📖 2 Samuel — Chapter 4 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
2 Samuel 4:1 And when Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, Rhis hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.
2 Samuel 4:2 And Saul’s son had two men that were Rcaptains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the Tother Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin.
2 Samuel 4:3 And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.)
2 Samuel 4:4 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old Rwhen the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was TMephibosheth.
2 Samuel 4:5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, Rwent, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon.
2 Samuel 4:6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him Runder the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
2 Samuel 4:7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and Rtook his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.
2 Samuel 4:8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which Rsought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.
2 Samuel 4:9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth, Rwho hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,
2 Samuel 4:10 When Rone told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, Tthinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, Twho thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:
2 Samuel 4:11 How much more, Rwhen wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?
2 Samuel 4:12 And David commanded his young men, and they Rslew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
2 Samuel 4:1–4 — Fear in Saul’s household
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Abner’s death weakens Ishbosheth and troubles Israel. The narrative introduces Rechab and Baanah, then recalls how Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth became disabled during the family’s flight. His injury belongs to the history of loss surrounding Saul’s house; it is not described as a personal moral failure.
Key Truth: Read vulnerable people’s stories with care and compassion.
Check What You Remember
1. Who had died in Hebron? (2 Samuel 4:1)
Find it in 2 Samuel 4:1 (KJV).
2. Who was Baanah’s brother? (2 Samuel 4:2)
Find it in 2 Samuel 4:2 (KJV).
3. What was Jonathan’s son named? (2 Samuel 4:4)
Find it in 2 Samuel 4:4 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
2 Samuel 4:5–8 — A murder disguised as good news
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Rechab and Baanah enter Ishbosheth’s house while he rests and kill him. They carry his head to David, claiming that the LORD has avenged David. Their religious explanation is their own claim, not the narrator’s approval. The passage exposes violence against a defenseless man beneath language about serving the king.
Key Truth: Invoking God’s name does not make wrongdoing righteous.
Check What You Remember
1. Whose house did the brothers enter? (2 Samuel 4:5)
Find it in 2 Samuel 4:5 (KJV).
2. What did they appear to come for? (2 Samuel 4:6)
Find it in 2 Samuel 4:6 (KJV).
3. To which city did they bring Ishbosheth’s head? (2 Samuel 4:8)
Find it in 2 Samuel 4:8 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
2 Samuel 4:9–12 — David rejects the killers’ expectation
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
David recalls the earlier messenger who expected a reward for news of Saul’s death. He condemns Ishbosheth’s murder and orders the killers executed. Ishbosheth’s head is buried in Abner’s sepulchre. This is an ancient king’s judgment, not an instruction for readers to take personal vengeance.
Key Truth: An advantage gained through injustice must not be celebrated as a blessing.
Check What You Remember
1. Who does David credit with redeeming him from adversity? (2 Samuel 4:9)
Find it in 2 Samuel 4:9 (KJV).
2. Where had David judged the earlier messenger? (2 Samuel 4:10)
Find it in 2 Samuel 4:10 (KJV).
3. In whose sepulchre was Ishbosheth’s head buried? (2 Samuel 4:12)
Find it in 2 Samuel 4:12 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Proverbs 17:15 — This proverb condemns approving wickedness and condemning righteousness.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
Have you ever been tempted to excuse a wrong because its result seemed useful? Ask God for integrity that refuses injustice even when it might benefit you.
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. How is Ishbosheth’s reaction to Abner’s death described?
2. How does the account explain Mephibosheth’s disability?
3. What interpretation do the killers offer when presenting Ishbosheth’s head?
4. How does David use the earlier messenger’s fate in answering them?
5. What makes David’s judgment of the killers explicit?
Notes
Write what you want to remember, questions to explore, or Scriptures to look up later. Your saved notes are private to your account.
Loading your notes…
Chapter Navigation