New King James Version
2 Samuel 1:21
21“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.
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 Living Translation (NLT)O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fruitful fields producing offerings of grain. For there the shield of the mighty heroes was defiled; the shield of Saul will no longer be anointed with oil.
Context of 2 Samuel 1:21
19“The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! 20Tell it not in Gath, Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon— Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. “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. 22From the blood of the slain, From the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan did not turn back, And the sword of Saul did not return empty. 23“Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were 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 31:1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
- 1 Chronicles 10:1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
- Judges 5:23‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord, ‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly, Because they did not come to the help of the Lord, To the help of the Lord against the mighty.’
- Job 3:3“May the day perish on which I was born, And the night in which it was said, ‘A male child is conceived.’
- Isaiah 5:6I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, But there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds That they rain no rain on it.”
- Jeremiah 20:14Cursed be the day in which I was born! Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me!
- Joel 1:9The grain offering and the drink offering Have been cut off from the house of the Lord; The priests mourn, who minister to the Lord.
- Joel 2:14Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him— A grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God?
- 1 Samuel 10:1Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance?
- Isaiah 21:5Prepare the table, Set a watchman in the tower, Eat and drink. Arise, you princes, Anoint the shield!
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries