Shmuel Bais 21:9

9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Giveonim, and they hanged them in the hill before Hashem; and they fell all shivah together and were put to death in the yamim of katzir (harvest), in the rishonim, in the beginning of katzir se’orim (barley harvest).

Shmuel Bais 21:9 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 21:9

And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites
The two sons of Rizpah and the five sons of Merab, two sons of Saul and five grandsons:

and they hanged them in the hill before the Lord;
in the hill at Gibeah, that they might be seen by all that passed by, and serve to deter from such evils, which brought on them that punishment; gibbetings or crucifixions were commonly made on hills and mountains {l}: the phrase, "before the Lord", is either the same as "unto the Lord", ( 2 Samuel 21:6 ) ; to make atonement to the Lord, and in his sight; or it denotes that it was done publicly before the sun, and in the sight of it; for it cannot mean before the ark, the symbol of the divine Presence, for that was not there:

and they fell [all] seven together;
they were hanged together, and died at one and the same time:

and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first [days], in
the beginning of barley harvest;
which began at the passover, the morrow after the first day of the feast, ( Leviticus 23:10 Leviticus 23:11 ) ; which was the sixteenth of Nisan, on which day, the Jews say ^F13, these men were hanged, and which must be about the beginning of our April.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 Vid. Lipsium de Cruce, l. 3. c. 13.
F13 Bemidbar Rabba, fol. 190. 1.

Shmuel Bais 21:9 In-Context

7 But HaMelech spared Mephivoshet Ben Yonatan Ben Sha’ul, because of Hashem’s shevua (oath) that was between them, between Dovid and Yonatan Ben Sha’ul.

8 But HaMelech took the two Bnei Ritzpah Bat Ayah, whom she bore unto Sha’ul, Armoni and Mephivoshet; and the five Bnei Michal [Merav] Bat Sha’ul, whom she bore to Adriel Ben Barzillai the Mecholati;

9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Giveonim, and they hanged them in the hill before Hashem; and they fell all shivah together and were put to death in the yamim of katzir (harvest), in the rishonim, in the beginning of katzir se’orim (barley harvest).

10 And Ritzpah Bat Ayah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the tzur, from the beginning of katzir until mayim dropped upon them out of Shomayim, and suffered neither the oph haShomayim to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the sadeh by night.

11 And it was told Dovid what Ritzpah Bat Ayah, the pilegesh (concubine) of Sha’ul, had done.