II Shmuel 2: Did Han Fire First?

In the original Star Wars there is a scene where Han Solo meets with Greedo, a green colored galactic bounty hunter, at a bar in Tatooine. After a tense conversation, Han Solo shoots Greedo under the table to save himself. In the original version, Han Solo fires first, but in the later “director’s cut,” George Lucas has Greedo pull his gun, so it looks like Han Solo shot in self-defense. This change created a huge controversy among Star Wars fanatics. Who shot first- Han or Greedo? Became a major debate in Star Wars fan forums. Chapter 2 sets up a similar question. The text is a little ambiguous as to the status of the rift between Ish Boshet as king over Israel except for the tribe of David, and David as king over the tribe of Judah. The two seem to co-exist without any major battle. Ish Boshet is fearful of David, and David most likely is continuing his reticence to rock the boat too much and make the first move. The cold war between the two is highlighted by the opening scene in chapter 2. Avner- Ish Boshet’s general and Yoav, David’s general meet at a pool with a unit of soldiers. Then the peace ends. But who is responsible? Avenr is the one who suggests that the troops “play.” The meaning of the word is ambiguous. Did he mean that they should merely spar, or was this some sort of champions battle - similar to David verses Goliath. The result is tragic- each set of sparring soldiers simultaneously kills the other. Was Yoav responsible? Perhaps he agrees with Avner because he has an ulterior motive. Maybe Avner meant for this to merely be a sparring practice, but Yoav instructed his troops to kill. The true Greedo/Han Solo moment is matched by Asael and Avner. During the battle that comes after the “play”, David’s troops defeat Ish Boshet’s. At this point, everyone could have gone home to lick their wounds and lament the tragic start of the day. But that does not happen. Asael, Yoav’s swift brother starts chasing Avner. Is Asael to blame? Until this point, the battle seems to be focused on the soldiers. Perhaps the generals were not directly involved. Asael raises the bar by relentlessly chasing Ish Boshet’s general. Asael also does not head Avner’s warning to let him be. Instead Avner is forced into a defensive move. He stops short with his spear facing backwards and Asael runs directly into the base of the spear. Had Asael given up pursuit or not run at all, his death could be avoided and with it, the eventual desire for revenge by Yoav. Or perhaps it all circles back to Avner. As noted above, Avner started the bloodshed by suggesting war games. The text does not say that Asael had a weapon, so perhaps he meant to capture Avner or force Avner to end the battle. Avner could have harmed Asael without killing him. Perhaps Avner meant to harm Asael with the back of his spear, but not kill him. So, who shot first? Perhaps the text is ambiguous to make all the parties culpable. The two kings wanted a cold war, but their generals made it burning hot.