2 Samuel 2:10

10 A son of forty years, [is] Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, in his reigning over Israel, and two years he hath reigned, only the house of Judah have been after 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 And Abner, son of Ner, head of the host which Saul hath, hath taken Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, and causeth him to pass over to Mahanaim,

9 and causeth him to reign over Gilead, and over the Ashurite, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over Israel -- all of it.

10 A son of forty years, [is] Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, in his reigning over Israel, and two years he hath reigned, only the house of Judah have been after David.

11 And the number of the days that David hath been king in Hebron, over the house of Judah, is seven years and six months.

12 And Abner son of Ner goeth out, and servants of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, from Mahanaim to Gibeon.