L f 1. The land. God's judgment on it.
g 2-9. Saul's sons. Reparation.
h 10,11. Rizpah. Mourning.
g 12-14-. Saul's sons. Recovery of bones.
f -14. The land. God entreated for it.932 to 930 B.C.
2 Samuel 21)
1: Then there was a famine (1 of 13 mentioned. See Gen.12:10) in the days of David three years, the year after that year (i.e. 932 B.C. David being now 58); and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, “It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.”
2: And the king called the Gibeonites (cp. Josh.9:3,16,17), and said to them; {now the Gibeonites they were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn to them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the sons of Israel and Judah.} (covenant made by Joshu)
3: Wherefore David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that you all may bless the inheritance of the Lord?”
4: And the Gibeonites said to him, “We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shall you kill any man in Israel.” And he said, “What you all shall say, that will I do for you.”
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 borers of Israel,
6: Let seven men of his sons be delivered to us, and we will hang them up to the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord did choose.” And the king said, “I will give them.” (This was man that makes this arrangement, not God!)
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.
8: But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth (Saul's son not Jonathan's son by the same name); and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul (Saul's oldest daughter. Some codices read "Merab", as in 1 Sam.18:19), whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:
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 (poor man's bread. They were killed, then hanged around mid-April).
10: And Rizpah (= a hot stone) 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. (one of the most degrading thing to do to a dead body. It was customary to bury the dead the same day)
11: And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. (relaying the love of a mother)
12: And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son (there was a total of 9 bones of family. #9 = finality of Judgment) from the lords of Jabesh-gilead (cp. 1 Sam.31:10,13), which had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan (the open space by the gate [2 Chron.32:6. Neh.8:1,3,16]), where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:
13: And he brought up from that place the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.
14: And the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed according to all that the king commanded. (Keep your word. It is your reputation. If you ever make a vow, keep it. If you want to break it, you had better go to God and pray heavily. God does not like peace to be broken)
And after that God was entreated for the land. (Drought was ended)
M j¹ 15. War with Philistines.
k¹ 16,17. Giant (Ishi-benob). Slain by Abishai.
j² 18-. Battle at Gob.
k² -18. Giant (Saph). Slain by Sibbechai.
j³ 19-. Battle at Gob.
k³ -19. Giant (brother of Goliath). Slain by Elhanan.
j4 20-. Battle at Gath.
j4 -20,21. Giant. Slain by Jonathan.
j5 22. End of war.930 to 923 B.C.
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 (David was now 60).
16: And Ishbi-benob (= he that dwells at a high place), which was of the sons of the giant (= Rapha. See Gen.6:2,4), the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight (about 9 lbs.), he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain (or, said he would slay) David.
17: But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succored him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “You shall go no more out with us to battle, that you quench not the lamp of Israel. (Cp. Gen.15:17. 1 Kings 15:4. Prov. 13:9; 20:20, though not the same word as Gen.15:17. They wouldn't let him because of his age)
18: And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob (some codices read "Nob"):
then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph (= tall), which was of the sons of the giant. (To a true servant of God there are no giants)
19: And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines,
where Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite (omit "the brother of", and understand another giant of the same name as the Goliath of 1 Sam.17. Goliath = splendor), the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.
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. (He was a hybrid. Not as God planned. Anything unnatural is a perversion to God. Note the #6)
21: And when he reproached Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.
22: These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants. (When [don't read over "when", it's conditional] God is with you, He and you make a majority. Giant killers! Do not be afraid!)