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Nach YomiII Samuel · שמואל ב׳Chapter 2

II Samuel 2

שמואל ב׳ פרק ב׳

Section: נביאים · נביאים ראשונים | Book: II Samuel | Chapter: 2 of 24 | Day: 78 of 742

Date: April 30, 2026

קלאוד על הנ״ך

Chapter 2 marks the political turning point of David’s life. After eulogizing Saul and Yonatan, after publicly mourning, after executing the Amalekite who claimed credit for the regicide, David must now face the harder question: what next? The chapter opens with him doing what defines his kingship at its best — he asks. “And it was after this, and David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?’” The verb “shall I go up” (ha-e’eleh) is double-edged: physically, he is at Ziklag in the Negev and Hebron lies on higher ground, but the Hebrew also carries the connotation of ascending to power. David refuses to assume his anointing entitles him to a unilateral move. Two oracular questions, two divine answers, and only then does he go up to Hebron with his two wives, his men, and their households. The men of Judah anoint him there — ratifying through public acclaim what Shmuel had already done privately at Bet Lechem years before. As Radak observes, the second anointing is not a contradiction but a confirmation: when the people accepted him as king, they performed their own ceremonial act.

Yet the kingdom David receives is partial. Hebron crowns him only over the House of Judah, while the rest of Israel falls under Avner ben Ner, Shaul’s powerful general, who takes Ish-Boshet — Shaul’s surviving son — across the Jordan to Machanayim and there installs him as king. The text’s tone toward Avner is barbed: he “took” Ish-Boshet, “brought him across,” and “made him king” (himliho), with all the verbs implying initiative on Avner’s part rather than any qualification of his ward. Rashi, citing the rabbinic tradition that Avner derived from Genesis 35:11 (“kings shall come forth from your loins”) that two kings would arise from Binyamin, suggests that Avner read Saul as the first and now insisted that another Benjaminite must be the second. The chronology in verses 10-11 is famously knotted: Ish-Boshet is forty when crowned and reigns two years, but David reigns seven years and six months in Hebron. Radak straightforwardly notes the resulting five-year gap of vacant northern kingship. The chapter’s diplomatic high point is David’s letter to the men of Yavesh-Gilead (verses 5-7), thanking them for their chesed in burying Saul. Beneath the gracious tone is unmistakable political subtext: the men of Yavesh had a debt of loyalty to Shaul because Shaul had once rescued them from Nachash the Ammonite, and David is now signaling that he, as Saul’s anointed successor, is the natural object of that loyalty going forward. Metzudat David glosses “and now let your hands be strengthened” and “I too will reward you generously” as a frank invitation: take heart, your old patron is dead, but I now stand ready to be your patron in his place.

The center of the chapter is the encounter at the pool of Gibeon — a scene whose chilling artistry has fascinated readers for centuries. Avner and Yoav, the two military chiefs, meet on opposite sides of the pool, each surrounded by his men. Then Avner says: “Yakumu na ha-ne’arim vi-sachaku lefaneinu” — “Let the young men get up and play before us.” Metzudat David and Radak both gloss “yesachaku” as a martial euphemism: let them duel by way of sport, as if it were a contest of skill, so that we might see which side has trained better in the arts of war. The midrashic tradition cited by Radak draws the lesson that precisely because Avner made sport (sechok) of the blood of young men, he was punished and ultimately fell to the sword himself in chapter 3. Twelve from Binyamin, twelve from David’s men step forward, and the result is a perfect, gruesome stalemate — each man grasps his counterpart’s head and drives a dagger into his side, “and they fell together.” Radak proposes that this is precisely how the place got its name, “Chelkat ha-Tzurim” (the Field of the Flints), as if to commemorate the unyielding strength of the warriors — none defeated the other, all fell as one. From this small contained ritual the larger battle erupts, and Avner’s army is routed.

The chapter’s most painful sequence is the death of Asael. The youngest of Tzeruyah’s three sons — Yoav, Avishai, and Asael — is, as Radak puts it, “swift of foot like a gazelle in the field,” and that very gift becomes his undoing. Trusting his speed, he sets off in single-minded pursuit of Avner, swerving “neither right nor left.” Three times Avner pleads with him to break off: turn aside, take the spoils of one of the young men, do not force me to strike you down — “How then could I show my face to your brother Yoav?” Avner’s plea is not cowardice but anguished foresight; he knows that killing Asael will ignite a blood feud with the entire family of Tzeruyah. Asael refuses. Avner, says the text, struck him “ba-acharei ha-chanit” — with the back end of the spear — “el ha-chomesh,” into the abdomen. Rashi, citing the Gemara (Sanhedrin 49a), explains “el ha-chomesh” as the fifth rib, the place where the gallbladder and liver are suspended; Targum Yonatan reads it more literally as “the side of his thigh.” Either way, the haft strikes such force that the spear protrudes out the back. Asael falls and dies on the spot. The detail that Avner used the rear of the spear — the blunt end normally meant for planting in the ground — is Radak’s master-stroke of pathos: Avner is so reluctant to kill the boy that he uses the wrong end of the weapon, and it kills him anyway. Yoav will remember this. The chapter’s final tally (verses 30-31) gives nineteen dead among David’s men plus Asael, against three hundred sixty among Avner’s, but the ratio understates the cost. As Rashi notes, Asael alone is counted apart “because he was equal in worth to all of them.” Yoav buries his brother in their father’s tomb at Bet Lechem and marches all night back to Hebron, the dawn breaking on his arrival — a closing image that mirrors the opening of the chapter (David ascending to Hebron) but reverses its emotional valence. The kingdom has been received, but it has been baptized in fratricidal blood. The seeds of Yoav’s later vendetta against Avner, of Ish-Boshet’s eventual fall, of the long civil war that will define David’s first years, are all sown here at the pool of Gibeon.

