Abner, the son of Ner— Abner was Saul's general, and near kinsman. Interest and ambition, therefore, and it may be envy too, strongly swayed him against his duty; for it appears sufficiently from the sequel of his history, that he was well acquainted with David's divine designation to the throne. But should he now submit to it, he must no more hope for the supreme command of the army, of which Joab was in possession, and well deserved to be so, as he was a tried friend and near kinsman of David. Nor was this all: Ish-bosheth was Abner's near kinsman, the interest of whose tribe and family was connected with his own. Add to all this, that Abner commanded under Saul in all the expeditions that he made against David; and it appears sufficiently clear from the history, that David was greatly an over-match for him in all military conduct. Thus envy, ambition, interest, and personal pique, led him to espouse the cause of Ish-bosheth, whom he brought over Jordan with him to Mahanaim; a city in the tribe of Gad, (see Genesis 32:2.) which he chose for his residence, the better to gain that part of the country to his interest, to be more out of the reach of David's and the Philistines' incursions, and to have the better opportunity of recruiting his army among a people not only brave and courageous, but very well affected to the cause that he had espoused.
Related Commentaries of 2 Samuel 2:8
2 Samuel 2:8
8 But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host,a took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;