Contradictions and Paradoxes in 2 Samuel 2:10

Check out Contradictions Catalog of 2 Samuel 2:10 for the comprehensive list of verses that contradicts 2 Samuel 2:10. Some key contradictions and paradoxes are described below.

According to the author of the book, Ishbosheth was one of Saul's sons who became king over part of Israel for two years. However, the people in the area called Judah decided to follow David instead of Ishbosheth.

2 Samuel 2:10: Ishbosheth Saul's son [was] forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

Contradiction with 2 Samuel 5:4

States that David reigned for forty years, contradicting the two-year reign of Ishbosheth mentioned in 2 Samuel 2:10, as their reigns overlapped and suggest a longer period of conflict.

2 Samuel 5:4: David [was] thirty years old when he began to reign, [and] he reigned forty years.

Contradiction with 1 Chronicles 29:27

Mentions that David reigned over Israel for forty years, challenging the short two-year reign described for Ishbosheth in 2 Samuel 2:10.

1 Chronicles 29:27: And the time that he reigned over Israel [was] forty years; seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three [years] reigned he in Jerusalem.

Contradiction with 2 Samuel 3:1

Indicates a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, suggesting that Ishbosheth's reign could have been longer than the two years noted in 2 Samuel 2:10.

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.

Contradiction with 1 Samuel 13:1

Saul’s reign is described with incomplete or ambiguous numbers, which can create contradictions when piecing together the chronology with Ishbosheth's reign in 2 Samuel 2:10.

1 Samuel 13:1: Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, [reigned one...: Heb. the son of one year in his reigning]

Contradiction with 1 Samuel 15:28

God rejects Saul from being king, contradicting the legitimacy implied in Ishbosheth's reign, as his claim was solely based on Saul’s legacy.

1 Samuel 15:28: And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, [that is] better than thou.

Paradox #1

The contradiction lies in the age of Ish-bosheth when he began to reign. In 2 Samuel 2:10, it states that Ish-bosheth was 40 years old when he began to reign, but this contradicts other timelines in the Bible concerning the ages of various characters, suggesting potential inconsistencies in chronological details.

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