Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

2 SAMUEL 21:1KJV
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2 Samuel 21:1 (KJV)

What does 2 Samuel 21:1 mean?

2 Samuel 21:1 describes a time during King David’s reign when Israel experienced a three-year famine. David asks the LORD why this is happening, and the LORD answers that it is because of Saul and his violent actions against the Gibeonites.

The verse sets the scene during David’s rule, showing a national crisis—a famine lasting three years. David seeks guidance from the LORD (the God of Israel), and the LORD responds that the famine is a consequence of Saul’s earlier wrongdoing toward the Gibeonites, a group Israel had sworn to protect. This verse introduces a situation where past actions are affecting the present, and David is seeking to understand and address the cause.

The Hebrew behind 2 Samuel 21:1

  • "famine" (רָעָב, ra'av): This word means a severe shortage of food. Its use here highlights the seriousness of the crisis facing Israel, not just a bad harvest but a prolonged, life-threatening lack.
  • "enquired" (בָּקַשׁ, baqash): This word means to seek or ask earnestly. David is not just casually asking; he is urgently seeking an answer from the LORD.
  • "bloody" (דָּמִים, damim): This word literally means "bloods" and often refers to bloodshed or acts of violence. The LORD’s answer points to Saul’s guilt in shedding innocent blood.
  • "slew" (הֵמִית, hemit): This verb means to kill or put to death. The LORD specifically points to Saul’s act of killing the Gibeonites as the reason for the famine.

Why 2 Samuel 21:1 matters

  • The verse clarifies that not all disasters are random; sometimes, the Bible presents them as consequences of past actions, even from previous generations.
  • It highlights the seriousness of broken promises and violence, especially in the context of Israel’s covenant with the Gibeonites, which Saul violated.
  • This verse sets up the rest of the chapter, where David seeks to resolve the wrong done to the Gibeonites and restore blessing to Israel.

Where else these words appear

“Gibeonites” Hebrew H1393 · used in 7 verses

  • 2 Samuel 21:2 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.)
  • 2 Samuel 21:4 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.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:4 And Ismaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Josabad the Gederathite,

“famine” Hebrew H7458 · used in 88 verses

  • Genesis 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
  • 1 Chronicles 21:12 Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.
  • Jeremiah 32:24 Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it.