In brief
Abner, son of Ner, is the commander of Saul’s army. He brings David before the king after the victory over Goliath, then is humiliated when David takes Saul’s spear while Abner sleeps. After Saul’s death, he makes Ishbosheth king and fights David; he kills Asahel, Joab’s brother, who pursues him. Falling out with Ishbosheth, he negotiates Israel’s rallying to David. Joab murders him at Hebron to avenge his brother. David mourns in him a prince and a great man fallen in Israel.
What does the name Abner mean?
Abner is generally understood as “the father is light” or “father of light.” The Bible does not comment on the name. It almost always calls him “Abner the son of Ner,” captain of Saul’s army, of whom he is a close relative.
The story of Abner
Commander of Saul’s army
1 Samuel 17:55-57As David goes out against Goliath, Saul asks “Abner, the captain of the army” about the young man’s identity. Abner does not know. After the victory, “Abner took him and brought him before Saul.” He is the one who introduces to court the man who will one day take his master’s place.
Asleep beside the king
1 Samuel 26:5-16David enters by night the camp where Saul sleeps, “with Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his army.” He takes the king’s spear and jar of water, then calls out to Abner from afar: “Why then have you not kept watch over your lord, the king?” The general failed, and God spared Saul through David’s restraint.
He makes Ishbosheth king
2 Samuel 2:8-11After Saul’s death, Abner takes his son Ishbosheth, brings him to Mahanaim and makes him king over Gilead, Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel, while Judah follows David. Abner knows that God promised the throne to David, yet he keeps Saul’s house in place. Two kingdoms clash for several years.
The death of Asahel
2 Samuel 2:12-32At the battle of Gibeon, Abner is beaten. Asahel, Joab’s brother, pursues him without turning aside. Abner begs him twice to turn away, then strikes him with the spear; Asahel dies on the spot. Abner calls to Joab, “Shall the sword devour forever?” Joab stops the pursuit, but vengeance is brewing.
The break with Ishbosheth
2 Samuel 3:6-21Accused by Ishbosheth over Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, Abner is furious and swears to act as “Yahweh has sworn to David.” He negotiates with David, speaks to the elders of Israel and to Benjamin, then comes to Hebron with twenty men. David holds a feast for him and sends him away in peace.
Murdered at the gate of Hebron
2 Samuel 3:22-39Joab, on his return, has Abner brought back and strikes him in the body “for the blood of Asahel his brother.” David declares himself guiltless of this blood, follows the bier and laments: “Should Abner die as a fool dies?” He recognizes that “a prince and a great man has fallen today in Israel.”
What Abner teaches us
- Knowing what God has decided is not enough: Abner knew it long before he lined up with it.
- Vengeance feeds vengeance; only grace breaks the chain.
- You can be competent and respected, and yet fall asleep at the very moment your vigilance matters most.
- God sees the end of a life: David honored in Abner a man who had just turned to the right side.
Key verses
David reproaches Abner for not guarding Yahweh’s anointed. Israel’s best soldier slept while the king was at a man’s mercy.
“Shall the sword devour forever?” Abner, though engaged in the war, sees the bitterness coming and calls for an end to pursuing his brothers.
David’s lament over Abner: his hands weren’t bound and his feet weren’t put into fetters, yet he fell as before wicked men. The king refuses to cover up the murder.
David says that “a prince and a great man has fallen today in Israel,” publicly honoring a former adversary who had become a builder of unity.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Joab kill Abner?
2 Samuel 3:27 and 3:30 say it: Joab and Abishai killed Abner “because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.” Joab also suspected Abner of deceiving David (2 Samuel 3:25). David condemned this murder, declared himself guiltless and had all the people mourn Abner.
What does the name Abner mean?
Abner is generally understood as “the father is light” or “father of light.” The Bible does not comment on the name. It calls him “Abner the son of Ner,” and 1 Samuel 14:50 specifies that Ner was a close relative of Saul, which explains his place at the head of the army and his loyalty to the king’s house.
Where can I find the story of Abner in the Bible?
Abner appears in 1 Samuel 14:50-51, then in 1 Samuel 17:55-57 with David and Goliath, in 1 Samuel 20:25 at Saul’s table, and in 1 Samuel 26 in Saul’s camp. After Saul’s death, his story is told in 2 Samuel 2 and 3, until his death at Hebron and David’s lament.