Abner

In the Book of Samuel, Abner (Hebrew אבנר "Avner" meaning "father of [or is a] light"), is cousin to Saul and commander-in-chief of his army (1 Samuel 14:50, 20:25). He is often referred to as Abner Ben Ner, meaning, the son of Ner.

Biography

Abner is only referred to incidentally in Saul's history (1 Samuel 14:50, 17:55, 26:5), first appearing as the son of son of Ner, Saul's uncle, and the commander of Saul's army. He the comes to the story again as the commander who introduced David to Saul following David's killing of Goliath. He is not mentioned in the account of the disastrous battle of Gilboa when Saul's power was crushed. Seizing the youngest but only surviving of Saul's sons, Ish-bosheth, Abner set him up as king over Israel at Mahanaim, east of the Jordan. David, who was accepted as king by Judah alone, was meanwhile reigning at Hebron, and for some time war was carried on between the two parties.

Abner (name)

Abner is both a surname and a given name. The best known is Abner from the Bible (Book of Samuel), first cousin to Saul and commander-in-chief of his army. Other notable people with the name include:

Given name

Abner (disambiguation)

Abner is the uncle of Saul and commander-in-chief of his army in the Bible.

Abner may also refer to:

See also