2 Samuel 3:1

Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
long	אֲרֻכָּ֔ה 'a.ru.Kah	H752	long · adjective, feminine singular absolute
war	הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ ha.mil.cha.Mah	H4421	a battle (i.e. the engagement) · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
house	בֵּ֣ית beit	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct
Saul	שָׁא֔וּל sha.'Ul	H7586	Shaul · proper noun, a man's name
house	בֵּ֣ית beit	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct
David	דָּוִ֑ד da.Vid	H1732	David · proper noun, a man's name
David	וְדָוִד֙ ve.da.Vid	H1732	David · conjunction + proper noun, a man's name
waxed	הֹלֵ֣ךְ ho.Lekh	H1980	to walk (in a great variety of applications · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
stronger	וְחָזֵ֔ק ve.cha.Zek	H2390	powerful · conjunction + adjective, masculine singular absolute
stronger	חָזֵק châzêq	H2390	powerful
house	וּבֵ֥ית u.Veit	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct
Saul	שָׁא֖וּל sha.'Ul	H7586	Shaul · proper noun, a man's name
waxed	הֹלְכִ֥ים ho.le.Khim	H1980	to walk (in a great variety of applications · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
weaker	וְדַלִּֽים ve.da.Lim	H1800	properly · conjunction + adjective, masculine plural absolute
weaker	דַּל dal	H1800	properly

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Kings 14:30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.
2 Samuel 2:17 And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
Job 8:7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
Proverbs 4:18-19 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Job 17:9 The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.
Psalms 84:7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, ag…
1 Kings 15:16 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 3:1-6

Here is, I. The struggle that David had with the house of Saul before his settlement in the throne was completed, Sa2 3:1. 1. Both sides contested. Saul's house, though beheaded and diminished, would not fall tamely. It is not strange between them, but one would wonder it should be a long war, when David's house had right on its side, and therefore God on its side; but, though truth and equity will triumph at last, God made for wise and holy ends prolonged the conflict. The length of this war tried the faith and patience of David, and made his establishment at last the more welcome to him. 2. David's side got ground. The house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker, lost places, lost men, sunk in i…

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Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 3:1

There was long war - Frequent battles and skirmishes took place between the followers of David and the followers of Ish-bosheth, after the two years mentioned above, to the end of the fifth year, in which Ish-bosheth was slain by Rechab and Baanah.

John Gill on 2 Samuel 3:1

Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David,.... The recent battle, though so much in favour of David, did not, put an end to the war between him and Ishbosheth, which lasted five years longer; for it was when Ishbosheth had reigned two years that that battle was fought, and he reigned five years longer; for not till his death, and when David had reigned above seven years in Hebron, was he made king over all Israel; and during this time peace was not made, but the war carried on; though perhaps not in pitched battles, of which we no more read, but in skirmishes: but David waxed stronger and stronger; he having the advantage in all such skirmishes, and persons c…

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Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Samuel 3:1-39

The house of David increased, while Saul’s house dwindled. The crucial occasion came when Abner, the real political power in Saul’s camp, switched allegiance to David, taking a considerable number of his northern kinsmen with him. 3:1 a long war: This civil war likely continued for most of the seven-plus years that David ruled from Hebron. The truce called by Joab and Abner (2:26-28) was short-lived.

The Church Fathers

There is no need for us to discuss this point further, since the judgment of God is evident. Events prove what God judges about us and about the Goths and Vandals. They increase daily; we decrease daily. They prosper; we are humbled. They flourish; we are drying up. Truly there is said about us that saying which the divine Word spoke of Saul and David: "because David was strong and always growing more robust; the house of Saul grew less daily." As the prophet says, "For he is just, the Lord is just and his judgment is right."
— Salvian the Presbyter, THE GOVERNANCE OF GOD 7.11

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Fast — The sole fast required by the law of Moses was that of the great Day of Atonement (q.v.), Lev. 23:26-32. It is called “the fast” (Acts 27:9). The only other mention of a periodical fast in the Old…
Helkath-hazzurim — 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…
War · Civil — Civil

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).