2 Samuel 21 Study Notes: The Gibeonites and the Giants
A three-year famine is traced to Saul's breaking of Israel's oath to the Gibeonites, and seven of Saul's descendants are handed over while Jonathan's son is spared. Rizpah guards the bodies, David gives Saul and Jonathan a proper burial, and his men defeat four huge Philistine warriors.
General
After hearing what Rizpah had done, what did David do (2 Samuel 21:11-14)?
Answer: He buried Saul and Jonathan’s bones in Kish’s tomb
Hearing of Rizpah’s vigil, David went and recovered the remains of Saul and Jonathan from Jabesh-gilead. Its people had taken the bodies from the open square in Beth-shan after the Philistines hung them there following the battle at Gilboa (21:12; 1 Samuel 31:12-13). The bones of the seven men were gathered too (21:13), and Saul and Jonathan were laid to rest at Zela in Benjamin, in the family tomb of Kish, Saul’s father (21:14). David had once blessed the people of Jabesh-gilead for burying Saul (2:5); now he himself gave Saul and Jonathan an honorable burial in their family’s land.
- 2 Samuel 21:12-14 (BSB)“he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan where the Philistines had hung the bodies after they had struck down Saul at Gilboa. So David had the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan brought from there, and they also gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. After they had done everything the king had commanded, God answered their prayers for the land.”David brings the bones of Saul and Jonathan from Jabesh-gilead, has the bones of the seven gathered, and buries Saul and Jonathan in the family tomb of Kish.
- 1 Samuel 31:12-13 (BSB)“all their men of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there. Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.”The men of Jabesh-gilead had taken the bodies from the wall of Beth-shan and buried the bones at Jabesh.
- 2 Samuel 2:5 (BSB)“So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead to tell them, “The LORD bless you, because you showed this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him.”David had earlier blessed the men of Jabesh-gilead for showing kindness to Saul by burying him.
Theological
What action did David take after hearing of Rizpah’s vigil (2 Samuel 21:11-14)?
Answer: He buried Saul and Jonathan’s bones in Kish’s tomb
Told of Rizpah’s vigil, David retrieved the remains of Saul and Jonathan from Jabesh-gilead, whose people had rescued the bodies from Beth-shan after Gilboa (21:12; 1 Samuel 31:12-13), gathered the remains of the seven as well (21:13), and buried Saul and Jonathan in the family tomb of Kish at Zela in Benjamin (21:14). David, who had earlier blessed Jabesh-gilead for burying Saul (2:5), now gave Saul and Jonathan honorable burial in their ancestral land.
- 2 Samuel 21:12-14 (BSB)“he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan where the Philistines had hung the bodies after they had struck down Saul at Gilboa. So David had the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan brought from there, and they also gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. After they had done everything the king had commanded, God answered their prayers for the land.”David brings the bones of Saul and Jonathan from Jabesh-gilead, has the bones of the seven gathered, and buries Saul and Jonathan in the family tomb of Kish.
- 1 Samuel 31:12-13 (BSB)“all their men of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there. Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.”The men of Jabesh-gilead had taken the bodies from the wall of Beth-shan and buried the bones at Jabesh.
- 2 Samuel 2:5 (BSB)“So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead to tell them, “The LORD bless you, because you showed this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him.”David had earlier blessed the men of Jabesh-gilead for showing kindness to Saul by burying him.
General
When a famine lasted three years in a row and David prayed to the LORD about it, what reason did the LORD give (2 Samuel 21:1)?
Answer: Saul and his house had killed the Gibeonites
During David’s reign a famine struck Israel for three years running. David went to the LORD in prayer, and the LORD answered that the cause was bloodguilt resting on Saul and his household, because Saul had killed Gibeonites (21:1). The Gibeonites were the people with whom Israel’s leaders had made a treaty in Joshua’s day, swearing by the LORD to spare them (Joshua 9:15, 19). So the LORD named Saul’s killing of a people Israel had sworn to spare as the reason for the famine.
- 2 Samuel 21:1 (BSB)“During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.””A three-year famine leads David to seek the LORD, who names the cause.
- Joshua 9:15 (BSB)“And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.”Israel’s leaders had made a treaty with the Gibeonites and sworn an oath to let them live.
- Joshua 9:19 (BSB)“All the leaders answered, “We have sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them.”The leaders recognized that the oath was sworn by the LORD and so could not be broken.