פרק ב׳ · Chapter 2

פסוק א׳ · Verse 1

Hebrew:

וַיְהִ֣י אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֗ן וַיִּשְׁאַל֩ דָּוִ֨ד בַּיהֹוָ֤ה ׀ לֵאמֹר֙ הַאֶֽעֱלֶ֗ה בְּאַחַת֙ עָרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה וַיֹּ֧אמֶר יְהֹוָ֛ה אֵלָ֖יו עֲלֵ֑ה וַיֹּ֧אמֶר דָּוִ֛ד אָ֥נָה אֶעֱלֶ֖ה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר חֶבְרֹֽנָה׃

English:

Sometime afterward, David inquired of GOD, “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” GOD answered, “Yes.” David further asked, “Which one shall I go up to?” And GOD replied, “To Hebron.”

פסוק ב׳ · Verse 2

Hebrew:

וַיַּ֤עַל שָׁם֙ דָּוִ֔ד וְגַ֖ם שְׁתֵּ֣י נָשָׁ֑יו אֲחִינֹ֙עַם֙ הַיִּזְרְעֵלִ֔ית וַאֲבִיגַ֕יִל אֵ֖שֶׁת נָבָ֥ל הַֽכַּרְמְלִֽי׃

English:

So David went up there, along with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

פסוק ג׳ · Verse 3

Hebrew:

וַאֲנָשָׁ֧יו אֲשֶׁר־עִמּ֛וֹ הֶעֱלָ֥ה דָוִ֖ד אִ֣ישׁ וּבֵית֑וֹ וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּ בְּעָרֵ֥י חֶבְרֽוֹן׃

English:

David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in the towns about Hebron.

David brings up not only his own household but the entire band of his loyal warriors with their families, settling them in the satellite towns surrounding Hebron. Metzudat David clarifies 'in the towns of Hebron' as the villages adjacent to Hebron itself -- a logistical detail that shows David building a stable territorial base rather than merely a personal court.

פסוק ד׳ · Verse 4

Hebrew:

וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ אַנְשֵׁ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה וַיִּמְשְׁחוּ־שָׁ֧ם אֶת־דָּוִ֛ד לְמֶ֖לֶךְ עַל־בֵּ֣ית יְהוּדָ֑ה וַיַּגִּ֤דוּ לְדָוִד֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר אַנְשֵׁי֙ יָבֵ֣ישׁ גִּלְעָ֔ד אֲשֶׁ֥ר קָבְר֖וּ אֶת־שָׁאֽוּל׃ {ס}        

English:

The people of Judahapeople of Judah I.e., their leaders, on the tribe’s behalf. came and there they anointed David king over the House of Judah.David was told about the agents of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.

The men of Yehudah come to Hebron and formally anoint David king over the House of Yehudah. Radak addresses the apparent redundancy with Shmuel's earlier anointing at Bet Lechem: although David was already privately anointed by the prophet, the people now perform their own public ceremonial anointing as the act by which they accept him as king. The verse pivots immediately to the report that the men of Yavesh-Gilead had buried Shaul -- setting up David's diplomatic outreach to them in the next verses.

פסוק ה׳ · Verse 5

Hebrew:

וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח דָּוִד֙ מַלְאָכִ֔ים אֶל־אַנְשֵׁ֖י יָבֵ֣ישׁ גִּלְעָ֑ד וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם בְּרֻכִ֤ים אַתֶּם֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר עֲשִׂיתֶ֜ם הַחֶ֣סֶד הַזֶּ֗ה עִם־אֲדֹֽנֵיכֶם֙ עִם־שָׁא֔וּל וַֽתִּקְבְּר֖וּ אֹתֽוֹ׃

English:

So David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh-gileadbto the people of Jabesh-gilead I.e., to their leaders. and said to them, “May you be blessed of GOD because you performed this act of faithfulness to your lord Saul and buried him.

פסוק ו׳ · Verse 6

Hebrew:

וְעַתָּ֕ה יַעַשׂ־יְהֹוָ֥ה עִמָּכֶ֖ם חֶ֣סֶד וֶאֱמֶ֑ת וְגַ֣ם אָנֹכִ֗י אֶעֱשֶׂ֤ה אִתְּכֶם֙ הַטּוֹבָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֥ר עֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם הַדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃

English:

May GOD in turn show you true faithfulness; and I too will reward you generously because you performed this act.

David's diplomatic message continues: may Hashem repay them with chesed and emet, and David himself promises 'this good' to them in return. Both Metzudat David and Radak gloss 'ha-tovah ha-zot' as the recompense for their good deed -- David is committing to actively reward Yavesh-Gilead's loyalty. The political subtext is unmistakable: David is positioning himself as the natural heir to Shaul's covenant of patronage with that town.

