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2 Samuel 21:11

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 2 Samuel 21:11 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.
2 Samuel 21:11 — American Standard Version

Context — 2 Samuel 21

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
8But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she bare to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:
9And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the mountain before Jehovah, and they fell [all] seven together. And they were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, at the beginning of barley harvest.
10And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water was poured upon them from heaven; and she suffered neither the birds of the heavens to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
11And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.
12And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, in the day that the Philistines slew Saul in Gilboa;
13and he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son: and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.
14And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was entreated for the land.
← 2 Samuel 21:102 Samuel 21:12 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.] Whether this was told out of good will or ill will is not certain; however, it was not disagreeable to David, but served to move pity and compassion in him to the woman, and to stir him up to give an honourable interment to Saul and his sons; and which would show that this fact was not done out of personal pique and revenge to his family, but in obedience to the will of God, and the honour of his name.”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“David - Who heard it with so much approbation, that he thought fit to imitate her piety, being by her example provoked to do what hitherto he had neglected, to bestow an honourable interment on the remains of Saul and Jonathan, and, with them, upon those that are now put to death, that the honour done to them herein, might be some comfort to this disconsolate widow. 2 Kings (2 Samuel) 21:13”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“21:11-13 Rizpah’s action shamed David into likewise honoring the dead of Saul’s family.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“told David: Sa2 2:4; Rut 2:11, Rut 2:12 2 Kings (2 Samuel) 21:12”
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Related study paths

Read 2 Samuel 21 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification