2Sa 4:1 And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.
All the Israelites were troubled - Abner was their great support; and on him they depended; for it appears that Ishbosheth was a feeble prince, and had few of those qualities requisite for a sovereign.
all the Israelites were troubled - at the loss of so great a man in their kingdom, and of whose designs to unite them to Judah, and put them under the government David, they were not ignorant; but now were in the utmost confusion, not knowing what step to take, and whom to send to carry on the treaty, in which Abner was concerned; and whether it would be safe for any to go upon it, since he who had the management of it was murdered, and no justice done on the murderer, and therefore might question David's sincerity and uprightness in this affair; these things greatly distressed and embarrassed them for the present, but Providence opened a way for their future establishment and prosperity.
Saul's son - By Saul's son is meant Ishbosheth
his hands were feeble - not only in a natural sense, being quite dispirited at hearing such news; but in a civil sense, having lost his main support and strength, he lost the power and courage to act as king, since Abner had been the only support of his throne.
2Sa 4:2 And Saul's son had two men that were captains of bands: 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: (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin:
Beeroth - From Jos_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 and continued there as sojourners. If this flight of the Beerothites took place at the time of Saul’s cruel attack upon the Gibeonites 2Sa_21:1-2, 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.
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 2Sa_4:3. This place, Beeroth, originally belonged to the Gibeonites, and fell to the lot of Benjamin at the division of the land, Jos_9:17.
Captains of bands - Of troops in the army, or of guards about the person of Ishbosheth son of Saul:
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:
2Sa 4:3 And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.)
The Beerothites fled to Gittaim - Probably the same as Gath ; as Ramathaim is the same as Ramah. At the death of Saul, when many of the Israelites deserted their cities, and left them to the Philistines, 1Sa_31:7; and so the inhabitants of Beeroth forsook their city, which was near the Philistines, and went to Gittaim, a city in the same tribe, though a little further off
The Beerothites fled to Gittaim - Gittaim is mentioned again in Neh_11:33, among the places in which Benjaminites were dwelling after the captivity, though it by no means follows from this that the place belonged to the tribe of Benjamin before the captivity. It may have been situated outside the territory of that tribe. It is never mentioned again. The reason why the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and remained there as strangers until the time when this history was written, is also unknown; it may perhaps have been that the Philistines had conquered Gittaim.
2Sa 4:4 And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.
his nurse took him up and fled - fearing the Philistines would come thither and destroy the family of Saul; and this child being the son of Jonathan, the eldest son of Saul, was by birth heir to the crown, his father and grandfather being both dead, and which might make the nurse the more solicitous to save his life by flight: This mention of Mephibosheth seems to be inserted here partly to show that with the death of Ish-bosheth the cause of the house of Saul became hopeless, and partly to prepare the way for the subsequent mention of him 2Sa_9:1-13; 2Sa_16:1-4; 2Sa_19:25.
his name was Mephibosheth - called Meribbaal, 1Ch_8:34; This story of Mephibosheth, and of his nurse's flight with him, and what happened upon it, is here inserted on occasion of the flight of the Beerothites, 2Sa_4:3; but chiefly to observe in what condition Saul's family now was, and what encouraged the murderers of Ishbosheth to be guilty of the crime they were, since when he was taken off, there was none but this lame child of that family; and as the removal of Ishbosheth would be of so much service to David, they doubted not but it would be very acceptable to him, and they should be greatly rewarded and honored; and which they might do with the greatest safety, since the nearest kinsman and avenger of blood was so young, and lame of both his feet: or rather this is mentioned to show that Ishbosheth had no right to the throne, his eldest brother's son being living; so that those murderers might think they did the right thing, to take away the life of an usurper.
Jonathan had a son - This history is inserted as that which encouraged these men to this wicked murder, because Saul's family was now reduced to a low ebb; and if Isbosheth was dispatched, there would be none left, but a lame child, who was altogether unfit to manage the kingdom, and therefore the crown must necessarily come to David by their act and deed; for which they promised themselves no small recompense.
2Sa 4:5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon.
