2 Samuel 1:14

14 "Do you mean to say," said David, "that you weren't afraid to up and kill God's anointed king?"

2 Samuel 1:14 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 1:14

And David said unto him, how, wast thou not afraid to stretch
forth thine hand
By which it should seem that he did more than stand upon him, and press his body, that the spear might pierce through him, but that he drew his sword, and slew him; so David understood him, and is the sense of the phrase in ( 1 Samuel 17:51 ) ;

to destroy the Lord's anointed?
a reason why David did not destroy him, when it was in the power of his hands, and which he made use of to dissuade others from it; and here charges it not only as a criminal, but a daring action in this young man, at which he expresses his admiration how he could do it; hereby representing it as a very shocking and detestable action; see ( 1 Samuel 24:6 ) ( 1 Samuel 26:9 1 Samuel 26:11 ) .

2 Samuel 1:14 In-Context

12 They wept and fasted the rest of the day, grieving the death of Saul and his son Jonathan, and also the army of God and the nation Israel, victims in a failed battle.
13 Then David spoke to the young soldier who had brought the report: "Who are you, anyway?" "I'm from an immigrant family - an Amalekite."
14 "Do you mean to say," said David, "that you weren't afraid to up and kill God's anointed king?"
15 Right then he ordered one of his soldiers, "Strike him dead!" The soldier struck him, and he died.
16 "You asked for it," David told him. "You sealed your death sentence when you said you killed God's anointed king."
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.