2 Samuel 1:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’

NIV: "Then he said to me, ‘Stand here by me and kill me! I’m in the throes of death, but I’m still alive.’

NASB: And he said to me, ‘Please stand next to me and finish me off, for agony has seized me because my life still lingers in me.’

CSB: Then he begged me, ‘Stand over me and kill me, for I’m mortally wounded, but my life still lingers.’

NLT: Then he begged me, ‘Come over here and put me out of my misery, for I am in terrible pain and want to die.’

KJV: He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.

NKJV: He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’

Second Samuel 1:1–10 records the moment when David learns that King Saul and Jonathan have been killed. Because of Saul's egregious sin against God, God has allowed the Philistines to kill three of Saul's sons. Archers wounded Saul, and Saul fell on his own sword (1 Samuel 31:1–7). A foolish Amalekite arrives, claiming that he killed the wounded Saul. He doesn't understand David's reverence for the Lord's anointed king. David mourns the loss and then has the Amalekite executed (2 Samuel 1:11–16).

An Amalekite tells David that Saul and three of his sons have died in battle against the Philistines. The man lies and says he killed the wounded king at Saul's request. David has him executed for killing the Lord's anointed. David writes a psalm of lament for Saul's and Jonathan's deaths and celebration of their lives as warriors. Soon, David will be king of Judah, but Saul's son Ish-bosheth will be king of the rest of Israel (2 Samuel 2:1–4). David will finally wear the crown of Israel in another seven years (2 Samuel 5:1–5).

David learns his fight with Saul is over. Achish, David's Philistine benefactor, excused David from fighting with him against Saul. Three of Saul's sons died in battle, and the wounded Saul killed himself (1 Samuel 29; 31). David hears the news and mourns the king and his friend Jonathan. David will be king of Judah, but he'll have to fight Saul's son Ish-bosheth and his army commander Abner for another seven years before he's king over all Israel (2 Samuel 2; 2 Samuel 5:1–5).

Second Samuel continues the story of David, who will become king over Judah. The other tribes of Israel are resistant, eventually sparking a civil war. David wins and makes Jerusalem his capital. Early success is followed by moral failure and controversy in David's house. The book of 1 Kings will begin by detailing David's decline and death.

Accessed 10/19/2025 12:59:38 PM