Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 2 Samuel
Chapter 1: How the Mighty Have Fallen
Saul, the king who hunted David for years, is dead, and with him his beloved son Jonathan. Now David could gloat; the throne is finally open. Instead he tears his clothes, weeps, and executes the man who boasts of killing the king. Then he sings one of the most moving laments in Scripture, honoring even his enemy. This is what a heart after God looks like.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 2 Samuel chapter 1. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Second Samuel is the story of David's reign, and it opens not with a coronation but with a funeral song. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
The Reign of David
Second Samuel, once joined to First Samuel, tells the story of David as king: his rise to the throne, his golden years, his great sin, and its long, bitter consequences.
Composite
Like First Samuel, the book is composite, drawing on prophetic records such as those of Nathan and Gad (1 Chronicles 29:29). It is Scripture, whatever hands compiled it.
Just After Saul's Death
King Saul and Jonathan have fallen in battle against the Philistines (1 Samuel 31). David, still in the south at Ziklag, has just returned from defeating the Amalekites when the news arrives.
Grace Toward an Enemy
David refuses to rejoice at the fall of the man who hunted him. He honors "the LORD's anointed" and mourns him, showing the heart God had crowned.
News of Saul's Death (2 Samuel 1:1-10)
A young Amalekite runs to David with word of Saul's death, and a story crafted to win a reward.
A Story Told for Reward
"Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance. And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. 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. So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord."
Hebrew Study
There is a bitter irony in who claims to have finished Saul: "I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite." It was Saul's failure to destroy the Amalekites, in disobedience to God, that had cost him his kingdom (1 Samuel 15). Now an Amalekite stands before David boasting that he delivered the death-stroke to Saul, and holding out the fallen king's "crown" (nezer, נֵזֶר, the royal diadem) "and the bracelet" (etzadah, אֶצְעָדָה, a warrior's armlet) — the very tokens of kingship, handed to David unasked, by the one man least entitled to hand them over. The very people Saul spared reach out to claim his end — a grim closing of the circle Saul left open.
Explanation
The Amalekite's account differs from the one in 1 Samuel 31, where Saul takes his own life. The young man almost certainly invented, or embellished, his role, hoping David would reward the death of his rival. He misread David completely. He brought the crown and bracelet expecting gratitude; he received judgment. Those who think God's people rejoice at the downfall of enemies do not understand the heart of God.
Gospel Focus
The Amalekite badly misjudged David. He expected a reward for reporting the death of David's rival and persecutor — surely the man who hunted David for years would be glad to hear he was dead. But David's heart was not like that. He would not rejoice over a fallen enemy, living the truth the proverb teaches: "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth" (Proverbs 24:17). A heart after God's own does not gloat at another's ruin, even the ruin of one who sought his life.
Reverence for the LORD's Anointed (2 Samuel 1:11-16)
David's response is not celebration but grief, and then justice on the man who dared to lift his hand against God's king.
Mourning, Then Justice
"Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him: And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed? And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD'S anointed. And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son: (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)"
Hebrew Study
The charge that seals the Amalekite's fate is "thou wast not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed" — meshiach YHWH, from mashiach, the root of "Messiah." To David, the king's anointing made his person sacred, whatever the man's failings. That word for "anointed" would rise through the Scriptures to its fullness in the true Anointed One, the Christ — but already here it teaches that the office God establishes is not for a man to lift his hand against.
Explanation
David's response comes in two movements. First, sincere grief: he and all his men "mourned, and wept, and fasted until even" for Saul, for Jonathan, and for the fallen of Israel — no trace of triumph. Then justice: the Amalekite who boasted of slaying "the LORD's anointed" is condemned "out of thine own mouth." David is utterly consistent — for years he refused to harm Saul himself, and he will not now reward a man who claims to have done it. The reverence he showed the living king he vindicates over the dead one.
Gospel Focus
For years David had refused to harm Saul, though he had the chance, saying, "I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the LORD's anointed" (1 Samuel 24:10). That reverence had not changed now that Saul was dead. David held God's ordained authority in awe, even when that authority had wronged him. This is the Spirit of the gospel: "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth" (Proverbs 24:17), and "Love your enemies... and pray for them which despitefully use you" (Matthew 5:44). David mourned the man who hunted him. A heart after God's own heart does not gloat over the ruin of others.
The Song of the Bow (2 Samuel 1:17-27)
David turns his sorrow into a lament for all Israel to learn, honoring Saul the king and Jonathan the friend.
How the Mighty Have Fallen
"The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 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. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"
Hebrew Study
"How the mighty have fallen," eik naphlu gibborim (אֵיךְ נָפְלוּ גִבּוֹרִים). The refrain sounds three times through the lament (verses 19, 25, 27), a bell tolling over fallen greatness. The gibborim are the mighty men, the heroes. David grieves that such strength has come to nothing.
Explanation
David's lament, "the Song of the Bow," is a marvel of generosity. He had every earthly reason to speak ill of Saul, who had hunted him for years — yet he praises him alongside Jonathan: "lovely and pleasant in their lives," swifter than eagles, stronger than lions. He calls Israel to grief and warns, "tell it not in Gath," lest the Philistines gloat over the fall. And for his friend he breaks into pure tenderness: "thy love to me was wonderful." True nobility mourns even a persecutor honestly and covers, rather than exposes, a fallen enemy's shame.
Gospel Focus
David remembers the good, not the wrongs. He praises Saul's and Jonathan's courage and speaks tenderly of his covenant friendship with Jonathan, whose love was "wonderful" to him (verse 26). This is grace: to bury the offense and honor what was worth honoring. The lament also sounds a solemn note about all human strength, for even the mighty fall. Only one King would rise and never fall, the greater Son of David, whose kingdom has no end (Luke 1:32-33). Until then, David teaches us to grieve rightly, to honor even flawed people, and to leave judgment to God.
Chapter 1 in Review
2 Samuel 1 opens David's reign with a lament, not a celebration. When news comes that Saul and Jonathan have fallen, David tears his clothes, weeps, and fasts. He executes the Amalekite who boasts of killing "the LORD's anointed," and then pours out the Song of the Bow, honoring the king who hunted him and the friend he loved, with the tolling refrain, "How the mighty have fallen."
For the Apostolic reader, this chapter is a portrait of grace toward enemies and reverence for God's authority. David does not rejoice at his rival's ruin; he mourns it. He shows the heart God looks for, one that refuses bitterness, honors what is honorable, and leaves vengeance to the Lord. It points us to the King who would love even His enemies to the end.
- God's people do not rejoice at the downfall of their enemies (Proverbs 24:17).
- David revered "the LORD's anointed," honoring God-ordained authority even when wronged.
- Grace remembers the good and buries the offense, honoring what is worth honoring.
- Even the mighty fall; only the greater Son of David reigns forever.
Questions for Reflection
- David mourned an enemy. Is there someone whose downfall you have secretly welcomed, when God calls you to grieve?
- David honored God's authority even after being wronged by it. How do you respond to flawed leaders?
- The lament remembers the good. Whom could you choose to honor rather than resent?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- News of Saul's death; the Amalekite's story: 2 Samuel 1:1-16; compare 1 Samuel 31:1-6.
- David's earlier refusal to harm the LORD's anointed: 1 Samuel 24:6-10; 26:9-11.
- Do not rejoice at an enemy's fall; love your enemies: Proverbs 24:17; Matthew 5:44.
- The Song of the Bow: 2 Samuel 1:17-27.
- The everlasting throne of the Son of David: 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Luke 1:32-33.