Theological
What cause did the LORD name for the three-year famine when David inquired of Him (2 Samuel 21:1)?
Answer: Saul and his house had killed the Gibeonites
After three successive years of famine David inquired of God and was told that the cause was the bloodguilt of Saul’s house for killing Gibeonites (21:1). Israel’s leaders had bound the nation by an oath sworn in the LORD’s name to spare the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:15, 19), and the LORD named Saul’s violence against that protected people as the cause of the famine.
- 2 Samuel 21:1 (BSB)“During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.””A three-year famine leads David to seek the LORD, who names the cause.
- Joshua 9:15 (BSB)“And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.”Israel’s leaders had made a treaty with the Gibeonites and sworn an oath to let them live.
- Joshua 9:19 (BSB)“All the leaders answered, “We have sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them.”The leaders recognized that the oath was sworn by the LORD and so could not be broken.
General
In the battles at Gob and Gath against Rapha’s descendants (2 Samuel 21:18-22), who struck down these Philistine warriors?
Answer: Several of David’s men, such as Elhanan
These closing battles show David’s servants carrying on the fight against the Philistines. Abishai had already killed Ishbi-benob (21:16-17); Sibbecai killed Saph; Elhanan, Jair’s son, killed Goliath’s brother (21:19); and Jonathan, David’s nephew through his brother Shimei, killed a huge man who had an extra finger on every hand and an extra toe on each foot. The narrator sums up that these four of Rapha’s line from Gath were defeated by David and his men (21:22; compare 1 Chronicles 20:8). The young David had faced Goliath trusting that the LORD fights the battle (1 Samuel 17:47); now the men around him win victories over Goliath’s kin.
- 2 Samuel 21:22 (BSB)“So these four descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.”A summary: the four descendants of Rapha from Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.
- 2 Samuel 21:19 (BSB)“Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.”Elhanan son of Jair kills the brother of Goliath the Gittite.
- 1 Samuel 17:47 (BSB)“And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.””David had declared that the battle is the LORD’s and that He saves without sword or spear.
- 1 Chronicles 20:8 (BSB)“So these descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.”Chronicles gives a matching summary of these descendants of Rapha falling to David and his servants.
Theological
Who killed Rapha’s descendants in the battles at Gob and Gath recorded in 2 Samuel 21:18-22?
Answer: Several of David’s men, such as Elhanan
The final episodes credit David’s servants: after Abishai’s rescue of David from Ishbi-benob (21:16-17), Sibbecai killed Saph, Elhanan, Jair’s son, killed Goliath’s brother (21:19), and Jonathan, Shimei’s son and David’s nephew, killed the giant with extra fingers and toes at Gath. The narrator sums up that these four of Rapha’s line were defeated by David and his men (21:22; 1 Chronicles 20:8). The confidence with which the young David faced Goliath, that the LORD fights the battle (1 Samuel 17:47), is carried on by the men who now defeat Goliath’s kin.
- 2 Samuel 21:22 (BSB)“So these four descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.”A summary: the four descendants of Rapha from Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.
- 2 Samuel 21:19 (BSB)“Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.”Elhanan son of Jair kills the brother of Goliath the Gittite.
- 1 Samuel 17:47 (BSB)“And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.””David had declared that the battle is the LORD’s and that He saves without sword or spear.
- 1 Chronicles 20:8 (BSB)“So these descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.”Chronicles gives a matching summary of these descendants of Rapha falling to David and his servants.
General
When David asked how he could make amends, what did the Gibeonites first say they did not want (2 Samuel 21:3-4)?
Answer: A money payment from Saul’s family
David asked Gibeon’s people how he could make things right so that they would bless the LORD’s inheritance, His people Israel (21:3). They answered that they wanted no money from Saul’s family, and that David should not put anyone in Israel to death on their account (21:4). When David pressed them, they asked that seven of Saul’s male descendants be handed over to be put to death, and David agreed (21:5-6). The Gibeonites were the people Israel had sworn in Joshua’s day to let live (Joshua 9:15), so the wrong done to them was the breaking of that oath. After the king’s orders were carried out, God answered prayer for the land (21:14).
- 2 Samuel 21:4 (BSB)“The Gibeonites said to him, “We need no silver or gold from Saul or his house, nor should you put to death anyone in Israel for us.” “Whatever you ask, I will do for you,” he replied.”The Gibeonites tell David they want no silver or gold and that he should not put anyone in Israel to death for them.
