{"id":8110,"date":"2022-09-24T02:25:50","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T07:25:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-2-samuel-317\/"},"modified":"2022-09-24T02:25:50","modified_gmt":"2022-09-24T07:25:50","slug":"exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-2-samuel-317","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-2-samuel-317\/","title":{"rendered":"Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 3:17"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 align='center'><b><i> And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought for David in times past [to be] king over you: <\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n<p> <strong> 17<\/strong>. <em> And Abner had communication<\/em> ] Better, <strong> Now Abner had had communication<\/strong>, previously to the occurrence related in <span class='bible'><em> 2Sa 3:15-16<\/em><\/span>. The journey of <span class='bible'><em> 2Sa 3:16<\/em><\/span> to escort Michal terminates in the visit to Hebron of <span class='bible'><em> 2Sa 3:20<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><em> with the elders of Israel<\/em> ] The authorities of the northern tribes as distinct from Judah. The elders were consulted as the representatives of the people. Cp. <span class='bible'>1Sa 8:4<\/span>, where see note on their various functions.<\/p>\n<p><em> Ye sought for David<\/em>, &amp;c.] It appears from this that there had been from the first even among the northern tribes a party favourable to David, whose opposition had only been overcome by Abner&rsquo;s strong will and vigorous efforts. This agrees with what we should naturally expect from the account of his popularity during Saul&rsquo;s reign (<span class='bible'>1Sa 18:5<\/span>).<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P STYLE=\"text-indent: 0.75em\"><B>Ye sought for David &#8230; &#8211; <\/B>Compare <span class='bible'>1Sa 18:5<\/span>. It was only by Abners great influence that the elders of Israel had been restrained hitherto from declaring for David, and this accounts for Ish-bosheths helpless submission to his uncles dictation.<\/P><\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Albert Barnes&#8217; Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P> Even in Sauls time you highly honoured him, and prized his conduct, and wished that the power were in his hands; and great numbers of you went to him when he was in the hold, <span class='bible'>1Ch 12<\/span>. And after Sauls death you would gladly have advanced him to the crown, if your respect to Sauls family, together with my authority and influence, had not diverted you. <\/P> <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P><B>17-21. Abner had communication withthe elders of Israel<\/B>He spoke the truth in impressing theirminds with the well-known fact of David&#8217;s divine designation to thekingdom. But he acted a base and hypocritical part in pretending thathis present movement was prompted by religious motives, when itsprang entirely from malice and revenge against Ish-bosheth. Theparticular appeal of the Benjamites was a necessary policy; theirtribe enjoyed the honor of giving birth to the royal dynasty of Saul;they would naturally be disinclined to lose that <I>prestige.<\/I>They were, besides, a determined people, whose contiguity to Judahmight render them troublesome and dangerous. The enlistment of theirinterest, therefore, in the scheme, would smooth the way for theadhesion of the other tribes; and Abner enjoyed the most convenientopportunity of using his great influence in gaining over that tribewhile escorting Michal to David with a suitable equipage. The missionenabled him to cover his treacherous designs against his mastertodraw the attention of the elders and people to David as uniting inhimself the double recommendation of being the nominee of Jehovah, noless than a connection of the royal house of Saul, and, withoutsuspicion of any dishonorable motives, to advocate policy ofterminating the civil discord, by bestowing the sovereignty on thehusband of Michal. In the same character of public ambassador, he wasreceived and feted by David; and while, ostensibly, the restorationof Michal was the sole object of his visit, he busily employedhimself in making private overtures to David for bringing over to hiscause those tribes which he had artfully seduced. Abner pursued acourse unworthy of an honorable man and though his offer was acceptedby David, the guilt and infamy of the transaction were exclusivelyhis. <\/P><P>     <span class='bible'>2Sa3:22-30<\/span>. JOAB KILLSABNER.<\/P><\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown&#8217;s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><strong>And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel<\/strong>,&#8230;. Had a conference with the chiefs of the several tribes about the affairs of the kingdom:<\/p>\n<p><strong>saying, ye sought for David in time past [to be] king over you<\/strong>; that is, at the death of Saul, and not before; for it was pretty generally known throughout the kingdom that David was anointed by Samuel and Saul himself had declared that he knew the kingdom would come to him; so that upon his death it was the general expectation and desire of the people that the government would devolve upon him, as it doubtless would, if Abner had not set up one of Saul&#8217;s house, and persuaded the Israelites to own him their king.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: John Gill&#8217;s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>(17) <strong>Ye sought for David.<\/strong><span class='bible'>1Sa. 18:6-7<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Sa. 18:16<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Sa. 18:30<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Ch. 11:1-3<\/span> (comp. <span class='bible'>2Sa. 3:36<\/span>), sufficiently testify to the great popularity of David throughout the nation, and its confidence in his prowess and wisdom. It was the influence and activity of Abner that had hitherto prevented his general recognition as king.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Ellicott&#8217;s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> <strong> 17<\/strong>. <strong> <\/strong> <strong> Ye sought for David in times past <\/strong> As was shown by the multitudes from all the tribes that revolted from Saul and went over to David while yet at Ziklag. See <span class='bible'>1 Chronicles 12<\/span>.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Whedon&#8217;s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> <strong> Treachery, Treachery! (<span class='bible'><strong> 2Sa 3:17-26<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> <strong> ). <\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<p> In this passage we have an account of double treachery. First we have portrayed the treachery of Abner who, having installed Ish-bosheth as king, callously betrayed him and sought to make Israel turn to David, and then the treachery of Joab who equally callously betrayed David behind his back and called on Abner to return on the pretence that David wanted to see him again, simply in order that he might assassinate him, and that in the face of the fact that he was covered by David&rsquo;s promise of safe conduct. He had little regard for David&rsquo;s honour. This was partly because he wanted revenge for his brother Asahel, but he was an astute politician, and it can hardly be doubted that it was also partly because he feared, probably rightly, that under the new deal it was Abner who would be made commander of the host of all Israel rather than himself. <\/p>\n<p> In contrast David comes out of the episode as an honourable man. He received Abner and gave him hospitality and a guarantee of security, and genuinely meant it and was unaware of what Joab was going to do. Furthermore once the evil deed was done he disassociated himself from it, wrote an open lament, publicly bewailed what had happened to Abner, and announced to the world Abner&rsquo;s true greatness. We might possibly have seen this as feigned (as some do) in order to maintain his reputation were it not for the fact that David&rsquo;s genuine innocence is emphasised by the curse that he put on the house of Joab. That would not have been necessary in order to demonstrate his innocence if his grief been feigned, especially as we must remember that all would believe that it would come about. It was no light thing that he did and furthermore its dire consequences would fall on his own relatives (they would be his sister&rsquo;s seed). Thus we can safely exonerate him from blame. Indeed the one charge that we might make against David was that by his curse he was affecting innocent people in the future simply because of the sin of Joab, for he, like the rest, would consider that the curse would be effective. But we have to remember in this respect that the idea that the sins of the fathers fell on the children was a commonly held one and was seen as being just (such children would probably behave like their fathers), while it should also be remembered that David would believe that all such effects could be avoided by any who turned to God in genuine repentance and faith, a principle on which he built his own life. In the end therefore he would see those affected as bringing it on themselves. <\/p>\n<p> And behind all these dealings we are intended to see that the hand of YHWH was at work. It was not He Who caused the treachery, but He simply took it up and used it in His purpose. David&rsquo;s path would move on smoothly towards the kingship because YHWH was with him, and it would have done so whether there had been treachery or not. In one case the treachery simply speeded the process up, while in the other it merely caused a small blip. It would have been a very different matter if David had been involved in it himself. <\/p>\n<p><strong> Analysis. <\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:3.6em'> a <\/strong> And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, &ldquo;In times past you sought for David to be king over you, now then do it; for YHWH has spoken of David, saying, &ldquo;By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.&rdquo; And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin, and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and to the whole house of Benjamin (<span class='bible'>2Sa 3:17-19<\/span>). <\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:3.6em'><strong> b <\/strong> So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men who were with him a feast. And Abner said to David, &ldquo;I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your soul desires&rdquo; (<span class='bible'>2Sa 3:20-21<\/span> a). <\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:3.6em'><strong> c <\/strong> And David sent Abner away, and he went in peace (<span class='bible'>2Sa 3:21<\/span> b). <\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:3.6em'><strong> d <\/strong> And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a foray, and brought in a great spoil with them, but Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace (<span class='bible'>2Sa 3:22<\/span>). <\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:3.6em'><strong> c <\/strong> When Joab and all the host who were with him were come, they told Joab, saying, &ldquo;Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he is gone in peace&rdquo; (<span class='bible'>2Sa 3:23<\/span>). <\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:3.6em'><strong> b <\/strong> Then Joab came to the king, and said, &ldquo;What have you done? See, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, and he is quite gone? You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you do&rdquo; (<span class='bible'>2Sa 3:24-25<\/span>). <\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:3.6em'><strong> a <\/strong> And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the Cystern of Sirah, but David did not know it (<span class='bible'>2Sa 3:26<\/span>). <\/p>\n<p> Note than in &lsquo;a&rsquo; we have described the gross treachery of Abner, and in the parallel the gross treachery of Joab. In &lsquo;b&rsquo; David honourably receives Abner and his men and gives them hospitality, confident in the genuineness of Abner&rsquo;s proposal, and in the parallel Joab asserts that Abner&rsquo;s proposal and their purpose in coming was totally dishonourable. In &lsquo;c&rsquo; David sends Abner away with a guarantee of security (&lsquo;go in peace&rsquo;), and in the parallel Joab is informed that David had sent Abner away with a guarantee of security. Centrally in &lsquo;d&rsquo; David&rsquo;s men return from a raiding expedition with great spoil, while Abner has meanwhile left with a guarantee of security. Note the threefold mention of the guarantee of security which emphasises its completeness and thus makes Joab&rsquo;s treachery doubly heinous. <\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> 2Sa 3:17-18<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:1.8em'><strong> &lsquo;<\/strong> And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, &ldquo;In times past you sought for David to be king over you, now then do it; for YHWH has spoken of David, saying, &ldquo;By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.&rdquo; &rsquo; <\/p>\n<p> Having decided that he had had enough of Ish-bosheth, Abner treacherously turned his attention to the task of supplanting him. This tends to reveal that his pretended loyalty to the house of Saul had been a sham. With Saul dead and Ish-bosheth seemingly recalcitrant, all his attention was now clearly on how he could revenge himself against Ish-bosheth and achieve the highest status for himself. (It is quite possible that he did not know of Ish-bosheth&rsquo;s fear of him and thought that he might try to get rid of him. Alternately he might have considered that being commander of the combined forces of Israel and Judah, which he would demand in return for the support that he gave, offered him a much better opportunity for glory and wealth than being the commander of a relatively weak Israel). So he sent communications to the elders of Israel suggesting to them that as they had always really wanted David as king over them, now was the time to act to bring it about. For, he pointed out, as they all knew, that was what YHWH had promised. But we may ask, how did he know that that was how they felt? It possibly suggests that in the five years prior to his achieving Ish-bosheth&rsquo;s coronation he had had to constantly argue against just such desires in order to maintain Ish-bosheth&rsquo;s position. Now he was becoming a turncoat and treacherously urging them to take up the opposite position merely because he was offended at his treatment by Ish-bosheth. <\/p>\n<p> Even more insidious was his method of doing this, for he piously called on the promises of YHWH concerning David as though his only concern was to please YHWH, when previously we know from his own confession that he had been deliberately acting against YHWH&rsquo;s will in maintaining the rights of Ish-bosheth. He was a blatant religious hypocrite. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.&rdquo; There is no reference elsewhere to this specific promise, but there is no doubt that the elders would see it as soundly based on what YHWH had declared or revealed in the past, for it had undoubtedly been made clear in the past that YHWH had raised David up to be the scourge of the Philistines (<span class='bible'>1Sa 16:13<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Sa 17:46-47<\/span>; 1Sa 17:54 ; <span class='bible'>1Sa 18:6-7<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Sa 18:27<\/span>; 1Sa 18:30 ; <span class='bible'>1Sa 19:8<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Sa 23:5<\/span>), and all would undoubtedly have seen his promises concerning David&rsquo;s future kingship as indicating that he would be their God-given deliverer against both the Philistines and all their enemies (<span class='bible'>1Sa 16:1<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Sa 16:13<\/span>). That was why you had a king. Furthermore the expectations expressed in <span class='bible'>1Sa 23:17<\/span>; <span class='bible'>1Sa 24:20<\/span> must surely themselves have mainly arisen as a result of prophetic pronouncements (possibly from Nathan or Gad), or at the very least as a result of expectations expressed among the people who saw it as something determined by YHWH. Thus the idea that YHWH had purposed that David be king over all Israel must have been very widespread. <\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> 2Sa 3:19<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:1.8em'><strong> &lsquo;<\/strong> And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin, and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and to the whole house of Benjamin.&rsquo; <\/p>\n<p> We might have seen the differentiation between Israel and Benjamin here as simply indicating Abner&rsquo;s close associations with that tribe because it was the tribe of his and Saul&rsquo;s family were it not for the fact that later, at the time of the division of the kingdoms, Benjamin will side with Judah (<span class='bible'>1Ki 12:21<\/span>; <span class='bible'>2Ch 11:12<\/span>). This therefore suggest that the Benjaminites, who were renowned as fierce and skilled fighters, had a proud spirit of independence and, in a similar way to Judah, did not like just being lumped in with &lsquo;all Israel&rsquo;. It may well have arisen over what they saw as their unjust treatment by the tribes in Judges 20-21. Abner, who was well aware of this, therefore negotiated with them separately, and pointed out how all the other tribes felt. Then having established what he saw as a satisfactory position he sought out David in Hebron. As far as he was concerned he had successfully staged a treacherous coup against Ish-bosheth. <\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> 2Sa 3:20<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:1.8em'><strong> &lsquo;<\/strong> So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men who were with him a feast.&rsquo; <\/p>\n<p> Whatever David thought privately about Abner&rsquo;s behaviour he was wise enough to recognise that he was the only one who could really speak for Israel, and that without him Ish-bosheth&rsquo;s position would be untenable. Thus he the more readily entered into negotiations with him. Unlike Abner he owed nothing to Ish-bosheth who was still in a state of &lsquo;non-recognition&rsquo; towards him.. <\/p>\n<p> So on Abner arriving with twenty men, no doubt already having been given the promise of safe conduct, David welcomed them and made a feast for them. As both were aware, such hospitality was the guarantee of peaceful intent. To have eaten together if there had been any intentions of hostilities, would have been contrary to the recognised etiquette obtaining among powerful leaders, and would have been something which was treated very seriously and seen as disgraceful. <\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> 2Sa 3:21<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:1.8em'><strong> &lsquo;<\/strong> And Abner said to David, &ldquo;I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your soul desires.&rdquo; And David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.