2 Samuel 2: 1 – 32
A no win situation
2 It happened after this that David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up.” David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “To Hebron.” 2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 And David brought up the men who were with him, every man with his household. So, they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.” 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “You are blessed of the LORD, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him. 6 And now may the LORD show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing. 7 Now therefore, let your hands be strengthened, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.” 8 But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim; 9 and he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10 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. 11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. 12 Now Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. So, they sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool. 14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men now arise and compete before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.” 15 So they arose and went over by number, twelve from Benjamin, followers of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. 16 And each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore, that place was called the Field of Sharp Swords, which is in Gibeon. 17 So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David. 18 Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle. 19 So Asahel pursued Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Are you Asahel?” He answered, “I am.” 21 And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22 So Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I face your brother Joab?” 23 However, he refused to turn aside. Therefore, Abner struck him in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear, so that the spear came out of his back; and he fell down there and died on the spot. So, it was that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still. 24 Joab and Abishai also pursued Abner. And the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah by the road to the Wilderness of Gibeon. 25 Now the children of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became a unit and took their stand on top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end? How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren?” 27 And Joab said, “As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then by morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren.” 28 So Joab blew a trumpet; and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore. 29 Then Abner and his men went on all that night through the plain, crossed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron; and they came to Mahanaim. 30 So Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel. 31 But the servants of David had struck down, of Benjamin and Abner’s men, three hundred and sixty men who died. 32 Then they took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at daybreak.
My title probably sounds paradoxical, or like a trick question. And in fact, trick questions—like a catch-22, double binds, standoffs, conundrums, and quandaries—are all terms describing a lose-lose, or no-win, scenario. Yet finding yourself in such a predicament is hardly uncommon. Which doubtless explains why there are so many expressions describing this plight: such as darned if you do, darned if you don’t; having to choose between the lesser of two evils; being between a rock and a hard place; and being on the horns of a dilemma.
So, can you somehow escape the inescapable? Regrettably, the most positive answer that can be offered here stops well short of being entirely satisfying. For its, well, yes and no. It hardly denotes winning in the traditional sense. It’s a victory of consciousness, or conscience, rather than a defeat over some hostile power. Put somewhat differently, the winning has more to do with merit than triumph.
How often do we find ourselves in a situation that seems un-winnable or, in the extreme, impossible? When this happens, it is difficult to make sense of the things that have happened to us. There are situations that, regardless of what we do, will change us forever. When these life-altering events happen, we can expect a period where a lack of perspective dominates our life. We often search for ways to recover, by fixing it and making some sense of why it occurred.
All of us have at one time or another faced the following circumstances that most would agree seem like a no-win scenario:
Life threatening illness — “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing more we can do.”
Abuse — being the victim of child abuse or physical/neglect/emotional abuse
Home impacts — foreclosure, credit problems and financial loss
Family Court — child custody, divorce and unfair court orders
Extreme Weather — earthquakes, tornadoes, flooding
War — going, staying behind, paying for it, dying for it, fighting because of it
When we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place, most of us will experience a range of negative emotions at the onslaught: anger, grief, disbelief, or complete denial. Eventually something positive will emerge, but typically not right away, and this leaves us grappling with the uncomfortable feeling of being unable to control or fix the situation.
How do we move forward when everything has changed? Here are some ways to cope with ‘No-Win’ Scenarios
Acceptance — Resignation that your life will not be the same again. This is the hardest situation to overcome. When circumstances have taken the life, you cherished and enjoyed away from you, what stands in its place may never measure up. When we focus, however, on what we are missing instead of what remains, we will suffer longer. We must agree that our life has changed and make the decision to move forward embracing that change.
Fight — Anger may be what we need to push ourselves forward out of complacency or despair. Fighting as an alternative can keep you focused when the odds are stacked against you. If fighting is your only alternative, then don’t give up. Do not give in to fear. Fight to make things rights again, to make something better or fight to move in a different direction. As the saying goes, “Live to fight another day.”
Compromise — We may not feel like we won but neither will we lose everything. This choice is less drastic than fighting, but a settlement can help in resolving things, so you can move on. No-win scenarios can trigger stress responses in the body, and compromise helps alleviate this distressing condition and it makes for a better choice in some instances.
Healing — This is the perspective you need to search for in all challenging situations. Repairing that which is broken in our lives allows for balance to reemerge. Healing as it relates to illness may show us that during our illness, cure may cease to be an option, but remember that no hope of a cure does not mean no hope at all. When you receive the information that the illness is serious, it can feel like a no-win scenario, but with a support team who can help manage the challenges you’ll face, you can live with a serious illness for as long as possible and as well as possible.
Creative — Even though we are intelligent and organized, being in what feels like a no-win scenario makes it hard to keep things straight. Think of solutions that you have never tried or maybe tried in the past but didn’t work. Try again. Looking at your scenario with “fresh eyes” can lead you to a new perspective and ultimately a solution. Know that people are willing to help, and becoming comfortable asking for assistance, advice or information may lead to additional opportunities that were not available before. When we diligently look for solutions and “open every door” that is available to us, we will find that there are fewer no-win scenarios.
Something positive remains after all devastation; it may take years to see it or lifetimes to understand it, but it is there. We must be diligent in our efforts to overcome the challenges we face in our lives and never give up. When we refuse to look at situations as un-winnable or impossible, we gain the invaluable experience that will allow us to move forward in a new direction.
Today we are going to deal with all the actions that I have just mentioned. We are now going to get more knowledge of two men – Joab and Abner. They are the men who got things done for their respective leaders.
By now the all-conquering Philistines had swept into central Israel and at least up to the Jordan, and possibly beyond it, and had in the process occupied the main cities of central Israel (1 Samuel 31.7). But the Philistines possibly came to recognize that in the end this was stretching their resources too far, for their major concern would no doubt have been to consolidate their empire west of Jordan, and they may thus have relaxed their grip on Transjordan, and even have allowed the appointment of Ish-bosheth (Saul’s son )as a king of a small area. This may all be suggested by the extent of his rule.
This may also have been because the guerilla operations of the survivors of the Israelite army who had fled across the Jordan, and were now ably led by Abner, had been able to make life continually uncomfortable for them. The Philistines never liked hill fighting and guerilla warfare because in such circumstances they could not use their chariots, and they would also have recognized that they could not leave their own cities and farms unattended and unprotected for too long. They were simply not numerous enough to constantly occupy such a large area. Thus, to appoint Ish-bosheth to rule for them might have been seen by them as a good way to ‘pacify the natives’, while at the same time allowing them to turn their attention elsewhere.
It is probable that their next move after defeating the Israelite army and occupying the Israelite cities would have been to occupy Judah to the south, but this move was circumvented by David, who, after obtaining directions from Yahweh, himself occupied Judah with his men. The fact that the Philistines raised no objection to this suggests that they saw him as still their own mercenary and as having done this under the supervision of Achish, king of Gath. Indeed, they may well have admired the way in which, having been prevented from marching with the main army, he had demonstrated his initiative by himself ‘conquering’ that part of the land that they themselves had not invaded.
The defeated and demoralized Israelites who had survived the battle, and had fled to places out of reach of the Philistines, would gradually over the next few months filter back, and if so were probably soon mobilized by Abner, Saul’s cousin and general, along with the men who were still with him, into a guerilla army. This is what we might have anticipated, for so great had been their defeat that we would expect it to take a few years for them to stage a recovery. This would then explain why it took around five years before Abner was able to set up Ish-bosheth, Saul’s remaining son, as king in Mahanaim, east of Jordan.
Approaching these next chapters we need to pause and remember the words of the writer of Ecclesiastes 5.2, ‘God is in Heaven and you are on the earth, therefore let your words be few’, for they reveal a picture of the sovereign God enabling David to surmount all the temptations that came his way, while around him all were trying to lead him astray. For from that triumphant moment when he was anointed king over Judah, to his next moment of triumph when he was anointed king over all Israel, he was constantly beset by the temptation to use irregular methods for achieving God’s purposes, only to be kept from them either by Yahweh or because of his own spiritual awareness.
After consulting Yahweh David moved his men into Judah while still retaining authority over Ziklag, and was anointed as king over Judah. His upward career was moving in accordance with Yahweh’s promises and plan. Meanwhile Abner was conducting a campaign in Transjordanian Israel in order to ensure that the rule of Saul’s family continued over what remained of Israel, a campaign which took five years and may have included harassing the Philistines who had moved into their cities (1 Samuel 31.7) and dealing with any internal opposition to Ish-bosheth taking direct rule over Gilead. The Philistines would be well pleased with this situation. Israel was divided into two, and their servant kings ruled each part separately.
