2 Samuel 1 Bible study: How the mighty have fallen

2 Samuel picks up where 1 Samuel ended, but David isn't on Mount Gilboa. "After the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag" (1:1). The Amalekites had struck Ziklag and burned it (1 Samuel 30:1), and David had struck them (1 Samuel 30:17). On the third day "a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes torn and earth on his head" (1:2). "When he came to David, he fell to the earth and showed respect" (1:2). David asks, "How did it go? Please tell me" (1:4), and he answers, "The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead. Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also" (1:4) (tap fallen).

2 Samuel 1:12→leads toJohn 11:35

David and his men "mourned, wept, and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son" (1:12), and David lamented over them (1:17). After Lazarus had died (John 11:14), Mary came to Jesus (John 11:32), and when Jesus "saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her" (John 11:33), "Jesus wept" (John 11:35); the Jews said, "See how much affection he had for him!" (John 11:36). No New Testament passage cites 2 Samuel 1, so setting the two side by side is a reading. Some see a likeness: in each, a man weeps openly over the dead, among others who weep. Others read each on its own: David wept for a king and his son fallen in battle, and for the people of the LORD (1:12); Jesus had already said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep" (John 11:11), and at the tomb (John 11:38) he called, "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43).

גִּבּוֹרgibborsay gib-BOHR

Brown-Driver-Briggs: "strong, mighty". Strong's: "powerful; by implication, warrior". The lament uses it five times (1:19, 1:21, 1:22, 1:25, 1:27). The refrain is three Hebrew words, eikh naflu gibborim, "How the mighty have fallen", and it comes three times (1:19, 1:25, 1:27). The other two are "the shield of the mighty" (1:21) and "the fat of the mighty" (1:22). Hannah's prayer had the word, with bow: "The bows of the mighty men are broken" (1 Samuel 2:4). Later 2 Samuel lists "the names of the mighty men whom David had" (23:8).