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Texts -- 2 Samuel 1:1-26 (NET)

Context
David Learns of the Deaths of Saul and Jonathan
1:1 After the death of Saul , when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites , he stayed at Ziklag for two days . 1:2 On the third day a man arrived from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and dirt on his head . When he approached David , the man threw himself to the ground . 1:3 David asked him, “Where are you coming from?” He replied , “I have escaped from the camp of Israel .” 1:4 David inquired , “How were things going ? Tell me!” He replied , “The people fled from the battle and many of them fell dead . Even Saul and his son Jonathan are dead !” 1:5 David said to the young man who was telling him this, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead ?” 1:6 The young man who was telling him this said , “I just happened to be on Mount Gilboa and came across Saul leaning on his spear for support. The chariots and leaders of the horsemen were in hot pursuit of him. 1:7 When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me. I answered , ‘Here I am!’ 1:8 He asked me, ‘Who are you ?’ I told him, ‘I’m an Amalekite .’ 1:9 He said to me, ‘Stand over me and finish me off ! I’m very dizzy , even though I’m still alive .’ 1:10 So I stood over him and put him to death , since I knew that he couldn’t live in such a condition . Then I took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm . I have brought them here to my lord .” 1:11 David then grabbed his own clothes and tore them, as did all the men who were with him. 1:12 They lamented and wept and fasted until evening because Saul , his son Jonathan , the Lord’s people , and the house of Israel had fallen by the sword . 1:13 David said to the young man who told this to him, “Where are you from?” He replied , “I am an Amalekite , the son of a resident foreigner .” 1:14 David replied to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to reach out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed ?” 1:15 Then David called one of the soldiers and said , “Come here and strike him down !” So he struck him down , and he died . 1:16 David said to him, “Your blood be on your own head ! Your own mouth has testified against you, saying ‘I have put the Lord’s anointed to death .’”
David’s Tribute to Saul and Jonathan
1:17 Then David chanted this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan . 1:18 (He gave instructions that the people of Judah should be taught “The Bow .” Indeed , it is written down in the Book of Yashar .) 1:19 The beauty of Israel lies slain on your high places ! How the mighty have fallen ! 1:20 Don’t report it in Gath , don’t spread the news in the streets of Ashkelon , or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice , the daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate ! 1:21 O mountains of Gilboa , may there be no dew or rain on you, nor fields of grain offerings ! For it was there that the shield of warriors was defiled ; the shield of Saul lies neglected without oil . 1:22 From the blood of the slain , from the fat of warriors , the bow of Jonathan was not turned away . The sword of Saul never returned empty . 1:23 Saul and Jonathan were greatly loved during their lives , and not even in their deaths were they separated . They were swifter than eagles , stronger than lions . 1:24 O daughters of Israel , weep over Saul , who clothed you in scarlet as well as jewelry , who put gold jewelry on your clothes . 1:25 How the warriors have fallen in the midst of battle ! Jonathan lies slain on your high places ! 1:26 I grieve over you, my brother Jonathan ! You were very dear to me. Your love was more special to me than the love of women .

Pericope

NET
  • 2Sa 1:1-16 -- David Learns of the Deaths of Saul and Jonathan
  • 2Sa 1:17-27 -- David's Tribute to Saul and Jonathan

Bible Dictionary

  • David

    [ebd] beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother's name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam. 17:25. As to his personal ...
    [isbe] DAVID - da'-vid (dawidh, or dawidh, "beloved"; Daueid, also in New Testament, Dauid, Dabid; see Thayer's Lexicon): I. NAME AND GENEALOGY II. EARLY YEARS 1. Shepherd 2. Slinger 3. Harpist 4. Poet 5. Psalmist 6. Tribesman III....
    [smith] (well-beloved), the son of Jesse. His life may be divided into three portions: His youth before his introduction to the court of Saul; His relations with Saul; His reign. The early life of David contains in many important re...
    [nave] DAVID 1. King of Israel. Genealogy of, Ruth 4:18-22; 1 Sam. 16:11; 17:12; 1 Chr. 2:3-15; Matt. 1:1-6; Luke 3:31-38. A shepherd, 1 Sam. 16:11. Kills a lion and a bear, 1 Sam. 17:34-36. Anointed king, while a youth, by the ...

  • Saul

    [isbe] SAUL - sol (sha'ul; Saoul): (1) The first king of Israel. I. EARLY HISTORY 1. Name and Meaning 2. Genealogy 3. Home and Station 4. Sources for Life 5. Election as King 6. Reasons for It II. REIGN AND FALL 1. His First Action...
    [smith] (desired), more accurately Shaul. One of the early kings of Edom, and successor of Samlah. (Genesis 36:37,38; 1 Chronicles 1:48) (B.C. after 1450.) The first king of Israel, the son of Kish, and of the tribe of Benjamin. ...
    [nave] SAUL 1. Called also Shaul. King of Edom, Gen. 36:37, 38; 1 Chr. 1:48, 49. 2. King of Israel. A Benjamite, son of Kish, 1 Sam. 9:1, 2. Sons of, 1 Chr. 8:33. His personal appearance, 1 Sam. 9:2; 10:23. Made king of Israel,...

  • SAMUEL, BOOKS OF

    [isbe] SAMUEL, BOOKS OF - || I. PLACE OF THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL IN THE HEBREW CANON II. CONTENTS OF THE BOOKS AND PERIOD OF TIME COVERED BY THE HISTORY III. SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 1. Life of Samuel (1 Samuel 1 through 15) 2. Reign and D...

  • Lamentations, Book of

    [ebd] called in the Hebrew canon 'Ekhah, meaning "How," being the formula for the commencement of a song of wailing. It is the first word of the book (see 2 Sam. 1:19-27). The LXX. adopted the name rendered "Lamentations" (Gr. thr...

  • Jonathan

    [ebd] whom Jehovah gave, the name of fifteen or more persons that are mentioned in Scripture. The chief of these are, (1.) A Levite descended from Gershom (Judg. 18:30). His history is recorded in 17:7-13 and 18:30. The Rabbins ch...
    [smith] that is, "the gift of Jehovah, " the eldest son of King Saul. (B.C. about 1095-1056.) He was a man of great strength and activity. (2 Samuel 1:23) He was also famous as a warrior, (1 Chronicles 12:2) as is shown by the ...
    [nave] JONATHAN 1. A Levite of Bethlehem, who becomes a priest for Micah; accepts idolatry; joins the Danites, Judg. 17:7-13; 18:1-30. 2. Son of Saul, 1 Sam. 14:49. Victory of, over the Philistine garrison of Geba, 1 Sam. 13:3, 4...

  • GILBOA

    [ebd] boiling spring, a mountain range, now Jebel Fukua', memorable as the scene of Saul's disastrous defeat by the Philistines. Here also his three sons were slain, and he himself died by his own hand (1 Sam. 28:4; 31:1-8; 2 Sam....
    [smith] (a bubbling spring) a mountain range on the eastern side of the plain of Esdraelon, rising over the city of Jezreel. Comp. (1 Samuel 28:4) with 1Sam 29:1 It is mentioned in Scripture only in connection with one event in Is...

  • Ziklag

    [ebd] a town in the Negeb, or south country of Judah (Josh. 15:31), in the possession of the Philistines when David fled to Gath from Ziph with all his followers. Achish, the king, assigned him Ziklag as his place of residence. Th...
    [isbe] ZIKLAG - zik'-lag (tsiqelagh, tsiqelagh (2 Sam 1:1), tsiqelagh (1 Ch 12:1,20); usually in the Septuagint Sekelak, or Sikelag): A town assigned (Josh 19:5; 1 Ch 4:30) to Simeon, but in Josh 15:31 named, between Hornah and Mad...
    [smith] (winding), a place which possesses a special interest from its having been the residence and the private property of David. It is first mentioned in the catalogue of the towns of Judah in (Joshua 15:31) and occurs, in the sam...
    [nave] ZIKLAG A city within the territory allotted to the tribe of Judah, Josh. 15:31. Reallotted to the tribe of Simeon, Josh. 19:5. David dwells at, 1 Sam. 27:5, 6; 2 Sam. 1:1; 1 Chr. 12:1. Amalekites destroy, 1 Sam. 30. Inha...

  • Poetry

    [ebd] has been well defined as "the measured language of emotion." Hebrew poetry deals almost exclusively with the great question of man's relation to God. "Guilt, condemnation, punishment, pardon, redemption, repentance are the a...
    [nave] POETRY Lam. 1-5. Didactic Moses' song, Deut. 32. The Book of Job, the Proverbs, Solomon's Song, the books of prophecy. See: Psalms, Didactic. Elegy On the death of Saul, 2 Sam. 1:17, 19-27. Of Abner, 2 Sam. 3:33, 34. ...

  • AMALEK; AMALEKITE

    [isbe] AMALEK; AMALEKITE - am'-a-lek, a-mal'-e-kit, am'-a-lek-it (`amaleq, `amaleqi): A tribe dwelling originally in the region south of Judah, the wilderness of et-Tih where the Israelites came into conflict with them. They were n...

  • Mourning

    [smith] One marked feature of Oriental mourning is what may be called its studies publicity and the careful observance of the prescribed ceremonies. (Genesis 23:2; Job 1:20; 2:12) Among the particular forms observed the following ma...
    [nave] MOURNING For the dead: Head uncovered, Lev. 10:6; 21:10; lying on ground, 2 Sam. 12:16; personal appearance neglected, 2 Sam. 14:2; cutting the flesh, Lev. 19:28; 21:1-5; Deut. 14:1; Jer. 16:6, 7; 41:5; lamentations, Gen. 50...

  • Jasher

    [ebd] upright. "The Book of Jasher," rendered in the LXX. "the Book of the Upright One," by the Vulgate "the Book of Just Ones," was probably a kind of national sacred song-book, a collection of songs in praise of the heroes of Is...
    [nave] JASHER Josh. 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18

  • Lamentation

    [ebd] (Heb. qinah), an elegy or dirge. The first example of this form of poetry is the lament of David over Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:17-27). It was a frequent accompaniment of mourning (Amos 8:10). In 2 Sam. 3:33, 34 is recorde...

  • Friendship

    [nave] FRIENDSHIP. Deut. 13:6-9; Job 6:14, 15; Job 16:2, 20; Job 19:13-22; Psa. 35:13, 14; Psa. 41:9; Psa. 55:12-14; Psa. 88:8, 18; Prov. 11:13; Prov. 17:9, 17; Prov. 18:24; Prov. 22:24-27; Prov. 25:17, 19; Prov. 27:6, 9, 10, 14, ...

  • PSALMS, BOOK OF

    [isbe] PSALMS, BOOK OF - samz, (tehillim, "praises," cepher tehillim, "book of praises"; Psalmoi, Psalterion): I. INTRODUCTORY TOPICS 1. Title 2. Place in the Canon 3. Number of Psalms 4. Titles in the Hebrew Text II. AUTHORSHIP AN...

  • Song

    [nave] SONG Sung at the passover, Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26. Didactic, Deut. 32. See: Psalms, Didactic. Impersonation of the church, Song 1-8. Of Moses and the Lamb, Rev. 15:3, 4. New, Psa. 33:3; 40:3. Prophetic, See: Psalms, P...

  • Government

    [nave] GOVERNMENT Paternal functions of, Gen. 41:25-57. Civil service school provided by, Dan. 1:3-20. Maintains a system of public instruction, 2 Chr. 17:7-9. Executive departments in. See: Cabinet; King; Ruler; Statecraft. Ju...

  • Forgiveness

    [nave] FORGIVENESS. Of Enemies Ex. 23:4, 5; Prov. 19:11; Prov. 24:17, 29; Prov. 25:21, 22, Rom. 12:20. Eccl. 7:21; Matt. 5:7, 39-41, 43-46 vs. 47,48;; Luke 6:27-34. Matt. 6:12 [Luke 11:4]. Matt. 6:14, 15; Matt. 18:21-35; Mark 11:...

  • JONATHAN (2)

    [isbe] JONATHAN (2) - (yehonathan; also yonathan, "Yahweh has given"; Ionathan): The eldest son of Saul, the first king of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin. 1. Three Periods: The life of Jonathan, as far as we are told about him, f...

  • Lies and Deceits

    [nave] LIES AND DECEITS Ex. 23:1; Lev. 6:2-7; Lev. 19:11, 12, 16 Ex. 20:16. Job 13:4; Job 21:34; Job 27:4; Job 31:5, 6, 33; Job 36:4; Psa. 5:6, 9; Psa. 10:7; Psa. 12:2, 3; Psa. 28:3; Psa. 31:18; Psa. 34:13 1 Pet. 3:10. Psa. 36:3; P...

  • YOUNG; MEN, YOUNG WOMEN

    [isbe] YOUNG; MEN, YOUNG WOMEN - yung, (bachur, na`ar; neanias, neaniskos): "Young man" is generally in the Old Testament the translation of bachur, from bachar, "to prove," "to choose," and of na`ar (literally, "boy," but used som...
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Arts

Questions

  • The great songs of the Old Testament, besides the Psalms and certain metrical passages in Job, are: Lantech's Sword Song, Gen. 4:23,24; Noah's Song, Gen. 9:25-27; Moses' and Miriam's Song, Ex. 15:1-19,21; War Songs, etc., Num...
  • 19:3-4. As the Israelites were camped by Sinai, Moses went on the mountain and there God spoke to him about the pact He would ratify with the people (Jacob and Israel were synonyms for the nation). God compared His deliverin...

Sermon Illustrations

A Definition

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • God dealt with 21 different cases of skin diseases in this pericope. Some of these may have included measles, smallpox, scarlet fever, and other diseases characterized by skin rash.141Some authorities believe that exact ident...
  • "As the laws increase and the constraints grow, the people seem less willing or less capable of following them. At this point in the narrative we see that the whole order of the priesthood is thrown open to direct confrontati...
  • Israel's continuing success led her enemies to exert increasing opposition against the people of God. This chapter records the Canaanites' first aggressive action against the Israelites.10:1-5 The Jebusites lived in and aroun...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • Was it God's will for David to leave Israel and move to Philistia? The text does not say, but there are indications that lead me to believe that he should not have done this even though he must have felt almost forced to do s...
  • The scene shifts back to Mt. Gilboa in the North. Saul's battle with the Philistines in this chapter may have been simultaneous with David's battle against the Amalekites in the previous one."Chapters 30 and 31 gain in poigna...
  • (Continued from notes on 1 Samuel)V. David's triumphs chs. 1-8A. The beginning of David's kingdom 1:1-3:51. David's discovery of Saul and Jonathan's deaths ch. 12. David's move to Hebron 2:1-4a3. David's overtures to Jabesh-g...
  • The first 20 chapters of 2 Samuel are divisible into four units each of which ends with a list of names that is four verses long (1:1-3:5; 3:6-5:16; 5:17-8:18; 9:1-20:26).2The first two units conclude with lists of David's so...
  • The present section begins with Yahweh's destruction of Saul's line and ends with a summary of David's fecundity. In the middle we find the record of David's anointing as king over Judah (2:1-7). In 1:1-3:5 we see the Israeli...
  • First Samuel 31 and 2 Samuel 1 record the transition that took place in the royal leadership of Israel. 1 Samuel 31 contains the factual account of Saul's death....
  • The young Amalekite must have been a mercenary soldier who had joined Saul's army. It seems more likely that this man's account of Saul's death was not accurate rather than that he had had some hand in killing Saul in view of...
  • Students of David's lament over Saul and Jonathan's deaths have called it the Song of the Bow (cf. v. 22).10Many people in Judah learned and sang it (v. 18). The Book of Jasher (v. 18) is no longer extant (cf. Josh. 10:13)."H...
  • The writer also documented God's blessing on David in this record of how David wisely unified the nation of Israel and became the leader of all 12 tribes."The story of how David became king of all Israel follows, in most esse...
  • "As the story of David's accession to kingship over Judah (1:1-3:5) parallels that of his accession to the throne of Israel (3:6-5:16), each concluding with a list of his sons (3:2-5; 5:13-16), so the account of his powerful ...
  • The promises Yahweh made to David here are an important key to understanding God's program for the future.God rejected David's suggestion that he build a temple for the Lord and gave three reasons. First, there was no pressin...
  • Ahimaaz wanted to be the first to tell David the news of his victory since messengers often received a reward for bringing good news. Joab discouraged him thinking he would also report that Absalom was dead. David would not h...
  • Achtemeier, Paul J., and Elizabeth Achtemeier. The Old Testament Roots of Our Faith. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1979.Ackerman, James S. "Knowing Good and Evil: A Literary Ananysis of the Court History in 2 Samuel 9-20 and ...
  • Jehu challenged the nobles of Samaria and Jezreel who were rearing Ahab's 70 male descendants to select an heir and to battle Jehu. This would decide whether Ahab's house or Jehu's would rule Israel. Rather than fight a battl...
  • 24:15-16 The Lord told Ezekiel that He was about to take the life of his beloved wife. The English word "blow"(v. 16) implies a sudden, unexpected death. The Hebrew word, magephoh, does not demand a sudden death, but it somet...
  • 5:1 This message begins as the previous two did, with a call to hear the Lord's word. However here Amos announced that what follows is a dirge (Heb. qinah) against the house of Israel. A dirge was a lament that was sung at th...
  • The prophet used several clever wordplays in this poem to describe the desolation that God would bring on Judah. He selected towns and villages near his own hometown in Judah's Shephelah whose names were similar to the coming...
  • 6:16 Fasting in Israel involved going without food to engage in a spiritual exercise, usually prayer, with greater concentration. Fasting fostered and indicated self-humiliation before God, and confession often accompanied it...
  • Pilate was a cruel ruler who made little attempt to understand the Jews whom he hated.1047He had treated them unfairly and brutally on many occasions, but recently Caesar had rebuked him severely.1048This probably accounts fo...
  • John heard praise of God in heaven that interrupted his narration of the outpouring of the bowls of wrath briefly.16:5 The "angel of the waters"evidently refers to the angel responsible for the sea and fresh water, the superi...
  • Three groups of people mourn Babylon's destruction in these verses: kings (vv. 9-10; cf. Ezek. 26:15-18), merchants (vv. 11-13, 15-17a; cf. Ezek. 27:36), and sea people (vv. 17b-19; cf. Ezek. 27:29-36).18:9 World government l...
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