2 Samuel 4:9

9 But David said to Recab and Baanah, “The LORD, who saves me from all my enemies, is my witness.

2 Samuel 4:9 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 4:9

And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of
Rimmon the Beerothite
In a manner they did not expect:

and said unto them, [as] the Lord liveth, who hath redeemed my soul
out of all adversity;
spiritual and temporal, especially the latter is meant, and particularly what he had been brought into by the persecution of Saul, while living, and by those that adhered to his house since his death; which he ascribes to the Lord, and doubted not that he would still deliver him, and complete what he had designed for him, and that he needed not the assistance of such wicked hands as theirs; the words contain the form of an oath made to testify the truth of the following narrative, concerning the man that brought the tidings of Saul's death to him, or for the certainty of what he would do those persons for the murder of Ishbosheth.

2 Samuel 4:9 In-Context

7 They went into the house and found Ishbosheth sleeping on his bed. They struck and killed him and cut off his head. Then, taking his head with them, they fled across the Jordan Valley through the night.

8 When they arrived at Hebron, they presented Ishbosheth’s head to David. “Look!” they exclaimed to the king. “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of your enemy Saul who tried to kill you. Today the LORD has given my lord the king revenge on Saul and his entire family!”

9 But David said to Recab and Baanah, “The LORD, who saves me from all my enemies, is my witness.

10 Someone once told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ thinking he was bringing me good news. But I seized him and killed him at Ziklag. That’s the reward I gave him for his news!

11 How much more should I reward evil men who have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed? Shouldn’t I hold you responsible for his blood and rid the earth of you?”