Bird's-eye view
This passage records the first significant military clash in the civil war between the house of Saul, represented by his general Abner, and the house of David, represented by his general Joab. What begins as a foolish and prideful contest proposed by Abner at the pool of Gibeon quickly escalates into a full-blown battle. The entire episode is a microcosm of the larger conflict: it is a tragic, bloody affair between brothers, initiated by folly, and marked by both brutal violence and personal tragedy. The death of the swift-footed Asahel at Abner's hand is a key event, planting the seeds of a blood feud that will have long-lasting consequences. Ultimately, the battle results in a decisive victory for David's forces, demonstrating in a tangible way that the Lord's favor rests upon David's nascent kingdom and not upon the crumbling house of Saul. God's purposes advance, but the path is paved with the sinful and often tragic choices of men.
The narrative serves as a stark reminder of the brutal reality of establishing a kingdom in a fallen world. David is God's anointed, but his throne will not be secured without conflict. This is not a sanitized story. It is a story of ambition, pride, revenge, and the bitterness of civil war. Yet, through it all, the sovereign hand of God is evident, granting victory to His chosen king and moving His redemptive plan forward, a plan that will culminate in the reign of David's greater Son.
Outline
- 1. The Contest of Fools (2 Sam 2:12-17)
- a. The Confrontation at the Pool (2 Sam 2:12-13)
- b. Abner's Foolish Proposal (2 Sam 2:14)
- c. The Mutual Slaughter (2 Sam 2:15-16)
- d. The Verdict of the Battle (2 Sam 2:17)
- 2. The Folly of a Single-Minded Man (2 Sam 2:18-23)
- a. The Sons of Zeruiah Introduced (2 Sam 2:18)
- b. Asahel's Prideful Pursuit (2 Sam 2:19)
- c. Abner's Pragmatic Warnings (2 Sam 2:20-22)
- d. Asahel's Fatal Refusal (2 Sam 2:23)
- 3. The Bitter End of a Bloody Day (2 Sam 2:24-32)
- a. Abner's Plea for Peace (2 Sam 2:24-26)
- b. Joab's Sharp Rebuke and Truce (2 Sam 2:27-28)
- c. The Retreat and the Reckoning (2 Sam 2:29-31)
- d. The Burial of the Fallen (2 Sam 2:32)
Context In 2 Samuel
This chapter follows directly upon David's anointing as king over Judah in Hebron. The nation is divided. While Judah has acclaimed David, Abner, the real power behind the throne of Saul, has installed Saul's son Ish-bosheth as king over the rest of Israel from the Transjordan stronghold of Mahanaim. The nation is in a state of civil war. This passage narrates the first major military engagement of that war. It sets the stage for what the next verse calls "the long war between the house of Saul and the house of David" (2 Sam 3:1). The events here, particularly the killing of Asahel by Abner, are not self-contained but create the motivations for Joab's later act of vengeance in chapter 3, which in turn becomes a pivotal moment in the consolidation of David's kingdom.
Key Issues
- The Folly of Pride
- The Nature of Civil War
- Personal Ambition vs. The Common Good
- The Establishment of Blood Feuds
- God's Sovereignty in Human Conflict
- The Cost of Establishing God's Kingdom
The Field of Daggers
War is a grim business, but civil war is the grimmest of all. It pits brother against brother, and the wounds it leaves are deep and slow to heal. This encounter at the pool of Gibeon is a perfect illustration of this principle. It is a story of posturing, pride, and profound foolishness. Abner, the seasoned general of a failing cause, tries to settle matters with a gladiatorial display. He wants to put on a show. Joab, the hard-nosed general of the rising king, agrees to the terms. The result is not a sporting contest but a mutual massacre, a grim foreshadowing of the larger battle to come.
In this story, we see how the personal sins of men, Abner's bravado, Asahel's reckless ambition, drive events and lead to tragic consequences. Yet, behind the folly of men, we see the firm purpose of God. The lopsided casualty count at the end of the day is God's commentary on the proceedings. He is with David. The house of Saul is a house of death, propped up by men like Abner, but it is doomed to fall. The kingdom of David, though its establishment is marred by sin and bloodshed, is the cause that God will bless. This is how God works in history, bringing His perfect will to pass through the imperfect and often sinful actions of His creatures.
Verse by Verse Commentary
12-14 Now Abner the son of Ner, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon with the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul. And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, one on the one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool. Then Abner said to Joab, “Now let the young men arise and hold a contest before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.”
The two armies meet at the pool of Gibeon, a well-known landmark. The scene is tense, a standoff. Abner breaks the silence, not with a call for negotiation, but with a proposal for what amounts to a championship tournament. The Hebrew word for "contest" can mean to play, to sport, or to jest. Abner is treating this deadly serious matter of the kingdom's future as a game. It is an act of supreme arrogance and folly, designed to show off the prowess of his men. Joab, never one to be outdone in masculine posturing, agrees immediately. His response, "Let them arise," is terse and accepts the challenge. Both leaders are willing to sacrifice their men for the sake of honor and ego.
15-16 So they arose and went over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. And each one of them seized his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon.
The champion-fight begins. Twelve men from each side, representing the twelve tribes. But this is no clean contest. It descends into a grim and intimate slaughter. Each man grabs his opponent by the hair or head and simultaneously runs him through with a sword. They all die together. It is a perfect picture of the futility of this war. Nothing is gained; twenty-four young men are dead. The place is given a name to memorialize the event: Helkath-hazzurim, which means something like "the field of swords" or "the field of daggers." It is a monument to human folly.
17 And that day the battle was very severe, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.
The "game" having failed to settle anything, it explodes into a full-scale battle. The text tells us the result up front: the fighting was fierce, but Abner and the forces of Israel were soundly beaten. This is the divine verdict. God is not neutral in this civil war. He is establishing the throne of His anointed, David, and the house of Saul cannot stand against it.
18-19 Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel; and Asahel was as swift-footed as one of the gazelles which is in the field. And Asahel pursued Abner and did not turn to the right or to the left from following Abner.
The camera now zooms in on a specific drama within the larger battle. We are introduced to David's nephews, the three sons of his sister Zeruiah. They are fierce warriors. The youngest, Asahel, is noted for his extraordinary speed. But his gift becomes his downfall. In the rout of Abner's army, Asahel fixes his sights on the biggest prize: Abner himself, the enemy commander. To kill or capture him would bring immense glory. Asahel's pursuit is single-minded and relentless; he is locked on his target.
20-22 Then Abner turned to look behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” And he answered, “It is I.” So Abner said to him, “Turn to your right or to your left, and seize one of the young men for yourself, and take for yourself his spoil.” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him. And Abner repeated again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?”
Abner, a veteran warrior, knows he is being pursued. He recognizes the fleet-footed Asahel. Abner gives him two clear warnings. This is not out of kindness, but out of shrewd pragmatism. He knows who Asahel is. Killing Joab's brother would start a blood feud that would be personal and vicious. He tells Asahel to go after a lesser soldier and take his spoil, to be content with a smaller victory. But Asahel, blinded by ambition, refuses. Abner's second warning is even more explicit, appealing to the inevitable consequences: "How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?" He is practically begging Asahel to break off the pursuit.
23 However, he refused to turn aside; therefore Abner struck him in the belly with the butt end of the spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died on the spot. And it happened that all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
Asahel's pride makes him deaf to reason. He presses the attack, and Abner is forced to act. With a skillful back-thrust using the butt of his spear, which was likely sharpened for planting in the ground, Abner delivers a fatal wound. The blow is so powerful it goes right through him. Asahel dies instantly. The sight is so shocking that all the pursuing soldiers of David's army stop in their tracks when they come to the place. The death of this young, vibrant commander momentarily halts the entire pursuit.
24-26 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. Now the sun was going down, and they came to the hill of Ammah... Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long will you refrain from telling the people to turn back from following their brothers?”
Joab and Abishai, however, are not stopped for long. They press on, pursuing Abner for personal reasons now as well as military ones. As evening falls, Abner and his remaining men, a contingent of his own tribe of Benjamin, make a stand on a hilltop. From this position of relative safety, Abner calls out to Joab. The man who started the day's bloodshed with a flippant challenge now waxes philosophical about the horrors of war. "Shall the sword devour forever?" He speaks of the bitterness of fighting their own brothers. It is deeply ironic. He only finds this wisdom when he is on the losing end.
27-28 And Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then the people would have only gone away in the morning, each from following his brother.” So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stood still and pursued Israel no longer, nor did they continue to fight anymore.
Joab's reply is sharp and full of righteous indignation. He essentially says, "This is all on you. If you hadn't made that foolish challenge this morning, none of this would have happened." He puts the blame for the day's conflict squarely where it belongs: on Abner. Nevertheless, having made his point, Joab shows himself to be a responsible commander. He accepts the truce, blows the trumpet, and halts the pursuit. The battle is over.
29-32 But Abner and his men then went through the Arabah all that night... Now Joab returned from following Abner... and nineteen of David’s servants besides Asahel were missing. But the servants of David had struck down many of Benjamin and Abner’s men, so that 360 men died. And they took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb which was in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men went all night until the day dawned at Hebron.
The two armies disengage. Abner's forces retreat all night back to their base. Joab gathers his men and takes a casualty count. The numbers tell the story of God's providence. David's side lost only 20 men, including Asahel. Abner's side lost 360 men. It was a rout. The victory was not just tactical but theological. The day ends with a somber duty. They collect Asahel's body and bury him in the family tomb in Bethlehem. The chapter concludes with Joab and his victorious but grieving army returning to David in Hebron.
Application
There are several pointed applications for us in this raw and bloody story. First, we must see the absolute folly of pride. Abner's posturing and Asahel's ambition were the fuel for this fire. They were driven by a desire for glory, honor, and reputation. We must be on guard against this in our own hearts. Whether in the church, in our families, or in our work, the desire to "make a name for ourselves" is a deadly temptation that leads to strife and destruction. We are to seek the honor that comes from God alone.
Second, this passage is a stark warning against strife among brothers. Abner's late-found wisdom is still true: when brothers fight, it is "bitter in the end." This applies with particular force to conflicts within the church. When we treat theological disagreements like the contest at Gibeon, a spectator sport for proving who is toughest, the result is always a field of daggers. We must not allow our pride to escalate disagreements into wars that devour the flock.
Finally, we see that God's kingdom advances even through the mess of human sin. The establishment of David's throne was not neat and tidy. It was violent and tragic. And yet, it was God's will. This should give us confidence. Our world is full of conflict, and the church itself is often marred by the sins of its leaders and people. But the true King, Jesus Christ, is building His kingdom, and the gates of Hell, and the foolishness of men, will not prevail against it. Our hope is not in the strength or wisdom of our "champions," but in the sovereign God who secures the victory through His anointed Son.