David's compatriot living at the time of United Monarchy
Abner, the son of Ner, was King Saul's cousin and the commander of his army; he later supported Saul's son Ish-bosheth as king before defecting to David.
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Abner was the son of Ner and the cousin of King Saul, Israel's first monarch. He served as the commander of Saul's army (1Sa.14.50-51). Abner was a prominent figure during Saul's reign and demonstrated his loyalty to the king, as seen in his interactions with David (1Sa.17.55-57; 20.25; 26.5-15).
After Saul's death, Abner supported Saul's son Ish-bosheth as king over Israel, while David reigned over Judah (2Sa.2.8-10). During this time, there was a long war between the houses of Saul and David (2Sa.3.1). Abner led Ish-bosheth's forces against David's army, commanded by Joab (2Sa.2.12-17). In a battle at Gibeon, Abner killed Joab's brother Asahel, who had pursued him (2Sa.2.18-23).
Later, Abner defected to David after a dispute with Ish-bosheth (2Sa.3.6-21). He worked to transfer the kingdom to David and made an agreement with him (2Sa.3.12-21). However, Joab, seeking revenge for his brother's death, murdered Abner (2Sa.3.22-27). David mourned Abner's death and declared his innocence in the matter (2Sa.3.28-39).
Abner's defection and death weakened Ish-bosheth's position, and he was eventually assassinated (2Sa.4.1-8). This paved the way for David to become king over all Israel (2Sa.5.1-5). David later reminded Solomon of Joab's actions against Abner (1Ki.2.5, 32). Abner is also mentioned in connection with the treasures dedicated to the Lord (1Ch.26.28) and as the father of Jaasiel, a leader in David's army (1Ch.27.21).
Part of: Kings, prophets and the house of David
Abner son of Ner was Saul's uncle's son (or, by another reading, Saul's uncle) and commanded his army. After Saul's death he made Ish-bosheth king, then quarrelled with him over the concubine Rizpah and defected to David.
Sources: 1 Sam 14:50 · 2 Sam 2:8-9 · 2 Sam 3:6-12
Abner killed Joab's brother Asahel in battle while retreating. When Abner came to make peace with David, Joab and Abishai murdered him at Hebron. David publicly cursed Joab's house and mourned Abner.
Sources: 2 Sam 2:18-23 · 2 Sam 3:26-30 · 2 Sam 3:31-39
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Father of light; i.e., “enlightening”, the son of Ner and uncle of Saul. He was commander-in-chief of Saul’s army (1 Sam. 14:50; 17:55; 20:25). He first introduced David to the court of Saul after the victory over Goliath (1 Sam. 17:57). After the death of Saul, David was made king over Judah, and reigned in Hebron. Among the other tribes there was a feeling of hostility to Judah; and Abner, at the head of Ephraim, fostered this hostility in the interest of the house of Saul, whose son Ish-bosheth he caused to be proclaimed king (2 Sam. 2:8). A state of war existed between these two kings. A battle fatal to Abner, who was the leader of Ish-boseth’s army, was fought with David’s army under Joab at Gibeon (2 Sam. 2:12). Abner, escaping from the field, was overtaken by Asahel, who was “light of foot as a wild roe,” the brother of Joab and Abishai, whom he thrust through with a back stroke of his spear (2 Sam. 2: 18-32). Being rebuked by Ish-bosheth for the impropriety of taking to wife Rizpah, who had been a concubine of King Saul, he found an excuse for going over to the side of David, whom he now professed to regard as anointed by the Lord to reign over all Israel. David received him favourably, and promised that he would have command of the armies. At this time Joab was absent from Hebron, but on his return he found what had happened. Abner had just left the city; but Joab by a stratagem recalled him, and meeting him at the gate of the city on his return, thrust him through with his sword (2 Sam. 3:27, 31-39; 4:12. Comp. 1 Kings 2:5, 32). David lamented in pathetic words the death of Abner, “Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?” (2 Sam. 3:33-38.)
AB'NER (father of light), the son of Ner, was a first cousin of Saul, and a faithful and distinguished general of his armies. 1 Sam 14:50. We first hear of him, particularly, as the captain of the host, of whom Saul inquired concerning the stripling, David, whose victory over Goliath had excited his astonishment; and after a little time Abner introduced David to Saul, with the head of the giant Philistine in his hand. 1 Sam 17:57. It was through the want of vigilance in Abner that Saul's life was placed in David's power in the wilderness of Ziph. 1 Sam 26. See David, Saul. After David was anointed king of Judah, Abner procured the appointment of Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, as king of Israel; and in process of time the army of David, under Joab, and the army of Israel, under Abner, arrayed themselves on either side of the pool of Gibeon. While occupying this position twelve men of each army met and fought desperately. This contest was followed by a general battle, which resulted in Abner's defeat. He fled, but was pursued by Asahel, who "was light of foot as a wild roe." ABO ABR When in the heat of pursuit, Abner counselled him to desist, and threatened to turn upon him and slay him if he did not, but Asahel refused to turn aside, and Abner, '' with the hinder end of the spear," smote him so that he died. Joab and Abishai were also engaged in the pursuit, but at Abner's entreaty they desisted and returned. 2 Sam 2. As David's strength increased, the house of Saul, though faithfully served by Abner, became gradually weaker, till at length Ish-bosheth charged Abner with an offence against Saul's family. 2 Sam 3:7. He had taken Rizpah, the concubine of Saul, into his harem, and this act was interpreted according to Oriental ideas as an attempt to seize the throne. He was…
AB'NER (father of light), the son of Ner, was a first cousin of Saul, and a faithful and distinguished general of his armies. 1 Sam 14:50. We first hear of him, particularly, as the captain of the host, of whom Saul inquired concerning the stripling, David, whose victory over Goliath had excited his astonishment; and after a little time Abner introduced David to Saul, with the head of the giant Philistine in his hand. 1 Sam 17:57. It was through the want of vigilance in Abner that Saul's life was placed in David's power in the wilderness of Ziph. 1 Sam 26. See David, Saul. After David was anointed king of Judah, Abner procured the appointment of Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, as king of Israel; and in process of time the army of David, under Joab, and the army of Israel, under Abner, arrayed themselves on either side of the pool of Gibeon. While occupying this position twelve men of each army met and fought desperately. This contest was followed by a general battle, which resulted in Abner's defeat. He fled, but was pursued by Asahel, who "was light of foot as a wild roe." ABO ABR When in the heat of pursuit, Abner counselled him to desist, and threatened to turn upon him and slay him if he did not, but Asahel refused to turn aside, and Abner, '' with the hinder end of the spear," smote him so that he died. Joab and Abishai were also engaged in the pursuit, but at Abner's entreaty they desisted and returned. 2 Sam 2. As David's strength increased, the house of Saul, though faithfully served by Abner, became gradually weaker, till at length Ish-bosheth charged Abner with an offence against Saul's family. 2 Sam 3:7. He had taken Rizpah, the concubine of Saul, into his harem, and this act was interpreted according to Oriental ideas as an attempt to seize the throne. He was…
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
53 verses in 4 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0074
His wifeʼs name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of his army was Abner, the son of Saulʼs uncle Ner.
Saulʼs father Kish and Abnerʼs father Ner were sons of Abiel.
As Saul had watched David going out to confront the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “As surely as you live, O king,” Abner replied, “I do not know.”
So when David returned from killing the Philistine, still holding his head in his hand, Abner took him and brought him before Saul.
He sat in his usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, but Davidʼs place was empty.
Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the general of his army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the inner circle of the camp, with the troops camped around him.
That night David and Abishai came to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the troops were lying around him.
And David shouted to the troops and to Abner son of Ner, “Will you not answer me, Abner?” “Who are you who calls to the king?” Abner replied.
So David said to Abner, “You are a man, arenʼt you? And who in Israel is your equal? Why then did you not protect your lord the king when one of the people came to destroy him?
Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saulʼs army, took Saulʼs son Ish-bosheth, moved him to Mahanaim,
One day Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul marched out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
Then Abner said to Joab, “Let us have the young men get up and compete before us.” “Let them get up,” Joab replied.
The battle that day was intense, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.
and he chased Abner, not turning to the right or to the left in his pursuit.
And Abner glanced back and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” “It is,” Asahel replied.
So Abner told him, “Turn to your right or to your left, seize one of the young men, and take his equipment for yourself.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.
Once again, Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I show my face to your brother Joab?”
But Asahel refused to turn away. So Abner thrust the butt of his spear into his stomach, and it came out his back, and he fell dead on the spot. And every man paused when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. By sunset, they had gone as far as the hill of Ammah opposite Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
The Benjamites rallied to Abner, formed a single unit, and took their stand atop a hill.
Then Abner called out to Joab: “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not realize that this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?”
And all that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, marched all morning, and arrived at Mahanaim.
When Joab returned from pursuing Abner, he gathered all the troops. In addition to Asahel, nineteen of Davidʼs servants were missing,
but they had struck down 360 Benjamites who were with Abner.
During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had continued to strengthen his position in the house of Saul.
Now Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ish-bosheth questioned Abner, “Why did you sleep with my fatherʼs concubine?”
Abner was furious over Ish-boshethʼs accusation. “Am I the head of a dog that belongs to Judah?” he asked. “All this time I have been loyal to the house of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends. I have not delivered you into the hand of David, but now you accuse me of wrongdoing with this woman!
May God punish Abner, and ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the LORD has sworn to him:
And for fear of Abner, Ish-bosheth did not dare to say another word to him.
Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and surely my hand will be with you to bring all Israel over to you.”
Her husband followed her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back.” So he returned home.
Now Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, “In the past you sought David as your king.
Abner also spoke to the Benjamites. Then he went to Hebron to tell David all that seemed good to Israel and to the whole house of Benjamin.
When Abner and twenty of his men came to David at Hebron, David held a feast for them.
Then Abner said to David, “Let me go at once, and I will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So David dismissed Abner, and he went in peace.
Just then Davidʼs soldiers and Joab returned from a raid, bringing with them a great plunder. But Abner was not with David in Hebron because David had sent him on his way in peace.
When Joab and all his troops arrived, he was informed, “Abner son of Ner came to see the king, who sent him on his way in peace.”
So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you dismiss him? Now he is getting away!
Surely you realize that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to track your movements and all that you are doing.”
As soon as Joab had left David, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David was unaware of it.
When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the blood of Joabʼs brother Asahel.
Afterward, David heard about this and said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner.
(Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)
Then David ordered Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the funeral bier.
When they buried Abner in Hebron, the king wept aloud at Abnerʼs tomb, and all the people wept.
And the king sang this lament for Abner: “Should Abner die the death of a fool?
So on that day all the troops and all Israel were convinced that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.
Now when Ish-bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel was dismayed.
So David commanded his young men, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in Abnerʼs tomb in Hebron.
Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.
The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israelʼs army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judahʼs army.
Everything that had been dedicated by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah, along with everything else that was dedicated, was under the care of Shelomith and his brothers.
over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead was Iddo son of Zechariah; over Benjamin was Jaasiel son of Abner;
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.