Philistines.

** 2 Sam. ii. 12-32, iii. 1.

An intrigue in the harem furnished a solution of the difficulty. Saul
had raised one of his wives of the second rank, named Eizpah, to the
post of favourite. Abner became enamoured of her and took her. This was
an insult to the royal house, and amounted to an act of open usurpation:
the wives of a sovereign could not legally belong to any but his
successor, and for any one to treat them as Abner had treated Rizpah,
was equivalent to his declaring himself the equal, and in a sense the
rival, of his master. Ishbaal keenly resented his minister's conduct,
and openly insulted him. Abner made terms with David, won the northern
tribes, including that of Benjamin, over to his side, and when what
seemed a propitious moment had arrived, made his way to Hebron with
an escort of twenty men. He was favourably received, and all kinds of
promises were made him; but when he was about to depart again in
order to complete the negotiations with the disaffected elders, Joab,
returning from an expedition, led him aside into a gateway and slew him.
David gave him solemn burial, and composed a lament on the occasion, of
which four verses have come down to us: having thus paid tribute to
the virtues of the deceased general, he lost no time in taking further
precautions to secure his power. The unfortunate king Ishbaal, deserted
by every one, was assassinated by two of his officers as he slept in the
heat of the day, and his head was carried to Hebron: David again poured
forth lamentations, and ordered the traitors to be killed. There was now
no obstacle between him and the throne: the elders of the people met him
at Hebron, poured oil upon his head, and anointed him king over all
the provinces which had obeyed the rule of Saul in Gilead--Ephraim and
Benjamin as well as Judah.*

* 2 Sam. v. 1-3; in 1 Ghron. xi. 1-3, xii. 23-40, we find
further details beyond those given in the Book of Samuel; it
seems probable, however, that the northern tribes may not
have recognised David's sovereignty at this time.

As long as Ishbaal lived, and his dissensions with Judah assured their
supremacy, the Philistines were content to suspend hostilities: the news
of his death, and of the union effected between Israel and Judah, soon
roused them from this state of quiescence. As prince of the house of
Caleb and vassal of the lord of Grath, David had not been an object of
any serious apprehen