Outline of Chapter 21:

Introduction

         vv.     1–9           David Provides Justice for the Gibeonites

         vv.    10–14         David and the Mourning of Rizpah

         vv.    15–22         The Killing of the Other Four Philistine Giants

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Introduction         Outline of the Final Four Chapters of 2Samuel

         Introduction         2Samuel 21–24 as a Chiasmos

         Introduction         The Principals of 2Samuel 21

         Introduction         The Prequel of 2Samuel 21

         Introduction         The Abbreviated Davidic Timeline

         Introduction         Clarke’s Synopsis of 2Samuel 21

         Introduction         Gill’s Alternative Outline of 2Samuel 21

         v.       1              J. Vernon McGee on Applications of 2Samuel 21

         v.       1              The King and Israel in the Age of Israel

         v.       2              The Gibeonites

         v.       2              God and Nationalism

         v.       3              One Solution to America’s Welfare Programs

         v.       3              What Problem is David Solving with the Gibeonites?

         v.       4              Bad Translations of 2Samuel 21:4

         v.       8              The House of Saul, a graphic

         v.       9              What 2Samuel 21:1–9 Illustrates

         v.       9              Justice and the Execution of the 7 Sons of Saul

         v.      10              Scriptural Objections to 2Samuel 21:1–10

         v.      10              “Rizpah’s Kindness Unto the Dead” by Gustave Doré (graphic)

         v.      14              The Logical Timetable of Rizpah’s Vigil

         v.      14              Pett Reveals the Chiasmos Character of 2Samuel 21:1–14

         v.      14              Adam Clarke’s Objections to 2Samuel 20:1–14

         v.      14              Answering the Objections of Adam Clarke

         v.      15              The Downward Spiral of Man

         v.      16              Did Goliath’s Spearhead Weight 20 Pounds?

         v.      17              “Abishai Saves the Life of David” by Gustave Doré (graphic)

         v.      19              When Critics Ask, Who Killed Goliath?

         v.      22              Peter Pett’s Chiasmos of 2Samuel 21:15–22

         Addendum          Why 2Samuel 21 is in the Word of God

         Addendum          What We Learn from 2Samuel 21

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          Edersheim Summarizes 2Samuel 21

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of 2Samuel 21

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of 2Samuel 21

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of 2Samuel 21

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An Introduction to 2Samuel 21

I ntroduction: The final few chapters appears to be an appendix to the book of Samuel. For the most part, for most chapters, there does not appear to be a dramatic shift in focus, vocabulary or writing style. One of the few odd chapters that we have covered is when Jonathan is by himself with Saul; or Abner is facing off the remaining sons of Zeruiah. Apart from that, most of Samuel, from 1Sam. 16 and forward, is related to young David and, eventually, to King David. Generally speaking, most of the book of Samuel, up to this point, has been in chronological order. However, at this point, we will go back and cover 2 or 3 incidents all of which took place between 2Samuel chapters 1 and 20 (actually, there are 6 sections which remain in this appendix to the Life of David). Some later editor—and we have no idea how much later—came to this history of David, and thought, we cannot leave this out; we should mention this about King David and his reign. These final 4 chapters appear to be appendices just thrown in there, not in any particular order, and possibly by more than one editor. For all intents and purposes, the narrative of 2Sam. 1–20 is picked up again in 1Kings 1, which takes place perhaps 7 years after 2Sam. 20.

Some of you may find this a little frustrating. You might even feel a little cheated. David has nearly 10 years left of his life and reign, and yet, there appears to be nothing written of those years. And now, your curiosity is piqued. What did David do and why don’t we know about it? What David did during this time period was teach Solomon and (most likely) his other 3 children by Bathsheba. Solomon did not just suddenly become wise; he was taught by his father, probably from his young age on up. David began to given his second family the attention that he had never given his first sons. As a result, we have the book of Proverbs, which, although attributed to Solomon, were the things which Solomon learned from his father David.

Application: This is something that you need to be aware of, if you are an aging believer. You will die. Age only goes in one direction. Your legacy in this world will be your children or whatever children you might mentor. For many people, this is a natural, organic process. You have children, and you pour your life into them. Others are quite selfish, and do not realize that it is their responsibility to raise up the next generation. David failed with his first set of sons; Solomon will stand as a testimony that David did not fail with his second set of sons.

2Sam. 21 is a very odd appendix, added by someone at a later date. These events came from early on in David’s reign, and do not follow the chronology of the previous chapters. Furthermore, the writing style of this chapter is very different from previous chapters and all those that came previously. It is difficult to determine why these were added. There are, however, lessons which we can take from David’s honest and straightforward. dealings with the Gibeonites. In the second half of this chapter, we deal with the various giants which were dispatched by David’s men, as well as the reason why David no longer went out with his troops to war.

I must admit that I had my own misgivings about this chapter. Although from the viewpoint of a human author, I could see why this was included in the history of David, I did struggle at first to see the divine reason (s) for its inclusion in the Word of God. However, I did discover a parallel which is quite fascinating. However, I am certainly not the only person to have some hesitation in embracing this chapter—Adam Clarke, who is an excellent commentator, appears to object to this even being a part of the Word of God. What he writes is persuasive enough to include and to answer.

We can place the events of the first half of this chapter after King David made provision for Mephibosheth (2Sam. 9) and before the Absalom revolution, where Shimei cursed him for being a man of blood. This is because David looks out for Mephibosheth in this chapter, and it also explains why Shimei was so adamant about cursing David out as a man of blood (2Sam. 16:5–7). There are two excellent commentators are did not put this together. Barnes said that there is no way to tell when these events took place; and another commentator said that these events simply continue the chronology of the book of Samuel.

We can place the events of the final section of this chapter mostly before 2Sam. 11. The final section of 2Sam. 21 is not really an event, but 4 separate events, which theoretically could have occurred even during the same year; but could also have been strung out over a period of, say, 10 years. The background for this chapter are the wars with the Philistines, most of which took place in 2Sam. 5 and 8. However, given the close proximity of the Jews and the Philistines, these particular battles could have, theoretically, taken place at nearly any time. Although, theoretically, we might even be able to place some of these incidents in the second half of 1Samuel, my guess is that most or all of them took place within the chronological confines of 2Sam. 5–8. Surely, the killing of the first giant, where David is told not to go to war with his men any more, took place prior to 2Sam. 11, where he remains in Jerusalem, but his soldiers go to war.