פסוק ז׳ · Verse 7

Hebrew:

וְעַתָּ֣ה ׀ תֶּחֱזַ֣קְנָה יְדֵיכֶ֗ם וִֽהְיוּ֙ לִבְנֵי־חַ֔יִל כִּי־מֵ֖ת אֲדֹנֵיכֶ֣ם שָׁא֑וּל וְגַם־אֹתִ֗י מָשְׁח֧וּ בֵית־יְהוּדָ֛ה לְמֶ֖לֶךְ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃ {פ}

English:

Now take courage and be brave; for your lord Saul is dead and the House of Judah have already anointed me king over them.”

David urges the men of Yavesh-Gilead to take courage and be 'sons of valor' now that their patron Shaul is dead, noting that the House of Yehudah has anointed him king. Metzudat David captures the political subtext exactly: David is saying 'I am no less than he was -- I too will be your protector.' The invitation is clear, even if the men of Yavesh do not, in the end, immediately defect from Avner's coalition.

פסוק ח׳ · Verse 8

Hebrew:

וְאַבְנֵ֣ר בֶּן־נֵ֔ר שַׂר־צָבָ֖א אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְשָׁא֑וּל לָקַ֗ח אֶת־אִ֥ישׁ בֹּ֙שֶׁת֙ בֶּן־שָׁא֔וּל וַיַּעֲבִרֵ֖הוּ מַחֲנָֽיִם׃

English:

But Abner son of Ner, Saul’s army commander, had taken Ish-boshethcIsh-bosheth Meaning “Man of Shame,” deliberately altered from Ish-baal, “Man of Baal”; cf. 1 Chron. 8.33; 9.39, and note at 2 Sam. 4.4 on Mephibosheth. son of Saul and brought him across to Mahanaim

In counterpoint to David's anointing, Avner ben Ner -- Shaul's army commander -- takes Ish-Boshet, Shaul's surviving son, and brings him east of the Jordan to Machanayim to crown him there. Rashi cites the rabbinic tradition that Avner inferred from God's promise to Yaakov that 'kings shall come from your loins' (Gen 35:11) that two kings would arise from Binyamin -- understanding Shaul as the first and now insisting on a Benjaminite successor. Radak adds that Machanayim was strategically chosen as the meeting point of two-and-a-half tribes' territories, offering Avner the broadest base of support.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
לָקַח אֶת אִישׁ בֹּשֶׁת. מִקְרָא הָיָה דוֹרֵשׁ שֶׁעֲתִידִין שְׁנֵי מְלָכִים לַעֲמוֹד מִבִּנְיָמִן, שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיַעֲקֹב (בראשית לה:יב) ״וּמְלָכִים מֵחֲלָצֶיךָ יֵצֵאוּ״, וּכְבָר נוֹלְדוּ כָּל בָּנָיו חוּץ מִבִּנְיָמִין:
Took Ish Boshes. He extrapolated from a verse that two kings were destined to come from Binyomin. Because the Holy One, blessed is He told Yakov, "Kings will come forth from you," and [by this time] all of his children had been born except for Binyomin.1"Will come forth from you" implies that they were to come from someone yet unborn, and this could only be Binyomin. Avner understood this to mean that two kings will be descendant from Binyomin, Shaul and Ish Boshes (Rashi and Sifsei Chachomin, Breshis 35,11).

פסוק ט׳ · Verse 9

Hebrew:

וַיַּמְלִכֵ֙הוּ֙ אֶל־הַגִּלְעָ֔ד וְאֶל־הָאֲשׁוּרִ֖י וְאֶֽל־יִזְרְעֶ֑אל וְעַל־אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ וְעַל־בִּנְיָמִ֔ן וְעַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל כֻּלֹּֽה׃ {פ}

English:

and made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites,dAshurites Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin—over all Israel.

Avner extends Ish-Boshet's rule region by region: Gilead, the Ashurites (rendered by Targum as 'the house of Asher'), Yizre'el, Ephraim, Binyamin, and finally 'all Israel.' Metzudat David and Radak both explain the staged geography: Avner crowned Ish-Boshet first east of the Jordan and only gradually extended the kingdom westward as he reclaimed territories piece by piece. The summary phrase 'over all Israel' marks the final scope of his reach -- everywhere except Yehudah.

פסוק י״ · Verse 10

Hebrew:

בֶּן־אַרְבָּעִ֨ים שָׁנָ֜ה אִֽישׁ־בֹּ֣שֶׁת בֶּן־שָׁא֗וּל בְּמׇלְכוֹ֙ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וּשְׁתַּ֥יִם שָׁנִ֖ים מָלָ֑ךְ אַ֚ךְ בֵּ֣ית יְהוּדָ֔ה הָי֖וּ אַחֲרֵ֥י דָוִֽד׃

English:

Ish-bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king of Israel, and he reigned two years. But the House of Judah supported David.

Ish-Boshet is forty when crowned and reigns two years, while Yehudah remains loyal to David. Metzudat David addresses the well-known chronological tension with verse 11 (David reigned seven and a half years in Hebron): the two-year figure refers only to the period during which Ish-Boshet ruled all of the northern tribes, while the prior years were spent gradually consolidating Avner's control over outlying regions one at a time.

פסוק י״א · Verse 11

Hebrew:

וַֽיְהִי֙ מִסְפַּ֣ר הַיָּמִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר֩ הָיָ֨ה דָוִ֥ד מֶ֛לֶךְ בְּחֶבְר֖וֹן עַל־בֵּ֣ית יְהוּדָ֑ה שֶׁ֥בַע שָׁנִ֖ים וְשִׁשָּׁ֥ה חֳדָשִֽׁים׃ {ס}        

English:

The length of time that David reigned in Hebron over the House of Judah was seven years and six months.

The narrator pauses to give the official tally: David reigned over Yehudah from Hebron for seven years and six months. Radak draws the implication that since Ish-Boshet's reign lasted only two years, there was a gap of roughly five and a half years during which the northern kingdom had no functional king at all -- the long process by which Avner gradually rebuilt Ish-Boshet's dominion.

פסוק י״ב · Verse 12

Hebrew:

וַיֵּצֵא֙ אַבְנֵ֣ר בֶּן־נֵ֔ר וְעַבְדֵ֖י אִֽישׁ־בֹּ֣שֶׁת בֶּן־שָׁא֑וּל מִֽמַּחֲנַ֖יִם גִּבְעֽוֹנָה׃

English:

Once Abner son of Ner and the soldiers of Ish-bosheth son of Saul marched out from Mahanaim to Gibeon,

Avner and the servants of Ish-Boshet march out from Machanayim to Giv'on -- territory in Binyamin's tribal allotment, putting them on a collision course with David's forces. Radak reads the move as Avner's bid to consolidate Ish-Boshet's authority over Binyamin before returning home, and notes that Yoav, with David's men, came out to meet him -- apparently with the intention of fighting, though when Yoav saw the size of Avner's force he hesitated, until Avner himself proposed the contest of 'young men.'

פסוק י״ג · Verse 13

Hebrew:

וְיוֹאָ֨ב בֶּן־צְרוּיָ֜ה וְעַבְדֵ֤י דָוִד֙ יָֽצְא֔וּ וַֽיִּפְגְּשׁ֛וּם עַל־בְּרֵכַ֥ת גִּבְע֖וֹן יַחְדָּ֑ו וַיֵּ֨שְׁב֜וּ אֵ֤לֶּה עַל־הַבְּרֵכָה֙ מִזֶּ֔ה וְאֵ֥לֶּה עַל־הַבְּרֵכָ֖ה מִזֶּֽה׃

English:

and Joab son of Zeruiah and the soldiers of David [also] came out.ecame out Septuagint adds “from Hebron.” They confronted one another at the pool of Gibeon: one group sat on one side of the pool, and the other group on the other side of the pool.

Yoav son of Tzeruyah, David's army commander, marches out with David's men and the two forces meet at the pool of Giv'on, sitting on opposite sides of the water. Metzudat David explains 'va-yifgeshum' as a chance encounter near the pool. The image of two armies positioned across a body of water from one another, neither yet committing to attack, sets the stage for the chillingly euphemistic proposal that Avner is about to make.

פסוק י״ד · Verse 14

Hebrew:

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אַבְנֵר֙ אֶל־יוֹאָ֔ב יָק֤וּמוּ נָא֙ הַנְּעָרִ֔ים וִישַׂחֲק֖וּ לְפָנֵ֑ינוּ וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יוֹאָ֖ב יָקֻֽמוּ׃

English:

Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men come forward and sportfsport I.e., engage in single combat. before us.” “Yes, let them,” Joab answered.

Avner makes his chilling proposal: 'Let the young men get up and play before us.' Metzudat David and Radak both gloss 'visachaku' as a martial euphemism -- let the young men dueled with swords as if it were a contest of skill, to see whose side has the better-trained warriors. The Sages, cited by Radak, drew a moral lesson: precisely because Avner made sport ('sechok') of the lives of young men here, he was punished and ultimately himself fell to the sword.

פסוק ט״ו · Verse 15

Hebrew:

וַיָּקֻ֖מוּ וַיַּעַבְר֣וּ בְמִסְפָּ֑ר שְׁנֵ֧ים עָשָׂ֣ר לְבִנְיָמִ֗ן וּלְאִ֥ישׁ בֹּ֙שֶׁת֙ בֶּן־שָׁא֔וּל וּשְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר מֵעַבְדֵ֥י דָוִֽד׃

English:

They came forward and were counted off, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve of David’s soldiers.

Twelve from Binyamin and Ish-Boshet's side, twelve from David's men, cross over the pool to meet at the appointed spot. Radak observes that the verse could have said simply 'twelve for Ish-Boshet,' as it does for David; the deliberate phrasing 'for Binyamin and for Ish-Boshet' is meant to signal that members of Shaul's own tribe were closing ranks behind the pretender to legitimize his rule.

פסוק ט״ז · Verse 16

Hebrew:

וַֽיַּחֲזִ֜קוּ אִ֣ישׁ ׀ בְּרֹ֣אשׁ רֵעֵ֗הוּ וְחַרְבּוֹ֙ בְּצַ֣ד רֵעֵ֔הוּ וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּ יַחְדָּ֑ו וַיִּקְרָא֙ לַמָּק֣וֹם הַה֔וּא חֶלְקַ֥ת הַצֻּרִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּגִבְעֽוֹן׃

English:

Each one grasped his opponent’s headggrasped his opponent’s head Septuagint adds “with his hand.” [and thrust] his dagger into his opponent’s side; thus they fell together. That place, which is in Gibeon, was called Helkath-hazzurim.hHelkath-hazzurim Meaning perhaps “the Field of the Flints (or Blades).”

