2 Samuel 21 9

2 Samuel 21:9 kjv

And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

2 Samuel 21:9 nkjv

and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD. So they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

2 Samuel 21:9 niv

He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed them and exposed their bodies on a hill before the LORD. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.

2 Samuel 21:9 esv

and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the LORD, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.

2 Samuel 21:9 nlt

The men of Gibeon executed them on the mountain before the LORD. So all seven of them died together at the beginning of the barley harvest.

2 Samuel 21 verses

2 Samuel 21 9 Meaning

Second Samuel 21:9 describes the solemn act of retribution where King David delivered seven male descendants of King Saul to the Gibeonites. These individuals were executed by hanging on a specific hill before the Lord, marking them as an expiatory sacrifice for Saul's covenant-breaking violence against the Gibeonites. This public execution, performed at the precise commencement of the barley harvest, underscored the nation's effort to atone for past sin and seek divine favor to end the prolonged famine.

2 Samuel 21 9 Context

This verse is the climax of a grim narrative in 2 Samuel chapter 21, verses 1-14. Israel had endured a severe three-year famine, prompting King David to inquire of the Lord. The divine revelation was that the famine resulted from Saul's egregious sin: he had put to death the Gibeonites, thereby violating a solemn covenant oath sworn to them by Joshua and the leaders of Israel (Jos 9). To expiate this bloodguilt and cleanse the land, the Gibeonites demanded that seven of Saul's descendants be "hanged before the LORD" in a public act of retribution. David acceded to this demand, sparing only Mephibosheth due to his own oath with Jonathan. The hanging of the seven at the very beginning of the barley harvest signals a critical juncture for agricultural restoration and serves as a public declaration that justice has been meted out for Saul's treachery, culminating in the subsequent end of the famine as a sign of God's acceptance of the atonement.

2 Samuel 21 9 Word analysis

• "And he delivered them" (וַיַּסְגִּרֵם - vayyasgîrēm): David's authoritative act, to "shut up," "to give over," or "to surrender." This was a formal handing over, signifying governmental approval and cooperation in the Gibeonites' demand for justice. It was not a private act of revenge.

• "into the hands of the Gibeonites": Implies yielding them into the authority, control, and judgment of the Gibeonites for the specified punitive act.

• "and they hanged them" (וַיּוֹקִיעוּם - vayyoqîʿûm): The term suggests impalement, public exposure, or crucifixion. This method of execution carried a deep stigma and was associated with a divine curse (Deut 21:23). It was meant as a deterrent and a public sign of severe judgment and shame.

• "on the hill" (הָהָר - hahār): A prominent, elevated place chosen for maximum public visibility, ensuring the expiatory act was witnessed by all. Its elevated position could also symbolically elevate the act towards the heavens, to the Lord.

• "before the LORD" (לִפְנֵי יְהוָה - lifnê YHVH): This phrase is profoundly significant. It means the execution was not merely human vengeance but was understood as an act sanctioned by and carried out in the sight of God. It transformed the action from mere murder into a divinely accepted atonement or ritualistic cleansing, aimed at appeasing divine wrath over the unexpiated bloodguilt.

• "and they fell, all seven of them together": Describes the physical culmination of the execution. The number "seven" signifies completion, wholeness, or divine perfection, indicating that the full and divinely-mandated number for the expiation had been offered.

• "and were put to death" (וַיֻּמְתוּ - vayyumtu): Passive voice, emphasizing the consequence—their lives were definitively ended—rather than focusing on the active agents, highlighting their destiny.

• "in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest": This precise timing is crucial. The barley harvest typically begins around Passover, in early spring. It highlights the direct link between the execution and the ongoing famine. A harvest at this time implied the Lord's favor and blessing (or lack thereof, due to famine), and the expiation was hoped to restore the natural order and agricultural prosperity.

• "delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD": This sequence reveals the procedural, official, and ritualistic nature of the act. David's surrender, the Gibeonites' agency, the public location, and the ultimate witness (the LORD) all combine to underline the solemnity and divine justification of this retribution. It's a national corporate act for corporate guilt.

• "they fell, all seven of them together, and were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest": This clause completes the expiatory action. The specific number signifies the required extent of the sacrifice, and the precise agricultural timing explicitly links the cessation of sin's consequences (famine) to the completion of the atoning judgment, indicating divine acceptance and renewal of blessing.

2 Samuel 21 9 Bonus section

• The practice of leaving bodies unburied, as implicitly allowed for the hanging described here, typically constituted an added layer of shame and indignity, running contrary to the usual Israelite custom of burying bodies (Deut 21:23). This specific exception emphasizes the extraordinary nature of the expiatory judgment for breaking a national covenant. Rizpah's vigil (v.10) highlights this unusual circumstance, evoking great pity and ultimately prompting David to arrange for proper burial.
• The incident highlights the severity with which the Lord viewed covenant fidelity, even when the covenant was made deceptively (as with the Gibeonites in Joshua 9). God's honor was pledged through the oath of His people, and its breach brought divine wrath.
• This passage demonstrates that leadership responsibility extends to addressing the nation's spiritual health and its relationship with God, even through costly and difficult means. David acts as the mediating king to resolve a national spiritual crisis.

2 Samuel 21 9 Commentary

2 Samuel 21:9 chronicles the grim, yet Biblically mandated, act of expiation for a national sin. The famine that gripped Israel for three years signaled God's displeasure, rooted in King Saul's violation of the sacred covenant sworn to the Gibeonites. David's inquiry and subsequent action underscore a fundamental principle: unpunished bloodshed, particularly covenantal violation, defiles the land and demands satisfaction (Num 35:33). The Gibeonites' demand for seven of Saul's descendants, and their public hanging "before the LORD," was not merely an act of revenge, but a ritualistic act of corporate atonement. The gruesome method of hanging on a hill served as a powerful public testimony to the gravity of breaking an oath made in God's name, signifying the cursed state of those who reject divine truth and faithfulness. Its timing at the start of the barley harvest, a period crucial for agricultural prosperity, points to the profound spiritual understanding that the land's fruitfulness was directly tied to the nation's spiritual obedience and the Lord's acceptance of their plea for expiation. This narrative starkly illustrates God's unwavering demand for justice, covenant faithfulness, and the severe, sometimes intergenerational, consequences of sin, which necessitate costly atonement for restoration.