2 Samuel 4: Blood on Innocent Hands

2 Samuel 4 (WEB)

1 When Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands became feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.

2 Saul’s son had two men who were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin (for Beeroth also is reckoned to Benjamin:

3 and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and have lived as foreigners there until this day).

4 Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the news came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel; and his nurse took him up, and fled: and as she made haste to flee, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

5 The sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, as he took his rest at noon.

6 They came there into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they struck him in the body: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

7 Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him, and killed him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night.

8 They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David to Hebron, and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life! Yahweh has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.”

9 David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

10 when someone told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I took hold of him, and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.

11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?”

12 David commanded his young men, and they killed them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

2 Samuel 4 (KJV)

1 And when Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.

2 And Saul’s son had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin:

3 And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.)

4 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish–bosheth, who lay on a bed at noon.

6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.

8 And they brought the head of Ish–bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ish–bosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the Lord hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.

9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the Lord liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

10 When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:

11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?

12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish–bosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.

2 Samuel 4 (ASV)

1 And whenIsh-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands became feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.

2 And Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin (for Beeroth also is reckoned to Benjamin:

3 and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and have been sojourners there until this day).

4 Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel; and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, as he took his rest at noon.

6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him in the body: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

7 Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night.

8 And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, thine enemy, who sought thy life; and Jehovah hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.

9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As Jehovah liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

10 when one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his tidings.

11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed, shall I not now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?

12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth, and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

Summary

When Ish-bosheth hears that Abner is dead, his courage fails and all Israel is troubled, for the house of Saul has lost its strongest leader. The narrator pauses to note that Jonathan still has a living son, Mephibosheth, lame in both feet since a fall at age five—a quiet reminder of David's covenant with Jonathan that will bear fruit later. Two captains of raiding bands, Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon, slip into Ish-bosheth's house during his noon rest, strike him down in his bed, behead him, and carry his head all night to David at Hebron. They present it as good news, claiming Yahweh has avenged the king on Saul and his offspring. But David, far from rewarding them, recalls how he executed the Amalekite who claimed to kill Saul. He declares that wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house on his bed, and that he must require his blood from their hand. David commands his young men to kill them, cut off their hands and feet, and hang their bodies by the pool in Hebron, while honorably burying Ish-bosheth's head in Abner's grave. Once again David refuses to build his throne on murder, trusting God to give the kingdom by righteous means.

Main Characters

David — The king who again refuses to profit from assassination, executing the murderers of Ish-bosheth and honoring his rival's burial.
Ish-bosheth — Saul's son and rival king, whose courage collapses after Abner's death and who is murdered in his own bed.
Rechab and Baanah — Two captains who assassinate Ish-bosheth and bring his head to David expecting reward, only to be condemned as murderers.
Mephibosheth — Jonathan's lame son, introduced here, who will later receive David's covenant kindness.

Key Verse

2 Samuel 4:9 (WEB)

David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

Lessons Learned

God does not need our sin to accomplish his promises; the throne is his to give by righteous means.
Those who do evil expecting reward often discover that God values righteousness over results.
A leader who fears the Lord protects the innocent and punishes the treacherous.
David's confession that God has redeemed his soul anchors his refusal to repay good with bloodshed.

God needs no sin to keep his word. David, who knew “Yahweh… has redeemed my soul out of all adversity” (2 Samuel 4:9, WEB), would not let assassins hasten the kingdom.
Murder is not service. David calls them “wicked men” who “slain a righteous person in his own house on his bed” (2 Samuel 4:11, WEB), exposing their crime for what it was.
The innocent are to be defended. David requires the blood of Ish-bosheth “of your hand” (2 Samuel 4:11, WEB), holding the guilty accountable rather than rewarding them.
Honor even a fallen rival. David buries Ish-bosheth's head “in the grave of Abner in Hebron” (2 Samuel 4:12, WEB), showing dignity toward the dead.

How does the death of Abner affect Ish-bosheth and the rest of Israel?
Why does the narrator pause to mention Mephibosheth in this chapter?
What do Rechab and Baanah expect from David, and how does he respond?
How does David's confession that God “has redeemed my soul” shape the way he treats the murderers?
Where might you be tempted to use a wrong means to reach a good end, and how does David's example challenge you?

Without Abner, Ish-bosheth loses heart and all Israel is troubled (4:1). The collapse shows how the house of Saul depended on human strength rather than God's choice.
The mention of Mephibosheth (4:4) plants a seed for chapter 9, reminding readers of David's covenant with Jonathan and foreshadowing the kindness David will show.
They expect reward, presenting the head as God's vengeance (4:8). Instead David condemns them as murderers of an innocent man and has them executed (4:11-12).
Because David knows the Lord has redeemed and established him (4:9), he refuses to let others sin on his behalf. His security in God frees him to act justly rather than expediently.
This is a personal-application question. Invite members to consider where they justify questionable means by good intentions, and to trust, as David did, that God can accomplish his purposes righteously.