Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Samuel 3

There was long war. —Not actual fighting of pitched battles, but a state of hostility, in which Ish-bosheth and David each claimed the allegiance of the whole nation, and this continued until the death of Ish-bosheth. During this time Ish-bosheth was too weak to carry on actual war, and David was content to await the fulfillment of the promises of the Lord in His own good time.

Waxed stronger. —Time was working in David’s favor, partly, doubtless, on account of Ish-bosheth’s manifest incompetence, partly from a growing appreciation of the character and prowess of David, and a fuller realization that he was the divinely appointed sovereign. In 1 Chronicles 12:19–22 there is an account of an important accession to David from the tribe of Manasseh on the eve of Saul’s last battle, and a further mention of continued accessions to him day by day. As the necessary result of this constant transference of strength to David, the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

And unto David. —The list of David’s sons born during his seven and a half years’ reign in Hebron rather interrupts the continuity of the narrative, but is quite in accordance with the practice of the sacred historians to insert statistics about the king's house or family at the beginning or at some turning point in each reign. (See 1 Samuel 14:49–51; 2 Samuel 5:13; 1 Kings 3:1; 1 Kings 14:21; 1 Kings 15:2; 1 Kings 15:9, and others.)

Amnon. —Written “Aminon” in 2 Samuel 13:20. His great crime and miserable end are related in 2 Samuel 13.

Chileab. —Called “Daniel” in 1 Chronicles 3:1. None of the attempts to explain these as two forms of the same name have been successful. Therefore, either “Chileab” is an error of the scribe (all but the first letter being the same as the first three letters of the following word), or, more probably, Chileab had a double name. Nothing further is known of him, and as he does not appear in the subsequent troubles, it is supposed that he died early. These two sons were born of the wives whom David had taken while an outlaw.

Absalom. —His history, rebellion, and death are narrated in 2 Samuel 13-18. His mother was “the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur,” a small province northeast of Bashan. We are not told how David was brought into connection with him, or whether this alliance had any political object. However, the fact that Absalom, in his exile, naturally sought refuge with his maternal grandmother (2 Samuel 13:37) may have had a connection with David’s subsequent campaigns in that region.

Adonijah. —After the death of his three elder brothers, Adonijah considered himself the rightful heir to the throne and embittered his father's last days by a rebellion (1 Kings 1). He was eventually put to death by Solomon (1 Kings 2:25).

Of the other two sons, Shephatiah and Ithream, and of the mothers of the last three, nothing is known, although there is an absurd Jewish tradition that “Eglah” was another name for “Michal.”

Abner made himself strong. —It has already been noticed that the fortunes of the house of Saul depended entirely upon Abner, but the fact of Ish-bosheth’s great obligation to him is again mentioned here in explanation of the following story.

Rizpah. —The name of this woman is associated with her strong and tender grief over the loss of her sons, recorded in 2 Samuel 21:8–11.

Why have you gone in? —The harem of an Eastern monarch was considered the property of his successor, and therefore taking a woman belonging to it was also considered an assertion of a claim to the throne. (See 2 Samuel 12:8; 2 Samuel 16:21; 1 Kings 2:22.)

It is not probable that Abner had any such design, since he was exerting himself to maintain Ish-bosheth on the throne. But the king appears to have regarded the act in this way, since it is this implied charge of treachery that so greatly rouses Abner's anger. The name of Ish-bosheth has dropped out of the Hebrew text, but appears in a few manuscripts, and is rightly restored in all the versions.

Am I a dog’s head? —The translation of this clause is taken from the Vulgate, and is hardly possible; it should rather be, Am I a dog’s head belonging to Judah?