2 Samuel 21:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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."

NIV: During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought 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."

NASB: Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the presence of the Lord. And the Lord said, 'It is because of Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.'

CSB: During David’s reign there was a famine for three successive years, so David inquired of the Lord. The Lord answered, "It is due to Saul and to his bloody family, because he killed the Gibeonites."

NLT: 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.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: 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.”

Second Samuel 21:1–6 begins an explanation of how David pays Saul's lingering debt. God has put a famine on the land. When David asks why, he learns that in some unrecorded event, Saul and his household attacked the Gibeonites, These were Gentile residents with protected status (Joshua 9). David asks what the Gibeonites need to make it right. They want seven of Saul's sons so they can execute them (2 Samuel 21:1–6). David gives them two sons and five grandsons, and God lifts the famine (2 Samuel 21:7–14).

Second Samuel 21 records several varied stories of David's reign. A famine strikes the land because Saul and his household had attacked the Gibeonites, who had tricked Joshua into a treaty (Joshua 9). The Gibeonites ask for seven of Saul's descendants, whom they kill and hang in their city. Saul's concubine Rizpah protects them from birds and beasts until David orders them removed and buried in the family tomb. Next, David's men forcibly retire him from active military service and go on to slay several giant Philistine warriors. The battles against the giants are also recorded in 2 Chronicles 20:4–8.

Second Samuel 21 presents the first two levels of a mirrored view of David's reign (2 Samuel 21—24). First, David learns a famine is due to Saul's attack on the protected Gibeonites (Joshua 9). David gives them seven of Saul's male descendants, and God lifts the famine. In the second section, David retires from military service, and his men kill Philistine giants. The giants are also mentioned in 1 Chronicles 20:4–8. Section three is David's praise to God (2 Samuel 22:1—23:7). The fourth records David's mighty men's exploits (2 Samuel 23:8–38). The fifth is David's sinful census (2 Samuel 24).

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.