2 Samuel 21:1 Meaning and Explanation
“Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →A three-year famine drives David to seek the LORD, who reveals that an old guilt lies behind it: Saul had broken Israel's sworn oath by killing the Gibeonites.
What Does 2 Samuel 21:1 Mean?
The chapter opens after years of hunger, harvest failing upon harvest. Rather than treating the famine as mere misfortune, David turns to the LORD and asks for its cause. The answer reaches back into the previous reign: a debt of innocent blood that Saul incurred against the Gibeonites, a people Israel had bound itself to protect.
Here is a king who listens before he acts, who assumes that something is wrong between the land and its God and seeks to make it right. Hidden wrongs do not simply vanish with time; left unaddressed, they leave their mark. The verse invites the reader to bring buried failures into the open before God, trusting that He answers those who earnestly inquire.
2 Samuel 21:1 in the Original Language
raab (רָעָב), 'famine' -- a severe lack of food, often understood in Scripture as a summons to seek God.
Frequently Asked Questions About 2 Samuel 21:1
What does 2 Samuel 21:1 mean?
A three-year famine drives David to seek the LORD, who reveals that an old guilt lies behind it: Saul had broken Israel's sworn oath by killing the Gibeonites.