Following the death of King Saul, a deep fracture divides the nation. While Saul's son ascends to power over the majority of the tribes, the tribe of Judah takes an independent path and crowns David as their leader. This separation of Judah, refusing to submit to Saul's dynasty, highlights their deep-rooted historical standing as a distinct and self-reliant group long before the nation officially split into two kingdoms [ביאור שטיינזלץ].
The new leader of the northern tribes is introduced as Ish-bosheth, though historical records originally identify him as Ish-baal. The alteration of his name replaces the term "Baal," which simply means master or lord, and may also suggest that he actively fought against the idolatrous worship of Baal to defend the honor of God [אברבנאל].
A significant chronological puzzle arises regarding the length of his reign. Records indicate his rule lasted only two years, yet David governed Judah for seven and a half years before finally uniting the entire nation. The primary approach among commentators is that it is entirely implausible for the northern tribes to have been left without a king for five and a half years, whether that gap occurred while waiting to crown Saul's son or while waiting for David to take over after his death [רלב״ג, אברבנאל].
To resolve this timeline, several perspectives explain how this two-year reign fits into the broader seven-year period. One approach suggests a gradual rise to power. In this view, he actually ruled concurrently with David for the full seven years, but the first five and a half years were spent slowly securing his authority region by region. The two-year timeframe refers exclusively to the period when he successfully governed the entire northern kingdom [מצודת דוד, אלשיך].
Conversely, another perspective argues for a gradual decline. He began with two solid years of absolute rule over all the tribes. However, during the subsequent five years, a bitter civil war erupted. As the power of Saul's house steadily weakened, people defected to David's camp daily, meaning his true, undisputed reign lasted only those initial two years [מלבי״ם].
Other scholars focus on the political climate and the quality of his leadership rather than geography. The two-year mark might represent a brief era of peace. During this initial period, no war broke out because David faithfully kept his oath to Saul not to destroy his descendants, choosing instead to wait patiently for God to deliver the kingdom to him. This peaceful window is highlighted because it was only after these two years that Abner, the commander of the army, provoked the civil war [רלב״ג, אברבנאל]. Alternatively, these two years reflect the only time he functioned as a genuine king. His reign was strong and legitimate only as long as he had the backing of his powerful general, Abner. Once Abner died, he lost all royal standing and essentially became a common citizen, rendering the rest of his time in power unworthy of being counted as official years of kingship [אברבנאל].