John Gill

When he turned around and saw me, he called out and I answered, ‘Here I am!’

“And when he looked behind him,.... To see how near the enemy was, and who were pursuing him: he saw me, and called unto me; by which it should rather seem that he belonged to the Philistines than to the Israelites, and as his being…”

Then he begged me, ‘Stand over me and kill me, for agony has seized me, but my life still lingers.’

“And he said unto me again, stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me,.... Which it can hardly be thought Saul would say; since he might as well have died by the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines, which he endeavoured to avoid, as by…”

Then David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and all the men who were with him did the same.

“When David took hold on his clothes,.... Not on the young man's but his own: and rent them; on bearing of the death of Saul and Jonathan, see Gen 37:34; from whence the Jews (l) gather, that a man is bound to rend his clothes…”

Then David summoned one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him!” So the young man struck him down, and he died.

“And David called one of the young men,.... His servants that attended on him: and said, go near, and fall upon him; by smiting him with his sword: and he smote him, that he died; his orders were instantly obeyed.”

“Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen!

“The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places,.... The high mountains of Gilboa, where Saul their king, and Jonathan his son, a prince of the blood, and natural heir to the crown, and multitudes of young men, the flower of the nation, were…”

Tell it not in Gath; proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.

“Tell it not in Gath,.... One of the five principalities of the Philistines, and the chief of them, being raised to a kingdom, and whose king was at the head of the armies of the Philistines that engaged with Saul.”

So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

“So David went up thither,.... From Ziklag to Hebron, which was sixteen miles according to Bunting (y). and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, Nabal's wife, the Carmelite; who were beloved by him, and who had shared with him in his troubles…”

Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ish-bosheth, moved him to Mahanaim,

“But Abner, the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host,.... This man's father, Ner, was Saul's uncle, 1Sa 14:50, and he was his own cousin, and being general of his army, a post he was willing to keep, might be the reasons for doing what…”

Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.

“Ishbosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel,.... Being born the same year his father began to reign.”

And the length of time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

“And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah,.... And over them only: was seven years and six months; to which being added thirty three years he reigned over all Israel in Jerusalem, made forty years and six months; and…”

So they got up and were counted off—twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David.

“Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin,.... Whom Abner had picked out of that tribe, being his own, and whom he knew to be stout and courageous men, and closely attached to him.”

The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was fleet of foot like a wild gazelle,

“And there were three sons of Zeruiah there,.... In the battle: Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel; Joab was the general of the array, Abishai was he who went into Saul's host at night, and took away his spear and cruse of water at his head…”

But Asahel refused to turn away; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into his stomach, and it came out his back, and he fell dead on the spot.

“Howbeit, he refused to turn aside,.... Determined on making him his captive if possible. Wherefore Abner, with the hinder end of the spear; he had in his hand, which seems to have had a pike at both ends; so that with the hinder end of…”

So Joab blew the ram’s horn, and all the troops stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or continued to fight.

“So Joab blew a trumpet,.... Or caused one to be blown as a signal of a retreat: and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more; as soon as they heard the trumpet sound, the meaning of which they understood, they stepped…”

And all that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, marched all morning, and arrived at Mahanaim.

“And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain,.... The plain of Jordan. He marched with his men all night, lest Joab should return, and pursue him, and take vengeance on him for the death of his brother: and passed over Jordan…”

When Joab returned from pursuing Abner, he gathered all the troops. In addition to Asahel, nineteen of David’s servants were missing,

“And Joab returned from following Abner,.... It being in his commission from David to shed as little blood as he could: and when he had gathered all the people together; who had been pursuing the Israelites, some one way and some another: there lacked of…”

And sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam of Jezreel;

“And unto David were sons born in Hebron,.... He was married before he came there, had wives in his state of exile, but had no children by them there, at least no sons; if any, only daughters: and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the…”

Meanwhile, Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ish-bosheth questioned Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?”

“And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah,.... By whom he had two sons, 2Sa 21:”

to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.”

“To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul,.... Which was what the Lord had sworn to do, 1Sa 15:28; and which Abner now threatens to do, insolently taking that to himself which belonged to the Lord, and as if he could not do it…”

Then Abner sent messengers in his place to say to David, “To whom does the land belong?

“And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf,.... On his own account, and not on the account of Ishbosheth, or the people of Israel; but to obtain terms for himself, or in his own name, as representing him and standing in his stead; or…”

So Ish-bosheth sent and took Michal from her husband Paltiel son of Laish.

“And Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband,.... Her second husband, to whom Saul had given her, 1Sa 25:44, even from Phaltiel the son of Laish; he is called Phalti in 1Sa 25:44.”

Her husband followed her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back.” So he returned home.

“And her husband went with her along weeping behind her,.... Because of his great affection to her, unwilling to part with her, but forced to it at the command of the king her brother: to Bahurim; a city in the tribe of Benjamin, 2Sa 19:16…”

because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have lived there as foreigners to this day.

“And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until that day. 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…”

Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood.

“Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron,.... All the rest of the tribes, save the tribe of Judah, who had made him king over them in Hebron seven years ago.”

David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.

“David was thirty years old when he began reign,.... Over Judah, which was the age of his antitype Christ, when he entered upon his public ministry, Luk 3:23, and he reigned forty years; and six months, as appears by 2Sa 5:5; but the months are…”