2 Sam chpt 2 characters
Notes
Transcript
Important Characters for Israel's second Civil War
2 Samuel Chapter 2
People:
David – Although annointed to be king, David has been running from the recently dead King Saul until now. David has repented of his sins and is honoring God in our story (but David sins badly beginning in chapter 11). David will become the next king, but not without struggle and loss.
Saul – Dead king that tried to kill David. Although annointed by God, was rejected by God for disobedience and unrepentace. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin.
Ahinoam and Abigail – These are two of David's several wives. They were recently captured by Amalakites and their village (Ziklag) was burned. God let David save them after David repented.
Abner – King Saul's cousin and top general for Saul's army. He is the real power opposing David in our story.
Ish-bosheth (aka Ish-baal in 1 Chronicles) - His real name was probably Ish-baal, meaning "man of Baal". Baal was a pagan god of fertility. This probably indicates that his father, King Saul, slid away from God during the time of his birth. He is probably called Ish-bosheth ("man of humility") in 2 Samuel because it both removes the horrible pagan name and is a word play in Hebrew, since "humilty" sounds like "shameful". Ish-bosheth is a weak man and is king only as a puppet of Abner.
Joab – David's nephew, David's top general, and will become a close friend of David.
Abishai – Nephew of David and brother of Joab and Asahel, Abishai went with David to steal Saul's spear (1 Sam 26:5-12). He will save David's life in a later story.
Asahel – Like his brothers, one of "the 30" (best soldiers) and one of David's mighty men. A top warrier for David, and a nephew, his death was deeply felt by David's army and started a new chapter in the war.
Places:
Judah – Largest of the twelve tribes by population at this point in history. (Jacob's name changed to Israel (Gen 35:10), and his 12 sons formed the 12 tribes of Israel.)
Benjamin – Southern tribe that opposed David in our story. Smallest of the twelve tribes.
Mahanaim- Chosen as Ish-bosheth's new capital on the other side of the Jordan river, it was meant to be a safe distance from David.
Gibeon- Border town 6 mi north of Jerusalem. The pool mentioned in our story is part of a large, complex limestone water system archeologists have uncovered dating from before this time, very early in Israel's history.
Hebron- Hometown of Ahinoam and not far from Carmel, Hebron must have welcomed their David's wives home. David sent presents to the leaders of Hebron at the end of 1 Sam. This was at the time the most important city in Judah, and near-ish to Bethleham, David's hometown. This place was important in Abraham's life (Gen 13:18; 23:2; 25:10) and it was a Levitical city (Josh. 21:13), and therefore people likely to worship God.
Bethlehem- David's hometown and future birthplace of Jesus.