2 Samuel 21:13 Explained in Context

Read It With

• 2 Samuel 21:10–14

Read 2 Samuel 21:13 with 21:10–14. The wording “And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and…” supplies one step in the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence; the surrounding verses supply the causes, responses, and outcome summarized here: Rizpah guards the bodies through harvest and rain, David gathers Saul and Jonathan with the seven, buries them, and the narrative says prayer for the land is then received.

Why This Verse Appears Here

Within “Rizpah's Vigil Moves David toward Burial,” 2 Samuel 21:13 advances the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence through the wording “And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: 2 Samuel 21:7–9 establishes this prior movement: David spares Mephibosheth because of his oath to Jonathan but selects seven other descendants, whom the Gibeonites kill and expose. 2 Samuel 21:10–14 brings the preceding movement toward a consequence or close; that demonstrated relationship, rather than sequence alone, explains its placement.