In a horrifying tableau, each of the twenty-four warriors grabs his opponent's head and stabs him in the side -- and they fall together. Rashi, citing Targum Yonatan, renders the place name 'Chelkat ha-Tzurim' as 'the Field of the Slain,' connecting 'tzur' to the sharp edge of the sword. Radak offers a complementary reading: 'Chelkat ha-Tzurim' means 'Field of the Strong,' commemorating that none of the warriors could overpower his counterpart -- they all died simultaneously, each by the hand of his fellow.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
חֶלְקַת הַצּוּרִים. (תרגום:) ״אַחְסָנַת קְטִילַיָּא״, עַל שֵׁם הַחֲרָבוֹת, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (תהלים פט:מד): ״אַף תָּשִׁיב צוּר חַרְבּוֹ״:
The Plain of Swords. Yonasan translates the plain of Killing on account of the swords just like you say [in Scriptures] (Tehilim 89, 44)2Rashi is showing how the word צוּר, sharpness, is used in reference to a sword. "You also turned back the sharpness of his sword."

פסוק י״ז · Verse 17

Hebrew:

וַתְּהִ֧י הַמִּלְחָמָ֛ה קָשָׁ֥ה עַד־מְאֹ֖ד בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא וַיִּנָּ֤גֶף אַבְנֵר֙ וְאַנְשֵׁ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לִפְנֵ֖י עַבְדֵ֥י דָוִֽד׃

English:

A fierce battle ensued that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were routed by David’s soldiers.

What began as a controlled contest of twelve against twelve escalates: a fierce general battle erupts and Avner with the men of Israel are routed by David's men. Metzudat David captures the tragic momentum: although the fighting started among only a handful 'as sport,' it ended with both armies fully engaged in pitched combat -- the predictable but unintended outcome of Avner's reckless proposal.

פסוק י״ח · Verse 18

Hebrew:

וַיִּֽהְיוּ־שָׁ֗ם שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ בְּנֵ֣י צְרוּיָ֔ה יוֹאָ֥ב וַאֲבִישַׁ֖י וַעֲשָׂהאֵ֑ל וַֽעֲשָׂהאֵל֙ קַ֣ל בְּרַגְלָ֔יו כְּאַחַ֥ד הַצְּבָיִ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּשָּׂדֶֽה׃

English:

The three sons of ZeruiahiZeruiah A sister of David, 1 Chron. 2.16. were there—Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was swift of foot, like a gazelle in the open field.

The narrator introduces the three sons of David's sister Tzeruyah -- Yoav, Avishai, and Asael -- and notes that Asael was 'swift of foot like a gazelle of the field.' Radak draws the tragic moral: this very gift becomes Asael's undoing, for he trusted his speed to overtake Avner where his brothers did not -- failing to grasp that 'the race is not to the swift' (Eccl 9:11). The detail is set up here precisely to prepare the reader for his death in the next verses.

פסוק י״ט · Verse 19

Hebrew:

וַיִּרְדֹּ֥ף עֲשָׂהאֵ֖ל אַחֲרֵ֣י אַבְנֵ֑ר וְלֹא־נָטָ֣ה לָלֶ֗כֶת עַל־הַיָּמִין֙ ��ְעַֽל־הַשְּׂמֹ֔אול מֵאַחֲרֵ֖י אַבְנֵֽר׃

English:

And Asahel ran after Abner, swerving neither right nor left in his pursuit of Abner.

Asael fixates on Avner and refuses to be diverted by any other target -- the phrase 'he turned not to right or left' captures his single-minded determination. Metzudat David glosses simply that Asael would not deviate from following directly behind Avner. The detail is fateful: had he turned aside, even briefly, Avner would not have had to kill him.

פסוק כ׳ · Verse 20

Hebrew:

וַיִּ֤פֶן אַבְנֵר֙ אַֽחֲרָ֔יו וַיֹּ֕אמֶר הַאַתָּ֥ה זֶ֖ה עֲשָׂהאֵ֑ל וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָנֹֽכִי׃

English:

Abner looked back and shouted, “Is that you, Asahel?” “Yes, it is,” he called back.

פסוק כ״א · Verse 21

Hebrew:

וַיֹּ֧אמֶר ל֣וֹ אַבְנֵ֗ר נְטֵ֤ה לְךָ֙ עַל־יְמִֽינְךָ֙ א֣וֹ עַל־שְׂמֹאלֶ֔ךָ וֶאֱחֹ֣ז לְךָ֗ אֶחָד֙ מֵֽהַנְּעָרִ֔ים וְקַח־לְךָ֖ אֶת־חֲלִצָת֑וֹ וְלֹא־אָבָ֣ה עֲשָׂהאֵ֔ל לָס֖וּר מֵאַחֲרָֽיו׃

English:

Abner said to him, “Turn to the right or to the left, and seize one of our boys and strip off his tunic.” But Asahel would not leave off.

