Saul's uncle living at the time of United Monarchy
Ner was the father of Abner, the commander of King Saul's army, and a member of Saul's family.
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Ner was an important figure in the early history of Israel's monarchy, primarily known as the father of Abner, the commander of King Saul's army. He was a member of the tribe of Benjamin and a close relative of Saul, as evidenced by the fact that Saul and Abner are referred to as sons of Ner (1Sa.14.50-51).
Although little is known about Ner's life, his significance lies in his family's connection to the first king of Israel, Saul. As the father of Abner, Ner's lineage played a crucial role in the political and military leadership of Israel during Saul's reign.
Abner, as the commander of Saul's army, is mentioned several times in the biblical narrative, particularly in the context of the conflict between Saul and David (1Sa.26.5, 14). After Saul's death, Abner supported Saul's son, Ish-bosheth, as king over Israel, while David was anointed as king over Judah (2Sa.2.8-9).
The tension between Abner and David's forces is evident in the accounts of their military encounters (2Sa.2.12-17). However, Abner eventually defected to David's side after a falling out with Ish-bosheth (2Sa.3.6-21). Tragically, Abner was later killed by Joab, David's commander, in an act of revenge for the death of Joab's brother (2Sa.3.22-30).
David mourned Abner's death and publicly declared his innocence in the matter (2Sa.3.31-39). The incident with Abner is also mentioned in the context of Solomon's reign, as David instructed Solomon to deal with Joab for his role in Abner's murder (1Ki.2.5-6, 32-34).
Ner is also briefly mentioned in genealogical records, such as in 1Ch.9.36, where he is listed among the ancestors of Saul, and in 1Ch.26.28, which notes that some of the dedicated treasures in the temple were from the days of Samuel, Saul, Abner, and Joab.
Although Ner himself is not the primary focus of the biblical narrative, his family's connection to Saul and the early monarchy of Israel makes him a significant figure in the historical context of the Old Testament.
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Light, the father of Kish (1 Chr. 8:33). 1 Sam. 14:51 should be read, “Kish, the father of Saul, and Ner, the father of Abner, were the sons of Abiel.” And hence this Kish and Ner were brothers, and Saul and Abner were first cousins (comp. 1 Chr. 9:36).
(a light or lamp), son of Jehiel, according to (1 Chronicles 8:33) father of Abner, and grandfather of King Saul. (B.C. 1140.) Abner was, therefore, uncle to Saul, as is expressly stated in (1 Samuel 14:50)
NER (light, lamp), father of Kish, and grandfather of Saul. 1 Chr 8:33. He is named, 1 Chr 9:36, as brother of Kish. This Kish was an uncle of the other. 1 Chr 9:39.
NER (light, lamp), father of Kish, and grandfather of Saul. 1 Chr 8:33. He is named, 1 Chr 9:36, as brother of Kish. This Kish was an uncle of the other. 1 Chr 9:39.
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.
14 verses in 4 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H5369
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
Surely you realize that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to track your movements and all that you are doing.”
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.
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.
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.
Abdon was his firstborn son, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
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.
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.