References (12)
But Abner, the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ish-Bosheth, Saul's [youngest] son, and brought him over to Mahanaim,
Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son, was 40 years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
[The name Ish-Bosheth means "man of shame"; in the Books of Chronicles he is called Eshbaal, which means "Baal is there" (). He is not an anointed king, but someone appointed as king over all eleven tribes, except Judah, where David reigns. For two years, there is a temporary division into a Northern and Southern Kingdom before David unites the nation again.]
And [Saul's commander] Abner, the son of Ner, together with the servants of Saul's [youngest] son Ish-Bosheth, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
And they stood up and crossed over in equal numbers:
Twelve for Benjamin and for Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son,
and twelve of David's servants.
And Abner was very angry at Ish-Bosheth's words and said, "Am I a dog's head belonging to Judah? Today I have shown kindness (caring love – Hebr. chesed) to your father Saul's house, to your brothers and to his friends, and have not given you into David's hand, and you accuse me today of a sin with this woman!
Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son, saying, "Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for 100 Philistine foreskins." [David and Michal had not divorced, and the bride price (equivalent) had not been returned, so she was still his wife, see .]
Then Ish-Bosheth sent [messengers] and took her from her husband, from Paltiel, the son of Laish. [In the name is the shorter Palti.]
The sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah [made a plan to murder Ish-Bosheth and] went out [from Gittaim north of Jerusalem to the city of Machanajim on the other side of the Jordan near Jabbok, see ]. They came to Ish-Bosheth's house [palace] when the day was hottest [around three o'clock in the afternoon] as he was taking his afternoon nap [siesta after lunch].
And they brought Ish-Bosheth's head to David in Hebron and said to the king, "Behold, the head of Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son, your enemy who sought your life, and the Lord (Yahweh) has avenged my lord the king on Saul this day and on his seed (descendants)."
[The last time anyone brought a head before the king was when David brought Goliath's head before Saul, see . David was rewarded with a position with the king and in the royal family, and was also exempted from taxes, see . Rechab and Baanah probably expected a similar reward.]
And David commanded his young men, and they struck them and cut off their hands and their feet and hung them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took Ish-Bosheth's head and buried it in Abner's tomb in Hebron. [Ish-Bosheth was 42 years old.]
Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Avinadav, and Eshbaal [Ish-Boshet, see ].
Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
