2 Samuel 21:14

14 Then the king ordered that they bury the bones in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father, at the town of Zela in the land of Benjamin. After that, God ended the famine in the land.

2 Samuel 21:14 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 21:14

And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son
Together with those who had been hanged:

buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah;
a city in the tribe of Benjamin, ( Joshua 18:28 ) ;

in the sepulchre of Kish his father;
the father of Saul, ( 1 Samuel 9:1 1 Samuel 9:2 ) ; and which, according to Fuller ^F23, and the position of it in his map, was not far from the hill on which the seven sons of Saul were hanged:

and they performed all that the king commanded;
that is, David's messengers and servants did; they fetched the bones of Saul and Jonathan from Jabeshgilead, and buried them with those of his seven sons hanged, in the burying place of his father Kish, and made a general mourning for them; for the Jews say ^F24, that by David's order Saul's coffin was carried through every tribe, and men, women, and children, came out and expressed concern:

and after that God was entreated for the land;
not after the burial of the said persons, but after the seven men were hanged up; by this the wrath of God was appeased, which was seen by his sending rain and fruitful seasons, so that the famine ceased.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 Pisgah-Sight, B. 2. c. 12. p. 258.
F24 Bemidbar Rabba, ut supra. (fol. 190. 1.)

2 Samuel 21:14 In-Context

12 he went to the people of Jabesh-gilead and retrieved the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan. (When the Philistines had killed Saul and Jonathan on Mount Gilboa, the people of Jabesh-gilead stole their bodies from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them.)

13 So David obtained the bones of Saul and Jonathan, as well as the bones of the men the Gibeonites had executed.

14 Then the king ordered that they bury the bones in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father, at the town of Zela in the land of Benjamin. After that, God ended the famine in the land.

15 Once again the Philistines were at war with Israel. And when David and his men were in the thick of battle, David became weak and exhausted.

16 Ishbi-benob was a descendant of the giants ; his bronze spearhead weighed more than seven pounds, and he was armed with a new sword. He had cornered David and was about to kill him.