Am I a dog's head? The revolt and death of Abner (2 Sam 3)

Episode 118: Am I a dog's head? The revolt and death of Abner

2 Samuel 3

David impregnates six women

3 ¹ During the war between David and Saul's son, Ishbosheth, David became stronger and Ishosheth became weaker.

² David had six sons in Hebron.

His firstborn son was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam.

³ His second son, Chileab, of Abigail.

The third, Absalom the son of Maacah.

⁴ The fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith.

The fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital.

⁵ And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah.

Abner revolts against Ishbosheth

⁷ Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah.

During the war, Ishbosheth said to his captain, Abner,

Why did you have sex with my father's concubine?

⁸ Abner answered, saying:

Am I a dog's head?

I've been loyal to you and protected you from David. Why do you accuse me of this?

^9-10 But now I'm going to help David steal your kingdom.

He will become king over both Judah and Israel.

¹² Then Abner sent a message to David, saying, "I will help you become king of Israel."

David steals Michal from her husband

¹⁴ David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, saying,

Bring me my wife Michal, who I bought for a hundred Philistine foreskins.

^15-16 So Ishbosheth took Michal from her husband, Phaltiel, who went along weeping behind her.

Joab kills Abner

²⁰ David and Abner met to discuss their plans to steal Israel from Ishbosheth.

²⁴ When David's captain, Joab, heard about the agreement between David and Abner, he was angry. He didn't trust Abner and thought he was trying to deceive David.

²⁶ So Joab sent messengers to Abner asking him to return to Hebron.

²⁷ When Abner came to Hebron, Joab took him aside to speak to him quietly. Then Joab smote him under the fifth rib.

²⁸ David proclaimed himself guiltless and condemned Joab, saying:

Let the blame rest on the head of Joab, and on his whole family, and on all of his descendants forever.

²⁹ May all of his descendants have discharges from their penises, be lepers, lean on a staff, commit suicide, or starve to death.

³⁰ (The reason Joab wanted to kill Abner was that Abner smote his brother Asahel under the fifth rib, when he refused to turn to the right or the left.)

^31-32 David said to Joab and all of the people with him,

Rend your clothes and put on sackcloth.

Then they buried Abner and everyone wept.

³⁵ All the people brought David meat to eat. But David said,

I swear to God that I won't eat until the sun goes down.

³⁶ This pleased the people, as everything that David did pleased all of the people.

A few more words about this episode

Saul's son, Ishbosheth (3:1)

Ishbotheth was Saul's only surviving son and became the king of Israel when Saul died.

David had six sons in Hebron. (3:2)

According to 2 Sam 5:5, David reigned for 7 years and six months in Hebron.

The Bible doesn't say whether he had any daughters in Hebron.

Up to now, we've known about three of David's wives: Michal, who Saul sold to David for 200 Philistine foreskins, but who was later given by Saul to another man; Abigail, who became David's wife after God killed her husband, Nabal; and Ahinoam, who David just somehow acquires when he took Abigail.

Saul's wife was also named Ahinoam - which makes some scholars think that David may have not only married Saul's daughter, Michal, but his wife as well. (Cf. 2 Sam 12:8)

But now, David collects four more wives: Maacah, Haggith, Abital, and Eglah.

Who were the sons of David born in Hebron

Ishbosheth took Michal from her husband, Phaltiel. (3:15)

After David fled from Judah to live with the Philistines, Saul gave her to Phaltiel. (1 Sam 25:44, Episode 114)

Michal was Saul's daughter and Ishbosheth's sister.

This re-marriage of David and Michal would have been an abomination to God (Deuteronomy 24:4).

Lean on a staff (3:29)

A man who "leans on a staff" is an effeminate male - according to the note in the Harper-Collins Study Bible.