&rsquo; <\/p>\n<p> The result of their negotiations was that Abner promised that he would go and gather all Israel together (i.e. its elders) so that they could come to David with a view to making a covenant with him, a covenant which would include his appointment as king over them. We are not told what concessions were made to Abner but it seems very probable that he was in turn assured that he would be made commander of the joint forces, being second only to David, thus in effect fulfilling David&rsquo;s compact with Jonathan (<span class='bible'>1Sa 23:17<\/span>). This is not certain, however, for David&rsquo;s present commander was &lsquo;family&rsquo;, and family was often the safest option as far as loyalty was concerned. On the other hand David was becoming a little disenamoured of Joab, and Abner would certainly have wanted something in return. (As usual the writer was not interested in the details of the treaty as such. He was interested in what it meant for David). <\/p>\n<p> The promise that David could then reign over all that his soul desired may reflect Abner&rsquo;s view of David rather than the correct one. We cannot doubt that David wanted to reign over all Israel, because that was what YHWH had promised him, and that he was even prepared to peacefully work to that end, but we never have any indication of his desire to force the issue, or of any great desire for it. He was content to receive whatever YHWH committed to him and await YHWH&rsquo;s good time. That was what made him so spiritually outstanding. Not to understand this would be to reflect more on us than on him. <\/p>\n<p> All being satisfactorily concluded, David then sent Abner away to fulfil his promises, and guaranteed him continual safe conduct (&lsquo;he went in peace&rsquo;). The fact that this is emphasised three times (<span class='bible'>2Sa 3:21-23<\/span>) indicates how important the breach of this safe conduct would be seen to be. <\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> 2Sa 3:22<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:1.8em'><strong> &lsquo;<\/strong> And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a foray, and brought in a great spoil with them, but Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace. <\/p>\n<p> Meanwhile David&rsquo;s nephew and general Joab (<span class='bible'>2Sa 2:12-14<\/span>) had been away on a raiding expedition with David&rsquo;s men, and they now arrived back bringing great booty. But it was too late for them to be able to meet up with Abner, for Abner was no longer there having been sent off by David with a guarantee of safe conduct. <\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> 2Sa 3:23<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:1.8em'><strong> &lsquo;<\/strong> When Joab and all the host who were with him were come, they told Joab, saying, &ldquo;Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he is gone in peace.&rdquo; &rsquo; <\/p>\n<p> On their arrival someone informed Joab of Abner&rsquo;s visit and of the fact that he had been sent away with the guarantee of safe conduct. We do not know how much else they would tell him for they would probably not have been privy to the king&rsquo;s negotiations, but we can be sure that Joab would have recognised that it must have been to do with Israel and Judah coming to terms, and he would no doubt also have had his spies in crucial places. But he was also a very suspicious man who saw others (especially generals) as being like himself, and thus to his mind any approach by Abner could only really have been in order to sound out Judah&rsquo;s strength. After all, the last time that he had spoken to him had been when he was on the run after a hard fought battle. Why then should he think that his attitude had changed? Thinking in terms of how he would have thought himself he would have considered that Abner was seething with a desire for revenge. <\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> 2Sa 3:24-25<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:1.8em'><strong> &lsquo;<\/strong> Then Joab came to the king, and said, &ldquo;What have you done? See, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, and he is quite gone? You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you do.&rdquo; &rsquo; <\/p>\n<p> So seeing himself as a little craftier than his pious uncle David, he came to the king and asked him what he had done. Here he had had Abner in his power and he had sent him away with safe conduct, so that how he was out of reach. How foolish. Was he not aware that Abner&rsquo;s real reason for coming had been to sound out his defences? Did he not realise that on his visit the experienced Abner would have picked up a lot of useful information about both their strong and weak points? <\/p>\n<p> We must assume that David told him at least a little of the reason for Abner&rsquo;s visit, but it is clear that the suspicious Joab was not convinced (or at least pretended not to be) as we can tell from his next step. If David was foolish enough to let the fish slip out of the net, Abner would discover that Joab was made of different mettle.. <\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'><strong> 2Sa 3:26<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style='margin-left:1.8em'><strong> &lsquo;<\/strong> And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the Cystern of Sirah, but David did not know it.