Why does David put to death the man who says he killed Saul?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

David says the man’s own words testify against him: he has claimed to kill the Lord’s anointed. David and his men mourn Saul, Jonathan and the fallen people of Israel.

Chapter breakdown

After Saul’s death, David returns from the slaughter of the Amalecites and stays two days in Siceleg. On the third day, a man from Saul’s camp arrives with torn clothes and dust on his head. He falls on his face before David in homage. David asks where he has come from, and he says he has fled from Israel’s camp. Asked what has happened, he reports that the people have fled the battle, many have fallen dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan have been killed. David asks how he knows that Saul and Jonathan are dead.

The young man says he happened upon Mount Gelboe and found Saul leaning on his spear as chariots and horsemen drew near. In his account, Saul looked behind him and called him; he answered that he was there. Saul asked who he was, and he said he was an Amalecite. He says Saul told him to stand over him and kill him because anguish had come upon him, although his whole life was still in him. The man claims he stood over Saul and killed him, knowing Saul could not live after his fall. He says he took the diadem from Saul’s head and the bracelet from his arm and brought them to David, whom he calls his lord.

Challoner’s separate note says the young Amalecite’s story was not true and that this can be shown by comparing it with the last chapter of the preceding book. The note does not state why the man told that story.

David tears his clothes, and all the men with him do the same. They mourn, weep and fast until evening for Saul, his son Jonathan, the people of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they have fallen by the sword.

David again asks the man where he is from. He answers that he is the son of a stranger of Amalec. David asks why he did not fear to reach out his hand to kill the Lord’s anointed. He calls one of his servants and orders him to go near and strike the man down. The servant strikes him, and he dies. David says his blood is on his own head because his own mouth has testified against him by claiming to have killed the Lord’s anointed.

David makes a lament for Saul and his son Jonathan. The passage also records his command that the children of Juda be taught the use of the bow, as written in the book of the just. His lament calls Israel to consider those who are dead and wounded on its high places: its illustrious men have been killed on its mountains, and its valiant men have fallen. He asks that the news not be told in Geth or published in Ascalon’s streets, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice and the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

David calls on the mountains of Gelboe to have neither dew nor rain nor fields of firstfruits, because the shield of the valiant was cast away there—Saul’s shield, as though he had not been anointed with oil. He recalls the blood of the slain and the fat of the valiant: Jonathan’s arrow never turned back, and Saul’s sword never returned empty. He describes Saul and Jonathan as lovely and comely in life and undivided even in death, swifter than eagles and stronger than lions. He calls the daughters of Israel to weep for Saul, who clothed them in scarlet in delights and gave them gold ornaments for their attire.

The lament returns to the valiant fallen in battle and Jonathan slain on the high places. David grieves for Jonathan as his brother, describing him as exceedingly beautiful and dear to him above the love of women. He says he loved Jonathan as a mother loves her only son. He closes by asking how the valiant have fallen and the weapons of war have perished.

The story inside

The man brings David both a report of defeat and the diadem and bracelet that he says he took from Saul. When David asks how he knows about the deaths, the man supplies an account in which he himself killed Saul at Saul’s request. David and his men respond to the reported deaths by mourning and fasting. David then directs his question to the man’s claimed act against the Lord’s anointed and orders his death. His stated reason rests on the man’s own words. Challoner separately says that the story of killing Saul was false. Keeping these two parts distinct matters: the chapter records a claim, David’s response to that claim and the note’s correction; it does not give the man an expectation of money or advancement.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Keep testimony attributed to its speaker. The account of Saul leaning on a spear and asking the Amalecite to kill him comes from the young man. Challoner calls that account untrue, so repeating it as an established event would erase the distinction the source makes.
2
David states the reason for the execution. He calls Saul the Lord’s anointed and says the man’s own mouth has spoken against him. That explanation is enough to understand the command without adding a legal custom or an unstated political purpose.
3
The mourning reaches beyond one personal loss. David and all his men mourn Saul, Jonathan, the Lord’s people and Israel’s house until evening; the lament then speaks directly of David’s love for Jonathan. The chapter gives both the wider loss and the particular relationship their place.

Test your recall

How do the Amalecite’s own claims lead to David’s order to put him to death?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 31682–31703
2 Kings Chapter 1 David mourneth for the death of Saul and Jonathan: he ordereth the man to be slain who pretended he had killed Saul. 1:1. Now it came to pass, after Saul was dead, that David returned from the slaughter of the Amalecites, and abode two days in Siceleg. 1:2. And on the third day, there appeared a man who came out of Saul’s camp, with his garments rent, and dust strewed on his head: and when he came to David, he fell upon his face, and adored. 1:3. And David said to him: From whence comest thou? And he said to him: I am fled out of the camp of Israel. 1:4. And David said unto him: What is the matter that is come to pass? tell me: He said: The people are fled from the battle, and many of the people are fallen and dead: moreover Saul and Jonathan his son are slain. 1:5. And David said to the young man that told him: How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son, are dead?
Lines 31705–31721
1:6. And the young man that told him, said: I came by chance upon mount Gelboe, and Saul leaned upon his spear: and the chariots and horsemen drew nigh unto him, 1:7. And looking behind him, and seeing me, he called me. And I answered, Here am I. 1:8. And he said to me: Who art thou? And I said to him: I am an Amalecite. 1:9. And he said to me: Stand over me, and kill me: for anguish is come upon me, and as yet my whole life is in me. 1:10. So standing over him, I killed him: for I knew that he could not live after the fall: and I took the diadem that was on his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither to thee, my lord.
Lines 31723–31725
I killed him.... This story of the young Amalecite was not true, as may easily be proved by comparing it with the last chapter of the foregoing book.
Lines 31727–31732
1:11. Then David took hold of his garments and rent them, and likewise all the men that were with him. 1:12. And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until evening 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.
Lines 31734–31745
1:13. And David said to the young man that told him: Whence art thou? He answered: I am the son of a stranger of Amalec. 1:14. David said to him: Why didst thou not fear to put out thy hand to kill the Lord’s anointed? 1:15. And David calling one of his servants, said: Go near and fall upon him. And he struck him so that he died. 1:16. And David said to him: Thy blood be upon thy own head: for thy own mouth hath spoken against thee, saying: I have slain the Lord’s anointed.
Lines 31747–31760
1:17. And David made this kind of lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son. 1:18. (Also he commanded that they should teach the children of Juda the use of the bow, as it is written in the book of the just.) And he said: Consider, O Israel, for them that are dead, wounded on thy high places. 1:19. The illustrious of Israel are slain upon thy mountains: how are the valiant fallen? 1:20. Tell it not in Geth, publish it not in the streets of Ascalon: lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
Lines 31762–31776
1:21. Ye mountains of Gelboe, let neither dew, nor rain come upon you, neither be they fields of firstfruits: for there was cast away the shield of the valiant, the shield of Saul as though he had not been anointed with oil. 1:22. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the valiant, the arrow of Jonathan never turned back, and the sword of Saul did not return empty. 1:23. Saul and Jonathan, lovely, and comely in their life, even in death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions. 1:24. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you with scarlet in delights, who gave ornaments of gold for your attire.
Lines 31778–31787
1:25. How are the valiant fallen in battle? Jonathan slain in the high places? 1:26. I grieve for thee, my brother Jonathan: exceeding beautiful, and amiable to me above the love of women. As the mother loveth her only son, so did I love thee. 1:27. How are the valiant fallen, and the weapons of war perished?