Abner
In the Hebrew Bible, Abner was the cousin of King Saul and the commander-in-chief of his army. His name also appears as “Abiner son of Ner,” whereas the more extended form Abiner means “my father is Ner.”
Abner is initially mentioned incidentally in Saul’s history, first appearing as the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle and the commander of Saul’s army. He then comes to the story again as the commander who introduced David to Saul following David’s killing of Goliath. He is not mentioned in the account of the disastrous battle of Gilboa when Saul’s power was crushed. Seizing the youngest but only surviving of Saul’s sons, Ish-bosheth, also called Eshbaal, Abner set him up as king over Israel at Mahanaim, east of the Jordan. David, who was accepted as king by Judah alone, was meanwhile reigning at Hebron, and for some time, war was carried on between the two parties.
The only engagement between the rival factions, told at length, is noteworthy since it was preceded by an encounter at Gibeon between 12 chosen men from each side, in which all 24 seem to have perished. Abner was defeated and put to flight in the general engagement that followed. He was closely pursued by Asahel, brother of Joab, who is said to have been “light of foot as a wild roe.” As Asahel would not desist from the pursuit, though warned, Abner was compelled to slay him in self-defense. This originated a deadly feud between the leaders of the opposite parties, for Joab, as next of kin to Asahel, was by the law and custom of the country the avenger of his blood. However, according to Josephus, in Antiquities, book 7, chapter 1, Joab had forgiven Abner for the death of his brother, Asahel, the reason being that Abner had slain Asahel honorably in combat after he had first warned Asahel and tried to knock the wind out of him with the butt of his spear. However, probably by the intervention of God, it went through Asahel. The Bible says everyone stopped and looked. That shows that something like this has never happened before. This battle was part of a civil war between David and Ish-bosheth. After this battle, Abner switched sides and granted David control over the tribe of Benjamin. This act put Abner in David’s favor.
For some time afterward, the war was carried on, the advantage being invariably on the side of David. At length, Ish-bosheth lost the main prop of his tottering cause by accusing Abner of sleeping with Rizpah, one of Saul’s concubines, an alliance which, according to contemporary notions, would imply pretensions to the throne.
Abner was indignant at the rebuke and immediately opened negotiations with David, who welcomed him on the condition that his wife Michal should be restored to him. This was done, and a feast ratified the proceedings. Almost immediately after, however, Joab, who had been sent away, perhaps intentionally returned and slew Abner at the gate of Hebron. The apparent motive for the assassination was a desire to avenge Asahel, which would be a sufficient justification for the deed according to the moral standard of the time (although Abner should have been safe from such a revenge killing in Hebron, which was a City of Refuge). The conduct of David after the event was such as to show that he had no involvement in the act, though he could not undertake to punish its perpetrators.
David had Abner buried in Hebron, as stated in Samuel 3:31–32, “And David said to all the people who were with him, ‘Rend your clothes and gird yourselves with sackcloth, and wail before Abner.’ Moreover, King David went after the bier. Moreover, the king raised his voice and wept on Abner’s grave, and all the people wept.”
Shortly after Abner’s death, Ish-bosheth was assassinated as he slept, and David became king of the reunited kingdoms.
Conscious of his extraordinary strength, he exclaimed: “If I could only catch hold of the earth, I could shake it” —a Midrash parallels the famous utterance of Archimedes, “Had I a fulcrum, I could move the world.” The word Midrash, especially capitalized, can refer to a compilation of these rabbinic writings between 400 and 1200 CE. According to Gary Porton and Jacob Neusner, Midrash has three technical meanings:
1. Judaic biblical interpretation;
2. the method used in interpreting;
3. a collection of such interpretations.
According to the Midrash, it would have been easier to move a wall six yards thick than one of the feet of Abner, who could hold the Israelitish army between his knees. Nevertheless, when his time came, Joab smote him. But even in his dying hour, Abner seized his foe like a ball of thread, threatening to crush him. Then the Israelites came and pleaded for Joab’s life, saying: “If thou killest him, we shall be orphaned, and our women and all our belongings will become prey to the Philistines.” Abner answered: “What can I do? He has extinguished my light” (has wounded me fatally). The Israelites replied: “Entrust thy cause to the true judge [God].” Then Abner released his hold upon Joab and fell dead to the ground.
