Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

2 Samuel 21

Introduction

1  The three years' famine for the Gibeonites ceases, by hanging seven of Saul's sons.
10  Rizpah's kindness unto the dead.
12  David buries the bones of Saul and Jonathan in his father's sepulchre.
15  Four battles against the Philistines, wherein four valiants of David slay four giants.
Verse 1

Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.
A. M. 2986. B.C. 1018. An. Ex. Ex. Is. 473. a famine
Genesis 12:10, 26:1, 41:57, 42:1, 43:1, Leviticus 26:19,20,26, 1 Kings 17:1, 18:2, 2 Kings 6:25, 8:1, Jeremiah 14:1-18
enquired
Heb. sought the face, etc. of the Lord.
5:19,23, Numbers 27:21, 1 Samuel 23:2,4,11, Job 5:8-10, 10:2, Psalms 50:15, 91:15
It is
Joshua 7:1,11,12
Saul
1 Samuel 22:17-19
Verse 2

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.)
now the
Joshua 9:3-21
the Amorites
The Gibeonites were Hivites, not Amorites, as appears from Jos 6:19; but Amorites is a name often given to the Canaanites in general.
Genesis 15:16
in his zeal
Deuteronomy 7:16, 1 Samuel 14:44, 15:8,9, 2 Kings 10:16,31, Luke 9:54,55, John 16:2, Romans 10:2, Galatians 4:17
Verse 3

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?
wherewith
Exodus 32:30, Leviticus 1:4, 1 Samuel 2:25, Micah 6:6,7, Hebrews 9:22, 10:4-12
bless
20:19
Verse 4

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.
We will, etc
or, It is not silver nor gold that we have to do with Saul, or his house; neither pertains it to us to kill, etc. no silver.
Psalms 49:6-8, 1 Peter 1:18,19
Verse 5

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,
The man
1, Esther 9:24,25, Matthew 7:2
devised
or, cut us off.
Daniel 9:26
Verse 6

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.
Let seven
As God accepted the expiation here demanded, we must suppose that both the enquiry of David, and the answer of the Gibeonites, were directed by some open or secret intimation from him.
hang
17:23, 18:10, Genesis 40:19,22, Numbers 25:4,5, Deuteronomy 21:22, Joshua 8:29, 10:26, Ezra 6:11, Esther 9:10,13,14, Matthew 27:5
in
1 Samuel 10:26, 11:4
whom the Lord did choose
or, the chosen of the Lord.
1 Samuel 9:16,17, 10:1,24, Acts 13:21
Verse 7

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.
Mephibosheth
4:4, 9:10, 16:4, 19:25
because
1 Samuel 18:3, 20:8,15,17,42, 23:18
Verse 8

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:
Rizpah
3:7
and the five sons
This Adriel did not marry Michal, Saul's younger daughter, but Merab, 1 Sa 18:19; Michael being married to David, and afterwards to Phaltiel; though it is here said she bore (yaledah, not brought up, as falsely rendered, five sons to Adriel. Two of Dr. Kennicott's MSS., however, have Merab, instead of Michal; the Syriac and Arabic have Nadab; and the Chaldee renders the passage thus: "And the five sons of Merab which Michal the daughter of Saul brought up, which she brought forth to Adriel the son of Barzillai."
Michal
or, Michal's sister.
1 Samuel 18:19
brought up for
Heb. bare to.
Verse 9

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.
before the Lord
6, 6:17,21, Exodus 20:5, Numbers 35:31-34, Deuteronomy 21:1-9, 1 Samuel 15:33, 2 Kings 24:3,4
in the beginning
This happened in Judea about the vernal equinox, or 21st of March.
Ruth 1:22
Verse 10

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.
Rizpah
8, 3:7
took sackcloth
1 Kings 21:27, Joel 1:18
from the
9, Deuteronomy 21:13
until water
Some suppose that this means a providential supply of rain, in order to remove the famine; but from the manner in which it is introduced, it seems to denote the autumnal rains, which commence about October. For five months did this broken-hearted woman watch by the bodies of her sons!
Deuteronomy 11:14, 1 Kings 18:41-45, Jeremiah 5:24,25, 14:22, Hosea 6:3, Joel 2:23, Zechariah 10:1
the birds
Genesis 40:19, Ezekiel 39:4
Verse 11

And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.
told David
2:4, Ruth 2:11,12
Verse 12

And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:
the bones of Saul
2:5-7, 1 Samuel 31:11-13
Beth-shan
Joshua 17:11
Beth-shean
1 Samuel 31:10
in Gilboa
1:6,21, 1 Samuel 28:4, 31:1, 1 Chronicles 10:1,8
Verse 14

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 intreated for the land.
buried
3:32, 4:12
Zelah
Joshua 18:28, 1 Samuel 10:2
Zelzah
God.
24:25, Exodus 32:27-29, Numbers 25:13, Joshua 7:26, 1 Kings 18:40,41, Jeremiah 14:1-7, Joel 2:18,19, Amos 7:1-6, Jonah 1:15, Zechariah 6:8
Verse 15

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.
the Philistines
5:17,22, 1 Chronicles 20:4
and David waxed faint
Joshua 14:10,11, Psalms 71:9,18, 73:26, Ecclesiastes 12:3, Isaiah 40:28-30, Jeremiah 9:23,24, 1 Peter 1:24,25
Verse 16

And Ishbibenob, 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.
of the sons
Genesis 6:4, Numbers 13:32,33, Deuteronomy 1:28, 2:10,21, 3:11, 9:2, 1 Samuel 17:4,5
the giant
or, Rapha.
18,20; *marg:; 5:18, Genesis 14:5
whose spear
Heb. the staff, or, the head. thought.
1 Samuel 17:45-51
Verse 17

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.
Abishai
20:6-10
succoured
22:19, Psalms 46:1, 144:10
Thou shalt
18:3
quench
14:7, 1 Kings 11:36, 15:4, Psalms 132:17, John 1:8,9, 5:35
light
Heb. candle, or lamp.
Verse 18

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.
Sibbechai
1 Chronicles 11:29, 20:4
Saph
or, Sippai.
1 Chronicles 20:4
the giant
or, Rapha.
16,20; *marg:
Verse 19

And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.
Elhanan, etc
Instead of [y`ry 'rgym byt hlchmy 't glyt] of the text, we should certainly read, as in the parallel text, "and Elhanan the son of Jair, slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath."
1 Chronicles 11:26
Jaare-oregim
or, Jair.
1 Chronicles 20:5
Goliath
1 Samuel 17:4-11
Verse 20

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.
yet a battle
1 Chronicles 20:6
the giant
or, Rapha.
16,18; *marg:
Verse 21

And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.
defied
or, reproached.
1 Samuel 17:10,25,26,36, 2 Kings 19:13
Jonathan
1 Chronicles 27:32
Shimeah
1 Samuel 16:9, 17:3
Shammah
1 Chronicles 2:13
Shimma
Verse 22

These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
four
1 Chronicles 20:8
fell by
Joshua 14:12, Psalms 60:12, 108:13, 118:15, Ecclesiastes 9:11, Jeremiah 9:23, Romans 8:31,37

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