&rsquo; <\/p>\n<p> So as soon as he had come out from his audience with David, he sent messengers after Abner calling on him to return. These messengers caught up with Abner and his men at the cystern of Sirah, which is probably the modern Ayin Sarah, one and a half miles (two and a half kilometres) from Hebron. Abner was clearly in no hurry and he and his men were no doubt taking advantage of the opportunity to replenish their water supplies. After all he had David&rsquo;s promise of safe conduct, and whatever he thought privately about David, he was content that he was an honourable man. He had not reckoned on Joab acting on his own authority, for &lsquo;David did not know it&rsquo;. <\/p>\n<p> That this was an act of great treachery cannot be doubted. Joab was well aware that Abner had been given safe conduct by David, and that such safe conduct was sacred. Only the most evil of kings would breach such a safe conduct. Furthermore he was taking advantage of his position as David&rsquo;s general with the specific aim of doing so, for he knew perfectly well that Abner would see him as acting as David&rsquo;s representative. It is actually very difficult to assess whose treachery was the greater, Abner&rsquo;s towards Ish-bosheth or Joab&rsquo;s towards David. Both were inexcusable, the one arising from vanity and ambition, the other arising from a desire for vengeance and ambition. It says much for David that the treacherous Abner never even smelled a whiff of treachery. Had he known the true circumstances how differently he would have acted. <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> (17) And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought for David in times past to be king over you: (18) Now then do it: for the LORD hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies. (19) And Abner also spake in the ears of Benjamin: and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p> The earnestness with which Abner had entered into the interest of Ishbosheth, is now manifestly as violently against him. But in all this, though he makes use of an argument to prove that it was of the Lord&#8217;s designs, to make David king, yet the conduct of Abner was not directed to the divine glory.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Hawker&#8217;s Poor Man&#8217;s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> 2Sa 3:17 And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought for David in times past [to be] king over you:<\/p>\n<p> Ver. 17. <strong> And Abner had communication,<\/strong> ] <em> i.e., <\/em> He had had communication with them before that he went toward David with Michal. <\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/p>\n<p> Ye sought for David.<\/strong> ] And David they had crowned ere this, but that Abner overruled them for Ishbosheth. All his care was to have a stake in store, howsoever the dice chanced to turn. Politicians are all for their own ends.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: John Trapp&#8217;s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>in times past: Heb. both yesterday and the third day, 2Sa 3:17 <\/p>\n<p>Reciprocal: 1Sa 24:20 &#8211; I know well 1Ch 11:10 &#8211; to make Psa 75:7 &#8211; he putteth<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>MAKE JESUS KING<\/p>\n<p>And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought of David in times past to he king over you: Now then do it.<\/p>\n<p>2Sa 3:17<\/p>\n<p>Whether these words were spoken by Abner with actual sincerity of heart and purpose, it is not for me to say. But he had played the hypocrite, first with David, and then with Ish-bosheth, and at last he has come and thrown himself down at the feet of David, whom he knew had been anointed by God to be king over Israel. He had come with the declaration that he wanted David to be king; and you remember how David met the attempt of this man to win his favour towards himself: One thing I require of thee (v. 13). Brethren, the great David always has that to say, when men come to Him and announce Him as King: One thing I require of thee. And what is that? That thou give Me back My own; and that My bride be Mine instead of anothers.<\/p>\n<p>I. It is when men and women crown Jesus Christ Lord of all that they begin to be truly and lastingly blessed.Now I desire to set before you this fact. You remember that immediately before Sauls death, David was brought to the very lowest point at Ziklag. The people wanted to stone him; but David encouraged himself in his God. And the Lord Jesus Christ, before He was brought to the throne, was brought to the very lowest, forsaken of all, and despised and rejected of men: not only did they speak of stoning Him, but they crucified Him as a malefactor. And while there were just a few who came to meet David at Ziklag, no sooner did God send him to Hebron (which means fellowship) than company after company came to acknowledge him as king. So was it with Jesus Christ. From the very day that God took Him to the place of fellowship in heaven, and put His own Beloved on the throne of glory, company after company has come to the Master, exactly as these companies came to Hebron to David to declare that they would make him king. But David waits. Seven-and-a-half years did he tarry in Hebron, as Jesus waits on the throne.<\/p>\n<p>II. And now, if you look for a moment at the case of this man Abner, you see one who had every opportunity of knowing David, but he had set his face towards the world, and had sought to gain precedence and glory for himself, without recognising the purpose of God towards David. And there are large multitudes of people who have named the name of Christ, but who have not departed from iniquity. They have gone after Ish-bosheth, the man of shame. There are men and women here who, if they were questioned, would have to acknowledge the fact that David has had a formidable rival in the flesh. Even while they know Gods purpose concerning David, they have had an Ish-bosheth in their life, to whom they have given fealty. There are men and women, leaders in the hosts of Israel, whose consciences tell them that whereas they could have been captains in the Lords host to bring their fellows to Davids feet, they have gone after the man of shame, and sojourned with him in disgrace.<\/p>\n<p>III. Then comes the terrible awakening.And I believe that long before we get much comfort or blessing or peace, many of us will have to come to that period of awful conviction which came upon Abnera conviction of shame that he had wronged God. Your heart tells you, perhaps, that you have been making a compromise with the Spirit of God, and that your David is not receiving His right. And at last, as you awakeGod grant it may be now!you say, I have served the wrong king and I now in humility acknowledge my crime. And that great King will say, in effect, One thing I require of thee: I will not see thy face until thou yieldest Me My rights. And you will have to do it; and when you have done it you will become messengers to bring others. You know how David won the faith of Israel back to himself. He was willing even to receive Abner; and that makes me think that David believed in the sincerity of Abner. Oh! that Christ may believe in the sincerity of heart of those who are assembled here! Oh! that David, Gods Beloved, may be able to say to many of us here, Now go and fetch all Israel to My feet.<\/p>\n<p>Prebendary Webb-Peploe.<\/p>\n<p>Illustration<\/p>\n<p>Abner set himself with great vigour to fulfil the promise made by him in his league with David. First, he held communication with the representatives of the whole nation, the elders of Israel, and showed to them his own self-condemnation, how God had designated David as the king through whom deliverance would be granted to Israel from the Philistines and all their other enemies. Next, remembering that Saul was a member of the tribe of Benjamin, he took special pains to attach that tribe to David, and as he was himself likewise a Benjamite, he must have been eminently useful in this service. Thirdly, he went in person to Hebron, Davids seat, to speak in the ears of David all that seemed good to Israel and to the whole house of Benjamin. Finally, after being entertained by David at a great feast, he set out to bring about a meeting of the whole congregation of Israel, that they might solemnly ratify the appointment of David as king, in the same way as, in the early days of Saul, Samuel had convened the representatives of the nation at Gilgal. That in all this Abner was rendering a great service both to David and the nation cannot be doubted. He was doing what no other man in Israel could have done at the time for establishing the throne of David and ending the civil war.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>2Sa 3:17. And Abner  Having seen David, and given him assurance of his fidelity, as David had him of his friendship; had communication with the elders of Israel  He went back to persuade all to do as he had done. And by bringing over the great men to David, he doubted not the multitude would follow. Saying, Ye sought for David in times past  For, after the slaughter of Goliath, he was much beloved by all the people. And when he was forced to flee, a great many of Israel came over to him while he dwelt at Ziklag. And it is highly probable that, as soon as Saul and Jonathan were dead, they all generally would have inclined to make David their king, if Abner, by his great authority, had not set up one of the family of Saul.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>3:17 And Abner had {f} communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought for David in times past [to be] king over you:<\/p>\n<p>(f) Rather for malice that he bore toward Ishbosheth, than for love he bore to David.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought for David in times past [to be] king over you: 17. And Abner had communication ] Better, Now Abner had had communication, previously to the occurrence related in 2Sa 3:15-16. The journey of 2Sa 3:16 to escort Michal terminates in the visit to &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-2-samuel-317\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 3:17&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8110\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}