2 Samuel 4:2

_AND WHEN SAUL'S SON HEARD THAT ABNER WAS DEAD IN HEBRON, HIS HANDS WERE FEEBLE, AND ALL THE ISRAELITES WERE TROUBLED._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

1-7 See how Ishbosheth was murdered! When those difficulties dispirit us, which should sharpen our endeavours, we betray both our heavenly crowns and our earthly lives. Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty and ruin. The idle soul is an easy prey to the destroyer. We know not when and where death will meet us. When we lie down to sleep, we are not sure that we may not sleep the sleep of death before we awake; nor do we know from what hand the death-blow may come....

Verse 2 Samuel 4:2. _CAPTAINS OF BANDS_] _Principes latronum_, captains of banditti, says the _Vulgate_; the _Syriac_ is the same. Whether Ish-bosheth kept bands of _marauders_, whose business it was to make sudden incursions into the country places, and carry off grain, provisions, cattle, c., we know not but such persons would be well qualified for the bloody work in which these two men were afterwards employed....

BEEROTH - See the marginal reference. From Joshua 9:17, it might have been expected that the population of Beeroth would be Canaanite. But from some unknown cause the Canaanite inhabitants of Beeroth had fled to Gittaim - perhaps the same as Gath - and continued there as sojourners. If this flight of the Beerothites took place at the time of Saul’s cruel attack upon the Gibeonites 2 Samuel 21:1, Baanah and Reehab may have been native Beerothites, and have been instigated to murder the son of Saul by a desire to avenge the blood of their countrymen. The fact of their being reckoned as Benjamites is quite compatible with their being Canaanites by blood....

EXPOSITION 2 SAMUEL 4:1 WHEN SAUL'S SON HEARD THAT ABNER WAS DEAD. The news of Abner's death must have had a doubly depressing effect upon Ishbosheth; for he learned, not only that the mainstay of his kingdom was slain, but that even he, in despair of a successful issue, had been engaged in treasonable negotiations with his rival. ALL THE ISRAELITES WERE TROUBLED. Their trouble was caused rather by uncertainty than by fear. Abner's plans had fallen through, and the fact of his murder threw grave suspicions on David. Had he now attacked Israel, the chiefs would most probably have stood loyally by Saul's house. But he did nothing, and his innocence slowly but gradually was made clear. They were thus in a state of suspense, and waiting till some brave man arose to lead them to a decision. Unfortunately, a fresh crime threw e

AND SAUL'S SON HAD TWO MEN [THAT WERE] CAPTAINS OF BANDS,.... Of troops in the army, or of guards about the person of Ishbosheth son of Saul: THE NAME OF THE ONE [WAS] BAANAH, AND THE NAME OF THE OTHER RECHAB, THE SONS OF RIMMON A BEEROTHITE, OF THE CHILDREN OF BENJAMIN; so that these men were brethren in nature, as well as in iniquity; they had the same father, who is described by his name and city, and their names are expressly mentioned and recorded to their infamy; and they were not only the servants of Ishbosheth, who had commissions under him, but were of the same tribe with him; all which is observed as an aggravation of their crime: FOR BEEROTH ALSO WAS RECKONED TO BENJAMIN; the place from whom Rimmon their father is denominated, and where he dwelt, as well as Gittaim, where they had sojourned, as in 2 Samuel 4:3. This place, Beeroth, originally

5. THE DEATH OF ISH-BOSHETH CHAPTER 4 _ 1. Ish-bosheth in despair (2 Samuel 4:1)_ 2. Mephibosheth, the lame son (2 Samuel 4:4) 3. The end of Ish-bosheth (2 Samuel 4:5) 4. The punishment of the murderers (2 Samuel 4:9) Abner's death meant the speedy end of Ish-bosheth's pretentious reign. Baanah and Rechab were his captains and became his murderers. While Ish-bosheth was resting in the heat of the day they sneaked in and murdered the sleeping son of Saul, then brought the head to David. They claimed to be instruments of God in the execution of the wicked deed, expecting approval and a reward from

It was clear that Ishbaal's authority could not long survive Abner. It was only a question who should carry out the schemes which Abner had set on foot. Two of Ishbaal's captains came to his house as he was enjoying his midday siesta. And, behold the portress was cleaning wheat, and she had fallen sound asleep, and they got into the house without being noticed (following LXX of 2 Samuel 4:6 _cf. mg.),_ and slew Ishbaal and took his head to David, who had them put to death. There are two insertions in this narrative. 2 Samuel 4:2_ b_, 2 Samuel 4:3 is an archæ ological note as to Beeroth (Deuteronomy 10:6). Its inhabitants, probabl

MEN. Hebrew. _'enosh._ App-14. BEEROTHITE. Near Gibeon (Joshua 18:25), now _El Bireh,_. miles north of Jerusalem, one of the Hivite towns possessed by Benjamin. CHILDREN. sons. FOR. Note Figure of speech _Parenthesis._ App-6....

_captains of bands_ Leaders of predatory troops. See note on ch. 2 Samuel 3:22. _of the children of Benjamin_ The historian calls special attention to the fact that Ish-bosheth's murderers belonged to his own tribe. _for Beeroth also_, &c. The object of this parenthesis is to explain how these Beerothites came to be Benjamites. Beeroth was one of the four Gibeonite cities, retained by their original Canaanite inhabitants in virtue of the treaty made with Joshua (Joshua 9:17). It was however reckoned to belong to the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:25), and had been occupied by Benjamites when its original inhabitants deserted it. When and why they did so is unknown, but it has been plausibly conjectured th