2 Samuel 21 · Verse 6

2 Samuel 21:6

Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord did choose. And the king said, I will give them.
2 Samuel 21:6, King James Version

2 Samuel 21:6 in other translations

BSBlet 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.
WEBlet seven men of his sons be delivered to us, and we will hang them up to the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” The king said, “I will give them.”
ASVlet seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto Jehovah in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah. And the king said, I will give them.
YLTlet there be given to us seven men of his sons, and we have hanged them before Jehovah, in the height of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah.' And the king saith, ‘I do give;'
DARBYlet seven men of his sons be given up to us, and we will hang them up to Jehovah in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah. And the king said, I will give them.
BBELet seven men of his family be given up to us and we will put an end to them by hanging them before the Lord in Gibeon, on the hill of the Lord. And the king said, I will give them.
WebsterLet seven men of his sons be delivered to us, and we will hang them up to the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD chose. And the king said, I will give them.

What does 2 Samuel 21:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
6. Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul--The practice of the Hebrews, as of most Oriental nations, was to slay first, and afterwards to suspend on a gibbet, the body not being left hanging after sunset. The king could not refuse this demand of the Gibeonites, who, in making it, were only exercising their right as blood-avengers; and, although through fear and a sense of weakness they had not hitherto claimed satisfaction, yet now that David had been apprised by the oracle of the cause of the long-prevailing calamity, he felt it his duty to give the Gibeonites full satisfaction--hence their specifying the number seven, which was reckoned full and complete. And if it should seem unjust to make the descendants suffer for a crime which, in all probability, originated with Saul himself, yet his sons and grandsons might be the instruments of his cruelty, the willing and zealous executors of this bloody raid. the king said, I will give them--David cannot be charged with doing this as an indirect way or ridding himself of rival competitors for the throne, for those delivered up were only collateral branches of Saul's family, and never set up any claim to the sovereignty. Moreover, David was only granting the request of the Gibeonites as God had bidden him do.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 Seven men of his sons - Meaning sons, grandsons, or other near branches of his family. It is supposed that the persons chosen were principal in assisting Saul to exterminate the Gibeonites. But where is the proof of this?

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 21:1-9

Every affliction arises from sin, and should lead us to repent and humble ourselves before God; but some troubles especially show that they are sent to bring sin to remembrance. God's judgments often look a great way back, which requires us to do so, when we are under his rebukes. It is not for us to object against the people's smarting for the sin of their king; perhaps they helped him. Nor against this generation…

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 21:1-9 →

2 Samuel 21:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

יֻתַּןye.na.ton-let it be givenH5414
לָ֜נוּLa.nuto <the> us
שִׁבְעָ֤הshiv.'AhsevenH7651
אֲנָשִׁים֙'a.na.ShimmenH582
מִבָּנָ֔יוmi.ba.Navfrom descendants hisH1121
וְהוֹקַֽעֲנוּם֙ve.ho.ka.'a.Numand we will impale themH3363
לַֽיהוָ֔הla.Yah.wehto YahwehH3068
בְּגִבְעַ֥תbe.giv.'Atat Gibeah ofH1390
שָׁא֖וּלsha.'UlSaulH7586
בְּחִ֣ירbe.Chir[the] chosen one ofH972
יְהוָ֑ה\ \סYah.wehYahwehH3068
וַיֹּ֥אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
אֲנִ֥י'a.NiIH589
אֶתֵּֽן\׃'e.TenI will give [them]H5414

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Samuel 21:6

  • 1 Samuel 10:24

    And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.

  • Numbers 25:4-5

    And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal–peor.

  • 1 Samuel 10:26

    And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.

  • 1 Samuel 11:4

    Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.

  • 2 Samuel 18:10

    And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.

  • Ezra 6:11

    Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.

  • Genesis 40:22

    But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.

  • Joshua 8:29

    And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.

  • Deuteronomy 21:22

    And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:

  • 1 Samuel 10:1

    Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

  • Joshua 10:26

    And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.

  • Esther 9:13-14

    Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do to morrow also according unto this day’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged upon the gallows. And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman’s ten sons.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Let seven.As God accepted the expiation here demanded, we must suppose that both the enquiry of David, and the answer of the Gibeonites, were directed by some open or secret intimation from him.
hang.
17:23; 18:10; Ge 40:19,22; Nu 25:4,5; De 21:22; Jos 8:29; 10:26
Ezr 6:11; Es 9:10,13,14; Mt 27:5
in.
1Sa 10:26; 11:4
whom the Lord did choose. or, the chosen of the Lord.
1Sa 9:16,17; 10:1,24; Ac 13:21

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Samuel 21:5

    And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,

  • 2 Samuel 21:6

    Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord did choose. And the king said, I will give them.

  • 2 Samuel 21:7

    But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the Lord’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

Read all of 2 Samuel 21

2 Samuel 21:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Dénsenos siete varones de sus hijos, para que los ahorquemos á Jehová en Gabaa de Saúl, el escogido de Jehová. Y el rey dijo: Yo los daré.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		qu’on nous livre sept hommes de ses fils, et nous les pendrons devant l’ Éternel à Guibha de Saül, l’élu de l’ Éternel. Et le roi dit: Je les livrerai.
German
Elberfelder 1871		man gebe uns sieben Männer von seinen Söhnen, daß wir sie dem Jehova aufhängen zu Gibea Sauls, des Erwählten Jehovas. Und der König sprach: Ich will sie geben.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dentur nobis septem viri de filiis ejus, ut crucifigamus eos Domino in Gabaa Saul, quondam electi Domini. Et ait rex: Ego dabo.