And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that 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.
- BSB Then David summoned one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him!” So the young man struck him down, and 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 22:17–18And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD: because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.
- Prov 11:18The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.
- 1 Kgs 2:46So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
- 2 Sam 4:10–12When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:
- 1 Kgs 2:25And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.
- 1 Kgs 2:34So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
- Judg 8:20And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.
- Job 5:12He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
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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