The king chanted the following lament for Abner: “Should Abner have died like a fool?

Asahel chased Abner, without turning to the right or to the left as he followed Abner.

David called to the army and to Abner son of Ner, “Won’t you answer, Abner?” Abner replied, “Who are you, that you have called to the king?”

¹ Now as Saul watched David going out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the general in command of the army, “Whose son is this young man, Abner?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, O king, I don’t know.”

So they buried Abner in Hebron. The king cried loudly ¹  over Abner’s grave and all the people wept too.

Ish-bosheth ¹  was unable to answer Abner with even a single word because he was afraid of him.

When Abner, accompanied by twenty men, came to David in Hebron, David prepared a banquet for Abner and the men who were with him.

Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son ¹  of Abiel.

So when David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul. He still had the head of the Philistine in his hand.

Then Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

Then Abner turned and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?” He replied, “Yes it is!”

But David’s soldiers had slaughtered the Benjaminites and Abner’s men – in all, 360 men had died!

The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the general in command of his army was Abner son of Ner, Saul’s uncle. ¹ 

So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel in Gibeon during the battle.

Then Abner spoke privately ¹  with the Benjaminites. Abner also went to Hebron to inform David privately ²  of all that Israel and the entire house of Benjamin had agreed to. ³ 

Now Abner son of Ner, the general in command of Saul’s army, had taken Saul’s son Ish-bosheth ¹  and had brought him to Mahanaim.

Abner said to Joab, “Let the soldiers get up and fight ¹  before us.” Joab said, “So be it!” ² 

Now the battle was very severe that day; Abner and the men of Israel were overcome by David’s soldiers. ¹ 

The Benjaminites formed their ranks ¹  behind Abner and were like a single army, standing at the top of a certain hill.

As the war continued between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was becoming more influential ¹  in the house of Saul.