His One Sin. The rabbis agree that Abner deserved this violent death. However, opinions differ concerning the exact nature of the sin that entailed so dire a punishment on one who was, on the whole, considered a “righteous man.” Some reproach him that he did not use his influence with Saul to prevent him from murdering the priests of Nob—convinced as he was of the innocence of the priests and of the propriety of their conduct toward David, Abner holding that as leader of the army David was privileged to avail himself of the Urim and Thummim (I Sam. xxii. 22:9–19). Instead of contenting himself with passive resistance to Saul’s command to murder the priests, Abner ought to have tried to restrain the king. Others maintain that Abner did make such an attempt, but in vain, and that his one sin consisted in that he delayed the beginning of David’s reign over Israel by fighting him after Saul’s death for two years and a half. Others, again, while excusing him for this—given a tradition founded on Gen. 49:27, according to which there were to be two kings of the house of Benjamin—blame Abner for having prevented a reconciliation between Saul and David on the occasion when the latter, in holding up the skirt of Saul’s robe (I Sam. 26:11), showed how unfounded was the king’s mistrust of him. Saul was inclined to be pacified, but Abner, representing that David might have found the piece of the garment anywhere—possibly caught on a thorn—prevented the reconciliation. Moreover, it was wrong in Abner to permit Israelitish youths to kill one another for sport (II Sam. 2:14–16). No reproach, however, attaches to him for the death of Asahel since Abner killed him in self-defense.
It is characteristic of the rabbinical view of the Bible narratives that Abner, the warrior pure and straightforward, is styled “Lion of the Law” and that even a specimen is given of a halakhic discussion between him and Doeg as to whether the law in Deut. 23:3 excluded Ammonite and Moabite women from the Jewish community and men. Doeg thought that David, descended from the Moabitess Ruth, was not fit to wear the crown, nor even to be considered a true Israelite, while Abner maintained that the law affected only the male line of descent. When Doeg’s dialectics proved more than a match for those of Abner, the latter went to the prophet Samuel, who not only supported Abner in his view but utterly refuted Doeg’s assertions.
In the middle of the first century of the common era, one of the most prominent families in Jerusalem claimed descent from Abner.
Tomb of Abner. The site known as the Tomb of Abner is located not far from the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and receives visitors throughout the year. Many travelers have recorded visiting the tomb over the centuries.
Benjamin of Tudela, who began his journeys in 1165, wrote in the journal, “The valley of Eshkol is north of the mountain upon which Hebron stood, and the Cave of Machpelah is east thereof. A bow-shot west of the Cave is Abner’s sepulcher, the son of Ner.”
A rabbi in the 12th-century records visiting the tomb as reprinted in Elkan Nathan Adler’s book Jewish Travellers in the Middle Ages: 19 Firsthand Accounts. The account states, “I, Jacob, the son of Nathaniel ha Cohen, journeyed with much difficulty, but God helped me to enter the Holy Land, and I saw the graves of our righteous Patriarchs in Hebron, the grave of Abner, the son of Ner.” Adler postulates that the visit must have occurred before Saladin’s capture of Jerusalem in 1187.
Rabbi Moses Basola records visiting the tomb in 1522. He states, “Abner's grave is in the middle of Hebron; the Muslims built a mosque over it." Another visitor in the 1500s states that "at the entrance to the market in Hebron, at the top of the hill against the wall, Abner ben Ner is buried, in a church, in a cave." This visit was recorded in Sefer Yihus ha-Tzaddiqim (Book of Genealogy of the Righteous), a collection of travelogues from 1561. Abraham Moshe Lunz reprinted the book in 1896.
Menahem Mendel of Kamenitz, considered the first hotelier in the Land of Israel, wrote about the Tomb of Abner is his 1839 book Korot Ha-Itim, translated into English as The Book of the Occurrences of the Times to Jeshurun in the Land of Israel. He states, "Here I write of the graves of the righteous to which I paid my respects. Hebron – Described above is the character and order of behavior of those coming to pray at the Cave of ha-Machpelah. I went there, between the stores, over the grave of Avner ben Ner and was required to pay a Yishmaeli – the grave was in his courtyard – to allow me to enter."
