Samuel Thru Solomon. The History of 2nd Samuel. Lesson 15-2 Samuel 2:1-3:39

Transcription

1 Samuel Thru Solomon The History of 2nd Samuel Lesson 15-2 Samuel 2:1-3:39 In Lesson 14 we saw how David was all set accompany King Achish of Gath into battle with the Philistines they as made war on Israel. However, the rest of the Philistine leaders objected to David's Israelites because they feared he would betray them. As a consequence, David and his men returned to Ziklag where they had left their wives and children entirely unprotected. They arrived only to find that the Amalekites had attacked Ziklag, burned the city, taken all their families and possessions as plunder, and headed south into the Negev toward their home territory. By the LORD's grace, they pursued, caught up with them, and defeated a much larger force than themselves. They recovered all of their families and possessions as well as a large amount of other plunder that the Amalekites had taken from Judah and the Philistines. David sent large gifts from the plunder to the elders of Judah. The story then turned to the battle of the Philistines against King Saul on Mt. Gilboa. Saul and his army were defeated, and after Saul was badly wounded and unable to fight or flee, he committed suicide to prevent being tortured by the Philistines. Saul's son Jonathan was also killed. After that, the passage again returned to David. An Amalekite came into his camp, bringing him news of Saul's death and the trophies of his crown and arm band. Thinking it would bring him credit, he claimed to have killed Saul himself. Instead, David killed him. The account closed with an elegy David wrote which celebrated the many courageous battles of both Saul and Jonathan on behalf of Israel. It also celebrated the great friendship that 1 / 26

2 Jonathan had shown toward David. 2 Samuel 2:1 In the course of time It came to pass after this that, [a] David inquired of the LORD. "Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?" he asked. The LORD said, "Go up." David asked, "Where shall I go?" "To Hebron," the LORD answered. At this point, David and his 600 men were at Ziklag. Saul was dead, Jonathan was dead. David wanted to know whether this was the time to go back to Judah. Samuel had anointed him to be King about 13 to 14 years before, but David had never claimed it. Was it time to come back to Israel? David had the good sense to inquire of the LORD (almost certainly by the Urim and Thumim). Hebron had an important place in the history of Israel. It was the location of the tombs of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. It was one of the five cities of refuge designated by the LORD to adjudicate capital crimes (Joshua 20:7). It was the leading city of the tribe of Judah which was David's tribe. 2 Samuel 2:2-3 So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. So, at the LORD's instruction, David and his men and their families moved to Hebron. 2 / 26

3 2 Samuel 2:4a Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. At this point, Israel was fractured. As you may remember, the Philistines had defeated the Israelite army, and had occupied the Jezreel Valley. A leader was obviously needed, so the men of Judah chose David as King. 2 Samuel 2:4b-7 When David was told that it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead to say to them, "The LORD bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. May the LORD now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them." One of David's first acts was to reach out the men of Jabesh Gilead who had rescued the bodies of Saul and his sons from the walls of Beth Shan and buried them. He encouraged them, and passed on the news that he had been made King of Judah. At that time, he didn't claim the Kingship of all Israel. 3 / 26

4 2 Samuel 2:8-9 Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, had taken Ish-Bosheth [b] son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. He made him king over Gilead, [c] Ashuri [d] and Jezreel, [e] and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel. [f] In the meantime, Abner, who had been the commander of Saul's army as well as his close relative (perhaps his uncle) had gathered up the remains of his forces and set up a new capital across the Jordan in Mahanaim. Mahanaim was located in the territory of Gad, [g] in the valley of the Jabbok River. It was famous in the history of Israel as the place where Jacob had seen the angels, and was very close to Peniel, where he had wrestled with the LORD and received his new name Israel. We are not told why they had abandoned Saul's old capital in Gibeah, but I expect that it was in response to a threat by the Philistines. Mahanaim was situated in the highlands of the Trans-Jordan (Gilead) and was safer from an attack by the Philistines. Over thirty years later, David himself took refuge there from Absalom. Abner tried to gather up the shattered pieces of Saul's kingdom. First on the list was Gilead, which was evidently never threatened. Next on the list was Asher, which was north of the Jezreel Valley and the scope of the invasion of the Philistines. The Philistines could not have long controlled the land they had conquered. Most of their army had to return home to Philistia. They had other enemies to worry about. By then they would have had news of the incursions of the Amalekites. Occupation of the lands of a hostile people has never been easily accomplished. Finally, Abner was confident enough to try to exert a tenuous control over all of Israel, although no doubt, the Philistines still controlled many strong points with garrisons they had left behind. 2 Samuel 2:10a Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, 4 / 26

5 Ish-Bosheth was not listed among the sons of Saul who were alive when Saul started his reign. Yet no less than forty years later Ish-Bosheth replaced Saul. This confirms that the Acts 13:21 enumeration of Saul's reign as forty years is correct. [h] The name Ish-Bosheth means "man of shame." It would be interesting to know the story behind that name. 2 Samuel 2:10b-11 and he had reigned two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. The length of time David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. I have added the "had" because it is clear that this two years does not mark the length of Ishbosheth's reign, but the length of time that had transpired since both he and David had been Kings. Seven and a half years (or close to that) was probably the length of Ishbosheth's reign. After all, that is the time that David reigned in Hebron over Judah. 2 Samuel 2:12 Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 5 / 26

6 After two years, Mahanaim was still the capital of Ish-Bosheth. Gibeon had been the capital of Saul for forty years. It may be that Abner was going back to secure the old capital. Unfortunately, Gibeon was in Benjamin, very close to the border of Judah. Because Abner had not recognized David's rulership in Judah, but claimed "all Israel," this army could be viewed as a threat to Judah. 2 Samuel 2:13-14 Joab son of Zeruiah and David's men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. [i] One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side. Then Abner said to Joab, "Let's have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us." "All right, let them do it," Joab said. When the two armies met they didn't seem to know what to do when they confronted each other. After all, they had all been one nation until recently. Instead they sat down and talked about it. They came up with a different way to get their blood up. 2 Samuel 2:15-16 So they stood up and were counted off--twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent's side, [j] and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim. [k] 6 / 26

7 Twelve men confronted twelve men. The first football game. Anyway it got things started. All twenty four men died suddenly. I guess that made the battle that ensued a "sudden death overtime." 2 Samuel 2:17 The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David's men. Nearly four hundred from both sides were killed, so it seems likely that there were at least two thousand involved. It would seem that Joab's men were readier to fight than Abner's. Most of Abner's men had nothing against David and his men. Some of them may have been involved in the pursuit of David during his years of flight, but it hadn't been personal. For Joab's men, it had been personal. For them, these were the guys that had hounded them for years. 2 Samuel 2:18a The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Remember, all three of these men were David's uncles, although they were about his age, if not younger. Joab and Abishai would become David's chief generals. Although they had some very good qualities they tended to be ruled by anger and unforgiveness. 7 / 26

8 2 Samuel 2:18b-21 Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. Abner looked behind him and asked, "Is that you, Asahel?" "It is," he answered. Then Abner said to him, "Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons." But Asahel would not stop chasing him. Asahel was the youngest of the brothers, probably not much more than a teenager. Abner had evidently met him some time during David's life at Saul's court. Abner was a veteran of many wars, and had proved himself in battle many times. He couldn't run faster than Asahel, but he knew what the outcome would be if he turned to face him. 2 Samuel 2:22 Again Abner warned Asahel, "Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?" Abner showed himself as a man not ruled by his emotions. He was looking to the future of Israel. He probably felt already that an eventual rapprochement with David was inevitable. 8 / 26

9 2 Samuel 2:23 But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel's stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died. However, when Asahel was almost on him, Abner used an old soldier's trick and suddenly thrust the head of his spear into the ground and allowed Asahel to impale himself on the butt of Abner's spear. 2 Samuel 2:24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. Joab and Abishai pursued in force with all their men until Abner and his men reached the eastern edge of the highlands where the country broke up into ravines and canyons as the land fell down 4000 feet to the desert of the Jordan Valley. This would have been a pursuit of about three to four miles. 2 Samuel 2:25 Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill. 9 / 26

10 There Abner was able to rally his troops in a good tactical position and turn them around in formation to face Joab and his men. This would no longer be the slaughter of the pursuit. 2 Samuel 2:26 Abner called out to Joab, "Must the sword devour forever? Don't you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their brothers?" Abner realized that the future of Israel must be as a unified nation. He knew that if a useless slaughter was perpetrated on the men of Israel by the men of Judah, the ensuing bitterness would poison any chance of reconciling. When Abner called to him, Joab also recognized the truth of Abner's words. 2 Samuel 2:27-28 Joab answered, "As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued the pursuit of their brothers until morning." So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore. So the battle ended. 10 / 26

11 2 Samuel 2:29 All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the whole Bithron and came to Mahanaim. Abner continued his retreat through the wasteland, down into the Arabah (the Lower Jordan Valley), crossed the river and returned to Mahanaim. 2 Samuel 2:30 Then Joab returned from pursuing Abner and assembled all his men. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David's men were found missing. But David's men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. They took Asahel and buried him in his father's tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak. Joab also returned home to Hebron. The account also tells us that the army that was supporting Abner and Ish-bosheth was made up of Benjamites. Evidently the other tribes were still unenthusiastic in their support. This did not bode well for Ish-bosheth's reign as Benjamin was by far the smallest tribe and Judah was the largest. 11 / 26

12 2 Samuel 3:1 The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. In all the war lasted about five years after this first battle between the two. 2 Samuel 3:2-2a Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; Meanwhile, David was busy in Hebron. By the two wives he had acquired in exile, Ahinoam and Abigail, he had two sons, Amnon and Kileab. We never hear of Kileab again. Amnon raped his sister, and was murdered by his brother. 2 Samuel 3:3b-5 the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream the son of David's wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron. 12 / 26

13 David also acquired four new wives, Maacah, Haggith, Abital, and Eglah. By Maacah he had Absalom who murdered his brother, rebelled against his father, raped his father's concubines, and was killed by Joab. By Haggith he had Adonijah who was assassinated by the order of his brother Solomon. Shephatiah and Ithream are not mentioned individually again. 2 Samuel 3:6 During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in had become strong in [l] the house of Saul. This infers that Abner was the real power in the kingdom. Ish-bosheth had been the fourth brother, and never prepared for the exercise of power. Abner, on the other hand had been at Saul's right hand in court and in battle for forty years. 2 Samuel 3:7a Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. For most of his life, Saul had one wife, Ahimoam, [m] who was the mother of his four oldest sons and two daughters. Later in life, he acquired Rizpah as concubine by whom he had two sons. [n] She was evidently much younger, and may not have been acquired by Saul until Ahinoam had passed away. It is worth noting, that whatever Saul's faults, he didn't multiply wives to himself as was forbidden to the 13 / 26

14 Kings of Israel. That is more than could be said for David, or most of the rest of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 2 Samuel 3:7b And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, "Why did you sleep with my father's concubine?" It doesn't say that Abner was guilty of this offense, only that Ish-bosheth accused him of it. There was probably little doubt that everybody could see that Abner was attracted to Rizpah and gossip was rampant. 2 Samuel 3:8 Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said and he answered, "Am I a dog's head--on Judah's side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven't handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving this woman! Whatever the truth of the accusation, Abner was insulted that he should be chided like an underling, when it was only due to his efforts that Ish-Bosheth was King at all. 14 / 26

15 2 Samuel 3:9-10 May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the LORD promised him on oath and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David's throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba." [o] Abner promised that because of Ish-Bosheth's ingratitude, he would hand over the rest of the Kingdom to David. He probably knew and admired David far more than he did Ish-Bosheth. 2 Samuel 3:11 Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him. Ish-Bosheth was such a weak King that there was nothing he could do. 2 Samuel 3:12 Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf [p] to say to David, "Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you." 15 / 26

16 Abner was as good as his vow. He immediately sent word to David to begin negotiations. 2 Samuel 3:13 "Good," said David. "I will make an agreement with you. But I demand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless you bring Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me." However, David had a precondition. He demanded that Michal be returned to him. This is in spite of the fact he had taken six wives since he had left Michal, and that Michal had been married to another man for almost ten years. David was on shaky ground with regard to the Mosaic Law in this. It seems to forbid such a remarriage. [q] Michal's wishes were not consulted on this. David was certainly not in love with her anymore, and it is obvious that her second husband was. David's demand seemed to regard Michal as property. It is little wonder that David's family life was an unqualified disaster. 2 Samuel 3:14-15 Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding, "Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins." So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel [r] son of Laish. 16 / 26

17 Having given this as a precondition to Abner, David also sent word to Ish-Bosheth. This certainly implies that Ish-Bosheth himself was made aware of the negotiations. At any rate, Ish-Bosheth had Michal taken away from her husband and sent with Abner to David. This implies that at the time Michal and her husband were part of Ish-Bosheth's household in Mahanaim. 2 Samuel 3:16 Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go back home!" So he went back. Michal's husband loved her so much that he followed the party all the way back to Bahurim which was close to the border of Judah. From Mahanaim to Bahurim was a distance of almost 50 miles. It seems unlikely that Paltiel would have been allowed to follow so far without Michal's approval. 2 Samuel 3:17-18 Abner had conferred with the elders of Israel and said, "For some time you have wanted to make David your king. Abner knows that it is only his leadership that has kept the other tribes from making David King as Judah had. 17 / 26

18 2 Samuel 3:18 Now do it! For the LORD promised David, By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.'" He now had decided that was the LORD's will. 2 Samuel 3:19a Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person. Probably on his way through Bahurim, he had conferred with the Benjamites, who were his tribe and Ish-Bosheth's tribe, and therefore the most loyal. 2 Samuel 3:19 Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin wanted to do. 18 / 26

19 He then went to David's capital in Hebron and told David everybody had agreed to make him King. 2 Samuel 3:20-21a When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for him and his men. Then Abner said to David, "Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a compact with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires." David and Abner made plans together to solemnify the compact with the other tribes 2 Samuel 3:21b-22 So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace. Just then David's men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. No sooner had Abner with his twenty men left the city, than Joab arrived back from a raid, probably against the northern tribes. With him he was probably carrying a great deal of plunder (of which a great part would become his). 19 / 26

20 2 Samuel 3:23-25 When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace. So Joab went to the king and said, "What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing." Joab was not willing to believe that Abner's visit was genuine. We don't know if David had kept him in the loop about his previous correspondence with Abner, or that Abner had brought Michal back as a pledge of good faith. We do know that Joab still hated Abner for killing his brother Asahel in battle. Joab might also not have been willing for the war to end while he was making such a good living at it. He might also have been afraid that Abner would replace him as commander of the armies of David. 2 Samuel 3:26-27 Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah. [s] But David did not know it. Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the gateway, as though to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died. What Joab did was nothing better than cold blooded murder. The only thing that Abner was guilty of was being a faithful servant of Saul. He was among those who would not act when Saul 20 / 26

21 told his servants to kill the priests of Nob. 2 Samuel 3:28-29 Later, when David heard about this, he said, "I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. May his blood fall upon the head of Joab and upon his whole family! May Joab's house never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food." Fortunately, neither David nor any man has the power to be the judge in the place of God. Furthermore, the LORD doesn't judge anybody because of the sins their fathers commit. However, as King he did have to power to punish judicially, under the Law. Although David was innocent of the murder, he did nothing to punish Joab. This was not David's finest hour and would lead to other problems. 2 Samuel 3:30 (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.) The Bible here quite clearly calls this murder. This also tells us that Abishai was somehow involved in the murder perhaps he was the one who brought Abner back and led him to Joab. Perhaps he also stabbed Abner after Joab did. David's response was not adequate and set a precedent that, if you were close enough to the King, murder was acceptable. 21 / 26

22 2 Samuel 3:31 Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, "Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner." King David himself walked behind the bier. This was the extent of Joab's punishment. He had to pretend he was in mourning. 2 Samuel 3:32 They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept aloud at Abner's tomb. All the people wept also. One has wonder why he was buried in Hebron, in Judah. He was from Benjamin. Perhaps, as a sign of honor they buried him close to the tomb of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (which is in Hebron). [t] Also, it seems that David wanted to carry out the burial in a way that indicated he had not approved of the murder. 2 Samuel 3:33 The king sang this lament for Abner: "Should Abner have died as the lawless die? 22 / 26

23 In other words, should he have died as if there was no law in Israel? Abner was innocent. 2 Samuel 3:34-37 Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. You fell as one falls before wicked men." And all the people wept over him again. Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!" All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. So on that day all the people and all Israel knew that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner. David was able to control the damage to his image. I also don't doubt that David sincerely admired Abner. He had fought under him, and eaten next to him at Saul's table for years. 2 Samuel 3:38 Then the king said to his men, "Do you not realize that a prince and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah [u] are too strong for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!" 23 / 26

24 He paid tribute to Abner, and complained that Joab and Abishai had become too strong. However, he never did anything about it. They were too useful to him, and although they were headstrong, they were loyal to David, even as Abner had been to Saul. [a] I prefer the more literal translation of the KJV. [b] Ishbosheth is also known by the name Eshbaal (1 Chronicles 8:33). Ishbosheth means "man of shame." Eshbaal means "man of Baal." [c] Gilead in its broadest sense it can be applied to all of Israelite Trans-Jordan (cf. Josh 22:9 ff.). [d] Most scholars concede this should probably read "Asher" as in the tribe of Asher. In the division of the territory of Canaan among the tribes of Israel, Asher was assigned by Joshua the fertile strip of coastland north of Mt. Carmel to the north of Sidon, and eastward to the western slopes of the Galilean hills (Josh 19:24-31, 34). To the south the Carmel range served as the common border with Manasseh, the Galilean hills separating Asher on its 24 / 26

25 southeast border from Zebulun, and on its northeast side from Naphtali. [e] Jezreel probably refers to the Valley of Jezreel which is the southeast part of the larger valley that divides Galilee on the north from Samaria on the south. The Valley of Megiddo is the northwestern part of it. It was the Jezreel Valley that the Philistines had conquered. [f] Notably, this list does not include Dan in the far north, which had its own Temple, and is not included among the 144,000 of Revelation. However, when David became King of Israel, they did submit to his authority (2 Samuel 3:10). [g] Judges 13:25. Judges 21:38 tells us it was a Levitical town. [h] Acts 13:21 "Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years." [i] Although there are two large rock hewn water shafts at Gibeon, it is unlikely that either of them were the site of this conflict. The size of the battle would have required a bigger stage than these shafts, both of which were inside the walls of Gibeon. More likely, one of the nearby valleys was the location of the pool, and the natural two sided staging that seems suggested by the story. [j] It seems to me that the only way this could be accomplished is if each pair were standing chest to chest, each with their left arm around their opponents neck, while their right arm wielded the knife which was plunged into their opponents side. [k] Helkath Hazzurim means "field of daggers." [l] I have used the preferred translation of most of the versions. 25 / 26

26 [m] 1 Samuel 14:50 [n] 2 Samuel 21:8 [o] The northern border to the southern border. [p] About half of the translations leave out "in his behalf." I don't find it there with my limited Hebrew either. [q] According to Deuteronomy 24:1-4, a man should not remarry a woman divorced from him. [r] Paltiel means "God delivers." [s] Evidently, not far from Hebron. [t] Genesis 23:19 and Genesis 49:29-33 [u] His own aunt and the mother of Joab and Abishai. 26 / 26