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Texts -- 2 Samuel 21:1-12 (NET)

Context
The Gibeonites Demand Revenge
21:1 During David’s reign there was a famine for three consecutive years . So David inquired of the Lord . The Lord said , “It is because of Saul and his bloodstained family , because he murdered the Gibeonites .” 21:2 So the king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke with them. (Now the Gibeonites were not descendants of Israel ; they were a remnant of the Amorites . The Israelites had made a promise to them , but Saul tried to kill them because of his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah .) 21:3 David said to the Gibeonites , “What can I do for you, and how can I make amends so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance ?” 21:4 The Gibeonites said to him, “We have no claim to silver or gold from Saul or from his family , nor would we be justified in putting to death anyone in Israel .” David asked , “What then are you asking me to do for you?” 21:5 They replied to the king , “As for this man who exterminated us and who schemed against us so that we were destroyed and left without status throughout all the borders of Israel – 21:6 let seven of his male descendants be turned over to us, and we will execute them before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul , who was the Lord’s chosen one .” The king replied , “I will turn them over .” 21:7 The king had mercy on Mephibosheth son of Jonathan , the son of Saul , in light of the Lord’s oath that had been taken between David and Jonathan son of Saul . 21:8 So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth , the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah whom she had born to Saul , and the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab whom she had born to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite . 21:9 He turned them over to the Gibeonites , and they executed them on a hill before the Lord . The seven of them died together ; they were put to death during harvest time– during the first days of the beginning of the barley harvest . 21:10 Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock . From the beginning of the harvest until the rain fell on them, she did not allow the birds of the air to feed on them by day , nor the wild animals by night . 21:11 When David was told what Rizpah daughter of Aiah , Saul’s concubine , had done , 21:12 he went and took the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan from the leaders of Jabesh Gilead . (They had secretly taken them from the plaza at Beth Shan . It was there that Philistines publicly exposed their corpses after they had killed Saul at Gilboa .)

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • 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...
    [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...

  • SALVATION

    [isbe] SALVATION - sal-va'-shun: I. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT 1. General 2. Individualism 3. Faith 4. Moral Law 5. Sacrifices 6. Ritual Law II. INTERMEDIATE LITERATURE 1. General 2. The Law III. THE TEACHING OF CHRIST 1. The Baptist 2. ...

  • Rizpah

    [ebd] coal; hot stone, the daughter of Aiah, and one of Saul's concubines. She was the mother of Armoni and Mephibosheth (2 Sam. 3:7; 21:8, 10, 11). It happened that a grievous famine, which lasted for three years, fell upon the l...
    [isbe] RIZPAH - riz'-pa (ritspah, "hot stone"; Josephus, Rhaispha): In 2 Sam 3:7 the subject of a coarse slander. 2 Sam 21 contains the pathetic story of Rizpah's faithful watch over the bodies of her dead sons Mephibosheth and Arm...
    [smith] concubine to King Saul, and mother of his two sons Armoni and Mephibosheth. (B.C. 1080.) The tragic story of the love and endurance with which she watched over the bodies of her two sons, who were killed by the Gibeonites, (2...
    [nave] RIZPAH Concubine of Saul, 2 Sam. 3:7. Guards the bodies of her sons hanged by command of David, 2 Sam. 21:8-11.

  • PUNISHMENTS

    [isbe] PUNISHMENTS - pun'-ish-ments ('awon, "fault," "iniquity," "punishment for iniquity," "sin" (Gen 4:13; Lev 26:41; Job 19:29; Ps 149:7; Lam 4:22; Ezek 14:10 margin; Am 1:3,6,9,11,13; 2:1,4,6), `onesh, "tribute," "fine," "punis...
    [smith] The earliest theory of punishment current among mankind is doubtless the one of simple retaliation, "blood for blood." Viewed historically, the first case of punishment for crime mentioned in Scripture, next to the Fall itsel...

  • 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...

  • HEREDITY

    [isbe] HEREDITY - he-red'-i-ti: 1. Physiological Heredity: Heredity, in modern language, is the law by which living beings tend to repeat their characteristics, physiological and psychical, in their offspring, a law familiar in som...

  • HARVEST

    [ebd] the season for gathering grain or fruit. On the 16th day of Abib (or April) a handful of ripe ears of corn was offered as a first-fruit before the Lord, and immediately after this the harvest commenced (Lev. 23:9-14; 2 Sam. ...
    [isbe] HARVEST - har'-vest (qatsir; therismos): To many of us, harvest time is of little concern, because in our complex life we are far removed from the actual production of our food supplies, but for the Hebrew people, as for tho...

  • Gibeon

    [ebd] hill-city, "one of the royal cities, greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty" (Josh. 10:2). Its inhabitants were Hivites (11:19). It lay within the territory of Benjamin, and became a priest-city (18:25; 21:17)....
    [isbe] GIBEON - gib'-e-un (gibh`on): One of the royal cities of the Hivites (Josh 9:7). It was a greater city than Ai; and its inhabitants were reputed mighty men (Josh 10:2). It fell within the territory allotted to Benjamin (Josh...
    [nave] GIBEON 1. A city of the Hivites, Josh. 9:3, 17; 2 Sam. 21:2. The people of, adroitly draw Joshua into a treaty, Josh. 9. Made servants by the Israelites, when their sharp practice was discovered, Josh. 9:27. The sun stand...

  • 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...

  • GIBEONITES, THE

    [smith] the people of Gibeon, and perhaps also of the three cities associated with Gibeon, (Joshua 9:17) --Hivites; and who, on the discover of the stratagem by which they had obtained the protection of the Israelites, were condemned...

  • GIBEAH

    [ebd] a hill or hill-town, "of Benjamin" (1 Sam. 13:15), better known as "Gibeah of Saul" (11:4; Isa. 10:29). It was here that the terrible outrage was committed on the Levite's concubine which led to the almost utter extirpation ...
    [isbe] GIBEAH - gib'-e-a (gibh`ah, "hill"): The Hebrew word denotes generally an eminence or hill, in distinction from har, which is used for mountain, or mountain range. It occurs, however, in two instances, as a place-name. Under...

  • GIANTS

    [isbe] GIANTS - ji'-ants The word appears in the King James Version as the translation of the Hebrew words nephilim (Gen 6:4; Nu 13:33); repha'im (Dt 2:11,20; 3:11,13; Josh 12:4, etc.); rapha' (1 Ch 20:4,6,8), or raphah (2 Sam 21:1...

  • Dearth

    [ebd] a scarcity of provisions (1 Kings 17). There were frequent dearths in Palestine. In the days of Abram there was a "famine in the land" (Gen. 12:10), so also in the days of Jacob (47:4, 13). We read also of dearths in the tim...

  • 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....
    [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 ...

  • Covenant

    [nave] COVENANT Sacred, Josh. 9:18-21; Gal. 3:15. Binding, Josh. 9:18-20; Jer. 34:8-21; Ezek. 17:14-18; Gal. 3:15. Binding, not only on those who make them, but on those who are represented, Deut. 29:14, 15. Blood of, Ex. 24:8. ...

  • Barley

    [ebd] a grain much cultivated in Egypt (Ex. 9:31) and in Palestine (Lev. 27:16; Deut. 8:8). It was usually the food of horses (1 Kings 4:28). Barley bread was used by the poorer people (Judg. 7:13; 2 Kings 4:42). Barley of the fir...

  • BURIAL

    [isbe] BURIAL - ber'-i-al (qebhurah; compare New Testament to entaphidsai): I. IMMEDIATE BURIAL CONSIDERED URGENT 1. Reasons for This 2. The Burial of Jesus 3. The Usual Time 4. Duties of Next of Kin II. PREPARATIONS FOR BURIAL 1. ...

  • Alliance

    [ebd] a treaty between nations, or between individuals, for their mutual advantage. Abraham formed an alliance with some of the Canaanitish princes (Gen. 14:13), also with Abimelech (21:22-32). Joshua and the elders of Israel ente...

