David Takes Zion and Makes It the City of David

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(2 Samuel 5:6) And the king and his men went to Jerusalem to the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, "Except you take away the blind and the lame, you shall not come in here," thinking, "David cannot come in here." 

David had just been made king over all of Israel, and it appears he and his men immediately went to Jerusalem which was still ruled by the Jebusites.  I believe the sense of what the Jebusites said to him was that even the blind and the lame of them would prevent David and his men from entering their city.  From what follows, it may be that the lame and the blind were placed at the walls to guard them.  The Jebusites were so confident in the strength of their fortifications that even the blind and the lame would prevent David from entering their city.

(7) Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, the same the City of David. 

However, David took the stronghold of Zion outside the city which would later be called the City of David.  The taking of it probably facilitated the taking of the city.

(8) And David said on that day, "Whoever gets up to the gutter and strikes the Jebusites and the lame and the blind, hated of David's soul, shall be chief and captain." Therefore they say, "The blind and the lame shall not come into the house."

This is a rather difficult verse to interpret.  The words "shall be chief and captain" aren't in the original but were supplied by the KJV translators because that is what it said in the Chronicles version of this incident.  David was obviously calling for someone to get up to the gutter and strike the Jebusites, and the text adds "and the lame and the blind" (emphasis on "and" mine) who were hated by David.  It seems that the lame and the blind would have been Jebusites.  Perhaps the better interpretation never included "and" but just meant for someone to get up to the gutter and strike those blind and lame Jebusites on the wall.  Why it became a saying that the blind and lame should not come into the house, I'm not sure.  Because they were hated by David as being the wicked pagan inhabitants who still inhabited part of the promised land, maybe it became a reference to anyone hated or despised.

Some commentators believe that the lame and the blind referred to idols and images, which had eyes but did not see and feet but did not walk.  In many ways that makes sense.  The Jebusites might have had their gods on the walls thinking they would protect their city.  David would have greatly despised those false idols, and they never would have been allowed back into the house.  However, what does not make sense is that the Jebusites themselves would not have called their gods "the blind and the lame" (verse 6), but I suppose whoever wrote this account might have.

(9) So David dwelt in the fort and called it the City of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.

David dwelt in that stronghold he had taken from the Jebusites and called it the City of David.  He built round about his fort from Millo in the north inward to the city.  See this map borrowed from JesusWalk:

The map shows the water shaft which was probably the gutter David spoke about accessing (verse 8).

(10) And David went on and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.

David continued on and grew great, enlarging his dominion, with His Lord with him.

(1 Chronicles 11:4) And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.

1 Chronicles 11 also tells of David and his men going to Jerusalem which was originally called Jebus, and its inhabitants were called Jebusites.

(5) And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You shall not come here." Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the City of David.

The Jebusites told David he would not be allowed to come into their city, but he took the stronghold of Zion, called a castle here, and made that his home, becoming known as the City of David.

(6) And David said, "Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain." So Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first and was chief.

David said that whoever struck the Jebusites first would be chief and captain.  Joab, the son of David's sister Zeruiah, went up first and was made chief.

(7) And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the City of David. (8) And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about, and Joab repaired the rest of the city. (9) So David waxed greater and greater for the Lord of hosts was with him.

David dwelt in the castle Zion, so it became known as the City of David.  He built up the city all around Millo, and Joab repaired the rest of the city.  David grew greater and greater because the Lord was with him.

I'll end this short post here as my chronological study takes me next to a psalm of David.

The Righteous Judge the Lord Reigns Over All

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Psalm 58:1) (To the chief musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David.) Do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do you judge uprightly, O you sons of men?

There is no evidence that this psalm was written at this particular time, but its theme following the murders of Saul, Abner, and Ishbosheth, make it plausible.  First of all, Altaschith literally meant "do not destroy."  Some early commentators think it might have been the name of a song to which tune David's psalm was to be sung.  I rather think he literally meant not to destroy that psalm as it was important to him.  A michtam, although its meaning is uncertain, the word coming from a root meaning "to engrave," probably meant it was something to be recorded and written, making it of some importance to David.  David began his psalm by asking if mere men judged righteously.

(2) Yea, in heart you work wickedness; you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.

David declared that the heart of man was wicked, and therefore men worked wickedness.  I believe the meaning of weighing the violence of their hands referred to the scales of justice and that they pretended what they did was just.

(3) The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.

David said that the wicked were estranged from God from birth, but actually all men are born wicked since the fall of Adam.  It is only because we accept salvation in the blood of Jesus and choose to follow God and His Holy Spirit that we may be considered righteous.

(4) Their poison is like the poison of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, (5) Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

Their poison was like the poison of a serpent because it was from the great serpent Satan, the same that was in the garden tempting Eve.  That serpent would not be charmed by even the most skilled snake charmers.

(6) Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth; break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.

David prayed that the Lord break the fangs of the serpents and the teeth of the lions which was symbolic of the power and means of the wicked; he prayed that God take away their means of pursuing their wickedness.

(7) Let them melt away as waters which run continually; when he bends his bow, let his arrows be as cut in pieces.

Let the teeth or the actions of the wicked melt away as water that flows downward until it is gone.  When the wicked bent his bow to do evil, let his arrows be cut to pieces and of no effect.

(8) As a snail melts, let them pass away; like the untimely birth of a woman, they may not see the sun.

The snail leaves a slimy path and appears to have melted away when it dies at the end of its slimy trail.  David wished for the wicked or their wicked devices to melt or pass away like that.  A woman's untimely birth refers to a premature birth, the miscarriage of a baby who will never live to see the sun.  David wished that the evil schemes of the wicked never come to fruition.

(9) Before your pots can feel the thorns, He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living and in wrath.

I believe the sense is that dry thorns make a great blaze, and before the pots above the blaze can feel the heat, that quickly will God take away the wicked in the very midst of the man's life and in the fury of his rage.

(10) The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

The righteous would rejoice when they saw just punishment inflicted on the wicked and saw that wickedness did not triumph.  I don't believe that washing their feet in the blood of the wicked means they delight in their great slaughter, but rather that the entire overthrow of the wicked would be so great that that might be a result.  David was a man of war, and he often used wartime images in his psalms.  However, bloody vengeance by man and delight in the killing of men is not the lesson here.  Vengeance belongs to the Lord (Romans 12:19), and the righteous may rejoice when they see the Lord deliver them in His righteous judgment and when they see that wickedness did not triumph, but the love of Jesus taught us that we do not rejoice in the killing of anyone.  It is actually a very sad thing that a spiritually lost person will be eternally tortured in hell.  That is why we should pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

(11) So that a man shall say, "Verily, a reward for the righteous; verily, He is a God who judges in the earth."

And that is what we rejoice in, that we have a just God who delivers us from evil and blesses and rewards us.  Even if it seems not in this life, you can be sure it will be in the next.  However, we can rejoice that we have a righteous God who does indeed judge in the present on the earth and not just in the afterlife.

(Psalm 93:1) The Lord reigns; He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength in which He has girded Himself; the world also is established that it cannot be moved.

This short psalm logically follows the last verse of Psalm 58 that spoke of our God who judges in the earth.  He currently reigns and is clothed in majesty and strength, as He always has been.  And because He reigns, the world also cannot be moved, but what He has willed will come to pass.

(2) Your throne is established of old; You are from everlasting.

God's rule and His plan have been from the beginning.  He is in control, and nothing takes Him by surprise.  We may take comfort in this.

(3) The floods have lifted up, O Lord; the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.

The enemies of God's kingdom are compared to floods because of their numbers, force, and rage.  They have lifted up their noise and their waves as if they might sweep everything away.

(4) The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea.

However, the Lord is mightier than the floods of enemies.  Even the most powerful empires of enemies cannot prevail against Him; therefore those who trust in Him have nothing to fear.

(5) Your testimonies are very sure; holiness becomes Your house, O Lord, forever.

The Lord's words are true and trustworthy.  Holiness, righteousness, faithfulness, love, mercy, and all good unchanging attributes of the Lord adorn His house forever, and therefore in Him, we may forever have faith.

(Psalm 95:1) O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation.

And because the Lord is mightier than our enemies and faithful and just, and we may forever trust in Him, it logically follows that we should sing praises to Him, to Christ who is the cornerstone, the very foundation, and the only means to our salvation.

(2) Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise to Him with psalms.

David encourages us to come before the Lord, and in His presence, with thanksgiving and joyful songs.  The Lord inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3), and where two or three are gathered in His name, He will be there (Matthew 18:20).

(3) For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods.

Our Lord is a great God, above all the false gods and idols, over everything and everyone in heaven and in earth and in all the universe.

(4) In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills is His also.

Nothing on earth is out of God's reach; He is Lord over all.

(5) The sea is His, and He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.

Not only is nothing out of His reach, but He made everything there is.

(6) O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

David encourages us to worship, bow down, and kneel before the Lord, the One who made us and knows us through and through.  We must give ourselves wholly to Him.

(7) For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice, (8) Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, as in the day of temptation in the wilderness.

Our God is the Shepherd of His people.  We are sheep to be led by Him.  Then David made a remarkable invitation to all people to hear the word of the Lord and to not harden their hearts as in the days of God's people provoking Him in the wilderness.

(9) "When your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My work."

David spoke the words of His Lord when he said that the people's forefathers had tempted and tested Him and saw the results of it.

(10) "Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, 'It is a people who do err in their hearts, and they have not known My ways, (11) Unto whom I swore in My wrath that they should not enter into My rest.'"

David continued speaking the words of the Lord as He said He had been grieved by that generation of Israelites for forty years in the wilderness.  They were a people who erred in their hearts and had not known the ways of the Lord, and the Lord had sworn in His wrath that they would not enter into the land of Canaan, their rest that God had promised to them when He led them out of Egypt.

These three psalms woven together gave us a beautiful illustration of the Lord who reigns over all.  Only He is the righteous Judge, and we are fortunate to have Him working in our lives in the present, and because He does, we worship Him and sing praises to Him.  Unlike the Israelites in the wilderness, we have precious Jesus who covers our sins and intervenes for us.  We will sin as they did because we are all sinners and that is what sinners do, but if we harden not our hearts and look to Jesus, making Him Lord of our lives, He forgives us and guides us with His Holy Spirit, and we are assured of that eternal rest in Him.

David Anointed King Over All of Israel

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(2 Samuel 5:1) Then came all the tribes of Israel to David to Hebron, and spoke, saying, "Behold we, your bone and your flesh."

In the last chapter and post, Ishbosheth, the acting king of all Israel except for Judah where David was king, had been murdered, and David had the murderers executed for their crime.  Now representatives of all the tribes of Israel came to David.  They spoke to David and began by telling him they acknowledged that they were all part of the family of Israel.

(2) "Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were he who led out and brought in Israel, and the Lord said to you, 'You shall feed My people Israel, and you shall be a captain over Israel.'"

The reps told David that they realized that when Saul was king of all Israel, it had been David who led out the armies of Israel to fight against their enemies, obtained victories, and brought them home again.  They also acknowledged that the Lord had said that David was to tend His flock, His people Israel, and that He was to reign over them.  Once again, as in 2 Samuel 3:18, we have words quoted as the Lord's words of which we don't find in the Bible.  The Lord probably did say those words at some point, and they had become known by the people.

(3) So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron, and King David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.

Then all the elders of Israel came to David at Hebron, and David made an agreement with them, surely promising to rule over all of Israel justly and righteously, and this he did before the Lord and in His name, I'm sure.  So the elders anointed David king over all of Israel. 

(1 Chronicles 11:1) Then all Israel gathered themselves to David to Hebron, saying, "Behold we, your bone and your flesh."

This same incident is recorded in 1 Chronicles 11.  Representatives of all Israel, as all the people of Israel could not have all come, came to David acknowledging that they were all of one family of Israel.

(2) "And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, you were he who led out and brought in Israel, and the Lord your God said to you, 'You shall feed My people Israel, and you shall be ruler over My people Israel." (3) Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron, and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by Samuel.

As stated before, the reps acknowledged that even when Saul was king, it was David who had led the troops to victories and brought them home again.  They also knew that the Lord had told David he was to rule over Israel.  So the elders of Israel came to David, and David made a covenant with all Israel, and they anointed him king of all Israel as the Lord had determined when He spoke to the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 16:1).

(1 Chronicles 12:23) And these are the numbers of the bands ready armed for war who came to David to Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord.

1 Chronicles 12 numbers the men who were able men of war who came to David in Hebron to make him king over all of Israel in the following verses.

(24) The children of Judah who bore shield and spear, six thousand and eight hundred, ready armed for war.

From the tribe of Judah that had already made David their king, 6800 armed men ready for war came to David.

(25) Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for war, seven thousand and one hundred. (26) Of the children of Levi, four thousand and six hundred.

From the tribe of Simeon, 7100 valiant men of war came to David.  Even from the tribe of Levi, who were the priests and their attendants, 4600 men came to David.

(27) And Jehoiada was the leader of the Aaronites, and with him, three thousand and seven hundred; (28) And Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father's house, twenty-two captains.

The Aaronites were Levites, but these would have been direct descendants of Aaron.  Jehoiada was captain over that family, and he alone brought 3700 men with him.  Also from the tribe of Levi came Zadok, a young man of valor, and 22 captains from his father's house.

(29) And of the children of Benjamin, the kindred of Saul, three thousand (for until then the greatest part of them had kept the ward of the house of Saul).

Only 3000 men came from the tribe of Benjamin, as it seems being of the family of Saul, most men maintained their allegiance to the house of Saul up to that point.

(30) And of the children of Ephraim, twenty thousand and eight hundred mighty men of valor, famous throughout the house of their fathers. 

From the tribe of Ephraim, a whopping 20,800 famous men of valor came to David in Hebron.

(31) And of the half tribe of Manasseh, eighteen thousand who were expressed by name to come and make David king.

From the half tribe of Manasseh that was on the same side of the Jordan River, 18,000 men who were expressly named, either specifically called by name for the purpose, or by volunteering by name, came to David to make him king.

(32) And of the children of Issachar who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do, the heads of them were two hundred, and all their brethren were at their command.

The men of the tribe of Issachar it seems had a unique understanding of the times to know what Israel should do.  There were two hundred heads, and the rest were at their command, apparently having full confidence in their leaders' direction.  Perhaps this meant only 200 went to David to make him king, but all the tribe would have been in agreement that he should be made king.

(33) Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand who could keep rank, not of double heart.

The tribe of Zebulun sent 50,000 men of war who were experts in all instruments of war and ready to organize and go to war if necessary.  These men were steadfast in their loyalty to David.

(34) And of Naphtali, a thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear, thirty-seven thousand.

The tribe of Naphtali sent 1000 captains and 37,000 armed men with them.

(35) And of the Danites, expert in war, twenty-eight thousand and six hundred. (36) And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, forty thousand.

From the tribe of Dan came 28,600, and from Asher, 40,000, all men expert in war.

(37) And on the other side of Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, a hundred and twenty thousand.

From the eastern side of the Jordan River came 120,000 men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the other half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war with them.

(38) All these men of war who could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron to make David king over all Israel, and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.

All these mighty men of valor, well-disciplined and well able to organize for war, if necessary, came with a perfect heart and one mind to make David king over all of Israel.  And it seems that by that time, all of Israel was unanimous in making David king, even the tribe of Benjamin, Saul's tribe.

(39) And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them. (40) Moreover, they who were near them, even to Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly, for there was joy in Israel.

All these tens of thousands of men were with David for three days, celebrating, eating, and drinking, for their brethren who were near enough to them, even as far as the tribes of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, brought huge amounts of food and wine on all animals that could carry it.  There was great joy in Israel for the people were united again as one people Israel under King David.  This map borrowed from Maps of the World shows the twelve tribes at this time:

(1 Chronicles 29:26) Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.

From that point onward, David reigned over all of Israel.

(2 Samuel 5:5) In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

David had reigned over Judah in Hebron for seven years and six months.  He was about to begin his reign over all of Israel which would last thirty-three years.

Ishbosheth Is Murdered

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(2 Samuel 4:1) And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.

In the last chapter and post, Abner had joined forces with David, but Joab accused him of deception and killed him, unbeknownst to David.  When Saul's son Ishbosheth, who Abner had set up as king over Israel, heard that he was dead, his hands probably trembled in fear.  But the meaning may more likely be that his hands were weakened because in Abner, he had lost his main support and strength.  All the Israelites were troubled by the news of Abner's death.

(2) And Saul's son had two men, captains of bands, the name of the one 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, (3) And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and were sojourners there until this day).

Ishbosheth had two men who were captains of troops in his army, two brothers, Baanah and Rechab, sons of Rimmon, a Beerothite of the tribe of Benjamin.  The Beerothites had previously fled from Beeroth to Gittaim, another city in Benjamin, probably at the news of Saul's death (1 Samuel 31:7), gathered from what follows in the next verse.  

(4) And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son lame of 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.

Saul's eldest son, Jonathan, had a son named Mephibosheth who was five years old when his father and grandfather were killed.  When the news came of their death, the boy's nurse scooped him up and fled, but at some point, he fell and became permanently lame.

(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.

Back to Ishbosheth's two captains, Rechab and Baanah, they went into the house of Ishbosheth one day during the heat of the day when Ishbosheth rested on his bed.

(6) And they came there into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat, and they struck him under the fifth rib, and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. (7) For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they struck him, and killed him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and got away through the plain all night.

Rechab and Baanah, who were captains in Ishbosheth's own army, came into his house as though they were just fetching some wheat as must have been customary for them to do to feed the soldiers.  However, they went into Ishbosheth's bedchamber and stabbed him under the fifth rib as he rested on his bed.  Under the fifth rib appears to be the deliberate choice of murderers as this is the third time in recent study someone has been stabbed and killed in that location.  That is roughly the location of the lung or heart and would prove to be a fatal wound.  After they killed him, the brothers beheaded him and took his head and escaped into the plains where they apparently ran the rest of the day and all night.

(8) And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David to Hebron, and said to the king, "Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul your enemy who sought your life, and the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and of his seed."

They took Ishbosheth's head to David at Hebron, expecting him to consider it a very acceptable gift, as they presented it as being of his enemy who had sought his life and claimed it was of the Lord who had avenged him of Saul and his offspring.

(9) And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, "As the Lord lives who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity, (10) When one told me, saying, 'Behold, Saul is dead,' thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him and killed him in Ziklag who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings, (11) How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand and take you away from the earth?"

David answered the brothers in a way they had not expected.  First of all, he acknowledged that the Lord had been the one to deliver his soul out of all adversity; he did not need the aid of murderers.  He told them of the time when the young man came to him to tell him of Saul's death (and how he had finished him off), thinking David would have thought that good news and perhaps rewarded him, he instead had him killed (2 Samuel 1:15).  He rhetorically asked the brothers how much more should he do to wicked men who had slain a righteous man in his own house in his own bed.

(12) And David commanded his young men, and they killed 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.

David commanded his men to kill Rechab and Baanah.  They cut off their hands and their feet and then hanged them up over the pool in Hebron.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, said that they cut off the hands because those had killed Ishbosheth, and they cut off the feet because those had taken them into Ishbosheth's house and bedchamber to kill him.  The Jews called it measure for measure.  Then David and his men took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the sepulcher of Abner in Hebron.

David was showing himself to be a just king.  Even though these men had killed a supposed enemy to David, as well as the man who killed Saul, David's fiercest enemy, David showed a strict regard for justice.  Those murderers had taken the law into their own hands and had executed men who were at the time innocent according to the law.  David would not allow vigilante justice.  David, as king, would render capital punishment, and these men had confessed to the murders, and David had them put to death.  

David had been equally incensed when Joab had murdered Abner, but at the time felt he was too new to the kingdom (and not fully accepted as king of all Israel since Ishbosheth still ruled at the time) to make Joab's execution one of his first acts, especially since he was of high office and very powerful.  David had said that the Lord would judge Joab according to his deed.

Abner Joins David, But Joab Murders Him

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(2 Samuel 3:1) Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

In the last chapter and post, David had been anointed king over Judah, and even though Saul was dead, the captain of his army, Abner, made Saul's son Ishbosheth king over Israel, all of Israel except Judah, that is.  There was war between the two factions, but it seems David's men must have usually won the battles as David grew stronger and the house of Saul grew weaker.

(2) And to David were sons born in Hebron, and his firstborn was Amnon of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;

While David reigned in Hebron, sons were born to him.  His firstborn son was Amnon, and his mother was Ahinoam, David's wife, the Jezreelitess.

(3) And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;

David's second son was born to his wife Abigail, the widow of Nabal, and his name was Chileab.  Apparently, David took a third wife, Maacah, daughter of Talmai king of Geshur, and she gave him his son, Absalom.

(4) And the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; (5) And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron.

It appears that David married as many wives as he had sons, or rather vice versa.  His fourth wife was Haggith and she gave him Adonijah; his fifth wife Abital gave him Shephatiah, and his sixth wife, Eglah, gave him Ithream.  These six sons were born to David in Hebron.

(1 Chronicles 3:1) Now these were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron, the firstborn Amnon of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess;

1 Chronicles 3 also named David's sons.  However, Chileab, the son of Abigail, is called Daniel here.  Daniel is probably his real given name.  Chileab means "like his father," so that may have been a nickname as Junior might be now because he was so much like his father.

(2) The third Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; (3) The fifth, Shephatiah of Abital; the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife. (4) These six were born to him in Hebron, and there he reigned seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.

The rest of David's sons who were born to him in the seven and a half years he reigned in Hebron are repeated.  David then reigned in Jerusalem for thirty-three years.

(2 Samuel 3:6) And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul.

During the time there was war between the house of David and the house of Saul, Abner was strong in his support for the house of Saul.

(7) And Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and Ishbosheth said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?"

Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, and it seems that Abner had had sexual relations with her, and Saul's son Ishbosheth demanded to know why he had done such a thing.

(8) Then was Abner very angry for the words of Ishbosheth, and said, "Am I a dog's head, which against Judah do show kindness this day to the house of Saul your father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David, that you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman?"

Abner was angry with Ishbosheth because of his accusation against him, although he did not really deny it.  He asked Ishbosheth if he was no better than the head of a dead dog who did not care with whom he lay.  He who had defended the house of Saul, his brethren, and his friends, against the tribe of Judah, and had not allowed him to be delivered into the hand of David, he that loyal supporter of Saul, that is who Ishbosheth dared to accuse of fault concerning Saul's concubine.  Abner might have actually been owning up to the fact that he had had sexual relations with Saul's concubine, but that it could not be seen as a fault because of his fierce loyalty to the house of Saul.

(9) "So do God to Abner, and more also, except, as the Lord has sworn to David, even so I do to him, (10) To transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba."

Abner was so angry that he wished God to destroy him if he did not see that the kingdom of Saul was transferred to David to be king over all of Israel.  It's interesting that he apparently knew all along what the will of God was, but he was actively working against it to set up Ishbosheth as king.  That confirms that he had probably been doing it for only his own self-interests.  Now God used Abner's desire for revenge against Ishbosheth to bring forth His will to have David king over all Israel.

(11) And he could not answer Abner a word again because he feared him.

