And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.
And David handed them over to the Gibeonites, who executed them by hanging on the hill before the LORD. All seven of them died together, and they were put to death during harvest time, at the very beginning of the barley harvest.
David handed over seven of Saul's descendants to the Gibeonites for execution as payment for Saul's past crimes against them.
📚 Historical Context
In the time of King David, a severe famine afflicted Israel for three years, which God revealed was due to Saul's earlier violation of a peace treaty made with the Gibeonites during Joshua's era. The Gibeonites, descendants of the Hivites, had tricked Israel into a covenant of protection, but Saul tried to exterminate them, leading to divine judgment. To resolve the famine, David handed over seven of Saul's descendants to the Gibeonites for execution as a form of restitution.
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