2 Samuel 21:1

2 Samuel 21:1 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (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.”
• English Standard Version (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."
• New King James Version (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.”

Context of 2 Samuel 21:1

While David was king, there was a famine in Israel for three years. So David asked the Lord what had caused this trouble. The Lord said, ‘Saul's family is guilty of murder, because Saul killed many of the Gibeonites.’ 2The Gibeonites were not descendants of Israel. They were the only Amorite people who still lived. The Israelites had promised not to kill them. But Saul thought that he should kill them. He thought that this would help Israel and Judah to rule their land. Now King David told the Gibeonites to come to speak with him. 3He asked them, ‘What can I do to help you? How can I make things right between us? I want you to bring the Lord's blessing to his people again.’

2 Samuel 21:1 word by word

וַיְהִ֣י רָעָב֩ בִּימֵ֨י דָוִ֜ד שָׁלֹ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֗ים שָׁנָה֙ אַחֲרֵ֣י שָׁנָ֔ה וַיְבַקֵּ֥שׁ דָּוִ֖ד אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה ס וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֗ה אֶל־שָׁאוּל֙ וְאֶל־בֵּ֣ית הַדָּמִ֔ים עַל־אֲשֶׁר־הֵמִ֖ית אֶת־הַגִּבְעֹנִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then there was a famineרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458
• in the daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• of Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• threeשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
• yearsשָׁנָהshâneh shânâh · yearH8141
• afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• enquiredבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• ofפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• answeredאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• for Saulשָׁאוּלshâ'ûl · SaulH7586
• bloodyדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
• houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
• because he slewמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• the Gibeonitesגִּבְעֹנִיgib‛ônîy · GibeoniteH1393

Cross-references for 2 Samuel 21:1

• Genesis 12:10There was a famine in the land of Canaan. So Abram went to live in Egypt for some time, because the famine was very bad.
• Genesis 26:1There was another famine in the land. This had happened before, when Abraham was alive. Now Isaac went to Gerar to visit Abimelech, the king of the Philistines.
• Genesis 41:57People from all the other countries came to Egypt to buy food from Joseph. They came because the famine was very bad all over the world.
• Genesis 42:1Jacob heard that there was food in Egypt. So he said to his sons, ‘There is no food here, so why are you just sitting there?
• Genesis 43:1The famine was still bad in Canaan.
• Leviticus 26:19He will make them ashamed. He will not send any rain and the land will be hard and dry.
• 1 Kings 17:1There was a prophet called Elijah who came from Tishbe in Gilead. He said to King Ahab, ‘I am a servant of the Lord, Israel's God. As surely as God lives, there will be no rain or dew for the next few years. Nothing will make the ground wet until I command it to happen.’
• 1 Kings 18:2So Elijah went to meet Ahab. At that time, the famine in Samaria was very bad.
• 2 Kings 6:25As a result, there was a famine in the city. The Syrian army were all around the city for a long time. Food in the city was very expensive. A donkey's head cost 80 pieces of silver. A small cup of dove's dung cost five pieces of silver.
• 2 Kings 8:1Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had made alive again, ‘Go away from here. The Lord says that there will be a famine in this country for seven years. So you and your family should go to live somewhere else during that time.’
• Jeremiah 14:1This is the Lord's message that he gave to Jeremiah about the famine:
• 2 Samuel 5:19So David asked the Lord, ‘Should I go and attack the Philistines? Will you put them under my power?’ The Lord answered him, ‘Yes, go and attack the Philistines. I will certainly help you to win against them.’
• Numbers 27:21Eleazar the priest will use the Urim to find out from me what Joshua should do. Then Joshua can tell the people when to go out to fight, and he can lead them safely back again. He will tell all the Israelite people what they must do.’
• 1 Samuel 23:2So David asked the Lord, ‘Should I go and attack those Philistines?’ The Lord answered him, ‘Go and attack the Philistines. Save Keilah town.’
• Job 5:8I suggest that you ask God to help you. You should tell him about your problems.
• Job 10:2This is what I will say to God: “Do not say that I am guilty. Tell me what bad things you think I have done.

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 21:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Then there was a famine - Of this famine we know nothing; it is not mentioned in any part of the history of David. Because he slew the Gibeonites - No such fact is mentioned in the life and transactions of Saul; nor is there any reference to it in any other part of Scripture.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1There is no note of time whatever, nor any clue as to what part of David‘s reign the events of this chapter ought to be assigned. Enquired of the Lord - Hebrew “sought the face of the Lord,” quite a different phrase from that so often used in Judges (e. g. Judges 1:1) and the Books of Samuel, and probably indicating that this chapter is from a different source; an inference agreeing with the indefinite “in the days of David,” and with the allusion to the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The Gibeonites avenged. (1-9) Rizpah's care for the bodies of Saul's descendants. (10-14) Battles with the Philistines. (15-22) Verses 1-9 Every affliction arises from sin, and should lead us to repent and humble ourselves before God; but some troubles especially show that they are sent to bring sin to remembrance. God's judgments often look a great way back, which requires us to do so, when we are under his rebukes. It is not for us to object against the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1sought the face of the Lord: The Hebrew verb here is the same as when David "begged" for Bathsheba's child's life (2 Samuel 12:16). In these cases, "seeking" was done in a moment of crisis. However, in the Old Testament, "seeking God" usually means daily devotion and obedience to God (for example, Psalms 40:16; 105:4; Proverbs 28:5). the blood shed by Saul and his family: The famine happened because they broke an oath made before the Lord (Joshua…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-92Sa 21:1-9. The Three Years' Famine for the Gibeonites Cease by Hanging Seven of Saul's Sons. 1. the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites--The sacred history has not recorded either the time or the reason of this massacre. Some think that they were sufferers in the atrocity perpetrated by Saul at Nob (1Sa 22:19), where many of them may have resided as attendants of the priests; while others suppose it…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Samuel 21:1

• Canaan
• Covenant
• David
• Famine
• Gibeon
• Saul
• Sin

In the dictionaries

• David
• Saul
• Paul, Saul
• Alliance
• Dearth
• Famine
• Thummim
• Bloody
• Giants
• Gibeah

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary