And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
2 Samuel 2 records the internal strife and events connected with establishing David's reign. The verse belongs to the account in 2 Samuel 2-4 of the causes that made David king over all Israel. It is included in the account of the rise of David's kingdom and shows the historical setting in which that kingdom was built up.
In that setting David reigns at Hebron while Saul's son and army seek to hold the kingdom by force. Abner brings his forces out to Gibeon in the attempt to make Ish-bosheth son of Saul king. At Gibeon Abner was met by Joab. Hostilities opened when twelve chosen young men from each side fought.
The verse thus opens the lingering warfare between Judah under David and Israel under Ish-bosheth, in which David always proved victorious. Ish-bosheth had no ability to unite the fragments of the kingdom, and religion was in a low state. His accusation of Abner turned Abner against him to make overtures to David. David's demand and recovery of Michal gained him a hold on the northern people as an heir of Saul. The murders of Abner and Ish-bosheth were without David's wish and left only Jonathan's lame son, whom David afterward cared for. Behind all these political changes was God's purpose and providence to bring David to the throne.
2 Samuel 2 records the internal strife and events connected with establishing David's reign. The verse belongs to the account in 2 Samuel 2-4 of the causes that made David king over all Israel. It is included in the account of the rise of David's kingdom and shows the historical setting in which that kingdom was built up.
In that setting David reigns at Hebron while Saul's son and army seek to hold the kingdom by force. Abner brings his forces out to Gibeon in the attempt to make Ish-bosheth son of Saul king. At Gibeon Abner was met by Joab. Hostilities opened when twelve chosen young men from each side fought.
The verse thus opens the lingering warfare between Judah under David and Israel under Ish-bosheth, in which David always proved victorious. Ish-bosheth had no ability to unite the fragments of the kingdom, and religion was in a low state. His accusation of Abner turned Abner against him to make overtures to David. David's demand and recovery of Michal gained him a hold on the northern people as an heir of Saul. The murders of Abner and Ish-bosheth were without David's wish and left only Jonathan's lame son, whom David afterward cared for. Behind all these political changes was God's purpose and providence to bring David to the throne.