Avner offers Asael an honorable escape: turn aside to one of the lesser warriors, capture him, and take his armor as your prize -- so that no one will know you broke off pursuit of me. Metzudat David explains the offer as Avner's effort to spare Asael's pride: he would not appear to be retreating but to have caught a different prey. Radak adds the alternative reading that Avner urges him to seize one of Asael's own companions for protection on the way back, and to take only a captive's armor without killing -- pleading 'do not kill, and I in turn will not kill you.'

פסוק כ״ב · Verse 22

Hebrew:

וַיֹּ֧סֶף ע֣וֹד אַבְנֵ֗ר לֵאמֹר֙ אֶל־עֲשָׂהאֵ֔ל ס֥וּר לְךָ֖ מֵאַֽחֲרָ֑י לָ֤מָּה אַכֶּ֙כָּה֙ אַ֔רְצָה וְאֵיךְ֙ אֶשָּׂ֣א פָנַ֔י אֶל־יוֹאָ֖ב אָחִֽיךָ׃

English:

Abner again begged Asahel, “Stop pursuing me, or I’ll have to strike you down. How will I look your brother Joab in the face?”

Avner pleads with Asael a second time: 'turn aside from after me; why should I strike you to the ground? How could I lift my face to your brother Yoav?' Metzudat David and Radak both highlight Avner's anguished foresight -- he knows that killing Asael will incur a permanent blood-guilt with the entire family of Tzeruyah, and he is not eager for the fight. The plea reveals that Avner is not bloodthirsty here but trying, with unusual restraint for a wartime general, to spare a younger warrior's life.

פסוק כ״ג · Verse 23

Hebrew:

וַיְמָאֵ֣ן לָס֗וּר וַיַּכֵּ֣הוּ אַבְנֵר֩ בְּאַחֲרֵ֨י הַחֲנִ֜ית אֶל־הַחֹ֗מֶשׁ וַתֵּצֵ֤א הַֽחֲנִית֙ מֵֽאַחֲרָ֔יו וַיִּפׇּל־שָׁ֖ם וַיָּ֣מׇת תַּחְתָּ֑ו וַיְהִ֡י כׇּל־הַבָּ֣א אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם֩ אֲשֶׁר־נָ֨פַל שָׁ֧ם עֲשָׂהאֵ֛ל וַיָּמֹ֖ת וַֽיַּעֲמֹֽדוּ׃

English:

When he refused to desist, Abner struck him in the belly with a backward thrustja backward thrust Meaning of Heb. uncertain. of his spear and the spear protruded from his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And all who came to the place where Asahel fell and died halted;

Asael refuses to desist, and Avner -- without even turning to face him -- strikes him with the rear end of his spear ('acharei ha-chanit') into the abdomen ('el ha-chomesh'), the spear emerging out the back. Rashi (citing Sanhedrin 49a) explains 'el ha-chomesh' as the fifth rib, where the gallbladder and liver are suspended; Targum Yonatan reads it as the side of the thigh. Radak draws out the pathos: Avner used the blunt rear end of the spear -- meant for planting in the ground, not killing -- because he was so reluctant to take Asael's life, yet the force was such that even the haft proved fatal. All who came upon the body stopped in horror.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
אֶל הַחֹמֶשׁ. כְּמוֹ דֹפֶן חֲמִישִׁית, מְקוֹם שֶׁמָּרָה וְכָבֵד תְּלוּיִין שָׁם (סנהדרין מט א) וְיוֹנָתָן תִּרְגֵּם: אֶל הַחֹמֶשׁ, ״בִּסְטַר יַרְכֵיהּ״: וַיָּמָת תַּחְתָּיו. (תרגום:) ״וּמִית בְּאַתְרֵיהּ״:
Into the fifth rib. As [if to say] the fifth rib,3Counting from the bottom. the place where the bile and the liver are set. [But] Yonasan translated [this to mean] "on the side of his thigh," And died in his place. And died in his place.4This is Targum Yonasan's translation.

פסוק כ״ד · Verse 24

Hebrew:

וַֽיִּרְדְּפ֛וּ יוֹאָ֥ב וַאֲבִישַׁ֖י אַחֲרֵ֣י אַבְנֵ֑ר וְהַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ בָּ֔אָה וְהֵ֗מָּה בָּ֚אוּ עַד־גִּבְעַ֣ת אַמָּ֔ה אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־פְּנֵי־גִ֔יחַ דֶּ֖רֶךְ מִדְבַּ֥ר גִּבְעֽוֹן׃

English:

but Joab and Abishai continued to pursue Abner. And the sun was setting as they reached the hill of Ammah, which faces Giah on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon.kwhich faces Giah … Gibeon Meaning of Heb. uncertain.

Yoav and Avishai, Asael's surviving brothers, refuse to stop pursuing Avner, reaching 'Givat Ammah' opposite Giach as the sun sets. Radak speculates that the hill was named 'Givat Ammah' for an aqueduct ('amat ha-mayim') beside it. The detail that the sun was setting marks the chase's exhausted intensity -- they have run all afternoon, fueled by grief and fury at the loss of their brother.

