2 Samuel 4:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

NIV: They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

NASB: And they came to the interior of the house as if to get wheat, and they struck him in the belly; and Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped.

CSB: They entered the interior of the house as if to get wheat and stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped.

NLT: The doorkeeper, who had been sifting wheat, became drowsy and fell asleep. So Recab and Baanah slipped past her.

KJV: And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

NKJV: And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

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, 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).

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 9:42:52 PM