The author and traveler J. J. Benjamin mentioned visiting the tomb in his book Eight Years in Asia and Africa (1859, Hanover). He states, "On leaving the Sepulchre of the Patriarchs and proceeding on the road leading to the Jewish quarter, to the left of the courtyard, is seen a Turkish dwelling house, by the side of which is a small grotto, to which there is a descent of several steps. This is the tomb of Abner, captain of King Saul. It is held in much esteem by the Arabs, and the proprietor of it takes care that it is always kept in the best order. He requires from those who visit it a small gratuity."
In his 1912 book The Book of Delight and Other Papers, "Hebron was the seat of David's rule over Judea. Abner was slain here by Joab and was buried here – they still show Abner's tomb in the garden of a large house within the city. By the pool at Hebron were slain the murderers of Ishbosheth..."
Tomb of Abner. Over the years, the tomb fell into disrepair and neglect. It was closed to the public in 1994. In 1996, 12 Israeli women petitioned the Supreme Court requesting the government to reopen the Tomb of Abner. More requests were made over the years. Eventually, arrangements were made to have the site open to the general public on ten days throughout the year, corresponding to the days when the Isaac Hall of the Cave of the Patriarchs was open. In early 2007 a new mezuzah, a piece of parchment known as a klaf, contained in a decorative case and inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah, was attached to the door post (Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–2). These verses consist of the Jewish prayer Shema Yisrael, beginning with the phrase: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord (is) our God, the Lord is One.”
Rabbinical LiteratureSon of the Witch of En-dor (Pir?e R. El. xxxiii.), and the hero par excellence in the Haggadah (Yal?., Jer. 285; Eccl. R. on ix. 11; ?id. 49b). Conscious of his extraordinary … See more
ABNER ab' n?r (????????), the most critical Israelite military commander under both Saul and David. He was a member of the royal family and the first cousin of Saul through his father Ner (1 Sam 14:51). The various military campaigns of Saul (1 Sam 14:47, 48) were successful in extending the kingdom of the twelve tribes to the S into the Negev and to the W against the Gr. Philistines. Abner led the army. Abner presented David to Saul during the campaign against the Philistines (17:55-58). Abner commanded the troops which pursued David and acted as bodyguard to Saul (26:5-16). After Saul and the prince, Jonathan, were killed by the Philistines near Mount Gilboa, Abner placed Saul's son, Ishbosheth (his actual pagan name was Ish-ba' al), upon the throne. All the tribes except Judah, the most powerful, recognized his sovereignty in the hill town of Mahanaim (2 Sam 2:8-12). Warfare ensued between the remnants of Saul's retinue and the growing house of David. The ritual combat at Gibeon (2:14-32) ended in the defeat of Abner and his troops. The fact that Ishbosheth was merely a figurehead and puppet of Abner was proven when Abner had intercourse with one of the royal concubines, Rizpah.
In a rage at the rebuke of Ishbosheth, Abner arranged to yield the kingdom to David and brought an end to the house of Saul (3:7-11.) The treason of Abner thus brought about the fulfillment of Samuel's choice of David. The fear and awe in which Abner was held by his contemporaries are evidenced even in Ishbosheth himself (3:11; 4:1). In his offices of peacemaker and kingmaker, Abner set out to address the twelve tribes and arrange David's acceptance. David praised him after successfully approaching the last tribe, Benjamin (3:19). After Abner's departure, the king's commander, Joab, returned from a raid upon the surrounding country. He persuaded David that Abner had been obtaining intelligence for David's downfall. Joab then pursued Abner and caught up with him at a well of Sirah. He brought him back to Hebron, where, under the guise of talking to him privately, Joab took him aside and stabbed him to death. The motive was to avenge Abner's impalement of Joab's younger brother, Asahel, after the battle at Gibeon (2:18-23). The treacherous murder of Abner contributed to the fall of the house of Saul, as few, if any, of his former military commanders were now left alive. To a certain extent, the effect of this barbarism was to plant a deep-seated dissatisfaction in the hearts of a sector of the Israelite population which was to come to the surface and plague David throughout his reign and split the kingdom under his grandsons (3:26-32.)
