2 Samuel 2:8

But Abner, the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host,.... This man's father, Ner, was Saul's uncle, Sa1 14:50, and he was his own cousin, and being general of his army, a post he was willing to keep,…

Mahanaim - See Gen 32:2. From 2Sa 2:12 it would seem to have been Ish-bosheth’s capital.

Abner the son of Ner - This man had long been one of the chief captains of Saul's army, and commander-in-chief on several occasions; he was probably envious of David's power, by whom he had often been…

Here is, I. A rivalship between two kings - David, whom God made king, and Ishbosheth, whom Abner made king. One would have thought, when Saul was slain, and all his sons that had sense and spirit…

Ish-bosheth set up by Abner as a rival to David

8. Abner Both by his relationship of first cousin to Saul (1Sa 14:50, note), and by his office as commander of the army, Abner was marked out as the…