2 Samuel 2:10

Contemporary English Version

Ishbosheth was forty years old at the time, and he ruled for two years. But the tribe of Judah made David their king,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel; he reigned for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.

Hebrew Names Version
Ish-Boshet, Sha'ul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Yisra'el, and he reigned two years. But the house of Yehudah followed David.

King James Version
Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

Lexham English Bible
Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel and he reigned two years; however, the house of Judah followed David.

English Standard Version
Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

New Century Version
Saul's son Ish-Bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he ruled two years. But the people of Judah followed David.

New English Translation
Ish-bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he began to rule over Israel. He ruled two years. However, the people of Judah followed David.

Amplified Bible
Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned for two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

New American Standard Bible
Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Ish-bosheth Sauls sonne was fourtie yeere olde wen he began to reigne ouer Israel, and reigned two yeere: but the house of Iudah followed Dauid.

Legacy Standard Bible
Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.

Complete Jewish Bible
Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul was forty years old when he began to rule over Isra'el, and he ruled for two years. But the house of Y'hudah followed David.

Darby Translation
Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. However, the house of Judah followed David.

Easy-to-Read Version
Ish Bosheth son of Saul was 40 years old when he began to rule over Israel. He ruled Israel two years, but the tribe of Judah followed David.

George Lamsa Translation
Ashbashul Sauls son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

Good News Translation
He was forty years old when he was made king of Israel, and he ruled for two years. But the tribe of Judah was loyal to David,

Literal Translation
Ishbosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed after David.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Ißboseth the sonne of Saul was fourtye yeare olde, whan he was made kynge of Israel, & he raigned two yeares. But the house of Iuda helde with Dauid:

American Standard Version
Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

Bible in Basic English
(Saul's son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was ruler for two years.) But Judah was on the side of David.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Isboseth Sauls sonne was fourtie yeres olde when he began to raigne ouer Israel, and raigned two yeres: But the house of Iuda folowed Dauid.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Ish-bosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

King James Version (1611)
Ishbosheth Sauls sonne was fortie yeeres olde when he began to reigne ouer Israel, and reigned two yeres: but the house of Iudah followed Dauid.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Jebosthe, Saul’s son was forty years old, when he reigned over Israel; and he reigned two years, but not over the house of Juda, who followed David.

English Revised Version
(Ish–bosheth Saul’s son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years.) But the house of Judah followed David.

Berean Standard Bible
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.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Isbosech, the sone of Saul, was of fourti yeer, whanne he began to regne on Israel; and he regnede twei yeer. Sotheli the hous aloone of Juda suede Dauid.

Young's Literal Translation
A son of forty years, [is] Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, in his reigning over Israel, and two years he hath reigned, only the house of Judah have been after David.

Update Bible Version
Ishbaal, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

Webster's Bible Translation
Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, [was] forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years: but the house of Judah followed David.

World English Bible
Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

New King James Version
Ishbosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David.

New Living Translation
Ishbosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he became king, and he ruled from Mahanaim for two years. Meanwhile, the people of Judah remained loyal to David.

New Life Bible
Saul's son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he became king of Israel. He was king for two years. But the family of Judah followed David.

New Revised Standard
Ishbaal, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Forty years old, was Ish-bosheth son of Saul, when he began to reign over Israel, and, two years, reigned he, - but, the house of Judah, followed David.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Isboseth the son of Saul was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years; and only the house of Juda followed David.

Revised Standard Version
Ish-bo'sheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.

Contextual Overview

⁸ Abner the son of Ner had been the general of Saul's army. He took Saul's son Ishbosheth across the Jordan River to Mahanaim ⁹ and made him king of Israel, including the areas of Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin. ¹⁰ Ishbosheth was forty years old at the time, and he ruled for two years. But the tribe of Judah made David their king, ¹¹ and he ruled from Hebron for seven and a half years. ¹² One day, Abner and the soldiers of Ishbosheth left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. ¹³ Meanwhile, Joab the son of Zeruiah was leading David's soldiers, and the two groups met at the pool in Gibeon. Abner and his men sat down on one side of the pool, while Joab and his men sat on the other side. ¹⁴ Abner yelled to Joab, "Let's have some of our best soldiers get up and fight each other!" Joab agreed, ¹⁵ and twelve of Ishbosheth's men from the tribe of Benjamin got up to fight twelve of David's men. ¹⁶ They grabbed each other by the hair and stabbed each other in the side with their daggers. They all died right there! That's why the place in Gibeon is called "Field of Daggers." ¹⁷ Then everyone started fighting. Both sides fought very hard, but David's soldiers defeated Abner and the soldiers of Israel.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

two years: Houbigant proposes to read shesh shanah, "six years" instead of shetayim shanim, "two years," of the text, which he contends is a solecism; for, in pure Hebrew, the words should be shetayim shanah; and this is the reading of twenty manuscripts; but two is acknowledged by all the versions and manuscripts yet collated. 2 Samuel 2:10

