2 Samuel 1:21

New Life Version

O mountains of Gilboa, do not let the water that is on the grass in the early morning or rain be on you. Let not grass be grown on your fields. For there the covering of the powerful was made dirty, the covering of Saul, as if he had not been set apart with oil.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Mountains of Gilboa,let no dew or rain be on you,or fields of offerings,for there the shield of the mighty was defiled—the shield of Saul, no longer anointed with oil.

Hebrew Names Version
You mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain on you, neither fields of offerings: For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Sha'ul, not anointed with oil.

King James Version
Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

Lexham English Bible
O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you or on the fields of grain for offerings, for there the small shield of the mighty was defiled, the small shield of Saul was not anointed with oil.

English Standard Version
"You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

New Century Version
"May there be no dew or rain on the mountains of Gilboa, and may their fields produce no grain, because there the mighty warrior's shield was dishonored. Saul's shield will no longer be rubbed with oil.

New English Translation
O mountains of Gilboa, may there be no dew or rain on you, nor fields of grain offerings! For it was there that the shield of warriors was defiled; the shield of Saul lies neglected without oil.

Amplified Bible
"O mountains of Gilboa, Let not dew or rain be upon you, nor fields with offerings; For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, The shield of Saul, [dry, cracked] not anointed with oil.

New American Standard Bible
"Mountains of Gilboa, May there be no dew nor rain on you, or fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Ye mountaines of Gilboa, vpon you be neither dewe nor raine, nor be there fieldes of offrings: for there the shielde of the mightie is cast downe, the shielde of Saul, as though he had not bene anointed with oyle.

Legacy Standard Bible
O mountains of Gilboa,Let not dew or rain be on you, nor fields of offerings;For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

Contemporary English Version
Don't let dew or rain fall on the hills of Gilboa. Don't let its fields grow offerings for God. There the warriors' shields were smeared with mud, and Saul's own shield was left unpolished.

Complete Jewish Bible
"Mountains of Gilboa — may there be on you no dew, no rain, no fields with good crops; because there the shields of the heroes were dishonored, the shield of Sha'ul was no longer rubbed with oil.

Darby Translation
Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, no rain upon you, nor fields of heave-offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, [as] not anointed with oil.

Easy-to-Read Version
"May no rain or dew fall on you, mountains of Gilboa. May there be no offerings coming from your fields. The shields of the heroes rusted there. Saul's shield was not rubbed with oil.

George Lamsa Translation
O you mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain upon you, nor upon the choicest fields; for there the shield of the mighty was broken, the shield of Saul, who was anointed with oil.

Good News Translation
"May no rain or dew fall on Gilboa's hills; may its fields be always barren! For the shields of the brave lie there in disgrace; the shield of Saul is no longer polished with oil.

Literal Translation
Mountains of Gilboa, let not dew or rain be on you, nor fields of offerings; for there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, not being anointed with oil.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Ye mountaynes of Gelboa, nether dew ner rayne come vpo you, nether lode be wherof commeth Heueofferynges: for there is ye shylde of the Worthies smytten downe, the shylde of Saul, as though he had not bene anoynted with oyle.

American Standard Version
Ye mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of offerings: For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

Bible in Basic English
O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain on you, you fields of death: for there the arms of the strong have been shamed, the arms of Saul, as if he had not been marked with the holy oil.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Ye mountaynes of Gilboa, vpon you be neither deawe nor raine, nor fieldes of offeringes: For there the shield of the mightie is cast downe, the shielde of Saul, as though he had not ben annoynted with oyle.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of choice fruits; for there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

King James Version (1611)
Yee mountaines of Gilboa, let there bee no dewe, neither let there be raine vpon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mightie is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though hee had not beene annointed with oile.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Ye mountains of Gelbue, let not dew no rain descend upon you, nor fields of first-fruits be upon you, for there the shield of the mighty ones has been grievously assailed; the shield of Saul was not anointed with oil.

English Revised Version
Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

Berean Standard Bible
O mountains of Gilboa, may you have no dew or rain, no fields yielding offerings of grain. For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, no longer anointed with oil.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Hillis of Gelboe, neither dew nethir reyn come on you, nether the feeldis of firste fruytis be; for the scheeld of stronge men was cast awey there, the scheeld of Saul, as `if he were not anoyntid with oile.

Young's Literal Translation
Mountains of Gilboa! No dew nor rain be on you, And fields of heave-offerings! For there hath become loathsome The shield of the mighty, The shield of Saul -- without the anointed with oil.

Update Bible Version
You mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain on you, neither fields of offerings: For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

Webster's Bible Translation
Ye mountains of Gilboa, [let there be] no dew, neither rain upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, [as though he had] not [been] anointed with oil.

