8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David in Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, thine enemy who sought thy life; and Jehovah has given to my lord the king to be avenged this day of Saul and of his seed.
And if a man is risen up to pursue thee and to seek thy life, the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with Jehovah thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out from the hollow of the sling.
And David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life; and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.
But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David. And Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeks to kill thee; and now, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and abide in a secret place and hide thyself; and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and will speak of thee with my father: and see what it is, and tell thee. And Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against thee; for also what he did was very advantageous to thee; for he put his life in hand, and smote the Philistine, and Jehovah wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou didst see [it], and didst rejoice; why then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, in slaying David without cause? And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, [As] Jehovah liveth, he shall not be put to death! Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan declared to him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as previously. And there was war again; and David went forth and fought with the Philistines, and smote them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him. And an evil spirit from Jehovah was upon Saul. And he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David played with his hand. And Saul sought to smite David and the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the spear into the wall. And David fled, and escaped that night. And Saul sent messengers to David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning; and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou wilt be put to death.
And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may put him to death.
And David's men said to him, Behold the day of which Jehovah said to thee, Behold, I will give thine enemy into thy hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good to thee. And David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe secretly.
And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, Let me run, I pray, and carry the king the news that Jehovah has avenged him of his enemies.
The ùGod who hath avenged me, And hath brought the peoples under me.
But those that seek my soul, to destroy [it], shall go into the lower parts of the earth; They shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be the portion of foxes.
Arise, take to [thee] the little child and its mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they who sought the life of the little child are dead.
And shall not God at all avenge his elect, who cry to him day and night, and he bears long as to them? I say unto you that he will avenge them speedily. But when the Son of man comes, shall he indeed find faith on the earth?
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Samuel 4
Commentary on 2 Samuel 4 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 4
When Abner was slain David was at a loss for a friend to perfect the reduction of those tribes that were yet in Ish-bosheth's interest. Which way to adopt for the accomplishment of it he could not tell; but here Providence brings it about by the removal of Ish-bosheth.
2Sa 4:1-8
Here is,
2Sa 4:9-12
We have here justice done upon the murderers of Ish-bosheth.