Text -- 2 Samuel 1:1-15 (NET)

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.

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Wesley: 2Sa 1:1

Which though burnt, yet was not so consumed by the fire, that David and his men could not lodge in it.

Wesley: 2Sa 1:2

From David's return to Ziklag.

Wesley: 2Sa 1:2

As a mourner.

JFB: 2Sa 1:1

Though greatly reduced by the Amalekite incendiaries, that town was not so completely sacked and destroyed, but David and his six hundred followers, with their families, could still find some accommodation.|| 08025||1||11||0||@a man came out of the camp from Saul==--As the narrative of Saul's death, given in the last chapter, is inspired, it must be considered the true account, and the Amalekite's story a fiction of his own, invented to ingratiate himself with David, the presumptive successor to the throne. David's question, "How went the matter?" evinces the deep interest he took in the war, an interest that sprang from feelings of high and generous patriotism, not from views of ambition. The Amalekite, however, judging him to be actuated by a selfish principle, fabricated a story improbable and inconsistent, which he thought would procure him a reward. Having probably witnessed the suicidal act of Saul, he thought of turning it to his own account, and suffered the penalty of his grievously mistaken calculation (compare 2Sa 1:9 with 1Sa 31:4-5).

JFB: 2Sa 1:10

A small metallic cap or wreath, which encircled the temples, serving the purpose of a helmet, with a very small horn projecting in front, as the emblem of power.

JFB: 2Sa 1:10

The armlet worn above the elbow; an ancient mark of royal dignity. It is still worn by kings in some Eastern countries.

JFB: 2Sa 1:13-15

The man had at the outset stated who he was. But the question was now formally and judicially put. The punishment inflicted on the Amalekite may seem too severe, but the respect paid to kings in the West must not be regarded as the standard for that which the East may think due to royal station. David's reverence for Saul, as the Lord's anointed, was in his mind a principle on which he had faithfully acted on several occasions of great temptation. In present circumstances it was especially important that his principle should be publicly known; and to free himself from the imputation of being in any way accessory to the execrable crime of regicide was the part of a righteous judge, no less than of a good politician.

Clarke: 2Sa 1:2

A man came out of the camp - The whole account which this young man gives is a fabrication: in many of the particulars it is grossly self-contradictory. There is no fact in the case but the bringing of the crown, or diadem, and bracelets of Saul; which, as he appears to have been a plunderer of the slain, he found on the field of battle; and he brought them to David, and told the lie of having despatched Saul, merely to ingratiate himself with David.

Clarke: 2Sa 1:8

I am an Amalekite - Dr. Delaney remarks that an Amalekite took that crown from off the head of Saul, which he had forfeited by his disobedience in the case of Amalek.

Clarke: 2Sa 1:10

The crown - and the bracelet - The crown was probably no more than a royal fillet or diadem, both being the ensigns of royalty. It is sometimes customary in the East for a sovereign prince to give a crown and bracelets, when investing others with dominion or authority over certain provinces. Had Saul these in token of his being God’ s vicegerent, and that he held the kingdom from him alone?

Defender: 2Sa 1:14

See note on 1Sa 31:6 for insight on the apparent conflict with 1Sa 31:4, as to whether Saul was slain near his armor bearer or by the Amalekite."

TSK: 2Sa 1:1

when David : 1Sa 30:17-26

Ziklag : 1Sa 27:6

TSK: 2Sa 1:2

1Sa 4:12

the third : Gen 22:4; Est 4:16, Est 5:1; Hos 6:2; Mat 12:40, Mat 16:21

a man : 2Sa 4:10

clothes : Gen 37:29, Gen 37:34; Jos 7:6; 1Sa 4:12, 1Sa 4:16; Joe 2:13

and earth : 2Sa 15:32

he fell : 2Sa 14:4; Gen 37:7-10, Gen 43:28; 1Sa 20:41, 1Sa 25:23; Psa 66:3; Rev 3:9

TSK: 2Sa 1:3

From : 2Ki 5:25

am I : Job 1:15-19

TSK: 2Sa 1:4

How went : Heb. What was, etc. 1Sa 4:16 *marg.

the people : 1Sa 31:1-6; 1Ch 10:1-6

TSK: 2Sa 1:5

How knowest : Pro 14:15, Pro 25:2

TSK: 2Sa 1:6

As I happened : The story of this young man appears to be wholly a fiction, formed for the purpose of ingratiating himself with David, as the next probable successor to the crown. There is no fact in the case, except for the bringing of the diadem and bracelets of Saul, as a sufficient evidence of his death, which, as he appears to been a plunderer of the slain, he seems to have stripped from the dead body of the unfortunate monarch It is remarkable, that Saul, who had forfeited his crown by his disobedience and ill-timed clemency with respect to the Amalekites, should now have the insignia of royalty stripped from his person by one of those very people. Rth 2:3; 1Sa 6:9; Luk 10:31

mount : 2Sa 1:21; 1Sa 28:4, 1Sa 31:1

Saul : 1Sa 31:2-7

TSK: 2Sa 1:7

Here am I : Heb. Behold me, 2Sa 9:6; Jdg 9:54; 1Sa 22:12; Isa 6:8 *marg. Isa 65:1

TSK: 2Sa 1:8

an Amalekite : Gen 14:7; Exo 17:8-16; Num 24:20; Deu 25:17-19; 1Sa 15:3, 1Sa 27:8; 1Sa 30:1, 1Sa 30:13, 1Sa 30:17

TSK: 2Sa 1:9

anguish : etc. or, my coat of mail, or, my embroidered coat hindereth me, that my, etc

TSK: 2Sa 1:10

slew : Jdg 1:7, Jdg 9:54; 1Sa 22:18, 1Sa 31:4, 1Sa 31:5; Mat 7:2

crown : 2Sa 12:30; Lam 5:16

bracelet : This was probably worn as an ensign of royalty, as is frequently the case in the East. When the Khalif Cayem Bemrillah granted the investiture of certain dominions to an Eastern prince, the ceremony was performed by sending him letters patent, a crown, chain, and bracelets. The bracelet, says Mr. Morier, are ornaments fastened above the elbows, composed of precious stones of great value, and are only worn by the king and his sons.

TSK: 2Sa 1:11

rent : 2Sa 3:31, 2Sa 13:31; Gen 37:29, Gen 37:34; Act 14:14

likewise : Rom 12:15

TSK: 2Sa 1:12

Psa 35:13, Psa 35:14; Pro 24:17; Jer 9:1; Amo 6:6; Mat 5:44; 2Co 11:29; 1Pe 3:8

TSK: 2Sa 1:13

2Sa 1:8

TSK: 2Sa 1:14

How : Num 12:8; 1Sa 31:4; 2Pe 2:10

stretch forth : 1Sa 24:6, 1Sa 26:9; Psa 105:15

TSK: 2Sa 1:15

Go near : 2Sa 4:10-12; Jdg 8:20; 1Sa 22:17, 1Sa 22:18; 1Ki 2:25, 1Ki 2:34, 1Ki 2:46; Job 5:12; Pro 11:18

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: 2Sa 1:1

Now it came to pass ... - There is no break whatever between the two books of Samuel, the division being purely artificial.

Barnes: 2Sa 1:9

Anguish - The Hebrew word used here occurs nowhere else, and is of doubtful meaning (compare the margin). The rabbis interpret it as a cramp or giddiness.

Barnes: 2Sa 1:10

The Amalekite was one of those who came "to strip the slain"on "the morrow"after the battle 1Sa 31:8, and had the luck to find Saul and possess himself of his crown and bracelet. He probably started off immediately to seek David, and invented the above story, possibly having heard from some Israelite prisoner an account of what really did happen.

Barnes: 2Sa 1:12

For Saul ... - David’ s thoroughly patriotic and unselfish character is strongly marked here. He looked upon the death of Saul, and the defeat of Israel by a pagan foe, with unmixed sorrow, though it opened to him the way to the throne, and removed his mortal enemy out of the way. For Jonathan he mourned with all the tenderness of a loving friend.

Barnes: 2Sa 1:13-14

Whether David believed the Amalekite’ s story, or not, his anger was equally excited, and the fact that the young man was an Amalekite, was not calculated to calm or check it. That David’ s temper was hasty, we know from 1Sa 25:13, 1Sa 25:32-34.

Poole: 2Sa 1:2

On the third day ; from David’ s return to Ziklag, as the foregoing words manifest.

With his clothes rent, and earth upon his head ; pretending sorrow for the loss of God’ s people, in compliance with David’ s humour.

Poole: 2Sa 1:4

He mentions only these two, as those who seemed most to obstruct David’ s coming to the crown.

Poole: 2Sa 1:5

For the knowledge of this did most concern both David and the whole commonwealth of Israel.

Poole: 2Sa 1:9

Stand upon me i.e. lean upon me by thy weight and force, that the spear may come through me; or, stay by me , i.e. stop thy flight, and tarry so long with me till thou hast killed me.

Anguish is come upon me i.e. I am in great pain of body, and anguish of mind. Or thus, my coat of mail, or embroidered coat, hath hindered me , that the spear could not pierce into me. Thus divers both Hebrew and other learned expositors understand it.

My life is yet whole in me I am heart-whole, and not likely to die, as well as not willing to live.

Poole: 2Sa 1:10

I stood upon him, and slew him: it is most probable this was a lie, devised to gain David’ s favour, as he supposed. For, 1. Saul was not killed by a spear, as he pretends, but by his sword, 1Sa 31:4 .

2. It is expressly said that Saul’ s armour-bearer , being yet living, saw that Saul was dead , 1Sa 31:5 ; which doubtless he would very thoroughly examine and know, before he would kill himself upon that account, as he did.

3. Saul’ s death is manifestly ascribed to his own action, even to his falling upon his sword, 1Sa 31:4,5 .

I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: this he addeth by way of caution and excuse, that it might be thought all act of necessity and kindness, and not of choice or ill will, that he killed Saul. But here also he betrays himself; for how could this be true, when Saul’ s life was whole within him, as he had now said, 2Sa 1:9 ?

The crown that was upon his head not that he then wore it; which would have exposed him too much, and that unnecessarily, to the rage of the Philistines; but that he used to wear it. It is not likely that he found it now actually upon Saul’ s head, but that he met with it in some part of the camp, whither Saul had brought it to wear it when he saw fit.

Unto my lord unto thee, whom, now Saul is dead, I own for my lord and king.

Poole: 2Sa 1:13

Whence art thou? David heard and knew before what he was, but he asked it again judicially, in order to his trial and punishment.

Poole: 2Sa 1:14

Why didst not thou refuse to kill him, as his armour-bearer had done? For notwithstanding his great danger, something might have fallen out through God’ s all-disposing providence, whereby his life might have been preserved.

Haydock: 2Sa 1:1

Stranger, residing among the Hebrews.

Haydock: 2Sa 1:1

Siceleg, though it had been burnt down. (Salien, the year of the world 2949.)

Haydock: 2Sa 1:6

Chance. He feigned this to obtain the favour of David; but the king punished him as he deserved. (Worthington) ---

Spear, or sword, as it is before expressed. (Menochius)

Haydock: 2Sa 1:8

Amalecite. The Rabbins say he was the son of Doeg; and has this appellation because Amalec sprung from Esau, Genesis xxxvi. 12. But this is all very uncertain. The man seems to have gotten possession of the marks of the royal dignity in the night, as the Philistines deferred till the next day stripping the bodies of the deceased. (Calmet)

Haydock: 2Sa 1:9

Anguish. Hebrew, "the coat of mail withholds me." Septuagint, "horrid darkness encompasses me." Shabah, signifies a coat of mail, made of cloth, very thick, and boiled in vinegar, to render it more impenetrable. The Greeks emperors and the French formerly wore them much, instead of iron. (Calmet) ---

Protestant [version] however agrees with us. ---

In me. I have yet received no mortal wound. (Haydock)

Haydock: 2Sa 1:10

I killed him. This story of the young Amalecite was not true, as may easily be proved by comparing it with the last chapter of the foregoing book. (Challoner) ---

Fall. This he says, apprehending that David would perhaps disapprove of what he had done. ---

Diadem, or ribband, which was tied round his head, as a badge of his dignity. Hebrew, "the crown." But it was not of metal, though such were already common, Exodus xxviii. 36., and 1 Paralipomenon xx. 2. Some pretend that Doeg gave these insignia to this son, that he might ingratiate himself with the future king. But they were upon Saul, so that the enemy could easily distinguish him. ---

Bracelet. The Hebrews took a great many from the Madianites, Numbers xxxi. 50. Such presents were made by the Romans to soldiers who had performed some feats of valour. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxxiii. 2.) (Livy i. 10.)

Haydock: 2Sa 1:11

Rent them, in sign of grief, as many other nations did. Tum pius Æneas humeris abscindere vestem. (Virgil, Æneid v.) (Calmet)

Haydock: 2Sa 1:12

Of the Lord, the priests; (Abulensis) though it seems to be explained by the following words, of all the Israelites. (Haydock)

Gill: 2Sa 1:1

Now it came to pass after the death of Saul,.... The third day after, as appears from the next verse:

when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites; as related in 1Sa 30:17,

and David had abode two days in Ziklag; which, though fired by the Amalekites, was not utterly consumed, but there was still some convenience for the lodging of David and his men; within this time he sent his presents to several places in the tribe of Judah, of which mention is made in the chapter before quoted, and at the same time it was that so many mighty men came to him from several tribes spoken of in 1Ch 12:1.

Gill: 2Sa 1:2

It came to pass on the third day,.... After the battle was fought, in which Saul was slain:

that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul; that is, from them who were in the camp with Saul, for he was dead. Some say ^d this was Doeg the Edomite, which is not likely that he should come with such tidings to David; besides, if he was Saul's armourbearer, as others say, see 1Sa 31:4; he died with Saul; nor his son, as others ^e, which is not at all probable, though his being an Edomite is no objection, since the Amalekites were of the race of Edom:

with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: in token of mourning, and was the bringer of bad tidings, see 1Sa 4:12,

and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance; as being the rising sun, Saul's successor, and now king.

Gill: 2Sa 1:3

And David said unto him, from whence comest thou?.... It is very likely by his appearance and circumstances he suspected from whence he came:

and he said unto him, out of the camp of Israel am I escaped; which plainly suggested that that was in danger, confusion, and distress.

Gill: 2Sa 1:4

And David said unto him, how went the matter? I pray thee, tell me,.... That is, how went the battle? on which side the victory?

and he answered, that the people are fled from the battle; meaning the people of Israel, they had given way, and turned their backs upon their enemies, and were fled:

and many of the people also are fallen and dead; fell by the sword in the pursuit of them, and were not only wounded, but were slain, and these great numbers of them:

and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also; which are mentioned last, because they fell some of the last; and this part of the account is reserved by the messenger to the last, because it was the article of the greatest importance; the death of these two persons, the one the enemy, and the other the friend of David, and the death of both made way for his accession to the throne.

Gill: 2Sa 1:5

And David said unto the young man that told him,.... These tidings:

how knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? this he particularly inquired after, as what most affected him, and was most material for him to know; and his meaning is, whether he had this of his own sight and knowledge, or by report.

Gill: 2Sa 1:6

And the young man that told him,.... So it seems he was, and therefore could not be Doeg, more likely his son of the two; but there is no reason to believe he was either of them, who cannot be thought to be well disposed to David:

said, as I happened by chance upon Mount Gilboa; who was either a traveller that came that way just as the army was routed, and part had fled to Gilboa; or if a soldier, was not one of those that attended Saul, and was of his bodyguard, but happened on the flight to come to the same spot on Gilboa where Saul was:

behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; that that might pierce him through and die; but this seems not true, for he fell upon his sword for that purpose, 1Sa 31:4,

and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him; the charioteers and cavalry, of which part of the Philistine army consisted; though this also does not agree with the account in the above place; for according to that they were the archers that pressed him hard, and hit him.

Gill: 2Sa 1:7

And when he looked behind him,.... To see how near the enemy was, and who were pursuing him:

he saw me, and called unto me; by which it should rather seem that he belonged to the Philistines than to the Israelites, and as his being an Amalekite shows; for such an one would hardly be admitted among the latter, though it is most likely he was with neither, but happened to come that way just at that time:

and I answered, here am I; ready to hear what thou hast to say, and do thy pleasure.

Gill: 2Sa 1:8

And he said unto me, who art thou?.... Being willing to know whether a friend or an enemy, which by his coming behind him he could not tell:

and I answered him, I am an Amalekite: which he might be; but it is not likely he should tell Saul he was, which would not recommend him to him; though indeed he was now in such circumstances, that the Amalekites had nothing to fear from him; and if he was slain by him, as Josephus ^f affirms he was, it seems to be a just retaliation on him for sparing any of that race, contrary to the will of God.

Gill: 2Sa 1:9

And he said unto me again, stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me,.... Which it can hardly be thought Saul would say; since he might as well have died by the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines, which he endeavoured to avoid, as by the hands of an Amalekite:

for anguish is come upon me; or trembling, as the Targum, not through fear of death, but through fear of falling into the hands of the Philistines, and of being ill used by them. Some render the words, "my embroidered coat", or "breastplate", or "coat of mail", holds me ^g, or hinders me from being pierced through with the sword or spear; so Ben Gersom ^h:

because my life is yet whole in me: for though he had been wounded by the archers, yet he did not apprehend he had received any mortal wound, but his life was whole in him; and therefore feared he should fall into their hands alive, and be ill treated by them.

Gill: 2Sa 1:10

So I stood upon him, and slew him,.... Pressed with all his weight upon his body, that so the spear might pierce through him, and slay him; thus he represents his death to be brought about:

because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen; this is not consistent with what he had said before, both that he was leaning on his spear, and not fallen to the ground, and that his life was whole in him:

and I took the crown that was upon his head; which made him conspicuous, and therefore the Philistines aimed at him, and pressed hard after him, 2Sa 1:6; though some think that this was not on his head, but carried into the field of battle, ready to be put on if victory was on his side; and others say it was in the possession and care of Doeg, who at his death gave it to his son to carry to David, and thereby gain his favour:

and the bracelet that was on his arm; of gold no doubt, so Josephus ⁱ; such as great personages used to wear, men as well as women, see Gen 38:18, especially military men ^k. Jarchi takes them to be the "totaphot" or phylacteries on the arm, which is not probable:

and have brought them hither unto my lord; as ensigns of royalty, fit only for a king, Saul's successor, as this person, by calling him lord, owned him to be, and thought by bringing those to him to be highly he neared and rewarded.

Gill: 2Sa 1:11

When David took hold on his clothes,.... Not on the young man's but his own:

and rent them; on bearing of the death of Saul and Jonathan, see Gen 37:34; from whence the Jews ^l gather, that a man is bound to rend his clothes for a prince, and for the father of the sanhedrim, since Saul, they say, was the prince, and Jonathan the father of that court:

and likewise all the men that were with him; rent their clothes also, in imitation of him; the same custom obtained among the Gentiles on mournful occasions ^m.

Gill: 2Sa 1:12

And they mourned and wept,.... Inwardly mourned, and outwardly wept, no doubt sincerely:

and fasted until even; ate no food all that day until it was evening, the manner in which fasts used to be kept:

for Saul, and for Jonathan his son; it is no wonder that David and his men should mourn for Jonathan, a good man, and a valiant one, and a dear and faithful friend of David's; but it may seem not so clear a thing that they should, mourn for Saul, a wicked man, and a persecutor of David without cause: but it should be observed that he had been reconciled to David, and had not since attempted anything against him; besides, he was his prince, his father-in-law, and the rather he might be grieved for his death, and his men with him, because it was matter of joy to the Philistines, and they would endeavour to avail themselves of it; and especially the manner of his death, that he should be the cause of it himself, and die without repentance, as it might be feared, and quickly after consultation with a witch, and when left of God, if these particulars were known to David:

and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel; that is, the people of the Lord, even the house of Israel, or who were of the house of Israel; or if they are to be distinguished, the former may respect the people of the Lord who died in battle, for whom mourning was made; and the latter the people that survived, the whole kingdom of Israel, which had sustained a great loss by the slaughter made in this battle, as it follows:

because they were fallen by the sword; so many of them.

Gill: 2Sa 1:13

And David said unto the young man that told him, whence art thou?.... From what place, or of what people and nation art thou? though Abarbinel thinks it neither respects place nor people, but that David thought he was another man's servant; so that the sense of the question is, to what man did he belong?

and he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite; he was not any man's servant, but the son of a proselyte, of one that was by birth and nation an Amalekite, but proselyted to the Jewish religion; he might know of what nation he originally was, by the account he had given of what passed between him and Saul, 2Sa 1:8; though the mind of David might so disturbed as not to advert to it; or if he did, he might be willing to have it repeated for confirmation's sake.

Gill: 2Sa 1:14

And David said unto him, how, wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand,.... By which it should seem that he did more than stand upon him, and press his body, that the spear might pierce through him, but that he drew his sword, and slew him; so David understood him, and is the sense of the phrase in 1Sa 17:51,

to destroy the Lord's anointed? a reason why David did not destroy him, when it was in the power of his hands, and which he made use of to dissuade others from it; and here charges it not only as a criminal, but a daring action in this young man, at which he expresses his admiration how he could do it; hereby representing it as a very shocking and detestable action; see 1Sa 24:6.

Gill: 2Sa 1:15

And David called one of the young men,.... His servants that attended on him:

and said, go near, and fall upon him; by smiting him with his sword:

and he smote him, that he died; his orders were instantly obeyed. Kings and generals of armies had great power in those times and countries to execute a man immediately, without any other judge or jury: what may serve, or David might think would serve, to justify him in doing this, is what follows.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 2Sa 1:1

¹ sn This chapter is closely linked to 1 Sam 31. It should be kept in mind that 1 and 2 Samuel were originally a single book, not separate volumes. Whereas in English Bible tradition the books of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, and Ezra-Nehemiah are each regarded as two separate books, this was not the practice in ancient Hebrew tradition. Early canonical records, for example, counted them as single books respectively. The division into two books goes back to the Greek translation of the OT and was probably initiated because of the cumbersome length of copies due to the Greek practice (unlike that of Hebrew) of writing vowels. The present division into two books can be a little misleading in terms of perceiving the progression of the argument of the book; in some ways it is preferable to treat the books of 1-2 Samuel in a unified fashion.

² sn The Amalekites were a nomadic people who inhabited Judah and the Transjordan. They are mentioned in Gen 36:15-16 as descendants of Amalek who in turn descended from Esau. In Exod 17:8-16 they are described as having acted in a hostile fashion toward Israel as the Israelites traveled to Canaan from Egypt. In David’s time the Amalekites were viewed as dangerous enemies who raided, looted, and burned Israelite cities (see 1 Sam 30).

³ sn Ziklag was a city in the Negev which had been given to David by Achish king of Gath. For more than a year David used it as a base from which he conducted military expeditions (see 1 Sam 27:5-12). According to 1 Sam 30:1-19, Ziklag was destroyed by the Amalekites while Saul fought the Philistines.

NET Notes: 2Sa 1:2

¹ sn Tearing one’s clothing and throwing dirt on one’s head were outward expressions of grief in the ancient Near East, where such demonstrable reactions were a common response to tragic news.

² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man mentioned at the beginning of v. 2) has been specified in the translation to avoid confusion as to who fell to the ground.

³ tn Heb “he fell to the ground and did obeisance.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 1:4

¹ tn Heb “What was the word?”

² tn Heb “from the people.”

³ tn Heb “fell and died.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 1:5

¹ tn In v. 2 he is called simply a “man.” The word used here in v. 5 (so also in vv. 6, 13, 15), though usually referring to a young man or servant, may in this context designate a “fighting” man, i.e., a soldier.

² tc Instead of the MT “who was recounting this to him, ‘How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?’” the Syriac Peshitta reads “declare to me how Saul and his son Jonathan died.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 1:6

¹ tc The Syriac Peshitta and one ms of the LXX lack the words “who was telling him this” of the MT.

NET Notes: 2Sa 1:8

¹ tc The present translation reads with the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss “and I said,” rather than the Kethib which has “and he said.” See the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate, all of which have the first person.

NET Notes: 2Sa 1:9

¹ tn As P. K. McCarter (II Samuel [AB], 59) points out, the Polel of the verb מוּת (mut, “to die”) “refers to dispatching or ‘finishing off’ someone already wounded and near death.” Cf. NLT “put me out of my misery.”

² tn Heb “the dizziness has seized me.” On the meaning of the Hebrew noun translated “dizziness,” see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 59-60. The point seems to be that he is unable to kill himself because he is weak and disoriented.

³ tn The Hebrew text here is grammatically very awkward (Heb “because all still my life in me”). Whether the broken construct phrase is due to the fact that the alleged speaker is in a confused state of mind as he is on the verge of dying, or whether the MT has sustained corruption in the transmission process, is not entirely clear. The former seems likely, although P. K. McCarter understands the MT to be the result of conflation of two shorter forms of text (P. K. McCarter, II Samuel [AB], 57, n. 9). Early translators also struggled with the verse, apparently choosing to leave part of the Hebrew text untranslated. For example, the Lucianic recension of the LXX lacks “all,” while other witnesses (namely, one medieval Hebrew ms, codices A and B of the LXX, and the Syriac Peshitta) lack “still.”

NET Notes: 2Sa 1:10

¹ tn Heb “after his falling”; NAB “could not survive his wound”; CEV “was too badly wounded to live much longer.”

² tc The MT lacks the definite article, but this is likely due to textual corruption. It is preferable to read the alef (א) of אֶצְעָדָה (’ets’adah) as a ה (he) giving הַצְּעָדָה (hatsÿ’adah). There is no reason to think that the soldier confiscated from Saul’s dead body only one of two or more bracelets that he was wearing (cf. NLT “one of his bracelets”).

³ sn The claims that the soldier is making here seem to contradict the story of Saul’s death as presented in 1 Sam 31:3-5. In that passage it appears that Saul took his own life, not that he was slain by a passerby who happened on the scene. Some scholars account for the discrepancy by supposing that conflicting accounts have been brought together in the MT. However, it is likely that the young man is here fabricating the account in a self-serving way so as to gain favor with David, or so he supposes. He probably had come across Saul’s corpse, stolen the crown and bracelet from the body, and now hopes to curry favor with David by handing over to him these emblems of Saul’s royalty. But in so doing the Amalekite greatly miscalculated David’s response to this alleged participation in Saul’s death. The consequence of his lies will instead be his own death.

NET Notes: 2Sa 1:11

¹ tc The present translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading “his garments,” rather than “his garment,” the reading of the Kethib.

NET Notes: 2Sa 1:13

¹ tn The Hebrew word used here refers to a foreigner whose social standing was something less than that of native residents of the land, but something more than that of a nonresident alien who was merely passing through.

NET Notes: 2Sa 1:15

¹ tn Heb “young men.”

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 1:1

Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;

The Argument - This book and the former are called Samuel, because they contain the conception, birth and the whole course of his life, and also the lives and acts of two kings, that is, of Saul and David, whom he anointed and consecrated kings by the ordinance of God. The first book contains those things which God brought to pass among this people under the government of Samuel and Saul. This second book declares the noble acts of David, after the death of Saul when he began to reign, to the end of his kingdom, and how it was expanded by him. It also contains the great troubles and dangers he sustained both within his house and without, the horrible and dangerous insurrections, uproars, and treasons wrought against him, partly by false counsellors, feigned friends and flatterers and partly by his own children and people. By God's assistance he overcame all difficulties, and enjoyed his kingdom in rest and peace. In the person of David the scripture sets forth Christ Jesus the chief king, who came from David according to the flesh, and was persecuted on every side with outward and inward enemies, as well in his own person, as in his members, but at length he overcomes all his enemies, and gives his Church victory against all power both spiritual and temporal; and so reigns with them, king for ever.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 1:2

It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with ^{( a )} his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and [so] it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.

^{( a )} Seeming to lament the overthrow of the people of Israel.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 1:6

And the young man that told him said, ^{( b )} As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

^{( b )} As I fled the chase.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 1:8

And he said unto me, Who [art] thou? And I answered him, I [am] an ^{( c )} Amalekite.

^{( c )} He was an Amalekite born, but renounced his country and joined with the Israelites.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 1:9

He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my ^{( d )} life [is] yet whole in me.

^{( d )} I am sorry, because I am yet alive.

Geneva Bible: 2Sa 1:13

^{( e )} And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence [art] thou? And he answered, I [am] the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.

^{( e )} After the lamentation, he examined him again.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: 2Sa 1:1-27

1 The Amalekite, who brought tidings of the overthrow, and accused himself of Saul's death, is slain.

17 David laments Saul and Jonathan with a song.

MHCC: 2Sa 1:1-10

The blow which opened David's way to the throne was given about the time he had been sorely distressed. Those who commit their concerns to the Lord, will quietly abide his will. It shows that he desired not Saul's death, and he was not impatient to come to the throne.

MHCC: 2Sa 1:11-16

David was sincere in his mourning for Saul; and all with him humbled themselves under the hand of God, laid so heavily upon Israel by this defeat. The man who brought the tidings, David put to death, as a murderer of his prince. David herein did not do unjustly; the Amalekite confessed the crime. If he did as he said, he deserved to die for treason; and his lying to David, if indeed it were a lie, proved, as sooner or later that sin will prove, lying against himself. Hereby David showed himself zealous for public justice, without regard to his own private interest.

Matthew Henry: 2Sa 1:1-10

Here is, I. David settling again in Ziklag, his own city, after he had rescued his family and friends out of the hands of the Amalekites (2Sa 1:1): He abode in Ziklag. Thence he was now sending presents to his friends (1Sa 30:26), and there he was ready to receive those that came into his interests; not men in distress and debt, as his first followers were, but persons of quality in their country, mighty men, men of war, and captains of thousands (as we find, 1Ch 12:1, 1Ch 12:8, 1Ch 12:20); such came day by day to him, God stirring up their hearts to do so, till he had a great host, like the host of God, as it is said, 1Ch 12:22. The secret springs of revolutions are unaccountable, and must be resolved into that Providence which turns all hearts as the rivers of water.