  • AIAH

    [isbe] AIAH - a'-ya ('ayyah, "falcon"; once in the King James Version Ajah, Gen 36:24): (1) A Horite, son of Zibeon, and brother of Anah, who was father of one of Esau's wives (Gen 36:24; 1 Ch 1:40). (2) Father of Rizpah, a concubi...
    [smith] (clamor). Son of Zibeon, a descendant of Seir and ancestor of one of the wives of Esau, (1 Chronicles 1:40) called in (Genesis 36:24) AJAH = A IAH. He probably died before his father, as the succession fell to his brother...

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Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Having completed the major addresses to the Israelites recorded to this point in Deuteronomy, Moses needed only to make a few final arrangements before Israel was ready to enter the land. The record of these events concludes ...
  • The residents of the town of Gibeon decided that if they could not defeat the Israelites they would join them. This has been a strategy that enemies of believers have employed for centuries (cf. Num. 25:1-2).9:1-2 Israel is t...
  • 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...
  • The basic theme in Samuel, that blessing, and in particular fertility of all kinds, follows from faithful commitment to God's revealed will, continues in this section. However another major motif now becomes more prominent. W...
  • The other Israelite soldiers retreated when they heard that Saul and his sons had died. This left towns in the region open for Philistine seizure. Instead of driving the native inhabitants out of the land Saul had made it pos...
  • (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...
  • "From the religious heights of chapter 7 we descend again to the everyday world of battles and bloodshed in chapter 8. The military action picks up where the story left off at the end of chapter 5."130Chapter 8 evidently desc...
  • Chapters 9-20 contrast with chapters 2-8 in that this later section is negative whereas the earlier one was positive. It records failure; the former records success. Compare the similar narrative of Saul's triumphs (1 Sam. 7-...
  • "The account of Sheba's rebellion against David serves as a counterpoise to the story of Absalom's conspiracy (15:1-12) in chapters 15-20, which constitute the major part of the narrative that comprises chapters 13-20 (more p...
  • The last major section of the Book of Samuel (2 Sam. 21-24) consists of six separate pericopes that together constitute a conclusion to the whole book (cf. Judg. 17-21). Each pericope emphasizes the theological message of the...
  • In the first section (21:1-14), the writer reminds us that breaking covenants results in God withdrawing the blessing of fertility.
  • Internal references in 2 Samuel enable us to date this incident early in David's reign between Mephibosheth's arrival in Jerusalem and the beginning of the Ammonite wars. Probably God sent judgment on Israel for Saul's action...
  • David showed himself to be a true son of Yahweh by keeping his covenant with Jonathan and by sparing Mephibosheth (cf. v. 2; 1 Sam. 18:3; 20:8, 16). However, he followed God's Law and executed seven of Saul's descendants incl...
  • This record emphasizes the supernatural character of the victories David was able to enjoy because God fought for him by using various men in his army."The lists of heroes and heroic exploits that frame the poetic centre-piec...
  • This last section of the book records another occasion on which God withdrew his blessing from Israel this time because of David's sin (cf. 21:1-14). When David stopped trusting in Yahweh for protection and placed his confide...
  • David proceeded to offer sacrifices in response to Gad's instructions (v. 18). David needed to commit himself again to God (the burnt offering) and to renew his fellowship with God (the peace offering, v. 25). God instructed ...
  • When 1 Samuel opened Israel was a loosely connected affiliation of tribes with little unity and loyalty. Judges led her many of whom were weak and ineffective. Her worship was in disrepute due to corruption in the priesthood....
  • 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 ...
  • The king gave the Jews permission to defend themselves by killing their enemies. Evidently this meant that they not only met attack with resistance but in some cases initiated attack against those who they knew would destroy ...
  • David contrasted his trust in the Lord with the treachery of those who have no regard for Him in this psalm.The historical background appears in the title (2 Sam. 21-22). Undoubtedly Doeg the Edomite was in David's mind as he...
  • 17:11-12 Ezekiel was now to tell his rebellious hearers what this story represented.250The first eagle stood for the king of Babylon (cf. Jer. 48:40; 49:22; Dan. 7:4). His invasion of Jerusalem (the specific identity of the L...
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