2 Samuel 4 Study Notes: Ish-bosheth Is Assassinated
Abner’s death leaves Ish-bosheth fearful, and the narrator introduces Jonathan’s lame son Mephibosheth. Two of Ish-bosheth’s captains murder him and bring the proof to David expecting reward, but David condemns them for killing an innocent man and has them executed.
General
Rechab and Baanah killed Ish-bosheth in his house and brought proof of it to David in Hebron. How did they describe what they had done (2 Samuel 4:8)?
Answer: As the LORD avenging David on Saul’s family
Rechab and Baanah were Benjamites who led raiding parties for Ish-bosheth (4:2). They entered his house at midday while he was resting, struck him down where he lay, and traveled through the night to bring his head to David in Hebron (4:5-8). They presented the murder as God’s work: Ish-bosheth was David’s enemy, and the LORD had now avenged the king on Saul and his descendants (4:8). David had heard this kind of reasoning before. His own men had once called a chance to kill Saul the LORD’s gift, yet David refused, leaving vengeance to the LORD and trusting Him to deal with Saul in His own time (1 Samuel 24:4, 12; 26:10).
- 2 Samuel 4:2 (BSB)“Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other Rechab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin,”The narrator identifies Rechab and Baanah, Benjamite raiding-party leaders who served Ish-bosheth.
- 1 Samuel 24:4 (BSB)“So David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do with him as you wish.’” Then David crept up and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.”David’s men had once called an opportunity to kill Saul the LORD’s doing, yet David refused.
- 1 Samuel 24:12 (BSB)“May the LORD judge between you and me, and may the LORD take vengeance on you, but my hand will never be against you.”David left vengeance on Saul to the LORD and refused to lift his own hand.
- 1 Samuel 26:10 (BSB)“David added, “As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD Himself will strike him down; either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.”David trusted the LORD Himself to deal with Saul in His own time.
Theological
How did Rechab and Baanah frame their killing of Ish-bosheth when they presented it to David (2 Samuel 4:8)?
Answer: As the LORD avenging David on Saul’s family
Rechab and Baanah, Benjamite raiders in Ish-bosheth’s service (4:2), murder their king in his bed and bring the proof to Hebron (4:5-8), cloaking the deed in the language of providence: the LORD has avenged David on Saul’s line (4:8). David had consistently rejected that logic, refusing to treat an opportunity as permission and leaving vengeance to the LORD (1 Samuel 24:4, 12; 26:10).
- 2 Samuel 4:2 (BSB)“Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other Rechab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin,”The narrator identifies Rechab and Baanah, Benjamite raiding-party leaders who served Ish-bosheth.
- 1 Samuel 24:4 (BSB)“So David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do with him as you wish.’” Then David crept up and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.”David’s men had once called an opportunity to kill Saul the LORD’s doing, yet David refused.
- 1 Samuel 24:12 (BSB)“May the LORD judge between you and me, and may the LORD take vengeance on you, but my hand will never be against you.”David left vengeance on Saul to the LORD and refused to lift his own hand.
- 1 Samuel 26:10 (BSB)“David added, “As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD Himself will strike him down; either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.”David trusted the LORD Himself to deal with Saul in His own time.
General
How did David answer Rechab and Baanah (2 Samuel 4:9-11)?
Answer: He recalled the man he had executed at Ziklag
David swore by the LORD, who had redeemed his life from every trouble (4:9). His life had been kept safe by the LORD, not by murderers, just as the psalm praises the LORD for redeeming those who serve Him (Psalm 34:22). David reminded them of the man who told him at Ziklag that Saul was dead, thinking his news was good; David had him put to death (4:10; 1:15). How much more, then, must he demand the blood of wicked men who had killed an innocent man at home, lying in bed (4:11). David called Ish-bosheth righteous, meaning he had done nothing to deserve being killed. God requires the life of whoever sheds human blood (Genesis 9:6), and the law cursed anyone who kills a neighbor secretly (Deuteronomy 27:24).
- 2 Samuel 4:9-10 (BSB)“But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, when someone told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer of good news, I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was his reward for his news!”David swears by the LORD who redeemed him and recalls how he dealt with the messenger who reported Saul’s death.
