2 Samuel 21:4

4 And the Gibeonites said unto him, "We will have no silver nor gold of Saul nor of his house, neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel." And he said, "What ye shall say, that will I do for you."

2 Samuel 21:4 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 21:4

And, the Gibeonites said unto him
In reply to his motion:

we will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house;
this shall not be the ransom or atonement; it was not silver and gold Saul took from them, but the lives of their brethren, and therefore they insist upon life for life:

neither for us shall thou kill any man in Israel;
who were not of the house of Saul; they did not desire any man should die, but who were of that family by whom they had suffered:

and he said, what you shall say, [that] will I do for you;
whether by inflicting pecuniary fines, or punishing with death, which latter seems to be what they suggested, and afterwards insisted on; whatever, according to law and justice, was required, he was ready to do it for them.

2 Samuel 21:4 In-Context

2 And the king called the Gibeonites and said unto them (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them, but Saul sought to slay them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah)"

3 therefore David said unto the Gibeonites: "What shall I do for you? And wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?"

4 And the Gibeonites said unto him, "We will have no silver nor gold of Saul nor of his house, neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel." And he said, "What ye shall say, that will I do for you."

5 And they answered the king, "The man who consumed us and who devised against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the borders of Israel,

6 let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD chose." And the king said, "I will give them."