2 Samuel 1
1
David Learns of Saul’s Death
1Now it happened after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, that he stayed two days in Ziklag. 2On the third day a man came [unexpectedly] from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head [as in mourning]. When he came to David, he bowed to the ground and lay himself face down [in an act of great respect and submission]. 3Then David asked him, “Where do you come from?” He said, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4David said to him, “How did it go? Please tell me.” He answered, “The people have fled from the battle. Also, many of the people have fallen and are dead; Saul and Jonathan his son are also dead.” 5So David said to the young man who informed him, “How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6And the young man who told him explained, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and the chariots and horsemen [of the Philistines] were close behind him. 7When he turned to look behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8He asked me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9He said to me, ‘Stand up facing me and kill me, for [terrible] agony has come over me, yet I still live [and I will be taken alive].’ 10So I stood facing him #1:10 The young Amalekite’s story conflicts with the description of Saul’s suicide as recounted in 1 Sam 31:3-6. He must have, at the very least, witnessed Saul’s death since he was able to obtain the crown and the arm band. He apparently expected that his story about administering the deathblow, whether true or not, would result in some sort of reward or honor.and killed him, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. Then I took the crown which was on his head and the #1:10 This band or armlet was not jewelry, but a piece of armor worn around the arm.band which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.” [1 Sam 31:4]
11Then David grasped his own clothes and tore them [in mourning]; so did all the men who were with him. 12They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and Jonathan his son, and for the Lord’s people and the house of #1:12 In general, sons of Israel or Israel or Israelites refers to all the people (males and females) of the various tribes descended from the twelve sons (Gen 35:23-26) of Jacob (later renamed Israel by God). In verses concerning things such as warfare or circumcision sons of Israel or Israel or Israelites usually refers only to the males. Tribes of ancient people were identified by the name of their founding ancestor. Therefore, this same general rule applies when referring to individual tribal groups, e.g. sons of Reuben, Reuben, Reubenites and so throughout.Israel, because they had fallen by the sword [in battle]. 13David said to the young man who informed him, “Where are you from?” He answered, “I am the son of a foreigner (resident alien, sojourner), an Amalekite.” 14David said to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 15David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” So he struck the Amalekite and he died. 16David said to the [fallen] man, “#1:16 I.e. your death is your own fault.Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ”
David’s Dirge for Saul and Jonathan
17Then David sang this dirge (funeral song) over Saul and his son Jonathan, 18and he told them to teach the sons of Judah, the song of the bow. Behold, it is written in #1:18 An early poetic account of the wars of Israel and the heroic acts of the warriors.the Book of Jashar:
19“Your glory and splendor, O Israel, is slain upon your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
20“Tell it not in Gath,
Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
Or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,
The daughters of the uncircumcised (pagans) will exult.
21“#1:21 As an expression of his grief David curses the place of Saul’s death.O mountains of Gilboa,
Let not dew or rain be upon you, nor fields with offerings;
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
The shield of Saul, [dry, cracked] not #1:21 It was necessary to lubricate leather shields with oil to preserve them.anointed with oil.
22“From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,
The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
And the sword of Saul did not return empty.
23“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely and friends in their lives,
And in their death they were not separated;
They were swifter than eagles,
They were stronger than lions.
24“O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you #1:24 Lit with jewelry.luxuriously in scarlet,
Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
25“How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.
26“I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
You have been a good friend to me.
Your #1:26 Jonathan graciously accepted God’s choice of David as the next ruler of Israel, and supported him, honored him, and wanted the very best for him.love toward me was more wonderful
Than the love of women.
27“How the mighty have fallen,
And the weapons of war have perished!”
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2 Samuel 1
1
Report of Saul’s Death. 1After the death of Saul, David returned from his victory over the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.#1 Sm 30:17–20; 31:1–13. 2On the third day a man came from the field of battle, one of Saul’s people, with his garments torn and his head covered with dirt. Going to David, he fell to the ground in homage. 3David asked him, “Where have you come from?” He replied, “From the Israelite camp: I have escaped.” 4“What happened?” David said. “Tell me.” He answered that the soldiers had fled the battle and many of them had fallen and were dead; and that Saul and his son Jonathan were dead. 5Then David said to the youth who was reporting to him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6#2 Sm 4:10; 1 Sm 31:1–4; 1 Chr 10:1–4. The youth reporting to him replied: “I happened to find myself on Mount Gilboa and saw Saul leaning on his spear, with chariots and horsemen closing in on him. 7He turned around and saw me, and called me to him. When I said, ‘Here I am,’ 8he asked me, ‘Who are you?’ and I replied, ‘An Amalekite.’ 9Then he said to me, ‘Stand over me, please, and put me to death, for I am in great suffering, but still alive.’ 10So I stood over him and put him to death, for I knew that he could not survive his wound. I removed the crown from his head and the armlet from his arm and brought them here to my lord.”
11David seized his garments and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him.#2 Sm 13:31. 12They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.#1 Sm 31:13. 13David said to the youth who had reported to him, “Where are you from?” He replied, “I am the son of a resident alien, an Amalekite.” 14David said to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to put forth your hand to desecrate the Lord’s anointed?”#1 Sm 10:1; 24:7; Ps 105:15. 15David then called one of the attendants and said to him, “Come, strike him down”; so he struck him and he died. 16David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, for you testified against yourself when you said, ‘I put the Lord’s anointed to death.’”
Lament for Saul and Jonathan. 17Then David chanted this lament for Saul and his son Jonathan 18(he commanded that it be taught to the Judahites; it is recorded in the Book of Jashar):#Jos 10:13.
19Alas! the glory of Israel,
slain upon your heights!
How can the warriors have fallen!
20Do not report it in Gath,
as good news in Ashkelon’s streets,
Lest Philistine women rejoice,
lest the women of the uncircumcised exult!#Jgs 16:23; 1 Sm 31:9; Mi 1:10.
21O mountains of Gilboa,
upon you be neither dew nor rain,
nor surging from the deeps!#Surging from the deeps: this conjectural reading of the Hebrew yields a parallelism with dew and rain: the mountains where the warriors have fallen in battle are to be desiccated, deprived of water from above (rain, dew) and below (the primordial deeps).
Defiled there the warriors’ shields,
the shield of Saul—no longer anointed with oil!#Gn 27:28.
22From the blood of the slain,
from the bodies of the warriors,
The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
nor the sword of Saul return unstained.#Unstained: lit., “empty.” The sword was conceived as a devouring mouth; see, e.g., 2:26. #1 Sm 14:47.
23Saul and Jonathan, beloved and dear,
separated neither in life nor death,
swifter than eagles, stronger than lions!
24Women of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and in finery,
covered your clothing with ornaments of gold.
25How can the warriors have fallen
in the thick of battle!
Jonathan—slain upon your heights!
26I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother!
Most dear have you been to me;
More wondrous your love to me
than the love of women.#1 Sm 18:1–4.
27How can the warriors have fallen,
the weapons of war have perished!
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