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Texts -- 2 Samuel 4:1-12 (NET)

Context
Ish-bosheth is killed
4:1 When Ish-bosheth the son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron , he was very disheartened , and all Israel was afraid . 4:2 Now Saul’s son had two men who were in charge of raiding units ; one was named Baanah and the other Recab . They were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite , who was a Benjaminite . (Beeroth is regarded as belonging to Benjamin , 4:3 for the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have remained there as resident foreigners until the present time .) 4:4 Now Saul’s son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in both feet . He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan arrived from Jezreel . His nurse picked him up and fled , but in her haste to get away , he fell and was injured . Mephibosheth was his name . 4:5 Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite – Recab and Baanah – went at the hottest part of the day to the home of Ish-bosheth , as he was enjoying his midday rest . 4:6 They entered the house under the pretense of getting wheat and mortally wounded him in the stomach . Then Recab and his brother Baanah escaped . 4:7 They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was resting on his bed in his bedroom . They mortally wounded him and then cut off his head . Taking his head , they traveled on the way of the Arabah all that night . 4:8 They brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David in Hebron , saying to the king , “Look ! The head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul , your enemy who sought your life ! The Lord has granted vengeance to my lord the king this day against Saul and his descendants !” 4:9 David replied to Recab and his brother Baanah , the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite , “As surely as the Lord lives , who has delivered my life from all adversity , 4:10 when someone told me that Saul was dead – even though he thought he was bringing good news – I seized him and killed him in Ziklag . That was the good news I gave to him! 4:11 Surely when wicked men have killed an innocent man as he slept in his own house , should I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth ?” 4:12 So David issued orders to the soldiers and they put them to death . Then they cut off their hands and feet and hung them near the pool in Hebron . But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • David

    [ebd] beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother's name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam. 17:25. As to his personal ...
    [isbe] DAVID - da'-vid (dawidh, or dawidh, "beloved"; Daueid, also in New Testament, Dauid, Dabid; see Thayer's Lexicon): I. NAME AND GENEALOGY II. EARLY YEARS 1. Shepherd 2. Slinger 3. Harpist 4. Poet 5. Psalmist 6. Tribesman III....
    [smith] (well-beloved), the son of Jesse. His life may be divided into three portions: His youth before his introduction to the court of Saul; His relations with Saul; His reign. The early life of David contains in many important re...
    [nave] DAVID 1. King of Israel. Genealogy of, Ruth 4:18-22; 1 Sam. 16:11; 17:12; 1 Chr. 2:3-15; Matt. 1:1-6; Luke 3:31-38. A shepherd, 1 Sam. 16:11. Kills a lion and a bear, 1 Sam. 17:34-36. Anointed king, while a youth, by the ...

  • Ish-bosheth

    [ebd] man of shame or humiliation, the youngest of Saul's four sons, and the only one who survived him (2 Sam. 2-4). His name was originally Eshbaal (1 Chr. 8:33; 9:39). He was about forty years of age when his father and three br...
    [isbe] ISH-BOSHETH - ish-bo'-sheth (ish-bosheth, "man of shame"' Iesbosthe): Called 'eshba`al, "man of Baal" (1 Ch 8:33), and yishwi, "man of Yahweh" (?), perhaps for 'isheyo (1 Sam 14:49). Compare ESHBAAL and ISHVI (the King James...
    [nave] ISH-BOSHETH Son of Saul. Called Esh-baal in 1 Chr. 8:33; 9:39. Made king by Abner, 2 Sam. 2:8-10. Deserted by Abner, 2 Sam. 3:6-12. Restores Michal, David's wife, to David, 2 Sam. 3:14-16. Assassinated, 2 Sam. 4:5-8. Av...

  • Lamentations, Book of

    [ebd] called in the Hebrew canon 'Ekhah, meaning "How," being the formula for the commencement of a song of wailing. It is the first word of the book (see 2 Sam. 1:19-27). The LXX. adopted the name rendered "Lamentations" (Gr. thr...

  • SAMUEL, BOOKS OF

    [isbe] SAMUEL, BOOKS OF - || I. PLACE OF THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL IN THE HEBREW CANON II. CONTENTS OF THE BOOKS AND PERIOD OF TIME COVERED BY THE HISTORY III. SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 1. Life of Samuel (1 Samuel 1 through 15) 2. Reign and D...

  • Rechab

    [ebd] horseman, or chariot. (1.) One of Ishbosheth's "captains of bands" or leaders of predatory troops (2 Sam. 4:2). (2.) The father of Jehonadab, who was the father of the Rechabites (2 Kings 10:15, 23; Jer. 35:6-19).
    [smith] (rider). One of the two "captains of bands" whom Ish-bosheth took into his service, and who conspired to murder him. (2 Samuel 4:2) (B.C. 1046.) The father of Malchiah, ruler of part of Beth-haccerem. (Nehemiah 3:14) (B.C...
    [nave] RECHAB 1. Son of Rimmon. Murders Ish-bosheth, son of Saul; put to death by David, 2 Sam. 4:5-12. 2. Father of Jehonadab, 2 Kin. 10:15, 23; 1 Chr. 2:55; Jer. 35:6, 8, 16, 19. Ancestor of the Rechabites, Jer. 35. 3. Father ...

  • Baanah

    [ebd] son of affliction. (1.) One of the two sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, a captain in Saul's army. He and his brother Rechab assassinated Ishbosheth (2 Sam. 4:2), and were on this account slain by David, and their mutilated bod...
    [isbe] BAANAH - ba'-a-na ba`anah, "son of oppression"): (1) Captain in the army of Ish-bosheth (2 Sam 4:2 ff). (2) Father of Iteleb, one of David's mighty men (2 Sam 23:29; 1 Ch 11:30). (3) Returned with Zerubbabel to Jerusalem; a ...
    [smith] Son of Rimmon, a Benjamite, who with his brother Rechab murdered Ishbosheth For this they were killed by David; and their mutilated bodies hung up over the pool at Hebron. (2 Samuel 4:2,5,6,9) (B.C. 1046.) A Netophathite,...
    [nave] BAANAH 1. A captain of Ish-bosheth's army, 2 Sam. 4:2, 5, 6, 9. 2. Father of Heleb, 2 Sam. 23:29; 1 Chr. 11:30. 3. A chief Jew of the exile, Ezra 2:2; Neh. 7:7; 10:27. 4. Son of Hushai, 1 Kin. 4:16.

  • RECHAB; RECHABITES

    [isbe] RECHAB; RECHABITES - re'-kab, rek'-a-bits (rekhabh, rekhabhim): Rechab is the name of two men of some prominence in the Old Testament records: (1) A Benjamite of the town of Beeroth, son of Rimmon (2 Sam 4:2); he and his bro...

  • CRIME; CRIMES

    [isbe] CRIME; CRIMES - krim, krimz: This. term is used in English as the equivalent of the Hebrew mishpaT, "judgment," "verdict" (Ezek 7:23); zimmah, "a heinous crime" (Job 31:11); 'asham = "a fault," "sin" (Gen 26:10, English Vers...

  • Assassination

    [nave] ASSASSINATION David's abhorrence of, 2 Sam. 4:9-12. Laws prohibiting, Deut. 27:24. Instances of Of Eglon, by Ehud, Judg. 3:15-22; Abner, by Joab, 2 Sam. 3:27; Ish-bosheth, by the sons of Rimmon, 2 Sam. 4:5-7; Amnon, by Ab...

  • Rimmon

    [ebd] pomegranate. (1.) A man of Beeroth (2 Sam. 4:2), one of the four Gibeonite cities. (See Josh. 9:17.) (2.) A Syrian idol, mentioned only in 2 Kings 5:18. (3.) One of the "uttermost cities" of Judah, afterwards given to Simeon...
    [smith] (pomegranate) the name of several towns. A city of Zebulun (1 Chronicles 6:77; Nehemiah 11:29) a Levitical city, the present Rummaneh , six miles north of Nazareth. A town in the southern portion of Judah, (Joshua 15:3) a...
    [nave] RIMMON 1. Father of the murderers of Ish-bosheth, 2 Sam. 4:2, 5, 9. 2. A city S. of Jerusalem, Zech. 14:10. Allotted to Judah, Josh. 15:32; Neh. 11:29; afterward to Simeon, Josh. 19:7; 1 Chr. 4:32. Called Remmon, Josh. 19...

  • Homicide

    [nave] HOMICIDE. Accidental Ex. 21:13, 28-32; Num. 35:11-15, 22-28, 32 Deut. 4:41-43; 19:1-10. Josh. 20:1-9 Felonious or Murder: Gen. 4:9-11 v. 12.; Gen. 9:5, 6; Gen. 49:7; Ex. 20:13 Deut. 5:17; Rom. 13:9. Ex. 21:29-32; Num. 35...

  • Government

    [nave] GOVERNMENT Paternal functions of, Gen. 41:25-57. Civil service school provided by, Dan. 1:3-20. Maintains a system of public instruction, 2 Chr. 17:7-9. Executive departments in. See: Cabinet; King; Ruler; Statecraft. Ju...

  • Zeal

    [nave] ZEAL, Religious Josh. 24:15, 16; 2 Sam. 24:24, 25; 1 Kin. 9:4; 1 Kin. 15:14; 1 Chr. 29:17; 2 Chr. 15:15; 2 Chr. 19:3; Ezra 7:23; Job 16:19; Psa. 42:1, 2; Psa. 60:4; Psa. 96:2, 3, 10; Psa. 119:139; Prov. 11:30; Eccl. 9:10; ...

  • Regicide

    [nave] REGICIDE Of Ehud, Judg. 3:16-23. Of Saul, 2 Sam. 1:16. Of Ish-bosheth, 2 Sam. 4:5-8. Of Nadab, 1 Kin. 15:27-29. Of Elah, 1 Kin. 16:9-11. Of Joram, 2 Kin. 9:24. Of Ahaziah, 2 Kin. 9:27. Of Joash, 2 Kin. 12:20, 21. Of ...

  • Mephibosheth

    [ebd] exterminator of shame; i.e., of idols. (1.) The name of Saul's son by the concubine Rizpah (q.v.), the daughter of Aiah. He and his brother Armoni were with five others "hanged on a hill before the Lord" by the Gibeonites, a...
    [isbe] MEPHIBOSHETH - me-fib'-o-sheth (mephibhosheth, "idol-breaker," also MERIB-BAAL (which see); Memphibosthe): (1) Son of Saul by his concubine RIZPAH (which see), daughter of Aiah (2 Sam 21:8). See also ARMONI. (2) Grandson of ...
    [smith] (exterminating the idol), the name borne by two members of the family of Saul --his son and his grandson. Saul?s son by Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, his concubine. (2 Samuel 21:8) He and his brother Armoni were among the ...
    [nave] MEPHIBOSHETH 1. Son of Saul by Rizpah, whom David surrendered to the Gibeonites to be slain, 2 Sam. 21:8, 9. 2. Son of Jonathan, 2 Sam. 4:4. Called Merib-baal, 1 Chr. 8:34; 9:40. Was lame, 2 Sam. 4:4. David entertains hi...

  • Gittaim

    [ebd] two wine-presses, (2 Sam. 4:3; Neh. 11:33), a town probably in Benjamin to which the Beerothites fled.
    [isbe] GITTAIM - git'-a-im (gittayim): The town to which the Beerothites tied, and where they lived as gerim, or protected strangers (2 Sam 4:3). The place need not have been beyond the boundaries of Benjamin, so it may be identica...
    [nave] GITTAIM, a place of which little is known, 2 Sam. 4:3; Neh. 11:33.

  • Mahanaim

    [ebd] two camps, a place near the Jabbok, beyond Jordan, where Jacob was met by the "angels of God," and where he divided his retinue into "two hosts" on his return from Padan-aram (Gen. 32:2). This name was afterwards given to th...

  • RIMMON (2)

    [isbe] RIMMON (2) - (rimmon, "pomegranate"; see RIMMON-PEREZ): (1) A Syrian god. Naaman the Syrian leper after being cured is troubled over the fact that he will still have to bow down in the house of the Syrian god, Rimmon, when h...

  • SAUL

    [isbe] SAUL - sol (sha'ul; Saoul): (1) The first king of Israel. I. EARLY HISTORY 1. Name and Meaning 2. Genealogy 3. Home and Station 4. Sources for Life 5. Election as King 6. Reasons for It II. REIGN AND FALL 1. His First Action...

  • Jezreel

    [isbe] JEZREEL - jez'-re-el, jez'-rel (yizre`e'l, "God soweth"): (1) A city on the border of the territory of Issachar (Josh 19:18). 1. Territory: It is named with Chesulloth and Shunem (modern Iksal and Solam). It remained loyal t...
    [nave] JEZREEL 1. A city in the S. of Judah, Josh. 15:56; 1 Sam. 25:43; 27:3; 29:1, 11. 2. A city of Issachar, Josh. 19:18; 2 Sam. 2:9. Ahab's residence in, 1 Kin. 18:45, 46; 21:1. Naboth's vineyard in, 1 Kin. 21:1. Joram's res...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • God had announced that Saul would deliver His people from the hand of the Philistines (9:16). However, Saul frustrated God's purpose by not following the Lord faithfully. Consequently the Philistines got the better of Saul an...
  • (Continued from notes on 1 Samuel)V. David's triumphs chs. 1-8A. The beginning of David's kingdom 1:1-3:51. David's discovery of Saul and Jonathan's deaths ch. 12. David's move to Hebron 2:1-4a3. David's overtures to Jabesh-g...
  • The first 20 chapters of 2 Samuel are divisible into four units each of which ends with a list of names that is four verses long (1:1-3:5; 3:6-5:16; 5:17-8:18; 9:1-20:26).2The first two units conclude with lists of David's so...
  • "Without doubt this portion [of 2 Samuel, i.e., chapters 2-8] forms the crux of the book. Here the fertility motif reaches a peak. The thesis of the author--that Israel is blessed with fertility when the nation (and the epito...
  • David's overtures to the Jabesh-gileadites were very important. Saul's commander-in-chief and cousin, Abner, was working to install Saul's youngest son, Ish-bosheth (called Eshbaal in 1 Chron. 9:39), as his father's successor...
  • The writer also documented God's blessing on David in this record of how David wisely unified the nation of Israel and became the leader of all 12 tribes."The story of how David became king of all Israel follows, in most esse...
  • "Saul the king is dead, Jonathan the heir apparent is dead, Abinadab and Malki-Shua (two of Jonathan's brothers) are dead (1 Sam 31:2), Abner the commander of the army is dead--and no other viable claimants or pretenders cont...
  • Again David sinned by multiplying wives (Deut. 17:17). Nevertheless in spite of this sin God continued to bless him with fertility because he was God's elect and, for the most part, God's obedient servant. Fortunately God doe...
  • "As the story of David's accession to kingship over Judah (1:1-3:5) parallels that of his accession to the throne of Israel (3:6-5:16), each concluding with a list of his sons (3:2-5; 5:13-16), so the account of his powerful ...
  • The promises Yahweh made to David here are an important key to understanding God's program for the future.God rejected David's suggestion that he build a temple for the Lord and gave three reasons. First, there was no pressin...
  • "From the religious heights of chapter 7 we descend again to the everyday world of battles and bloodshed in chapter 8. The military action picks up where the story left off at the end of chapter 5."130Chapter 8 evidently desc...
  • Chapters 9-20 contrast with chapters 2-8 in that this later section is negative whereas the earlier one was positive. It records failure; the former records success. Compare the similar narrative of Saul's triumphs (1 Sam. 7-...
  • The story of David's kindness to Mephibosheth (ch. 9) helps to explain David's subsequent acceptance by the Benjamites. It also enables us to see that the writer returned here to events in David's early reign."It is, in my pe...
  • While Joab was continuing to subdue the Ammonites the following spring by besieging Rabbah (modern Amman, the capital of Jordan; cf. 10:7), David was residing in Jerusalem (11:1). By mentioning the fact that normally kings le...
  • This second descendant of Saul demonstrated a reaction to David that was the opposite of Ziba's. Ziba had been ingratiating and submissive, but Shimei, a "reptile of the royal house of Saul,"245was insulting and defiant (cf. ...
  • "With Joab's return to the king in Jerusalem, the grand symphony known as the Court History of David reaches its conclusion for all practical purposes (at least as far as the books of Samuel are concerned . . .). The last fou...
  • Achtemeier, Paul J., and Elizabeth Achtemeier. The Old Testament Roots of Our Faith. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1979.Ackerman, James S. "Knowing Good and Evil: A Literary Ananysis of the Court History in 2 Samuel 9-20 and ...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. "The Building Activities of David and Solomon."Israel Exploration Journal24:1(1974):13-16.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonahl. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.,...
  • This group of prophecies begins and ends with oracles concerning the kings' duties (21:11-12; 22:1-9). In the middle is an oracle against Jerusalem (21:13-14).21:11-12 Jeremiah was to tell the king of Judah and his administra...
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