2 Samuel 1

ARC · Chapter 1/24

1E succedeu, depois da morte de Saul, voltando David da derrota dos amalekitas, e ficando David dois dias em Siclag,

2Succedeu ao terceiro dia que eis que um homem veiu do arraial de Saul com os vestidos rotos e com terra sobre a cabeça; e, succedeu que chegando elle a David, se lançou no chão, e se inclinou.

3E David lhe disse: D'onde vens? E elle lhe disse: Escapei do exercito d'Israel.

4E disse-lhe David: Como foi lá isso? peço-te, dize-m'o. E elle lhe respondeu: O povo fugiu da batalha, e muitos do povo cairam, e morreram, assim como tambem Saul e Jonathan, seu filho, foram mortos.

5E disse David ao mancebo que lhe trazia as novas: Como sabes tu que Saul e Jonathan, seu filho, são mortos?

6Então disse o mancebo que lhe dava a noticia: Cheguei por acaso á montanha de Gilboa, e eis que Saul estava encostado sobre a sua lança, e eis que carros e capitães de cavallaria apertavam com elle.

7E, olhando elle para traz de si, viu-me a mim, e chamou-me; e eu disse: Eis-me aqui.

8E elle me disse: Quem és tu? E eu lhe disse: Sou amalekita.

9Então elle me disse: Peço-te, arremessa-te sobre mim, e mata-me, porque angustias me teem cercado, pois toda a minha vida está ainda em mim.

10Arremessei-me pois sobre elle, e o matei, porque bem sabia eu que não viveria depois da sua queda, e tomei a corôa que tinha na cabeça, e a manilha que trazia no braço, e as trouxe aqui a meu senhor.

11Então apanhou David os seus vestidos, e os rasgou, como tambem todos os homens que estavam com elle.

12E prantearam, e choraram, e jejuaram até á tarde por Saul, e por Jonathan, seu filho, e pelo povo do Senhor, e pela casa de Israel, porque tinham caido á espada.

13Disse então David ao mancebo que lhe trouxera a nova: D'onde és tu? E disse elle: Sou filho de um homem estrangeiro, amalekita.

14E David lhe disse: Como não temeste tu estender a mão para matares ao ungido do Senhor?

15Então chamou David a um dos mancebos, e disse: Chega, e lança-te sobre elle. E elle o feriu, e morreu.

16E disse-lhe David: O teu sangue seja sobre a tua cabeça, porque a tua propria bocca testificou contra ti, dizendo: Eu matei o ungido do Senhor.

17E lamentou David a Saul e a Jonathan, seu filho, com esta lamentação,

18Dizendo elle que ensinassem aos filhos de Judah o uso do arco: Eis que está escripto no livro do Recto:

19Ah, ornamento d'Israel! nos teus altos fui ferido: como cairam os valentes!

20Não o noticieis em Gath, não o publiqueis nas ruas d'Ascalon, para que não se alegrem as filhas dos philisteos, para que não saltem de contentamento as filhas dos incircumcisos.

21Vós, montes de Gilboa, nem orvalho, nem chuva caia sobre vós, nem sobre vós, campos de offertas alçadas, pois ahi desprezivelmente foi arrojado o escudo dos valentes, o escudo de Saul, como se não fôra ungido com oleo.

22Do sangue dos feridos, da gordura dos valentes, nunca se retirou para traz o arco de Jonathan, nem voltou vazia a espada de Saul.

23Saul e Jonathan, tão amados e queridos na sua vida, tambem na sua morte se não separaram: eram mais ligeiros do que as aguias, mais fortes do que os leões.

24Vós, filhas d'Israel, chorae por Saul, que vos vestia de escarlata em delicias, que vos fazia trazer ornamentos de oiro sobre os vossos vestidos.

25Como cairam os valentes no meio da peleja! Jonathan nos teus altos foi ferido,

26Angustiado estou por ti, meu irmão Jonathan; quão amabilissimo me eras! mais maravilhoso me era o teu amor do que o amor das mulheres.

27Como cairam os valentes, e pereceram as armas de guerra!

📖 Chapter study

Summary

An Amalekite arrives at David's camp in Ziklag claiming to have killed Saul and brings his crown. David orders his execution for having raised his hand against the Lord's anointed, and then sings a lament (the "Song of the Bow") for Saul and Jonathan.

Explanation

The deaths of Saul and Jonathan in the battle of Mount Gilboa bring Israel's first monarchy to an end. The Amalekite lies, hoping for a reward, but David shows that he does not celebrate an enemy's downfall nor tolerate violence against the authority established by God. The lament that follows is one of the most beautiful poems in the Bible: even though he had been persecuted by Saul, David honors his memory and his deep friendship with Jonathan. Today this teaches that one can have integrity and generosity of heart even toward those who have wronged us.

Fun facts

  • David's lament is called the 'Song of the Bow' and, according to the text, was taught to the people of Judah, showing that it was part of a now-lost book, the 'Book of Jasher' (also mentioned in Joshua 10).
  • The phrase 'how the mighty have fallen' repeats as a refrain throughout the poem, a common Hebrew poetic device used to mark public mourning.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Samuel 1:1David returns victorious from the fight against the Amalekites who had raided Ziklag and stays there two days—right around the time Saul dies in the war against the Philistines, told in 1 Samuel 31.
  2. 2 Samuel 1:2A man comes running from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dirt on his head, traditional signs of mourning and defeat, and bows down before David.
  3. 2 Samuel 1:3David asks where he has come from, and the man answers that he escaped from the army of Israel—the first clue that the battle had been lost.
  4. 2 Samuel 1:4The messenger tells him the worst of it: the people fled, many fell dead in battle, and among them were Saul himself and his son Jonathan.
  5. 2 Samuel 1:5Before reacting to the news, David wants confirmation: he asks how the young man knows for certain that Saul and Jonathan are dead.
  6. 2 Samuel 1:6The young man says he happened to arrive at Mount Gilboa and saw Saul leaning on his own spear, already surrounded by enemy chariots and horsemen.
  7. 2 Samuel 1:7Saul looks back, sees the young man, and calls him over—the start of the account of how the Amalekite claims he helped the wounded king die.
  8. 2 Samuel 1:8Saul asks who he is; he answers that he is an Amalekite, a foreigner who happened to be near the battlefield.
  9. 2 Samuel 1:9Still alive but badly wounded, Saul asks the Amalekite to kill him, saying that anguish has already taken hold of him, but life has not yet fully left him.
  10. 2 Samuel 1:10The Amalekite tells David a different version of Saul’s death—in 1 Samuel 31 the king himself falls on his own sword without anyone’s help. The messenger likely invented the story, hoping for a reward for killing David’s enemy, but the lie ends up costing him his life.
  11. 2 Samuel 1:11As soon as he hears the news, David tears his own clothes in mourning, and all the men with him do the same.
  12. 2 Samuel 1:12David and his men weep, mourn, and fast until evening for Saul, for Jonathan, for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel who fell in battle.
  13. 2 Samuel 1:13David again asks the messenger where he is from, and he confirms he is the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite.
  14. 2 Samuel 1:14David rebukes the man: how was he not afraid to stretch out his hand to destroy “the LORD’s anointed,” that is, the king God had chosen?
  15. 2 Samuel 1:15David orders one of his men to kill the Amalekite on the spot, on the strength of his own confession, and he strikes him down.
  16. 2 Samuel 1:16David has the messenger killed on the strength of his own confession of having raised his hand against “the LORD’s anointed”—even if the story was invented, publicly claiming to have killed an anointed king was capital crime enough for David.
  17. 2 Samuel 1:17David composes a lament—a song of mourning—for Saul and Jonathan; the text that follows is that very song.
  18. 2 Samuel 1:18The “book of Jasher” is cited here as the source of the poem, but that book has not survived to this day—it is one of several ancient works mentioned in passing in the Bible that were lost over time.
  19. 2 Samuel 1:19The lament opens mourning “the beauty of Israel” slain on the heights, a poetic way of saying that the king and the prince fell there.
  20. 2 Samuel 1:20David asks that the news not be announced in the Philistine cities of Gath and Ashkelon, so the enemy women will not celebrate Israel’s defeat.
  21. 2 Samuel 1:21David curses the mountains of Gilboa, asking that dew and rain never fall there again, because it was there that Saul’s shield was cast to the ground as if he had never been anointed king.
  22. 2 Samuel 1:22The lament exalts the strength of Saul and Jonathan in battle: Jonathan’s bow and Saul’s sword never returned without wounding the enemy.
  23. 2 Samuel 1:23David celebrates the bond between father and son: Saul and Jonathan were not divided even in death, and were swifter than eagles and stronger than lions.
  24. 2 Samuel 1:24David calls the women of Israel to weep for Saul, recalling how he clothed them in scarlet and gold ornaments in the good years of his reign.
  25. 2 Samuel 1:25The lament repeats the refrain “how are the mighty fallen,” now turning its focus to Jonathan’s death on the heights.
  26. 2 Samuel 1:26Saying that Jonathan’s love was more wonderful than “the love of women” is the language of covenant and loyal friendship between warriors—the kind of deep political and personal bond that united two men who had sworn mutual protection. Nothing in the text points to another reading beyond this covenant friendship.
  27. 2 Samuel 1:27The lament closes by repeating the same cry: “how are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished.”

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