Bible Strands
2 Samuel 21:11
When David was told what Saul’s concubine Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, had done,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrative moves to David after the execution of Saul’s descendants and the exposure of their bodies. The text reports that information about Rizpah’s protective vigil reached the king.
The words — The verb וַיֻּגַּד (va.yu.gad) literally means “it was told” or “it was reported,” indicating a passive conveyance of news. The phrase אֲשֶׁר עָשְׂתָה (a.sher a.se.tah) translates to “that which she had done,” pointing directly to the actions described in the preceding verse.
The thread — This pattern of news reaching a leader appears in 2 Samuel 2:4 and Ruth 2:11, where reports of significant deeds prompt royal or authoritative response.
Why it lands — The verse records a factual trigger for David’s subsequent action rather than offering moral commentary. It requires the reader to note how reported events initiate historical and covenantal responses in the biblical narrative.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 2:4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.”
- Ruth 2:11 Boaz replied, “I have been made fully aware of all you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came to a people you did not know before.