2 Samuel 21

There was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, “It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”

The king called the Gibeonites and said to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the children of Israel had sworn to them; and Saul sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah);

and David said to the Gibeonites, “What should I do for you? And with what should I make atonement, that you may bless the LORD’s inheritance?”

The Gibeonites said to him, “It is no matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” He said, “I will do for you whatever you say.”

They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and who plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the borders of Israel,

let seven men of his sons be delivered to us, and we will hang them up to the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” The king said, “I will give them.”

But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

He delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites; and they hanged them on the mountain before the LORD, and all seven of them fell together. They were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, at the beginning of barley harvest.

Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water poured on them from the sky. She allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day, nor the animals of the field by night.

David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

So David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hanged them in the day that the Philistines killed Saul in Gilboa;

and he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son. They also gathered the bones of those who were hanged.

They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father; and they performed all that the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer for the land.

The Philistines had war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines. David grew faint;

and Ishbibenob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, he being armed with a new sword, thought he would kill David.

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “Don’t go out with us to battle any more, so that you don’t quench the lamp of Israel.”

After this, there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was of the sons of the giant.

There was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite’s brother, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

There was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on every hand and six toes on every foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was born to the giant.

When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, killed him.

These four were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter recounts God’s response to the lingering guilt of Saul’s house, particularly his violation of a sworn covenant with the Gibeonites, which brought a three-year famine on the land. David, seeking the Lord’s face, learns the famine is a divine judgment, and reconciliation requires atonement. The narrative then moves from this act of national purification to renewed conflict with the Philistines, emphasizing the cost of leadership and the ongoing struggle to secure the kingdom under God’s blessing.

Flow.

The famine leads David to seek the Lord, who reveals its cause: Saul’s bloodguilt in breaking Israel’s covenant with the Gibeonites.
David consults the Gibeonites, who demand justice through the handing over of seven of Saul’s descendants, which David grants, sparing only Mephibosheth due to his oath to Jonathan.
Rizpah’s faithful vigil over the executed men prompts David to honor Saul and Jonathan with a proper burial, leading to God’s mercy being restored to the land.
The chapter closes with further wars against the Philistines, highlighting the bravery of David’s men and the danger David himself faces, affirming that the kingdom’s security remains in God’s hands.

Connections.
Following chapter 20, which closed with the suppression of rebellion and the cost of justice in Israel, chapter 21 continues the theme of national reckoning, showing that unresolved sin—even from a prior regime—can hinder God’s blessing. The need for atonement echoes earlier narratives of divine justice (e.g., Achan in Joshua 7), and David’s role as one who seeks the Lord’s face prepares the reader for the closing reflections on royal leadership and covenant fidelity in chapter 22, where David gives thanks for God’s deliverance. The Philistine conflicts here also serve as a bridge to the final victories celebrated in chapter 23.

What it teaches.
The chapter affirms that covenant faithfulness is sacred and that national sin, particularly breaches of oaths sworn before the Lord, has communal consequences (WCF 19.2; HC LD 30). The land’s defilement by bloodguilt required atonement, not merely to satisfy vengeance but to restore the people’s standing before God (Num. 35:33; cf. HC LD 12). David’s adherence to his oath with Jonathan reflects the weight of personal covenant vows (WCF 7.5), while the burial of Saul and Jonathan with honor shows respect for God’s anointed, even fallen ones. The defeat of the giants underscores that Israel’s victory is from the Lord, not human strength (WCF 3.8; HC LD 10), and their defeat clears the land, pointing forward to the peace God would establish for His people.

Apply.
When leaders uphold covenant vows and pursue justice, even in painful circumstances, God’s restoration draws near.

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