Now, what about 2Sam. 10, where David does go to war against the Aramæans? Let me remind you of the first half of 2Sam. 10, where the Ammonites piss David off, and David sends Joab to beat down the Ammonites. The Ammonites recognize that they are in a serious jam, and they ally themselves with the Aramæans. The Aramæans were in a whole different league from the Ammonites. They were the dominant power of that region of the world. When Joab beat them in the battle of Rabbah, Joab and David together had to take quick action to stave off an attack by the Aramæan army. So, in general, David could have been retired from going to war by this time; but yet, under these unusual circumstances of warring with the Aramæans, had to join with Joab and lead another company of men. My point is, given the size of the Aramæan empire, David going to war with them would have been special circumstances.

What is yet to be explained is, who appended this and the other chapters of 2Samuel? Up to this point in time, pretty much all of Samuel has been in chronological order. This is the first complete chapter deviation from this. From a human standpoint, did someone read about Shimei in the Absalom revolution and decide, this guy had a reason to curse David out; he was not just some nutcase, as he appears to be. In the second half of this chapter, we have the answer to 2 questions: (1) why did King David not go out to war with his army after some point in time (2Sam. 11:1) and (2) why did a very young David grab 5 stones when he was going to face Goliath?

Like the previous chapter, this will probably not be your favorite chapter from the Bible, and it is unlikely that you will memorize any of the verses from this chapter.

You are going to have some difficulty with the first half of this chapter. David will go to the Gibeonites in order to placate them for the wrongs done to them by Saul, and they will ask for 7 of Saul’s descendants. It is possible that these descendants were, for the most part, fairly young when Saul committed these transgressions. We do not know if they participated in Saul’s evil, if they benefitted from Saul’s evil, or what relationship they had to what Saul did in his persecution of the Gibeonites. However, they are, as relatives of Saul, the most responsible for Saul’s actions, whether they participated in these acts or not. Now, I realize that few people today, apart from Muslims, have standards similar to these. However, this appears to be standard morality for that day and time; and that when blood was shed, it must be paid for with blood. There is also a familial responsibility which will be discussed.

Contrast that to today, where we have great difficulty even putting to death men who have committed heinous crimes of murder.

One of the things that you might notice is, there is a great deal of background material added into the Biblical text here. That is, this particular narrative seems to be written to stand nearly on its own, apart from the rest of the book of Samuel. It reminds the reader of aspects of the history of Israel which is already contained in the book of Samuel. Therefore, it is reasonable to suppose that this portion was added by a later editor who appended this to the book of Samuel.

Ron Daniel: After the revolt of Sheba, the book of 2Samuel leaves the chronological timeline and spends the last four chapters recounting some additional things that happened during David's reign.

Like 2Sam. 20, this will probably not be your favorite chapter of the Bible. You will be hard-pressed to find an encouraging verse from this chapter to memorize and repeat to yourself from time to time. However, this chapter does help us to answer a few questions and fill in a few gaps. It also ought to cause us to keep from drawing some unwarranted conclusions (as I did when first writing the exegesis of 2Sam. 11).

In fact, what happens at the end of this chapter provides some real texture for 2Sam. 11: David, who had been a warrior for all of his lifetime, suddenly was at a point where his own soldiers told him to stay home from now on. This, if anything, would have precipitated the mid-life crisis, which is what led David into the interlocking systems of arrogance that we find him in 2Sam. 11 and following.

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David Provides Justice for the Gibeonites

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation ; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          And there was a famine in the days of David for three years successively: and David consulted the oracle of the Lord. And the Lord said: It is for Saul, and his bloody house, because he killed the Gabaonites.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so is a famine in days of David three of years, year after year. And so seeks David faces of Y^ehowah and so says Y^ehowah, “Unto Saul and his house the blood upon which he killed the Gibeonites.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    THEN there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered. It is because of Saul and because of his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

Septuagint (Greek)                And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, There is guilt upon Saul and his house because of his bloody murder, whereby he slew the Gibeonites.

Significant differences:           The Latin appears to add the oracle of. No idea what is means to slow, as is found at the end of the Latin text; my guess is, it was some form of slew, so I changed it to kill.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Avenging the Gibeonites

There was a famine for three years in a row during David's rule. David asked the Lord about this, and the Lord said, "It is caused by Saul and his household, who are guilty of bloodshed because he killed the people of Gibeon."

Contemporary English V.       While David was king, there were three years in a row when the nation of Israel could not grow enough food. So David asked the LORD for help, and the LORD answered, "Saul and his family are guilty of murder, because he had the Gibeonites killed."

Easy English                          The *Gibeonites punish Saul's family

For three years while David was king, the people did not have enough to eat. So David prayed to the *Lord. The *Lord said, `This has happened because Saul and his family are murderers. They killed the *Gibeonites.'

Easy-to-Read Version            There was a famine while David was king. This time of hunger continued for three years. David prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered. The Lord said, “Saul and his family of murderers [Literally, "house of blood."] are the reason for this time of hunger. This famine came because Saul killed the Gibeonites.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         During David's reign there was a severe famine which lasted for three full years. So David consulted the LORD about it, and the LORD said, "Saul and his family are guilty of murder; he put the people of Gibeon to death."

The Message                         There was a famine in David's time. It went on year after year after year--three years. David went to GOD seeking the reason. GOD said, "This is because there is blood on Saul and his house, from the time he massacred the Gibeonites."

New Berkeley Version           About 900 b.c.

In the days of David there was a famine, year after year for three years [The exact date is not given; but it must have been aftr the coming of Mephibosheth to be with David in 995 b.c. (v. 7). Moreover, trhe deaths of vv. 8–9 seem to have been the subject of Shimea’s cursing of David in 2Sam. 16:7–8, which would put the famine before Absalom’s revolt.]. When David sought the Lord’s presence, the Lord told him: It is because of Saul and his bloody house, for having put the people of Gibeon to death.

New Century Version             The Gibeonites Punish Saul's Family

During the time David was king, there was a shortage of food that lasted for three years. So David prayed to the Lord.

The Lord answered, "Saul and his family of murderers are the reason for this shortage, because he killed the Gibeonites."

New Living Translation           David Avenges the Gibeonites

There was a famine during David's reign that lasted for three years, so David asked the Lord about it. And the Lord said, "The famine has come because Saul and his family are guilty of murdering the Gibeonites."

The Voice                               After the people had suffered from a famine for three successive years, David asked the Eternal One why the famine lingered, and the answer came that the nation was guilty for not making amends for the bloodlust of King Saul, who slaughtered the people of Gibeon.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Well, there were three consecutive years of famine in the days of David, so he asked Jehovah, and the Lord said: 'This has happened because the house of Saul is guilty of shedding [innocent] blood when he killed the GibeOnites.'

