Bible Strands
2 Samuel 4:2
Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other Rechab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator describes Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, at the moment his kingdom loses cohesion after Abner’s death in Hebron. The account introduces two of his raid commanders, Baanah and Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from Benjamin.
The words — The Hebrew שָׂרֵי גְדוּדִים (sa.rei ge.du.dim) literally means commanders of marauding bands, defining the men’s specific military role under Ish-bosheth. The phrase בֶן־שָׁאֽוּל (ben-sha.ul) denotes Saul’s son, anchoring the narrative to the deposed royal line.
The thread — The text anchors Beeroth within the tribe of Benjamin, aligning with Joshua 9:17 and Joshua 18:25 where Beeroth appears among the Gibeonite cities. This tribal geography directly sets up 2 Samuel 4:3, where the Beerothites flee to Gittaim and remain foreigners.
Why it lands — The passage records the fragmentation of Saul’s house, showing how regional tribal identity replaces centralized royal authority. It asks the reader to track how political collapse operates through localized power brokers rather than through theological explanation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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:
Cross-references
- Joshua 18:25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
- Joshua 9:17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities—Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.
- 2 Samuel 3:22 Just then David’s soldiers and Joab returned from a raid, bringing with them a great plunder. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, because David had sent him on his way in peace.
- 2 Kings 5:2 At this time the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken a young girl from the land of Israel, and she was serving Naaman’s wife.
- 2 Kings 6:23 So the king prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. And the Aramean raiders did not come into the land of Israel again.