2 Samuel 2:16

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

by the head: Probably by the beard or hair of the head. Plutarch, in his Apophthegms, informs us, that all things being ready for a battle, Alexander's captains asked him whether he had anything else to command them. "Nothing," said he, "but that the Macedonians shave their beards." Parmenio wondering what he meant, "Dost thou not know," said he, "that in fight, there is no better hold than the beard?"

Helkathhazzurim: that is, the field of strong men, 2 Samuel 2:16

Reciprocal: Joshua 19:25 - Helkath 2 Samuel 2:26 - it will be 1 Kings 20:20 - they slew Acts 1:19 - Aceldama

Cross-References

Genesis 2:1
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

Genesis 2:1
And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

Genesis 2:1
So the sky, the earth, and all that filled them were finished.

Genesis 2:1
The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them.

Genesis 2:1
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

Genesis 2:1
The heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

Genesis 2:1
So the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts (inhabitants).

Genesis 2:1
Therfor heuenes and erthe ben maad perfit, and al the ournement of tho.

Genesis 2:1
And the heavens and the earth are completed, and all their host;

Genesis 2:1
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they caught everyone his fellow by the head,.... By the hair of his head with his hand:

and [thrust] his sword in his fellow's side; which he had in the other;

so they fell down together; the twelve on each side, all the twenty four; some think only the twelve on Abner's side fell; but to me it seems that they all fell dead as one man, since they thrust their swords in each other's sides:

wherefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which [is] in Gibeon; the field of rocks, or of mighty men as strong as rocks, who stood as immovable, and would not give way, but fell and died in the field of battle; the Targum interprets it, the inheritance of the slain.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare Livy’s history of the battle between the Horatii and Curiatii. This combat, like that, may have been proposed as a means of avoiding the effusion of blood of two nations united by consanguinity, and having a common powerful enemy in the Philistines.

Helkath-hazzurim - i. e. “the part, field, or plat Genesis 23:19 of the sharp edges or blades.” This seems, on the whole, the best explanation of this rather obscure name.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 2:16. Caught every one his fellow by the head — Probably by the beard, if these persons were not too young to have one, or by the hair of the head. Alexander ordered all the Macedonians to shave their beards; and being asked by Parmenio why they should do so, answered, "Dost thou not know that in battle there is no better hold than the beard?"

Helkath-hazzurim — "The portion of the mighty;" or, "The inheritance of those who were slain," according to the Targum.