II. Intelligence brought him thither of the death of Saul. It was strange that he did not leave some spies about the camp, to bring him early notice of the issue of the engagement, a sign that he desired not Saul's woeful day, nor was impatient to come to the throne, but willing to wait till those tidings were brought to him which many a one would have sent more than half-way to meet. He that believes does not make haste, takes good news when it comes and is not uneasy while it is in the coming. 1. The messenger presents himself to David as an express, in the posture of a mourner for the deceased prince and a subject to the succeeding one. He came with his clothes rent, and made obeisance to David (2Sa 1:2), pleasing himself with the fancy that he had the honour to be the first that did him homage as his sovereign, but it proved he was the first that received from him sentence of death as his judge. He told David he came from the camp of Israel, and intimated the bad posture it was in when he said he had escaped out of it, having much ado to get away with his life, 2Sa 1:3. 2. He gives him a general account of the issue of the battle. David was very desirous to know how the matter went, as one that had more reason than any to be concerned for the public; and he told him very distinctly that the army of Israel was routed, many slain, and, among the rest, Saul and Jonathan, 2Sa 1:4. He named only Saul and Jonathan, because he knew David would be most solicitous to know their fate; for Saul was the man whom he most feared and Jonathan the man whom he most loved. 3. He gives him a more particular account of the death of Saul. It is probable that David had heard, by the report of others, what the issue of the war was, for multitudes resorted to him, it should seem, in consequence; but he was desirous to know the certainty of the report concerning Saul and Jonathan, either because he was not forward to believe it or because he would not proceed upon it to make his own claims till he was fully assured of it. He therefore asks, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan are dead? in answer to which the young man tells him a very ready story, putting it past doubt that Saul was dead, for he himself had been not only an eye-witness of his death, but an instrument of it, and therefore David might rely upon his testimony. He says nothing, in his narrative, of the death of Jonathan, knowing how ungrateful that would be to David, but accounts only for Saul, thinking (as David understood it well enough, 2Sa 4:10) that he should be welcome for that, and rewarded as one that brought good tidings. The account he gives of this matter is, (1.) Very particular. That he happened to go to the place where Saul was (2Sa 1:6) as a passenger, not as a soldier, and therefore an indifferent person, that he found Saul endeavouring to run himself through with his own spear, none of his attendants being willing to do it for him; and, it seems, he could not do it dexterously for himself: his hand and heart failed him. The miserable man had not courage enough either to live or die; he therefore called this stranger to him (2Sa 1:7), enquired what countryman he was, for, provided he was not a Philistine, he would gladly receive from his hand the coup de grace (as the French call it concerning those that are broken on the wheel) - the merciful stroke, that might dispatch him out of his pain. Understanding that he was an Amalekite (neither one of his subjects nor one of his enemies), he begs this favour from him (2Sa 1:9): Stand upon me, and slay me. He is now sick of his dignity and willing to be trampled upon, sick of his life and willing to be slain. Who then would be inordinately fond of life or honour? The case may he such, even with those that have no hope in their death, that yet they may desire to die, and death flee from them, Rev 9:6. Anguish has come upon me; so we read it, as a complaint of the pain and terror his spirit was seized with. If his conscience now brought to mind the javelin he had cast at David, his pride, malice, and perfidiousness, and especially the murder of the priests, no marvel that anguish came upon him: moles (they say) open their eyes when they are dying. Sense of unpardoned guilt will make death indeed the king of terrors. Those that have baffled their convictions will perhaps, in their dying moments, be overpowered by them. The margin reads it as a complaint of the inconvenience of his clothes; that his coat of mail which he had for defence, or his embroidered coat which he had for ornament, hindered him, that he could not get the spear far enough into his body, or so straitened him, now that his body swelled with anguish, that he could not expire. Let no man's clothes be his pride, for it may so happen that they may be his burden and snare. "Hereupon,"saith our young man, " I stood upon him, and slew him "(2Sa 1:10) at which word, perhaps, he observed David look upon him with some show of displeasure, and therefore he excuses himself in the next words: " For I was sure he could not live; his life was whole in him indeed, but he would certainly have fallen into the hands of the Philistines or given himself another thrust."(2.) It is doubtful whether this story be true. If it be, the righteousness of God is to be observed, that Saul, who spared the Amalekites in contempt of the divine command, received his death's wound from an Amalekite. But most interpreters think that it was false, and that, though he might happen to be present, yet he was not assisting in the death of Saul, but told David so in expectation that he would reward him for it, as having done him a piece of good service. Those who would rejoice at the fall of an enemy are apt to measure others by themselves, and to think that they will do so too. But a man after God's own heart is not to be judged of by common men. I am not clear whether this young man's story was true or no: it may consist with the narrative in the chapter before, and be an addition to it, as Peter's account of the death of Judas (Act 1:18) is to the narrative, Mat 27:5. What is there called a sword may here be called a spear, or when he fell upon his sword he leaned on his spear. (3.) However he produced that which was proof sufficient of the death of Saul, the crown that was upon his head and the bracelet that was on his arm. It should seem Saul was so foolishly fond of these as to wear them in the field of battle, which made him a fair mark for the archers, by distinguishing him from those about him; but as pride (we say) feels no cold, so it fears no danger, from that which gratifies it. These fell into the hands of this Amalekite. Saul spared the best of their spoil, and now the best of his came to one of that devoted nation. He brought them to David, as the rightful owner of them now that Saul was dead, not doubting but by his officiousness herein to recommend himself to the best preferments in his court or camp. The tradition of the Jews is that this Amalekite was the son of Doeg (for the Amalekites were descendants from Edom), and that Doeg, who they suppose was Saul's armour-bearer, before he slew himself gave Saul's crown and bracelet (the ensigns of his royalty) to his son, and bade him carry them to David, to curry favour with him. But this is a groundless conceit. Doeg's son, it is likely, was so well known to Saul that he needed not ask him as he did this Amalekite (2Sa 1:8), Who art thou? David had been long waiting for the crown, and now it was brought to him by an Amalekite. See how God can serve his own purposes of kindness to his people, even by designing (ill-designing) men, who aim at nothing but to set up themselves.

Matthew Henry: 2Sa 1:11-16

Here is, I. David's reception of these tidings. So far was he from falling into a transport of joy, as the Amalekite expected, that he fell into a passion of weeping, rent his clothes (2Sa 1:11), mourned and fasted (2Sa 1:12), not only for his people Israel and Jonathan his friend but for Saul his enemy. This he did, not only as a man of honour, in observance of that decorum which forbids us to insult over those that are fallen, and requires us to attend our relations to the grave with respect, whatever we lost by their life or got by their death, but as a good man and a man of conscience, that had forgiven the injuries Saul had done him and bore him no malice. He knew it, before his son wrote it (Pro 24:17, Pro 24:18), that if we rejoice when our enemy falls the Lord sees it, and it displeases him; and that he who is glad at calamities shall not go unpunished, Pro 17:5. By this it appears that those passages in David's psalms which express his desire of, and triumph in, the ruin of his enemies, proceeded not from a spirit of revenge, nor any irregular passion, but from a holy zeal for the glory of God and the public good; for by what he did here, when he heard of Saul's death, we may perceive that his natural temper was very tender, and that he was kindly affected even to those that hated him. He was very sincere, no question, in his mourning for Saul, and it was not pretended, or a copy of his countenance only. His passion was so strong, on this occasion, that it moved those about him; all that were with him, at least in complaisance to him, rent their clothes, and they fasted till even, in token of their sorrow; and probably it was a religious fast: they humbled themselves under the hand of God, and prayed for the repairing of the breaches made upon Israel by this defeat.

II. The reward he gave to him that brought him the tidings. Instead of preferring him, he put him to death, judged him out of his own mouth, as a murderer of his prince, and ordered him to be forthwith executed for the same. What a surprise was this to the messenger, who thought he should have favour shown him for his pains. In vain did he plead that he had Saul's order for it, that it was a real kindness to him, that he must inevitably have died; all those pleas are overruled: " Thy mouth has testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed (2Sa 1:16), therefore thou must die."Now,

1. David herein did not do unjustly. For, (1.) The man was an Amalekite. This, lest he should have mistaken it in his narrative, he made him own a second time, 2Sa 1:13. That nation, and all that belonged to it, were doomed to destruction, so that, in slaying him, David did what his predecessor should have done and was rejected for not doing. (2.) He did himself confess the crime, so that the evidence was, by the consent of all laws, sufficient to convict him; for every man is presumed to make the best of himself. If he did as he said, he deserved to die for treason (2Sa 1:14), doing that which, it is probable, he heard Saul's own armour-bearer refuse to do; if not, yet by boasting that he had done it he plainly showed that if there had been occasion he would have done it, and would have made nothing of it; and, by boasting of it to David, he showed what opinion he had of him, that he would rejoice in it, as one altogether like himself, which was an intolerable affront to him who had himself once and again refused to stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed. And his lying to David, if indeed it was a lie, was highly criminal, and proved, as sooner or later that sin will prove, lying against his own head.

2. He did honourably and well. Hereby he demonstrated the sincerity of his grief, discouraged all others from thinking by doing the like to ingratiate themselves with him, and did that which might probably oblige the house of Saul and win upon them, and recommend him to the people as one that was zealous for public justice, without regard to his own private interest. We may learn from it that to give assistance to any in murdering themselves, directly or indirectly, if done wittingly, incurs the guilt of blood, and that the lives of princes ought to be, in a special manner, precious to us.

Keil-Delitzsch: 2Sa 1:1-16

David receives the news of Saul's death . - 2Sa 1:1-4. After the death of Saul, and David's return to Ziklag from his campaign against the Amalekites, there came a man to David on the third day, with his clothes torn and earth strewed upon his head (as a sign of deep mourning: see at 1Sa 4:12), who informed him of the flight and overthrow of the Israelitish army, and the death of Saul and Jonathan.

2Sa 1:1-3

2Sa 1:1 may be regarded as the protasis to 2Sa 1:2, so far as the contents are concerned, although formally it is rounded off, and ויּשׁב forms the apodosis to ויהי : "It came to pass after the death of Saul, David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:1-26), that David remained at Ziklag two days. And it came to pass on the third day," etc. Both of these notices of the time refer to the day, on which David returned to Ziklag from the pursuit and defeat of the Amalekites. Whether the battle at Gilboa, in which Saul fell, occurred before or after the return of David, it is impossible to determine. All that follows from the juxtaposition of the two events in 2Sa 1:1, is that they were nearly contemporaneous. The man "came from the army from with Saul," and therefore appears to have kept near to Saul during the battle.

2Sa 1:4

David's inquiry, "How did the thing happen?" refers to the statement made by the messenger, that he had escaped from the army of Israel. In the answer, אשׁר serves, like כּי in other passages, merely to introduce the words that follow, like our namely (vid., Ewald , §338, b .). "The people fled from the fight; and not only have many of the people fallen, but Saul and Jonathan his son are also dead." וגם ... וגם : not only ... but also .

