EasyEnglish Bible 2018
2 Samuel 21:2
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.
2 Samuel 21:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)
- New International Version (NIV)The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.)
- English Standard Version (ESV)So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.
Context of 2 Samuel 21:2
1While 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.’ The 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.’ 4The Gibeonites answered David, ‘We do not want Saul's family to give us money or gold. And it would not be right for us to kill anyone in Israel.’ So David asked them, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’
Read all of 2 Samuel 212 Samuel 21:2 word by word
וַיִּקְרָ֥א הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ לַגִּבְעֹנִ֖ים וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם וְהַגִּבְעֹנִ֞ים לֹ֣א מִבְּנֵ֧י יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל הֵ֗מָּה כִּ֚י אִם־מִיֶּ֣תֶר הָאֱמֹרִ֔י וּבְנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ נִשְׁבְּע֣וּ לָהֶ֔ם וַיְבַקֵּ֤שׁ שָׁאוּל֙ לְהַכֹּתָ֔ם בְּקַנֹּאת֥וֹ לִבְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וִיהוּדָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
- the Gibeonitesגִּבְעֹנִיgib‛ônîy · GibeoniteH1393
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- not of the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- but of the remnantיֶ֫תֶרyether · remainderH3499
- of the Amoritesאֱמֹרִי'ĕmôrîy · AmoriteH567
- had swornשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650
- unto them: and Saulשָׁאוּלshâ'ûl · SaulH7586
- soughtבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
- to slayנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
- them in his zealקָנָאqânâ' · be jealousH7065
- and Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
Cross-references for 2 Samuel 21:2
- Joshua 9:3Some Hivite people who lived in Gibeon heard how Joshua had won against Jericho and Ai.
- Joshua 6:19Everything that is made from silver, gold, bronze and iron belong to the Lord as his holy things. You must store them with his other valuable things.’
- Genesis 15:16After four generations, your descendants will come back here to Canaan. At that time, I will punish the Amorites because they do very bad things. But the time has not yet arrived that I will punish them.’
- Deuteronomy 7:16You must remove the people of every nation that the Lord your God will put under your power. Do not be kind to them. Do not worship their gods. If you do that, they will make you turn away from God.
- 1 Samuel 14:44Saul said, ‘Jonathan, you must surely die! I ask God to kill me if I do not punish you with death.’
- 1 Samuel 15:8Saul caught their king, Agag, while he was still alive. Saul's soldiers used their swords to kill all of Agag's people.
- 2 Kings 10:16Jehu said, ‘Come with me. You will see that I want to serve the Lord faithfully.’ So Jehonadab rode with Jehu in his chariot.
- Luke 9:54Then James and John heard about what had happened. They asked Jesus, ‘Master, do you want us to ask God to send fire down from the sky? Do you want us to kill these people?’
- John 16:2People will send you away from their meeting places. There will be a time when people will want to kill you. When they do this, they will even think that they are doing what God wants.
- Romans 10:2I can say this about them: They really want to serve God well. But they do not understand the right way to do this.
- Galatians 4:17Those false teachers try very much to please you. But they do not really want what is good for you. They want to make you turn away from me. Then you will only want to listen to them.
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 21:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2The remnant of the Amorites - The Gibeonites were Hivites, not Amorites, as appears from Joshua 11:19; : but Amorites is a name often given to the Canaanites in general, Genesis 15:16; Amos 2:9, and elsewhere.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2The way in which the writer here refers to the history of the league with the Gibeonites Joshua 9:7; Joshua 11:19; and in many enumerations of the Canaanite nations the Hivites are distinguished from the Amorites. But “Amorite” is often used in a more comprehensive sense, equivalent to “Canaanite” (as Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 1:27), and denoting especially that part of the Canaanite nation which dwelt in the hill country Numbers 13:29; Deuteronomy 1:7…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Though the Amorites were a specific group of people (Genesis 10:16), here it refers to the people living in Canaan before the Israelites. When zeal (strong devotion or passion) is directed in the right way, it is commendable. The Bible gives positive examples of this kind of zeal (Numbers 25:11; 1 Kings 19:10). Saul’s zeal, however, was misdirected. He showed clear disregard for Israel’s covenant (a binding agreement) with the Gibeonites.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah--Under pretense of a rigorous and faithful execution of the divine law regarding the extermination of the Canaanites, he set himself to expel or destroy those whom Joshua had been deceived into sparing. His real object seems to have been, that the possessions of the Gibeonites, being forfeited to the crown, might be divided among his own people (compare 1Sa 22:7). At all events, his proceeding against…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Samuel 21:2
In the dictionaries
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
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