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2 Samuel 1

BLIVRE · Chapter 1/24

1E aconteceu depois da morte de Saul, que quando Davi voltou da derrota dos amalequitas, ficou dois dias em Ziclague;

2E ao terceiro dia aconteceu, que veio um do acampamento de Saul, rasgadas suas roupas, e terra sobre sua cabeça: e chegando a Davi, prostrou-se em terra, e fez reverência.

3E perguntou-lhe Davi: De onde vens? E ele respondeu: Eu me escapei do acampamento de Israel.

4E Davi lhe disse: Que aconteceu? Rogo-te que me digas. E ele respondeu: O povo fugiu da batalha, e também muitos do povo caíram e foram mortos: também Saul e Jônatas seu filho morreram.

5E disse Davi àquele rapaz que lhe dava as novas: Como sabes que Saul está morto, e Jônatas seu filho?

6E o rapaz que lhe dava as novas respondeu: Casualmente vim ao monte de Gilboa, e achei a Saul que estava recostado sobre sua lança, e vinham atrás dele carros e cavaleiros.

7E quando ele olhou atrás, viu-me e chamou-me; e eu disse: Eis-me aqui.

8E ele me disse: Quem és tu? E eu lhe respondi: Sou amalequita.

9E ele me voltou a dizer: Eu te rogo que te ponhas sobre mim, e me mates, porque me tomam angústias, e toda minha alma está ainda em mim.

10Eu então me pus sobre ele, e matei-o, porque sabia que não podia viver depois de sua queda: e tomei a coroa que tinha em sua cabeça, e o bracelete que trazia em seu braço, e trouxe-os aqui a meu senhor.

11Então Davi agarrando suas roupas, rompeu-os; e o mesmo fizeram os homens que estavam com ele.

12E choraram e lamentaram, e jejuaram até à tarde, por Saul e por Jônatas seu filho, e pelo povo do SENHOR, e pela casa de Israel: porque haviam caído à espada.

13E Davi disse a aquele rapaz que lhe havia trazido as novas: De onde és tu? E ele respondeu: Eu sou filho de um estrangeiro, amalequita.

14E disse-lhe Davi: Como não tiveste temor de estender tua mão para matar ao ungido do SENHOR?

15Então chamou Davi um dos rapazes, e disse-lhe: Chega, e mata-o. E ele o feriu, e morreu.

16E Davi lhe disse: Teu sangue seja sobre tua cabeça, pois que tua boca testemunhou contra ti, dizendo: Eu matei ao ungido do SENHOR.

17E lamentou Davi a Saul e a Jônatas seu filho com esta lamentação.

18(Disse também que ensinassem ao arco aos filhos de Judá. Eis que está escrito no livro do direito:)

19Pereceu a glória de Israel sobre tuas montanhas! Como caíram os valentes!

20Não o anuncieis em Gate, Não deis as novas nas praças de Asquelom; Para que não se alegrem as filhas dos filisteus, Para que não saltem de alegria as filhas dos incircuncisos.

21Montes de Gilboa, nem orvalho nem chuva caia sobre vós, nem sejais terras de ofertas; Porque ali foi rejeitado o escudo dos valentes, O escudo de Saul, como se não houvesse sido ungido com azeite.

22Do sangue de mortos, da gordura de valentes, o arco de Jônatas nunca retrocedeu, nem a espada de Saul voltou vazia.

23Saul e Jônatas, amados e queridos em sua vida, Em sua morte tampouco foram separados: Mais ligeiros que águas, Mais fortes que leões.

24Filhas de Israel, chorai sobre Saul, Que vos vestia de escarlata em regozijo, Que adornava vossas roupas com ornamentos de ouro.

25Como caíram os valentes em meio da batalha! Jônatas, morto em tuas alturas!

26Angústia tenho por ti, irmão meu Jônatas, Que me foste muito doce: Mais maravilhoso me foi o teu amor, Que o amor das mulheres.

27Como caíram 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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