The Meaning of 2 Samuel 21:6 Explained

2 Samuel 21:6

KJV: 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.

YLT: let 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;'

Darby: let 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.

ASV: let 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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]. 

What does 2 Samuel 21:6 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 21:1-11 - A Devoted Mother
The time of this famine cannot be fixed with certainty. Probably it took place before Absalom's rebellion. The reason for it was found in Saul's slaughter of the Gibeonites. See 1 Samuel 22:19, etc. Though their fathers had obtained the promise of immunity from Joshua and the princes by fraud, yet it was regarded as binding, and its violation was looked upon as a grave offense, involving the whole nation in the charge of perjury. The remnant of the Gibeonites were therefore allowed to fix their own terms. This tendency to connect a national calamity with a national crime has always obtained. There seems to be a universal consciousness that uncaused judgments do not befall.
Note that Merab should be substituted for Michal, 2 Samuel 21:8; 1 Samuel 18:19. Out of all the scenes of cruelty and blood with which this age was characterized, the love of motherhood shines forth undimmed. It is one of the most precious of God's gifts to man. But what shall we not say of that divine love which clings to us in our most hopeless condition? [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 21

1  The three year Gibeonite famine ceases, by hanging seven of Saul's sons
10  Rizpah's kindness unto the dead
12  David buries the bones of Saul and Jonathan in his father's tomb
15  Four battles against the Philistines, wherein four men of David slay four giants

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 21:6 mean?

- let be delivered to us seven men of his descendants and we will hang them before Yahweh in Gibeah of Saul chosen by Yahweh - and said the king I will give [them]
[ינתן־] (יֻתַּן־) לָ֜נוּ שִׁבְעָ֤ה אֲנָשִׁים֙ מִבָּנָ֔יו וְהוֹקַֽעֲנוּם֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה בְּגִבְעַ֥ת שָׁא֖וּל בְּחִ֣יר יְהוָ֑ה ס וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ אֲנִ֥י אֶתֵּֽן

[ינתן־]  - 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
(יֻתַּן־)  let  be  delivered 
Parse: Verb, QalPass, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לָ֜נוּ  to  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
שִׁבְעָ֤ה  seven 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁבַע  
Sense: seven (cardinal number).
אֲנָשִׁים֙  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מִבָּנָ֔יו  of  his  descendants 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וְהוֹקַֽעֲנוּם֙  and  we  will  hang  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common plural, third person masculine plural
Root: יָקַע  
Sense: to be dislocated, be alienated.
לַֽיהוָ֔ה  before  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בְּגִבְעַ֥ת  in  Gibeah 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גִּבְעָה  
Sense: a city in the mountain district of Judah.
שָׁא֖וּל  of  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
בְּחִ֣יר  chosen  by 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular construct
Root: בָּחִיר  
Sense: chosen, choice one, chosen one, elect (of God).
יְהוָ֑ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אֶתֵּֽן  will  give  [them] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.