2Sa 3 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 2Sam 3:1-39: 3:1-39 The house of David increased, while Saul’s house dwindled. The crucial occasion came when Abner, the real political power in Saul’s camp, switched allegiance to David, taking a considerable number of his northern kinsmen with him. 3:1 a long war: This civil war likely continued for most of the seven-plus years that David ruled from Hebron. The truce called by Joab and Abner (2:26-28 ) was short-lived.

Summary for 2Sam 3:1-39: 3:1-39 ^a The house of David increased, while Saul’s house dwindled. The crucial occasion came when Abner, the real political power in Saul’s camp, switched allegiance to David, taking a considerable number of his northern kinsmen with him. 3:1 ^b a long war: This civil war likely continued for most of the seven-plus years that David ruled from Hebron. The truce called by Joab and Abner (2:26-28 ^c) was short-lived.
Summary for 2Sam 3:2-5: 3:2-5 ^d One way David “became stronger and stronger” (3:1 ^e) was by taking more wives and having a son through each. Three of David’s Hebron-born sons died violent deaths, two during David’s reign (Amnon, Absalom), and one shortly after his death (Adonijah).
3:3 ^f Geshur was a small Canaanite kingdom in upper Transjordan (the area east of the Jordan) near the Sea of Galilee. Marrying into neighboring royal families created political alliances and secured David’s position against the northern tribes. Solomon also followed this practice (1 Kgs 3:1 ^g; 11:1 ^h).
3:7 ⁱ accused Abner of sleeping with one of [Saul’s] concubines: It is unclear whether Abner actually did so. Taking a king’s wife or concubine was often part of a usurper’s attempt to replace the king (see 12:8 ^j; 16:21 ^k; 1 Kgs 2:17-25 ^l).

• Rizpah: See also 2 Sam 21:8-14 ^m.
3:8 ⁿ some Judean dog: Cp. 1 Sam 17:43 ^o.

• by not handing you over to David: Abner had control over the life and death of Saul’s son.
3:9 ^p help David get what the Lord has promised him! Abner was aware that God had chosen David to be king over all Israel (see also 3:18 ^q).
3:10 ^r and give it to David: Cp. 1 Sam 28:17 ^s.

• I will establish the throne of David: Whether an ally or enemy, Abner was a powerful man. Here he speaks like God (see 2 Sam 7:13 ^t).
3:11 ^u didn’t dare say another word: Ishbosheth’s silence speaks loudly of his weakness as a ruler. Abner, who had installed him as king (2:8-9 ^v), was the real power behind Ishbosheth’s reign.
3:12 ^w In the proposed solemn pact (or covenant), Abner recognized that David would be king, while perhaps he hoped to be second-in-command.
3:13 ^x Saul had given his daughter Michal to David as his wife (1 Sam 18:20-27 ^y). However, when Michal saved David’s life from her father (1 Sam 19:11-17 ^z), Saul terminated the marriage and gave Michal to another man, Palti (1 Sam 25:44 ^aa). For David to get her back now would further cement his claim to Saul’s kingdom (cp. 1 Kgs 2:13-25 ^ab).
3:14 ^ac the lives of 100 Philistines: Saul had hoped that David would be killed in his attempt to secure the bride-price (see 1 Sam 18:17-27 ^ad).
3:15 ^ae Ishbosheth took: Although Abner made the deal with David (3:12-13 ^af), it was Ishbosheth who gave Michal to David. This transaction illustrates Ishbosheth’s weakness as a king and his fear of Abner (3:11 ^ag).
3:16 ^ah In spite of Palti’s anguished weeping, he was powerless to stop what was happening (cp. Judg 18:1-26 ^ai).

• Bahurim was probably a center of support for Saul’s clan just east of Jerusalem (cp. 2 Sam 16:5 ^aj).
3:17 ^ak Apparently, there had been growing momentum among the elders of Israel in the north to accept David as king, though the text has made no mention of it to this point.
3:18 ^al See also 3:9 ^am. By bringing relief from the Philistines, David would accomplish what Saul had failed to do (1 Sam 9:16 ^an).
3:19 ^ao Because Saul was from their tribe, the men of Benjamin no doubt viewed David, from Judah, as a usurper of Saul’s throne. However, Abner was well-respected in Saul’s regime and so was able to elicit support for David even among Saul’s own tribe.
3:21 ^ap The narrator emphasized that David sent Abner safely on his way as a friend and an ally (restated in 3:22-23 ^aq). David was at peace with Abner and was not involved in the renowned military leader’s murder (cp. 3:28-29 ^ar).

• Despite the murder of Abner (3:27 ^as), the northern tribes eventually did make a covenant with David to make him their king, just as Abner had promised (5:1-3 ^at).
3:26 ^au The precise location of the well of Sirah is unknown; presumably it was not far from Hebron.

• David knew nothing about it: See study note on 3:21.
3:27 ^av as if to speak with him privately: Joab accused Abner of deception (3:25 ^aw), but he used deception himself to lure Abner to his death.

• in revenge: Joab was motivated by the practice of blood vengeance, avenging the death of a kinsman by killing the killer.
3:28 ^ax David made it clear that he had nothing to do with Abner’s death, labeling it as a crime. David knew that because his second-in-command had killed Abner, rumors would circulate among those loyal to Saul’s dynasty that David had ordered the killing.

• I vow by the Lord: David called on the Lord to hold him accountable if he were lying.
3:29 ^ay leprosy: While leprosy is a possible translation, the Hebrew here probably refers to a broader range of skin inflammations, not only Hansen’s disease.

• who walks on crutches: This curse effectively alienated Joab from David, and from this point on they had only a professional relationship. David’s deathbed order to Solomon to get rid of Joab (1 Kgs 2:5-6 ^az) and Solomon’s exoneration of David in Abner’s death (1 Kgs 2:31-33 ^ba) indicate that David’s mourning over Abner was genuine.
3:30 ^bb See 2:18-28 ^bc.
3:31 ^bd David himself walked: David’s public presence in the mourning procession, his open weeping at the gravesite (3:32 ^be), and his dramatic fast (3:35 ^bf) made evident to the public that he had not ordered Abner’s killing (3:37 ^bg).
3:32 ^bh Burying Abner in Hebron, David’s capital city at the time, rather than at some northern site reinforced Abner’s shift of support from Saul to David. Presumably it encouraged others from the northern tribes to follow Abner’s example.
3:33 ^bi as fools die: Abner was deceived by Joab, an enemy who posed as a friend (see 3:27 ^bj).
3:34 ^bk a wicked plot: Normal warfare could not defeat Abner, a seasoned warrior. Only treachery could.
3:35 ^bl begged him to eat: See also 12:17 ^bm.
3:37 ^bn See study note on 3:31.
3:39 ^bo too strong for me to control: Just as Ishbosheth could not control Abner, David could not control Joab. However, David had faith that the Lord would repay Joab for murdering Abner.