2 Samuel 21:5They said to the king, "The man who consumed us, and who devised against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the borders of Israel,
The setting
Jerusalem, ~1000 BC. Gibeonite survivors describe to King David how Saul tried to exterminate their entire people from the land. Modern-day Israel/Palestine region.
The emotion here: survivors recounting systematic destruction
The original word
kalah (כָּלָה) — to consume completely, to bring to an end, total destruction
Why it matters
Saul's attack on the Gibeonites violated a 400-year-old treaty and brought a three-year famine on Israel
Read with care
What most readers miss in 2 Samuel 21:5
This was ethnic cleansing - Saul tried to completely wipe out an entire people group
Common misconceptionPeople think this is just a personal dispute, but the Gibeonites are describing what we would now call genocide - the systematic attempt to eliminate their entire ethnic group.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 2 Samuel 21:5
Bible Genome reading
2 Samuel 21:5 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
2 Samuel 21:5 comes from the book of 2 Samuel, written during the United Kingdom period. The setting is a royal palace. These words are attributed to Gibeonites. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the dialogue genre of biblical literature. Key themes include historical injustice, attempted genocide. Notable phrases: consumed us; devised against us.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does 2 Samuel 21:5 mean to you, today?
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