At this point in time, the people outside of Judah have probably not been told about what David did following the death of Abner. As a result, they thought that what had been done to Abner would be done to them.1They thought that David would take vengeance on those who were loyal to Saul and refused to support him after Saul’s death.2
1 Lorsque le fils de Saül apprit qu'Abner était mort à Hébron, ses mains restèrent sans force, et tout Israël fut dans l'épouvante.