2 Samuel21
English Standard Version
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1 Now there was a in the of for , . And the of the Lord. And the Lord , There is on and on his , he the to .
2 So the the and to them. Now the were of the of but the of the . Although the of had to spare them, had to in his for the of and .
3 And to the , shall I for you? And shall I , that you may the of the Lord?
4 The to him, It is a matter of or us and his ; is it for us to any to in . And he , do you that I shall for you?
5 They to the , The to us, so that we should have in the of ,
6 let his be to us, so that we may them before the Lord at of , the of the Lord. And the , I will them.
7 But the , the of , of the of the Lord was them, the of .
8 The the of the of , she to , and ; and the of the of , she to the of the ;
9 and he them into the of the , and they them on the the Lord, and the of them . They were in the of , at the of .
10 Then the of and it for herself on the , from the of them the . And she did the of the to upon them by , or the of the by .
11 When was the of , the of , had ,
12 and the of and the of his the of , had them from the public of , the had them, on the the on .
13 And he the of and the of his ; and they the of those who were .
14 And they the of and his in the of in , in the of his . And they the . And that responded to the for the .
15 There was between the and , and together his , and they against the . And .
16 And , one of the of the , of , and who was with a sword, to .
17 But the of came to his and the and him. Then to him, You shall with us to , you the of .
18 there was with the at . Then the , was one of the of the .
19 And there was with the at , and the of , the , the , the of whose was like a .
20 And there was at , where there was a of , who had on each , and on each , in , and he was from the .
21 And when he , the of , , .
22 were from the in , and they by the of and by the of his .
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2 Samuel 21Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for 2 Samuel 21. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The Gibeonites avenged. (1–9). Rizpah's care for the bodies of Saul's descendants. (10–14). Battles with the Philistines. (15–22).
vv1-9
Every affliction arises from sin, and should lead us to repent and humble ourselves before God; but some troubles especially show that they are sent to bring sin to remembrance. God's judgments often look a great way back, which requires us to do so, when we are under his rebukes. It is not for us to object against the people's smarting for the sin of their king; perhaps they helped him. Nor against this generation suffering for the sin of the last. God often visits the sins of the fathers upon the children, and he gives no account of any matters. Time does not wear out the guilt of sin; nor can we build hopes of escape upon the delay of judgments. If we cannot understand all the reasons of Providence in this matter, still we have no right to demand that God should acquaint us with those reasons. It must be right, because it is the will of God, and in the end it will be proved to be so. Money is no satisfaction for blood. It should seem, Saul's posterity trod in his steps, for it is called a bloody house. It was the spirit of the family, therefore they are justly reckoned with for his sin, as well as for their own. The Gibeonites did not require this out of malice against Saul or his family. It was not to gratify any revenge, but for the public good. They were put to death at the beginning of harvest; they were thus sacrificed to turn away the wrath of Almighty God, who had withheld the harvest-mercies for some years past, and to obtain his favour in the present harvest. In vain do we expect mercy from God, unless we do justice upon our sins. Executions must not be thought cruel, which are for the public welfare.
vv10-14
That a guilty land should enjoy many years of plenty, calls for gratitude; and we need not wonder misused abundance should be punished with scarcity; yet how few are disposed to ask of the Lord concerning the sinful cause, while numbers search for the second causes by which he is pleased to work! But the Lord will plead the cause of those who cannot or will not avenge themselves; and the prayers of the poor are of great power. When God sent rain to water the earth, these bodies were buried, for then it appeared that God was entreated for the land. When justice is done on earth, vengeance from heaven ceases. God is pacified, and is entreated for us through Christ, who was hanged on a tree, and so made a curse for us, to do away our guilt, though he was himself guiltless.
vv15-22
These events seem to have taken place towards the end of David's reign. David fainted, but he did not flee, and God sent help in the time of need. In spiritual conflicts, even strong saints sometimes wax faint; then Satan attacks them furiously; but those who stand their ground and resist him, shall be relieved and made more than conquerors. Death is a Christian's last enemy, and a son of Anak; but through Him that triumphed for us, believers shall be more than conquerors at last, even over that enemy.
Key Words
רָעָב: hunger (more or less extensive)
יוֹם: a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
דָּוִד: David, the youngest son of Jesse
שָׁלוֹשׁ: three; occasionally (ordinal) third, or (multiple) thrice
שָׁנֶה: a year (as a revolution of time)
אַחַר: properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)
בָּקַשׁ: to search out (by any method, specifically in worship or prayer); by implication, to strive after
פָּנִים: the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
דָּם: blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshed (i.e. drops of blood)
Cross References
2 Samuel 21Identifies the Gibeonites whom Joshua spared, establishing the background covenant that Saul violated.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
The solemn oath of peace and protection sworn to the Gibeonites by Israel's princes.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
The historical rescue of Saul and Jonathan's bodies from Beth-shan by the men of Jabesh-gilead.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
The oath of perpetual friendship between David and Jonathan that spared Mephibosheth.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallel account of the battles with the giants (Rephaim) and Sibbecai slaying Saph.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallel record of Elhanan slaying the brother of Goliath the Gittite.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Shimei's accusation of bloodguiltiness against David, likely referring to Saul's executed descendants.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The law concerning hanging a body on a tree, showing the Gibeonites' divergent practice.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Clarifies that Merab, wife of Adriel, was the sister of Michal who brought up the sons.
Supported by JFB
The parallel phrase and concept where God was entreated for the land after judgment.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Identifies Zelah as a city in Benjamin where Saul's family tomb was located.
Supported by JFB
Compares Ishbi-benob's massive stature and weapons to those of Goliath of Gath.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallel account of the battle in Gath with the giant of twenty-four digits.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Illuminates the metaphoric meaning of David being the 'light/lamp of Israel'.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Connects the giant defying Israel in battle with Goliath's defiance in 1 Samuel.
Supported by Matthew Poole