2 Samuel 3:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, "For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you.

NIV: Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, "For some time you have wanted to make David your king.

NASB: Now Abner had a consultation with the elders of Israel, saying, 'In times past you were seeking for David to be king over you.

CSB: Abner conferred with the elders of Israel: "In the past you wanted David to be king over you.

NLT: Meanwhile, Abner had consulted with the elders of Israel. 'For some time now,' he told them, 'you have wanted to make David your king.

KJV: And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought for David in times past to be king over you:

NKJV: Now Abner had communicated with the elders of Israel, saying, “In time past you were seeking for David to be king over you.

In 2 Samuel 3:12–19, David finds an unexpected ally. Seven years prior, David became king of Judah; five years after that Abner made Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, king over the other Israelite tribes. An altercation between Abner and Ish-bosheth about what Abner believes he's owed breaks up the partnership. Abner goes to David and promises to deliver Israel to him. David agrees, on the condition that Ish-bosheth returns David's first wife, Michal, to him (1 Samuel 25:44). Abner convinces the tribal elders to switch their allegiances, but Joab kills him before they can travel to David (2 Samuel 3:20–30).

In 2 Samuel 3, God arranges for all of Israel to accept David as king. Abner, the former commander of Saul's army, turns against David's rival, Ish-bosheth, after an argument about a woman. Abner persuades the elders of Israel to take David as their king and arrives in Hebron to deliver the news. Joab, the commander of David's army, is furious because Abner killed his brother Asahel. When Abner leaves, Joab murders him. David declares a curse on Joab and his descendants and publicly mourns for Abner, demonstrating to all that he had nothing to do with Abner's death.

In 2 Samuel 3, the civil war winds down. Abner, Saul's cousin, made Saul's son Ish-bosheth king. Abner commands the army of Israel. Joab, David's nephew, commands Judah's army. They have been locked in a civil war for two years, not least because Abner killed Joab's brother in self-defense (2 Samuel 2). When Abner realizes he can't take the throne from Ish-bosheth, he arranges for Israel to follow David before he's killed by Joab. Not long after, Ish-bosheth is murdered, and David is made king of all Israel (2 Samuel 4:1—5:4).

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.

Accessed 11/5/2025 7:23:30 PM