2Sa 1:5-10

To David's further inquiry how he knew this, the young man replied (2Sa 1:6-10), "I happened to come ( נקרא = נקרה ) up to the mountains of Gilboa, and saw Saul leaning upon his spear; then the chariots (the war-chariots for the charioteers) and riders were pressing upon him, and he turned round and saw me, ... and asked me, Who art thou? and I said, An Amalekite; and he said to me, Come hither to me, and slay me, for the cramp ( שׁבץ according to the Rabbins) hath seized me (sc., so that I cannot defend myself, and must fall into the hands of the Philistines); for my soul (my life) is still whole in me. Then I went to him, and slew him, because I knew that after his fall he would not live; and took the crown upon his head, and the bracelet upon his arm, and brought them to my lord" (David). "After his fall"does not mean "after he had fallen upon his sword or spear"(Clericus), for this is neither implied in נפלו nor in על־חניתו נשׁען ("supported, i.e., leaning upon his spear"), nor are we at liberty to transfer it from 1Sa 31:4 into this passage; but "after his defeat," i.e., so that he would not survive this calamity. This statement is at variance with the account of the death of Saul in 1Sa 31:3.; and even apart from this it has an air of improbability, or rather of untruth in it, particularly in the assertion that Saul was leaning upon his spear when the chariots and horsemen of the enemy came upon him, without having either an armour-bearer or any other Israelitish soldier by his side, so that he had to turn to an Amalekite who accidentally came by, and to ask him to inflict the fatal wound. The Amalekite invented this, in the hope of thereby obtaining the better recompense from David. The only part of his statement which is certainly true, is that he found the king lying dead upon the field of battle, and took off the crown and armlet; since he brought these to David. But it is by no means certain whether he was present when Saul expired, or merely found him after he was dead.

2Sa 1:11-12

This information, the substance of which was placed beyond all doubt by the king's jewels that were brought, filled David with the deepest sorrow. As a sign of his pain he rent his clothes; and all the men with him did the same, and mourned with weeping and fasting until the evening "for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of Jehovah, and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword" (i.e., in battle). "The people of Jehovah" and the "house or people of Israel" are distinguished from one another, according to the twofold attitude of Israel, which furnished a double ground for mourning. Those who had fallen were first of all members of the people of Jehovah, and secondly, fellow-countrymen. "They were therefore associated with them, both according to the flesh and according to the spirit, and for that reason they mourned the more"(Seb. Schmidt). "The only deep mourning for Saul, with the exception of that of the Jabeshites (1Sa 31:11), proceeded from the man whom he had hated and persecuted for so many years even to the time of his death; just as David's successor wept over the fall of Jerusalem, even when it was about to destroy Himself"( O. v. Gerlach ).

2Sa 1:13

David then asked the bringer of the news for further information concerning his own descent, and received the reply that he was the son of an Amalekite stranger, i.e., of an Amalekite who had emigrated to Israel.

2Sa 1:14-16

David then reproached him for what he had done: "How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?" and commanded one of his attendants to slay him (2Sa 1:15.), passing sentence of death in these words: "Thy blood come upon thy head (cf. Lev 20:9; Jos 2:1;(1); for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed."

(Note: " Thy mouth hath testified against thee , and out of it thou art judged (Luk 19:22), whether thou hast done it or not. If thou hast done it, thou receivest the just reward of thy deeds. If thou hast not done it, then throw the blame upon thine own lying testimony, and be content with the wages of a wicked flatterer; for, according to thine own confession, thou art the murderer of a king, and that is quite enough to betray thine evil heart. David could see plainly enough that the man was no murderer: he would show by his example that flatterers who boast of such sins as these should get no hearing from their superiors."- Berleb. Bible. )

David regarded the statement of the Amalekite as a sufficient ground for condemnation, without investigating the truth any further; though it was most probably untrue, as he could see through his design of securing a great reward as due to him for performing such a deed (vid., 2Sa 4:10), and looked upon a man who could attribute such an act to himself from mere avarice as perfectly capable of committing it. Moreover, the king's jewels, which he had brought, furnished a practical proof that Saul had really been put to death. This punishment was by no means so severe as to render it necessary to "estimate its morality according to the times,"or to defend it merely from the standpoint of political prudence, on the ground that as David was the successor of Saul, and had been pursued by him as his rival with constant suspicion and hatred, he ought not to leave the murder of the king unpunished, if only because the people, or at any rate his own opponents among the people, would accuse him of complicity in the murder of the king, if not of actually instigating the murderer. David would never have allowed such considerations as these to lead him into unjust severity. And his conduct requires no such half vindication. Even on the supposition that Saul had asked the Amalekite to give him his death-thrust, as he said he had, it was a crime deserving of punishment to fulfil this request, the more especially as nothing is said about any such mortal wounding of Saul as rendered his escape or recovery impossible, so that it could be said that it would have been cruel under such circumstances to refuse his request to be put to death. If Saul's life was still "full in him,"as the Amalekite stated, his position was not so desperate as to render it inevitable that he should fall into the hands of the Philistines. Moreover, the supposition was a very natural one, that he had slain the king for the sake of a reward. But slaying the king, the anointed of the Lord, was in itself a crime that deserved to be punished with death. What David might more than once have done, but had refrained from doing from holy reverence for the sanctified person of the king, this foreigner, a man belonging to the nation of the Amalekites, Israel's greatest foes, had actually done for the sake of gain, or at any rate pretended to have done. Such a crime must be punished with death, and that by David who had been chosen by God and anointed as Saul's successor, and whom the Amalekite himself acknowledge in that capacity, since otherwise he would not have brought him the news together with the royal diadem.

Constable: 2Sa 1:1--8:18

V. DAVID'S TRIUMPHS chs. 1--8

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).² The first two units conclude with lists of David's sons that were born to him first in Hebron and then in Jerusalem. The second two units end with lists of David's officials. This structural division is helpful to observe because it clarifies the writer's intent in 2 Samuel: to provide a record of the consolidation of Israel's monarchy. The first three units are generally positive and describe David's triumphs whereas the last unit is generally negative and relates David's troubles.

In chapters 1-8 the writer's fertility motif reaches a climax in his description of David's reign. 1:1 and 8:13 form an inclusio that surrounds this section.³

"The thesis of the author--that Israel is blessed with fertility when the nation (and the epitome of the nation, the king) is following the [Mosaic] covenant--is demonstrated in these chapters."⁴

Constable: 2Sa 1:1--3:6

A. The Beginning of David's Kingdom 1:1-3:5

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 Israelites turning to David as their king. They saw David as their source of deliverance and blessing. Furthermore David's forces were overcoming those of Saul.

Constable: 2Sa 1:1-27

1. David's discovery of Saul and Jonathan's deaths ch. 1

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.

Constable: 2Sa 1:1-16

An Amalekite's account of Saul and Jonathan's deaths 1:1-16

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 1 Samuel 31:1-6 and 1 Chronicles 10.⁵ He was able to take Saul's crown and bracelet and probably returned to David with his story to ingratiate himself with him. Mount Gilboa stood some 80 miles north of Ziklag, so it probably took the young man three or four days to make the trip. Ironically God had commanded Saul to annihilate the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15:3), and David had just returned from slaughtering a portion of them (v. 1; 1 Sam. 30). Now one of them claimed to have killed the king who disobeyed God by not killing all the Amalekites.

One writer saw in Saul's "leaning on his spear" (v. 6) ". . . a parable of his tendency to rely on human effort rather than on divine resources (cf. Isa 10:20; 31:1, where rely' translates the same Heb. verb as leaning' does here)."⁶

The writer constructed this chapter chiastically to focus the reader's attention on the Amalekite's story and David's reaction to it (1:6-12).

A David strikes the Amalekites 1:1

B David questions an Amalekite 1:2-5

C The Amalekite tells his story 1:6-10

C' David reacts to the Amalekite's story 1:11-12

B' David questions the Amalekite again 1:13-14

A' David strikes the Amalekite 1:15-16

The Amalekite soldier undoubtedly thought David would have been glad Saul was finally dead since Saul was David's rival for the throne.⁷ However, David was sad instead. Saul was the Lord's anointed. Furthermore David's soul brother Jonathan had died as had many other Israelite soldiers. David must have had the young Amalekite executed because he believed his story. "Your blood is on your own head" (v. 6) means the blood you have shed is the cause of your own death.⁸

"The author of Samuel established a deliberate connection between the two stories [i.e., this one and the story of the Benjamite fugitive's report in 1 Sam. 4:12-17] in order to set up an analogy between the fates of Saul's house and of Eli's. . . . The comparison indicates that there is a clear rule of law which connects a leader's conduct with his fate and the fate of his house. A degenerate leader, whether it is himself who has sinned or his sons, will ultimately be deposed . . . or come to a tragic end, just as Eli and his sons die on the same day, and so do Saul and his."⁹

Guzik: 2Sa 1:1-27

2 Samuel 1 - David Mourns the Death of Saul

A. David learns of Saul and Jonathan's death.

1. (1-4) David hears the news in Ziklag.

Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag, on the third day, behold, it happened that a man came from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. And David said to him, "Where have you come from?" So he said to him, "I have escaped from the camp of Israel." Then David said to him, "How did the matter go? Please tell me." And he answered, "The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also."

a. After the death of Saul: King Saul and his three sons were killed in battle against the Philistines, dying on the slopes of Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:1-8). It was the sad end of a tragic life, concluding the story of a man who came to the throne humble but left it hard and bitter against both God and man.

b. When David returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites: Towards the end of 1 Samuel despairing David left the people of God and allied himself with the Philistines. God prevented a complete alliance, and brought David back through breaking circumstances (the Amalekites stole the families and possessions of David and his men). Strengthening himself in God (1 Samuel 30:6), David defeated the Amalekites and brought back everyone and everything.

i. Though David still lives among the Philistines, he is a changed man since his breaking circumstances and his strengthening himself in the Lord God.

ii. When David came back triumphantly to Ziklag, he knew that the Philistines and the Israelites just had a major battle. He must have been concerned as to the outcome of the battle.

c. A man came from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head: David knew this was bad news, so he immediately reacted with humility and mourning. He knew it was bad news because the messenger had the traditional expressions of mourning for the dead - clothes torn and dust on his head.

2. (5-10) The Amalekite's story.