World English Bible
You mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain on you, neither fields of offerings: For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

New King James Version
"O mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, Nor fields of offerings. For the shield of the mighty is cast away there! The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

New Living Translation
O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fruitful fields producing offerings of grain. For there the shield of the mighty heroes was defiled; the shield of Saul will no longer be anointed with oil.

New Revised Standard
You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor bounteous fields! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Ye mountains in Gilboa! Be there neither dew nor rain upon you, nor fields of offerings, - for, there, were cast away, the shields of the mighty, The shield of Saul, unanointed with oil.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Ye mountains of Gelboe, let neither dew, nor rain come upon you, neither be they fields of firstfruits: for there was cast away the shield of the valiant, the shield of Saul as though he had not been anointed with oil.

Revised Standard Version
"Ye mountains of Gilbo'a, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor upsurging of the deep! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"O mountains of Gilboa, Let not dew or rain be on you, nor fields of offerings; For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

Contextual Overview

¹⁷ Then David sang a song of sorrow for Saul and his son Jonathan. ¹⁸ He told them to teach the song of the bow to the people of Judah. See, it is written in the book of Jashar. ¹⁹ "O Israel, your beauty is destroyed on your high places! How have the powerful fallen! ²⁰ Do not tell about it in Gath. Do not tell about it in the streets of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines might be filled with joy. The daughters of those who have not gone through our religious act might be filled with joy. ²¹ O mountains of Gilboa, do not let the water that is on the grass in the early morning or rain be on you. Let not grass be grown on your fields. For there the covering of the powerful was made dirty, the covering of Saul, as if he had not been set apart with oil. ²² The bow of Jonathan did not turn away. The sword of Saul did not return empty. They did not turn from the blood of the dead and the fat of the powerful. ²³ Saul and Jonathan were loved and pleasing in their life. And they were not divided in their death. They were faster than eagles. They were stronger than lions. ²⁴ O daughters of Israel, cry for Saul. He dressed you in fine red clothing. He put on your clothing objects of gold. ²⁵ How have the powerful fallen in the center of the battle! Jonathan has been killed on your high places. ²⁶ I am troubled because of you, my brother Jonathan. You have been very pleasing to me. Your love to me was greater than the love of women.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

mountains: 1 Samuel 31:1, 1 Chronicles 10:1, 1 Chronicles 10:8

no dew: Judges 5:23, Job 3:3-10, Isaiah 5:6, Jeremiah 20:14-16

offerings: Joel 1:9, Joel 2:14

not: Instead of belee, "not," we should probably, with Dr. Delaney and others, read keley, "weapons," as it is found on one manuscript and in the first edition of the Hebrew Bible, printed at Soncini, 1488: "the shield of Saul; the weapons of the anointed with oil."

anointed: 1 Samuel 10:1, Isaiah 21:5

Reciprocal: Genesis 27:28 - of the dew Deuteronomy 11:29 - General 1 Samuel 28:4 - Gilboa 2 Samuel 1:6 - mount 2 Samuel 21:12 - in Gilboa 2 Chronicles 17:17 - armed men Job 38:28 - dew Psalms 89:38 - wroth Isaiah 10:27 - because Isaiah 16:8 - the fields Isaiah 43:28 - I have Lamentations 4:20 - the anointed

Cross-References

Genesis 1:18
to rule the day and the night. He divided the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:24
Then God said, "Let the earth bring into being living things after their kind: Cattle and things that move upon the ground, and wild animals of the earth after their kind." And it was so.

Genesis 1:25
Then God made the wild animals of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every thing that moves upon the ground after its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "Let Us make man like Us and let him be head over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every thing that moves on the ground."

Genesis 1:31
God saw all that He had made and it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 6:20
Two of all the kinds of birds, and animals, and every thing that moves on the ground are to be with you to keep them alive.

Genesis 7:14
With them went every kind of animal, and all the cattle, and every thing that moved on the earth, and every kind of bird.

Genesis 8:17
Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and everything that moves on the earth. So they may give birth and become many upon the earth."

Genesis 8:19
Every animal, every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out of the large boat by their families.

