2 Samuel 2:8

But Abner, the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host,.... This man's father, Ner, was Saul's uncle, 1 Samuel 14:50, and he was his own cousin, and being general of his army, a post he was willing to

But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ish-bosheth.

Partly out of envy and malice against David; and partly out of his own ambition and desire of rule, because he knew that Ish-bosheth would have only the name of king, whilst he had the power. Ish-bosheth, called also Esh-baal, 9:39; it being usual with the Hebrews, instead of Baal, the name of false gods, to put Bosheth, which signifies shame, or confusion, or a shameful thing; as appeareth by comparing , with ; and , with ; and from . Mahanaim; a place beyond Jordan, whither he carried him; partly to secure those brave and valiant men of Jabesh-gilead to himself; and principally because this place was most remote from David, and from the Philistines too; and therefore here he might recruit his forces with less disturbance than in other places.

2 Samuel 2:8 But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’ s host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;Ver. 8. But Abner the son of Ner.] An ambitionist and an atheist; for he went against God’ s express command, and the light of his own conscience, to bring about his own designs, and to keep himself in the saddle; but it turned to his own ruin, and his master’ s also: so vain a thing is it to strive against God. But "all men have not faith," and are therefore "unreasonable and wicked." Took Ishbosheth.] Passing by Mephibosheth, the rightful heir, because young and lame, he setteth up Ishbosheth, a weak, unworthy man: as thinking to rule all under him, using him as a stale, or stalking horse: whence, not Ishbosheth but Abner is said to have made himself strong for the house of Saul. And brought him over to Mahanaim.] Which was beyond Jordan, and not far from Jabeshgilead: which town David had so courted, and Abner therefore might be jealous of, and would thus overawe.

(8) But Abner the son of Ner.—According to 1 Chronicles 9:36, Ner was the brother of Kish, Saul’s father. Abner was therefore the cousin-german of Saul, and had been made by him the commander in chief of his army (1 Samuel 14:51). He was thus, both by kindred and office, strongly attached to the house of Saul. He had been with Saul in his pursuit of David, and may have resented David’s address to him on that occasion (1 Samuel 26:14-16). There is no statement of the time that had elapsed after the death of Saul before Ish-bosheth was set up as king by Abner, but it was probably four or five years, for the following reasons: Ish-bosheth reigned only two years (2 Samuel 2:10), but David appears to have been acknowledged as king over all Israel soon after his death, and had then reigned over Judah alone seven and a half years. Again, at the death of Saul all the northern part of the country was under the control of the Philistines, and some time must have elapsed before the Israelites would have been in condition to make themselves a new king; and, finally, Ish-bosheth was the youngest of Saul’s sons, born apparently some time after he came to the throne, and he was now forty years old (2 Samuel 2:10), Saul himself having reigned about forty years (Acts 13:21). Ish-bosheth.—Called in 1 Chronicles 8:33; 1 Chronicles 9:39, “Eshbaal” (the fire of Baal), just as his nephew, Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 4:4), is called in the same places Meribaal, and Gideon’s surname Jerubbaal (Judges 6:32; Judges 8:35) is changed to Jerubbesheth (2 Samuel 11:21). These names compounded with Baal may have been originally given, as certainly was the case with Jerubbaal, in consequence of the manful opposition to idolatry of those who bore them, and have been subsequently changed to a compound with “bosheth” (shame), in view of the sequel of their histories; or, on the other hand, in the case of Saul’s family the compound with Baal may have been a later name, given in view of their opposition to the divinely appointed king, and to mark God’s utter rejection of the house of Saul. Mahanaim, famous in the story of Jacob (Genesis 32:2), was on the east of the Jordan, and not far from the brook Jabbok. A Levitical city (Joshua 21:38), in comparative safety from the Philistines, was well chosen by Abner for the coronation and residence of his new king. Mahanaim afterwards became the place of refuge for David in his flight from Absalom (2 Samuel 17:24). The expression “brought him over” refers to the crossing of the Jordan.

Verse 8. Abner the son of Ner] This man had long been one of the chief captains of Saul's army, and commander-in-chief on several occasions; he was probably envious of David's power, by whom he had often been out-generalled in the field.

8–11. Ish-bosheth set up by Abner as a rival to David 8. Abner] Both by his relationship of first cousin to Saul (1 Samuel 14:50, note), and by his office as commander of the army, Abner was marked out as the natural champion of Saul’s house. took] Better, had taken. The historian goes back to relate events immediately succeeding the battle of Gilboa. Abner had escaped from the fatal field and carried Ish-bosheth with him across the Jordan, whither it would seem there was a general retreat, while the country west of the Jordan was abandoned to the Philistines (1 Samuel 31:7). Ish-bosheth] Saul’s fourth son, not previously mentioned, was a mere tool in the hands of Abner. His original name, as given in the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 8:33; 1 Chronicles 9:39, was Esh-baal (= man of Baal), but this has been changed to Ish-bosheth (= man of shame), to avoid the scandal of pronouncing the name of the false god Baal. Compare the substitution of Mephibosheth for Meribbaal (2 Samuel 4:4; 1 Chronicles 8:34), and Jerubbesheth for Jerubbaal (2 Samuel 11:21; Judges 8:35), and see Hosea 9:10; Jeremiah 11:13. There are indications that Esh-baal was the original reading here, and the change may have been made in books commonly read, while the original form was retained in the genealogy. As regards the origin of the name, it is a question whether it was a relic of the old Baal worship, or whether baal (=lord) was at one time used as a title of Jehovah until discredited by idolatry (Hosea 2:16). to Mahanaim] Mahanaim (= two hosts), “the spot consecrated by the presence of God in primeval times, where Jacob had divided his people into ‘two hosts,’ and had seen the ‘two hosts’ of the angelic vision” (Genesis 32:2; Genesis 32:10), was chosen by Abner as the capital of Ish-bosheth’s kingdom. Afterwards it became the retreat of David when he fled from Absalom (ch. 2 Samuel 17:24), and at that time was a fortified town with walls and gates (ch. 2 Samuel 18:24). It was situated on the frontier between Gad and Manasseh (Joshua 13:26; Joshua 13:30), but its exact position has not been identified with certainty. Canon Tristram places it at Mahneh, a few miles E. of Jabesh-Gilead (Land of Israel, p. 474).

Mahanaim - See Genesis 32:2. From 2 Samuel 2:12 it would seem to have been Ish-bosheth’s capital.

8. Captain of Saul’s host — Abner’s position and influence in the army rendered it meet for him, at the present emergency, to look after the interests of the family of his fallen king.