פסוק כ״ה · Verse 25

Hebrew:

וַיִּֽתְקַבְּצ֤וּ בְנֵֽי־בִנְיָמִן֙ אַחֲרֵ֣י אַבְנֵ֔ר וַיִּהְי֖וּ לַאֲגֻדָּ֣ה אֶחָ֑ת וַיַּ֣עַמְד֔וּ עַ֥ל רֹאשׁ־גִּבְעָ֖ה אֶחָֽת׃

English:

The Benjaminites rallied behind Abner, forming a single company; and they took up a position on the top of a hill.

The Benjaminites rally to Avner, forming 'a single bound company' ('agudah achat') to defend him against Yoav's pursuit, taking the high ground on a hilltop. Radak parses 'agudah' as a tightly bound group, as if knotted together -- a force of fellow tribesmen, Metzudat David adds, gathered specifically 'to save him from Yoav and Avishai.' Avner's tribal connection is now activated as a defensive shield.

פסוק כ״ו · Verse 26

Hebrew:

וַיִּקְרָ֨א אַבְנֵ֜ר אֶל־יוֹאָ֗ב וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הֲלָנֶ֙צַח֙ תֹּ֣אכַל חֶ֔רֶב הֲל֣וֹא יָדַ֔עְתָּה כִּי־מָרָ֥ה תִֽהְיֶ֖ה בָּאַֽחֲרוֹנָ֑ה וְעַד־מָתַי֙ לֹא־תֹאמַ֣ר לָעָ֔ם לָשׁ֖וּב מֵאַחֲרֵ֥י אֲחֵיהֶֽם׃

English:

Abner then called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? You know how bitterly it’s going to end! How long will you delay ordering your troops to stop the pursuit of their own kindred?”

From the hilltop Avner calls out to Yoav: 'Will the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will end bitterly?' Metzudat David parses the bitter end as foreshadowing: 'either I or you will die.' Radak, citing Targum, reads 'forever' as 'without ceasing' -- Avner is appealing to Yoav to order his men to stop pursuing 'their brothers,' since both armies are made up of fellow Israelites. The plea to recognize the war as fratricidal is exactly the appeal that wins.

פסוק כ״ז · Verse 27

Hebrew:

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יוֹאָ֔ב חַ֚י הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים כִּ֥י לוּלֵ֖א דִּבַּ֑רְתָּ כִּ֣י אָ֤ז מֵהַבֹּ֙קֶר֙ נַעֲלָ֣ה הָעָ֔ם אִ֖ישׁ מֵאַחֲרֵ֥י אָחִֽיו׃

English:

And Joab replied, “As God lives, if you hadn’t spoken up, the troops would have given up the pursuit of their kindred only the next morning.”lif you hadn’t spoken up … the next morning Emendation yields “If you had only spoken up, the troops would already have given up the pursuit of their kinsmen this morning.”

Yoav's response is a masterful rebuke. Rashi offers two readings of the ambiguous 'lulei dibarta': either 'if only you had spoken' (urging peace earlier) or, in its more usual sense, 'if you had not spoken' -- referring back to Avner's catastrophic 'let the young men come and play.' Metzudat David and Radak follow the latter: had Avner not initiated the deadly contest at the pool, Yoav says, the men would have parted peacefully from morning. The implication is that Avner is fully responsible for the day's bloodshed.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
לוּלֵא דִבַּרְתָּ. אִם דִּבַּרְתָּ כֵּן, ׳לוּלֵא׳ כְּמוֹ ׳לוּ׳ וְעוֹד יֵשׁ לְפָתְרוֹ כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ, לוּלֵא דִבַּרְתָּ מַה שֶּׁאָמַרְתָּ (לעיל פסוק יד): ״יָקוּמוּ נָא הַנְּעָרִים וִישַׂחֲקוּ״:
If you had not spoken. If only you had spoken this [way5Your decrying of us fighting each other. earlier] [The לא] is as [if it were written] לו6According to this first interpretation, the construct לוּלֵא denotes לוֹלוּ, "if only if," i.e., if only you had spoken these reconcilitory words earlier., meaning it. Another [way] to interpret it is as it's plain meaning7This interpretation of לולא is the usual "if not for.": if you had not spoken i.e. that which you said "Let the young soldiers get up and playfight."8Those words triggered this deadly battle.

פסוק כ״ח · Verse 28

Hebrew:

וַיִּתְקַ֤ע יוֹאָב֙ בַּשּׁוֹפָ֔ר וַיַּֽעַמְדוּ֙ כׇּל־הָעָ֔ם וְלֹא־יִרְדְּפ֥וּ ע֖וֹד אַחֲרֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹא־יָסְפ֥וּ ע֖וֹד לְהִלָּחֵֽם׃

English:

Joab then sounded the horn, and all the troops halted; they ceased their pursuit of Israel and stopped the fighting.

Yoav blows the shofar as a signal to halt the pursuit, and his men obey -- ceasing both the chase and any further fighting. Metzudat David explains that the shofar blast was understood as an order to stand down. Despite his fury at Asael's death, Yoav exercises real military restraint here, recognizing that prolonging the engagement risks heavier losses against an enemy now well-positioned on the heights.

