2 Samuel 4:2

2Sa 4:2 And Saul’s son had two men [that were] captains of bands: the name of the one [was] Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin:

Ver. 2. And Saul’s son,] i.e., Jonathan; as the Rabbis and some others, who make these two to have been captains under him; and further say, that after Jonathan’s death, they stood for Mephibosheth, their master’s son, whom they would have made king, and have slain Ishbosheth. But Mephibosheth revealed all to Ishbosheth, whereupon these traitors fled, and afterwards hearing ef Abner’s death, returned secretly and slew Ishbosheth. Thus R. Solomon, Rabanus, Cajetan, &c. But who told them all this? and what footing have they for it in Scripture? By Saul’s son here, we may better understand Ishbosheth, as 2Sa 3:14; 2Sa 3:1.

Captains of bands.] Or, Of rovers, robbers, Latronum (so the Vulgate), raiders, tories.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Sa 4:2. Captains of bands — Whether of regular forces, or some flying parties, whose business was spoil and prey, is not certain. Perhaps they were captains of two companies of guards about the king.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4:2-3 Beeroth was located in Benjamin near Gibeon. Probably because of Saul’s persecution of the non-Israelite residents in that region (see 21:1-9), the citizens of Beeroth had fled to Gittaim, the location of which is unknown.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

This city Beeroth was in the tribe of Benjamin, Josh. 18:25.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 2. Captains of bands] Principes latronum, captains of banditti, says the Vulgate; the Syriac is the same. Whether Ish-bosheth kept bands of marauders, whose business it was to make sudden incursions into the country places, and carry off grain, provisions, cattle, c., we know not but such persons would be well qualified for the bloody work in which these two men were afterwards employed.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(2) A Beerothite.—Beeroth was one of the four cities of the Gibeonites (Jos_9:17), and was allotted with the others to the tribe of Benjamin (Jos_18:25). It is identified with the modern El-Bireh, nine miles north of Jerusalem. It is mentioned here, in the past tense, that Beeroth “was reckoned to Benjamin,” because in the time of the writer it was no longer inhabited. The fact that the murderers of Ish-bosheth were of his own tribe is made prominent.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2. captains of bands] Leaders of predatory troops. See note on ch. 2Sa_3:22.

of the children of Benjamin] The historian calls special attention to the fact that Ish-bosheth’s murderers belonged to his own tribe.

for Beeroth also, &c.] The object of this parenthesis is to explain how these Beerothites came to be Benjamites. Beeroth was one of the four Gibeonite cities, retained by their original Canaanite inhabitants in virtue of the treaty made with Joshua (Jos_9:17). It was however reckoned to belong to the tribe of Benjamin (Jos_18:25), and had been occupied by Benjamites when its original inhabitants deserted it. When and why they did so is unknown, but it has been plausibly conjectured that they fled from Saul’s massacre of the Gibeonites (2Sa_21:1-2).

The site of Beeroth (=wells) is probably marked by the modern village of El-Bireh (=the well), about 9 miles N. of Jerusalem. “It is remarkable as the first halting-place of caravans on the northern road from Jerusalem, and therefore not improbably the scene of the event to which its monastic tradition lays claim—the place where the parents of Jesus sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance, and when they found him not, turned back again to Jerusalem.” Stanley, Sinai and Pal. p. 213.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Saul's son had two men that were captains of bands,.... Of troops in the army, or of guards about the person of Ishbosheth son of Saul:

the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin; so that these men were brethren in nature, as well as in iniquity; they had the same father, who is described by his name and city, and their names are expressly mentioned and recorded to their infamy; and they were not only the servants of Ishbosheth, who had commissions under him, but were of the same tribe with him; all which is observed as an aggravation of their crime:

for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin; the place from whom Rimmon their father is denominated, and where he dwelt, as well as Gittaim, where they had sojourned, as in Sa2 4:3. This place, Beeroth, originally belonged to the Gibeonites, and fell to the lot of Benjamin at the division of the land, see Jos 9:17.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Beeroth - See the marginal reference. From Jos 9:17, it might have been expected that the population of Beeroth would be Canaanite. But from some unknown cause the Canaanite inhabitants of Beeroth had fled to Gittaim - perhaps the same as Gath - and continued there as sojourners. If this flight of the Beerothites took place at the time of Saul’s cruel attack upon the Gibeonites 2Sa 21:1-2, Baanah and Reehab may have been native Beerothites, and have been instigated to murder the son of Saul by a desire to avenge the blood of their countrymen. The fact of their being reckoned as Benjamites is quite compatible with their being Canaanites by blood.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Bands, (Latronum.) Literally, "robbers," or people who live on plunder, like the posterity of Ismael, and of Esau, Genesis xxvii. 40. The life-guards of princes are often styled latrones, (Calmet) from their being stationed at their "sides," as if Laterones. (Menochius) -----Fixumque latronis,

Impavidus frangit telum. (Virgil, Æneid xii. 7.)

See Servius. (Judges xi. 3.) --- Beroth was one of the towns of the Gabaonites. It is not certain that the inhabitants retired, in consequence of the persecution of Saul; but they went to the territory of Geth, or to another town of Benjamin, 2 Esdras xi. 33. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Of the children of Benjamin; of Ish-bosheth’s own tribe, whom therefore he trusted the more; and this gave them opportunity to execute their wicked design.

Beeroth also, was reckoned to Benjamin: this is added as the reason why he called them Beerothites, because though Beeroth was now in the hands and possession of the Philistines, 1Sa 31:7, yet of right it belonged to the Benjamites, Jos 18:25.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

2. Captains of bands — Leaders of military companies. Compare Act_10:1.

Of Benjamin — The unhappy king falls by the hands of men of his own tribe.

Beeroth — The modern Bireh, eight miles north of Jerusalem. See on Jos_9:17; Jos_18:25.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Saul"s son had two men captains of bands. The bands mentioned were light-armed troops, used in forays, such as that mentioned 2Sa_3:22. Their captains would be men of importance with Ishbosheth, who is here described somewhat contemptuously, not as king, nor by his own name, but as "Saul"s son." Beeroth. This place, literally the Wells, was one of the four towns reserved for the Gibeonites, (Jos_9:17) though nominally belonging to Benjamin. (Jos_18:25) The note, that it was reckoned to Benjamin, suggests that it had until quite lately been occupied by the Canaanites, whose flight to Gittaim had no doubt been caused by Saul"s cruel attack upon them referred to in 2Sa_21:1, 2Sa_21:2. It was thus remarkable that the destruction of Saul"s dynasty was the work of the Gibeonites of Beeroth. As we find another of these Beerothites, Naharai, holding the office of armour bearer to Joab, (1Ch_11:39) it seems probable that many of them saved themselves from expulsion by becoming soldiers. But among David"s worthies a large number were strangers, and some even men of foreign extraction. Beeroth, however, was probably seized in Saul"s reign by the Benjamites, by force, and occupied by them, as its citizens returned in large numbers from the exile, (Ezr_2:25) and are counted as genuine Israelites. Moreover, by thus dispossessing the natives, Saul was able to give his tribesmen "fields and vineyards", (1Sa_22:7) which otherwise would have been in violation of the Mosaic Law.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Were for the son of Shaul Were for the son of Shaul similar to (Shmuel I, 13, 8) "until the time of Shmuel" of Shmuel.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.