CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
2 Samuel 21
Chapter 21 of 24
Chapter Overview
What happens in 2 Samuel 21
A three-year famine strikes Israel because of Saul's broken treaty with the Gibeonites. David makes things right, and Rizpah shows extraordinary devotion to her dead sons. The chapter also records battles against Philistine giants.
Scripture
2 Samuel 21
The Gibeonites and Saul's Guilt
Study note
When a famine lasted three years, David asked God why. God said it was because Saul had broken Israel's ancient treaty with the Gibeonites by trying to destroy them. David asked the Gibeonites what would make things right. They did not want money but asked for seven of Saul's descendants to be handed over and executed. David gave them seven men but spared Mephibosheth because of his oath to Jonathan. The seven were executed at the beginning of the barley harvest.
1 During David's reign, a famine gripped the land for three straight years. David sought the Lord's guidance, and the Lord explained, "This is happening because Saul and his family are guilty of murdering the Gibeonites." Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.
2 The Gibeonites were not Israelites but surviving Amorites whom the Israelites had sworn to protect. However, Saul had tried to wipe them out in his misguided devotion to Israel and Judah. David summoned the Gibeonites for a conversation. And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)
3 He asked them, "What can I do for you? How can I make this right so that you will ask God to bless his people?" Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?
4 The Gibeonites answered, "This is not about money -- we are not demanding silver or gold from Saul's family. And we do not have the authority to execute anyone in Israel." David asked, "Then what do you want me to do?" And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.
5 They told the king, "The man who tried to wipe us out and planned to get rid of us from every part of Israel's land --" And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,
6 "hand over seven of his male descendants to us. We will execute them before the Lord at Gibeah, the hometown of Saul, the Lord's chosen king." The king agreed. Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.
7 David spared Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son. He did this because of the sacred promise David and Jonathan had made before the Lord. But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
8 The king took Rizpah's two sons by Saul. Rizpah was Aiah's daughter. The sons were Armoni and Mephibosheth. He also took Merab's five sons. Merab was Saul's daughter. She raised them for Adriel son of Barzillai from Meholah. But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:
9 He turned them over to the Gibeonites, who executed them on a hill before the Lord. All seven died together during the first days of the barley harvest. And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.
Rizpah's Devotion
Study note
Rizpah, who was the mother of two of the executed men, spread sackcloth on a rock and guarded the bodies from birds by day and wild animals by night for months. When David heard about her extraordinary devotion, he was moved to action. He collected the bones of Saul and Jonathan from Jabesh-gilead and had them buried properly along with the seven men in the tomb of Saul's father Kish. After this was done, God answered prayer for the land, and the famine ended.
10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah spread sackcloth on a rock and camped there. From the start of the harvest until the rains came, she guarded the bodies day and night, keeping birds away during the day and wild animals away at night. And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
11 When David was told about what Rizpah had done, And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.
12 he went and retrieved the bones of Saul and Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead. They had secretly taken the bodies from the public square in Beth-shan, where the Philistines had displayed them after the battle at Gilboa. And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, which had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:
13 David brought back the bones of Saul and Jonathan. The bones of the seven men who were put to death were also gathered up. And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.
14 They buried them all in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, in the town of Zela in Benjamin. Everything the king ordered was carried out, and after that God answered prayer for the land. And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was entreated for the land.
Battles Against Philistine Giants
Study note
In the later years of David's reign, there were several battles against giant Philistine warriors, descendants of the ancient race of giants. In one battle, David became so exhausted that a Philistine giant nearly killed him. Abishai rescued David, and his men made David swear never to go into battle again, calling him the lamp of Israel. Other Israelite warriors killed several of these giants, including one who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.
15 War broke out again between the Philistines and Israel. David and his men went out to fight, and David grew very exhausted. Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint.
16 A Philistine giant named Ishbi-benob came after David. He had a bronze spear tip that weighed about seven and a half pounds. He also carried a new sword. And Ishbi-benob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.
17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah rushed in, struck the giant down, and saved David's life. Afterward, David's men made him promise, "You must never go into battle with us again. You are the light of Israel, and we cannot risk losing you." But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.
18 Later, another fight with the Philistines took place at Gob. There Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the giants' descendants. And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.
19 In yet another battle at Gob, Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim from Bethlehem killed Goliath the Gittite. Goliath's spear handle was as thick as a weaver's rod. And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Beth-lehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.
20 There was still another battle at Gath, where they faced a massive warrior with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot -- 24 digits total. He too was descended from the giants. And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.
21 When this giant taunted Israel, Jonathan, the son of David's brother Shimeah, killed him. And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.
22 All four of these giants came from the ancient giants of Gath. They were all killed by David and his warriors. These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
Key Themes
Themes in 2 Samuel 21
Corporate responsibility for broken promisesThe faithfulness of rizpah as a picture of devoted loveMaking restitution for past injusticeGod's response when justice is restored
Apply This Today
Living 2 Samuel 21
Rizpah's tireless vigil over the bodies of her sons is a powerful image of fierce, devoted love. Her faithfulness moved even the king to action. Our persistent faithfulness, even in heartbreaking circumstances, can inspire others to do the right thing.
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