While Judah had always maintained a certain level of independence within the confederacy of tribes, this further accentuated it. For the first time in their history, Judah, and all who saw themselves as united with Judah and lived in the now stood alone from the remainder of the tribes. They would never again really see themselves as part of Israel and would later be joined by the tribe of Benjamin (1 Kings 12.23) and some members of other tribes who would move into Judean territory.
2 It happened after this that David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up.” David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “To Hebron.”
News having reached David of the wholesale defeat of the Israelite army by the Philistines, and recognizing that Judah would be next to feel their iron hand, he was naturally concerned for his fellow-tribesmen and decided that it was time that he provided them with some support. But it was a sign of his genuine determination to do Yahweh’s will and not to act before Yahweh’s allowance. So, he enquired of Yahweh through the ephod as to whether he should go up into the hill country of Judah, into one of their cities. And when the answer was positive the next question was as to which one. The reply was unambiguous. It was ‘to Hebron’.
2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 And David brought up the men who were with him, every man with his household. So, they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
Accordingly, David took his two wives and along with his men and their households took up residence in the cities of Hebron. In view of his previous generosity to them, and the parlous situation in which the Philistine victory had left them, we need not doubt that they were doubly welcome.
4 Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.”
Following his arrival the men of Judah came to him and asked him to be king over them, and there they anointed him as king over the house of Judah. What would turn out to be a bonus was that this would then satisfy the Philistines, who would see him as taking possession of Judah as their own ( since David had signed up as one of their mercenaries) , so that any danger of invasion ceased.
The reintroduction of the men of Jabesh-gilead by our Holy Spirit confirms His deep interest in them. These men were the bright spot amidst Israel’s failure, and demonstrated the resilient spirit that would be Israel’s hope in the future. David recognized this and sought to fan the flame within them. Here were the men who by their brave action had restored some of Israel’s lost pride and had dented the reputation of the Philistines. It was clearly something being boasted about among those who could be trusted, for when a nation has almost reached rock bottom in its morale, even such a seemingly ‘small’ victory can have a far-reaching effect. It had not altered the parlous situation in which they were, but it was the one piece of good news that they still had left for them to boast about. They had shown those Philistines a thing or two. It strengthened their feeling of national pride.
During the United States cold war with Russia we experienced a similar shot in the arm. Like a David the US Olympic hockey team made up of college athletes took on the Goliath of professional world champions from Russia. Practically all of America was fixated on the final gold medal game between the two. The US victory greatly impacted the whole of America.
It was, of course, more than a titbit of good news to David, for he was Saul’s son-in-law and had once been on very good terms with him, and he had looked to him as Yahweh’s anointed. What had happened to his body was therefore something in which he had a great personal interest.
5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “You are blessed of the LORD, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him. 6 And now may the LORD show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing.
David dispatched messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead bearing a message of goodwill and gratitude. He asked Yahweh to bless them because they had ‘shown compassion to their former king and his sons’ and had ensured that he had a decent burial. And he prayed that in the same way Yahweh would show compassion and truth towards them, and assured them that, as regards himself, he would repay them with kindness for what they had done. It would never be forgotten. From now on they could be sure of his goodwill.
7 Now therefore, let your hands be strengthened, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
Then he called on them in the face of the death of Saul to be strong of hand and to be ‘valiant’ and brought to their attention the fact that he has been anointed as king over Judah. He was thus a good friend to have. It was hardly a call to them to make him their king as well, for they were probably not able to do so, but it was a call for them to continue to be strong and to look to him if they ever needed his help. It was an assurance that he would be there for them if ever they were in need. Just as he had previously prepared the elders of Judah in order that later they might find him acceptable, so he now wanted these Transjordanians to see him in the same way for when the possibility of his receiving the kingship of Israel might arise.
8 But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim;
It would be natural for a power seeking Abner to seek to establish a member of the Saul house as king, especially one whom he was sure that he could control. For there seems little doubt that Ish-bosheth was in some ways somewhat lacking in leadership abilities. This comes out in that he was never mentioned along with his brothers as a warrior, even though he was of fighting age and five years or so older than David. The name Ish-bosheth means ‘man of shame’. It is a play on his real name, Esh-baal (‘fire of Baal’)/Ish-baal
9 and he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
Abner made Ish-bosheth king at Gilead. Note the emphasis on the fact that it was what Abner did, not what Israel did.
