Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
2 Samuel 21:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 4And 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
2 Samuel 21:4 contributes this particular line to the movement: “And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his…”.
Read It With
- 2 Samuel 21:1–6
Read 2 Samuel 21:4 with 21:1–6. 2 Samuel 21:4 advances “Famine Leads David to the Gibeonites” through the concrete textual step “And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his…”. The complete unit establishes this movement: A three-year famine is attributed to Saul's bloodguilt against the protected Gibeonites, and David asks what violent satisfaction they require.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Keeping “Famine Leads David to the Gibeonites” as its own unit preserves its agents, moral stakes, and narrative turn before the next movement begins. At 2 Samuel 21:4, “And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his…” supplies this verse's distinct action, speech, image, or interpretive turn.
Follow the Context
- The opening of 21:1-6 establishes “Famine Leads David to the Gibeonites.”
- A three-year famine is attributed to Saul's bloodguilt against the protected Gibeonites, and David asks what violent satisfaction they require.
- Verse 6 completes this movement before 21:7-9.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Narrative description does not by itself command imitation or settle the moral evaluation of every action.
What Remains True
Covenant hope and truthful memory require accountable power, grief that names loss, protection for vulnerable people, and refusal to call political success innocence. In 2 Samuel 21:4, the concrete line “And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
How It Can Shape Life
- Evaluate leadership by truth, consent, restraint, repair, and the treatment of people with less power; preserve evidence and survivor voices instead of protecting a celebrated reputation. Keep 2 Samuel 21:4 inside 21:1–6, preserve the people and costs it names or obscures, and do not convert its wording into royal immunity or a modern political mandate.
Teach It Back
Explain 2 Samuel 21:4's role in 21:1–6. Paraphrase “And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his…”, name the ancient royal or household horizon, state one material uncertainty, keep one vulnerable or affected person visible, and identify one conclusion the verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 2 Samuel 21:1–6 — Famine Leads David to the GibeonitesSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
2 Samuel 21:4 remains governed by this unit-level limit: Interpreters differ over source layers, chronology, historicity, characterization, textual readings, and whether the court story mainly legitimates, indicts, or holds David in sustained tension. The package states the received movement first and labels reconstructions.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 2 Samuel 21:1-6, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 2 Samuel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, repeated verbs, names, syntax, and the base text behind translation and textual discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/2Sam.xml, 21:1-6
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: 2 Samuel with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Unit-bounded wording, older-English clarification, textual witnesses, syntax, names, numbers, and major historical or literary notes actually printed for these verses.
Exact location: NET Bible 2 Samuel PDF, printed pp. 574–575, translation and all translator notes attached to 21:1-6
Open source ↗