- 2 Samuel 4:11 (BSB)“How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!””David calls the killing of an innocent man in his own house a greater crime and pronounces judgment.
- Psalm 34:22 (BSB)“The LORD redeems His servants, and none who take refuge in Him will be condemned.”The LORD redeems His servants, so David had no need of murderers to secure his throne.
- Genesis 9:6 (BSB)“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.”God’s command at the time of Noah requires the life of whoever sheds human blood.
- Deuteronomy 27:24 (BSB)“‘Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”The law pronounced a curse on anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret.
Theological
What precedent did David cite in his reply to Rechab and Baanah (2 Samuel 4:9-11)?
Answer: He recalled the man he had executed at Ziklag
David swears by the LORD who had rescued him from every trouble (4:9; compare Psalm 34:22), disavowing any need for assassins. He cites the precedent of the messenger at Ziklag who thought he brought good news of Saul’s death and was executed (4:10; 1:15), and argues from lesser to greater: murdering a righteous, that is innocent, man at home on his bed demands his killers’ blood all the more (4:11). The judgment rests on the principle of Genesis 9:6 and the curse on secret murder in Deuteronomy 27:24.
- 2 Samuel 4:9-10 (BSB)“But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, when someone told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer of good news, I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was his reward for his news!”David swears by the LORD who redeemed him and recalls how he dealt with the messenger who reported Saul’s death.
- 2 Samuel 4:11 (BSB)“How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!””David calls the killing of an innocent man in his own house a greater crime and pronounces judgment.
- Psalm 34:22 (BSB)“The LORD redeems His servants, and none who take refuge in Him will be condemned.”The LORD redeems His servants, so David had no need of murderers to secure his throne.
- Genesis 9:6 (BSB)“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.”God’s command at the time of Noah requires the life of whoever sheds human blood.
- Deuteronomy 27:24 (BSB)“‘Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”The law pronounced a curse on anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret.
General
True or False: After Rechab and Baanah were executed, Ish-bosheth’s head was buried in Abner’s tomb at Hebron (2 Samuel 4:12).
Answer: True
This is true. At David’s command his young men put Rechab and Baanah to death and publicly displayed their bodies beside the Hebron pool, but Ish-bosheth’s head was laid to rest in the tomb of Abner (4:12), where Abner had been laid with David weeping (3:32). The killers received the penalty the law set for murder (Numbers 35:33), while Saul’s son was treated with honor, just as David had blessed those who buried Saul (2:5). Once again David refused to gain the throne by bloodshed against Saul’s house.
- 2 Samuel 4:11 (BSB)“How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!””David pronounces judgment on Ish-bosheth’s killers; the next verse records the sentence carried out and Ish-bosheth’s burial.
- 2 Samuel 3:32 (BSB)“When they buried Abner in Hebron, the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb, and all the people wept.”Abner had been buried at Hebron with David weeping at his tomb.
- 2 Samuel 2:5 (BSB)“So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead to tell them, “The LORD bless you, because you showed this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him.”David had earlier blessed those who gave Saul an honorable burial.
- Numbers 35:33 (BSB)“Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.”The law taught that bloodshed is answered only by the blood of the one who shed it.
Theological
True or False: Ish-bosheth’s head was buried in Abner’s tomb at Hebron after David had his murderers executed (2 Samuel 4:12).
Answer: True
This is true. David executes Rechab and Baanah and makes a public example of them beside the Hebron pool, but gives Ish-bosheth’s head honorable burial in Abner’s tomb (4:12; compare 3:32). Justice is done on the murderers (Numbers 35:33), and Saul’s son is honored as David had honored Saul’s burial (2:5). David will not take the throne through the murder of Saul’s house.
- 2 Samuel 4:11 (BSB)“How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!””David pronounces judgment on Ish-bosheth’s killers; the next verse records the sentence carried out and Ish-bosheth’s burial.
- 2 Samuel 3:32 (BSB)“When they buried Abner in Hebron, the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb, and all the people wept.”Abner had been buried at Hebron with David weeping at his tomb.
- 2 Samuel 2:5 (BSB)“So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead to tell them, “The LORD bless you, because you showed this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him.”David had earlier blessed those who gave Saul an honorable burial.
