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2 Samuel 21:3

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 2 Samuel 21:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “and David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of Jehovah?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

and David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of Jehovah?
2 Samuel 21:3 — American Standard Version

Context — 2 Samuel 21

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of Jehovah. And Jehovah said, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he put to death the Gibeonites.
2And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah);
3and David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of Jehovah?
4And the Gibeonites said unto him, It is no matter of silver or gold between us and Saul, or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.
5And they said unto the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us, [that] we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the borders of Israel,
6let 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.
← 2 Samuel 21:22 Samuel 21:4 →
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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
“Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, what shall I do for you, etc.] By way of satisfaction for the injuries done them: and wherewith shall I make the atonement; for the offences committed, that so the wrath that was gone forth against the land in a famine might be appeased: that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord? pray for a blessing upon the land which the Lord had chosen for his inheritance, and given as such to the people of Israel, that rain might descend upon it, and make it fruitful.”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“21:3 Saul’s actions had caused the Gibeonites to curse Israel (cp. Rom 2:24); once David had made amends, the Gibeonites would bless the Lord’s people again.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“wherewith: Exo 32:30; Lev 1:4; Sa1 2:25; Mic 6:6, Mic 6:7; Heb 9:22, Heb 10:4-12 bless: Sa2 20:19 2 Kings (2 Samuel) 21:4”
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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