2 Samuel 2:10

10 Und Is-Boseth, Sauls Sohn, war vierzig Jahre alt, da er König ward über Israel, und regierte zwei Jahre. Aber das Haus Juda hielt es mit 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 Abner aber, der Sohn Ners, der Sauls Feldhauptmann war, nahm Is-Boseth, Sauls Sohn, und führte ihn gen Mahanaim

9 und machte ihn zum König über Gilead, über die Asuriter, über Jesreel, Ephraim, Benjamin und über ganz Israel.

10 Und Is-Boseth, Sauls Sohn, war vierzig Jahre alt, da er König ward über Israel, und regierte zwei Jahre. Aber das Haus Juda hielt es mit David.

11 Die Zeit aber, da David König war zu Hebron über das Haus Juda, war sieben Jahre und sechs Monate.

12 Und Abner, der Sohn Ners, zog aus samt den Knechten Is-Boseths, des Sohnes Sauls, von Mahanaim, gen Gibeon;