2 Samuel 21:9

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

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The narrator records David’s action of delivering seven Saulide descendants to the Gibeonites for execution during the initial barley harvest. This event follows David’s selection of the specific individuals in the preceding verse to address Saul’s broken covenant.

The words — The Hebrew וַיֹּקִיעֻם (va.yo.ki.‘um) specifies impalement or hanging, while לִפְנֵי יְהוָה (lifnei Yahweh) literally positions the site before Yahweh.

The thread — The requirement to execute without ransom aligns with the legal standard in Numbers 35:31, and the harvest timing parallels the agricultural calendar noted in Ruth 1:22.

Why it lands — The passage establishes that covenant violations demand concrete restitution and that divine justice operates through established social and agricultural structures.

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

וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֞םva/i.yi.te.Ne/mand/ he gave/ them בְּיַ֣דbe./Yadin/ [the] hand of הַגִּבְעֹנִ֗יםha./giv.'o.Nimthe/ Gibeonites וַיֹּקִיעֻ֤םva/i.yo.ki.'U/mand/ they impaled/ them בָּהָר֙ba./Haron the/ mountain לִפְנֵ֣יli/f.Nei<to>/ before יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahweh וַיִּפְּל֥וּva/i.yi.pe.Luand/ they fell שְׁבַעְתָּ֖םshi.va'.ta.yi/m[the] seven of/ them יָ֑חַדYa.chadtogether וְהֵ֨מָּהve./hemand/ they הֻמְת֜וּhum.Tuthey were put to death בִּימֵ֤יbi./Meiin/ [the] days of קָצִיר֙ka.Tzirharvest בָּרִ֣אשֹׁנִ֔יםba./Ri.sho.Nimin the/ first בִּתְחִלַּ֖תbi./te.chi.latat/ [the] beginning of קְצִ֥ירke.Tzir[the] harvest of שְׂעֹרִֽים׃se.'o.Rimbarley<s>

King James Version

And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the Lord: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

Cross-references

Ruth 1:22 So Naomi returned from the land of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. And they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Exodus 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Numbers 35:31 You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put to death.
Deuteronomy 21:1 If one is found slain, lying in a field in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him,
1 Samuel 15:33 But Samuel declared: “As your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal.
2 Samuel 6:17 So they brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
2 Samuel 6:21 But David said to Michal, “I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me over your father and all his house when He appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel. I will celebrate before the LORD,
2 Samuel 21:6 let seven of his male descendants be delivered to us so that we may hang them before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” “I will give them to you,” said the king.
2 Kings 24:3 Surely this happened to Judah at the LORD’s command, to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all that he had done,