So David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?" Then the young man who told him said, "As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, 'Here I am.' And he said to me, 'Who are you?' So I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.' He said to me again, 'Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.' So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord."

a. As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa: Some wonder if this Amalekite is telling the truth. He says that he "mercifully" ended Saul's life after the king mortally wounded himself (1 Samuel 31:4). It may be that he merely was the first to come upon Saul's dead body and took the royal crown and bracelet to receive a reward from David.

i. "The whole account which this young man gives is a fabrication: in many of the particulars it is grossly self-contradictory. There is no fact in the case but the bringing of the crown, or diadem, and bracelets of Saul; which, as he appears to have been a plunderer of the slain, he found on the field of battle; and he brought them to David, and told the lie of having dispatched Saul merely to ingratiate himself with David." (Clarke)

ii. We can gather that this was a lie because 1 Samuel 31:5 says that Saul's armor bearer saw that he was dead. The words of this Amalekite were likely "An artificially composed speech, but scarce ever a true word." (Trapp)

b. I am an Amalekite: If we do take the Amalekite's story as true, this is a chilling statement. In a unique war of judgment, God commanded Saul to completely destroy the people of Amalek (1 Samuel 15:2-3). Saul failed to do this - and now an Amalekite will bring a bitter end to his tragic life.

i. Though the Bible does not specifically say it, Amalek is commonly regarded as an illustration of our fleshly, carnal nature.

· Like our fleshly nature, Amalek focuses its attack on the tired and weak (Deuteronomy 25:17-18)

· Like our fleshly nature, Amalek does not fear God (Deuteronomy 25:17-18)

· Like our fleshly nature, God commanded a permanent state of war against Amalek (Exodus 17:16)

· Like our fleshly nature, the battle against Amalek is only won in the context of prayer and seeking God (Exodus 17:11)

· Like our fleshly nature, God promises to one day completely blot out the remembrance of Amalek (Exodus 17:14)

· Like our fleshly nature, Joshua wins the battle against Amalek (Exodus 17:13)

· Like our fleshly nature, Amalek was once first but will one day be last (Numbers 24:20)

· Like our fleshly nature, Amalek allies itself with other enemies in battle against God's people (Judges 3:13)

ii. Using this picture, we see that Saul's failure to deal with Amalek when God told him to ended in ruin, with an Amalekite delivering the death-blow. In the same way, when we fail to deal with the flesh as God prompts us to, we can expect that area of the flesh to come back and deliver some deadly strikes.

c. I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord: We can easily imagine the Amalekite smiling as he says this, assuming David is delighted that his enemy and rival is dead. Now David can take the royal crown and bracelet and wear them himself.

3. (11-12) David's reaction: mourning for Saul.

Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

a. David took hold of his own clothes and tore them: When David heard of Saul's death he mourned. We might have expected celebration at the death of this great enemy and rival, but David mourned.

i. Out of pure jealousy, hatred, spite, and ungodliness Saul took away David's family, home, career, security, and the best years of David's life - and Saul was utterly unrepentant to the end. Yet David mourned and wept and fasted when he learned of Saul's death.

ii. This powerfully demonstrates that our hatred and bitterness and unforgiveness are chosen, not imposed on us. As much as Saul did against David, he chose to become better instead of bitter.

b. And so did all the men who were with him: These men had their own reasons to hate Saul, but they followed the example of their leader David and answered all Saul's hatred and venom with love.

c. For Saul and Jonathan . . . for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel: David's sorrow was first for Saul, but it was also for his great and close friend Jonathan. More than that, it was for the people of God as a whole, who were in a dangerous and desperate place in light of the death of the king and the defeat by the Philistines.

i. David heard this life-changing news - the throne of Israel was now vacant, and it seemed that the royal anointing he received some 20 years before might now be fulfilled with the crown set on his head. Nevertheless, David expressed little thought of himself. "His generous soul, oblivious to itself, poured out a flood of the noblest tears man ever shed for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel, because they were fallen by the sword." (Meyer)

4. (13-16) David executes the Amalekite.

Then David said to the young man who told him, "Where are you from?" And he answered, "I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite." So David said to him, "How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?" Then David called one of the young men and said, "Go near, and execute him!" And he struck him so that he died. So David said to him, "Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed the Lord's anointed.'"

a. Where are you from? The young Amalekite probably believed that David was getting ready to reward him.

b. How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? Despite many opportunities to legitimately defend himself, David refused to reach out and destroy Saul. David knew that since God put Saul on the throne, it was God's job to end his reign - and woe to the one who puts forth his hand to destroy a God-appointed leader.

c. Go near, and execute him: This shows that David's grief over Saul was real. He didn't put on a false display of grief and then secretly honor the man who killed Saul

d. Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you: There were many factors that might excuse what the Amalekite did and said.

· Saul was in rebellion and hardened against God

· Saul was trying to kill David

· Saul was already dying

· Saul asked the Amalekite to kill him

· It may be that the Amalekite merely discovered Saul's dead body

i. Yet none of these excuses mattered. Except for justified killing in war, self-defense, or lawful criminal execution, it is God's job to end a life - not ours. This is true of every human life, but it is even truer of the life and ministry of the Lord's anointed - God is fully able to deal with his servants, or even those who merely claim to be His servants.

B. David's lament for Saul and Jonathan

1. (17-18) Introduction to the Song of the Bow.

Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher:

a. David lamented with this lamentation: David's sorrow was sincere, and it was deeply felt. He crafted a song to express the depth of his feeling.

b. The book of Jashar: This book is also mentioned in Joshua 10:13 and it evidently contained a collection of early Hebrew poetry.

i. We shouldn't think that this is a "missing" book of the Bible. It is a completely unjustified leap over logic to say that if the Bible mentions an ancient writing, and if that ancient writing has any material in common with Biblical books, therefore that writing is genuinely Scripture and is a "lost" book of the Bible. Our Bibles are complete and completely inspired.

2. (19-27) The Song of the Bow.

"The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places!

How the mighty have fallen!

Tell it not in Gath,

Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon;

Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,

Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

O mountains of Gilboa,

Let there be no dew nor rain upon you,

Nor fields of offerings.

For the shield of the mighty is cast away there!

The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

From the blood of the slain,

From the fat of the mighty,

The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,

And the sword of Saul did not return empty.

Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives,

And in their death they were not divided;

They were swifter than eagles,

They were stronger than lions.

O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

Who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury;

Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!

Jonathan was slain in your high places.

I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;

You have been very pleasant to me;

Your love to me was wonderful,

Surpassing the love of women.

How the mighty have fallen,

And the weapons of war perished!"

a. The beauty of Israel is slain: In this song, David shows the great love and generosity in his heart towards Saul. It shows that David didn't kill Saul with a sword or with in his heart.

· He saw beauty in Saul

· He wanted no one to rejoice over the death of Saul

· He wanted everyone to mourn, even the mountains and fields

· He praised Saul as a mighty warrior

· He complimented the personality and loyalty of Saul (not divided)

· He called the daughters Israel to mourning, and praised the good Saul did for Israel

i. All this is a powerful testimony of how David kept his heart free from bitterness, even when we was greatly wronged and sinned against. David fulfilled 1 Corinthians 13:5: love thinks no evil. David knew the principle of 1 Peter 4:8: And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins."

ii. David could do this because of his great trust in God and God's power. He knew that God was in charge of his life, and that even if Saul meant it for evil, God could use it for good.

iii. "Such a magnanimous attitude on the part of one who had suffered so much at Saul's hand is incomprehensible apart from a deep commitment to the Lord." (Baldwin)

b. How the mighty have fallen! David doesn't say it, but we understand that Saul fell long before this. He fell when he hardened his heart against God, against the word of God through the prophet, and against the man after God's own heart. Saul's death on Gilboa was the sad conclusion to his prior fall.

c. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan: David's mourning for Jonathan makes more sense to us. Jonathan was David's deep friend and partner in serving God.

i. Your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women: We remember that David's own experience of love with women was according to God's will. His multiple marriages kept him from God's ideal: one man and one woman in a one-flesh relationship.

ii. There is not the slightest hint that David and Jonathan expressed their love in a sexual way. They had a deep, godly love for each other - but not a sexual love. Our present world has a hard time believing that love can be deep and real without it having a sexual aspect.

© 2002 David Guzik - No distribution beyond personal use without permission

Commentary -- Other

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:1

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:2

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:3

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:4

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:5

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:6

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:7

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:8

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:9

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:10

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:11

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:12

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:13

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:14

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Contradiction: 2Sa 1:15

95. Did Saul take his own sword and fall upon it (1 Samuel 31:4-6), or did an Amalekite kill him (2 Samuel 1:1-16)?

(Category: misread the text)

It should be noted that the writer of 1 & 2 Samuel does not place any value on the Amalekite's story. Thus, in all reality it was Saul who killed himself, though it was the Amalekite who took credit for the killing. The writer relates how Saul died and then narrates what the Amalekite said. The Amalekite's statement that he 'happened to be on Mount Gilboa' (2 Samuel 1:6) may not be an innocent one. He had quite possibly come to loot the dead bodies. In any case, he certainly got there before the Philistines, who did not find Saul's body until the next day (1 Samuel 31:8). We have David's own testimony that the Amalekite thought he was bringing good news of Saul's death (2 Samuel 4:10). It is likely, therefore, that he came upon Saul's dead body, took his crown and bracelet and made up the story of Saul's death in order that David might reward him for defeating his enemy. The Amalekite's evil plan, however, backfired dramatically on him.

Critics Ask: 2Sa 1:1

1 SAMUEL 31 —The report of Saul’s death in this passage contradicts that given in the next chapter ( 2 Sam. 1 )

PROBLEM: First Samuel 31 says that King Saul committed suicide by falling on his sword, but 2 Samuel 1 records that he was killed by an Amalekite as he was about to lean on his sword.

SOLUTION: Some claim that both stories are true, taking the Amalekite’s story as supplementary. They claim that Saul attempted suicide, but was not dead when the Amalekite arrived and finished the job. They point to the fact that the Amalekite had Saul’s sword and bracelet as evidence that his account was true, as well as the fact that David punished him by death for killing the king. The objections to this view are that it contradicts the statements of 1 Samuel 31 , that “Saul took a sword and fell on it” and that his armorbearer “saw that Saul was dead” (vv. 4-5 ), as well as the inspired record that says “so Saul … died” (v. 6 ).

Others see the 1 Samuel story as the correct version and the one in 2 Samuel 1 as a true record of the fabrication of the Amalekite who came upon Saul after he died and thought he could gain favor with David by taking credit for the feat. They point to the fact that the story contradicts the record in 1 Samuel 31 , that the Amalekite did not seem to know that Saul died by a sword, not a spear, and that 1 Chronicles 10 repeats the story as recorded in 1 Samuel, but not the fabrication of the Amalekite. The main objections to this view are that 2 Samuel does not say his story is a lie, and that David killed him for his act. In response, he may have been killed on the basis of his self-confession ( 2 Sam. 1:16 ). And the fact that his story was in contradiction to that in 1 Samuel may have been taken as sufficient evidence that his story was a fabrication.   

