2 Samuel 2:10

Contextual Overview

⁸ Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, had taken Ishbaal the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; ⁸ But Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, had already gone to Mahanaim with Saul's son Ishbosheth. ⁸ Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, had taken Ish–bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; ⁸ Abner son of Ner was the commander of Saul's army. Abner took Saul's son Ish-Bosheth to Mahanaim ⁸ Now Abner son of Ner, the general in command of Saul's army, had taken Saul's son Ish-bosheth and had brought him to Mahanaim. ⁸ But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; ⁸ Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, had taken Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; ⁸Now [Saul's cousin] Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. ⁸ But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim, ⁸ Forsothe Abner, the sone of Ner, prince of the oost of Saul, took Isbosech, the sone of Saul, and ledde hym aboute bi the castels,

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 brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High.

Psalms 46:4
There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.

Psalms 46:4
There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the holy of the tabernacles of the Most High.

Psalms 46:4
There is a river that brings joy to the city of God, the holy place where God Most High lives.

Psalms 46:4
The river's channels bring joy to the city of God, the special, holy dwelling place of the sovereign One.

Psalms 46:4
[There is] a river, the streams of which shall make glad the city of God, the holy [place] of the tabernacles of the Most High.

Psalms 46:4
There is a river, the streams of which make the city of God glad, The holy place of the tents of the Most High.

Psalms 46:4
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High.

Psalms 46:4
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.

Psalms 46:4
The feersnesse of flood makith glad the citee of God; the hiyeste God hath halewid his tabernacle.

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.