2 Samuel 21:2 Meaning and Explanation
“And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →David summons the Gibeonites, and the narrator recalls that Israel had once sworn to spare them, an oath Saul violated in his misguided zeal.
What Does 2 Samuel 21:2 Mean?
The narrator pauses to explain who the Gibeonites were: not Israelites by birth but a surviving people whom Israel had bound itself to protect by a solemn oath made generations earlier in the days of Joshua. Saul, in what he took to be devotion to his own nation, had tried to destroy them and so trampled that promise.
Zeal for one's own people is not the same as obedience to God. Saul's fervor led him to break a covenant the LORD's name had sealed. Scripture honors the oath sworn to outsiders as binding before God Himself, a reminder that the way we treat the vulnerable and the foreigner is weighed in heaven.
2 Samuel 21:2 in the Original Language
qinah (קִנְאָה), 'zeal' -- burning passion that can serve God rightly or, misdirected, do great harm.
Frequently Asked Questions About 2 Samuel 21:2
What does 2 Samuel 21:2 mean?
David summons the Gibeonites, and the narrator recalls that Israel had once sworn to spare them, an oath Saul violated in his misguided zeal.