Year of the Bible
2 Samuel 2
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Commentary on the Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 2:
Although David was anointed to be king years previously, King Saul has always been on the throne. Now that Saul has died, David can step into leadership. Through prayer, God tells David to ascend to the city of Hebron in the south of the nation. Once there, David is anointed as King over one of the twelve Jewish tribes, that of Judah. Meanwhile, a different plan of succession is unfolding among the northern tribes. Saul’s remaining son, Ishbosheth, is crowned King by Saul’s military commander, Abner. The division between the northern tribes and Judah leads to a battle, and although only twelve men from each side were to fight, by the time the hostilities are over, almost 400 are killed! In the midst of these events, Abner kills the brother of Joab, who is David’s military commander. The resulting blood feud between Joab and Abner will influence future events.
The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 2:
David Anointed King of Judah
1 After this David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” 2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 And David brought up his men who were with him, every one with his household; and they dwelt in the towns of Hebron. 4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.
When they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,” 5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord, and buried him! 6 Now may the Lord show mercy and faithfulness to you! And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. 7 Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
Ish-bosheth Made King of Israel
8 Now Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; 9 and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. 10 Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
The Battle of Gibeon
12 Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. 14 And Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men arise and play before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.” 15 Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16 And each caught his opponent by the head, and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which is at Gibeon. 17 And the battle was very fierce that day; and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
18 And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle; 19 and Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is it you, Asahel?” And he answered, “It is I.” 21 Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men, and take his spoil.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22 And Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me; why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?” 23 But he refused to turn aside; therefore Abner struck him in the belly with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back; and he fell there, and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner; and as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 And the Benjaminites gathered themselves together behind Abner, and became one band, and took their stand on the top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab, “Shall the sword devour for ever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you bid your people turn from the pursuit of their brethren?” 27 And Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would have given up the pursuit of their brethren in the morning.” 28 So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the men stopped, and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight any more.
29 And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; they crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole forenoon they came to Mahanaim. 30 Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David’s servants nineteen men besides Asahel. 31 But the servants of David had slain of Benjamin three hundred and sixty of Abner’s men. 32 And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
In this chapter, it is interesting that Abner, the one who instigated the fighting between his men and Joab's men, begged for the fighting to cease saying: "Do you not know that the end will be bitter?" (v. 26) Joab honored the plea of Abner and called off his men from the fight. Are there situations in my life where, like Joab, I can show mercy to the one who instigates a fight with me?
Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. Join a Catholic Biblical School of Michigan class this September at Holy Family in Grand Blanc, or online.
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
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1 Después de esto David consultó al
Señor:
–¿Debo subir a alguna ciudad de
Judá?
El Señor le respondió:
–Sube.
David insistió:
–¿A cuál?
Y respondió el Señor:
–A Hebrón.
Subió David con sus dos mujeres,
Ajinóam de Yizreel y Abigaíl, la mujer
de Nabal, el de Carmel. 3 Hizo subir
también a los hombres que estaban con
él, cada uno con su familia, y se establecieron
en los términos de Hebrón. 4 Los
hombres de Judá fueron y ungieron allí
a David como rey de Judá. Luego le comunicaron
que los de Yabés de Galaad
habían sepultado a Saúl.
5 Entonces David envió mensajeros a
los hombres de Yabés de Galaad diciéndoles:
–Que el Señor os bendiga por haber
hecho esta obra de piedad con Saúl,
vuestro señor, al darle sepultura. 6 Que el
Señor os trate con misericordia y lealtad.
Yo también me mostraré bondadoso con
vosotros por todos estos hechos. 7 Ahora
sed fuertes y tened ánimo. Ha muerto
Saúl, vuestro señor, pero la casa de
Judá me ha ungido a mí como rey suyo.
8 Abner, hijo de Ner, jefe del ejército
de Saúl, tomó a Isbaal y lo llevó a Majanaim;
9 lo proclamó rey de Galaad, de
Aser, de Yizreel, de Efraím, de Benjamín
y de todo Israel. 10 Cuarenta años tenía
Isbaal, hijo de Saúl, cuando comenzó
a reinar sobre Israel y reinó durante
dos años. En ese tiempo sólo la casa de
Judá seguía a David. 11 David permaneció
en Hebrón siete años y seis meses
reinando sobre la casa de Judá.