פסוק כ״ט · Verse 29

Hebrew:

וְאַבְנֵ֣ר וַאֲנָשָׁ֗יו הָֽלְכוּ֙ בָּעֲרָבָ֔ה כֹּ֖ל הַלַּ֣יְלָה הַה֑וּא וַיַּעַבְר֣וּ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֗ן וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ כׇּל־הַבִּתְר֔וֹן וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ מַחֲנָֽיִם׃

English:

Abner and his men marched through the Arabah all that night and, after crossing the Jordan, they marched through all of Bithronmthrough all of Bithron Meaning of Heb. uncertain. until they came to Mahanaim.

Avner and his men march all night through the Aravah, cross the Jordan, and traverse 'kol ha-Bitron' until they reach Machanayim. Rashi and Radak both identify Bitron as a regional name -- a district east of the Jordan. Metzudat David captures the urgency: Avner pushed his men through the night out of fear that Yoav might launch a surprise attack despite the truce.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
הַבִּתְרוֹן. שֵׁם מָחוֹז:
The Bisron. The name of a region.

פסוק ל׳ · Verse 30

Hebrew:

וְיוֹאָ֗ב שָׁ֚ב מֵאַחֲרֵ֣י אַבְנֵ֔ר וַיִּקְבֹּ֖ץ אֶת־כׇּל־הָעָ֑ם וַיִּפָּ֨קְד֜וּ מֵעַבְדֵ֥י דָוִ֛ד תִּשְׁעָה־עָשָׂ֥ר אִ֖ישׁ וַעֲשָׂהאֵֽל׃

English:

After Joab gave up the pursuit of Abner, he assembled all the troops and found nineteen of David’s soldiers missing, besides Asahel.

Yoav assembles his men to count the missing and finds nineteen dead 'besides Asael.' Rashi explains that Asael, though one of David's servants, is mentioned separately because he was 'equal in worth to all of them' -- citing the parallel of Yericho being mentioned alongside the rest of the land of Canaan in Yehoshua 2:1, and Pharaoh's daughter set apart from Shlomo's other foreign wives in I Kings 11:1. Metzudat David and Radak confirm: Asael's stature warranted his being counted on his own.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
תִּשְׁעָה עָשָׂר אִישׁ וַעֲשָׂהאֵל. וַהֲלֹא עֲשָׂהאֵל בִּכְלַל עַבְדֵי דָוִד, וְלָמָּה יָצָא, שֶׁהָיָה שָׁקוּל כְּנֶגֶד כֻּלָּם, וְכֵן (יהושע ב:א): ״לְכוּ רְאוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְאֶת יְרִיחוֹ״; וְכֵן (מלכים א יא:א): ״וְהַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה אָהַב נָשִׁים נָכְרִיּוֹת רַבּוֹת וְאֶת בַּת פַּרְעֹה״:
Nineteen men and Asoel. But is not Asoel included in [the group called] "the servants of Dovid," so why is he [singled] out? [The reason is] he was worth all of them [together] and so too [a similar case], (Yehoshua 2,1), "Go see [and spy out] the land and Yericho"9Yericho was as strong as the entire land combined (see Rashi there). and so too [another similar case] "King Shlomo loved many foreign women and the daughter of Pharaoh."10Shlomo cherished Pharaoh's daughter as much as he did the rest of them put together. (See Rashi ibid). (Kings I, 11, 1 ).

פסוק ל״א · Verse 31

Hebrew:

וְעַבְדֵ֣י דָוִ֗ד הִכּוּ֙ מִבִּנְיָמִ֔ן וּבְאַנְשֵׁ֖י אַבְנֵ֑ר שְׁלֹשׁ־מֵא֧וֹת וְשִׁשִּׁ֛ים אִ֖ישׁ מֵֽתוּ׃

English:

David’s soldiers, on the other hand, defeated the Benjaminites and the men under Abner and killed three hundred and sixty of them.ndefeated the Benjaminites … three hundred and sixty of them Meaning of Heb. uncertain.

The casualty tally on the other side is far higher: three hundred sixty among Avner's Benjaminite forces. Metzudat David clarifies the syntax: the verse first names 'Binyamin' generally and then specifies 'Avner's men' in apposition, identifying which Benjaminites are meant. The disparity in losses (twenty to three hundred sixty) marks David's military superiority even as the chapter refuses to celebrate it.

פסוק ל״ב · Verse 32

Hebrew:

וַיִּשְׂאוּ֙ אֶת־עֲשָׂהאֵ֔ל וַֽיִּקְבְּרֻ֙הוּ֙ בְּקֶ֣בֶר אָבִ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֖ר בֵּ֣ית לָ֑חֶם וַיֵּלְכ֣וּ כׇל־הַלַּ֗יְלָה יוֹאָב֙ וַאֲנָשָׁ֔יו וַיֵּאֹ֥ר לָהֶ֖ם בְּחֶבְרֽוֹן׃

English:

They bore Asahel away and buried him in his father’s tomb in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night; day broke upon them in Hebron.

Asael is carried to Bet Lechem and buried in his father's tomb, after which Yoav and his men march all night, dawn breaking on them as they reach Hebron. Metzudat David reads Yoav's nighttime march as a precaution -- he too feared a surprise counter-attack by Avner. Radak notes that the verse's closing image, 'va-ye'or lahem be-Chevron,' simply means dawn was already upon them when they entered the city. The chapter ends as it began, with David's men in Hebron -- but now the kingdom has been baptized in the blood of brothers.

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