2 Samuel 4:1-7

Ish-bosheth Murdered

1 Now when Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, heard that ¹Abner had died in Hebron, ²he lost courage *, and all Israel was disturbed.

2 Saul's son had two men who were commanders of bands: the name of the one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the sons of Benjamin (for ³Beeroth is also considered ⁴part of Benjamin,

3 and the Beerothites fled to ⁵Gittaim and have been aliens there until this day ).

4 Now ⁶Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the ⁷report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and became lame. And his name was ⁸Mephibosheth.

5 So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, departed and came to the house of ⁹Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day while he was taking his midday rest.

6 They came to the middle of the house as if to get wheat, and ¹⁰they struck him in the belly; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

7 Now when they came into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom *, they struck him and killed him and beheaded * him. And they took his head and ¹¹traveled by way of the Arabah all night.

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2 Samuel 4:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 4

This chapter relates the concern the death of Abner gave to Ishbosheth, and the men of Israel, 2Sa 4:1; the murder of Ishbosheth by two of his captains, who cut off his head, and brought it to David, 2Sa 4:2-8; by whom they were rewarded according to their deserts, he putting them to death, and exposing their bodies to shame and ignominy, 2Sa 4:9-12.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 11

1. 2 Samuel 3:27
2. Ezra 4:4
3. Joshua 9:17
4. Joshua 18:25
5. Nehemiah 11:33
6. 2 Samuel 9:3, 6
7. 1 Samuel 31:1-4
8. 1 Chronicles 8:34; 1 Chronicles 9:40
9. 2 Samuel 2:8
10. 2 Samuel 2:23
11. 2 Samuel 2:29

Footnotes 6

[a]. So some ancient mss; M.T. "he"
[b]. Lit "his hands dropped"
[c]. I.e. Merib-baal
[d]. Lit "And here"
[e]. Lit "takers of wheat"
[f]. Lit "went"