and he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son. They also gathered the bones of those who were hanged.
Parallel translations
- KJV And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.
- BSB So David had the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan brought from there, along with the bones of those who had been hanged.
- NKJV So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged.
- NASB He brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan, and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged.
- NLT So David obtained the bones of Saul and Jonathan, as well as the bones of the men the Gibeonites had executed.
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 brings up the bones of Saul and Jonathan along with those of the seven who were executed. All are gathered for proper burial together.
Overview
The remains of the royal father and son, and of the seven who bore the penalty, are collected for honorable interment. This act draws a line of dignity over a painful chapter of judgment. It reflects the biblical conviction that even in death the body deserves honor as part of God's good creation.
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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 21:13 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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