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2 Samuel 21

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The Famine and Saul's Bloodguilt 1–9

1
And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of Jehovah. And Jehovah said, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he put to death the Gibeonites. ​
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: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah); ​
3
and David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of Jehovah?
4
And the Gibeonites said unto him, It is no matter of silver or gold between us and Saul, or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.
5
And they said unto the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the borders of Israel,
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let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto Jehovah in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah. And the king said, I will give them. ​
7
But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of Jehovah’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. ​
8
But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she bare to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite: ​
9
and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the mountain before Jehovah, and they fell all seven together. And they were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, at the beginning of barley harvest.

Rizpah’s Vigil and Honorable Burial 10–14

10
And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water was poured upon them from heaven; and she suffered neither the birds of the heavens to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night. ​
11
And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.
12
And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, in the day that the Philistines slew Saul in Gilboa; ​
13
and he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son: and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.
14
And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was entreated for the land. ​

Battles Against Philistine Giants 15–22

15
And the Philistines had war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines. And David waxed faint; ​
16
and Ishbi-benob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.
17
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succored him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the lamp of Israel. ​
18
And it came to pass after this, that there was again war with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Saph, who was of the sons of the giant.
19
And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Beth-lehemite slew Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. ​
20
And there was again war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.
21
And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, slew him.
22
These four were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 2 Samuel 21

Verse 1

It is for Saul, and for his bloody house — David 'enquired' (baqash, sought) of the LORD, and the answer named a sin not told earlier in Saul's history: he 'slew the Gibeonites', whom Israel's oath had protected (Josh 9:19). Bloodshed 'defileth the land' (Num 35:33), so the famine was answered by dealing with the blood.

Verse 2

had sworn unto them — The Gibeonites were 'of the remnant of the Amorites', yet Israel's princes swore to them 'by the LORD God of Israel' and let them live as 'hewers of wood and drawers of water' (Josh 9:19–21). The verb is the same as in v.1: David 'sought' the LORD, while Saul 'sought' to slay them 'in his zeal'.

Verse 6

hang them up unto the LORD — Yaqa' is the verb of Num 25:4, where Israel's guilt was answered by hanging 'before the LORD' so that his anger might turn away. Seven men are asked for, to be hanged in 'Gibeah of Saul', the town of the king 'whom the LORD did choose' (1 Sam 10:24). David answers, 'I will give them.'

Verse 7

the LORD'S oath — David spared Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, because of the oath 'in the name of the LORD' between David and Jonathan (1 Sam 20:42), in which Jonathan asked, 'thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever' (1 Sam 20:15). A second man of that name, Rizpah's son, is taken in v.8.

Verse 8

the five sons of Michal — Adriel the Meholathite was the husband of Saul's daughter Merab (1 Sam 18:19), and Michal 'had no child' (2 Sam 6:23). The verse says Michal 'brought up' the five for Adriel, so they are named from her who raised them. Rizpah, Saul's concubine (2 Sam 3:7), gives two sons, Armoni and Mephibosheth.

Verse 10

from the beginning of harvest — Rizpah spreads sackcloth on the rock and guards the hanged bodies, which were put to death in 'the beginning of barley harvest' (v.9), driving off birds by day and beasts by night until rain falls. The Law required a hanged body to be buried the same day (Deut 21:23); here the bodies remain until the water 'dropped upon them out of heaven'.

Verse 12

the bones of Saul — The men of Jabesh-gilead had taken the bodies from the wall of Bethshan, burned them and buried the bones under a tree at Jabesh (1 Sam 31:10–13). David had blessed them for that 'kindness' (2 Sam 2:5). He now brings the bones away to a family tomb (v.14).

Verse 14

God was intreated for the land — Athar is the verb of answered entreaty: 'the LORD was intreated of him' of Isaac's prayer (Gen 25:21), and again of David's altar, 'the LORD was intreated for the land' (2 Sam 24:25). It follows the burial in Kish's sepulchre at Zelah and the king's commands performed: 'and after that'.

Verse 15

David waxed faint — This opens a closing list of four Philistine battles, against men 'born to the giant in Gath' (v.22). David goes down 'and his servants with him', and he is wearied, so that Abishai 'succoured' him (v.17). The king who slew the Philistine champion with a sling (1 Sam 17:50) now needs a helper.

Verse 17

the light of Israel — 'Light' is ner, a lamp, the image the LORD uses of David's house: 'that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem' (1 Kgs 11:36). The men's oath that he will go out no more to battle echoes the people's word at Absalom's war: 'Thou shalt not go forth' (2 Sam 18:3).

Verse 19

the brother of Goliath — The parallel names the man: 'Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam' (1 Chr 20:5). The same likeness was given of Goliath's own spear (1 Sam 17:7), the giant David slew (1 Sam 17:50).

Verse 22

born to the giant in Gath — 'The giant' is rapha, the word used in vv.16, 18 and 20 and of Og, who 'remained of the remnant of giants' (Deut 3:11). The four are Ishbibenob (v.16), Saph (v.18), the brother of Goliath (v.19) and the six-fingered man (vv.20–21). 1 Chr 20:8 repeats the verse almost word for word.