Archives for October 2024

“Avner said to Yo’av, ‘If it’s all right with you, let’s have the young men get up and fight it out between themselves, while we watch.’ Yo’av said, ‘Yes, let them.’  So they got up and paired off, twelve for Binyamin and Ish-Boshet the son of Sha’ul, and twelve of David’s servants.  Each one grabbed […]

“Avner the son of Ner and the servants of Ish-Boshet the son of Sha’ul went out from Machanayim to Giv‘on; while Yo’av the son of Tz’ruyah and David’s servants also went out; and they met together by the pool at Giv‘on. One group sat down on one side of the pool and the other on […]

“Ish-Boshet the son of Sha’ul was forty years old when he began to rule over Isra’el, and he ruled for two years. But the house of Y’hudah followed David.  David was king in Hevron over the house of Y’hudah for seven years and six months.”-2 Samuel 2:10-11 I think we might have a chronology problem […]

“Avner the son of Ner, commander of Sha’ul’s army, had taken Ish-Boshet the son of Sha’ul, brought him over to Machanayim, and made him king over Gil‘ad, the Ashuri, Yizre‘el, Efrayim, Binyamin and all Israel.”-2 Samuel 2:8-9 So we’re told that Ishbosheth became king over Gilead, the Asherites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all of Israel. […]

Yesterday, I shared some rabbinical reasoning on why Avner made Ishboshesh king when he knew Israel’s throne was already reserved for David. The ancient Hebrew sages say that two kings had to come from Jacob’s loins based on the following verse in the Book of Genesis: “And God said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; […]