plot of the sharp blades, or the field of heroes, (2 Sam. 2:16).
After the battle of Gilboa, so fatal to Saul and his house,
David, as divinely directed, took up his residence in Hebron,
and was there anointed king over Judah. Among the fugitives from
Gilboa was Ish-bosheth, the only surviving son of Saul, whom
Abner, Saul's uncle, took across the Jordan to Mahanaim, and
there had him proclaimed king. Abner gathered all the forces at
his command and marched to Gibeon, with the object of wresting
Judah from David. Joab had the command of David's army of
trained men, who encamped on the south of the pool, which was on
the east of the hill on which the town of Gibeon was built,
while Abner's army lay on the north of the pool. Abner proposed
that the conflict should be decided by twelve young men engaging
in personal combat on either side. So fiercely did they
encounter each other that "they caught every man his fellow by
the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they
fell down together: wherefore that place was called
Helkath-hazzurim." The combat of the champions was thus
indecisive, and there followed a severe general engagement
between the two armies, ending in the total rout of the
Israelites under Abner. The general result of this battle was
that "David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul
waxed weaker and weaker" (2 Sam. 3:1). (See GIBEON T0001480.)
Helkath-hazzurim
You Might Also Like:
Read More
Have you ever heard the story of Noah's Ark? It's a famous story from the Bible about a man named Noah who built a huge boat to save himself and the a...
Read More
Have you ever heard the story of the Tower of Babel? It's a story from the Bible about a group of people who wanted to build a tower that reached all ...
Read More
Have you ever heard about the Ten Plagues in the Bible? It's a fascinating story about how God showed His power to the Pharaoh of Egypt and freed the ...
Read More
Have you ever heard about the Ten Commandments in the Bible? These are ten rules that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai to guide the Israelites and all...
Read More
Have you ever heard about the 12 Tribes of Israel in the Bible? These tribes were the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was later named Isr...
Read More
Have you ever heard about the Ministry of Jesus in the Bible? Jesus was a great teacher and healer who spent three years traveling throughout Israel, ...
Read More
Have you ever heard about the Early Church in the Bible? After Jesus' death and resurrection, his followers began to spread his teachings throughout t...
