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2 Samuel 1

KJV · Chapter 1/24

1Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;

2It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.

3And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped.

4And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.

5And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?

6And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

7And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I.

8And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.

9He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.

10So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.

11Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:

12And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.

13And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.

14And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?

15And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.

16And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed.

17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:

18(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)

19The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!

20Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

21Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

22From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

23Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

24Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

25How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.

26I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

27How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

📖 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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