Ishbosheth had nothing to say to Abner because he feared him.  After all, it was Abner who had made him king, and with the king's army at his command, Abner could easily take him out.

(12) And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, "Whose is the land?" Saying, "Make your league with me, and behold, my hand will be with you to bring about all Israel to you."

Abner then sent messengers to David on his own behalf, not from Ishbosheth.  I believe his point was that he was acknowledging that the land was David's, and that he now desired to make a covenant of friendship with him, and he would do everything he could to bring all of Israel under his reign.

(13) And he said, "Well, I will make a league with you, but one thing I require of you, that is, you shall not see my face except you first bring Michal Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face."

David agreed it was well and good to join with Abner, but first before that could happen, Abner must bring David's wife Michal, Saul's daughter, to him.  It seems that even though David had had six wives since Michal, he must have still cared for her, or perhaps it was to demonstrate honor to Saul's family that his daughter might share with him the benefits of his reign.

(14) And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth Saul's son, saying, "Deliver my wife Michal whom I espoused to me for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines."

David then sent messengers to Ishbosheth telling him to deliver his wife Michal to him.  David added that he had purchased her at a great expense and danger to his life by killing a hundred Philistines and bringing their foreskins to Saul as he required in order to marry his daughter (1 Samuel 18:25).

(15) And Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Phaltiel the son of Laish.

Ishbosheth had Michal removed from her husband, Phaltiel, or Phalti, as he was called in 1 Samuel 25:44, when it was first told that Saul had given his daughter to him.

(16) And her husband went with her along weeping behind her to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go, return." And he returned.

Michal's current husband went along with her as far as Bahurim, a city in the tribe of Benjamin, because he evidently loved her very much and did not want to lose her, but he was forced to give her up by command of the king and the king's captain.

(17) And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, "You sought for David in times past to be king over you. (18) Now then do it, for the Lord has spoken of David, saying, 'By the hand of my servant David I will save My people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines and out of the hand of all their enemies.'"

Abner communicated with the elders of Israel, reminding them that it was generally known that David had been anointed to be king over Israel, certainly after Saul's death.  He encouraged them to now make David their king, implying he would no longer oppose him.  He reminded them of the words of the Lord declaring that it would be David who would save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines and all their enemies.  There is no record in the Bible of the Lord saying those words, but He probably did say them to Samuel when He first said He wanted David as king, and they were not recorded, but probably verbally passed down and now general knowledge.

(19) And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin, and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel and that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin.

Abner spoke these same words especially to the tribe of Benjamin of which was the family of Saul.  He spoke these same words in the hearing of David, or perhaps the meaning is rather that after speaking to the elders of the other tribes, he brought the news to David that all were agreeable that David should be king over them.

(20) So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men with him a feast. (21) And Abner said to David, "I will arise and go and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a league with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires." And David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

Abner went to David in Hebron with twenty men.  David received them and made a feast for them.  Abner told David that he would go and do all he could to gather all of Israel to come into agreement with David as their king.  He said he would do this so that David could reign over all that his heart desired, although David had not expressed any impatience to take over the entire kingdom, but had been content to wait on God's timing.  David sent Abner on his way in peace, having made a covenant of peace with him.

(22) And behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a troop and brought in a great spoil with them, but Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace. (23) When Joab and all the host with him had come, they told Joab, saying, "Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he has gone in peace."

After Abner had left David, Joab, the captain of David's army, came with his men, apparently after some military excursion against the enemy, and they brought in a very large spoil after evidently conquering the enemy.  Some in David's court told Joab about Abner coming to David, and instead of seizing him, David had allowed him to go in peace.

(24) Then Joab came to the king, and said, "What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you; why is it you have sent him away, and he is quite gone?"

Joab asked David what he had done in allowing Abner to come to him and letting him go in peace, implying that he should have seized him as the enemy.

(25) "You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you and to know your going out and your coming in and to know all that you do."

Joab told David that surely Abner had come to deceive him and to learn his movements in order to surely destroy him.