Beck’s American Translation A Famine and the Gibeonites

There was a famine in the time of David for three successive years, and David asked the LORD about it. “It is on account of Saul,” the LORD answered, “and his family which is guilty of murder because he killed the Gibeonites.”

Christian Community Bible     The great famine

There was famine during the reign of David for three consecutive years and David consulted Yahweh. The answer was, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and his family be cause he put the Gibeonites to death.” This episode shows us the most inhuman religious prejudices existing at that time. David consulted Yahweh… The answer was… We have already seen this practice of consulting God by means of the Urim and Thummim, i.e., by casting lots. It is possible that God guided them through these means since they believed that this was authorized by God. This episode also confirms that seeking a response from God can lead to worse deviations: “those responsible for the famine are the descendants of Saul because he killed the Gibeonites…” A disaster occurs and the people say it is God’s punishment and, if it is a punishment, they must find the one responsible. Possibly David himself shares the common belief; except that he uses his authority to save the son of his friend, Jonathan. We cannot say that this mentality has completely disappeared. If something goes wrong in society or in an institution, many search out whom to sacrifice before finding out if they themselves have had a share in the fault.

God’s Word™                         In the time of David, there was a famine for three successive years, and David asked the LORD'S advice about it. The LORD answered, "It's because of Saul and his family. They are guilty of murder because they killed the people of Gibeon."

New Advent (Knox)Bible        There was a famine in David's reign that lasted three years continuously; and when David consulted the Lord's oracle he was told, It is because of Saul; he slew the Gabaonites, and the guilt of blood still rests upon his line.

New American Bible (2002)   During David's reign there was a famine for three successive years. David had recourse to the LORD, who said, "There is bloodguilt on Saul and his family because he put the Gibeonites to death."

New American Bible (2011)    Gibeonite Vengeance.

In David's time there was a famine for three years, year after year. David sought the presence of the LORD, who said: There is bloodguilt on Saul and his family because he put the Gibeonites to death. 2Sam. 24:13.

NIRV                                      David Makes Things Right for the People of Gibeon

For three years in a row there wasn't enough food in the land. That was while David was king. So David asked the Lord why he wasn't showing his favor to his people. The Lord said, "It is because Saul and his family committed murder. He put the people of Gibeon to death."

New Jerusalem Bible             In the days of David there was a famine which lasted for three years on end. David consulted Yahweh, and Yahweh said, 'Saul and his family have incurred blood-guilt, by putting the Gibeonites to death.'

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      A three year famine was in the days of David. Year after year, David sought the face of Yahweh. Yahweh said, "Not for Saul and not for his house, but over the blood of the dying in Gibeon."

Bible in Basic English             In the days of David they were short of food for three years, year after year; and David went before the Lord for directions. And the Lord said, On Saul and on his family there is blood, because he put the Gibeonites to death.

English Jubilee 2000              Then there was a famine in the days of David for three consecutive years, and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is because of Saul and because of his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

The Expanded Bible              The Gibeonites Punish Saul's Family

During the time David was king, there was a ·shortage of food [famine] that lasted for three years. So David ·prayed to [inquired of; consulted; ^Lsought the face/presence of] the Lord.

The Lord answered, "Saul and his ·family of murderers [^Lbloody house] are the reason for this shortage, because he ·killed [murdered] the Gibeonites."

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 (b.c. 1021.)        Three Year’s Famine, and the Tragedy of Rizpah’s Sons

There was once a famine in the time of David for three years, year after year, so David sought the presence of the Ever-living, and the Ever-living said, `*It is for Saul and his murderous house, because he killed the Gibaonites.'

NET Bible®                             The Gibeonites Demand Revenge

During David's reign there was a famine for three consecutive years. So David inquired of the Lord [Heb "sought the face of the Lord."]. The Lord said, "It is because of Saul and his bloodstained family [Heb "and the house of bloodshed."], because he murdered the Gibeonites." When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

NIV, ©2011                             The Gibeonites avenged

During the reign of David, there was a famine [S Ge 12:10; S Dt 32:24] for three successive years; so David sought [S Ex 32:11] the face of the Lord. The Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.”

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           In David's time there was a famine that lasted three years, and David consulted ADONAI. ADONAI said, "It is because of Sha'ul and his bloodstained house, because he put to death the people of Giv'on."

exeGeses companion Bible   REVENGE OF THE GIBONIY

And there is a famine in the days of David

- three years - year after year;

and David seeks the face of Yah Veh.

And Yah Veh says,

It is for Shaul and for the bloody house,

because he deathified the Giboniy.

Hebrew Names Version         There was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, It is for Sha'ul, and for his bloody house, because he put to death the Giv`onim.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           Then there was a ra'av (famine) in the days of Dovid shalosh shanim, shanah after shanah; and Dovid inquired of Hashem. And Hashem answered, It is on account of Sha'ul, and for his bais hadamim, because he slaughtered the Giveonim.

The Scriptures 1998              And there was a scarcity of food in the days of Dawi for three years, year after year. And Dawi sought the face of יהוה, and יהוה answered, “Because of Shaʼul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Giʽonites.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

English Standard Version      Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, "There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death."

English Standard V. – UK       David Avenges the Gibeonites

Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David [Num. 27:21] sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, "There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death."

The Geneva Bible                  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. [Saul was] Thinking to gratify the people, because these were not of the seed of Abraham.

Green’s Literal Translation    And there was a famine in the days of David, three years, year after year. And David sought the face of Jehovah. And Jehovah said, It is for Saul and for his bloody house, because he killed the Gibeonites.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    The Difficulty with the Gibeonites Adjusted

Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year, three successive years, a fact which made the visitation seem a special punishment; and David enquired of the Lord, he sought the face of the Lord, by consulting with the high priest, after earnest prayer. And the Lord answered, It is for Saul and for his bloody house, the house upon which blood-guiltiness rested, because he slew the Gibeonites, he had put to death a number of those people to whom Joshua and the princes of Israel had sworn immunity, Joshua 9:15.

NASB                                     Gibeonite Revenge

Now there was a famine [Gen 12:10; 26:1; 42:5] in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David [Num 27:21] sought the presence of the Lord. And the Lord said, "It is for Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death."

New King James Version       David Avenges the Gibeonites

Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites."

Syndein/Thieme                     Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year {three consecutive years}; and David inquired of Jehovah/God. And the Jehovah/God answered, "It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites." {Note: In Exodus 23:32 the Jews were told to make NO treaties with the Hivites (Gibeonites were Hivites) or their gods and Deuteronomy 20:17 they are to destroy all the Hivites utterly. But in Joshua 9, the Gibeonites tricked Joshua into making a treaty with them. He did so in error, but did not go back on his word (two wrongs do not make a right). But when King Saul killed them, that broke the treaty and now God is punishing Israel for Saul doing so.}.

Young’s Updated LT             And there is a famine in the days of David three years, year after year, and David seeks the face of Jehovah, and Jehovah says, “For Saul and for the bloody house, because that he put to death the Gibeonites.”

The gist of this verse:          There is a famine of 3 years which takes place during the reign of David. David asks God why this is occurring, and God tells him that it is because of the Gibeonites slaughtered by Saul.

Translation: [There] was a famine in the days of David [over a period of] 3 years, year after year. At this point, we have left the generally chronological portion of 2Samuel, and we are covering a few miscellaneous incidents which took place in the time of David. There are ways to connect the previous chapter with this chapter, but those ways were not used. The final few verses of the previous chapter did not have a set of wâw consecutives followed by imperfect verbs, so this wâw consecutive with an imperfect verb does not pick up where the previous chapter left off.

There is a famine which is occurring, and it is not clear if David is king over all Israel or just over Judah at this time. However, the fact that a famine continues over a period of 3 years causes David some serious concern. Given the nature of the problem which God will present to King David, in the days of David probably represents a time when David is king over the northern and southern kingdoms.

Dr. Thomas Constable writes: Internal references in 2Samuel enable us to date this incident early in David's reign between Mephibosheth's arrival in Jerusalem and the beginning of the Ammonite wars. Probably God sent judgment on Israel for Saul's action soon after he died. Saul's concubine watched over the bodies of her slain sons until the famine ended. If this took place later in David's reign, she would have been very old, which is possible but unlikely. Also, David buried the bodies of Saul and Jonathan at this time. He would hardly have done this years later. The fact that David did not execute Mephibosheth suggests that this son of Jonathan had come under David's protection by this time. That took place after David moved his capital to Jerusalem. After the Ammonite wars began, David might not have had time for what the writer described here. Consequently a date within 996-993 B.C. for this famine seems reasonable.

Furthermore, placing a later date on this section of 2Sam. 21 would not work, as a new generation of Israelites had been raised up since the days of Saul, and few if any of them would know much about Saul or what he did. This is a problem which God put David to work on as soon as possible in his reign over Israel.

Because of the wâw consecutive which follows, year after year belongs with the first phrase. However, at least one translation placed it with the following phrase:

Translation: Therefore, David sought the presence of Y^ehowah,... Now, I do not recall a single instance of God speaking directly to David. A logical place for this to have occurred is where God gives the Davidic Covenant, back in 2Sam. 7, but that appears to be delivered through an intermediary, Nathan. Therefore, seeking the presence of God does not mean that David is before some physical manifestation of God, and God is speaking directly to him. This likely means that David has sought out a prophet and receives this information from that prophet; or he has sought out one of the priests with the Ephod.

Translation: ...and Y^ehowah said, “Regarding Saul and his house, [there is] bloodguilt because he put the Gibeonites to death.” God informs David that there is bloodguilt on the house of Saul—he is said to have put to death some Gibeonites and the definite article suggests that this was a very specific incident. So, what we have here is an abuse of power. Although he says that he put to death the Gibeonites; this could refer to Saul or to his house (i.e., his family).

Poole: The Israelites might sundry ways make themselves guilty of Saul’s sin, though it be not particularly mentioned in Scripture; advising or encouraging him to it; or by assisting him in the execution of it; or by conniving at it; or by rejoicing in it for some worldly advantage which they received or expected from it; or by not repairing the injuries which Saul had done them as far as they might.

Notice, this does not read, and Jehovah said to David. It appears as though God always spoke to David through an intermediary.

The harm which Saul caused the Gibeonites is recorded only here in this portion of 2Sam. 21; there is no other historical record of this act or of what David did about it.

Although the guilt is put upon Saul’s shoulders, here, his entire house is seen as guilty. Peter Pett: This caused David as the intercessor for Israel, to earnestly seek the face of YHWH in order to discover the reason for the famine. YHWH's reply was that what was in His mind was Saul and his `bloody house', because he (or `they', but expressed in the singular in Hebrew because `house' is singular. Compare the use of `I' in 2Samuel 21:4 speaking of the Gibeonites) had slaughtered the Gibeonites. The description of Saul's house as a `bloody house' would suggest that it was not only Saul himself who had slaughtered the Gibeonites, but that his house had continued to treat them in the same way, for many of the Gibeonites would be in Benjaminite territory (compare Joshua 18:25; Joshua 21:17) and would therefore still be on the lands of Saulides. Saul's `bloody house' would thus appear to have been continuing what Saul had begun. That would explain why they were seen as equally guilty with Saul, and why the famine came this late, God having given the family time for repentance. It was probably not just a case of the sons bearing the iniquity of their fathers, except in the sense that they were themselves being punished for doing what their fathers had taught them. What we have here is the implication that Saul is not solely responsible; and that this persecution might be ongoing.

This is in keeping with the actions that Saul took which are recorded. We studied many times when he tried to have David killed, even though David was loyal to him. When Saul believed that the priests of Nob had betrayed him, he wiped them all out without mercy. So, killing and persecuting Gibeonites is certainly something that Saul is able to do.

One of the keys to David’s greatness is, he did not view himself as the ultimate authority. God was the ultimate authority, and God communicated to David chiefly through prophets and priests (1Sam. 30:7 2Sam. 12:1). This is how David chiefly differed from King Saul. King Saul became a law unto himself, often doing things which were in opposition to the counsel of prophet/priest Samuel.

V. 1 reads: [There] was a famine in the days of David [over a period of] 3 years, year after year. Therefore, David sought the presence of Y^ehowah, and Y^ehowah said, “Regarding Saul and his house, [there is] bloodguilt because he put the Gibeonites to death.” A famine affects most people in the land; it is like a recession or a depression here in the United States. Suddenly, they are not producing enough food to sustain themselves. This leads to a downward spiral in the rest of the economy. In the ancient world, the bulk of the economy was driven by food production. A lack of rain at critical times would result in little or no crop production; which could then lead to the starving and diminishing of the herds which the Israelites had. Here, God ties this to the guilt of Saul, and not to global warming.