Lay on a bed at noon - Render, “was taking his midday rest,” according to the custom of hot countries, to travel or work very early and very late, and rest at noonday, in which the heat chiefly prevails.
to the house of Ishbosheth - From Gittaim, where they were sojourners, 2Sa_4:3, to Ishosheth who was at Mahanaim:
2Sa 4:6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
As though they would have fetched wheat - This is a very obscure passage, and the double repetition in 2Sa_4:6-7 of the murder of the king and of the escape of the assassin, is hard to account for. Rechab and Baanah came into the house under the pretence of getting grain, probably for the band which they commanded out of the king’s storehouse, and so contrived to get access into the king’s chamber; or, they found the wheat-carriers (the persons whose business it was to carry in grain for the king’s household) just going into the king’s house, and by joining them got into the midst of the house unnoticed.
As though they would have fetched wheat - out of the king's granaries, for the payment and support of the soldiers under them, who in those days were paid in grain. The king’s stores were probably near his own dwelling; and these men were accustomed to go thither for provisions for themselves, their cattle, and their men.
smote him under the fifth rib – a term that refers to the belly, where the lower floating ribs are.
2Sa 4:7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.
For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber - This is repeated to give a more particular account of the murder;
they smote him, and slew him - so that it was out of all doubt with them that he was dead: No motive is assigned for this action. But there can be little doubt that it was no other than the hope of obtaining a great reward from David.
gat them away through the plain all night - through the plain of Jordan; all the way from Mahanaim to Hebron being for the most part a plain country till they came to Hebron, which was mountainous;
2Sa 4:8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.
They brought the head unto David - Supposing it would have been a very acceptable present to him: They thought, as did the lying Amalekite, to ingratiate themselves with David by this abominable act.
They brought the head unto David --Such bloody trophies of rebels and conspirators have always been acceptable to princes in the East, and the carriers have been liberally rewarded. Ish-bosheth being a usurper, the two assassins thought they were doing a meritorious service to David by removing the only existing obstacle to the union of the two kingdoms.
said to the king - all which, his relation to Saul, his enmity to David, and his designs upon his life, are artfully put together to raise the indignation of David against him, and make their present of his head to him the more agreeable:
2Sa 4:9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,
Who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity - This was, in David’s case, a very proper view of the goodness and watchful providence of God towards him. His life was frequently in danger; murderers had often laid wait for it: but God, the living God, had always redeemed that life from all adversity; and called on him now to punish such evil-minded and blood-thirsty men.
who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity - spiritual and temporal, especially the latter is meant, and particularly what he had been brought into by the persecution of Saul,
As the Lord lives - the words contain the form of an oath made to testify the truth of the following narrative,
2Sa 4:10 When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:
I took hold of him, and slew him at Ziklag - that is, ordered one of his young men to lay hold on him, and slay him, as he did, 2Sa_1:15,
2Sa 4:11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?
How much more - Here are several things which aggravated the guilt of those wicked men.
1. Ish-bosheth was an innocent man, and therefore none could have any ground of quarrel against him.
2. He was in his own house, which was his sanctuary, and none but the worst of men would disturb him there.
3. He was upon his bed, resting in the heat of the day, and so free from suspicion that he was not even attended by his guards, nor had he his doors secured. To take away the life of such a man, in such circumstances, whom also they professed to hold as their sovereign, was the most abandoned treachery.
How much more - David argues from the lesser to the greater, that if the man that brought him the tidings of Saul's death had no reward given him for bringing what he thought would be reckoned good tidings, then much less would any be given them who had actually slain their master, and that in such a base and barbarous way; and if the above person, who only was a bringer of tidings, was taken and slain, then how much more did they deserve to die, who had been guilty of such a cruel and barbarous murder?
shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hands - avenge his blood on them, by putting them to death, out of the world, and from the land of the living, as men that deserved to live no longer on it.
2Sa 4:12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.
cut off their hands and their feet - their hands, which had smote Ishbosheth, and cut off his head; and their feet, which had been swift to shed his blood, and made haste to bring his head so many miles to David; this was what the Jews call measure for measure:
And they slew them - None ever more richly deserved death; and by this act of justice, David showed to all Israel that he was a decided enemy to the destruction of Saul’s family; and that none could lift up their hands against any of them without meeting with condign punishment.
hanged them up over the pool in Hebron - not their hands and their feet, but the trunks of their bodies, thus mutilated;( though other scholars think their hands and their feet were hung up, and not their bodies, because dead bodies were not to hang upon the tree more than a day); they were hung up over the fish pool in Hebron, a public place, and where they were the more exposed to their shame, and the terror of others:
buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron - by order of David no doubt; all which David did to show his regard to the family of Saul, his abhorrence of such execrable murders, and to remove all suspicion of his being concerned in them, and to conciliate the minds of the Israelites to him.
