2 Samuel 2:12-32

2 Samuel 2:12-32

[12] And Abner  the son  of Ner,  and the servants  of Ishbosheth  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  together  by the pool  of Gibeon:  and they sat down,  the one on the one side of the pool,  [14] And Abner  said  to Joab,  Let the young men  now arise,  and play  before  us. And Joab  said,  Let them arise.  [15] Then there arose  and went over  by number  twelve  of Benjamin,  which pertained to Ishbosheth  the son  of Saul,  and twelve  of the servants  of David.  [16] And they caught  every one  his fellow  by the head,  and thrust his sword  in his fellow's  side;  so they fell down  together:  wherefore that place  was called  Helkathhazzurim,  which is in Gibeon.  [17] And there was a very  sore  battle  that day;  and Abner  was beaten,  of Israel,  before  the servants  of David.  [18] And there were three  sons  of Zeruiah  there, Joab,  and Abishai,  and Asahel:  was as light  of foot  as a  wild  roe.  [19] And Asahel  pursued  after  Abner;  he turned  not to the right hand  nor to the left  from following  Abner.  [20] Then Abner  looked  behind  him, and said,  Art thou Asahel?  And he answered,  [21] And Abner  said  to him, Turn thee aside  to thy right hand  or to thy left,  and lay thee hold  on one  of the young men,  and take  thee his armour.  But Asahel  would  not turn aside  from following  of him. [22] And Abner  said  again  to Asahel,  Turn thee aside  from following  me: wherefore should I smite  thee to the ground?  how then should I hold up  my face  to Joab  thy brother?  [23] Howbeit he refused  to turn aside:  wherefore Abner  with the hinder end  of the spear  smote  him under  the fifth  rib, that the spear  came out  behind  him; and he fell down  there, and died  in the same place:  and it came to pass, that as many as came  to the place  where Asahel  fell down  and died  stood still.  [24] Joab  also and Abishai  pursued  after  Abner:  and the sun  went down  to the hill  of Ammah,  that lieth before  Giah  by the way  of the wilderness  of Gibeon.  [25] And the children  of Benjamin  gathered themselves together  after  Abner,  and became one  troop,  and stood  on the top  of an hill.  [26] Then Abner  called  to Joab,  and said,  Shall the sword  devour  for ever?  knowest  thou not that it will be bitterness  in the latter end?  how long shall it be then, ere thou bid  the people  return  from following  their brethren?  [27] And Joab  said,  As God  liveth,  unless  thou hadst spoken,  surely then in the morning  the people  had gone up  every one  from following  his brother.  [28] So Joab  blew  a trumpet,  and all the people  stood still,  and pursued  after  Israel  no more, neither fought  they any more.  [29] And Abner  and his men  walked  all that night  through the plain,  and passed over  Jordan,  all Bithron,  and they came  to Mahanaim.  [30] And Joab  returned  from following  Abner:  all the people  together,  there lacked  of David's  servants  nineteen  men  and Asahel.  [31] But the servants  of David  had smitten  of Benjamin,  and of Abner's  so that three  hundred  and threescore  men  died.  [32] And they took up  Asahel,  and buried  him in the sepulchre  of his father,  which was in Bethlehem.  And Joab  all night,  and they came to Hebron  at break of day. 

What does 2 Samuel 2:12-32 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Travelers can visit the pool of Gibeon today. It lies about three miles northwest of Gibeah.
"The pool is a cylindrical shaft thirty-seven feet in diameter and thirty-five feet deep. Its five-feet-wide spiral stairway, which winds downward around the inside wall of the pool in a clockwise direction, continues below the floor level to an additional depth of forty-five feet." [1]
There the forces of Ish-bosheth and David met for a peace conference ( 2 Samuel 2:13). Abner broke off the peace talks, however, by suggesting that the two sides determine which of them would win in a battle by champions (cf1Samuel17). [1] Twelve soldiers from each side ( 2 Samuel 2:15), perhaps representing each of the twelve tribes, engaged in hand-to-hand combat to decide the leadership of the nation. The fight was a draw, so the battle between the two armies escalated. Joab"s men finally got the upper hand. Abner warned Asahel twice to stop pursuing him and to fight with someone he might be able to defeat ( 2 Samuel 2:21-22). He evidently wanted to avoid a blood feud with Joab"s family that might go on for generations. Nevertheless Asahel kept pushing Abner who finally killed him rather than simply knocking him out. It is unclear whether Abner turned to face Asahel and slew him with the butt end of his spear, or slew him with his back toward Asahel as he ran from him, or stopped suddenly and Asahel ran into the butt end of Abner"s spear. [3]
""Every man" who "stopped when he came" to the place where Asahel had died ( 2 Samuel 2:23) does not refer to travelers or others who stop to pay their respects, as many commentators believe (e.g, Baldwin, Hertzberg), but to David"s men, Asahel"s pursuers, who stand transfixed in horror at the death of a fallen comrade ..." [4]
Many of David"s soldiers stopped, but Joab and Abishai continued to pursue Abner. The other soldiers from Benjamin, Saul and Abner"s tribe, rallied around Abner, and the hostility climaxed when they took a stand to defend themselves on a hilltop ( 2 Samuel 2:25). Abner tried to call a truce ( 2 Samuel 2:26), but Joab correctly blamed him for starting the conflict in the first place ( 2 Samuel 2:27; cf. 2 Samuel 2:14). Joab agreed to the truce, however, and both armies went home. Abner"s side lost360 soldiers in this fight, and19 of Joab"s men died.
This incident accounts for the personal hostility that later resulted in Abner"s death and the disintegration of Ish-bosheth"s throne. Note that David played no part in it. God worked through Joab and Abner to place His anointed on the throne of all Israel. This passage shows how hostilities between the two factions in Israel escalated, as they often do in modern nations, neighborhoods, and families. First, the opposing parties stopped talking ( 2 Samuel 2:12). Next, they started fighting ( 2 Samuel 2:13). Then, Asahel kept pushing ( 2 Samuel 2:23). Finally, Abner insisted on defending himself ( 2 Samuel 2:23).