2 Samuel 21

1 And hunger was made in the land of Israel in the days of David, by three years continually. And David counselled the answer of the Lord, that is, asked counsel of the Lord in the answering place; and the Lord said, It is for Saul, and for his house, and for [the] blood, for he killed the men of Gibeon. (And in the days of David, there was hunger in the land of Israel, for three years without ceasing. And David counselled with the Lord; and the Lord said, It is because Saul, and his family, were guilty of the blood, or of murder, for he killed the Gibeonites.)
2 Therefore when [the] Gibeonites were called, the king said to them; soothly Gibeonites be not of the sons of Israel, but they be the relics of Amorites; and the sons of Israel had sworn to them, that they should not slay them, and Saul would smite them for (his) fervent love, as for the sons of Israel and of Judah; (And so when the Gibeonites were called, the king said to them; now the Gibeonites be not Israelites, but they be the remnants of the Amorites; and the Israelites had sworn to them, that they would not kill them, but Saul did strike many of them down in his fervent love for the people of Israel and of Judah;)
3 therefore David said to Gibeonites, What shall I do to you, and what shall be your amends, that ye bless the heritage of the Lord? (and so David said to the Gibeonites, What can I do for you? and what shall be your amends, so that ye bless the Lord's inheritance, that is, his people?)
4 And Gibeonites said to him, No question is to us upon gold and silver, but against Saul, and against his house; neither we will, that a man of Israel be slain. To whom the king said, What therefore will ye, that I do to you? (And the Gibeonites said to him, No answer shall be for us in gold or silver, but rather with Saul and his family; and we do not desire that just any man of Israel be killed. To whom the king said, And so what do ye desire, that I do for you?)
5 And they said to the king, We ought so to do away the man, that defouled and oppressed us wickedly, that not one soothly be left of his generation in all the coasts of Israel. (And they said to the king, We want to completely do away the man, who defiled and wickedly oppressed us, so that truly not one of his generation be left in all the coasts of Israel.)
6 Seven men of his sons be given to us, that we crucify them to the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, sometime the chosen man of the Lord. And the king said, I shall give them to you. (Let seven of his kinsmen be given to us, so that we can hang them before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, who was, at one time, the Lord's chosen man. And the king said, I shall give them to you.)
7 And the king spared Mephibosheth (But the king spared Mephibosheth), the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, for the oath of the Lord, that was betwixt David and Jonathan, the son of Saul.
8 And so the king took (the) two sons of Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, which she childed to Saul, Armoni, and (another) Mephibosheth; and he took [the] five sons of Michal, the daughter of Saul (and he took the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab), which she engendered to Adriel, the son of Barzillai, that was of (the) Meholathites.
9 And he gave them (up) into the hands of (the) Gibeonites, and they did those seven sons upon (a) cross in an hill before the Lord (and they hanged those seven kinsmen on a hill before the Lord); and (so) these seven fell down slain together in the days of the first reap(ing), when the reaping of barley began.
10 Forsooth Rizpah, (the) daughter of Aiah, took an hair-shirt, and arrayed to herself a place above the stone/and laid it under her(self) upon a stone (and arrayed for herself a place on the rock where their bodies lay), from the beginning of harvest till water dropped on them from (the) heaven(s); and she suffered not (the) birds to tear them by day, neither (the) beasts by night.
11 And those things which Rizpah, the secondary wife of Saul, the daughter of Aiah, had done, were told to David.
12 And David went, and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan, his son, from the men of Jabesh of Gilead; which had stolen those bones from the street of Bethshan, in which Philistines had hanged them, when they had slain Saul in Gilboa (for they had stolen those bones from the street in Bethshan, where the Philistines had hung them, after they had killed Saul at Gilboa).
13 And David bare out from thence the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan, his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were crucified (and they also gathered up the bones of the seven men who were hanged),
14 and they buried those with the bones of Saul and of Jonathan, his son, in the land of Benjamin, in the side of the sepulchre of Kish, the father of Saul (in the tomb, or the grave, of Saul's father Kish). And they did all things, whatever the king commanded them; and the Lord did mercy to the land after these things.
15 Forsooth battle of the Philistines was made again against Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines. Soothly when David failed, (And again the Philistines made battle against Israel; and David and his men went down, and fought against the Philistines. And when David grew weary,)
16 Ishbibenob, that was of the kin of Harapha, that is, (the father) of the giants, and the iron of his spear weighed three hundred ounces, and he was girded with a new sword, enforced to smite David. (Ishbibenob, who was a descendant of Harapha, that is, the father of the giants, whose iron of his spear weighed three hundred ounces, and who was girded with a new sword, endeavoured to strike down David.)
17 And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, was in help to David; and he smote and killed the Philistine. Then the men of David swore, and said, Now thou shalt not go out with us into battle, lest thou quench the lantern of Israel. (But Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, helped David; and he struck and killed the Philistine. And then the men of David swore, and said, From now on, thou shalt not go out with us into battle, lest thou quench Israel's lantern.)
18 Also the second battle was in Gob against [the] Philistines; then Sibbechai of Hushathites smote Saph, of the generation of Harapha, of the kin of giants. (And there was a second battle against the Philistines at Gob; there Sibbechai of the Hushathites struck down Saph, a descendant of Harapha, that is, the father of the giants.)
19 Also the third battle was in Gob against [the] Philistines; in which battle a man given of God, the son of a forest, and a(n) (em)broiderer, a man of Bethlehem, smote (the brother of) Goliath of Gath, whose spear shaft was as a beam of webs. (And the third battle against the Philistines was also at Gob; in which battle Elhanan, the son of Jair/the son of Jaareoregim, a man of Bethlehem, struck down the brother of Goliath of Gath, whose spear shaft was like a weaver's beam.)
20 The fourth battle was in Gath; wherein was an high man, that had six fingers in his hands and (six toes) in his feet, that is, four and twenty (digits); and he was of the kin of Harapha, (the father of the giants); (And the fourth battle was at Gath; and there was a very tall man there, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, that is, twenty-four digits altogether; and he was a descendant of Harapha, that is, the father of the giants;)
21 and he blasphemed Israel; and Jonathan, the son of Shimeah, the brother of David, killed him.
22 These four were born of Harapha in Gath, and they felled down in the hand of David, and of his servants. (These four were descendants of Harapha of Gath, that is, the father of the giants, and they all fell down at the hands of David and his men.)