10 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.
The details of Ish-bosheth’s reign are now given in terms which will characterize future kings, presenting his age and the length of his reign. David himself will be introduced in this way later.
11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
David had been king in Hebron over the house of Judah for seven years and six months and no one doubted his right. He was truly anointed, he had continued, in Hebron, his previous rule over Ziklag in the land of Yahweh’s inheritance, he was wanted by the elders of Judah and he was from the ‘royal’ house of Judah.
Having finally established Ishbosheth as king over Israel Abner now turned his attention to bringing Judah back into the fold. In his view, Ishbosheth was the rightful heir to the whole of the kingdom, i.e. to the throne of ‘all Israel’. Thus, in his eyes David was a usurper, and especially so as he could still be looked on as a servant of the Philistines.
The Philistines took little notice of this situation. They were indeed no doubt delighted that what remained of Israel was divided up into two parts, and even more so because one part was under one whom they saw as their own vassal king. They were probably quite satisfied in their own minds that David could look after things at his end, and such ‘border wars’ were after all happening all the time. Why then should they interfere? Especially as it simply meant that David and Israel were both weakening each other. They would, of course, interfere later when David took over the whole kingdom and they felt that things were getting out of hand.
12 Now Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
Having established the kingship of Ish-bosheth in Mahanaim, Abner gathered Ish-bosheth’s warriors and advanced over the Jordan to Gibeon in Benjamin. Gibeon was in Benjaminite territory and Abner, a Benjaminite himself, no doubt hoped to gather further support there. His final purpose was to advance on Judah.
13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. So they sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.
News of the Israelite movements had reached David through his spies, and he responded by sending out Joab, the son of Zeruiah (David’s sister) to Gibeon, along with his men to prevent any attempted movement on Judah. Arriving there they encamped on the opposite side of a large reservoir to Abner and his men and waited to see what Abner would do. The next move would be up to him.
14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men now arise and compete before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.”
What Abner then did was basically a declaration of war. As had happened in the case of Goliath and Israel (1 Samuel 17) he called on Joab to send out warriors to meet his champions. The grim old warrior spoke jestingly of ‘play, but there was no real intention of ‘play’. It was to be a fight to the death. Whoever won would prove that Yahweh was on their side.
Remember these were all kin to each other. This was the beginning of a civil war in Israel. It would be a no win situation no matter who was victorious.
15 So they arose and went over by number, twelve from Benjamin, followers of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.
Agreement was then reached that each side would submit twelve warriors, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth and twelve for Judah and David. Presumably victory would be going to the one left standing at the end.
16 And each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore, that place was called the Field of Sharp Swords, which is in Gibeon.
You can imagine that both sets of men had the same training as Israelites. The men were all so expert that each immediately slew his opponent, and all twenty-four died simultaneously together. The result was a draw. Neither side had gained the advantage. However, by this action an all-out battle had begun. Nothing could now prevent it from going forward. Blood had been shed.
The ferocity of the encounter, which must have shaken many on both sides, was such that from then on that place was named Helkath-hazzurim which meant “field of the sharp edges.” It would not be forgotten for a long time.
17 So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
Battle then commenced and was hard fought all day, until at length the forces of Abner had to admit defeat before David’s warriors and fled the field.
18 Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle.
The three sons of David’s sister were all participants in the battle, and one of them, Asahel the youngest, was fleet of foot. The result was that once the enemy had fled he determinedly set off after Abner with a view to catching up with him and killing him, and thus leaving the Israelite army leaderless and Ish-bosheth without his general. Ignoring Abner’s great reputation as a warrior as of no account he had the confidence of a young man that he would be able to slay him.
19 So Asahel pursued Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.
Indeed, he was so determined to kill Abner that he allowed nothing and no one to hinder him in his chase. In his confidence in his own abilities he refused to deviate from his chosen path. His whole thought was fixed on Abner.
20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Are you Asahel?” He answered, “I am.”
Checking behind him as he ran, Abner felt that he recognized in the warrior who was chasing him and slowly overtaking him, and so he called back, “Is it you, Asahel?” The reply immediately came to him, ‘Yes, it’s me.’
21 And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.
Abner, who had no doubt in his mind about his ability to deal with the young man without any difficulty, regretted that he should be putting himself in such danger and pleaded with him to desist and find an easier target. He was loth to kill Joab’s brother and begged him rather to find honor by slaying someone more on his own level, and taking his armor.
Asahel would not, however, alter his purpose. He wanted the glory of being the man who had slain Abner, and probably also genuinely recognized how important such a victory would be for his side.
22 So Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I face your brother Joab?”
Recognizing that Asahel was getting even nearer, Abner again pleaded with him to change his mind and seek out someone else. He really did not want to kill Joab’s brother, for it would mean that he could never deal with Joab again.
23 However, he refused to turn aside. Therefore, Abner struck him in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear, so that the spear came out of his back; and he fell down there and died on the spot. So it was that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.
Asahel was not to be dissuaded, and steadily decreased the distance between himself and Abner in order to stab him in the back as he ran. However, as he approached the wily old warrior thrust accurately back with his spear and it went straight through him. The spear was probably pointed at both ends. And the result was that he died immediately, falling where he was.
The pursuing men of David who came up to that spot during the chase stopped when they saw the body of Asahel in order to do him honor, before proceeding with the chase, for he was a man greatly admired.
24 Joab and Abishai also pursued Abner. And the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah by the road to the Wilderness of Gibeon.
Meanwhile Joab and Abishai led their men on in the pursuit after Abner and Israel, and as the sun went down they came to the hill of Ammah (‘aqueduct’), which is before Giah (‘gusher’) on ‘the road of the wilderness of Gibeon’.
25 Now the children of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became a unit and took their stand on top of a hill.
Recognizing that the pursuit was continuing, and that their men were therefore being mowed down as they ran, Abner gathered the soldiers who were with him and formed a single unit on the top of a hill.
26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end? How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren?”
Then Abner called to Joab and asked him whether he really wanted to go on slaughtering his brothers. ‘Shall the sword devour forever’ is a reminder of what the sword had done in verse 16. And then he pointed out the intense bitterness that always results from civil war, especially when it is pursued aggressively, and asked how long it would be before Joab ceased the pursuit.
27 And Joab said, “As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then by morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren.”
In view of the fact that Abner had started the battle Joab thought that this comment was somewhat of a joke, and pointed out to him that if he had not originally called for the battle to start by arranging the competition between the two sets of twelve warriors (verses 14-15), then both sides would have gone away peacefully on the following morning with no one pursuing anyone else. The fault therefore lay totally at Abner’s door.
28 So Joab blew a trumpet; and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore.
Joab, however, recognized the truth of what Abner had said. He knew that David would not be pleased if he created a full scale war against their Israelite brothers. So, he blew the ram’s horn to indicate the cessation of the pursuit, and to call the men together ready for the return home. And being well-disciplined the men responded immediately. The pursuit was over, and the killing stopped. The invasion of Judah had also been prevented.
In between those statements we learn the outcome of the battle. David’s efficient and well-trained army lost only twenty men, while the lesser trained men of Israel lost ‘three hundred and three score men’. If this included the twelve slain in the opening contest the losses of David’s army were incredibly light, consisting only of seven men, and Asahel. It was a clear portent about the future.
29 Then Abner and his men went on all that night through the plain, crossed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron; and they came to Mahanaim.
Abner’s defeated army travelled all night to reach Mahanaim, entering the Jordan rift valley (the Arabah), passing over the Jordan (on the way out of the promised land), and going through ‘all Bithron’ (the word means ‘ravine’) to get there. What a vivid contrast it was to their previous journey the other way which they had taken days previously with such great hopes of success. Israel were getting used to being defeated.
30 So Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel.
In contrast Joab returned from the chase and on mustering the men discovered that only twenty men were missing, including Asahel. The mention of Asahel as a kind of addition stresses the greatness of the loss that they felt in his death.
31 But the servants of David had struck down, of Benjamin and Abner’s men, three hundred and sixty men who died.
Meanwhile a count was made of those of Israel who had died, and they numbered ‘three hundred and threescore men’.
32 Then they took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at daybreak.
The assessments of the battle having been made they took up Asahel’s body and buried it in his father’s tomb in Bethlehem, the home of David’s family. Asahel’s mother was David’s elder sister. While some were engaged in this Joab led his men through the night and arrived at Hebron in time for the break of day. It was symbolic of the bright future that lay ahead for them.
