2 Samuel 3:6

And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(6) Abner made himself strong.—It has already been noticed that the fortunes of the house of Saul depended entirely upon Abner, but the fact of Ish-bosheth’s great obligation to him is again mentioned here in explanation of the following story.

Benson Commentary

2 Samuel 3:6. Abner made himself strong, &c. — He used his utmost endeavours to support Saul’s house, going up and down through all the tribes of Israel to strengthen Ish-bosheth’s interest, and confirm the people in their allegiance to him: which is mentioned to show the reason of Abner’s deep resentment of the following aspersion.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

3:1-6 The length of this war tried the faith and patience of David, and made his settlement at last the more welcome. The contest between grace and corruption in the hearts of believers, may fitly be compared to this warfare. There is a long war between them, the flesh lusting against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; but as the work of holiness is carried on, corruption, like the house of Saul, grows weaker and weaker; while grace, like the house of David, grows stronger and stronger.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Render, "And it came to pass, while the war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted, that Abner assisted the house of Saul."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

2Sa 3:6-12. Abner Revolts to David.

6-11. Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul—In the East, the wives and concubines of a king are the property of his successor to this extent, that for a private person to aspire to marry one of them would be considered a virtual advance of pretensions to the crown (see 1Ki 2:17). It is not clear whether the accusation against Abner was well or ill founded. But he resented the charge as an indignity, and, impelled by revenge, determined to transfer all the weight of his influence to the opposite party. He evidently set a full value on his services, and seems to have lorded it over his weak nephew in a haughty, overbearing manner.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

He used all his endeavours to support Saul’s house; which is mentioned, to show the reason of his deep resentment of the following aspersion. Or, he strengthened himself in the house of Saul, i.e. he so managed all affairs, as to get all the riches and power into his own hands; which made Ish-bosheth suspect that he aimed at the kingdom, and sought to marry the king’s concubine in order to it, as the manner was. See 2 Samuel 12:8 16:21 1 Kings 1:17.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David,.... As long as that continued, as it did until the following quarrel happened between Ishbosheth and Abner:

that Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul; or was strongly in the interest of that house, and used his utmost endeavours to support and confirm it.

Geneva Study Bible

And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

6–11. Quarrel between Abner and Ish-bosheth

6. made himself strong] Or, shewed himself strong. Ish-bosheth was evidently weak and incapable, a mere puppet in the hands of Abner, who had made himself the mainstay of Saul’s house, partly from his family connexion, partly with a view to secure the greatest amount of influence, possibly with the hope of eventually becoming king himself. At length foreseeing the impossibility of continuing a successful opposition to David’s growing power, he took the opportunity of a quarrel with Ish-bosheth to make such overtures to David as might secure him favourable terms and an influential position.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 6. - Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul. The Hebrew really means that until this miserable quarrel about Rizpah, Abner had been the mainstay of Ishbosheth's throne and dynasty. She is proved to have been a noble woman, with a warm and devoted heart, by the narrative in 2 Samuel 21:8-11. But the harem of a deceased king was looked upon as the special inheritance of his successor; and Absalom, by taking David's concubines (2 Samuel 16:21, 22), treated his father as a dead man, and committed so overt an act of treason as made reconciliation impossible. So Solomon put his brother Adonijah to death for asking Abishag to wife (1 Kings 2:23-25). Still, as Bathsheba there saw no impropriety in Adonijah's request, and as Solomon deposed Abiathar and put Joab to death for complicity, as we must conclude, in Adonijah's request, it was probably part of some scheme of conspiracy, and that, if granted, it would have been used by Adonijah as a proof that the kingdom really was his. Here there was no plot, and as Rizpah had probably always lived apart from Ishbosheth, Abner may have expected that the king would see no difficulty in the matter. 2 Samuel 3:6

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Decline of the House of Saul. - 2 Samuel 3:6-11. Abner's quarrel with Ishbosheth. - During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner adhered firmly to the house of Saul, but he appropriated one of Saul's concubines to himself. When Ishbosheth charged him with this, he fell into so violent a rage, that he at once announced to Ishbosheth his intention to hand over the kingdom to David. Abner had certainly perceived the utter incapacity of Ishbosheth for a very long time, if not from the very outset, and had probably made him king after the death of Saul, merely that he might save himself from the necessity of submitting to David, and might be able to rule in Ishbosheth's name, and possibly succeed in paving his own way to the throne. His appropriation of the concubine of the deceased monarch was at any rate a proof, according to Israelitish notions, and in fact those generally prevalent in the East, that he was aiming at the throne (vid., 2 Samuel 16:21; 1 Kings 2:21). But it may gradually have become obvious to him, that the house of Saul could not possibly retain the government in opposition to David; and this may have led to his determination to persuade all the Israelites to acknowledge David, and thereby to secure for himself an influential post under his government. This will explain in a very simple manner Abner's falling away from Ishbosheth and going over to David.

2 Samuel 3:6-7

2 Samuel 3:6 and 2 Samuel 3:7 constitute one period, expanded by the introduction of circumstantial clauses, the ויהי (it came to pass) of the protasis being continued in the ויּאמר (he said) of 2 Samuel 3:7. "It came to pass, when there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, and Abner showed himself strong for the house of Saul, and Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, that he (Ishbosheth) said to Abner, Why hast thou gone to my father's concubine?" The subject to "said" is omitted in the apodosis; but it is evident from 2 Samuel 3:8, and the expression "my father," that Ishbosheth is to be supplied. Even in the second circumstantial clause, "and Saul had a concubine," the reason why this is mentioned is only to be gathered from Ishbosheth's words. בּ התחזק: to prove one's self strong for, or with, a person, i.e., to render him powerful help. אל בּוא means "to cohabit with." It was the exclusive right of the successor to the throne to cohabit with the concubines of the deceased king, who came down to him as part of the property which he inherited.