2 Samuel 1:21

1:21 O mountains of Gilboa,

may there be no dew or rain on you, nor fields of grain offerings!¹

For it was there that the shield of warriors was defiled;²

the shield of Saul lies neglected without oil.³

2 Samuel 7:10

7:10 I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle⁴ them there; they will live there and not be disturbed⁵ any more. Violent men⁶ will not oppress them again, as they did in the beginning

2 Samuel 24:9

24:9 Joab reported the number of warriors⁷ to the king. In Israel there were 800,000 sword-wielding warriors, and in Judah there were 500,000 soldiers.

¹tc Instead of the MT’s “fields of grain offerings” the Lucianic recension of the LXX reads “your high places are mountains of death.” Cf. the Old Latin montes mortis (“mountains of death”).

²tn This is the only biblical occurrence of the Niphal of the verb גָּעַל (ga’al). This verb usually has the sense of “to abhor” or “loathe.” But here it seems to refer to the now dirty and unprotected condition of a previously well-maintained instrument of battle.

³tc It is preferable to read here Hebrew מָשׁוּחַ (mashuakh) with many Hebrew mss, rather than מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh) of the MT. Although the Syriac Peshitta understands the statement to pertain to Saul, the point here is not that Saul is not anointed. Rather, it is the shield of Saul that lies discarded and is no longer anointed. In ancient Near Eastern practice a warrior’s shield that was in normal use would have to be anointed regularly in order to ensure that the leather did not become dry and brittle. Like other warriors of his day Saul would have carefully maintained his tools of trade. But now that he is dead, the once-cared-for shield of the mighty warrior lies sadly discarded and woefully neglected, a silent but eloquent commentary on how different things are now compared to the way they were during Saul’s lifetime.

⁴tn Heb “plant.”

⁵tn Heb “shaken.”

⁶tn Heb “the sons of violence.”

⁷tn Heb “and Joab gave the number of the numbering of the people.”