- Joshua 9:15 (BSB)“And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.”The Gibeonites were the people Israel had sworn by oath to let live, so the wrong done to them was a broken promise.
- 2 Samuel 21:14 (BSB)“And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. After they had done everything the king had commanded, God answered their prayers for the land.”The account closes by stating that after the king’s commands were carried out, God answered prayer for the land.
Theological
What did the Gibeonites decline when David asked how he could make amends for Saul’s wrong (2 Samuel 21:3-4)?
Answer: A money payment from Saul’s family
David sought to set right Saul’s wrong so that the Gibeonites would bless the LORD’s inheritance (21:3). They refused any monetary payment from Saul’s house and said that David should not put anyone in Israel to death for them (21:4). Pressed further, they asked for seven of Saul’s male descendants to be put to death, and David consented (21:5-6). They were the people Israel had sworn by oath to spare in Joshua’s day (Joshua 9:15), and the wrong was Saul’s breach of that oath. After the king’s commands were carried out, God answered prayer for the land (21:14).
- 2 Samuel 21:4 (BSB)“The Gibeonites said to him, “We need no silver or gold from Saul or his house, nor should you put to death anyone in Israel for us.” “Whatever you ask, I will do for you,” he replied.”The Gibeonites tell David they want no silver or gold and that he should not put anyone in Israel to death for them.
- Joshua 9:15 (BSB)“And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.”The Gibeonites were the people Israel had sworn by oath to let live, so the wrong done to them was a broken promise.
- 2 Samuel 21:14 (BSB)“And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. After they had done everything the king had commanded, God answered their prayers for the land.”The account closes by stating that after the king’s commands were carried out, God answered prayer for the land.
General
True or False: The chapter says that once all the king’s orders had been carried out, God responded to prayer for the land.
Answer: True
This is true. The account that began with a famine and David seeking the LORD (21:1) ends when, after all the king’s orders were carried out, including the burial of Saul and Jonathan, God heard prayer for the land (21:14). Chapter 24 closes with the same kind of statement after David’s altar and offerings (24:25).
- 2 Samuel 21:14 (BSB)“And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. After they had done everything the king had commanded, God answered their prayers for the land.”After the burial and everything David commanded, God answers prayer for the land.
- 2 Samuel 21:1 (BSB)“During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.””The account began with famine and David seeking the LORD.
- 2 Samuel 24:25 (BSB)“And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.”The same kind of statement about God answering prayer for the land closes the account of the plague in chapter 24.
Theological
True or False: According to 2 Samuel 21:14, once all the king’s commands had been carried out, God responded to prayer for the land.
Answer: True
This is true. The episode framed at the start by famine and David’s inquiry (21:1) closes with the notice that, after all the king’s commands were carried out, including the burial in Kish’s tomb, God heard prayer for the land (21:14). A similar notice closes chapter 24 (24:25).
- 2 Samuel 21:14 (BSB)“And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. After they had done everything the king had commanded, God answered their prayers for the land.”After the burial and everything David commanded, God answers prayer for the land.
- 2 Samuel 21:1 (BSB)“During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.””The account began with famine and David seeking the LORD.
- 2 Samuel 24:25 (BSB)“And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.”The same kind of statement about God answering prayer for the land closes the account of the plague in chapter 24.
General
After Abishai rescued David from a giant Philistine warrior, what did David’s men swear to him (2 Samuel 21:15-17)?
Answer: That he would never again march out with them to fight
In another war with the Philistines, David grew exhausted, and Ishbi-benob, one of Rapha’s descendants, set out to kill him. Abishai came to David’s aid and killed the Philistine. David’s men then swore that he must never go out to battle with them again, so that Israel’s lamp would not be put out (21:15-17). The king’s life was the light of the nation; during Absalom’s revolt the people had likewise valued his life above ten thousand of their own (18:3). Scripture uses the same picture of a lamp for God’s promise to keep David’s line alive (1 Kings 11:36; Psalm 132:17).
- 2 Samuel 21:15-17 (BSB)“Once again the Philistines waged war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and fought against the Philistines. But David became exhausted. Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David. But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.””Abishai rescues the exhausted David from a Philistine giant, and David’s men make him promise to stay out of battle.
- 2 Samuel 18:3 (BSB)“But the people pleaded, “You must not go out! For if we have to flee, they will not care about us. Even if half of us die, they will not care. But you are worth ten thousand of us. It is better now if you support us from the city.””During Absalom’s revolt the people had also urged David not to go out to battle because his life was worth more than theirs.