Genesis 9:7
As for you, have many children. Cover the earth with many people."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ye mountains of Gilboa,.... On which fell Saul and his sons, and many of the people of Israel, 2 Samuel 1:6;

[let there be] no dew, neither [let there be] rain upon you; which is not to understood as a real imprecation; for David would never curse any part of the land of Israel, for which he had so great a regard; but only as a poetical figure, expressing his concern for, and abhorrence of what happened on those mountains; much less did this in reality take place, as some have feigned, as if never dew nor rain descended on them t afterwards; which has been refuted by travellers, particularly Borchard u, who, speaking of this mountain, says, that as he was upon it, there was such a violent shower fell, that he was wet through his clothes; and in the year 1273, laying all night upon this hill, there was a great dew fell upon him:

nor fields of offerings; of heave offerings; the meaning is, that he could wish almost that those hills were not fruitful, and that they brought no fruit to perfection, so much as that heave offerings for the service of the sanctuary might be taken; which is expressive of great sterility and scarcity, see Joel 1:13;

for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away; mighty men were obliged to cast away their shields and flee, which were greatly to their reproach and scandal, and to that of the whole nation: it was always reckoned very scandalous, and a great crime, even punishable with death, to cast away a shield, both with the Greeks and others w: yea, also

the shield of Saul, [as though he had] not [been] anointed with oil; as if he was not the anointed king of Israel, but a common soldier: or else this respects his shield, as if that was not anointed, as shields used to be, that they might be smooth and glib, and missile weapons, as arrows and others, might not pass through them, but slide off, see

Isaiah 21:5; though Gersom gives a different turn, that Saul's shield being in continual use, needed not to be anointed, as those did which for a time had been laid aside. Abarbinel interprets these words thus, that he, who was the shield of the mighty, even Saul himself, was vilely cast away, or become loathsome; and that his shield was anointed, not with oil, but with the blood of the slain, and the fat of the mighty, connecting them with the words following.

t Cippi Heb. p. 34. u Apud Hottinger not. in ib. see Bunting's Travels, p, 131. w Isocrates de Pace, p. 364. Horat. Carmin. l. 2. Ode 7. Tacitus de Mor. German. c. 6. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 2. c. 13.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let there be no dew ... - For a similar passionate form of poetical malediction, compare Job 3:3-10; Jeremiah 20:14-18.

Nor fields of offerings - He imprecates such complete barrenness on the soil of Gilboa, that not even enough may grow for an offering of first-fruits. The latter part of the verse is better rendered thus: For there the shield of the mighty was polluted, the shield of Saul was not anointed with oil, but with blood). Shields were usually anointed with oil in preparation for the battle Isaiah 21:5.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 1:21. As though he had not been] In stead of בלי beli, NOT, I read כלי keley, INSTRUMENTS.

Anointed with oil. — See the observations at the end.

2 Samuel 1:18, c.: He bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow, kasheth.

The word kasheth is to be understood of the title of the song which immediately follows, and not of the use of the bow, as our translation intimates.

Many of David's Psalms have titles prefixed to them some are termed Shosannim, some Maschil, Nehiloth, Neginoth, c., and this one here, Kadesh or The Bow, because it was occasioned by the Philistine archers. 1 Samuel 31:3: "And the archers hit him."

But especially respecting the bow of Jonathan, "which returned not back from the blood of the slain," as the song itself expresses. And David could not but remember the bow of Jonathan, out of which "the arrow was shot beyond the lad," 1 Samuel 20:36. It was the time when that covenant was made, and that affection expressed between them "which was greater than the love of women."

On these accounts the song was entitled Kasheth, or The song of the Bow, and David commanded the chief musicians, Ethan, Heman, and Jeduthun, to teach the children of Judah to sing it.

"It is written in the book of Jasher." Sept., επι βιβλιου του ευθους, "in the book of the upright."

ספרא דאוריתא siphra deoraitha, "The book of the Law." - Jonathan.

The Arabic says, "Behold it is written in the book of Ashee this is the book of Samuel;" the interpretation of which is, "book of songs or canticles."

This lamentation is justly admired as a picture of distress the most tender and the most striking; unequally divided by grief into longer and shorter breaks, as nature could pour them forth from a mind interrupted by the alternate recurrence of the most lively images of love and greatness.

His reverence for Saul and his love for Jonathan have their strongest colourings; but their greatness and bravery come full upon him, and are expressed with peculiar energy.

Being himself a warrior, it is in that character he sees their greatest excellence; and though his imagination hurries from one point of recollection to another, yet we hear him - at first, at last, everywhere - lamenting, How are the mighty fallen!

It is almost impossible to read the noble original without finding every word swollen with a sigh or broken with a sob. A heart pregnant with distress, and striving to utter expressions descriptive of its feelings, which are repeatedly interrupted by an excess of grief, is most sensibly painted throughout the whole. Even an English reader may be convinced of this, from the following specimen in European characters: -

19. Hatstsebi Yishrael al bamotheycha chalal;

Eych naphelu gibborim;

20. Al taggidu begath,

Al tebasseru bechutsoth Ashkelon;

Pen tismachnah benoth Pelishtim,

Pen taalozenah benoth haarelim.

21. Harey baggilboa al tal,

Veal matar aleychem usedey terumoth;

Ki sham nigal magen Gibborim.

