2 Samuel 21:3 kjv
Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?
2 Samuel 21:3 nkjv
Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?"
2 Samuel 21:3 niv
David asked the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the LORD's inheritance?"
2 Samuel 21:3 esv
And David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the LORD?"
2 Samuel 21:3 nlt
David asked them, "What can I do for you? How can I make amends so that you will bless the LORD's people again?"
2 Samuel 21 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 21:1 | ...There was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year... and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is for Saul and for his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” | Links famine directly to Saul's actions. |
| Josh 9:15 | Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them. | Original covenant broken by Saul. |
| Num 35:33-34 | You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land... but by the blood of the one who shed it. | Unattoned bloodshed defiles the land. |
| Deut 21:1-9 | If in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess... then your elders and your judges shall come out and measure the distance... to the nearest town, and the elders of that town shall take a heifer... to make atonement for the land. | Protocol for atonement for unsolved murder. |
| Lev 26:19-20 | And I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its produce... | Famine as divine judgment for disobedience. |
| Deut 28:23-24 | The heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you iron. The LORD will make the rain of your land powder and dust. | Consequences of covenant breaking are drought and famine. |
| Lev 26:3-5 | If you walk in my statutes... I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. | Blessing on land for obedience. |
| Psa 105:8 | He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations. | God's faithfulness to His covenants. |
| 1 Sam 15:24-25 | Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD... for I feared the people and obeyed their voice." | Saul's disobedience and human fear over God. |
| Gen 9:5-6 | And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning... for God made man in his own image. | Sanctity of life and consequence for bloodshed. |
| Psa 78:70-72 | He chose David his servant... He brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance. | David chosen to shepherd God's people/land. |
| Jer 2:7 | I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land... | God's land defiled by human sin. |
| Isa 6:7 | ...and he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” | Atonement and removal of guilt. |
| Heb 9:22 | Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. | The principle of atonement through blood. |
| 1 Ki 17:1 | ...there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word. | Famine and drought as divine judgment. |
| Psa 67:6-7 | The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us... | God blessing the land leading to increase. |
| Ezra 10:11 | Now then make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers and do his will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land... and make atonement. | Making atonement through confession and action. |
| Rom 2:11 | For God shows no partiality. | God's justice applied to all, including non-Israelites. |
| Col 3:25 | For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. | Universal principle of just recompense. |
| Mic 6:8 | He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? | Divine requirement for justice and humility. |
| Num 14:18 | The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children... | Generational consequences of sin. |
| 2 Chron 7:13-14 | When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land... if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. | Conditions for healing the land and removing famine. |
2 Samuel 21 verses
2 Samuel 21 3 Meaning
King David, faced with a severe and prolonged famine affecting Israel, receives a divine revelation attributing the disaster to King Saul's past transgression against the Gibeonites. David, recognizing his sacred duty as monarch, directly addresses the Gibeonites to ask what restitution or recompense is necessary to atone for this grave sin. His explicit aim is to lift the divine curse that has caused the famine and ensure God's favor is restored, thereby allowing God to once again "bless the inheritance of the Lord," referring to the land of Israel and its productivity.
2 Samuel 21 3 Context
Chapter 21 opens with a protracted famine afflicting Israel, signifying a spiritual issue, as God’s judgment often manifests through natural disasters in the biblical narrative. David, exercising his kingly responsibility, consults the Lord for the famine's cause. The divine response is clear: the famine is a direct consequence of Saul’s unjust slaughter of the Gibeonites, thereby violating a solemn, ancient covenant established by Joshua and Israel with the Gibeonites. This covenant was secured by an oath sworn in the Lord’s name (Josh 9). Saul's action represented bloodguilt and a defilement of the land, requiring atonement. Verse 21:3 directly follows this revelation, capturing David's immediate and submissive approach to the Gibeonites. He recognizes their position as the wronged party and that their reconciliation is essential for removing the divine curse on the "inheritance of the Lord." The famine’s resolution thus depends not merely on David's remorse but on a righteous restoration of justice concerning the Gibeonites.
2 Samuel 21 3 Word analysis
- And David said: This indicates David's prompt response and proactive leadership upon receiving divine revelation. It highlights his role as king in seeking and implementing God's will for the nation.
- to the Gibeonites,: Pinpoints the specific group that had been wronged. Their central involvement is critical as the injured party whose conciliation is necessary to rectify the transgression.
- “What shall I do for you?”: This open-ended question reveals David’s humility and willingness to make full restitution according to their terms. It demonstrates that he views them as the wronged party who have the right to name the terms of their satisfaction, rather than dictating conditions to them.
- “And with what shall I make atonement (כָּפַר - kaphar)?”:
- make atonement (kaphar): A key theological term. Its root meaning is "to cover," "to purge," "to expiate," or "to reconcile." While often associated with ritual sacrifices, here it refers to an act of legal, social, or judicial appeasement that addresses profound guilt, particularly bloodguilt and covenant breaking. It means to neutralize divine wrath or the spiritual impurity caused by sin, restoring proper relationship and cleansing the land.
- “that you may bless (בָּרַךְ - barak) the inheritance (נַחֲלָה - nachalah) of the Lord (יְהוָה - YHWH)?”:
- that you may bless (barak): The Gibeonites' act of "blessing" signifies their release of bitterness, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Their willingness to be appeased removes the curse that their plight had implicitly brought upon the land, thereby enabling God to re-establish His blessings. It is their satisfaction that clears the way for divine favor.
- the inheritance (nachalah): This refers specifically to the promised land of Israel. It is God's dwelling place and gift to His people, intrinsically linked to His covenant faithfulness and Israel's spiritual well-being. Its desolation through famine indicates God’s displeasure.
- of the Lord (YHWH): This emphasizes the land's divine ownership and sacredness. It underscores that Saul's sin was not merely a political or human injustice, but a defilement of God's own domain, incurring divine wrath.
2 Samuel 21 3 Bonus section
The narrative surrounding 2 Samuel 21:3 highlights a crucial aspect of biblical justice: the concept of corporate responsibility and generational consequences for sin. Although Saul was dead, his unatoned sin continued to impact the nation he once led. David, as the new head, bore the responsibility to rectify this. The "inheritance of the Lord" not only refers to the physical land but can also extend to God's chosen people, Israel, signifying that Saul’s sin was a violation that impacted God’s holy possession in its entirety—both territory and population. The Gibeonites' specific identity as those who served "hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD" (Josh 9:27) means their maltreatment also constituted an affront to the divine service and temple. David's inquiry and subsequent actions model a wise leader who prioritizes divine justice and national spiritual health above mere political expediency, directly seeking the wronged party’s involvement in the process of reconciliation. This episode stands as a stark reminder of God's absolute commitment to oaths and justice, even when human memory or convenience might suggest otherwise.
2 Samuel 21 3 Commentary
2 Samuel 21:3 powerfully illustrates David's leadership and commitment to righteousness, particularly in contrast to Saul's actions. Understanding that national distress is often a reflection of national sin, David earnestly seeks God’s perspective on the ongoing famine. The divine response points to Saul's grave violation of a centuries-old, divinely witnessed covenant with the Gibeonites, an act that incurred significant bloodguilt and pollution upon the land. David does not predetermine the solution; instead, he humbly empowers the wronged Gibeonites to name their terms of atonement. The word "atonement" (כָּפַר - kaphar) here transcends ritual sacrifice; it denotes a profound act of reconciliation and justice that purges guilt and restores equilibrium. It highlights God's unwavering commitment to upholding sacred oaths, even those involving non-Israelites. The ultimate purpose of this atonement is to remove the divine curse on "the inheritance of the Lord"—the land itself—so that God's blessings of fertility and prosperity may return. This passage underscores that a nation's well-being is intricately tied to its adherence to God's laws, its treatment of all people (even ancient adversaries who made covenants), and its leaders' willingness to take accountability for past injustices.