have turned (2 Samuel 4:2–3).

Ish-bosheth is not the only living descendant of Saul. Jonathan's son Mephibosheth is still alive. He was five when his father and grandfather were killed in battle against the Philistines (1 Samuel 31:1–7). As his nurse fled with him, she dropped him, and he became lame. He's now twelve. No one seems to be interested either in making Mephibosheth king or killing the boy to stop him from claiming the throne (2 Samuel 4:4).

The brothers Rechab and Baanah arrive at Ish-bosheth's house in the heat of the day when people usually rest. They pretend they've come to buy wheat. Instead, they make their way to Ish-bosheth's bedroom and strike him dead. They cut off his head and travel by night from Ish-bosheth's capital in Mahanaim to David's headquarters in Hebron. The brothers present Ish-bosheth's head to David, apparently expecting a reward for killing his rival to the throne. They tell David that they have avenged him for Saul's attempts to murder him (2 Samuel 4:5–8).

David is not pleased. Since he left Saul, David has corrected several men who claimed to be loyal to him but completely misjudged the respect and love he has for God's anointed king and his family. David tells them about the Amalekite who came to him in Ziklag seeking a reward with the news that he had killed Saul. That man's prize was death (2 Samuel 1:1–16). Ish-bosheth had done nothing against David. David orders his men to execute the pair and cut off their hands and feet. He commands their bodies to be hung in public: a curse (Deuteronomy 21:22–23). David has Ish-bosheth's head interred in Abner's tomb (2 Samuel 4:9–12).

With both Abner and Ish-bosheth dead, the elders of the northern and eastern tribes of Israel are free to pledge their allegiance to David. They gather at Hebron and make a covenant with him. David has ruled Judah for seven-and-a-half years. He'll reign as the king of the united tribes for another thirty-three (2 Samuel 5:1–5).

Second Samuel 4:1–3 introduces the last puzzle piece before David can be made king of Israel. Abner, Saul's general, made Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, ruler of the kingdom of Israel. Two years later, Abner rebelled and then died (2 Samuel 3). Ish-bosheth is in a very vulnerable position. Now, two brothers of Ish-bosheth's tribe are introduced. They will sneak in and murder Ish-bosheth while he sleeps. David will mourn the loss of an innocent man, and the elders of Israel will accept him as king (2 Samuel 4:5—5:5).

Second Samuel 4:4 seems to be a random note about Jonathan's remaining son. Jonathan's brother Ish-bosheth is currently king of the northern and eastern tribes of Israel, although he's about to be murdered (2 Samuel 4). But there is another. Jonathan's lame son Mephibosheth is still alive. Jonathan made a strong covenant with David, accepting that David would be king instead of him, and trusting David to take care of his family rather than kill his rivals (1 Samuel 20:42). When David hears about Mephibosheth, he will honor the covenant by caring for his friend's son (2 Samuel 9).

In 2 Samuel 4:5–8, the last obstacle to David's kingship is removed. Shortly before his own murder (2 Samuel 3), Abner, Israel's military leader, betrayed his king, Ish-bosheth. Ish-bosheth is a weak leader and very vulnerable. Two brothers from his own tribe creep into his home during an afternoon rest and assassinate him. They take his head to David, thinking their act will show their loyalty. Instead, David has them executed. David considered Ish-bosheth an innocent man, son of God's anointed king, and worthy of honor (2 Samuel 4:9–12).

In 2 Samuel 4:9–12, David mourns for Saul's kingdom one last time. Two raiders from the tribe of Benjamin have murdered Ish-bosheth, the king of Israel and Saul's son. The whole nation knows that God chose David to be king (2 Samuel 3:17), but only David seems to trust God's timing. David has already mourned the deaths of Saul, Jonathan, and Saul's general Abner (2 Samuel 1:17–27; 3:31–34). Ish-bosheth was an innocent man who merely inherited his father's crown. David executes his murderers. After this last act of loyalty, Israel accepts David as king of the nation (2 Samuel 5:1–5).

Chapter Summary:

In 2 Samuel 4, David again shows loyalty to Saul. Saul's cousin and general, and the man who made Ish-bosheth king of Israel, has been murdered (2 Samuel 3:1–30). Without a strong leader, Israel is in danger. Two Benjaminite brothers kill Ish-bosheth in his bed, cut off his head, and present it to David in Hebron, expecting a reward. David orders the brothers executed for murdering an innocent man. David mourns Ish-bosheth, proving he had nothing to do with the death. In response, the elders of Israel ask him to be their king (2 Samuel 5:1–4).

Chapter Context:

Second Samuel 4 describes the aftermath of Abner's death. With the powerful man gone, no one remains to defend Israel or protect Saul's son Ish-bosheth. Two Benjaminite brothers kill the king and bring his head to David. David is furious that they've murdered a righteous man and orders their execution. David has mourned the deaths of Saul, Jonathan, Abner, and now Ish-bosheth (2 Samuel 1:17–27; 3:31–34). The elders of Israel honor his loyalty to Saul's house and travel to Hebron to pledge themselves to David. God blesses both David and the nation (2 Samuel 5).

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 11/5/2025 6:57:57 AM