Application: We had a dramatic drop in the market in 2008 and a recession, as a result of the policies of our government. However, these policies could not have been put into effect unless the people acted upon them. People purchased houses that they could not afford, taking out loans that they were unable to pay back. The government made enough changes to the regulations concerning loans, so that those who normally would not qualify for a home loan were being offered home loans. This suddenly added millions of people into the housing market, which took a relatively fixed number of houses, and drove their prices skyward. It created what is called the housing bubble, where it was only a matter of time before the housing prices had to fall, the loan money dried up, and the loans taken out were not being paid back. This involved sinfulness throughout our economy—people would lie about their assets and ability to pay, and about their past credit problems (through rapid re-score); loan officers made millions giving out loans that they knew could not be repaid; government agencies tinkered with the market and the regulations to make all of this possible; and government officials refused to examine all that was happening, because the economy was booming because of this. My point in all of this is, everyone played a part in this evil—therefore, we should expect, as has happened, that there would be no true economic recovery. The recovery is dependent upon more than curing the evil economic policies, because the same people who went along with these—in the private sector and in government—are all still there. And huge numbers of people are standing there with their hands out, for more “government” money.

Application: A good leader ought to provide leadership and guidance when it comes to correcting past wrongs. David is not dealing with anything which he or his administration has done wrong; he is dealing with the sins of Saul against a sizable subset of the population in Israel.

Guzik gives us these principles:

•       God expects us to keep our promises

•       God expects nations to keep their promises

•       Time does not diminish our obligation to promises

•       God's correction may come a long time after the offense

Kretzmann’s Commentary is an excellent commentary, which a phrase here or there is inserted into the King James’ translation; and it gives a good sense of the meaning of each verse. The only thing that would make this better is to replace the KJV text with the NKJV or the NASB text.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    The Difficulty with the Gibeonites Adjusted

Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year, three successive years, a fact which made the visitation seem a special punishment; and David enquired of the Lord, he sought the face of the Lord, by consulting with the high priest, after earnest prayer. And the Lord answered, It is for Saul and for his bloody house, the house upon which blood-guiltiness rested, because he slew the Gibeonites, he had put to death a number of those people to whom Joshua and the princes of Israel had sworn immunity, Joshua 9:15.

Why is this such a big deal to God? The Gibeonites are lying heathen. Why can’t Saul, if it is in the national interest, break the treaty which the Gibeonites initiated under false pretenses? If the Israelites, as representatives of God, make a treaty; then that treaty must hold up. They represent God. It would be as if we died, stood before Jesus, and He said, “Look, about this dying for your sins—I have changed My mind about that.” So, when the Israelites break a treaty—even one obtained under false pretenses—they are still representatives of God in all this—and this reflects badly on God and on His integrity.

Application: Your actions as a believer reflect upon God. When people know that you are a Christian, and you do thus and so, they notice; and some of them impute this to God or they say to themselves, “Another Christian hypocrite? I’m not surprised.”

Both sides of a treaty or a covenant ought to hold up their side of the agreement. A government highly influenced by Christianity ought to be absolutely honest and forthright in all agreements.

By the way, this is not unknown to the people up in Benjamin, as well as other northern tribes. When Saul began killing and causing great pain to the Gibeonites, all of his soldiers and most of the people in central Israel were aware of this. As believers, we do bear a corporate responsibility—particularly regarding the actions of our country and our government. There is a shared responsibility. A great many liberals believe this, but they are wrong about everything that our government does. What they want and like the government to do is generally wrong (waste more money; spend money on global warming projects); and what they think is terrible for our government to do (protect freedom around the world) is generally right.

One of the things which I have further suggested is, Saul took away home and lands from the Gibeonites; and he probably distributed this to his sons, making them culpable as well.

Who the Gibeonites are will be discussed in greater detail in the next verse.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          Then the king, calling for the Gabaonites, said to them: (Now the Gabaonites were not of the children of Israel, but the remains of the Amorrhites: and the children of Israel had sworn to them, and Saul sought to slay them out of zeal, as it were for the children of Israel and Juda:)

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so calls the king to the Gibeonites and so he says unto them—and the Gibeonites [are] not from sons of Israel; they [were] that only from a remnant of the Amorite and sons of Israel had sworn to them. And so seeks Saul to strike them in his zeal for sons of Israel and Judah—...

Peshitta (Syriac)                    So the king called the Gibeonites and said to 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 to them, and Saul had sought to slay them in his zeal to cause the children of Israel and Judah to sin).

Septuagint (Greek)                So King David called the Gibeonites, and said to them (now the Gibeonites are not the children of Israel, but are of the remnant of the Amorite, and the children of Israel had sworn to them; but Saul sought to smite them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah).

Significant differences:           The Syriac adds the words to sin.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           So the king called for the Gibeonites and spoke to them.

(Now the Gibeonites weren't Israelites but were survivors of the Amorites. The Israelites had sworn a solemn pledge to spare them, but Saul tried to eliminate them in his enthusiasm for the people of Israel and Judah.)

Contemporary English V.       The Gibeonites were not Israelites; they were descendants of the Amorites. The people of Israel had promised not to kill them, but Saul had tried to kill them because he wanted Israel and Judah to control all the land. David had the Gibeonites come, and he talked with them.

Easy English                          (The *Gibeonites were not *Israelites. The *Gibeonites were a small group that remained from the people called Amorites. The *Israelites had promised to protect them but Saul tried to destroy them. Saul had been too eager to help the people of *Israel and *Judah.) So, the king called the *Gibeonites together and he spoke to them.

Easy–to–Read Version           The Gibeonites were not Israelites. They were a group of Amorites. The Israelites had promised them {that they would not hurt the Gibeonites} [This happened in Joshua’s time when the Gibeonites tricked the Israelites. See Joshua 9:3–15.]. But Saul tried to kill the Gibeonites. He did this because of his strong feelings for the people of Israel and Judah.)

Good News Bible (TEV)         (The people of Gibeon were not Israelites; they were a small group of Amorites whom the Israelites had promised to protect, but Saul had tried to destroy them because of his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.)

The Message                         So the king called the Gibeonites together for consultation. (The Gibeonites were not part of Israel; they were what was left of the Amorites, and protected by a treaty with Israel. But Saul, a fanatic for the honor of Israel and Judah, tried to kill them off.)

New Century Version             (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites; they were a group of Amorites who were left alive. The Israelites had promised not to hurt the Gibeonites, but Saul had tried to kill them, because he was eager to help the people of Israel and Judah.)

King David called the Gibeonites together and spoke to them.

The Voice                               (The Gibeonites were not from Israel-they were related to the Amorites. Saul tried to annihilate them in his zeal for Israel and Judah, although the people of Israel had promised to spare them during the days of Joshua.) So David called for the leaders of Gibeon.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          So, the king called the GibeOnites, and he said: 'Why, the GibeOnites aren't [really] IsraElites; they're just what is left of the Amorites. However, although the sons of IsraEl had sworn an oath to them, Saul attacked them in his zeal for the sons of IsraEl and Judah.'

Christian Community Bible     The Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but descendants of the Amorites. Although the Israelites had sworn to spare them, Saul had attempted to wipe them out on behalf of the people of Israel and Judah.

God’s Word™                         (The Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were left over from the Amorites. Although the Israelites had sworn to spare them, Saul, in his eagerness, tried to destroy them for Israel and Judah.) The king called the Gibeonites...

New Advent (Knox) Bible       The Gabaonites did not belong to Israel; they were of the old Amorrhite stock, and their lives had been spared in fulfilment of an oath, but Saul, jealous for the honour of Israel and of Juda, had tried to exterminate them. So king David summoned them, and asked what he could do to content them; what amends he could make, to recover their good will for the Lord's chosen people. V. 3 is included for context.

New American Bible (2011)   So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but survivors of the Amorites; and although the Israelites had given them their oath, Saul had sought to kill them off in his zeal for the Israelites and for Judah.) Jos 9:3-27.

NIRV                                      The people of Gibeon weren't a part of Israel. Instead, they were some of the Amorites who were still left alive. The people of Israel had promised with an oath to spare them. But Saul had tried to put an end to them. That's because he wanted to make Israel and Judah strong.

So now King David sent for the people of Gibeon and spoke to them.

New Simplified Bible              The Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were left over from the Amorites. The Israelites swore to spare them. Saul, in his eagerness, tried to destroy them for Israel and Judah. The king called the Gibeonites.

Revised English Bible            (The Gibeonites were not of Israelite descent; they were a remnant of Amorite stock whom the Israelites had sworn that they would spare. Saul, however, in his zeal for Israel and Judah had sought to exterminate them.) King David summoned the Gibeonites, therefore, and said to them, ‘What can be done for you? How can I make expiation, so that you may have cause to bless the Lord’s own people?’ V. 3 is included for context.

Today’s NIV                          The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to [spare] them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.)

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      The king called the Gibeonites, and said to them, "The Gibeonites, they were not sons of Israel, but when the balance of the North-Jordanians swore to the sons of Israel, Saul sought to smite them in his jealousy for the sons of Israel and Judah."

Bible in Basic English             Then the king sent for the Gibeonites; now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but were the last of the Amorites, to whom the children of Israel had given an oath; but Saul, in his passion for the children of Israel and Judah, had made an attempt on their lives:...

The Expanded Bible              (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites; they were ·a group of Amorites who were left alive [^Lthe remnant of the Amorites]. The Israelites had ·promised [sworn; vowed; Josh. 9:14-15] not to hurt the Gibeonites, but Saul had tried to ·kill [annihilate; exterminate] them, because ·he was eager to help [of his zeal for] the people of Israel and Judah.)

King David called the Gibeonites together and spoke to them.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 The king consequently sent for the Gibaonites, and asked them ger the Gibaonites were not of the Children of Israel, but a remnant of the Amorites, to whom the Children of Israel had sworn, but Saul wished to exterminate them in his zeal for the Children of Israel and the Ever-living).

HCSB                                     The Gibeonites were not Israelites but rather a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but Saul had tried to kill them in his zeal for the Israelites and Judah. So David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them.

NET Bible®                             So the king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke with them. (Now the Gibeonites were not descendants of Israel; they were a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had made a promise to [Heb "swore an oath to."] them, but Saul tried to kill them because of his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.)

NIV, ©2011                             The king summoned the Gibeonites [S Jos 9:15] and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.)

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           The king summoned the Giv'onim and said to them - these Giv'onim were not part of the people of Isra'el but from the remnant of the Emori; and the people of Isra'el had sworn to them; but Sha'ul, in his zeal for the people of Isra'el and Y'hudah, had sought to exterminate them -...

exeGeses companion Bible   And the sovereign calls the Giboniy

and says to them

- now the Giboniy are not of the sons of Yisra El

but of the remnant of the Emoriy

- and the sons of Yisra El oathed to them:

- and Shaul sought to smite them in his jealousy

toward the sons of Yisra El and Yah Hudah:...

Hebrew Names Version         The king called the Giv`onim, and said to them (now the Giv`onim were not of the children of Yisra'el, but of the remnant of the Amori; and the children of Yisra'el had sworn to them: and Sha'ul sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Yisra'el and Yehudah);...

Judaica Press Complete T.    And the king called the Gibeonites and said to 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 to them; but Saul (nevertheless) sought to slay them in his zeal for the sake of the children of Israel and Judah.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And HaMelech called the Giveonim, and said unto them; (now the Giveonim were not of the Bnei Yisroel, but of the remnant of the Emori; and the Bnei Yisroel had sworn unto them; and Sha'ul sought to annihilate them in his kinot (zeal) for the Bnei Yisroel and Yehudah.)

The Scriptures 1998              The sovereign therefore called the Giʽonites and spoke to them. Now the Giʽonites were not of the children of Yisraʼĕl, but of the remnant of the Amorites. And the children of Yisraʼĕl had sworn protection to them, but Shaʼul had sought to kill them in his ardour for the children of Yisraʼĕl and Yehuah.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Darby Translation                  And the king called the Gibeonites, and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remainder of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn to them; and Saul sought to smite them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.)

English Standard Version      So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    And the king called the Gibeonites and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites, as the author here inserts for the sake of the people of his time, were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites, this name here designating the heathen nations of Canaan in general; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them; and Saul, disregarding the oath and the covenant, sought to slay, to exterminate, them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah;)

NASB                                     So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the sons of Israel [Josh 9:3, 15-20] made a covenant [Lit had sworn to] with them, but Saul had sought to kill [Lit smite] them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah).

New King James Version       So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.

Syndein/Thieme                     And the king {David} called the Gibeonites, and said unto them (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites {now we learn the Hivites were remnants of the Amorites}; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal {the worst curse among believers is the stupid and zealous believer} to the children of Israel and Judah.)

Third Millennium Bible            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, but Saul sought to slay them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah)"

World English Bible                The king called the Gibeonites, and said to 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 to them: and Saul sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah);...

Young’s Updated LT             And the king calls for the Gibeonites, and says unto them—as to the Gibeonites, they are not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorite, and the sons of Israel had sworn to them, and Saul seeks to strike them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah.

The gist of this verse:          The Gibeonites had a non-aggression treaty with Israel, but Saul violated that treaty in his nationalistic zeal. King David calls them in to resolve the matter.

Translation: So, the king called to the Gibeonites... David is familiar with the relationship between Israel and the Gibeonites. He has studied the Scriptures as they existed in his time, which included how the Gibeonites became a part of Israel back in the book of Joshua.

David does not go off half-cocked. He brings in witnesses to make a just decision.

Translation: ...and he spoke to them. It says that David said unto them; but then what follows is not a quotation, but a parenthetical section to tell the reader about the Gibeonites, in case they were not familiar with them.

The author leaves in the midst of David about to say something to the Gibeonites, and gives some background information on the Gibeonites. Then it will for a second time tell us that and so David says to the Gibeonites. This is not something I recall seeing anywhere else in the writing of the book of Samuel. This suggests to me that someone, with his own style, believed that this and a few other pieces of history ought to be recalled; and so he relayed these things here.

Translation: (Now, the Gibeonites were not from the sons of Israel;... At this point, we go into a parenthetical section. The author thinks about this and realizes that maybe the average reader does not know who the Gibeonites are. He is not going to go into great detail. He is simply going to say that this are not blood Israelites. So, first thing he says, The Gibeonites are not from the sons of Israel.

Translation: ...they were only from the remnant of the Amorites—... To be very specific, the Gibeonites were actually Hivites (Joshua 9:7 11:19), who are to be distinguished from the Amorites (Num. 13:29).

This is a good example where the term Amorite is used somewhat generically to describe the original population of the Land of Promise. The term Amorite is used elsewhere in a similar fashion where God does not permit Israel to take the land yet, because the iniquity (degeneracy) of the Amorite is not yet full (Gen. 15:16). In both cases, clearly Amorite is used as a generic term referring to all the indigenous peoples of the land before Israel moved in to take it. The term Amorite is also used in a general sense in Amos 2:9.

Translation: ...but the sons of Israel has sworn peace and safety to them. What had happened was, Joshua was invading the land, city after city. Knowing that their doom was nigh, the Gibeonites approached the sons of Israel as if they had come from some far country, far away; and they asked to make a treaty with the Israelites. Joshua agreed to this. However, it turned out that they were one of the next cities that Joshua would have attacked. However, Joshua could not go back on this treaty. This all takes place in Joshua 9 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

The Gibeonites believed in the power of the God of the Israelites so much that they decided amongst themselves to set up this deception in order to gain a treaty with the Israelites. This meant that most of the Gibeonites at that time were saved. Furthermore, there appears to have been a sustained peace between the Israelites and the Gibeonites for a long period of time. This incident which is being discussed occurred about 300 years after the treaty.

J. Vernon McGee: A treaty in that day (which some folk consider "uncivilized") was inviolate. When a treaty was made, the terms of the treaty were kept. Treaties were more than a scrap of paper. They were not made to be broken. In our day this matter of nations sitting around the conference table trying to make a treaty is almost laughable, because who will keep it? The average person has a right to be cynical about the way nations attempt to get along with each other. But when a nation is obeying God, its word is as good as its bond. Joshua made a treaty with the Gibeonites; but Saul came along and broke it. David attempted to make amends for Saul's actions, and he succeeded.

Translation: But Saul sought to strike them down in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah.) King Saul, who began as a wonderful king, went off the deep end on several occasions, going into an insanity which seemed to continue for longer, and longer periods of time. His thinking and what he did was quite irrational. Here, apparently without cause (and this is not recorded in Scripture, except here), Saul went after the Gibeonites and killed a great many of them; and restricted where they could live. This was completely outside of the plan of God.

Interestingly enough, Saul was not simply a man who liked bloodshed. He was told to wipe out all of the Amalekites—including their animal population—but he instead kept their king alive and the choicest of their animals (1Sam. 15:1–9). God gave very clear directives to Saul, and Saul often did exactly the opposite.

Peter Pett: From Saul’s narrow religious viewpoint, and in his varying moods, he wanted to be rid of the Gibeonites forever, because he saw them as a blot on his people. With that in view he had carried out a mass slaughter among them, and by doing so he and his followers had ignored Israel's permanently sacred oath, made in the sight of YHWH, with regard to them. His actions were thus themselves a blot on the whole of Israel, and we must remember in this regard that many Israelites must have assisted him in the venture, while most of them must have gone along with him in it. There is certainly no evidence at any time of any major objections. Thus this must not be seen as just the sin of one man. It was a sin in which all partook. All knew that the Gibeonites were under YHWH's direct protection, and must not be touched, and yet no one had seemingly lifted a finger to help them. Most probably felt that they had had it coming to them, and mention of his house as `his bloody house' almost certainly suggests that his family had continued the work that he had begun.

Peter Pett goes on to say that oaths were considered to be very serious matters in those days. This is because this was an oath made by Joshua of Israel to the Gibeonites. An oath which Joshua (or any leader made) was serious because Israel represents God on earth. Therefore, all oaths and treaties must be as if God made that oath or treaty.

Application: People are often confused about what is happening with our country, with gay marriage and with the attacks upon free speech on the college campuses. All of the degeneracy in our land is based upon a hatred for the Word of God. So, if the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin, our society wants to recognize that as a treasure. If someone says that homosexuality is a sin, that is classified as hate speech, and forbidden on some college campuses. A little further down, we will study the God and Nationalism. God is for nations; and Satan is for internationalism. Therefore, those who are opposed to Scripture will be in favor of internationalism and international solutions.

As a point of interest, God held Saul responsible for his actions, despite Saul’s mental illness.

Check my own references

Now might be a good time to review The Doctrine of Gibeon, Geba and Gibeah (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

Peter Pett: The thoroughness with which Saul had in fact carried out his task comes out in the extreme bitterness still prevalent among the Gibeonites these many years afterwards, although reference to his `bloody house' suggests that Saul's descendants had continued the action that he had begun, thus stoking up the bitterness (21:4-6). The Gibeonites may well have been driven into the hills and have consequently been living in appalling conditions. Consequently when YHWH was consulted about the severe famine, which must have occurred some way into David's reign (certainly after Mephibosheth had been drawn to his attention in chapter 9 but probably before Shimei's accusation that he had spilt the blood of the house of Saul), He chose to use the occasion in order to draw attention to the plight of the Gibeonites.

Saul apparently had some xenophobic, nationalistic fervor going; and he believed it would make him more popular to take down the foreigners which lived among them. Today, that would be like us turned against the Indians on the reservations and going in and killing them.

