A frequent misinterpretation portrays Abner's installation of Ishbosheth as a rightful or divinely sanctioned succession, ignoring that God had rejected Saul's lineage and anointed David years earlier through Samuel, making this a human-driven rivalry rooted in tribal and personal loyalties rather than obedience to God. Another error assumes the territories listed represent all Israel unified under Ishbosheth, overlooking Judah's separate allegiance to David and the resulting division; some also wrongly view Abner as a heroic figure preserving Saul's legacy, when his actions prolonged conflict contrary to God's sovereign choice.
II Samuel 2:9
King James Version (1769)
9 And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
This passage depicts the political fragmentation of Israel after Saul's death, as Abner, Saul's former army commander, elevates Ishbosheth, Saul's surviving son, as king over the northern territories including Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, while David rules Judah in the south. It highlights the clash between lingering loyalties to Saul's house and God's prior anointing of David as the rightful king, setting the stage for civil war and eventual unification under David's leadership as part of God's unfolding plan for Israel's monarchy.