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2 Samuel 1:27

in 2 Samuel 1

How the mighty have fallen and the weapons of war have perished!”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

How are the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished!

KJV

How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

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This verse in 2 Samuel 1

Commentary

4 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

the weapons of war have perished

The lament closes on its refrain a third time, cut to one line: “How the mighty have fallen and the weapons of war have perished”. Nothing in the poem answers the loss it names, and the empty throne it leaves is what the chapters after it fill.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. 4 And David said unto him, How went the matter? 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.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:100%@v3-4

How are the mighty fallen,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, &c.--The fondness for dress, which anciently distinguished Oriental women, is their characteristic still.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-run:15w-of-29

The words behind it

6 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • אֵ֚יךְhow!

    ʾeikhH349 →82 times

  • נָפְל֣וּthey have fallen

    nafeluH5307 →435 times

  • גִבּוֹרִ֔ים[the] mighty [ones]

    giborimH1368 →158 times

  • וַיֹּאבְד֖וּand they have perished

    vaiyoeduH6 →

  • כְּלֵ֥י[the] weapons of

    keleiH3627 →325 times

  • מִלְחָמָֽה׃ פwar

    milchamahH4421 →320 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

6 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

2 Samuel 1:25How the mighty have fallen in the thick of battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights.7 works2 Samuel 1:19“Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen!6 worksPsalms 46:9He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.5 worksEzekiel 39:9–10Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out, kindle fires, and burn up the weapons—the bucklers and shields, the bows and arrows, the clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.5 works2 Kings 2:12As Elisha watched, he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And he saw Elijah no more. So taking hold of his own clothes, he tore them in two.4 works2 Kings 13:14When Elisha had fallen sick with the illness from which he would die, Jehoash king of Israel came down to him and wept over him, saying, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!”2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Psalms 46:9

    He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 2:4

      Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against…

    • Micah 4:3–4

      Then He will judge between many peoples and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide. Then they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take…

    • Micah 5:10

      “In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will remove your horses from among you and wreck your chariots.

    • Joshua 11:9

      Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.

    • Isaiah 60:18

      No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders. But you will name your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.

  • Through

    2 Samuel 1:19

    “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen!

    it leads to

    • Lamentations 5:16

      The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • 2 Samuel 1:25

      How the mighty have fallen in the thick of battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights.

  • Through

    2 Kings 2:12

    As Elisha watched, he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And he saw Elijah no more. So taking hold of his own clothes, he tore them in two.

    it leads to

    • 2 Kings 13:14

      When Elisha had fallen sick with the illness from which he would die, Jehoash king of Israel came down to him and wept over him, saying, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen…

Where this verse is studied

About 2 Samuel

David Mourns the Death of Absalom, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
David Mourns the Death of Absalom, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
2 Samuel: the study guide →Read 2 Samuel 1 →

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 2 Samuel 1 →