20140423 Wednesday, April 23 2014
2 Samuel 04: The Assassination of Ishbosheth

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?"

The Israelite civil war in the time of David and Saul (Israel actually had a number of civil wars, before and after their split into two kingdoms; see the Fact Finder question below) began with David avoiding Saul because David did not want to be a king killer of his own people (see 1 Samuel 21: Why Didn't David Kill Saul?, 1 Samuel 24: The Cave Of The Wild Goats Incident and 1 Samuel 26: The Raid On Saul's Camp). The first part of the war was therefore fought with David based in a refuge in Philistine territory (see 1 Samuel 27: David The Philistine Warrior and 1 Samuel 29: Where Is Palestine?).

When King Saul was killed in battle with the Philistines, without any involvement by David (see 1 Samuel 31: Saul's Last Stand and 2 Samuel 1: How The Mighty Have Fallen, along with his would-be successor Jonathan (who would very likely have been a very good king - if Saul hadn't lost the monarchy to himself, and therefore to his heirs; see 1 Samuel 14: Jonathan's Sweet Victory and 1 Samuel 15: Saul's Impeachment), Abner, the commander of Saul's army, appointed a surviving son of Saul, Ishbosheth, to be the king of Israel. Like most modern-day generals, Abner's position and rank depended on a favorable head of the regime. Abner had Ishbosheth made king for the benefit of Abner. All of the tribes of Israel followed Ishbosheth, except "the house of Judah followed David."

"2:8 But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; 2:9 And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

2:10 Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years.

But the house of Judah followed David. 2:11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months." (2 Samuel 2:8-11 KJV)

With Saul dead, David was free to fight the war to win. The first battle was a decisive victory and rout for David (see 2 Samuel 3: The War Between The Houses of David and Saul) and the war continued always in David's favor: "Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker." Eventually, Abner defected to David, along with most of Israel's army.

With the military and political situation rapidly crumbling around them, two of Ishbosheth's remaining army commanders, Rechab and Baanah, assassinated their king in his own palace - and brought his head to David.

"4:1 And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled. 4:2 And Saul's son had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin: 4:3 And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.)

4:4 And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

4:5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon. 4:6 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.

4:7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night. 4:8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed." (2 Samuel 4:1-8 KJV)

David had spent the first part of the war on the run because he desperately wanted to not be a king killer. David's hatred for traitors and assassins remained strong for the rest of his life. When David saw what the traitors had done, "David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron." As any good chess player knows, opposing kings are never to be touched - only checkmated.

"4:9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 4:10 When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings: 4:11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?

4:12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron." (2 Samuel 4:9-12 KJV)

Fact Finder: Did Israel actually have a number of civil wars - before and after they split into two separate kingdoms?
See On The Brink Of Civil War, Judges 20: Israel's Civil War With Benjamin, The Crease Of Israel and Israel In History and Prophecy: Israel and Judah