2 Samuel 21 Commentary

Chapter 21

The Gibeonites avenged. (1-9) Rizpah's care for the bodies of Saul's descendants. (10-14) Battles with the Philistines. (15-22)

Verses 1-9 Every affliction arises from sin, and should lead us to repent and humble ourselves before God; but some troubles especially show that they are sent to bring sin to remembrance. God's judgments often look a great way back, which requires us to do so, when we are under his rebukes. It is not for us to object against the people's smarting for the sin of their king; perhaps they helped him. Nor against this generation suffering for the sin of the last. God often visits the sins of the fathers upon the children, and he gives no account of any matters. Time does not wear out the guilt of sin; nor can we build hopes of escape upon the delay of judgments. If we cannot understand all the reasons of Providence in this matter, still we have no right to demand that God should acquaint us with those reasons. It must be right, because it is the will of God, and in the end it will be proved to be so. Money is no satisfaction for blood. It should seem, Saul's posterity trod in his steps, for it is called a bloody house. It was the spirit of the family, therefore they are justly reckoned with for his sin, as well as for their own. The Gibeonites did not require this out of malice against Saul or his family. It was not to gratify any revenge, but for the public good. They were put to death at the beginning of harvest; they were thus sacrificed to turn away the wrath of Almighty God, who had withheld the harvest-mercies for some years past, and to obtain his favour in the present harvest. In vain do we expect mercy from God, unless we do justice upon our sins. Executions must not be thought cruel, which are for the public welfare.

Verses 10-14 That a guilty land should enjoy many years of plenty, calls for gratitude; and we need not wonder misused abundance should be punished with scarcity; yet how few are disposed to ask of the Lord concerning the sinful cause, while numbers search for the second causes by which he is pleased to work! But the Lord will plead the cause of those who cannot or will not avenge themselves; and the prayers of the poor are of great power. When God sent rain to water the earth, these bodies were buried, for then it appeared that God was entreated for the land. When justice is done on earth, vengeance from heaven ceases. God is pacified, and is entreated for us through Christ, who was hanged on a tree, and so made a curse for us, to do away our guilt, though he was himself guiltless.

Verses 15-22 These events seem to have taken place towards the end of David's reign. David fainted, but he did not flee, and God sent help in the time of need. In spiritual conflicts, even strong saints sometimes wax faint; then Satan attacks them furiously; but those who stand their ground and resist him, shall be relieved and made more than conquerors. Death is a Christian's last enemy, and a son of Anak; but through Him that triumphed for us, believers shall be more than conquerors at last, even over that enemy.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 21

A famine being in the land three years, the Lord was inquired of, to know the reason of it; and it being answered, that it was on account of Saul's slaughter of the Gibeonites, they were summoned by David to know what satisfaction they required for the cruel usage of them, 2Sa 21:1-3; to which they replied, that they only desired seven of Saul's sons to be delivered up to them, to be hanged by them, which was granted, 2Sa 21:4-9; whose bones, with those of Saul and Jonathan, David buried in the sepulchre of their fathers, 2Sa 21:10-14; and the chapter is closed with an account of the various battles fought with the Philistines, in which four of their generals were slain, 2Sa 21:15-22.

2 Samuel 21 Commentaries

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.