2 Samuel 1 9

2 Samuel 1:9 kjv

He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.

2 Samuel 1:9 nkjv

He said to me again, 'Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.'

2 Samuel 1:9 niv

"Then he said to me, 'Stand here by me and kill me! I'm in the throes of death, but I'm still alive.'

2 Samuel 1:9 esv

And he said to me, 'Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.'

2 Samuel 1:9 nlt

"Then he begged me, 'Come over here and put me out of my misery, for I am in terrible pain and want to die.'

2 Samuel 1 9 Cross References

VerseTextReference
1 Sam 31:3-5The battle pressed hard against Saul... the archers found him, and he was badly wounded... Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through... But his armor-bearer would not... Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.”Saul's actual death by suicide after being wounded.
1 Sam 24:6He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD’s anointed.”David's respect for God's anointed one.
1 Sam 26:9David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?”Emphasizes the sacrosanct nature of God's chosen king.
2 Sam 1:14David said to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?”David's horror at the Amalekite's claimed act.
2 Sam 1:15-16Then David called one of the young men and said, “Come near and strike him down.” And he struck him down... And David said to him, “Your blood be on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’s anointed.’”Immediate judgment for touching God's anointed.
Gen 9:5And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for anyone’s life.God's valuing of human life.
Deut 32:39“‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.”God's ultimate sovereignty over life and death.
1 Sam 2:6The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.God's control over destiny.
Job 12:10In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.Acknowledgment of divine control over life.
Ps 105:15“Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”A broader protection over God's chosen servants.
Lam 4:20The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits...Use of "anointed" for a king (here, Zedekiah), highlighting his significance.
Job 7:15-16So that I would choose strangling and death rather than my bones. I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath.A plea for death out of severe suffering (compare Saul's anguish).
1 Kgs 19:4But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”Elijah's wish for death out of despair, showing human frailty.
Jonah 4:3Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”Jonah's wish for death out of frustration and anger.
Matt 5:21“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’”Upholding the command against killing.
Prov 6:16-19There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood...God's abhorrence of lying and murder, potentially linking to the Amalekite's actions.
Col 3:9Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.Christian principle against lying, reinforcing the Amalekite's possible deceit.
Ps 37:28For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked shall be cut off.Divine justice for the wicked and protection for the righteous.
Exod 17:14-16Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book... I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And he said, “A hand upon the throne of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”God's specific command and perpetual enmity against Amalek, adding irony to the Amalekite's actions seeking favor.
Deut 25:17-19“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt... Therefore when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your enemies... you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget.”Reiterates God's directive to utterly destroy Amalek, providing background to the Amalekite's audacious claim before David.
2 Sam 3:34Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered; as a man falls before the wicked, so you fell.” And all the people wept again over him.David’s lament over Abner, whom others killed, contrasting with the Amalekite’s claimed mercy-killing.

2 Samuel 1 verses

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2 Samuel 1 9 Meaning

2 Samuel 1:9 describes the Amalekite's account of Saul's dying words to him on Mount Gilboa. The Amalekite claims Saul, severely wounded but still alive and in distress, requested that he deliver a fatal blow. Saul stated that he was overwhelmed by shabbatz, a rare condition implying a fatal anguish or dizziness, and though gravely injured, his life had not yet departed from him. The Amalekite presented himself as Saul's executioner to King David, hoping for favor.

2 Samuel 1 9 Context

The book of 2 Samuel opens with David receiving news of Saul's death. This verse is part of the account given to David by an Amalekite who claims to have witnessed and participated in Saul's demise on Mount Gilboa during Israel's battle against the Philistines. The previous chapter, 1 Samuel 31, describes Saul falling on his own sword when gravely wounded and faced with capture. The Amalekite's narrative in 2 Samuel 1 provides a conflicting account, asserting that he completed the act after Saul requested it, claiming a "mercy killing." David's subsequent severe reaction and execution of the Amalekite, despite Saul being his rival, is central to understanding the significance of this claim regarding God's anointed king. The broader context includes the long-standing tension between Saul and David, David's consistent refusal to harm God's anointed, and the ultimate transition of the kingdom from Saul's line to David's.

2 Samuel 1 9 Word analysis

  • And he said to me: This introduces the Amalekite's direct reported speech, creating a first-person narrative within his testimony to David.
  • 'Stand beside me': (Hebrew: נָצַב natsav) Implies a request for presence and action, specifically to come near and be in a position to help or perform an act. Saul's armor-bearer had previously refused a similar request in 1 Sam 31:4.
  • 'and kill me': (Hebrew: הֲמִתֵנִי hamitēnī, the Hiphil imperative of mûth, "to die") This is a direct command to bring about death, rather than letting nature take its course or falling to an enemy. The Hiphil intensive aspect emphasizes the causal action: "cause me to die." This contrasts with Saul falling on his own sword in the 1 Samuel account, making the Amalekite's story immediately suspect to some scholars.
  • 'for anguish has seized me': (Hebrew: כִּי הַשְּׁבָּץ אֲחָזָנִי kî haš-šəbāṣ ’ăḥāzānî)
    • anguish: (Hebrew: הַשְּׁבָּץ haš-šəbāṣ) This is a hapax legomenon, a word appearing only once in the entire Hebrew Bible. Its precise meaning is debated. It has been interpreted as "convulsions," "dizziness," "cramp," or a state of "anguish/fatal throes." The context suggests a state of mortal agony, weakness, or stupor that renders one incapable of action, near death. It signifies a unique, overwhelming physical or emotional suffering that incapacitates the dying individual.
    • has seized me: (Hebrew: אֲחָזָנִי ’ăḥāzānî) From the verb ’āḥaz, meaning "to take hold of," "grasp," "seize." It denotes a powerful and overwhelming grip, indicating that Saul was completely incapacitated by this shabbatz.
  • 'and yet my life is still in me': (Hebrew: וְעוֹד נַפְשִׁי בִּי wə-‘ôd nap̄šî bî)
    • my life: (Hebrew: נַפְשִׁי nap̄šî, from nep̄eš) Refers to one's soul, breath, or vital being. It denotes the very essence of being alive.
    • is still in me: Signifies that despite the grievous wounds and incapacitating anguish, Saul had not yet expired. He was in a state between life and death, necessitating a final, deliberate act to end his suffering. This phrase aims to justify the Amalekite's claim that he was performing an act of mercy rather than a cold-blooded murder.

2 Samuel 1 9 Bonus section

  • Amalekite's Motivation and Irony: The Amalekite likely assumed David would reward him for killing Saul, given Saul's repeated attempts on David's life. This assumption shows a profound misunderstanding of David's heart and his reverence for God's anointed. The irony is twofold: firstly, he brings "good news" that is actually offensive to David; secondly, he, a descendant of a people perpetually at war with Israel and specifically marked for destruction by God (Exod 17:14-16; Deut 25:17-19), attempts to curry favor by claiming to have killed Israel's king. This historical context heightens the Amalekite's audaciousness and David's righteous judgment against him.
  • Theological Implications on Suicide/Euthanasia: While not directly addressing the morality of suicide or euthanasia, Saul's attempt to take his own life (1 Sam 31) and the Amalekite's claimed "mercy killing" of Saul (2 Sam 1) occur in a context where the Bible consistently emphasizes God's ultimate sovereignty over life and death (Deut 32:39; 1 Sam 2:6; Job 12:10). David's swift condemnation of the Amalekite highlights the extreme seriousness of taking a human life, especially that of God's anointed, outside of divine command. The text consistently affirms that human life is sacred and ultimately belongs to God.
  • Linguistic Uniqueness (shabbatz): The appearance of shabbatz only once underscores the mysterious or highly specific nature of Saul's reported condition. Its obscurity might further suggest it was an invented detail by the Amalekite, aimed at adding a dramatic, yet unverifiable, element to his fabricated story, giving it a semblance of specific, expert medical detail that could not be easily contradicted by his uneducated listener.

2 Samuel 1 9 Commentary

2 Samuel 1:9 presents the Amalekite's justification for killing Saul. This account immediately introduces a major discrepancy with the narrative in 1 Samuel 31:4-5, where Saul takes his own life. This discrepancy is crucial; it leads most biblical scholars to conclude that the Amalekite was lying, fabricating a story designed to ingratiate himself with David, whom he wrongly assumed would celebrate Saul's death.

The Amalekite's claim paints Saul as helpless, incapacitated by a unique form of "anguish" (shabbatz), unable to finish himself off. He describes a plea from a dying king for a definitive end to his suffering. By emphasizing that "his life was still in him," the Amalekite seeks to portray his action as a mercy killing, not murder. However, David’s reaction reveals the Amalekite's grave miscalculation. David viewed harming God's anointed, regardless of Saul's prior hostility towards him, as an unforgivable sacrilege. The narrative serves to underscore David’s profound respect for the divine appointment of kings and highlights his righteous character, positioning him as a stark contrast to Saul and as one truly devoted to the LORD's will, even in the death of an enemy king. The Amalekite’s immediate execution by David is a testament to the inviolability of God’s anointed in David’s eyes and demonstrates the severity of presuming to take matters of life and death, especially concerning God’s chosen leader, into one’s own hands.