Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Commentary for II Samuel 2:34

Rashi on II Samuel

Took Ish Boshes. He extrapolated from a verse that two kings were destined to come from Binyomin. Because the Holy One, blessed is He told Yakov, "Kings will come forth from you," and [by this time] all of his children had been born except for Binyomin.1“Will come forth from you” implies that they were to come from someone yet unborn, and this could only be Binyomin. Avner understood this to mean that two kings will be descendant from Binyomin, Shaul and Ish Boshes (Rashi and Sifsei Chachomin, Breshis 35,11).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Rashi on II Samuel

The Plain of Swords. Yonasan translates the plain of Killing on account of the swords just like you say [in Scriptures] (Tehilim 89, 44)2Rashi is showing how the word צוּר, sharpness, is used in reference to a sword. "You also turned back the sharpness of his sword."
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Rashi on II Samuel

Into the fifth rib. As [if to say] the fifth rib,3Counting from the bottom. the place where the bile and the liver are set. [But] Yonasan translated [this to mean] "on the side of his thigh,"
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Rashi on II Samuel

And died in his place. And died in his place.4This is Targum Yonasan’s translation.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Rashi on II Samuel

If you had not spoken. If only you had spoken this [way5Your decrying of us fighting each other. earlier] [The לא] is as [if it were written] לו6According to this first interpretation, the construct לוּלֵא denotes לוֹלוּ, “if only if,” i.e., if only you had spoken these reconcilitory words earlier., meaning it. Another [way] to interpret it is as it's plain meaning7This interpretation of לולא is the usual “if not for.”: if you had not spoken i.e. that which you said "Let the young soldiers get up and playfight."8Those words triggered this deadly battle.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Rashi on II Samuel

The Bisron. The name of a region.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Rashi on II Samuel

Nineteen men and Asoel. But is not Asoel included in [the group called] "the servants of Dovid," so why is he [singled] out? [The reason is] he was worth all of them [together] and so too [a similar case], (Yehoshua 2,1), "Go see [and spy out] the land and Yericho"9Yericho was as strong as the entire land combined (see Rashi there). and so too [another similar case] "King Shlomo loved many foreign women and the daughter of Pharaoh."10Shlomo cherished Pharaoh’s daughter as much as he did the rest of them put together. (See Rashi ibid). (Kings I, 11, 1 ).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Previous VerseFull ChapterNext Verse