Bird's-eye view
Following the death of Saul and David's anointing by the tribe of Judah in Hebron, the political landscape of Israel fractures. This passage details the establishment of a rival kingdom under the authority of Abner, the formidable commander of Saul's army. Abner, in a classic political power play, props up Saul's remaining son, Ish-bosheth, as a puppet king over the northern tribes. This act sets the stage for a protracted civil war between the house of Saul and the house of David. The central issue is clear: will Israel follow the king appointed by God's explicit word and anointing, or will they follow a king established by the machinations of a powerful man? The narrative starkly contrasts the two kingdoms: one in the north, born of human ambition and military might, and one in the south, born of divine promise and legitimacy. This division is not merely political; it is a spiritual contest for the heart of the nation.
The text carefully lays out the players, the geography, and the timelines. Abner is the real power behind the throne. Ish-bosheth is a weak figurehead. The kingdom is headquartered in Mahanaim, east of the Jordan, a safe distance from the Philistines and from David's power base in Judah. The conflict is established: the house of Saul, representing the old, rejected order, versus the house of David, representing God's chosen future. This is a foundational episode for understanding the long and often bloody consolidation of David's kingdom, a process that serves as a type for the establishment of Christ's kingdom, which also advances in the face of entrenched opposition.
Outline
- 1. The Kingdom of Man (2 Sam 2:8-11)
- a. The Kingmaker and His Puppet (2 Sam 2:8)
- b. The Scope of the Rival Kingdom (2 Sam 2:9)
- c. The Tale of Two Kings (2 Sam 2:10-11)
- i. The Brief Reign of the Man of Shame (2 Sam 2:10a)
- ii. The Loyal House of Judah (2 Sam 2:10b)
- iii. The Patient Reign of God's Anointed (2 Sam 2:11)
Context In 2 Samuel
This passage immediately follows the account of David's response to Saul's death and his subsequent anointing as king over Judah in Hebron (2 Sam 2:1-7). The book has pivoted from the decline of Saul to the rise of David. However, the transition is not smooth. While David has acted with piety and wisdom, honoring Saul and Jonathan and seeking the Lord's guidance, the remnants of Saul's regime are not prepared to yield. This section, therefore, introduces the central conflict of the first part of 2 Samuel: the civil war between the two houses. It establishes the political and military reality that David must overcome. God has anointed him king over all Israel, but the fulfillment of that anointing will not come about by magic. It will be worked out in history, through conflict, patience, and God's overruling providence. This episode is the formal beginning of the opposition to God's anointed king, an opposition that will ultimately fail.
Key Issues
- Abner's Motives and Power
- The Legitimacy of Ish-bosheth's Kingship
- The Significance of Mahanaim
- The Divided Kingdom as a Theological Theme
- Reconciling the Timelines (Two Years vs. Seven and a Half Years)
- David as a Type of Christ
Two Houses, One Throne
Whenever God sets up His anointed, you can be sure that men will set up a rival. The pattern is as old as Cain and Abel. Here in 2 Samuel, the conflict is institutionalized. God has chosen David. Samuel anointed him, the Spirit rushed upon him, and now the tribe of Judah has recognized him. The matter should be settled. But it is never that simple, because sin resides in the hearts of powerful men who have their own ideas about how the world should be run.
What we see in these verses is the establishment of a counterfeit kingdom. It has all the outward trappings of legitimacy: a son of the former king, the backing of the military commander, and control over most of the territory. But it is a hollow enterprise from the start, because it is founded on human ambition in defiance of God's revealed will. Abner is not trying to honor Saul; he is trying to preserve his own position as the power behind the throne. Ish-bosheth is not a king; he is a placeholder. This is the kingdom of man, propped up by political savvy and military might, set in direct opposition to the kingdom of God, which is advancing quietly and patiently from Hebron.
Verse by Verse Commentary
8 Now Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
The action begins with Abner. He is the prime mover, the subject of the verb. He was Saul's cousin and his top general, a man of immense power and prestige. With Saul and Jonathan dead, Abner sees a power vacuum, and he intends to fill it. Notice what he does. He takes Ish-bosheth. Ish-bosheth is passive; he is an object, a piece on Abner's chessboard. His name itself is a tragic prophecy; it means "man of shame." Abner brings him to Mahanaim, a city east of the Jordan. This was a strategic move. It put them out of the immediate reach of the Philistines, who controlled much of the central territory, and it created a buffer between his new government and David's base in Judah. This is a government in retreat from the very beginning, a government of expediency.
9 And he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel.
Again, the text emphasizes Abner's role: he made him king. This is not a popular uprising or a divine appointment. This is a military coup, orchestrated by one man. The list of territories is intended to show the breadth of Abner's control. He cobbles together a coalition of the northern tribes, including Saul's own tribe of Benjamin. The final claim, "even over all Israel," is the formal challenge. It is a statement of defiance against the anointing of David in Hebron. It is, of course, a lie. He was not king over all Israel, because Judah, the royal tribe, was with David. This is the nature of rebellion; it must overstate its own authority and legitimacy.
10 Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.
The narrator provides some biographical details that highlight Ish-bosheth's weakness. At forty years old, he should have been a man in his prime, yet he is completely overshadowed by Abner. His reign is said to last for two years. This likely refers to the period of his undisputed reign over the northern confederation before the civil war intensified and his kingdom began to collapse, culminating in his assassination. The verse ends with a simple, powerful counterpoint: "The house of Judah, however, followed David." This is the great contrast. While the north engaged in political theater, Judah clung to the man God had chosen. They represent the faithful remnant, the seed from which the true kingdom will grow.
11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
This verse provides the timeline for the legitimate king. The seven and a half years covers the entire period of the divided kingdom and the ensuing civil war. God's man is reigning, but his reign is not yet fully realized. He is king in Hebron, a city of priests, a fitting place to begin his rule. But he must wait for God's timing to receive the throne of all Israel. There is a discrepancy between Ish-bosheth's two years and David's seven and a half. The best explanation is that the two years measures the effective reign of Ish-bosheth, while the seven and a half years measures the entire duration of the conflict until David is made king over all Israel. For five of those years, after Abner's death and Ish-bosheth's murder, there was likely a period of anarchy in the north before they finally came to David. This shows the patience of God's anointed. David does not force the issue. He waits, he governs Judah, and he trusts God to bring the rest of the kingdom to him in His time.
Application
The story of these two kingdoms is our story. We live in the time between the anointing of our King and the final consummation of His kingdom. Jesus has been crowned Lord of all at His resurrection and ascension, but His rule is not yet acknowledged by all. Like David in Hebron, He has His faithful house, the Church, who follow Him. But out in the world, the kingdom of man, under various "Abners," continues to prop up its puppet kings and ideologies.
The temptation for the church is always twofold. One temptation is to despair, to think that because the kingdom of man looks so powerful and controls so much territory, that our King's reign is a fiction. The other temptation is to adopt the methods of Abner, to try to advance Christ's kingdom through political maneuvering, coercion, and human strength. David does neither. He reigns where God has placed him, he waits patiently, and he trusts the divine promise.
We are called to be the house of Judah. We are to give our unwavering allegiance to King Jesus, right here, right now. We are to live as loyal citizens of His government in Hebron, even while the world follows its parade of shameful kings. We must not be impressed by the claims of the rival kingdom, for its days are numbered. It is a hollow thing, destined to collapse under the weight of its own corruption. Our King, however, reigns forever, and in His time, every knee will bow, and He will unite all the tribes under His gracious rule.