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 3:14 - Ishbosheth Psalms 18:43 - from

Cross-References

Psalms 46:4
A river and its streams bring joy to the city, which is the sacred home of God Most High.

Revelation 22:1
The angel showed me a river that was crystal clear, and its waters gave life. The river came from the throne where God and the Lamb were seated.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 reigned two years; which some understand of these, and no more; and whereas David reigned seven years and a half over Judah, before he reigned over all Israel, it is thought by the Jewish chronologer c that there was a vacancy in the throne of Israel for the space of five years, and so says Kimchi; which vacancy was either before the reign of Ishbosheth, it being a matter in dispute whether he or Mephibosheth should be set up, or after his death; the tribes of Israel being so long before they acknowledged David their king; or Ishbosheth's reign of two years must be in the middle of David's reign over Judah; but there is no need to suppose either of these, for the text says not that Ishbosheth reigned only two years; but the meaning is, as Ben Gersom observes, that he had reigned two years when the following things happened, and a war began, and not by him but by Abner, and carried on by him; and he being an inactive prince, the rest of his reign was reckoned as no reign, whereas he lived and reigned the same length of time David did over Judah; see 2 Samuel 3:1;

but the house of Judah followed David; kept close to him as their king, yielding a cheerful obedience to him.

c Seder Olam Rabba, c. 13. p. 37.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Forty ... two - The numerals are somewhat strange. First, as regards the 40 years. Even assuming that Ish-bosheth’s reign did not commence until five and a half years after Saul’s death, which must have been the case if the two years in the text gives the true length of his reign, it is startling to hear of Saul’s younger son being 35 years old at his father’s death, born consequently some three years before his father’s accession, and five years older than David, the bosom friend of his older brother Jonathan. The age, too, of Jonathan’s child, Mephibosheth, who was five years old at his father’s death, would lead one to expect rather a less age for his uncle. Next, as regards the two years. Since David (compare 2 Samuel 2:11; and marginal references) reigned seven years in Hebron over Judah only, it follows, if the two years in the text are correct, either that an interval of five years elapsed between Ish-bosheth’s death and David’s being anointed “king over all Israel,” or that a like interval elapsed between Saul’s death and the commencement of Ish-bosheth’s reign. Of the two the latter is the more probable, and has the advantage of diminishing Ish-bosheth’s age by between five and six years. But the narrative in 2 Samuel 3:0; 2 Samuel 4:1-12 of the “long war,” of the birth of David’s six sons, and of Abner’s conspiracy and death, seems to imply a longer time than two years, in which case both the numerals would have to be corrected.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 2:10. Ish-bosheth - reigned two years. — It is well observed that Ish-bosheth reigned all the time that David reigned in Hebron, which was seven years and six months. Perhaps the meaning of the writer is this: Ish-bosheth reigned two years before any but the tribe of Judah had attached themselves to the interest of David. Some think that Abner in effect reigned the last five years of Ish-bosheth, who had only the name of king after the first two years. Or the text may be understood thus: When Ish-bosheth had reigned two years over Israel, he was forty years of age.

Houbigant, dissatisfied with all the common modes of solution, proposes to read ששית שנה shishshith shanah, six years, for the שתים שנים shetayim shanim, two years, of the text, which he contends is a solecism; for in pure Hebrew the words would be שתים שנה as they are everywhere read in the first book; and שנה is the reading of eleven of Kennicott's MSS., and nine of De Rossi's; but the number two is acknowledged by all the ancient versions, and by all the MSS. yet collated. The critical reader may examine Houbigant on the place. After all, probably the expedition mentioned in the succeeding verses is that to which the writer refers, and from which he dates. Ish-bosheth had reigned two years without any rupture with David or his men, till under the direction of Abner, captain of his host, the Israelites passed over Jordan, from Mahanaim to Gibeon, and being opposed by Joab, captain of David's host, that battle took place which is described in the following verses.