And the king called the Gibeonites, and said vnto them, (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the children of Israel had sworne vnto them: and Saul sought to slay them, in his zeale to the children of Israel and Iudah) 2 Samuel 21:2 (KJV)
In 2 Samuel 21 we read that a severe famine afflicted the land of Israel for three years. King David, troubled by the hardship, sought the Lord’s guidance. The Lord revealed that the famine was a consequence of the bloodguilt that Saul and his house had brought upon the Gibeonites.
The Gibeonites were a Canaanite people who, before Israel’s conquest, deceived Joshua into making a covenant of peace (Joshua 9). Although the deception was later discovered, Israel honored the oath it had sworn to spare the Gibeonites. Consequently, they were permitted to remain in the land, serving as wood‑cutters and water‑drawers for the community, but they were not counted among the children of Israel; they were a remnant of the Amorites.
Saul, in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah, attempted to destroy the Gibeonites, thereby violating the oath and contravening God’s command to keep promises. This breach incurred a lasting bloodguilt that affected his entire house and brought divine judgment upon the nation.
When David learned of the cause of the famine, he acted to make restitution. He summoned the Gibeonites and asked what was required to atone for Saul’s wrongdoing. The Gibeonites demanded that seven descendants of Saul be handed over for execution as retribution for the earlier attempt to annihilate them. David complied, thereby satisfying the demand for a guilt offering and ending the famine.
The passage teaches three enduring principles. First, it underscores the importance of honoring commitments and oaths, even when they were obtained through deception; the covenant with the Gibeonites remained binding. Second, it warns that the consequences of our actions can extend to future generations, as Saul’s breach affected his descendants and the nation. Third, it models the need for sincere reconciliation—David took responsibility for his predecessor’s sin and sought to restore the broken relationship between Israel and the Gibeonites. These lessons call believers today to uphold integrity, accept accountability, and pursue peace when wrong has been done.
