III. David's Reign,— (L) At King pf Judah at ff&- hroriy 7^ years (2 Sam. ii, 1-v, 5). — Hebron was select- ed, doubtless, because it was the ancient sacred city of the tribe of Judah, the burial-place of the patriarchs and the inheritance of Caleb. Here David was first formally anointed king — by whom it is not stated ; but the expression seems to limit the inauguration to the tribe of Judah, and therefore to exclude any interven- tion of Abiathar (2 Sam. ii, 4). To Judah his domin- ion was nominally confined. But probably for the first five years of the time the dominion of the house of Saul, whose seat was now at Mahanaim, did not extend to the west of the Jordan, and consequently David would be the only Israelite potentate among the western tribes. He then strengthened himself by a marriage with Maacah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur (2 Sam. ill, 3), a petty monarch whose dominions were near the sources of the Jordan, and whose influence at the opposite end of the land must have added a great weight into David's scale. From Abigail, widow of the churlish Nabal, David seems to have received a large private fortune. Concerning his other wives we know nothing in particular, only it is mentioned that he had six sons by six different mothers in Hebron. The chief jealousy was between the two tribes of Ben- jamin and Judah, as Saul had belonged to the for- mer ; and a tournament was turned by mutual ill-will into a battle, in which Abner unwillingly slew young Asabel, brother of Joab. * * Long war, " after this, was carried on between ** the house of Saul and the house of David." We may infer that the rest of Israel took little part in the contest ; and although the nominal possession of the kingdom enabled the little tribe of Benjamin to struggle for some time against Judah, the skill and age of Abner could not prevail against the vigor and popular £Eune of David. Gradually David's power increased, and during the two years which fol- lowed the elevation of Ishbosheth, a series of skir- mishes took place between the two kingdoms. First came a successful inroad into the territory of Ishbo- sheth (2 Sam. ii, 28). Next occurred the defection of Abner (2 Sam. iii, 12). A quarrel between Abner and Ishbosheth decided the former to bring the kingdom over to David (see Ortlob, De pacta Davidis et Abneri^ Lips. 1709). The latter refused to treat unless, as a preliminary proof of Abner's sincerity, Michal, daugh- ter of Saul, was restored to David. The possession of such a wife was valuable to one who was aspiring to
the kingdom ; and altiunigfa David had tsn wives, he appears not to have lost his alhd&aain his earliest bride. She, too, seems to have aqm in his claim as being greater than that of tk & whom her fiither had arbitrarfly b»(owedkE,a£k sincere kindness of her new husband had pfobiiik^ effaced her former attachment to David, alitei|S»| afterwards find her betrayed into an onwortfcrttT her pride of position. After "giving her back. As proceeded to win the elders oi Israel orer to Ii^ but Joab discerned that if this should be m baa about, Abner of necessity would displace him tea post of chief captain. He therefore seized tkt ml tunity of murdering him when be had comeoBt^ ful embassy, and covered the a&ocity by pleaii^V duty of revenging his brother's blood. This detcu perhaps David's first taste of the miseries of mniM er. He dared not proceed actively against Ut m less nephew, but he vented his abhorrence in a ueb curse on Joab and hb posterity, and fcdlovcdAia to the grave with weeping. See Abxeb. <^bx>»i purge himself of the guilt, he ordered a paUk n^ of sackcloth, and refused to touch food aU tb liw His sincere expressions of grief won the heart Ui Israel. The feeble Ishbosheth (q. v.), left ikee. Q unequal to the government, and shortly nfiendi^ same fate of assassination. David, Mowif^tlea^ versal policy of sovereigns (Tacit Bid, i,4^f^3^ own profound sense of the aacredness otmpk^M vengeance on the murderers, and buried bbbc^^ Abner's tomb at Hebron. During this period, k'a^ stated against what people his marauding eicottj were directed. It is diiftinctly alleged (2 Sua. 5, - 1 that his men brought in a great spoU st theTfirti^ at which he had a truce with Abner ; poasbfyif (&; have been won from his old enemies the Aaakksat- Sam.xxx). The throne, so long waiting for bianj now vacant, and the united voice of the wiwli f^ at once called him to occupy it. B.C lOtf. A* emn league was made between him andhiipeM"- Sam. V, 8). For the third time David w» aasff* king, and a festival of three days celebntedtbe jeft: event (1 Chron. xii, 89). His little band l»i »« sweUed into "a great host, like the host ofGoT Chron, xii, 22). The command of it,wkidiW^ merly rested on David alone, he now devdwd «■ nephew Joab (2 Sam. ii, 28). It was (otofA bf » tingentsfhun every tribe of IsraeL Tiroa»»l*^ mentioned as bringing a weight of autiKxitf ittf^i^ others. The sons of Issachar had ^'ondentu^ the times to know what Israel ought to doj^aadts the adjacent tribes contributed to the oooaioa m the peculiar products of their rich teiritoiy(lCb^ xii, 82, 40). The Levitical tribe, formeriy wpw^ in David's being followed only by the soKtaiyft^ Abiathar, now came in strength, representid ^ head of the rival branch of Eleazar, the li^^ the aged Jehoiada and his youthful and wariike «^ manZadok(lChron.xii,27,28; xxvii,5> T^^: dora was not at first a despotic, but a c****"*??? one ; for it is stated, " David made o fa^* *f r* elders of Israel in Hebron before Jehovah; aw^ anointed David king over Israel" (2 Sam. t, 5>^ is marked out as the era whidi dotennined ^ '^ tines to hostility (ver. 17), and may confirm oe^ that their policy was to hinder Israel from b**'''^ united under a single king. .