Magen Shaul keley Mashiach bashshamen!

22. Middam chalalim, mecheleb gibborim,

Kesheth Yehonathan lo nashog achor;

Vechereb Shaul lo thashub reykam.

23. Shaul Vihonathan,

Hannee habim vehanneimim bechaiyeyhem,

Ubemotham lo niphradu.

Minnesharim kallu, mearayoth gaberu!

24. Benoth Yishrael el Shaul becheynah;

Hammalbishchem shani im adanim,

Hammaaleh adi zahab al lebushechen.

25. Eych naphelu gibborim bethoch hammilchamah!

Yehonathan al bamotheycha chalal!

26. Tsar li aleycha achi

Yehonathan, naamta li meod

Niphleathah ahabathecha li meahabath nashim!

27. Eych naphelu gibborim,

Vaiyobedu keley milchamah!

The three last verses in this sublime lamentation have sense and sound so connected as to strike every reader.

Dr. Kennicott, from whom I have taken several of the preceding remarks, gives a fine Latin version of this song, which I here subjoin: -

O decus Israelis, super excelsa tua MILES!

Quomodo ceciderunt FORTES!

Nolite indicare in Gatho,

Nolite indicare in plateis Ascalonis:

Ne laetentur filiae Philistaeorum,

Ne exultent filiae incircumcisorum.

Montes Gilboani super vos

Nec ros, nec pluvia, neque agri primitiarum;

Ibi enim abjectus fuit clypeus fortium.

Clypeus Saulis, arma inuncti olec!

Sine sanguine MILITUM,

Sine adipe FORTIUM.

Arcus Jonathanis non retrocesserat;

Gladiusque Saulis non redierat incassum.

Saul et Jonathan

Amabiles erant et jucundi in vitis suis,

Et in morte sua non separati.

Prae aquilis veloces!

Prae leonibus fortes!

Filiae Israelis deflete Saulem;

Qui coccino cum deliciis vos vestivit, Qui vestibus vestris ornamenta imposuit aurea! Quomodo ceciderunt FORTES, in medio belli!

O Jonathan, super excelsa tua MILES!

Versor in angustiis, tui causa,

Frater mi, Jonathan!

Mihi fuisti admodum jucundus!

Mihi tuus amor admodum mirabilis,

Mulierum exuperans amorem!

Quomodo ceciderunt fortes,

Et perierunt arma belli!

DISSERTATION I., p. 122.

In verse 2 Samuel 1:21 I have inserted כלי keley for בלי beli. Dr. Delaney rightly observes that the particle בלי beli is not used in any part of the Bible in the sense of quasi non, as though not, in which sense it must be used here if it be retained as a genuine reading: The shield of Saul as though it had not been anointed with oil.

In a MS. written about the year 1200, numbered 30 in Kennicott's Bible, כלי keley is found; and also in the first edition of the whole Hebrew Bible, printed Soncini 1488. Neither the Syriac nor Arabic versions, nor the Chaldee paraphrase, acknowledge the negative particle בלי beli, which they would have done had it been in the copies from which they translated. It was easy to make the mistake, as there is such a similarity between ב beth and כ caph; the line therefore should be read thus: The shield of Saul, weapons anointed with oil.

In verse 2 Samuel 1:22 נשוג nashog, to obtain, attain, seems to have been written for נסוג nasog, to recede, return. The former destroys the sense, the latter, which our translation has followed, and which is supported by the authority of 30 MSS., makes it not only intelligible but beautiful.

In verses 2 Samuel 1:19, 2 Samuel 1:22, and 2 Samuel 1:25, חלל and חללים chalal and chalalim occur, which we translate the SLAIN, but which Dr. Kennicott, I think from good authority, renders soldier and soldiers; and thus the version is made more consistent and beautiful.

חלל chalal signifies to bore or pierce through; and this epithet might be well given to a soldier, q.d., the PIERCER, because his business is to transfix or pierce his enemies with sword, spear, and arrows.

If it be translated soldiers in the several places of the Old Testament, where we translate it SLAIN or WOUNDED, the sense will be much mended; see Judges 20:31, Judges 20:39; Psalms 89:11; Proverbs 7:26; Jeremiah 51:4, Jeremiah 51:47, Jeremiah 51:49; Ezekiel 11:6-7; Ezekiel 21:14. In several others it retains its radical signification of piercing, wounding, c.

AFTER these general observations I leave the particular beauties of this inimitable song to be sought out by the intelligent reader. Much has been written upon this, which cannot, consistently with the plan of these notes, be admitted here. See Delaney, Kennicott, Lowth, &c. and, above all, let the reader examine the Hebrew text.