2 Samuel 4

The opening portion of 2 Samuel covers the period when David reigned as king of Judah in Hebron and contended with the house of Saul. In 2 Samuel 3, Abner, the commander of the army of Saul's house, was killed by Joab as he was about to go over to David. Chapter 4 opens as news of his death reaches Saul's side.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 At the news of Abner's death, Ish-bosheth loses heart (KJV: "his hands were feeble"), and all Israel is troubled. Baanah and Rechab, Ish-bosheth's captains and the sons of Rimmon, a Beerothite of the tribe of Benjamin, are introduced.
• Verse 4 Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, is introduced. He was five years old when news came of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan; as his nurse fled in haste with him, he fell and became lame.
• Verses 5–8 Rechab and Baanah stab Ish-bosheth as he takes his midday rest and cut off his head. They travel all night by way of the Arabah and present the head to David at Hebron, saying that the LORD has avenged the king of his enemies.
• Verses 9–12 David recalls how he put to death at Ziklag the man who brought news of Saul's death, and he charges them with the crime of killing a righteous man on his bed. He has the two men put to death, their hands and feet cut off, and their bodies hanged beside the pool in Hebron; Ish-bosheth's head is buried in Abner's tomb at Hebron.

Key Verses

• 2 Samuel 4:4 "had a son that was lame of his feet... And his name was Mephibosheth": This shows that no one capable of succeeding to the throne remained in the house of Saul, and it anticipates 2 Samuel 9.
• 2 Samuel 4:11 "How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed?": This shows that David did not welcome the death of his rival but punished the murderers.

People and Places

• Ish-bosheth: A son of Saul who ruled over Israel with the backing of Abner.
• Rechab and Baanah: Brothers who served as captains under Ish-bosheth.
• Mephibosheth: The son of Jonathan.
• Beeroth: A town belonging to the tribe of Benjamin. Its inhabitants had earlier fled to Gittaim and settled there.
• Hebron: The place where David reigned as king of Judah.
• Ziklag: The place where David executed the man who brought news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 1).

Points for Reflection

• Verse 10 parallels the event in chapter 1, where David executed the young Amalekite who came to report Saul's death. Many commentators read this chapter as establishing that David took no part in the violence that brought down the house of Saul, thereby demonstrating the legitimacy of his becoming king over all Israel in 2 Samuel 5.
• Verses 5–7 narrate the murder twice. In the Septuagint, verse 6 states instead that the doorkeeper dozed off while cleaning wheat. As a result, some translations render this passage differently.
• In 1 Chronicles 8:33–34, Ish-bosheth appears as "Eshbaal" and Mephibosheth as "Merib-baal." Some scholars regard this as a case in which the element "Baal" in the names was replaced with "bosheth" (shame).
• The New Testament does not directly quote this chapter.

In the Korean Church

Sermons on Mephibosheth are usually preached from chapter 9. In such sermons, 2 Samuel 4:4 is often cited as well to explain how he became lame.