1Now when Ish-bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel was dismayed.
2Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other Rechab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin,
3because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have lived there as foreigners to this day.
4And Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she was hurrying to escape, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
5Now Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out and arrived at the house of Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day, while the king was taking his midday nap.
6They entered the interior of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah slipped away.
7They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was lying on his bed, and having stabbed and killed him, they beheaded him, took his head, and traveled all night by way of the Arabah.
8They brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. Today the LORD has granted vengeance to my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”
9But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,
10when someone told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer of good news, I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was his reward for his news!
11How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!”
12So David commanded his young men, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.
2 Samuel 4 Section and Chapter Commentary
2 Sam 4:5-12
David's elimination of Saul's lineage
David systematically eliminated Saul's sons and key supporters, despite swearing not to harm Saul's descendants. The narrative portrays these deaths as coincidental or carried out by others, but David's consistent pattern of killing those who stood in his way, and then executing their killers, suggests he orchestrated these events to secure his claim to the throne.
Summarized by AI · The Rise and Fall of Biblical Israel: The Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings · Lecture 5: David | The Man Behind the Legend · watch the clip
David's alleged killing of Ish-bosheth
The killing of Ish-bosheth, Saul's remaining son, by his own army commanders, followed by David's execution of those commanders, is seen as another instance of David eliminating a rival while maintaining an appearance of innocence. This act removed the last direct threat to David's claim to the throne, paving the way for his anointing over all Israel.
Summarized by AI · The Rise and Fall of Biblical Israel: The Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings · Lecture 5: David | The Man Behind the Legend · watch the clip
David's Elimination of Rivals for the Throne
David systematically eliminates all potential rivals from Saul's lineage to secure his kingship. This includes the implied assassination of Jonathan and other sons of Saul, and later, the killing of Saul's remaining son, Ish-Bosheth, by his own commanders, who are then executed by David to maintain his public image of innocence.
Summarized by AI · The Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Literature of Ancient Israel · Lecture 13: The David Story · watch the clip
