Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 4:5

And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who lay on a bed at noon.

5. to the house of Ish-bosheth ] At Mahanaim (ch. 2Sa 2:8).

who lay on a bed at noon ] Or, as he was taking his midday sleep, or siesta, according to the usual custom of hot countries. They chose an hour when Ish-bosheth would be alone and defenceless.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Lay on a bed at noon – Render, was taking his midday rest, according to the custom of hot countries.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

2Sa 4:5-12

And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab, and Baanah.

The death of Ishbosheth

I. The motives that induced those two traitors to murder Ishbosheth were:

1. Abners death had disabled him for any royal duty.

2. All the tribes were in a confusion to hear their peacemaker was slain; hereupon they now doubted of obtaining Davids favour.

3. None of Sauls house (beside concubine sons incapable of the crown) were alive to revenge Ishbosheths murder, save only Mephibosheth.

4. These two traitors, therefore, thought that by their removing useless Ishbosheth out of Davids way the Crown of the whole kingdom must needs come to him without any contradiction.

II. What reception these two traitors found with David when they presented Ishbosheths head to him.

1. David abhors the villany, and resolves with an oath to execute the villains.

2. Hereupon David justly commanded their execution, and cut off their hands that had done the deed, and their feet that carried them away with this present. (C. Ness.)

Assassination of Ishbosheth

The Septuagint has the following entirely different rendering, which is found also in some MSS. of the Vulgate, in addition to the rendering of the present Hebrews text, but apparently was not retained by Jerome himself. And behold the portress of the house was cleaning wheat, and she slumbered and slept; and the brothers Rechab and Baanah came unobserved into the house. Now Ishbosheth was sleeping on the bed in his chamber: and they smote him, etc. This also explains how the murderers entered unobserved. The female slave who watched the door (Joh 18:16, Act 12:13) had fallen asleep over her task of sifting the wheat, and there was no one to give the alarm. (A. F. Kirkpatrick, M. A.)

The end of weakling

Here lies what was once a bar of iron, but the joint action of air and water has reduced it to a bar of rust. It has now no strength, and consequently no value. To how many varied and useful purposes it might have been put some years ago, and in its work have found its strength, beauty and preservation; but it is too late now; it will soon be blended with the earth upon which it passively lies, a striking emblem of the man who refuses to face the hammer and anvil of active life and honest work; who flies from the purifying fire of lifes adversities, and who will fight no battle for truth and the higher interests of his soul. Gifted only with powers which properly cultivated and employed would have blessed myriads, and opportunities for good which an angel might have envied, be allows the former to run waste and the latter to pass unheeded away, until corroded and worn down by his own inanition he sinks by degrees into that grave of mental and physical imbecility which has swallowed up its myriads, and which is too:frequently but the dark passage to a more terrible death.

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 5. Lay on a bed at noon.] It is a custom in all hot countries to travel or work very early and very late, and rest at noonday, in which the heat chiefly prevails.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Either from discontent of mind, as Ahab did, 1Ki 21:4; or from sloth and sensuality, as David seems to have done, 2Sa 11:2.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

5, 6. Rechab and Baanah went andcame about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, c.Itis still a custom in the East to allow their soldiers a certainquantity of corn, together with some pay and these two captains verynaturally went to the palace the day before to fetch wheat, in orderto distribute it to the soldiers, that it might be sent to the millat the accustomed hour in the morning.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah,

went,…. From Gittaim, where they were sojourners, 2Sa 4:3; or from the army, where they had commissions, wherever it was:

and came, about the heat of the day; the middle of the day, at noon, as follows:

to the house of Ishbosheth; which was at Mahanaim:

who lay on a bed at noon; as was usual in hot countries, especially for great personages, as kings; so the Targum,

“and he was sleeping the sleep of kings;”

or at a time when king’s usually slept; though this is remarked by some as an instance and proof of the sluggishness and inactivity of this prince, who left the management of all affairs to Abner his general, and gave himself to sloth and sensuality; which, when indulged, bring ruin on princes and their kingdoms.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

4. How was Ish-bosheth killed? 2Sa. 4:5-7

Rimmon and Rechab pretended that they were making deliveries to the kings palace. They chose to enter the place at the heat of the day when the doorkeeper was probably taking a siesta. Ish-bosheth was resting at noontime in his bed. When the assassins gained access to the interior of the palace, they beheaded Ish-bosheth and took his head with them as a trophy. Such a plots being successful indicates that Ish-bosheth had a very modest establishment, affording probably only a maidservant as a porter; and she was obliged to do other work while keeping the door.

5.

Why did they take the head to David? 2Sa. 4:8

These men were like the Amalekite who brought news of Sauls death to David. They all thought that David would be glad to learn of the elimination of rivals to his throne. They did not realize how much David respected the Lords anointed, the king of Israel. Rechab and Rimmon had made an all-night trip through the plain of the Jordan, the Arabah, in order to travel from the territory of Israel to the land of Judah.

6.

What was Davids reaction? 2Sa. 4:9

David reminded these Beerothites of the action he took when the Amalekite brought him news of Sauls death. He said that he took hold of him and killed him in Ziklag. Even though the man thought that David would have given him a reward for his tidings, David went on to say that this Amalekite had pretended to do a service for Saul by killing him, when he was already mortally wounded. If David killed the Amalekite for doing what he did, why should the Beerothites think that they would get less punishment for their wicked deed. They had killed a righteous man in his own house while he was lying on his bed.

7.

Why did David cut off the hands and feet of the men? 2Sa. 4:12 a

David commanded his soldiers to fall upon Rimmon and Rechab; they slew them and cut off their hands and feet. They hanged up their bodies over the pool in Hebron. By putting their gibbeted corpses on public display, David was warning anyone else not to commit a similar crime.
The pool of Hebron was probably the larger of two in the lower part of town. Its wall is of very ancient masonry, and it is some 142 feet square and twenty feet deep.

8.

Why did David bury ish-bosheth in Abners tomb? 2Sa. 4:12 b

Ish-bosheth was also of the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Saul, and thereby a second cousin of Abner. Families were quite often buried together. Jacob said that he had buried his wife, Leah, in the same tomb where

Abraham had buried Sarah. Jacob wanted to be buried there along with Abraham, In addition to these patriarchs, Isaac and Rebekah were buried in the same cave of Macpelah (Gen. 49:28-33). David had evidently kept Abners body in Hebron to assure that it was given a proper burial; it was fitting and proper that Ish-bosheths head should be buried in the same sepulchre.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

Ish-bosheth Slain. 2Sa. 4:5-12

5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who lay on a bed at noon.
6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab Baanah his brother escaped.

7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.
8 And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the Lord hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.
9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the Lord liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

10 When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings;

11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?
12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Bebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth, and buried it in the sepulcher of Abner in Hebron.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(5) Who lay on a bed at noonaccording to the custom in hot countries of taking a siesta at midday. Ish-bosheths bed was, of course, in the coolest and most retired part of the house.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

5. Lay on a bed at noon A common custom in the East. “In Arabia it is so hot in July and in August, that, except in a case of pressing necessity, nobody goes out from eleven in the morning till three in the afternoon. The Arabs seldom work during this time; they employ it commonly in sleeping in a vault into which the air is let from above.” Harmer’s Observations.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments