2 Samuel 2:17
ESV
And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
NIV
The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David’s men.
NASB
That day the battle was very severe, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.
CSB
The battle that day was extremely fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s soldiers.
NLT
A fierce battle followed that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the forces of David.
KJV
And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
NKJV
So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
What does 2 Samuel 2:17 mean?
Ish-bosheth's general, Abner, and David's general, Joab, have brought their armies to the pool of Gibeon. It's possible that Abner and Joab hoped to decide the outcome of their confrontation with a twelve-on-twelve battle of champions. If so, that plan failed when all twelve pairs of men killed each other in close combat, leaving none of them alive and the issue unresolved (2 Samuel 2:14–16).As a result, an all-out battle quickly breaks out with fierce fighting between the two sides. Yet this contest is one-sided. Joab and David's men overwhelm Abner and the fighters of Ish-bosheth. Abner loses 360 men, while Joab only loses twenty. This previews the pattern seen for the next two years. David grows stronger while Ish-bosheth loses both soldiers and control. After a fight over what Ish-bosheth owes Abner, the general defects. He reaches out to the elders of the tribes in Ish-bosheth's kingdom and convinces them to swear allegiance to David (2 Samuel 3:6–21).
Still the fight isn't over. First, Joab murders Abner for killing his brother (2 Samuel 3:26–30). Then two raiders assassinate Ish-bosheth. David, ever the politician, publicly mourns Abner and executes Ish-bosheth's murderers (2 Samuel 3:26—4:12). Only then can David be king of the nation (2 Samuel 5:1–3).