This is not the same as, however, supporting legislation to deal with illegal immigration in the United States and to enforce statues related to such immigration. Now, if we simply began executing illegal aliens, that would be similar to what Saul has done—except that we do not have any sort of treaty with aliens who come into the United States and overstay their VISA.

This is not an anti-immigration rant. We ought to have a sensible immigration system which works for business and betters our country. At this point, we have people being brought into the country who have no means of support except from the government. In my work, I have met several people—in their 30's—who are supported by taxpayer dollars with no expectation of that ever changing. I found out the hard way that, the worst tenant is often the tenant who has a lot of time on their hands because they are not working. You would think that they would spend all of their time keeping their house neat; this is not the case.

This phrase: But Saul sought to strike them down in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah.) is designed to be in contrast with David, who sought the face of God. This particular writer appears to use several clever literary devices in his writing.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          David therefore said to the Gabaonites: What shall I do for you? and what shall be the atonement or you, that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says David unto the Gibeonites, “What should I do to you [all] and in how will I a covering?” And they blessed an inheritance of Y^ehowah. See the Hebrew exegesis on this.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    Wherefore David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make an atonement to you, that you may bless the heritage of the LORD?

Septuagint (Greek)                And David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?

Significant differences:           The final phrase appears to be different in person and mood, but that will be explained in the Hebrew exegesis.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           David said to the Gibeonites, "What can I do for you? How can I fix matters so you can benefit from the Lord's inheritance?"

Contemporary English V.       He said, "What can I do to make up for what Saul did, so that you'll ask the LORD to be kind to his people again?"

Easy English                          He asked, `What can I do for you? I want to make matters right. Then you can *bless the *Lord's people.'

Easy-to-Read Version            David said to the Gibeonites, “What can I do for you? What can I do to take away Israel’s sin, so you can bless the Lord’s people?”

New Berkeley Version           David said to the men of Gibeon, “What am I to do in your behalf? By what means can I atone for this, so you will invoke prosperity for the Lord’s inheritance?”

New Century Version             He asked, "What can I do for you? How can I make up for the harm done so you can bless the Lord's people?"

New Life Bible                        David said to the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? How can I pay for the sin, so you may bring good to the land of the Lord?"

The Voice                               David: What can I do, what can I give you, to lift this guilt from my land so that you will honor the Eternal's chosen people?

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then David asked the GibeOnites: 'What must I do for you. what must I do to [pay for our sins], and to get you to bless the inheritance of Jehovah?'

Christian Community Bible     So David called the Gibeonites and asked them, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I repay you that you may bless the people of Yahweh?”

New American Bible (2011)   David said to the Gibeonites, "What must I do for you and how must I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the LORD?"

NIRV                                      He asked them, "What would you like me to do for you? How can I make up for the wrong things that were done to you? I want you to be able to pray that the Lord will once again bless his land."

New Jerusalem Bible             'What can I do for you? How can I make amends, so that you will call a blessing down on Yahweh's heritage?'

New Simplified Bible              He asked them: »What can I do for you? What shall I give you to make peace with you so that you will bless what belongs to Jehovah?«

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             So David said to the Gibeonites, What may I do for you? how am I to make up to you for your wrongs, so that you may give a blessing to the heritage of the Lord?

English Jubilee 2000              Therefore, David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make reconciliation that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?

The Expanded Bible              He asked, "What can I do for you? How can I make ·up [amends; expiation; atonement] for the harm done so you can bless the Lord's ·people [^Linheritance]?"

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 David asked the Gibaonites `What can I do for you? And by what can I make amends? So that you will bless the inheritance of the Ever-living?”

NET Bible®                             David said to the Gibeonites, "What can I do for you, and how can I make amends so that you will bless [After the preceding imperfect verbal form, the subordinated imperative indicates purpose/result. S. R. Driver comments, ".the imperative is used instead of the more normal voluntative, for the purpose of expressing with somewhat greater force the intention of the previous verb" (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 350).] the Lord's inheritance?"

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           David said to the Giv'onim, "What should I do for you? With what should I make atonement, so that you will be able to bless ADONAI's heritage?"

exeGeses companion Bible   ...- yes, David says to the Giboniy,

What work I for you?

Wherewith kapar/atone I for you

so that you bless the inheritance of Yah Veh?

Orthodox Jewish Bible           Therefore Dovid said unto the Giveonim, What shall I do for you? And wherewith shall I make the kapporah, that ye may bless the nachalat Hashem?

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Context Group Version          And the king called the Gibeonites, and said to them ( now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the sons of Israel had sworn to them: and Saul sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah ); and David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you { pl } and how shall I make atonement, that you { pl } may esteem the inheritance of YHWH? V. 2 is included for context.

English Standard Version      And David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the LORD?"

The Geneva Bible                  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? With what may your wrath be appeased, that you may pray to God to remove this plague from his people.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    ...wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And wherewith shall I make the atonement, expiate the wrong done and appease the Lord's anger, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord? He wanted them to change their maledictions upon Israel into blessings.

New RSV                               David said to the Gibeonites, `What shall I do for you? How shall I make expiation, that you may bless the heritage of the Lord?'

World English Bible                ...and David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of Yahweh?

Young’s Updated LT             Yea, David says unto the Gibeonites, “What do I do for you? And with what do I make atonement? And bless you [all] the inheritance of Jehovah.”

The gist of this verse:          David asks the Gibeonites what can he do to make up for the evil that Saul did.

Translation: David said to the Gibeonites, “What should I do for you [all]... We go back to what David was saying. He asks the Gibeonites what he could do for them.

That this occurred early on in the divided kingdom makes the most sense. That way, David would be interacting with many Gibeonites who were subject to Saul’s persecution or saw the actions of that persecution.

Translation: ...and how could I obtain forgiveness [from you]... He also asks what it is that he could do that would cover over this offense. So, you will notice that David is treating this foreign people with great respect.

The word used here is the Piel imperfect of kâphar (כָּפַר) [pronounced kaw-FAHR], which means to cover, to cover over [with], to be covered [with]; to spread over; to appease, to placate, to pacify; to pardon, to expiate; to atone. Strong's #3722 BDB #497. What had been done against the Gibeonites could never be undone. At best, the evil done by Saul could be covered over, which the Gibeonites would then accept. Heb. 9:22 tells us: And almost all things are purified by blood according to the Law; and apart from shedding of blood no remission occurs. There is no easy way to deal with the evil that Saul did.

At this point, David knows enough to know that what Saul did was wrong; and that these people were harmed greatly by his actions.