While there was war between Saul’s house and David’s house, Abner made himself strong in Saul’s house.
Parallel Translations
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While there was war between Saul’s house and David’s house, Abner made himself strong in Saul’s house.
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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.
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And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner showed himself strong in the house of Saul.
Cross-references (7)
Passages linked to 2 Samuel 3:6 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 2 Samuel 2:8-9 Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
- 2 Kings 10:23 Jehu went with Jehonadab the son of Rechab into the house of Baal. Then he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search, and see that none of the servants of Yahweh are here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.”
- 2 Chronicles 25:8 But if you will go, take action, and be strong for the battle. God will overthrow you before the enemy; for God has power to help, and to overthrow.”
- Proverbs 21:30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against Yahweh.
- Isaiah 8:9-10 Make an uproar, you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Listen, all you from far countries: dress for battle, and be shattered! Dress for battle, and be shattered! Take counsel together, and it will be brought to nothing; speak the word, and it will not stand, for God is with us.”
- Joel 3:9-13 Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Stir up the mighty men. Let all the warriors draw near. Let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves together.” Cause your mighty ones to come down there, Yahweh. “Let the nations arouse themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle; for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full, the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.”
- Matthew 12:30 “He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t gather with me, scatters.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 2Sa 3:6 And it came to pass, while there…
2Sa 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.
Ver. 6. Abner made himself strong.] See 2Sa 2:8-9.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain He used all his endeavours to support Saul’s house;…
He used all his endeavours to support Saul’s house; which is mentioned, to show the reason of his deep resentment of the following aspersion. Or, he strengthened himself in the house of Saul, i.e. he so managed all affairs, as to get all the riches and power into his own hands; which made Ish-bosheth suspect that he aimed at the kingdom, and sought to marry the king’s concubine in order to it, as the manner was. See 2Sa 12:8; 16:21; 1Ki 1:17.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And it came to pass, while there was war…
And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David,.... As long as that continued, as it did until the following quarrel happened between Ishbosheth and Abner:
that Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul; or was strongly in the interest of that house, and used his utmost endeavours to support and confirm it.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Strong - He used all his endeavours to support…
Strong - He used all his endeavours to support Saul's house: which is mentioned, to shew the reason of his deep resentment of the following aspersion.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 6. Abner made himself strong] This strengthening of…
Verse 6. Abner made himself strong] This strengthening of himself, and going in to the late king's concubine, were most evident proofs that he wished to seize upon the government. See 1Kg 2:21-2:22; 1Kg 12:8; 1Kg 16:21.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 2Sa 3:6. Abner made himself strong, &c. — He…
2Sa 3:6. Abner made himself strong, &c. — He used his utmost endeavours to support Saul’s house, going up and down through all the tribes of Israel to strengthen Ish-bosheth’s interest, and confirm the people in their allegiance to him: which is mentioned to show the reason of Abner’s deep resentment of the following aspersion.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Render, “And it came to pass, while the war…
Render, “And it came to pass, while the war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted, that Abner assisted the house of Saul.”
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain ABNER REVOLTS TO DAVID. (Sa2 3:6-12)
ABNER REVOLTS TO DAVID. (Sa2 3:6-12)
Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul--In the East, the wives and concubines of a king are the property of his successor to this extent, that for a private person to aspire to marry one of them would be considered a virtual advance of pretensions to the crown (see Kg1 2:17). It is not clear whether the accusation against Abner was well or ill founded. But he resented the charge as an indignity, and, impelled by revenge, determined to transfer all the weight of his influence to the opposite party. He evidently set a full value on his services, and seems to have lorded it over his weak nephew in a haughty, overbearing manner.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 6. Abner made himself strong for the house of…
6. Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul — Rather, in the house of Saul. He used his high official position in Saul’s court for purposes of self-aggrandizement and power. He seems to have regarded Ishbosheth as an incompetent ruler, and actually reigned in his name. By thus strengthening himself in the kingdom he was, perhaps designedly, paving his own way to the throne.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 6–11. Quarrel between Abner and Ish-bosheth
6–11. Quarrel between Abner and Ish-bosheth
6. made himself strong] Or, shewed himself strong. Ish-bosheth was evidently weak and incapable, a mere puppet in the hands of Abner, who had made himself the mainstay of Saul’s house, partly from his family connexion, partly with a view to secure the greatest amount of influence, possibly with the hope of eventually becoming king himself. At length foreseeing the impossibility of continuing a successful opposition to David’s growing power, he took the opportunity of a quarrel with Ish-bosheth to make such overtures to David as might secure him favourable terms and an influential position.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (6) Abner made himself strong.—It has already been noticed…
(6) Abner made himself strong.—It has already been noticed that the fortunes of the house of Saul depended entirely upon Abner, but the fact of Ish-bosheth’s great obligation to him is again mentioned here in explanation of the following story.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul.…
Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul. The Hebrew really means that until this miserable quarrel about Rizpah, Abner had been the mainstay of Ishbosheth"s throne and dynasty. She is proved to have been a noble woman, with a warm and devoted heart, by the narrative. (2Sa_21:8-11) But the harem of a deceased king was looked upon as the special inheritance of his successor; and Absalom, by taking David"s concubines, (2Sa_16:21, 2Sa_16:22) treated his father as a dead man, and committed so overt an act of treason as made reconciliation impossible. So Solomon put his brother Adonijah to death for asking Abishag to wife. (1Ki_2:23-25) Still, as Bathsheba there saw no impropriety in Adonijah"s request, and as Solomon deposed Abiathar and put Joab to death for complicity, as we must conclude, in Adonijah"s request, it was probably part of some scheme of conspiracy, and that, if granted, it would have been used by Adonijah as a proof that the kingdom really was his. Here there was no plot, and as Rizpah had probably always lived apart from Ishbosheth, Abner may have expected that the king would see no difficulty in the matter.
Ver. 6. (MAHANAIM.)
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The character of Abner.
Abner, son of Net, was first cousin of Saul, probably about the same age, commander-in-chief of his army, (1Sa_14:50) and contributed greatly to his early successes. He introduced David to the king after his victory over Goliath, sat at the royal table, (1Sa_20:25) was well acquainted with their relations to each other, took part in the persecution, (1Sa_26:14) and, after the battle of Gilbea, became the main support of the house of Saul. (2Sa_2:8) made himself strong for the house of Saul," but God strengthened David, whom Abner knew to have been designed for the kingdom by God" (Wordsworth). Notice:
1. His eminent abilities military skill, prudence, energy, courage, and perseverance; as shown by the honourable position he so long held in the service of Saul, and his successful efforts after his death. (2Sa_2:8-12) "Abner"s act was not an ordinary act of rebellion against the person of David and his rightful claim to the throne; because Jehovah had not yet caused David to be set before the nation as its king by Samuel or any other prophet, and David had not yet asserted the right to reign over all Israel, which had been secured to him by the Lord, and guaranteed by his anointing as one whom the nation was bound to recognize" (Keil). Nor was he destitute of generous sentiments. If he could not be called a good man, he was "a prince and a great man (ver. 38).
2. His worldly ambition and carnal selfishness. This was probably the main, if not the only, motive of his opposition to the Divine purpose; and to it Ishbesheth evidently attributed the conduct with which he charged him, regarding his act as an assertion of royal rights (ver. 7). His pride and self-esteem are also apparent in his haughty answer (ver. 8).
Ambition"s like a circle on the water, Which never ceases to enlarge itself, Till by broad spreading it disperse to nought.
1. His passionate resentment, which, as is commonly the case, was an indication of the truth of the charge brought against him; nor did he deny it, but contemptuously declared that he was too great a man and had rendered too many services to be accused of such a "fault;" and then took an oath to avenge the insult by translating the kingdom to David, "as the Lord had sworn" to him (vers. 9, 10). "This was Abner"s arrogancy to beast such great things of himself, as if he had carried a king in his pocket, as that great Earl of Warwick in Edward IV"s time, is said to have done" (Trapp). "No man ever heard Abner godly till now; neither had he been so at this time if he had not intended a revengeful departure from Ishbosheth. Nothing is more odious than to make religion a stalking horse to policy" (Hall).
2. His altered purposes. The change, although right and good in itself, was due to a passionate impulse and probably the desire of personal advantage; and, in its announcement, Abner betrayed his previous ungodliness and present hypocrisy. "Alas! how eloquently can hypocrites employ the Name of God, and take the sanction of religion, when by such means they think to advance their present interests!" (Lindsay). But, on the other hand, it may be said that his sudden wrath was only the occasion of his open avowal of an irrepressible and growing conviction of duty, and of his taking the decisive step which he had been long contemplating; and that he henceforth faithfully endeavoured to make amends for his former errors and sincerely sought the welfare of the nation. "When an opposer of God"s Word honestly turns, we should, without reluctance, give him the hand, without undertaking to pass judgment on the motives that are hidden in his heart" (Erdmann). David, unlike Joab (ver. 25), put the best construction on Abner"s conduct.
1. His energetic action and extensive influence. He sent messengers "immediately" (LXX) to David, recognizing his authority, etc. (ver. 12); had communication with the elders of Israel (ver. 18); spake in the ears of Benjamin (ver. 19), who might be jealous of the transfer of sovereignty to Judah; and, having obtained their consent, came himself to Hebron with twenty men, "representatives of Israel, to confirm his overtures by their presence," partook of an entertainment "of the nature of a league," and went away in peace. "David believed that in this offer of Abner a Divine
2. providence was to be observed which would make, as he hoped, a full end to the unhappy civil war" (Krummacher).
3. His cruel fate. "Now is Ishbosheth"s wrong avenged by an enemy" (Hall). Even though his present course was in fulfilment of the Divine purpose, it averted not the consequences of his former conduct; and retribution came upon him suddenly, unexpectedly, and by a wicked hand. "One wicked man is made to be another"s scourge." "Human sin must serve the purposes of God"s kingdom". (Psa_76:10) "David"s kingdom is not promoted by Abner"s treason, as David so expected, but rather by the taking away of Abner; thus the Lord, in the promotion of his kingdom, chooseth not the instruments nor alloweth even the means which appear good to men; but, by the contrary, he taketh away the same instruments and means in which men have most confidence, and by others more unlikely, and without men"s expectation, he advanceth the cause of the Church and worketh great things" (Guild). D.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 It came about
It came about
This introduces a new event in the story of the struggle between David's supporters and Saul's family. (See: Introduction of a New Event)
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house of Saul
This refers to Saul's family and supporters who assumed control of his estate after he died.
house of David
This refers to the supporters of David.
Abner made himself strong in the house of Saul
Abner's increasing power over Saul's family is spoken of as if he became physically stronger. AT: "Abner gained more power over the family and supporters of Saul" (See: Metaphor)
Rizpah ... Aiah
These are names of women. (See: How to Translate Names)
Ishbosheth
This is a male name, a son of Saul. (See: How to Translate Names)
Why have you slept with my father's concubine?
Ishbosheth asked this question to rebuke Abner who was acting like he was the king. AT: "You did not have the right to sleep with my father's concubine!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
slept with
This is a euphemism for sexual relations. (See: Euphemism)
translationWords
Saul (OT)
house of David
Abner
concubine
name
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.