What is the meaning of 2 Samuel 2:29? And all that night • The inspired record shows Abner moving immediately after Joab’s pursuit ends (2 Samuel 2:27–28), choosing flight instead of rest. • Night travel highlights urgency and unease, much like Jacob’s fearful night journey (Genesis 32:22) and Israel’s midnight exodus (Exodus 12:42). • Psalm 121:4 reminds us, “Indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep”; while Abner stayed awake for safety, God is always awake for His people. Abner and his men marched through the Arabah • The Arabah is the hot, dry Rift Valley stretching from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea (Deuteronomy 1:1). • Pressing through that harsh terrain at night speaks to their desperation after losing many men (2 Samuel 2:31). • Similar wilderness marches test faith and endurance—see Israel in the Zin desert (Numbers 20:1) and Elijah’s trek to Horeb (1 Kings 19:4–8). They crossed the Jordan • Stepping over the Jordan placed Abner back in territory loyal to Saul’s house, away from David’s claim. • The Jordan often marks turning points: Joshua leading Israel in (Joshua 3:14–17), Elijah and Elisha crossing before the prophet’s departure (2 Kings 2:8), and David later fleeing Absalom (2 Samuel 17:22). • For Abner it is a literal line of safety, but God still rules on both banks (Psalm 24:1). Marched all morning • After an all-night march, Abner keeps going past sunrise—evidence of military discipline and the cost of civil war. • Contrast Saul’s earlier army, worn out from a rash oath (1 Samuel 14:24); Abner pushes his men without such folly yet still at great physical price. • Isaiah 40:31 reminds believers where true strength comes from: “But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles”. Arrived at Mahanaim • Mahanaim, east of the Jordan, first received its name when Jacob met the angelic “two camps” (Genesis 32:2). It becomes a haven again—first for Abner and later for David when fleeing Absalom (2 Samuel 17:24). • The city’s history shows God providing refuge in times of political upheaval. Though Abner seeks shelter for human reasons, the location itself testifies to God’s protective patterns. summary • Abner’s nonstop retreat—night march, desert valley, river crossing, and morning push—reveals the high stakes of Israel’s divided kingdom. • Each geographical detail is literal and purposeful, underscoring God’s sovereign oversight even during human conflict. • The verse captures exhaustion, urgency, and providence, setting the stage for Abner’s later decisions and God’s unfolding plan to unite the kingdom under David. |
    |