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
This verse is part of a larger account where Israel faced three years of famine, which God revealed was due to Saul's violation of an ancient treaty with the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites were a people who had made a covenant with Israel during Joshua's time, but King Saul had tried to eliminate them in his zeal. To make amends and end the famine, David allowed the Gibeonites to execute seven of Saul's male descendants as justice for the broken covenant.
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