Chapter 4: The annihilation of the descendants of Shaul

1.      The aftermath of the death of Avner:

• Shock and fear: The son of Shaul heard that Avner had died in Chevron and he became weakened and all the Jewish people were shocked [with trepidation that perhaps Dovid would also come after them to annihilate them[1]].
• The generals of the son of Shaul Ba’anah and Reichav: The son of Shaul had two generals one of them was named Ba’anah and the second was named Reichav. They were the son of Rimon the Beirite, from the descendants of Benjamin, as also the territory of Beiros was considered part of the territory of Benjamin. The residence of Beiros fled to the area of Gitayma, and they remained to live there until this very day.

2.      Mifiboshes, the son of Yehonason, and how he became crippled:

• Yehonason the son of Shaul had a crippled son. [The following is the episode of how he became crippled.] When he was five years old, it was heard that Shaul and Yehonason from Yizrael [were killed]. His caretaker then picked him up and carried him to run away with him to safety. While she was running away in a great hurry, he had fallen and injured his leg. His name was Mifiboshes.

3.      The murder of Ish Boshes, the son of Shaul:

• The murder of Ish Boshes: The sons of Rimon the Beirite, Reichav and Ba’anah, went and traveled to the home of Ish Boshes. They arrived by the home when it was still day, in the heat of the sun, while he was taking an afternoon nap. [They made themselves appear as if] they had come to his house in order to buy wheat, and they then pierced him through his abdomen [and he died]. Reichav and his brother Ba’anah then fled after killing him. [The following is the details of the murder:] They arrived at his home and saw that he was lying in his bed in his room. They then hit him and killed him and removed his head and they took his head with them while they traveled. They traveled throughout the night through the Arava road.

4.      The murderers bring the head of Ish Boshes to Dovid and Dovid has them killed in response:

• They brought the head of Ish Boshes to Dovid in Chevron and they said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish Boshes the son of Shaul your enemy who has desired to take your life, and may G-d give my master the king today vengeance against Shaul and all his descendants.”
• Dovid replied to Reichav and Ba’anah his brother the son of Rimon the Beirite, and said, “I swear by the life of G-d who has redeemed my soul from every matter of suffering that the person who told me that Shaul died and he thought that he was telling me a good thing, I grabbed onto him and killed him in Tziklak in return for what he thought that he would get rewarded from me for telling me this. Now, here are evil men who have killed a righteous man in his house while he was lying in his bed and now I will demand his blood from your hands and I will annihilate you from the land.”

Dovid then instructed his lads to kill them, and they cut their hands and their feet and hung them by the well in Chevron. They took the head of Ish Boshes and buried it in the grave of Avner in Chevron.

[1] Metzudos Dovid 4:1