David grieved for Abner and gave him a princely funeral. The lament in fine parallel poetic verse is given in 2 Samuel 3:33, 34. This passage is of great antiquity and features some exciting terms. The short poem or dirge demonstrates a case of 1:2, or "staircase" parallelism. The two phrases, "Your hands were not bound," and, "your feet were not fettered," are in reverse order and parallelism to the one phrase, "as one who fell before the enemies you fell," and the question introduces all, "Should Abner die like a fool?" The people of Israel followed David in mourning for the dead commander. David's extravagant grief was not only in honor of the victim but also indicated that he was not the instigator of the crime. This is made clear by the curse which he leveled upon those who had committed the crime (3:39). In this curse, the patronymic of the brothers, the one himself a victim and the other a murderer, is used in the style of many another Biblical curse, e.g., Numbers 23:7-10. The overall effect of Abner's career was favorable for establishing the blessing of the covenant through the rise of the house of David. Only two other references to Abner and his son are found in the OT; in 1 Chronicle 26:26-28, which records particular spoils of war dedicated to Jehovah, and 1 Chronicle 27:21, which records the son of Abner, Jaasiel, as a servant of David
The Death of Abner
INTRODUCTION: Joab behaves the opposite of his cousin David. David waits for God to revenge him against his enemy Saul. David trusts that the Lord will, in His time, make things right (1 Samuel 26:9-10). Joab also has an enemy. Abner had killed Joab's brother Asahel in battle (2 Samuel 2:21-23). Joab cannot wait for the Lord but must exact his vengeance. However, in doing so, he brings a curse upon himself and his household. The Old and New Testaments teach us to leave vengeance to the Lord (Leviticus 19:18; Proverbs 24:29; Romans 12:19). In this lesson, children should be taught what vengeance is and that they should not revenge wrongs done to them.
I. DAVID ESTABLISHES HIS KINGDOM IN HEBRON (2 Samuel 3:1-5)
A. His Warfare (2 Samuel 3:1)
1. There was a long war between Saul's house and David's house.
2. The war continually favors the house of David.
a. The house of David waxes stronger.
b. The house of Saul waxes weaker.
B. His Wives and Children (2 Samuel 3:2-5)
1. Amnon, the son of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess (2 Samuel 3:2)
2. Chileab, the son of Abigail (2 Samuel 3:3)
3. Absalom, the son of Maacah (2 Samuel 3:3)
4. Adonijah, the son of Haggith (2 Samuel 3:4)
5. Shephatiah, the son of Abital (2 Samuel 3:4)
6. Ithream, the son of Eglah (2 Samuel 3:5)
II. ABNER ESTABLISHES HIS POWER IN ISRAEL (2 Samuel 3:6-11)
A. The Rise of Abner (2 Samuel 3:6)
1. Abner makes himself strong for the house of Saul.
2. This is not a godly strength but a rebellious desire for power.
B. Abner's Angry Response to Ish-bosheth (2 Samuel 3:7-8); compare this with similar stories: 2 Samuel 16:21-22; 1 Kings 2:17-25.
1. Ish-bosheth questions Abner's actions with Saul's concubine (2 Samuel 3:7).
2. Abner questions Ish-bushes right to question him (2 Samuel 3:8).
C. Abners Threat to Deliver the Kingdom (2 Samuel 3:9-10)
1. Abner makes a vow to translate the kingdom into the hands of David (2 Samuel 3:9-10).
2. Note: The word translate is only used in three verses in the Bible.
a. Its biblical usage
1. 2 Samuel 3:10 Abner threatens to translate the kingdom from the house of Saul to the house of David
2. Colossians 1:13 God has translated us into the kingdom of His Son
3. Hebrews 11:5 Enoch is translated from earth to heaven
b. Its biblical meaning
1. To transfer from one place or condition to another intact; in Enochs case, he went to heaven without dying.
2. Compared to our current use of putting a text of one language into another. It moves from one to the other but does not cease to be what it was in the original. In fact, each case's outcome is better than before it was translated.
D. Ish-bosheths Fear of Abner (2 Samuel 3:11)
1. Ish-bosheth would no longer answer Abner.
2. He feared the threats of Abner.
III. ABNER SENDS MICHAL TO DAVID (2 Samuel 3:12-16)
A. Abner Opens Negotiations with David (2 Samuel 3:12).
1. Abner sends messengers to David on his behalf.
2. He offers his help to bring the kingdom into David's hands.
B. David Requires Michal as a Precondition (2 Samuel 3:13).
1. David offers to make a league with Abner if he brings Michal.
2. David fought for the right to marry Michal (1 Samuel 18:27-28).
3. Saul gave Michal to Phalti instead of David (1 Samuel 25:44).
C. Ish-bosheth Sends Michal to David (2 Samuel 3:14-16).
1. David requests Michal at the hand of Ish-bosheth (2 Samuel 3:14).
2. Michal is taken from her husband (2 Samuel 3:15).
3. Abner sends Michals's husband home (2 Samuel 3:16).
IV. DAVID MAKES PEACE WITH ABNER (2 Samuel 3:17-21)
A. Abner Negotiates with the Elders of Israel (2 Samuel 3:17-18).
1. Abner opens communications with the elders of Israel (2 Samuel 3:17).
2. He encourages the elders to take David as their king (2 Samuel 3:17-18).
B. Abner Negotiates with the House of Benjamin (2 Samuel 3:19).
C. Abner Negotiates with King David (2 Samuel 3:20-21).
1. Abner and David meet in Hebron (2 Samuel 3:20).
2. Abner pledges his help in gathering Israel unto David (2 Samuel 3:21).
V. JOAB SLAYS ABNER IN REVENGE (2 Samuel 3:22-27)
A. Joab Returns and Hears of Abners Visit (2 Samuel 3:22-23).
1. Joab and David's servants return from a great spoil (2 Samuel 3:22).
2. Joab is informed of Abner's visit (2 Samuel 3:23).
B. Joab Accuses Abner before David (2 Samuel 3:24-25).
C. Joab Calls Abner Back to Hebron (2 Samuel 3:26).
1. Joab sends messengers to bring Abner again.
2. David does not know Joab's actions.
D. Joab Kills Abner in the Gate (2 Samuel 3:27).
1. Abner returns to Hebron.
2. Joab kills Abner at the gate of Hebron.
3. Note: The protection offered in the cities of refuge (Numbers 35:24-34)
a. For the manslayer (Numbers 35:24-29)
b. Not for the murderer (Numbers 35:30-34)
4. Note: When a murderer was allowed to go free, the unrevenged blood he shed defiled the land. This defilement of the land eventually led to its destruction by the judgment of God (see Leviticus 18:25; Deuteronomy 19:10; 2 Kings 24:4; Psalm 106:38; Ezekiel 22:3-4). Even in the case of unsolved murders, a sacrifice was to be made for the land (Deuteronomy 21:1-9).
5. Note: Abner died as a fool because he was in the gate of Hebron, one of the cities of refuge, when Joab killed him for the killing of Asahel.
VI. DAVID PRONOUNCES A CURSE ON JOABS HOUSE (2 Samuel 3:28-30)
A. David Declares the Place of Guilt (2 Samuel 3:28-29).
1. He declares the innocence of him and his kingdom (2 Samuel 3:28).
2. He calls for the punishment of guilt to be upon the house of Joab (2 Samuel 3:29).
a. He declares that every child in the house of Joab should have an issue.
b. He names some of the issues:
1. Leprosy
2. Leaning upon a staff
3. Falling upon the sword
4. Lacking bread
B. Asahel's Blood Is Revenged (2 Samuel 3:30).
1. Joab and Abishai conspire in the killing of Abner.
2. They kill him to revenge for the blood of their brother.
VII. DAVID MOURNS THE DEATH OF ABNER (2 Samuel 3:31-39)
A. David Mourns Abners Death (2 Samuel 3:31-32).
1. David calls for mourning from Joab and his men (2 Samuel 3:31).
2. David is moved at the burial of Abner (2 Samuel 3:31-32).
a. He follows the bier (2 Samuel 3:31; see Luke 7:14).
b. He lifts up his voice and weeps at the grave (2 Samuel 3:32).
B. David Laments over Abner (2 Samuel 3:33-34).
1. David presents a lamentation for Abner (2 Samuel 3:33-34).
a. He died as a fool dieth (2 Samuel 3:33).
b. His hands and feet were not bound (2 Samuel 3:34).
c. He fell as a man falls before wicked men (2 Samuel 3:34).
2. The people weep over Abner (2 Samuel 3:34).
C. David Fasts until Evening (2 Samuel 3:35-37).
1. David refuses food till the sun goes down (2 Samuel 3:35).
2. David's actions please the people (2 Samuel 3:36-37).
D. David Speaks Out Against Injustice (2 Samuel 3:38-39).
1. He speaks well of Abner (2 Samuel 3:38).
2. He speaks of judgment for the sons of Zeruiah (2 Samuel 3:39).
CONCLUSION: When David should be rejoicing, he is mourning yet another miscarriage of justice.