- 1 Kings 11:36 (BSB)“I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My Name.”The image of a lamp for David is used of God’s promise to keep David’s line alive.
- Psalm 132:17 (BSB)“There I will make a horn grow for David; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.”God promises a lamp for His anointed one, tying the image to David’s royal line.
Theological
What did David’s men swear to him after Abishai rescued him in the Philistine war (2 Samuel 21:15-17)?
Answer: That he would never again march out with them to fight
When the exhausted David was threatened by Ishbi-benob, one of Rapha’s descendants, Abishai struck the Philistine down. David’s men then swore that he would no longer go out to battle with them, lest Israel’s lamp be extinguished (21:15-17). The king’s life was the nation’s light (compare 18:3), and the lamp image is later applied to God’s preservation of David’s dynasty (1 Kings 11:36; Psalm 132:17).
- 2 Samuel 21:15-17 (BSB)“Once again the Philistines waged war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and fought against the Philistines. But David became exhausted. Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David. But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.””Abishai rescues the exhausted David from a Philistine giant, and David’s men make him promise to stay out of battle.
- 2 Samuel 18:3 (BSB)“But the people pleaded, “You must not go out! For if we have to flee, they will not care about us. Even if half of us die, they will not care. But you are worth ten thousand of us. It is better now if you support us from the city.””During Absalom’s revolt the people had also urged David not to go out to battle because his life was worth more than theirs.
- 1 Kings 11:36 (BSB)“I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My Name.”The image of a lamp for David is used of God’s promise to keep David’s line alive.
- Psalm 132:17 (BSB)“There I will make a horn grow for David; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.”God promises a lamp for His anointed one, tying the image to David’s royal line.
General
Why did David spare Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth when he handed over Saul’s descendants (2 Samuel 21:7)?
Answer: David was bound by his sworn oath with Jonathan
David spared Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, on account of the oath he and Jonathan had sworn in the LORD’s presence (21:7). Years earlier Jonathan had asked David never to cut off his loving devotion from Jonathan’s household, and the two had sworn in the LORD’s name that their bond would include their descendants (1 Samuel 20:15, 42). David had already honored that promise by bringing Mephibosheth to eat at his table (9:7). In a chapter about a broken oath, David is careful to keep his own.
- 2 Samuel 21:7 (BSB)“Now the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul.”David spares Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth because of his oath to Jonathan.
- 1 Samuel 20:15 (BSB)“and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.””Jonathan asked David never to cut off his loving devotion from Jonathan’s household.
- 1 Samuel 20:42 (BSB)“And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and mine forever.’” Then David got up and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.”David and Jonathan swore in the LORD’s name that their bond would extend to their descendants.
- 2 Samuel 9:7 (BSB)““Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.””David had already shown kindness to Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake.
Theological
On what basis did David exempt Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth from those handed over to the Gibeonites (2 Samuel 21:7)?
Answer: David was bound by his sworn oath with Jonathan
David exempted Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth on account of the oath sworn in the LORD’s presence between himself and Jonathan (21:7), the covenant in which Jonathan had asked that David’s loving devotion never be cut off from his house and which the two extended to their descendants (1 Samuel 20:15, 42). David had already kept it by restoring Mephibosheth to his table (9:7). The chapter thus sets an oath kept beside the oath Saul broke.
- 2 Samuel 21:7 (BSB)“Now the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul.”David spares Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth because of his oath to Jonathan.
- 1 Samuel 20:15 (BSB)“and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.””Jonathan asked David never to cut off his loving devotion from Jonathan’s household.
- 1 Samuel 20:42 (BSB)“And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and mine forever.’” Then David got up and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.”David and Jonathan swore in the LORD’s name that their bond would extend to their descendants.
- 2 Samuel 9:7 (BSB)““Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.””David had already shown kindness to Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake.
General
What did Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, do after her two sons and the other five men were executed (2 Samuel 21:10)?
Answer: She kept watch over the bodies from harvest until rain fell
Rizpah, Saul’s concubine (3:7), was the mother of two of the seven men handed over. She spread sackcloth, a rough cloth worn in mourning, on a rock and stayed there from the start of the harvest season until the rains came. Day and night she kept birds and wild animals away from the bodies (21:10). Her faithful, grieving watch recalls the loyalty Jabesh-gilead’s fighting men had once shown to Saul’s body (1 Samuel 31:12-13). When David heard of it, he gave Saul and Jonathan an honorable burial and had the remains of the seven gathered as well (21:11-14).
