Asahel (also known as Asael, Asaell, and Assael) was the youngest son of Zeruiah

Zeruiah

Zeruiah , daughter of King Nahash and stepdaughter of Jesse of the Tribe of Judah, was an older sister of King David. Zeruiah had three sons, Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, all of whom were soldiers in David's army.Very little is told of her...

, daughter of Jesse

Jesse

Jesse, Eshai or Yishai, is the father of the David, who became the king of the Israelites. His son David is sometimes called simply "Son of Jesse" ....

. The name means "Made by God." Asahel was the nephew of King David, as well as the younger brother of both Abishai

Abishai (Bible)

Abishai was the eldest son of Zeruiah, sister of the Biblical King David. His name means father of a gift. He was the brother of Joab and Asahel , and a military leader under David....

, David's General, and of Joab

Joab

Joab the son of Zeruiah, was the nephew of King David and the commander of his army, according to the Hebrew Bible.- Name :...

. Asahel is mentioned in 2 Samuel

Books of Samuel

The Books of Samuel in the Jewish bible are part of the Former Prophets, , a theological history of the Israelites affirming and explaining the Torah under the guidance of the prophets.Samuel begins by telling how the prophet Samuel is chosen by...

 Chapters 2 and 3.

Additionally, the name Asahel (under a variant spelling) appears in Aramaic in the Book of Enoch.

Meaning

The name is made up of two parts: the verb עשה, Hebrew "to do, make" 3rd m.sg. perfect, and the theophorous element (deity name), אל, the Hebrew God El, or Elohim

Elohim

Elohim is a grammatically singular or plural noun for "god" or "gods" in both modern and ancient Hebrew language. When used with singular verbs and adjectives elohim is usually singular, "god" or especially, the God. When used with plural verbs and adjectives elohim is usually plural, "gods" or...

. This would make it a name of "thanksgiving," thanking God for what he has "made, done."

History

Asahel was the youngest son of Zeruiah, David's sister. His older brothers were Joab and Abishai. He was known for his swiftness of foot: "Asahel was swift of foot, like a gazelle in the open field." (cf. 2 Sam. 2:18). He was put to death by Abner, whom he pursued from the battlefield when fighting against Ish-bosheth at Gibeon, in the army of his brother Joab, (cf. IISam. 2:18-19). He is considered among David's thirty valiant men (cf. IISam. 23:24; 1 Chronicles. 11:26).

After a battle at Gibeon between Abner

Abner

In the Book of Samuel, Abner , is first cousin to Saul and commander-in-chief of his army...

, commanding the army of Ish-bosheth

Ish-bosheth

According to the Hebrew Bible, Ish-bosheth also called Eshbaal , Ashbaal or Ishbaal, was one of the four sons of King Saul, born c. 1047 BC...

 son of Saul

Saul

-People:Saul is a given/first name in English, the Anglicized form of the Hebrew name Shaul from the Hebrew Bible:* Saul , including people with this given namein the Bible:* Saul , a king of Edom...

 and Joab, commanding the army of David, Asahel pursued Abner while he attempted to escape. Young Asahel soon caught up with Abner. Abner begged Asahel to stop pursuing him, but when Asahel refused to desist, Abner thrust the blunt end of a spear through Asahel's stomach, and Asahel died on the spot (cf. 2 Sam. 2: 23).

Although Joab won the battle, Abner escaped with his life; Asahel was buried in his father's tomb at Bethlehem

Bethlehem

Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...

. In retaliation, Joab murdered Abner with help from his brother Abishai, against the wishes of David.