God’s Word Translation
2 Samuel 1:21
21You mountains in Gilboa, may there be no dew or rain on you or on your slopes, because warriors’ shields were tarnished there. Saul’s shield was never rubbed with olive oil.
2 Samuel 1:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
- New International Version (NIV)“Mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, may no showers fall on your terraced fields. For there the shield of the mighty was despised, the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“O mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, Nor fields of offerings. For the shield of the mighty is cast away there! The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
Context of 2 Samuel 1:21
19“Your glory, Israel, lies dead on your hills. See how the mighty have fallen! 20Don’t tell the news in Gath. Don’t announce the victory in the streets of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines will be glad, and the daughters of godless men will celebrate. You mountains in Gilboa, may there be no dew or rain on you or on your slopes, because warriors’ shields were tarnished there. Saul’s shield was never rubbed with olive oil. 22From the blood of those killed and the fat of the warriors, Jonathan’s bow did not turn away, nor did Saul’s sword return unused. 23Saul and Jonathan were loved and well-liked while they were living. They were not separated even when they died. They were swifter than eagles and stronger than lions.
Read all of 2 Samuel 12 Samuel 1:21 word by word
הָרֵ֣י בַגִּלְבֹּ֗עַ אַל־טַ֧ל וְאַל־מָטָ֛ר עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם וּשְׂדֵ֣י תְרוּמֹ֑ת כִּ֣י שָׁ֤ם נִגְעַל֙ מָגֵ֣ן גִּבּוֹרִ֔ים מָגֵ֣ן שָׁא֔וּל בְּלִ֖י מָשִׁ֥יחַ בַּשָּֽׁמֶן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Ye mountainsהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- of Gilboaגִּלְבֹּעַgilbôa‛ · GilboaH1533
- no dewטַלţal · dewH2919
- rainמָטַרmâţâr · rainH4306
- upon you, nor fieldsשָׂדֶהώâdeh ώâday · land: countryH7704
- of offeringsתְּרוּמָהterûmâh terûmâh · contributionH8641
- for there the shieldמָגֵןmâgên meginnâh · shieldH4043
- of the mightyגִּבּוֹרgibbôr gibbôr · mighty manH1368
- is vilely cast awayגָּעַלgâ‛al · to abhorH1602
- of Saulשָׁאוּלshâ'ûl · SaulH7586
- anointedמָשִׁיחַmâshîyach · anointedH4899
- with oilשֶׁ֫מֶןshemen · oilH8081
Cross-references for 2 Samuel 1:21
- 1 Samuel 31:1When the Philistines were fighting against Israel, the men of Israel fled from the Philistines and were killed in battle on Mount Gilboa.
- 1 Chronicles 10:1When the Philistines fought against Israel, the men of Israel fled from the Philistines and were killed in battle on Mount Gilboa.
- Judges 5:23“Curse Meroz!” said the Messenger of the Lord. “Bitterly curse those who live there! They did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord and his heroes.”
- Job 3:3“Scratch out the day I was born and the night that said, ‘A boy has been conceived!’
- Isaiah 5:6I will make it a wasteland. It will never be pruned or hoed. Thorns and weeds will grow in it, and I will command the clouds not to rain on it.
- Jeremiah 20:14Cursed is the day that I was born, the day that my mother gave birth to me. May it not be blessed.
- Joel 1:9Grain offerings and wine offerings are no longer brought to the Lord’s temple. The priests, the Lord’s servants, mourn.
- Joel 2:14Who knows? He may reconsider and change his plan and leave a blessing for you. Then you could give grain offerings and wine offerings to the Lord your God.
- 1 Samuel 10:1Samuel took a flask of olive oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “The Lord has anointed you to be ruler of his people Israel. You will rule his people and save them from all their enemies. This will be the sign that the Lord has anointed you to be ruler of his people.
- Isaiah 21:5Set the table. Spread the rugs ⌞by the table⌟. Eat. Drink. Get up, you leaders! Prepare your shields for battle!
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 1:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21As though he had not been - In stead of בלי beli, Not, I read כלי keley, Instruments. Anointed with oil - See the observations at the end. 2 Samuel 1:18, etc.: He bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow, קשת kasheth . The word kasheth is to be understood of the title of the song which immediately follows, and not of the use of the bow, as our translation intimates. Many of David's Psalms have titles prefixed to them; some are termed…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Let there be no dew - For a similar passionate form of poetical malediction, compare Job 3:3-10; Jeremiah 20:14-18. Nor fields of offerings - He imprecates such complete barrenness on the soil of Gilboa, that not even enough may grow for an offering of first-fruits. The latter part of the verse is better rendered thus: For there the shield of the mighty was polluted, the shield of Saul was not anointed with oil, but with blood). Shields were usually…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-27Verses 17-27 Kasheth, or "the bow," probably was the title of this mournful, funeral song. David does not commend Saul for what he was not; and says nothing of his piety or goodness. Jonathan was a dutiful son, Saul an affectionate father, therefore dear to each other. David had reason to say, that Jonathan's love to him was wonderful. Next to the love between Christ and his people, that affection which springs form it, produces the strongest friendship…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21Saul and Jonathan died in the mountains of Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:1). may you have no dew or rain: David was calling down a curse on the place where they died. In the ancient Near East, people sometimes spoke curses like this to express deep grief. A Canaanite text from the 1300s BC records a father speaking a very similar curse over the place where his son died. The shield of Saul represents his military victories as king. It would no longer be anointed…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. let there be no dew, neither let there be rain--To be deprived of the genial atmospheric influences which, in those anciently cultivated hills, seem to have reared plenty of first-fruits in the corn harvests, was specified as the greatest calamity the lacerated feelings of the poet could imagine. The curse seems still to lie upon them; for the mountains of Gilboa are naked and sterile. the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away--To cast away the…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Samuel 1:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 1
- 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
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries