And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab, and Baanah.
The death of Ishbosheth
I. The motives that induced those two traitors to murder Ishbosheth were:
1. Abner’s death had disabled him for any royal duty.
2. All the tribes were in a confusion to hear their peacemaker was slain; hereupon they now doubted of obtaining David’s favour.
3. None of Saul’s house (beside concubine sons incapable of the crown) were alive to revenge Ishbosheth’s murder, save only Mephibosheth.
4. These two traitors, therefore, thought that by their removing useless Ishbosheth out of David’s way the Crown of the whole kingdom must needs come to him without any contradiction.
II. What reception these two traitors found with David when they presented Ishbosheth’s head to him.
1. David abhors the villany, and resolves with an oath to execute the villains.
2. Hereupon David justly commanded their execution, and cut off their hands that had done the deed, and their feet that carried them away with this present. (C. Ness.)
Assassination of Ishbosheth
The Septuagint has the following entirely different rendering, which is found also in some MSS. of the Vulgate, in addition to the rendering of the present Hebrews text, but apparently was not retained by Jerome himself. “And behold the portress of the house was cleaning wheat, and she slumbered and slept; and the brothers Rechab and Baanah came unobserved into the house. Now Ishbosheth was sleeping on the bed in his chamber: and they smote him,” etc. This also explains how the murderers entered unobserved. The female slave who watched the door (John 18:16, Acts 12:13) had fallen asleep over her task of sifting the wheat, and there was no one to give the alarm. (A. F. Kirkpatrick, M. A.)
The end of weakling
Here lies what was once a bar of iron, but the joint action of air and water has reduced it to a bar of rust. It has now no strength, and consequently no value. To how many varied and useful purposes it might have been put some years ago, and in its work have found its strength, beauty and preservation; but it is too late now; it will soon be blended with the earth upon which it passively lies, a striking emblem of the man who refuses to face the hammer and anvil of active life and honest work; who flies from the purifying fire of life’s adversities, and who will fight no battle for truth and the higher interests of his soul. Gifted only with powers which properly cultivated and employed would have blessed myriads, and opportunities for good which an angel might have envied, be allows the former to run waste and the latter to pass unheeded away, until corroded and worn down by his own inanition he sinks by degrees into that grave of mental and physical imbecility which has swallowed up its myriads, and which is too:frequently but the dark passage to a more terrible death.