Introduction / Outline

JFB: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

THE FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF SAMUEL. The two were, by the ancient Jews, conjoined so as to make one book, and in that form could be called the Book of Samuel with more propriety than now, the second being wholly occupied with the relation of transactions that did not take place till after the death of that eminent judge. Accordingly, in the Septuagint and the Vulgate, it is called the First and Second Books of Kings. The early portion of the First Book, down to the end of the twenty-fourth chapter, was probably written by Samuel; while the rest of it and the whole of the Second, are commonly ascribed to Nathan and Gad, founding the opinion on 1Ch 29:29. Commentators, however, are divided about this, some supposing that the statements in 1Sa 2:26; 1Sa 3:1, indicate the hand of the judge himself, or a contemporary; while some think, from 1Sa 6:18; 1Sa 12:5; 1Sa 27:6, that its composition must be referred to a later age. It is probable, however, that these supposed marks of an after-period were interpolations of Ezra. This uncertainty, however, as to the authorship does not affect the inspired authority of the book, which is indisputable, being quoted in the New Testament (1Sa 13:14 in Act 13:22, and 2Sa 7:14 in Heb 1:5), as well as in many of the Psalms.

JFB: 2 Samuel (Outline)

• AN AMALEKITE BRINGS TIDINGS OF SAUL'S DEATH. (2Sa. 1:1-16)
• DAVID LAMENTS SAUL AND JONATHAN. (2Sa 1:17-27)
• DAVID, BY GOD'S DIRECTION, GOES UP TO HEBRON, AND IS MADE KING OVER JUDAH. (2Sa 2:1-7)
• SIX SONS BORN TO DAVID. (2Sa 3:1-5)
• ABNER REVOLTS TO DAVID. (2Sa 3:6-12)
• JOAB KILLS ABNER. (2Sa 3:22-30)
• BAANAH AND RECHAB SLAY ISH-BOSHETH, AND BRING HIS HEAD TO HEBRON. (2Sa 4:1-2)
• DAVID CAUSES THEM TO BE PUT TO DEATH. (2Sa 4:10-12)
• THE TRIBES ANOINT DAVID KING OVER ISRAEL. (2Sa 5:1-5)
• HE TAKES ZION FROM THE JEBUSITES. (2Sa 5:6-12)
• ELEVEN SONS BORN TO HIM. (2Sa 5:13-16)
• HE SMITES THE PHILISTINES. (2Sa 5:17-25)
• DAVID FETCHES THE ARK FROM KIRJATH-JEARIM ON A NEW CART. (2Sa 6:1-5)
• UZZAH SMITTEN. (2Sa 6:6-11)
• DAVID AFTERWARDS BRINGS THE ARK TO ZION. (2Sa 6:12-19)
• MICHAL'S BARRENNESS. (2Sa 6:20-23)
• NATHAN APPROVES THE PURPOSE OF DAVID TO BUILD GOD A HOUSE. (2Sa 7:1-3)
• DAVID'S PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING. (2Sa 7:18-29)
• DAVID SUBDUES THE PHILISTINES, AND MAKES THE MOABITES TRIBUTARY. (2Sa 8:1-2)
• HE SMITES HADADEZER AND THE SYRIANS. (2Sa 8:3-14)
• HIS REIGN. (2Sa 8:15-18)
• DAVID SENDS FOR MEPHIBOSHETH. (2Sa 9:1-12)
• DAVID'S MESSENGERS, SENT TO COMFORT HANUN, ARE DISGRACEFULLY TREATED. (2Sa 10:1-5)
• THE AMMONITES OVERCOME. (2Sa 10:6-14)
• THE SYRIANS DEFEATED. (2Sa 10:15-19)
• JOAB BESIEGES RABBAH. (2Sa 11:1)
• DAVID COMMITS ADULTERY WITH BATH-SHEBA. (2Sa 11:2-12)
• URIAH SLAIN. (2Sa 11:14-27)
• NATHAN'S PARABLE. (2Sa 12:1-6)
• HE APPLIES IT TO DAVID, WHO CONFESSES HIS SIN, AND IS PARDONED. (2Sa 12:7-23)
• SOLOMON IS BORN. (2Sa 12:24-25)
• RABBAH IS TAKEN. (2Sa 12:26-31)
• AMNON LOVES TAMAR. (2Sa 13:1-5)
• HE DEFILES HER. (2Sa. 13:6-27)
• AMNON IS SLAIN. (2Sa 13:28-36)
• ABSALOM FLEES TO TALMAI. (2Sa 13:37-39)
• JOAB BRINGS ABSALOM TO JERUSALEM. (2Sa 14:22-33)
• ABSALOM STEALS THE HEARTS OF ISRAEL. (2Sa 15:1-9)
• HE FORMS A CONSPIRACY. (2Sa 15:10-12)
• DAVID FLEES FROM JERUSALEM. (2Sa. 15:13-37)
• ZIBA, BY FALSE SUGGESTIONS, CLAIMS HIS MASTER'S INHERITANCE. (2Sa 16:1-4)
• SHIMEI CURSES DAVID. (2Sa 16:5-19)
• AHITHOPHEL'S COUNSEL. (2Sa 16:20-23)
• SECRET INTELLIGENCE SENT TO DAVID. (2Sa 17:15-22)
• AHITHOPHEL HANGS HIMSELF. (2Sa 17:23-29)
• DAVID REVIEWING THE ARMIES. (2Sa 18:1-4)
• GIVES THEM CHARGE OF ABSALOM. (2Sa 18:5-13)
• HE IS SLAIN BY JOAB. (2Sa. 18:14-32)
• JOAB CAUSES THE KING TO CEASE MOURNING. (2Sa 19:1-8)
• THE ISRAELITES BRING THE KING BACK. (2Sa. 19:9-43)
• SHEBA MAKES A PARTY IN ISRAEL. (2Sa 20:1-9)
• AMASA IS SLAIN. (2Sa 20:10-13)
• JOAB PURSUES SHEBA UNTO ABEL. (2Sa 20:14-15)
• A WISE WOMAN SAVES THE CITY BY SHEBA'S HEAD. (2Sa 20:16-22)
• DAVID'S GREAT OFFICERS. (2Sa 20:23-26)
• THE THREE YEARS' FAMINE FOR THE GIBEONITES CEASE BY HANGING SEVEN OF SAUL'S SONS. (2Sa 21:1-9)
• RIZPAH'S KINDNESS UNTO THE DEAD. (2Sa 21:10-11)
• DAVID BURIES THE BONES OF SAUL AND JONATHAN IN THEIR FATHER'S SEPULCHER. (2Sa 21:12-22)
• DAVID PROFESSES HIS FAITH IN GOD'S PROMISES. (2Sa 23:1-7)
• A CATALOGUE OF HIS MIGHTY MEN. (2Sa. 23:8-39)
• DAVID NUMBERS THE PEOPLE. (2Sa 24:1-9)
• HE, HAVING THREE PLAGUES PROPOUNDED BY GAD, REPENTS, AND CHOOSES THREE DAYS' PESTILENCE. (2Sa 24:10-14)
• HIS INTERCESSION TO GOD; THE PLAGUE CEASES. (2Sa 24:15-25)

TSK: 2 Samuel 1 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

2Sa 1:1, The Amalekite, who brought tidings of the overthrow, and accused himself of Saul’s death, is slain; 2Sa 1:17, David laments Saul and Jonathan with a song.

Poole: 2 Samuel 1 (Chapter Introduction)

SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL OTHERWISE CALLED

THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS

2 SAMUEL CHAPTER 1

David being at Ziklag receiveth tidings by an Amalekite of Saul and Jonathan’ s death: the messenger pretendeth himself to have killed Saul 2Sa 1:1-12 . David causeth him to be put to death, 2Sa 1:13-16 ; lamenteth Saul and Jonathan with a song, 2Sa 1:17-27 .

Which though burnt, yet was not so consumed by the fire, that David and his men could not lodge in it.

MHCC: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

This book is the history of the reign of king David. It relates his victories, the growth of the prosperity of Israel, and his reformation of the state of religion. With these events are recorded the grievous sins he committed, and the family as well as public troubles with which he was punished. We here meet with many things worthy of imitation, and many that are written for our warning. The history of king David is given in Scripture with much faithfulness, and from it he appears, to those who fairly balance his many virtues and excellent qualities against his faults, to have been a great and good man.

MHCC: 2 Samuel 1 (Chapter Introduction)

(2Sa 1:1-10) Tidings brought to David of the death of Saul.

(2Sa 1:11-16) The Amalekite is put to death.

(2Sa 1:17-27) David's lamentation for Saul and Jonathan.

Matthew Henry: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Second Book of Samuel

This book is the history of the reign of king David. We had in the foregoing book an account of his designation to the government, and his struggles with Saul, which ended at length in the death of his persecutor. This book begins with his accession to the throne, and is entirely taken up with the affairs of the government during the forty years he reigned, and therefore is entitled by the Septuagint. The Third Book of the Kings. It gives us an account of David's triumphs and his troubles. I. His triumphs over the house of Saul (ch. 1-4), over the Jebusites and Philistines (ch. 5), at the bringing up of the ark (ch. 6 and 7), over the neighbouring nations that opposed him (ch. 8-10); and so far the history is agreeable to what we might expect from David's character and the choice made of him. But his cloud has a dark side. II. We have his troubles, the causes of them, his sin in the matter of Uriah (ch. 11 and 12), the troubles themselves from the sin of Amnon (ch. 13), the rebellion of Absalom (ch. 14-19) and of Sheba (ch. 20), and the plague in Israel for his numbering the people (ch. 24), besides the famine of the Gibeonites (ch. 21). His son we have (ch. 22), and his words and worthies (ch. 23). Many things in his history are very instructive; but for the hero who is the subject of it, though in many instances he appears here very great, and very good, and very much the favourite of heaven, yet it must be confessed that his honour shines brighter in his Psalms than in his Annals.

Matthew Henry: 2 Samuel 1 (Chapter Introduction)

In the close of the foregoing book (with which this is connected as a continuation of the same history) we had Saul's exit; he went down slain to the pit, though we was the terror of the mighty in the land of the living. We are now to look towards the rising sun, and to enquire where David is, and what he is doing. In this chapter we have, I. Tidings brought him to Ziklag of the death of Saul and Jonathan, by an Amalekite, who undertook to give him a particular narrative of it (2Sa 1:1-10). II. David's sorrowful reception of these tidings, (2Sa 1:11, 2Sa 1:12). III. Justice done upon the messenger, who boasted that he had helped Saul to dispatch himself (2Sa 1:13-16). IV. An elegy which David penned upon this occasion (2Sa 1:17-27). And in all this David's breast appears very happily free from the sparks both of revenge and ambition, and he observes a very suitable demeanour.

