2 Samuel 1:12
in 2 Samuel 1They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Jehovah, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.
KJV
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.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 1
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
For Saul ... - David’s thoroughly patriotic and unselfish character is strongly marked here. He looked upon the death of Saul, and the defeat of Israel by a pagan foe, with unmixed sorrow, though it opened to him the way to the throne, and removed his mortal enemy out of the way. For Jonathan he mourned with all the tenderness of a loving friend.
This site's exposition
David took hold of his own clothes
on 2 Samuel 1:11-12
David and every man with him tear their clothes, and they mourn, weep and fast. The grief names four together, Saul, Jonathan, “the people of the LORD” and “the house of Israel”. Tearing the clothes for a death is the custom of Jacob at Genesis 37:34, as John Gill notes.
This site's exposition
because they had fallen by the sword
The verse ends on the cause of the grief, the people of the LORD fallen by the sword. Albert Barnes reads a patriot’s grief at Israel beaten by a pagan foe. Barnes adds that David mourned Jonathan as a loving friend.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
What a surprise was this to the messenger, who thought he should have favour shown him for his pains. In vain did he plead that he had Saul's order for it, that it was a real kindness to him, that he must inevitably have died; all those pleas are overruled: " Thy mouth has testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
And they mourned and wept,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
a man came out of the camp from Saul--As the narrative of Saul's death, given in the last chapter, is inspired, it must be considered the true account, and the Amalekite's story a fiction of his own, invented to ingratiate himself with David, the presumptive successor to the throne.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַֽיִּסְפְּדוּ֙ | vaiyispedu | and they mourned | H5594 → | 30 times |
| וַיִּבְכּ֔וּ | vaiyivku | and they wept | H1058 → | 114 times |
| וַיָּצֻ֖מוּ | vaiyatzumu | and they fasted | H6684 → | 21 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| הָעָ֑רֶב | haarev | the evening | H6153 → | 134 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| שָׁא֞וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| וְעַל־ | veal- | and on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יְהוֹנָתָ֣ן | yehonatan | Jonathan | H3083 → | 81 times |
| בְּנ֗וֹ | beno | son his | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| וְעַל־ | veal- | and on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| עַ֤ם | ʾam | [the] people of | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וְעַל־ | veal- | and on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| בֵּ֣ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| כִּ֥י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נָפְל֖וּ | nafelu | they had fallen | H5307 → | 435 times |
| בֶּחָֽרֶב׃ ס | becharev | by the sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
וַֽיִּסְפְּדוּ֙and they mourned
vaiyispeduH5594 →30 times
וַיִּבְכּ֔וּand they wept
vaiyivkuH1058 →114 times
וַיָּצֻ֖מוּand they fasted
vaiyatzumuH6684 →21 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
הָעָ֑רֶבthe evening
haarevH6153 →134 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
שָׁא֞וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
וְעַל־and on
veal-H5921 →5755 times
יְהוֹנָתָ֣ןJonathan
yehonatanH3083 →81 times
בְּנ֗וֹson his
benoH1121 →4930 times
וְעַל־and on
veal-H5921 →5755 times
עַ֤ם[the] people of
ʾamH5971 →1873 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וְעַל־and on
veal-H5921 →5755 times
בֵּ֣ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
כִּ֥יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
נָפְל֖וּthey had fallen
nafeluH5307 →435 times
בֶּחָֽרֶב׃ סby the sword
becharevH2719 →413 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Matthew 5:44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
it leads to
- Romans 12:14
Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.
- 1 Peter 3:9
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
- Luke 6:27–28
But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
- Romans 12:20–21
On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
- Proverbs 25:21–22
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
- Romans 12:14
Through
1 Peter 3:8Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.
it leads to
- Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.
- Ephesians 4:31
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.
- 1 Peter 1:22
Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
- Romans 12:10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
About 2 Samuel

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonUnited monarchySaulIsrael's first king, head and shoulders above the people; began in humility, ended in rejection — sparing what God devoted, consul…
- PersonEarly monarchyJonathanSon of King Saul who climbed a cliff to rout a garrison on the conviction that nothing restrains Jehovah; cut a covenant of steadf…
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); 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.
