Then David summoned one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him!” So the young man struck him down, and he died.
Parallel translations
- WEB David called one of the young men, and said, “Go near, and cut him down!” He struck him so that he died.
- KJV And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.
- NKJV Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go near, and execute him!” And he struck him so that he died.
- NASB Then David called one of the young men and said, “Come forward, put him to death.” So he struck him and he died.
- NLT Then David said to one of his men, “Kill him!” So the man thrust his sword into the Amalekite and killed him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David orders the man executed, and he is struck down. Justice falls on the one who confessed to killing God's anointed.
Overview
David acts as the rightful authority, carrying out judgment on a self-confessed regicide. Whether the Amalekite truly killed Saul or merely lied to gain favor, his own words convict him. The swift sentence underscores the seriousness of touching the Lord's anointed and clears David of any complicity in Saul's death.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Sam 22:17–18Then the king ordered the guards at his side, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they did not tell me.” But the king’s servants would not lift a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.
- Prov 11:18The wicked man earns an empty wage, but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.
- 1 Kgs 2:46Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon.
- 2 Sam 4:10–12when someone told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer of good news, I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was his reward for his news!
- 1 Kgs 2:25So King Solomon sent the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.
- 1 Kgs 2:34So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his own home in the wilderness.
- Judg 8:20So he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword; he was fearful because he was still a youth.
- Job 5:12He thwarts the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands find no success.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 1:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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