Constable: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Second Samuel continues the history begun in 1 Samuel. Please see my comments regarding 2 Samuel's title, date, authorship, and scope in the introductory section of the 1 Samuel notes.

Message¹

First Samuel records David's preparation. Second Samuel records his service namely his reign. In our study of 1 Samuel I mentioned three aspects of his preparation: as shepherd, as courtier, and as "outlaw." In 2 Samuel we see those aspects of his preparation put to work. He became the shepherd of his people, the center of his court, and the strong ruler of his nation. He fulfilled the office of king successfully under God's leadership.

The message of 2 Samuel is that man's attitude toward God creates an opportunity for God, and God's attitude toward man creates an opportunity for man.

First, man's attitude toward God creates an opportunity for God.

We find this principle stated in 22:26-28. Compare Hannah's prayer of praise in 1 Sam. 2:1-10. God is to each person what that person is to God.

We find the principle illustrated in David's attitudes toward God. David had four convictions about God. We see these in his thanksgiving psalm in chapter 22, which is also Psalm 18. David evidently wrote it early in his life.

1. He believed God was Israel's supreme Ruler. He never doubted this or presumed to elevate himself to God's place as Head of the nation. This is clear in 22:2-16. Contrast David's view with Saul's. Some local church leaders follow Saul's example rather than David's.

2. He believed God was consistently and completely righteous (right) in His dealings. David confessed his sin when charged with it rather than trying to deny it. In 22:17-27 this comes through clearly. Contrast Saul.

3. He believed God was always merciful. He was willing to let God determine His punishment because he believed God would be merciful (cf. 22:28-46). Contrast Saul.

4. He believed God's will was always best. His greatest desire was for God's will in his own life and in Israel (cf. 22:47-51). Contrast Saul.

David's convictions created opportunities for God.

1. Because David really believed in God's sovereignty God could and did set David over the throne of Israel and direct him to govern God's people (cf. 22:2-3). Even today loyal employees are the ones that employers promote to positions of greater responsibility.

2. Because David acknowledged God's righteousness God was able to bless David for his righteousness (cf. 22:21-28).

3. Because David appreciated God's mercy God was able to be merciful with him (cf. 22:35-36).

4. Because David viewed God's will as superior God was able to bring His will for David and Israel to pass (cf. 22:51).

With these attitudes David became God's instrument through whom God accomplished His larger plans and purposes. Even though David sinned greatly, his deepest convictions lay in these truths. God based His dealings with David on David's deepest convictions. He was the man after God's own heart. God did not base His dealings with David primarily on David's momentary failings. This is a great encouragement. Your deep underlying attitude toward God provides a foundation on which God can build and use you in some way. Your presence here at DTS is encouraging to me. The direction you are heading is more important than how far you have advanced in Christian growth.

The other side of this coin is that God's attitude toward a person creates an opportunity for that person. John wrote, "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

We find this principle stated in 23:1-5. David evidently wrote this chapter later in his life.

We find the principle illustrated in God's attitudes toward David. What were these?

1. God purposed for David to be king (cf. 23:1). This knowledge affected David's attitude toward God. He just needed to consent to God's purpose for him. God has purposed to bless you. This is the revelation of the whole Bible.

2. God's power would be adequate for David's needs (cf. 23:2). The power for all of David's life, including the inspiration for his words, came from God. David could simply cooperate with it. We too have the Spirit. We too need just to cooperate with God.

3. God's pattern for David's kingship was God's own rule (cf. 23:3-4). David could conform to God's example as Sovereign to fulfill his destiny. We have Jesus Christ's example as well as God's pattern.

4. God's persistence would result in the fulfillment of all His promises to David (cf. 23:5). This gave David confidence in God in the present. God has promised never to leave us (Matt. 28:20). He has proved Himself faithful.

In 1 Samuel we learned that God's ultimate victory does not depend on people's attitudes toward Him. His people can be loyal or rebellious, and this will not affect His ultimate victory.

In 2 Samuel we learn that our ultimate victory in life depends on our attitude toward God. Conformity to the will of God creates fitness for service. Conformity to the will of God depends wholly on our attitude toward God. It does not depend on our ability, or on our ability to persuade God to do something. It depends on our abandonment to Him, and on our willingness to let God persuade us to do something. It depends on our commitment to Him and our faithfulness to Him.

God does not measure us as other people do. We measure each other by external actions. God measures us by internal attitudes. What is your attitude toward God? Do you really want to please God, or do you obey God simply because of your background and environment? Would you live a filthy life if you could get away with it? What is your real attitude toward God? Do you really want to do right? David was a man after God's own heart because he really wanted what God wanted. What do you really want?

Be careful, because God will give you what you really want. Do you want to run your own life? God will let you do it, but He may let you run your life into a brick wall.

Constable: 2 Samuel (Outline)

Outline

(Continued from notes on 1 Samuel)

V. David's triumphs chs. 1-8

A. The beginning of David's kingdom 1:1-3:5

1. David's discovery of Saul and Jonathan's deaths ch. 1

2. David's move to Hebron 2:1-4a

3. David's overtures to Jabesh-gilead 2:4b-7

4. Ish-bosheth's coronation over Israel 2:8-11

5. The conflict between Abner and Joab 2:12-32

6. The strengthening of David's position 3:1-5

B. The unification of the kingdom 3:6-5:16

1. David's acceptance of Abner 3:6-39

2. David's punishment of Ish-bosheth's murderers ch. 4

3. David's acceptance by all Israel 5:1-12

4. David's additional children 5:13-16

C. The establishment of the kingdom 5:17-8:18

1. David's victories over the Philistines 5:17-25

2. David's moving of the ark to Jerusalem ch. 6

3. The giving of the Davidic Covenant ch. 7

4. The security of David's kingdom ch. 8

VI. David's troubles chs. 9-20

A. David's faithfulness ch. 9

B. God's faithfulness despite David's unfaithfulness chs. 10-12

1. The Ammonite rebellion ch. 10

2. David's unfaithfulness to God chs. 11-12

C. David's rejection and return chs. 13-20

1. Events leading up to Absalom's rebellion chs. 13-14

2. Absalom's attempt to usurp David's throne chs. 15-20

VII. Summary illustrations chs. 21-24

A. Famine from Saul's sin 21:1-14

1. Saul's broken treaty with the Gibeonites 21:1-6

2. David's justice and mercy 21:7-9

3. David's honoring of Saul and Jonathan 21:10-14

B. Four giant killers 21:15-22

C. David's praise of Yahweh ch. 22

D. David's last testament 23:1-7

E. Thirty-seven mighty men 23:8-39

1. Selected adventures of outstanding warriors 23:8-23

2. A list of notable warriors among The Thirty 23:24-39

F. Pestilence from David's sin ch. 24

1. David's sin of numbering the people 24:1-9

2. David's confession of his guilt 24:10-14

3. David's punishment 24:15-17

4. David's repentance 24:18-25

Constable: 2 Samuel

2 Samuel

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL;

otherwise called,

THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS.

INTRODUCTION.

This Book contains the transactions of David till the end of the pestilence, occasioned by his numbering the people, chap. xxiv. The last six chapters of the preceding book were probably written by Gad, who delivered God's orders to David, after he was deprived of the company of Samuel. Gad, Nathan, and other prophets, continued the sacred history, 1 Paralipomenon xxix. 29. After the unfortunate death of Saul, his general, Abner, instead of submitting quietly to the dominion of David, (Haydock) set the son of the deceased monarch upon the throne, at Mahanaim; and two years elapsed before the rival kings came to open war, chap. ii. 10. (Salien) --- David was 30 years old when he was anointed at Hebron, (chap. v. 4,) where he reigned seven years and a half over Juda. On the death of Isoboseth, he was anointed a third time, as king of all Israel, and reigned in that character 37 years. (Haydock) --- The partisans of Isoboseth might be excused in their adherence to him, as he was the son of the late king, and the election of David was not sufficiently notified to them. (Salien) --- We here behold the many virtues of David, and his repentance for some faults into which he had fallen. His predictions, and the names and exploits of many of his valiant men, are likewise recorded. (Worthington)

Gill: 2 Samuel (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO 2 SAMUEL

This book, in many copies of the Hebrew Bible, is carried on without any new title put unto it; the reason of it is, because, by some, this, with the preceding, has been reckoned but one book: hence the Jews say ^a, Samuel wrote his book, not his books; in others it is called Samuel Second; and by the Vulgate Latin the Second Book of Samuel, which we call the Second of Kings; though why his name should be put to it at all I see not, since it neither concerns him, nor could it be written by him, being an history of events after his death. The Greek version calls it the Second of Kings; and the Syriac version, the Second Book of the Kings of Israel; whereas there is but one king of Israel it makes mention of, and of whose actions only it is an history; and therefore with greater propriety it is called, as the Arabic version, the Book of David the Prophet, of whose reign, from the beginning to the end of it, it gives an account: wherefore Isidore ^b thinks it was written by David; and if so, it has this mark of simplicity and integrity, that the writer does not spare himself, nor conceal his own faults, and particularly that very capital one, the affair of Bathsheba, and also his numbering of the people; but it is most probable that it was written by Nathan and Gad ^c, see 1Ch 29:29; but whoever was the penman of it, there is no doubt to be made of its being written by inspiration, or that it is canonical; which has never been questioned, since there stands in it a famous prophecy concerning the building of the temple by a son of David, which had an exact accomplishment, 2Sa 7:12; as well as of the family of David, for a great while to come, which also was fulfilled, 2Sa 7:19; and an eminent passage concerning the Messiah, the son of David, and of his divine sonship, 2Sa 7:14; quoted by the Apostle Paul in proof of it, Heb 1:5. It contains an history of about forty years, for so long David reigned, seven years and six months in Hebron, over Judah, and thirty three years in Jerusalem, over all Israel and Judah; and this book relates his last words.

Gill: 2 Samuel 1 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 1

This chapter contains an account of the death of Saul and Jonathan, as related to David by an Amalekite, 2Sa 1:1; of the sorrow he and his men were filled with at the news of it, 2Sa 1:11; of his order to put to death the messenger that brought the tidings, for his concern in the death of Saul, according to his own testimony, 2Sa 1:13; and of a lamentation composed by David on this occasion, 2Sa 1:17.