2 Samuel 4:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.

NIV: when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news!

NASB: when the one who informed me, saying, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ also viewed himself as the bearer of good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.

CSB: when the person told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ he thought he was a bearer of good news, but I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was my reward to him for his news!

NLT: Someone once told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ thinking he was bringing me good news. But I seized him and killed him at Ziklag. That’s the reward I gave him for his news!

KJV: When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:

NKJV: when someone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news.

In 2 Samuel 4:9–12, David mourns for Saul's kingdom one last time. Two raiders from the tribe of Benjamin have murdered Ish-bosheth, the king of Israel and Saul's son. The whole nation knows that God chose David to be king (2 Samuel 3:17), but only David seems to trust God's timing. David has already mourned the deaths of Saul, Jonathan, and Saul's general Abner (2 Samuel 1:17–27; 3:31–34). Ish-bosheth was an innocent man who merely inherited his father's crown. David executes his murderers. After this last act of loyalty, Israel accepts David as king of the nation (2 Samuel 5:1–5).

In 2 Samuel 4, David again shows loyalty to Saul. Saul's cousin and general, and the man who made Ish-bosheth king of Israel, has been murdered (2 Samuel 3:1–30). Without a strong leader, Israel is in danger. Two Benjaminite brothers kill Ish-bosheth in his bed, cut off his head, and present it to David in Hebron, expecting a reward. David orders the brothers executed for murdering an innocent man. David mourns Ish-bosheth, proving he had nothing to do with the death. In response, the elders of Israel ask him to be their king (2 Samuel 5:1–4).

Second Samuel 4 describes the aftermath of Abner's death. With the powerful man gone, no one remains to defend Israel or protect Saul's son Ish-bosheth. Two Benjaminite brothers kill the king and bring his head to David. David is furious that they've murdered a righteous man and orders their execution. David has mourned the deaths of Saul, Jonathan, Abner, and now Ish-bosheth (2 Samuel 1:17–27; 3:31–34). The elders of Israel honor his loyalty to Saul's house and travel to Hebron to pledge themselves to David. God blesses both David and the nation (2 Samuel 5).

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.