- 2 Samuel 21:10 (BSB)“And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain from heaven poured down on the bodies, she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.”Rizpah keeps watch over the bodies of her sons and the others from the start of harvest until the rain.
- 2 Samuel 3:7 (BSB)“Now Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ish-bosheth questioned Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?””Rizpah daughter of Aiah is identified earlier as Saul’s concubine.
- 1 Samuel 31:12-13 (BSB)“all their men of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there. Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.”The men of Jabesh-gilead had earlier shown similar devotion by recovering and burying Saul’s body.
Theological
How did Rizpah respond to the execution of her sons and the five other descendants of Saul (2 Samuel 21:10)?
Answer: She kept watch over the bodies from harvest until rain fell
Rizpah, Saul’s concubine (3:7) and mother of two of the seven, spread sackcloth on a rock and kept vigil from the opening of the harvest season until the rains, driving off birds by day and beasts by night (21:10). Her mourning devotion prompts David to give Saul and Jonathan an honorable burial and to gather the bones of the seven (21:11-14), recalling the loyalty of Jabesh-gilead’s warriors to Saul’s body (1 Samuel 31:12-13).
- 2 Samuel 21:10 (BSB)“And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain from heaven poured down on the bodies, she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.”Rizpah keeps watch over the bodies of her sons and the others from the start of harvest until the rain.
- 2 Samuel 3:7 (BSB)“Now Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ish-bosheth questioned Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?””Rizpah daughter of Aiah is identified earlier as Saul’s concubine.
- 1 Samuel 31:12-13 (BSB)“all their men of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there. Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.”The men of Jabesh-gilead had earlier shown similar devotion by recovering and burying Saul’s body.
General
According to the narrator’s note in 2 Samuel 21:2, why was Saul’s attack on the Gibeonites wrong?
Answer: Israel was bound by a sworn promise to spare them
The narrator explains that Gibeon’s people were not part of Israel; they were what was left of the Amorites. In Joshua’s time Israel had promised under oath to spare them, yet Saul, zealous for his own people, tried to destroy them (21:2). That oath had been sworn by the LORD, Israel’s God, and Israel’s leaders back then had refused to attack the Gibeonites for that very reason, fearing wrath if they broke it (Joshua 9:15, 18-20). Saul’s zeal did not excuse breaking a promise made in God’s name. Scripture honors the person who keeps an oath even when it is costly (Psalm 15:4).
- 2 Samuel 21:2 (BSB)“At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)”The narrator explains who the Gibeonites were and why Saul’s attack on them was wrong.
- Joshua 9:15 (BSB)“And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.”Joshua and the leaders swore an oath to let the Gibeonites live.
- Joshua 9:18-20 (BSB)“But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. All the leaders answered, “We have sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. This is how we will treat them: We will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.””Israel’s leaders refused to attack the Gibeonites because the oath had been sworn by the LORD, and they feared wrath if they broke it.
- Psalm 15:4 (BSB)“who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath,”The one who may dwell with the LORD keeps his oath even when it costs him.
Theological
What does the narrator’s parenthetical note in 2 Samuel 21:2 identify as the wrong in Saul’s treatment of the Gibeonites?
Answer: Israel was bound by a sworn promise to spare them
Gibeon’s people were surviving Amorites, not Israelites, yet Israel had bound itself to them by oath in Joshua’s day. Saul nonetheless set out to destroy them out of zeal for his nation (21:2). The oath had been sworn by the LORD, Israel’s God, and Joshua’s leaders had refused to touch the Gibeonites lest wrath fall on them (Joshua 9:15, 18-20). Zeal did not license breaking an oath made in God’s name; the one who may dwell with the LORD does not go back on an oath even when keeping it is costly (Psalm 15:4).
- 2 Samuel 21:2 (BSB)“At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)”The narrator explains who the Gibeonites were and why Saul’s attack on them was wrong.
- Joshua 9:15 (BSB)“And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.”Joshua and the leaders swore an oath to let the Gibeonites live.
- Joshua 9:18-20 (BSB)“But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. All the leaders answered, “We have sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. This is how we will treat them: We will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.””Israel’s leaders refused to attack the Gibeonites because the oath had been sworn by the LORD, and they feared wrath if they broke it.
- Psalm 15:4 (BSB)“who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath,”The one who may dwell with the LORD keeps his oath even when it costs him.