2 Samuel 2:10

10 Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul [was] forty years old when he became king over Israel and he reigned two years; however, the house of Judah {followed} David.

2 Samuel 2:10 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 2:10

Ishbosheth, Saul's son, [was] forty years old when he began to
reign over Israel
Being born the same year his father began to reign. (See Gill on 1 Samuel 31:6);

and reigned two years;
which some understand of these, and no more; and whereas David reigned seven years and a half over Judah, before he reigned over all Israel, it is thought by the Jewish chronologer ^F3 that there was a vacancy in the throne of Israel for the space of five years, and so says Kimchi; which vacancy was either before the reign of Ishbosheth, it being a matter in dispute whether he or Mephibosheth should be set up, or after his death; the tribes of Israel being so long before they acknowledged David their king; or Ishbosheth's reign of two years must be in the middle of David's reign over Judah; but there is no need to suppose either of these, for the text says not that Ishbosheth reigned only two years; but the meaning is, as Ben Gersom observes, that he had reigned two years when the following things happened, and a war began, and not by him but by Abner, and carried on by him; and he being an inactive prince, the rest of his reign was reckoned as no reign, whereas he lived and reigned the same length of time David did over Judah; see ( 2 Samuel 3:1 ) ;

but the house of Judah followed David;
kept close to him as their king, yielding a cheerful obedience to him.

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 Seder Olam Rabba, c. 13. p. 37.

2 Samuel 2:10 In-Context

8 But Abner the son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, had taken Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over [to] Mahanaim.

9 He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over Israel, all of it.

10 Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul [was] forty years old when he became king over Israel and he reigned two years; however, the house of Judah {followed} David.

11 The number of days that David was king over Hebron, over the house of Judah, [was] seven years and six months.

12 Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "were after"