2 Samuel 21:10

2 Samuel 21:10 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
• New International Version (NIV)Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.

Context of 2 Samuel 21:10

8Instead, the king took Saul's two sons, Armoni and Mephibosheth. Aiah's daughter Rizpah was their mother. He also took the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab. Adriel, the son of Barzillai from Meholath, was their father. 9He gave them to the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites hanged them on a hill where people worshipped the Lord. All seven of them died together. That happened at the time when the barley harvest was beginning. Aiah's daughter, Rizpah, put sackcloth on a rock and she sat on it. She stayed there to watch her sons' bodies, from the harvest time until the heavy rain came. During that time, she stopped the birds from eating the bodies in the daytime. At night, she kept the wild animals away. 11They told David what Saul's slave wife, Rizpah, had done. 12Then David went to fetch the bones of Saul and Saul's son Jonathan from the people at Jabesh Gilead. Their men had secretly taken their bodies from the open place in Beth Shan. The Philistines had killed Saul on Gilboa mountain and they had hung their bodies there.

2 Samuel 21:10 word by word

וַתִּקַּ֣ח רִצְפָּה֩ בַת־אַיָּ֨ה אֶת־הַשַּׂ֜ק וַתַּטֵּ֨הוּ לָ֤הּ אֶל־הַצּוּר֙ מִתְּחִלַּ֣ת קָצִ֔יר עַ֛ד נִתַּךְ־מַ֥יִם עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם מִן־הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְלֹֽא־נָתְנָה֩ ע֨וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֜יִם לָנ֤וּחַ עֲלֵיהֶם֙ יוֹמָ֔ם וְאֶת־חַיַּ֥ת הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה לָֽיְלָה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Rizpahרִצְפָּהritspâh · RizpahH7532
• the daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• of Aiahאַיָּה'ayâh · AiahH345
• tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• sackclothשַׂקώaq · sackclothH8242
• and spreadנָטָהnâţâh · to stretchH5186
• it for her upon the rockצוּרtsûr tsûr · rockH6697
• from the beginningתְּחִלָּהtechillâh · beginningH8462
• of harvestקָצִירqâtsîyr · harvestH7105
• until waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
• droppedנָתַךְnâthak · to pourH5413
• upon them out of heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
• and sufferedנָתַןnâthan · to give: allowH5414
• neither the birdsעוֹף‛ôph · birdH5775
• to restנוּחַnûach · to restH5117
• on them by dayיוֹמָםyômâm · by dayH3119
• nor the beastsחַיָּהchay · living thingH2416
• of the fieldשָׂדֶהώâdeh ώâday · land: countryH7704
• by nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915

Cross-references for 2 Samuel 21:10

• 2 Samuel 20:8When they arrived at the big rock in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab was wearing his soldier's clothes. He had a long knife that was tied to his belt. As Joab went towards Amasa, the knife fell to the ground.
• 2 Samuel 3:7Saul had had slave wife called Rizpah. She was Aiah's daughter. One day, Ish-Bosheth asked Abner, ‘Why did you sleep with my father's woman?’
• 1 Kings 21:27When Ahab heard Elijah's message, he tore his clothes into pieces. He dressed himself in sackcloth and he did not eat any food. He even wore sackcloth when he slept on his bed. He walked slowly with a sad face.
• Joel 1:18The cows make a sad noise. They all move about because they cannot find any grass. Even groups of sheep are hungry.
• 2 Samuel 20:9Joab said to Amasa, ‘How are you, my brother?’ He took hold of Amasa's beard with his right hand. He pretended that he wanted to kiss him.
• Deuteronomy 21:13She must change the clothes that she was wearing when you found her. Let her live in your house and weep for her parents for a whole month. Then you may have sex with her. You will be her husband and she will be your wife.
• Deuteronomy 11:14If you do that, he makes this promise to you: ‘I will send rain on your land at the right time each year. There will be rain in autumn and rain in spring. Then your crops will give you food. You will also have grapes to make wine and olives to make oil.
• 1 Kings 18:41Then Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go now and have some food to eat. Go quickly, because there is the sound of heavy rain that is coming.’
• Jeremiah 5:24They do not say to themselves, “We should respect the Lord our God. He sends rain for us in the autumn and in the spring. He makes sure that we have a harvest from our crops.”
• Jeremiah 14:22The idols of other nations are useless. None of them can cause rain to fall. And the sky itself does not make rain. No, it is you, Lord, our God, who sends rain. You alone do all these things, so we trust you to help us.’
• Hosea 6:3We should respect the Lord's authority. We must try to know him better. Then he will certainly come to rescue us. He will come to us as surely as the sun appears each morning. He will help us as surely as the rain comes in spring and it makes the ground wet for plants to grow.’
• Joel 2:23Shout with joy, people in Zion! Be very happy because of the things that the Lord your God has done. He has given you just enough autumn rain. He has given you the winter rain, and the summer rain, as before.
• Zechariah 10:1Ask the Lord for rain in spring. It is the Lord who makes the clouds and the storms. He gives the rain to men. He gives the plants of the field to everyone.
• Genesis 40:19In three days, Pharaoh will lift off your head. He will hang you on a tree. Then birds will eat the meat off your body.’
• Ezekiel 39:4You will fall to the ground on Israel's mountains. You, your soldiers and the people who are with you will all die there. Vultures and wild animals will eat your dead bodies.

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 21:10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10Rizpah - took sackcloth - Who can read the account of Rizpah's maternal affection for her sons that were now hanged, without feeling his mind deeply impressed with sorrows? Did God require this sacrifice of Saul's sons, probably all innocent of the alleged crime of their father? Was there no other method of averting the Divine displeasure? Was the requisition of the Gibeonites to have Saul's sons sacrificed to God, to be considered as an oracle of God?…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10Dropped - Rather, “poured,” the proper word for heavy rain Exodus 9:33. The “early rain,” or heavy rain of autumn, usually began in October, so that Rizpah‘s devoted watch continued about six months. How rare rain was in harvest we learn from 1 Samuel 12:17-18; Proverbs 26:1. The reason of the bodies being left unburied, contrary to Deuteronomy 21:23, probably was that the death of these men being an expiation of the guilt of a violated oath, they were to…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-14Verses 10-14 That a guilty land should enjoy many years of plenty, calls for gratitude; and we need not wonder misused abundance should be punished with scarcity; yet how few are disposed to ask of the Lord concerning the sinful cause, while numbers search for the second causes by which he is pleased to work! But the Lord will plead the cause of those who cannot or will not avenge themselves; and the prayers of the poor are of great power. When God sent…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10The Gibeonites were not Israelites (2 Samuel 21:2), so they did not follow the Israelite law in Deuteronomy 21:22–23 about quickly and properly burying a criminal. Rizpah wanted to prevent her sons from being further shamed after their death.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1010. Rizpah ... took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock--She erected a tent near the spot, in which she and her servants kept watch, as the relatives of executed persons were wont to do, day and night, to scare the birds and beasts of prey away from the remains exposed on the low-standing gibbets. 2Sa 21:12-22. David Buries the Bones of Saul and Jonathan in Their Father's Sepulcher.Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Samuel 21:10

• Ajah
• David
• Parents
• Rizpah

In the dictionaries

• David
• Gibeah
• Harvest
• Mephibosheth
• Rizpah
• Aiah
• Burial
• Corpse
• Giants
• Psalms, Book of

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