And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
Rizpah, Aiah's daughter, took rough cloth and spread it on a rock. From the start of harvest season until the rains came from heaven, she stayed there. She wouldn't let the birds land on the bodies during the day or wild animals come near them at night.
This verse shows a mother's devoted love as Rizpah faithfully guarded her sons' bodies from scavengers for months, waiting for proper burial.
📚 Historical Context
This takes place during a three-year famine that God said was due to Saul's massacre of the Gibeonites. To make peace, David handed over seven of Saul's descendants to the Gibeonites, who executed them. Rizpah was Saul's former concubine, and two of the executed men were her sons.
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