(26) And when Joab had come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner who brought him again from the well of Sirah, but David did not know it.

When Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner who was apparently at the well of Sirah, which the historian Josephus said was two and a half miles from Hebron.  The messengers brought him from there back to Joab, but David did not know any of this.

(27) And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly and struck him there under the fifth rib that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.

When the messengers brought Abner back to Hebron, Joab met him at the gate and pulled him aside supposedly to speak to him in private, but he stabbed him under the fifth rib, in the same place Abner had struck Joab's brother Asahel, and he died.

(28) And afterward, when David heard, he said, "I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord forever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner; (29) Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father's house, and let there not fail from the house of Joab one who has an issue, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls on the sword, or lacks bread."

When David heard what Joab had done, he declared that he and his kingdom were guiltless before God forever for the murder of Abner, that it was wholly on the head of Joab and his father's house.  It may be that David made that declaration publicly because Joab was his general, and he wanted it known that he did not command that his general kill Abner, that it was totally on Joab.  David went on to curse the family of Joab, wishing that there would always be one who had an issue of blood, or gonorrhea, as it sometimes meant, or one who was a leper, or one who was lame or fell on a sword or lacked food.  David said this in his anger, but I can't help but think he should have cursed Joab alone, not his innocent family after him.

(30) So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

It appears that Abishai was in on the plan to murder Abner because he had killed Asahel, the brother of Joab and Abishai, sons of David's sister, Zeruiah.  So it would appear that David's curse would be on his sister's house, all the more reason he should have directed his anger to Joab and maybe Abishai only.  But he had said it in anger; it was not meant as a prophetic curse.

(31) And David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, "Rend your clothes, and gird yourself with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner." And King David followed the bier.

David told Joab and all the people with him to mourn Abner by the usual expressions of mourning, by tearing their clothes and putting on sackcloth.  King David followed the bed on which Abner's body was laid and carried to the grave.

(32) And they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept.

They buried Abner in Hebron.  David wept loudly at the grave of Abner, and all the people with him wept.

(33) And the king lamented over Abner, and said, "Did Abner die as a fool dies?"

David lamented over Abner and said words over his grave.  He asked if Abner had died as a fool dies.  The word that was translated as "fool" is "nabal" and also meant stupid and wicked.  I believe David's point was that Abner had not died as a criminal or for any wickedness he had done.  He was unjustly murdered before his time.

(34) "Your hands were not bound nor your feet put into fetters; as a man falls before wicked men, so you fell." And all the people wept again over him.

Abner had not been bound and fettered as a criminal who knew his fate.  He had fallen as one murdered by wicked men.  This made the people weep again over Abner.  This he said in the presence of Joab whom he had told to mourn Abner with him.

(35) And when all the people came to cause David to eat food while it was yet day, David swore, saying, "So do God to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun be down."

The people came to David to persuade him to eat, but he refused, swearing an oath that he wished for God to do the greatest evils against him if he even tasted bread before sundown, as he would continue his mourning for Abner until then.

(36) And all the people took notice, and it pleased them, as whatever the king did pleased all the people. (37) For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to kill Abner the son of Ner.

The people took notice of how David conducted himself throughout the entire death and burial of Abner, and it pleased them, for they understood that David had never intended for Abner to be killed.

(38) And the king said to his servants, "Do you not know that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?"

Perhaps in explanation to his servants as to why he mourned the man who had so recently been considered an enemy, David explained that Abner had been a great man and even a prince in the house of Saul, as he was Saul's first cousin and a member of the royal family, as well as having the important position as Saul's general.

(39) "And I am this day weak, though anointed king, and these men the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me. The Lord shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness."

Although David had been anointed king, he was very new to the kingdom and had not yet been fully accepted by all of Israel, but Abner had been working on that.  Joab and Abishai, the sons of David's sister Zeruiah, were yet too powerful for David to make one of his first acts as king to punish them.  He said that the Lord would take care of their just punishment.