Bible Strands
2 Samuel 4:12
So David commanded his young men, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David commands his young men to execute Rechab and Baanah immediately after pronouncing judgment on them for murdering Ish-bosheth. This action concludes the narrative sequence following David’s declaration in 2 Samuel 4:11 that he will demand the assassins' blood.
The words — וַ/יְקַצְּצוּ (va/y.ka.tze.Tzu) means "and they cut off," denoting the amputation performed by David’s men. יְדֵי/הֶם (ye.dei./Hem) translates literally as "their hands," specifying the exact body parts removed before the corpses were displayed.
The thread — The killing by David’s young men parallels the execution order in 2 Samuel 1:15, while the burial in Hebron mirrors the interment of Abner recorded in 2 Samuel 3:32. The public hanging of the bodies corresponds to the execution protocol described in Deuteronomy 21:22.
Why it lands — The text states that David orders the dismemberment and public display of the assassins, then separately buries Ish-bosheth’s head with honor. A reader must acknowledge that David establishes his authority by enforcing judicial retribution rather than exploiting the political vacuum.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish–bosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 1:15 Then David summoned one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him!” So the young man struck him down, and he died.
- 2 Samuel 3:32 When they buried Abner in Hebron, the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb, and all the people wept.
- Deuteronomy 21:22 If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is executed, and you hang his body on a tree,
- 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.
- Psalms 55:23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
- Matthew 7:2 For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.