2 Samuel 3:1
New International Version
The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

New Living Translation
That was the beginning of a long war between those who were loyal to Saul and those loyal to David. As time passed David became stronger and stronger, while Saul’s dynasty became weaker and weaker.

English Standard Version
There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.

Berean Standard Bible
Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was protracted. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

King James Bible
Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

New King James Version
Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

New American Standard Bible
Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David became steadily stronger, while the house of Saul became steadily weaker.

NASB 1995
Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually.

NASB 1977
Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was long; and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually.

Amplified Bible
There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; but David grew steadily stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker [to the point of being powerless].

Christian Standard Bible
During the long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, David was growing stronger and the house of Saul was becoming weaker.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The war between the house of Saul and the house of David was long and drawn out, with David growing stronger and the house of Saul becoming weaker.

American Standard Version
Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: and David waxed stronger and stronger, but the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And there was war for the household of Shaul and for the household of David, and David went and grew strong, and those of the household of Shaul went on and were made weaker

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And there was war for a long time between the house of Saul and the house of David; and the house of David grew continually stronger; but the house of Saul grew continually weaker.

Contemporary English Version
This battle was the beginning of a long war between the followers of Saul and the followers of David. Saul's power grew weaker, but David's grew stronger.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: David prospering and growing always stronger and stronger, but the house of Saul decaying daily.

English Revised Version
Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: and David waxed stronger and stronger, but the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
As the war between the royal families of Saul and David dragged on, David's family became stronger and stronger, and Saul's family became weaker and weaker.

Good News Translation
The fighting between the forces supporting Saul's family and those supporting David went on for a long time. As David became stronger and stronger, his opponents became weaker and weaker.

International Standard Version
After this, a state of protracted war existed between Saul's dynasty and David's dynasty, and the dynasty of David continued to grow and become strong while the dynasty of Saul continued to grow weaker.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David waxed stronger and stronger, but the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

Literal Standard Version
And the war is long between the house of Saul and the house of David, and David is going on and [is] strong, and the house of Saul is going on and [is] weak.

Majority Standard Bible
Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was protracted. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

New American Bible
There followed a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, in which David grew ever stronger, but the house of Saul ever weaker.

NET Bible
However, the war was prolonged between the house of Saul and the house of David. David was becoming steadily stronger, while the house of Saul was becoming increasingly weaker.

New Revised Standard Version
There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.

New Heart English Bible
Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: and David grew stronger and stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

Webster's Bible Translation
Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.

World English Bible
Now there was long war between Saul’s house and David’s house. David grew stronger and stronger, but Saul’s house grew weaker and weaker.

Young's Literal Translation
And the war is long between the house of Saul and the house of David, and David is going on and is strong, and the house of Saul are going on and are weak.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The House of David Strengthened
1Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was protracted. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. 2And sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam of Jezreel;…

Cross References
2 Samuel 2:17
The battle that day was intense, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.

2 Samuel 2:28
So Joab blew the ram's horn, and all the troops stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or continued to fight.

2 Samuel 5:10
And David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of Hosts was with him.

2 Samuel 22:44
You have delivered me from the strife of my people; You have preserved me as the head of nations; a people I had not known shall serve me.

1 Kings 14:30
There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days.

1 Chronicles 11:9
And David became greater and greater, for the LORD of Hosts was with him.

Esther 9:4
For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.


Treasury of Scripture

Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

long war

1 Kings 14:30
And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

1 Kings 15:16,32
And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days…

between

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Psalm 45:3-5
Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty…

Matthew 10:35,36
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law…

David waxed

2 Samuel 2:17
And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.

Esther 6:13
And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.

Job 8:7
Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

Jump to Previous
Continually David David's Grew House Lasted Saul Saul's Side Steadily Strong Stronger Time War Waxed Weak Weaker
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Continually David David's Grew House Lasted Saul Saul's Side Steadily Strong Stronger Time War Waxed Weak Weaker
2 Samuel 3
1. During the war David becomes stronger
2. Six sons are born to him in Hebron
6. Abner, displeased with Ishbosheth
7. revolts to David
13. David requires as a condition to bring him his wife Michal
17. Abner confers with the Israelites, feasted by David, and dismissed
22. Joab returning from battle, is displeased with the king, and kills Abner
28. David curses Joab
31. and mourns for Abner














(1) There was long war.--Not actual fighting of pitched battles, but a state of hostility, in which Ish-bosheth and David each claimed the allegiance of the whole nation, and this continued until the death of Ish-bosheth. During this time Ish-bosheth was too weak to carry on actual war, and David was content to abide the fulfilment of the promises of the Lord in His own good time.

Waxed stronger.--Time was working in David's favour, partly, doubtless, on account of Ish-bosheth's manifest incompetence, partly from a growing appreciation of the character and prowess of David, and a fuller realisation that he was the divinely appointed sovereign. In 1Chronicles 12:19-22 there is an account of an important accession to David from the tribe of Manasseh on the eve of Saul's last battle, and a further mention of continued accessions to him "day by day." As the necessary result of this constant transference of strength to David, "the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker."

Verse 1. - There was long war. As Ishbosheth reigned only two years, and as "the house of Saul" is the phrase used, it seems probable that after Ishbosheth's murder, during the five years before David's election to the throne of all Israel, the house of Saul had some puppet representative at Mahanaim, and some commander in Abner's place. But after the death of this able man matters would go from bad to worse, and, though David probably remained on the defensive, yet the contrast between the peace and good government of Judah and the misery in Israel made all the tribes wish to put an end to a harassing civil war. It is plain, too, that the Philistines, repelled at first by Abner's skill, had again gained the ascendant, and regarded themselves so completely as the rulers of the country, that they resented immediately with summary violence the bold act of the northern tribes in choosing David to be their common king.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The war
הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ (ham·mil·ḥā·māh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4421: A battle, war

between
בֵּ֚ין (bên)
Preposition
Strong's 996: An interval, space between

the house
בֵּ֣ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of Saul
שָׁא֔וּל (šā·’ūl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites

and the house
בֵּ֣ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of David
דָּוִ֑ד (dā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

was
וַתְּהִ֤י (wat·tə·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

protracted.
אֲרֻכָּ֔ה (’ă·ruk·kāh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 752: Long

And David
וְדָוִד֙ (wə·ḏā·wiḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

grew [stronger]
הֹלֵ֣ךְ (hō·lêḵ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

and stronger,
וְחָזֵ֔ק (wə·ḥā·zêq)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2390: Wax louder, stronger

while the house
וּבֵ֥ית (ū·ḇêṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of Saul
שָׁא֖וּל (šā·’ūl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites

grew [weaker]
הֹלְכִ֥ים (hō·lə·ḵîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

and weaker.
וְדַלִּֽים׃ (wə·ḏal·lîm)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 1800: Dangling, weak, thin


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OT History: 2 Samuel 3:1 Now there was long war between (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 2:32
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