Ashurites
The Ashurites in Ish-bosheth's Kingdom
The Ashurites are mentioned in 2 Samuel 2:9, which describes the territories over which Abner established Ish-bosheth (also called Esh-baal) as king following the death of Saul. The verse states that Abner made Ish-bosheth king "over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel." This brief mention has generated considerable scholarly debate about who the Ashurites actually were.
The Textual Question
Many scholars believe that the Hebrew text contains a minor scribal error and that "Ashurites" should actually read "Asherites", that is, members of the tribe of Asher. This reading is supported by the Targum of Jonathan, an ancient Aramaic translation, and makes excellent geographical sense. The tribe of Asher occupied territory along the northern coastal plain, an area that would naturally have fallen under Ish-bosheth's northern kingdom rather than David's southern domain based in Hebron.
Why Other Identifications Fail
Several alternative identifications have been proposed but face difficulties. The Vulgate and Syriac versions read "Geshurites," but this is unlikely because Geshur was an independent Aramean kingdom at this time, its king's daughter later married David (2 Samuel 3:3), and Absalom fled there after killing Amnon (2 Samuel 13:37). Associating the Ashurites with Assyria (Hebrew Asshur) is anachronistic and geographically implausible for Ish-bosheth's small kingdom. The Asshurim of Genesis 25:3, descendants of Abraham through Keturah, were an Arabian group too remote to be part of this Israelite kingdom.
The Divided Kingdom Under David and Ish-bosheth
The mention of the Ashurites (or Asherites) belongs to the critical period after Saul's death when Israel was divided between two competing royal houses. David ruled over Judah from Hebron (2 Samuel 2:4), while Abner, Saul's general, installed Ish-bosheth as a rival king in the north, ruling from Mahanaim in Transjordan (2 Samuel 2:8-9). The list of territories in verse 9 outlines the extent of Ish-bosheth's domain, which included all the northern and central tribes.
The End of the Division
Ish-bosheth's kingdom was short-lived, lasting only about two years (2 Samuel 2:10). After Abner defected to David (2 Samuel 3:12-21) and was subsequently murdered by Joab (2 Samuel 3:27), Ish-bosheth lost his most powerful supporter. He was assassinated by two of his own captains (2 Samuel 4:5-7), and the northern tribes then united under David's rule (2 Samuel 5:1-3). The Ashurites, whoever they were, became part of David's united kingdom.
Biblical Context
The Ashurites appear only in 2 Samuel 2:9, in the list of territories under Ish-bosheth's rule. The passage is part of the larger narrative of the civil war between David and the house of Saul (2 Samuel 2-4). Related passages include the description of Asher's tribal territory (Joshua 19:24-31) and the accounts of Abner's defection (2 Samuel 3:12-21) and Ish-bosheth's assassination (2 Samuel 4:5-7).
Theological Significance
The Ashurites passage belongs to the narrative showing how God's plan to establish David as king over all Israel unfolded through complex political events. The division between David's Judah and Ish-bosheth's northern tribes, including the Ashurites/Asherites, was temporary. God's sovereign purpose moved through human conflicts and negotiations to bring about the united kingdom under his chosen king.
Historical Background
The transition from Saul's dynasty to David's involved a period of civil conflict well attested in the biblical record. The geographic extent of Ish-bosheth's kingdom as described in 2 Samuel 2:9 is consistent with what is known about the political geography of early Iron Age Israel. The tribe of Asher, if the emended reading is correct, occupied the fertile coastal plain from Carmel northward, an area that archaeological surveys confirm was well populated during this period. Textual variants in ancient manuscripts are common for names and geographic terms, and the Ashurites/Asherites question is a typical example of such scribal variation.