2 Samuel 2:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent 's side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.

NIV: Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.

NASB: And each one of them seized his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

CSB: Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side so that they all died together. So this place, which is in Gibeon, is named Field of Blades.

NLT: Each one grabbed his opponent by the hair and thrust his sword into the other’s side so that all of them died. So this place at Gibeon has been known ever since as the Field of Swords.

KJV: And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

NKJV: And each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called the Field of Sharp Swords, which is in Gibeon.

Civil war for control of Israel seems unavoidable. The fighting men of David and those of Ish-bosheth have come together for an apparent confrontation at Gibeon. The commanders of the two armies, Joab and Abner, have agreed to what may have been meant as an alternative to all-out battle: They will each put up a dozen fighters to square off and fight each other to decide the outcome (2 Samuel 2:12–15).

Yet the fight ends in a terrible draw. Each pair of opponents grabs the other by the head or neck in close combat and stabs the other in the side with a short sword at the same time. All twenty-four men are quickly killed, and neither side wins. The outcome is so unusual that the place at Gibeon is named for the event: Helkath-hazzurim, which means something like "the field of sword edges."

Whether the twelve-on-twelve match was intended to prevent a full-scale battle or not, the conflict happens anyway. The clash and its strange result sparks a fierce fight between the two armies. David's men win decisively, but the duels have opened a door that can't be shut. Abner kills Joab's brother (2 Samuel 2:21–23). The two-year civil war is as much an act of vengeance as it is a fight for the unity of the nation.

Second Samuel 2:12–17 marks the beginning of a civil war. Upon Saul's death, David became king of Judah (1 Samuel 31:1–4; 2 Samuel 2:1–4). Despite five years of his diplomatic attempts (2 Samuel 1; 2:4–7), David hasn't managed to unite the Israelites under his rule. Abner makes Saul's son Ish-bosheth king over the rest of Israel (2 Samuel 2:8–10). For two years, the rival kingdoms fight: David's side growing stronger and Ish-bosheth's weaker (2 Samuel 3:1). The war begins with twelve duels.

David returns to Israel, where he is anointed king over Judah, and settles in Hebron. Abner declares Saul's son Ish-bosheth king over Israel. David blesses the men of Jabesh-gilead for burying Saul's remains. Abner, leading Ish-bosheth's men, faces off against Joab, leading David's fighters, at Gibeon. In a fierce, one-sided battle, Abner kills Joab's brother, but David's men overwhelm Abner's Benjaminite fighters, losing twenty but killing 360. Abner and the survivors prepare for a last stand on the hill of Ammah, but Joab calls off the battle when Abner pleads with him to stop. Both sides return home.

Saul and three of his sons are dead (1 Samuel 31:1–4). David becomes king of Judah, and Saul's son Ish-bosheth is king of the remaining tribes. When the two sides meet in battle, Ish-bosheth's army fares poorly. David continues to grow stronger over two years of fighting. Ish-bosheth's general Abner appears to make a futile attempt to take the crown from his king, then starts the work to peacefully hand David the crown of Israel (2 Samuel 3:1–12).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.