2 Samuel 2:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, "May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him.

NIV: he sent messengers to them to say to them, "The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him.

NASB: So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, 'May you be blessed of the Lord because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him.

CSB: David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, "The Lord bless you, because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him.

NLT: he sent them this message: 'May the Lord bless you for being so loyal to your master Saul and giving him a decent burial.

KJV: And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the Lord, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him.

NKJV: So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “You are blessed of the Lord, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him.

Philistines found the bodies of Saul and his three sons on the battlefield at Mount Gilboa. They mutilated and displayed the corpses in celebration of their victory. The bodies were beheaded and fastened to the walls at the nearby city of Beth-shan (1 Samuel 31:8–10).

The people of the Israelite city of Jabesh-gilead could not let this atrocity stand. Many people, including Israelites, believed that not burying a body was the highest insult and could potentially interfere with that person's experience in the afterlife.

In addition, those in Jabesh-gilead felt grateful to Saul for rallying the tribes of Israel to come save them from the Ammonites early in his kingship (1 Samuel 11). So, their valiant men snuck into Beth-shan at night and took the bodies. They brought the mutilated remains of Saul and his sons back home, burned them, respectfully buried the bones under a tamarisk tree, and then fasted for a week (1 Samuel 31:11–13).

Now David has been told about the courageous and honorable action they took (2 Samuel 2:4). He sends a prayer of blessing from the Lord to them by way of a messenger for their loyalty to King Saul.

David is sincere in his appreciation of their actions; no one has shown more devotion to Saul than him. But his message also includes an invitation: Saul, their king, is dead; David is king in Judah (2 Samuel 2:7). David leaves the interpretation to the people of Jabesh.

Second Samuel 2:5–7 is David's thanks to those who honored the body of his own enemy. Early in his reign, King Saul saved Jabesh-gilead from the Ammonites (1 Samuel 11:1–11). At Saul's death, the Philistines hanged Saul's and three of his sons' bodies on a wall. The men of Jabesh-gilead risked their lives to rescue the bodies and bury them properly (1 Samuel 31). David's thanks are sincere yet may also be a way to win support. Meanwhile, Saul's general Abner makes Saul's son Ish-bosheth king of Israel (2 Samuel 2:8–11).

David returns to Israel, where he is anointed king over Judah, and settles in Hebron. Abner declares Saul's son Ish-bosheth king over Israel. David blesses the men of Jabesh-gilead for burying Saul's remains. Abner, leading Ish-bosheth's men, faces off against Joab, leading David's fighters, at Gibeon. In a fierce, one-sided battle, Abner kills Joab's brother, but David's men overwhelm Abner's Benjaminite fighters, losing twenty but killing 360. Abner and the survivors prepare for a last stand on the hill of Ammah, but Joab calls off the battle when Abner pleads with him to stop. Both sides return home.

Saul and three of his sons are dead (1 Samuel 31:1–4). David becomes king of Judah, and Saul's son Ish-bosheth is king of the remaining tribes. When the two sides meet in battle, Ish-bosheth's army fares poorly. David continues to grow stronger over two years of fighting. Ish-bosheth's general Abner appears to make a futile attempt to take the crown from his king, then starts the work to peacefully hand David the crown of Israel (2 Samuel 3:1–12).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.