Then David called one of the young men and said, “Come forward, put him to death.” So he struck him 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.
- 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.
- 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 22:17–18The king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn, and kill the priests of Yahweh; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, and didn’t disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king wouldn’t put out their hand to fall on the priests of Yahweh.
- Prov 11:18Wicked people earn deceitful wages, but one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
- 1 Kgs 2:46So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell on him, so that he died. The kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
- 2 Sam 4:10–12when someone told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ thinking that he brought good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.
- 1 Kgs 2:25King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell on him, so that he died.
- 1 Kgs 2:34Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell on him, and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
- Judg 8:20He said to Jether his firstborn, “Get up, and kill them!” But the youth didn’t draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was yet a youth.
- Job 5:12He frustrates the devices of the crafty, So that their hands can’t 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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