Keraia
2 Samuel 1

2 Samuel 1:13

Saul’s Death Reported to David · 2 Samuel 1:1–16
Read 2 Samuel 1

Translations

Modern
And David inquired of the young man who had brought him the report, “Where are you from?” “I am the son of a foreigner,” he answered. “I am an Amalekite.”
Traditional
And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.
Literal
And David said to the young man who told him, “From where are you?” And he answered, “I am a son of a sojourning man, an Amalekite.”
Latin
Dixitque David ad juvenem qui nuntiaverat ei: Unde es tu? Qui respondit: Filius hominis advenæ Amalecitæ ego sum.

Original

Hebrew
English
And David inquired of the young man who had brought him the report, “Where are you from?” “I am the son of a foreigner,” he answered. “I am an Amalekite.”

Notes

2 Samuel 1:13

Where are you from?: David asks again (2 Samuel 1:8). He may have repeated the question because of the depth of his grief.

2 Samuel 1:1–16

An unnamed Amalekite went to David, claiming that he had killed Saul. This claim was false. Saul had taken his own life(1 Samuel 31:4–6).

The Amalekite may have hoped that David would reward him for clearing the way for David to become king. Instead, David ordered him to be killed for harming the Lord’s anointed (the person God had chosen).

2 Samuel 1:1–27

The forty years of Saul’s reign ended in tragedy. The Philistines struck a devastating blow against his people. They killed Saul’s sons and later mutilated Saul’s body after he took his own life (1 Samuel 31). After these tragic events, the story begins to focus on David and his rise as a leader.

Parallels

1 Samuel 31:1–6 1 Chronicles 10:1–6

People

David: Anointed king of Israel, ancestor of Jesus Christ

Places

Amalek: A nomadic people, descendants of Esau, enemies of Israel

Glossary

Baanah David Mount Gilboa Samuel, Books of First and Second

Topics

David: King of Israel: Kills the Murderer of Saul Government: Monarchical by David Punishments were Inflicted by Order of Kings