The Meaning of 2 Samuel 21:4 Explained

2 Samuel 21:4

KJV: And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.

YLT: And the Gibeonites say to him, 'We have no silver and gold by Saul and by his house, and we have no man to put to death in Israel;' and he saith, 'What ye are saying I do to you.'

Darby: And the Gibeonites said to him, As to Saul and his house, it is with us no question of receiving silver or gold, neither is it for us to have any man put to death in Israel. And he said, What ye say will I do for you.

ASV: And 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the Gibeonites  said  unto him, We will have no silver  nor gold  of  Saul,  nor of his house;  neither for us shalt thou kill  any man  in Israel.  And he said,  What ye shall say,  [that] will I do  for you. 

What does 2 Samuel 21:4 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 21:4 mean?

and said to him the Gibeonites we will have no - - silver or gold from Saul or from his house and not for us any man shall you kill in Israel So he said what you say I will do for you
וַיֹּ֧אמְרוּ ל֣וֹ הַגִּבְעֹנִ֗ים אֵֽין־ [לי] (לָ֜נוּ) כֶּ֤סֶף וְזָהָב֙ עִם־ שָׁא֣וּל וְעִם־ בֵּית֔וֹ וְאֵֽין־ לָ֥נוּ אִ֖ישׁ לְהָמִ֣ית בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיֹּ֛אמֶר מָֽה־ אַתֶּ֥ם אֹמְרִ֖ים אֶעֱשֶׂ֥ה לָכֶֽם

וַיֹּ֧אמְרוּ  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
ל֣וֹ  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
הַגִּבְעֹנִ֗ים  the  Gibeonites 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: גִּבְעֹונִי  
Sense: an inhabitant of Gibeon.
אֵֽין־  we  will  have  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
[לי]  - 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
(לָ֜נוּ)  - 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
כֶּ֤סֶף  silver 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֶּסֶף  
Sense: silver, money.
וְזָהָב֙  or  gold 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: זָהָב  
Sense: gold.
שָׁא֣וּל  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
וְעִם־  or  from 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
בֵּית֔וֹ  his  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
וְאֵֽין־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
לָ֥נוּ  for  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
אִ֖ישׁ  any  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
לְהָמִ֣ית  shall  you  kill 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל  in  Israel 
Parse: Preposition-b, 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.
וַיֹּ֛אמֶר  So  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֹמְרִ֖ים  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֶעֱשֶׂ֥ה  I  will  do 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לָכֶֽם  for  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural

What are the major concepts related to 2 Samuel 21:4?

Loading Information...