2 Samuel 21:2

1 Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto 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 unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)

3 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?

4 And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)
KJV
And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto 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 unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)
WEB
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);
ASV
And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto 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 unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah);
DARBY
And the king called the Gibeonites, and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remainder of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn to them; and Saul sought to smite them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.)
BLB
And the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (And the Gibeonites, they [were] not of the sons of Israel, for [they were] only of the remnant of the Amorite. And the sons of Israel had sworn protection to them, and Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah.)
ÅB
Kongen lot da gibeonittene kalle og talte med dem. Gibeonittene hørte ikke til Israels barn, men var av de amoritter som var blitt tilbake i landet, og Israels barn hadde svoret dem en ed, men Saul søkte å slå dem ihjel i sin nidkjærhet for Israels og Judas barn.
OTB
Så kongen kalte gibeonittene og talte til dem. (Nå var gibeonittene ikke av Israels barn, men av restene av amorittene, og Israels barn hadde sverget til dem; men Saul hadde søkt å slå dem ned i sin iver for Israels barn og Juda.)
B1930
Kongen lot da gibeonittene kalle og talte med dem. Gibeonittene hørte ikke til Israels barn, men var av de amoritter som var blitt tilbake i landet, og Israels barn hadde svoret dem en ed, men Saul søkte å slå dem ihjel i sin nidkjærhet for Israels og Judas barn.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Joshua 9:3–21

    And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

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  • 2 Kings 10:31

    But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.

    Read in context
  • 1 Samuel 15:8–9

    And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

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  • Romans 10:2

    For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

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  • 2 Kings 10:16

    And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot.

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  • Deuteronomy 7:16

    And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.

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  • Luke 9:54–55

    And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

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  • Genesis 15:16

    But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

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