Bible Strands
2 Samuel 21:8
But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons whom Rizpah daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul, as well as the five sons whom Merab daughter of Saul had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David complies with a famine decree by surrendering seven royal descendants to the Gibeonites, immediately after refusing to execute Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth.
The words — The verb וַיִּקַּח (va.yi.kach) records the king’s formal seizure of the men, while שְׁנֵי בְנֵי (shenei benei) literally marks the count of Rizpah’s offspring.
The thread — The executed lineages trace back to Merab’s marriage to Adriel of Meholah (1 Samuel 18:19) and Rizpah’s prior identification as Saul’s concubine (2 Samuel 3:7).
Why it lands — The passage documents a state-sanctioned execution without narrative judgment, requiring the reader to weigh the text’s factual report of royal retribution against its theological implications.
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
But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 18:19 So when it was time to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.
- 2 Samuel 3:7 Now Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ish-bosheth questioned Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?”