The Meaning of 2 Samuel 21:2 Explained

2 Samuel 21:2

KJV: And 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 to the children of Israel and Judah.)

YLT: And the king calleth for the Gibeonites, and saith unto them -- as to the Gibeonites, they are not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorite, and the sons of Israel had sworn to them, and Saul seeketh to smite them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah --

Darby: And the king called the Gibeonites, and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remainder of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn to them; and Saul sought to smite them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.)

ASV: And 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);

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And 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  to the children  of Israel  and Judah.  ) 

What does 2 Samuel 21:2 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Samuel 21:1-11 - A Devoted Mother
The time of this famine cannot be fixed with certainty. Probably it took place before Absalom's rebellion. The reason for it was found in Saul's slaughter of the Gibeonites. See 1 Samuel 22:19, etc. Though their fathers had obtained the promise of immunity from Joshua and the princes by fraud, yet it was regarded as binding, and its violation was looked upon as a grave offense, involving the whole nation in the charge of perjury. The remnant of the Gibeonites were therefore allowed to fix their own terms. This tendency to connect a national calamity with a national crime has always obtained. There seems to be a universal consciousness that uncaused judgments do not befall.
Note that Merab should be substituted for Michal, 2 Samuel 21:8; 1 Samuel 18:19. Out of all the scenes of cruelty and blood with which this age was characterized, the love of motherhood shines forth undimmed. It is one of the most precious of God's gifts to man. But what shall we not say of that divine love which clings to us in our most hopeless condition? [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Samuel 21

1  The three year Gibeonite famine ceases, by hanging seven of Saul's sons
10  Rizpah's kindness unto the dead
12  David buries the bones of Saul and Jonathan in his father's tomb
15  Four battles against the Philistines, wherein four men of David slay four giants

What do the individual words in 2 Samuel 21:2 mean?

So called the king the Gibeonites and spoke to them and the Gibeonites not of the sons of Israel were for but of the remnant of the Amorites and the sons of Israel had sworn protection to them but had sought Saul to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah
וַיִּקְרָ֥א הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ לַגִּבְעֹנִ֖ים וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם וְהַגִּבְעֹנִ֞ים לֹ֣א מִבְּנֵ֧י יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל הֵ֗מָּה כִּ֚י אִם־ מִיֶּ֣תֶר הָאֱמֹרִ֔י וּבְנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ נִשְׁבְּע֣וּ לָהֶ֔ם וַיְבַקֵּ֤שׁ שָׁאוּל֙ לְהַכֹּתָ֔ם בְּקַנֹּאת֥וֹ לִבְנֵֽי־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וִיהוּדָֽה

וַיִּקְרָ֥א  So  called 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
לַגִּבְעֹנִ֖ים  the  Gibeonites 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: גִּבְעֹונִי  
Sense: an inhabitant of Gibeon.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  and  spoke 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
וְהַגִּבְעֹנִ֞ים  and  the  Gibeonites 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: גִּבְעֹונִי  
Sense: an inhabitant of Gibeon.
מִבְּנֵ֧י  of  the  sons 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
מִיֶּ֣תֶר  of  the  remnant 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יֶתֶר 
Sense: .
הָאֱמֹרִ֔י  of  the  Amorites 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֱמֹרִי  
Sense: one of the peoples of east Canaan and beyond the Jordan, dispossessed by the Israelite incursion from Egypt.
וּבְנֵ֤י  and  the  sons 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
נִשְׁבְּע֣וּ  had  sworn  protection 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁבַע  
Sense: to swear, adjure.
לָהֶ֔ם  to  them 
Parse: Preposition-l, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
וַיְבַקֵּ֤שׁ  but  had  sought 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.
שָׁאוּל֙  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
לְהַכֹּתָ֔ם  to  kill  them 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, third person masculine plural
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
בְּקַנֹּאת֥וֹ  in  his  zeal 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: קָנָא  
Sense: to envy, be jealous, be envious, be zealous.
לִבְנֵֽי־  for  the  sons 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וִיהוּדָֽה  and  Judah 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.