Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Samuel 3
Albert Barnes Commentary
2 Samuel 3
Albert Barnes Commentary
2 Samuel 3
"and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;" — 2 Samuel 3:3 (ASV)
Chileab - In the parallel passage, David’s second son is called Daniel (meaning, "God is my judge"), a name given to him to commemorate the death of Nabal (1 Samuel 25:39). It appears the name Chileab was formed from the first three letters of the following Hebrew word due to a transcriber's error and was likely intended to be erased.
Talmai king of Geshur - Talmai was the name of one of the sons of Anak at Hebron (Numbers 13:22); this Talmai was perhaps of the same race.
Geshur - The place where he reigned was in Bashan, and we know from Deuteronomy 3:11 that Og, king of Bashan, was of the remnant of the giants (see also 1 Samuel 27:8).
"and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;" — 2 Samuel 3:4 (ASV)
Adonijah - The same person who, when David was dying, aspired to the crown and was put to death by Solomon.
Shephatiah - Meaning “God is judge.” This is the same name as Jehoshaphat, only with the two elements that compose it placed in reverse order. Nothing more is known of him or his brother Ithream.
"And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made himself strong in the house of Saul." — 2 Samuel 3:6 (ASV)
Translate as: And it came to pass, while the war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted, that Abner assisted the house of Saul.
"Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and [Ish-bosheth] said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father`s concubine?" — 2 Samuel 3:7 (ASV)
Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. The name Aiah was an Edomite, or rather Horite, name (Genesis 36:24).
"Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ish-bosheth, and said, Am I a dog`s head that belongeth to Judah? This day do I show kindness unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David; and yet thou chargest me this day with a fault concerning this woman." — 2 Samuel 3:8 (ASV)
The words against Judah are very obscure. If the text is correct, the words would seem to be Ish-bosheth’s, who in his anger had charged Abner with being a vile partisan of Judah. Abner retorts, “Am I (as you say) a dog’s head which belongs to Judah, or on Judah’s side! This day I show you kindness, etc., and this day you charge me with a fault, etc.”
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