- Numbers 35:33 (BSB)“Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.”The law taught that bloodshed is answered only by the blood of the one who shed it.
General
How did Ish-bosheth respond to the news of Abner’s death at Hebron (2 Samuel 4:1)?
Answer: He lost heart, and the whole nation was alarmed
When Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that Abner was dead, his courage failed, and the whole nation was troubled (4:1). Abner had been the real strength behind his throne: he had made Ish-bosheth king, and Ish-bosheth had been too frightened of him even to reply to his anger (3:11). With Abner gone, Saul’s family, already weakening throughout the war (3:1), was left without its leader.
- 2 Samuel 4:1 (BSB)“Now when Ish-bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel was dismayed.”News of Abner’s death leaves Ish-bosheth disheartened and Israel alarmed.
- 2 Samuel 3:11 (BSB)“And for fear of Abner, Ish-bosheth did not dare to say another word to him.”Ish-bosheth had been too afraid of Abner even to answer him, showing how much he depended on him.
- 2 Samuel 3:1 (BSB)“Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was protracted. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.”Saul’s house had already been growing weaker throughout the war.
Theological
What was the effect of Abner’s death on Ish-bosheth and Israel (2 Samuel 4:1)?
Answer: He lost heart, and the whole nation was alarmed
Abner’s death unnerves Ish-bosheth and alarms all Israel (4:1). Ish-bosheth had depended entirely on Abner, whom he feared too much to answer (3:11), and the decline of Saul’s house (3:1) now accelerates toward collapse.
- 2 Samuel 4:1 (BSB)“Now when Ish-bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel was dismayed.”News of Abner’s death leaves Ish-bosheth disheartened and Israel alarmed.
- 2 Samuel 3:11 (BSB)“And for fear of Abner, Ish-bosheth did not dare to say another word to him.”Ish-bosheth had been too afraid of Abner even to answer him, showing how much he depended on him.
- 2 Samuel 3:1 (BSB)“Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was protracted. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.”Saul’s house had already been growing weaker throughout the war.
General
Who was Mephibosheth, whom the narrator introduces in 2 Samuel 4:4?
Answer: Jonathan’s son, lamed in a fall as a child
Mephibosheth was Jonathan’s son. When news of Saul’s and Jonathan’s deaths arrived from Jezreel, the boy was five; the woman caring for him snatched him up to escape, and in her rush he fell and was left lame (4:4). Mephibosheth will matter later. Jonathan had asked David never to withdraw his loving devotion from Jonathan’s household (1 Samuel 20:15), and David would show Mephibosheth kindness for Jonathan’s sake and give him a regular place at the royal table (9:7, 13).
- 2 Samuel 4:4 (BSB)“And Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she was hurrying to escape, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.”The narrator introduces Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, and explains how he became lame.
- 1 Samuel 20:15 (BSB)“and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.””Jonathan had asked David never to cut off his loving devotion from Jonathan’s household.
- 2 Samuel 9:7 (BSB)““Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.””David later shows kindness to Mephibosheth for his father Jonathan’s sake.
- 2 Samuel 9:13 (BSB)“So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was lame in both feet.”Mephibosheth, still lame in both feet, would later eat at the king’s table in Jerusalem.
Theological
Who was Mephibosheth, as described in 2 Samuel 4:4?
Answer: Jonathan’s son, lamed in a fall as a child
Mephibosheth is Jonathan’s son, lamed at age five when his nurse fled at the news from Jezreel and he fell (4:4). The notice prepares for David’s covenant faithfulness to Jonathan’s line: Jonathan had asked David never to cut off his loving devotion from his household (1 Samuel 20:15), and David will honor that by restoring Mephibosheth and seating him at the royal table (9:7, 13).
- 2 Samuel 4:4 (BSB)“And Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she was hurrying to escape, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.”The narrator introduces Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, and explains how he became lame.
- 1 Samuel 20:15 (BSB)“and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.””Jonathan had asked David never to cut off his loving devotion from Jonathan’s household.
- 2 Samuel 9:7 (BSB)““Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.””David later shows kindness to Mephibosheth for his father Jonathan’s sake.
- 2 Samuel 9:13 (BSB)“So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was lame in both feet.”Mephibosheth, still lame in both feet, would later eat at the king’s table in Jerusalem.