2 Samuel 21:1

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.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
famine	רָעָב֩ ra.'Av	H7458	hunger (more or less extensive) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
days	בִּימֵ֨י bi.Mei	H3117	a day (as the warm hours) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
David	דָוִ֜ד da.Vid	H1732	David · proper noun, a man's name
three	שָׁלֹ֣שׁ sha.Losh	H7969	three · noun, common both genders singular absolute
years	שָׁנִ֗ים sha.Nim	H8141	a year (as a revolution of time) · noun, common masculine plural absolute
year	שָׁנָה֙ sha.Nah	H8141	a year (as a revolution of time) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
after	אַחֲרֵ֣י 'a.cha.Rei	H310	properly · cardinal number, masculine plural construct
year	שָׁנָ֔ה sha.Nah	H8141	a year (as a revolution of time) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
David	דָּוִ֖ד da.Vid	H1732	David · proper noun, a man's name
enquired	וַיְבַקֵּ֥שׁ vay.va.Kesh	H1245	to search out (by any method · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
of	פְּנֵ֣י pe.Nei	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · noun, common masculine plural construct
LORD	יְהוָ֑ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
LORD	יְהוָ֗ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
answered	וַיֹּ֣אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Saul	שָׁאוּל֙ sha.'Ul	H7586	Shaul · proper noun, a man's name
bloody	הַדָּמִ֔ים ha.da.Mim	H1818	blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or… · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
house	בֵּ֣ית beit	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct
slew	הֵמִ֖ית he.Mit	H4191	to die (literally or figuratively) · verb, hiphil perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Gibeonites	הַגִּבְעֹנִֽים ha.giv.'o.Nim	H1393	a Gibonite · definite article + noun, gentilic masculine plural absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Joshua 7:11-12 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and…
Genesis 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
Genesis 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Phili…
Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of t…
1 Samuel 22:17-19 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and…
1 Samuel 23:2 Therefore David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto David, Go, and smite the Philis…
1 Samuel 23:4 Then David enquired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines…
1 Samuel 23:11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, te…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 21:1-9

Here I. Were are told of the injury which Saul had, long before this, done to the Gibeonites, which we had no account of in the history of his reign, nor should we have heard of it here but that it came now to be reckoned for. The Gibeonites were of the remnant of the Amorites (Sa2 21:2), who by a stratagem had made peace with Israel, and had the public faith pledged to them by Joshua for their safety. We had the story Jos. 9, where it was agreed (v. 23) that they should have their lives secured, but be deprived of their lands and liberties, that they and theirs should be tenants in villanage to Israel. It does not appear that they had broken their part of the covenant, either by denying the…

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Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 21:1

Then there was a famine - Of this famine we know nothing; it is not mentioned in any part of the history of David. Because he slew the Gibeonites - No such fact is mentioned in the life and transactions of Saul; nor is there any reference to it in any other part of Scripture.

John Gill on 2 Samuel 21:1

Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year,.... That is, three years running, one after another; some think this, though here related, was before the rebellions of Absalom and Sheba, and not after, and there are several things which may incline to it, as that the sin of Saul should otherwise be so long unpunished, and that the bones of Saul and Jonathan were not sooner removed, here related; and that there should be so many battles the Philistines after they were subdued, as recorded in this chapter; and in one of the Jewish (e) writings it is said, that this was the year after Saul was slain; though, in other copies of the same book, it is said to be thirty ye…

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Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 21:1-14

Three Years' Famine. - A three years' famine in the land, the occasion of which, as Jehovah declared to the king, was Saul's crime with regard to the Gibeonites, was expiated by David's delivering up to the Gibeonites, at their own request, seven of Saul's descendants, who were then hung by them upon a mountain before Jehovah. This occurrence certainly did not take place in the closing years of David's reign; on the other hand, it is evident from the remark in Sa2 21:7, to the effect that Mephibosheth was spared, that it happened after David had received tidings of Mephibosheth, and had taken him to his own table (Sa2 9:1-13). This is mentioned here as a practical illustration, on the one ha…

The Church Fathers

The Gibeonites met the children of Israel, and although other nations were slaughtered, they were kept for hewers of wood and drawers of water. And of such value were they in God's eyes that the family of Saul was destroyed for the wrong done to them. Where would you put them? Among the goats? But they were not slain, and they were avenged by the determination of God. Among the sheep? But holy Scripture says they were not of the same merit as the Israelites. You see then that they do indeed stand on the right hand but are of a far inferior grade.
— Jerome, Against Jovinianus 2.33

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Alliance — A treaty between nations, or between individuals, for their mutual advantage. Abraham formed an alliance with some of the Canaanitish princes (Gen. 14:13), also with Abimelech (21:22-32). Joshua and…
Alliances — On the first establishment of the Hebrews in Palestine no connections were formed between them and the surrounding nations. But with the extension of their power under the kings alliances became…
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Dearth — A scarcity of provisions (1 Kings 17). There were frequent dearths in Palestine. In the days of Abram there was a “famine in the land” (Gen. 12:10), so also in the days of Jacob (47:4, 13). We read…
Famine — The first mentioned in Scripture was so grievous as to compel Abraham to go down to the land of Egypt (Gen. 26:1). Another is mentioned as having occurred in the days of Isaac, causing him to go to…
Gibeonites, The — the people of Gibeon, and perhaps also of the three cities associated with Gibeon, (Joshua 9:17)—Hivites; and who, on the discover of the stratagem by which they had obtained the protection of the…
Thummim — Perfection (LXX., “truth;” Vulg., “veritas”), Ex. 28:30; Deut. 33:8; Judg. 1:1; 20:18; 1 Sam. 14:3, 18; 23:9; 2 Sam. 21:1. What the “Urim and Thummim” were cannot be determined with any certainty.…
Anger Of God, The · Exemplified against: Saul’s family — Exemplified against: Saul’s family
Canaan · .Famines in — .Famines in
Covenant · .Breach of, punished — .Breach of, punished
Famine · .In

2 Samuel 21:1

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 21:1-9

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 21:1

John Gill on 2 Samuel 21:1

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 21:1-14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

2 Samuel 21:1

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 21:1-9

Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 21:1

John Gill on 2 Samuel 21:1

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Samuel 21:1-14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Samuel 21:1–end

Rashi on 2 Samuel 21:1