II Samuel

There was a famine during the reign of David, year after year for three years. David inquired of GOD, and GOD replied, “It is because of the bloodguilt of Saul and [his] house, for he put some Gibeonites to death.”

The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them.—Now the Gibeonites were not of Israelite stock, but a remnant of the Amorites, to whom the Israelites had given an oath; and Saul had tried to wipe them out in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.—

David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make expiation, so that you may bless GOD’s own people?”

The Gibeonites answered him, “We have no claim for silver or gold against Saul and his household; and we have no claim on the life of anyone else in Israel.” And [David] responded, “Whatever you say I will do for you.”

Thereupon they said to the king, “The man who massacred us and planned to exterminate us, so that weaexterminate us, so that we Meaning of Heb. uncertain. should not survive in all the territory of Israel—

let seven of his male issue be handed over to us, and we will impale them before GOD in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of GOD.”bGibeah of Saul, the chosen of GOD Emendation yields “at Gibeon, on the mountain of GOD” (cf. Septuagint and v. 9). And the king replied, “I will do so.”

The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul, because of the oath before GOD between the two, between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

Instead, the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons that Rizpah daughter of Aiah bore to Saul, and the five sons that MerabcMerab So two Heb. mss., many Septuagint mss., and Peshitta; and cf. Targum, Sanhedrin 19b, and 1 Sam. 18.19. Most mss. and the printed editions read “Michal.” daughter of Saul bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite,

and he handed them over to the Gibeonites. They impaled them on the mountain before GOD; all seven of them perished at the same time. They were put to death in the first days of the harvest, the beginning of the barley harvest.

Then Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it on a rock for herself, and she stayed there from the beginning of the harvest until rain from the sky fell on the bodies;dthe bodies Heb. “them.” she did not let the birds of the sky settle on them by day or the wild beasts [approach] by night.

David was told what Saul’s concubine Rizpah daughter of Aiah had done.

And David went and took the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh-gilead, who had made off with them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them up on the day the Philistines killed Saul at Gilboa.

He brought up the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan from there; and he gathered the bones of those who had been impaled.

And they buried the bones of Saul and of his son JonathaneJonathan Septuagint adds “and the bones of those impaled.” in Zela, in the territory of Benjamin, in the tomb of his father Kish. And when all that the king had commanded was done, God responded to the plea of the land thereafter.

Again war broke out between the Philistines and Israel, and David and the men with him went down and fought the Philistines; David grew weary,

and Ishbi-benobfIshbi-benob Meaning of Heb. uncertain. tried to kill David.—He was a descendant of the Raphah;gRaphah Apparently a race of giants. his bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and he wore new armor.—

But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid; he attacked the Philistine and killed him. It was then that David’s men declared to him on oath, “You shall not go with us into battle anymore, lest you extinguish the lamp of Israel!”

hThis paragraph is found also in 1 Chron. 20.4–8; in part, also in 1QSamᵃ, with some variations. After this, fighting broke out again with the Philistines, at Gob; that was when Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of the Raphah.iRaphah Apparently a race of giants.

Again there was fighting with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregimjJaare-oregim Perhaps a duplicate of ʼoregim (“weavers”) at the end of the verse; meaning of Heb. uncertain. 1 Chron. 20.5 reads “And Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite.” the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, whose spear had a shaft like a weaver’s bar.

Once again there was fighting, at Gath. There was a giant of a manka giant of a man Following the kethib, in light of 1 Chron. 20.6; meaning of Heb. uncertain. Or “an adversary,” following the qere; cf. Gersonides. who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all; he too was descended from the Raphah.

When he taunted Israel, Jonathan, the son of David’s brother Shimei, killed him.

Those four were descended from the Raphah in Gath, and they fell by the hands of David and his men.