Famines in the Bible Table

21:1 David inquired of Yahweh David may intend to plead for deliverance (see v. 14) or seek Yahweh to determine the cause of the famine. Deuteronomy 28:22–24 indicates that famine could be a sign of divine disfavor.

he killed the Gibeonites This act is not recorded in the ot (see note on 2 Sam 4:3).

21:2 the Amorites Residents of Canaan prior to Israel’s arrival (see note on Gen 10:16).

21:3 the inheritance of Yahweh Refers to Israel and its inhabitants. See 1 Sam 26:19 and note.

21:4 to put to death anyone The Gibeonites recognize that they are subservient to the nation of Israel and make no request at David’s first offering. However, this may have simply been the proper protocol of the day because they have a ready answer when David asks a second time.

21:5 The man who consumed us Refers to Saul (2 Sam 21:1–2).

21:6 seven men from his sons The Gibeonites use Israel’s own Law against its first king, Saul. The Law demands that murderers are to be killed. Leviticus 24 makes no distinction between Israelites and foreigners but places both under the same law of retaliation (see Lev 24:17–22). Since Saul is no longer living, the Gibeonites ask that seven of his descendants be killed. The number seven had symbolic value, so this action allows for the Gibeonites to symbolically carry out the one-to-one retaliation against their attackers.

I will give them over This act eliminates rival claimants to David’s throne, which makes it easy for David to agree to it. This event may have occurred early in David’s reign, sometime before 2 Sam 9:1.

21:7 king spared Mephibosheth Refers to Saul’s grandson, the son of Jonathan (see ch. 9)—not to Mephibosheth, son of Saul (v. 8).

because of the sworn oath of Yahweh See 1 Sam 20:15 and note.

21:8 Rizpah the daughter of Aiah Saul’s concubine (2 Sam 3:7).

Mephibosheth Refers to the son of Saul, not the son of Jonathan; see v. 7 and note.

Michal The traditional Hebrew text references Michal here—Saul’s youngest daughter and David’s first wife (1 Sam 14:49; 18:27)—however other Hebrew manuscripts refer to Merab, Saul’s oldest daughter. Merab seems to be correct, since Michal did not have children (2 Sam 6:23) and Merab is elsewhere recorded as marrying Adriel the Meholathite (1 Sam 18:19).

21:9 in the presence of Yahweh Although this execution is done in a way that implies Yahweh’s endorsement, Yahweh himself never endorses this action. David and the Gibeonites draw their own conclusions about what Yahweh desires. It is not until the bodies are taken down and buried that God answers David’s prayer to remove the famine from the land—this seems to imply that God is displeased with this action and that God’s only wish was that David would reconcile with the Gibeonites (2 Sam 21:14).

, at the beginning of the harvest of barley April—May. This foreshadows the end of the famine (v. 14).

21:10 she did not allow Rizpah bravely protects the exposed bodies from the scavengers until the drought is lifted.

21:12 the rulers of Jabesh Gilead See 1 Sam 31:11–13.

21:13 the bones of Saul To honor Rizpah’s motherly vigilance (2 Sam 21:10), David exhumes the bones of Jonathan and Saul and gives them a proper burial in the tomb of Saul’s father, Kish. He likewise ensures that the seven slain descendants of Saul receive a proper burial.

21:14 in the tomb of Kish his father See 1 Sam 9:1–2.

21:15 war again See 8:1 and note.

Battles of Saul and David Table

Philistines

David grew weary David may have been aged by this point in his career; alternatively, he may have grown weary because he was the primary focus of the Philistine attack once they knew he was on the battlefield.

21:16 the descendents of Raphah See 1 Chr 20:4 and note.

21:17 Abishai the son of Zeruiah He is accorded special honor among David’s mighty men in 2 Sam 23:18–19.

You shall not go out with us any longer Compare 11:1 and note; v. 15 and note.

21:18 Sibbecai the Hushathite This is one of David’s mighty men on the Chronicler’s list (see 1 Chr 11:29; 20:4; 27:11).

21:19 killed Goliath the Gittite According to 1 Sam 17, David killed Goliath of Gath (the Gittite). The Hebrew text here claims a man named Elhanan killed Goliath, but this is a scribal mistake that was introduced at some point in the book’s transmission history. First Chronicles 20:5 clarifies by stating that Elhanan killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath.

21:20 The fingers of his hand and the toes of his feet were six and six A condition called hexadigitation.

21:21 Jonathan the son of Jonathan was David’s nephew. His father Shimei (also known as Shimea or Shimeah, not to be confused with the Shimei of 2 Sam 16:5–14), was the third son of David’s father, Jesse (see 1 Chr 2:13).