12 Abner, hijo de Ner, y los servidores
de Isbaal, hijo de Saúl, salieron de Majanaim
hacia Gabaón. 13 Por su parte, también
Joab, hijo de Seruyá, y los súbditos
de David salieron y se encontraron
todos junto a la alberca de Gabaón. Se
situaron unos a un lado de la alberca y
otros al lado opuesto, 14 y dijo entonces
Abner a Joab:
–Que salgan unos jóvenes y peleen
ante nosotros.
Joab contestó:
–Que salgan.
15 Se levantaron, pues, y se adelantaron
dos grupos iguales: doce benjaminitas,
por parte de Isbaal, hijo de Saúl,
y doce por parte de David. 16 Cada uno
agarró a su oponente por la cabeza y le
clavó la espada en el costado, de modo
que cayeron todos a la vez. Por eso se
llamó aquel lugar Campo de los Costados,
que está muy próximo a Gabaón.
17 Aquel día se entabló una dura batalla.
Abner y los hombres de Israel fueron
derrotados por los de David.
18 Estaban allí los tres hijos de Seruyá,
Joab, Abisay y Asael. Asael era veloz
como un gamo 19 y persiguió a Abner
sin desviarse ni a derecha ni a izquierda
en su carrera tras él. 20 Entonces Abner
miró hacia atrás y dijo:
–¿Eres tú Asael?
Éste respondió:
–Yo soy.
21 Y le dijo Abner:
–Dirígete a la derecha o a la izquierda,
atrapa a uno de los jóvenes y llévate
sus despojos.
Pero Asael no quiso apartarse y dejar
de perseguirlo. 22 De nuevo le habló
Abner a Asael:
–Deja de perseguirme. Si me obligas
a derribarte a tierra, ¿cómo voy a ir después
con la cara levantada ante Joab, tu
hermano?
23 Pero Asael no quiso apartarse y entonces
Abner le hirió en el vientre atravesándole
con la lanza. Cayó allí mismo
y murió en el acto. Todos los que llegaban
al lugar donde Asael había muerto
se detenían.
24 Joab y Abisay persiguieron a Abner
y al ponerse el sol llegaron a la colina
de Amá, que está al este de Guiaj, en
el camino del desierto de Gabaón. 25 Los
benjaminitas se agruparon en un solo
bloque detrás de Abner y se situaron en
lo alto de la colina. 26 Abner gritó a Joab
y le dijo:
–¿Va a estar siempre la espada haciendo
estragos? ¿No sabes que al final
todo será amargura? ¿Hasta cuándo vas
a estar sin decir a tus tropas que dejen
de perseguir a sus hermanos?
27 Y dijo Joab:
–Vive Dios que si tú no hubieras hablado,
mis tropas habrían estado persiguiendo
cada uno a su hermano hasta
el amanecer.
28 Entonces Joab hizo sonar la
trompeta y todos se detuvieron, dejaron
de perseguir a Israel y no volvieron
a luchar. 29 Abner y sus hombres
caminaron toda aquella noche por la
Arabá, atravesaron el Jordán y, después
de andar toda la mañana, llegaron
a Majanaim. 30 Joab dejó de perseguir
a Abner, reunió a todas las tropas
y comprobó que de los súbditos de David
faltaban sólo diecinueve hombres
además de Asael. 31 En cambio, los de
David habían causado trescientas sesenta
bajas entre los benjaminitas y los
hombres de Abner. 32 A Asael lo llevaron
y lo sepultaron en el sepulcro de su
padre en Belén. Joab y sus hombres caminaron
toda la noche y al despuntar
el día llegaron a Hebrón.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
En este capítulo, es interesante que Abner, el que instigó la lucha entre sus hombres y los de Joab, rogara que cesara la lucha diciendo: "¿No sabes que el final será amargo?" (v. 26) Joab hizo caso a la súplica de Abner y retiró a sus hombres de la lucha. ¿Hay situaciones en mi vida en las que, como Joab, puedo mostrar misericordia a quien incitó una pelea conmigo?
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para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).