2 Samuel 21:21
New International Version
When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed him.

New Living Translation
But when he defied and taunted Israel, he was killed by Jonathan, the son of David’s brother Shimea.

English Standard Version
And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down.

Berean Standard Bible
and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.

King James Bible
And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.

New King James Version
So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

New American Standard Bible
When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck and killed him.

NASB 1995
When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down.

NASB 1977
And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he reproached Israel, so Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down.

Amplified Bible
And when he taunted and defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, killed him.

Christian Standard Bible
When he taunted Israel, Jonathan, son of David’s brother Shimei, killed him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When he taunted Israel, Jonathan, son of David’s brother Shimei, killed him.

American Standard Version
And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, slew him.

Contemporary English Version
But when he made fun of Israel, David's nephew Jonathan killed him. Jonathan was the son of David's brother Shimei.

English Revised Version
And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei David's brother slew him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When he challenged Israel, Jonathan, son of David's brother Shimei, killed him.

Good News Translation
He defied the Israelites, and Jonathan, the son of David's brother Shammah, killed him.

International Standard Version
When he defied Israel, David's brother Shimeah's son Jonathan killed him.

Majority Standard Bible
and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David?s brother Shimei killed him.

NET Bible
When he taunted Israel, Jonathan, the son of David's brother Shimeah, killed him.

New Heart English Bible
When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah, David?s brother, killed him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah the brother of David slew him.

World English Bible
When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, killed him.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and he reproaches Israel, and Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, strikes him;

Young's Literal Translation
and he reproacheth Israel, and smite him doth Jonathan son of Shimeah, brother of David;

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will reproach Israel, and Jonathan, son of Shimeab, David's brother, will strike him.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he reproached Israel: and Jonathan the son of Samae the brother of David slew him.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he blasphemed Israel. So Jonathan, the son of Shimei, the brother of David, struck him down.

New American Bible
And when he insulted Israel, Jonathan, son of David’s brother Shimei, struck him down.

New Revised Standard Version
When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of David’s brother Shimei, killed him.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And when he had defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah the brother of David slew him.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he defied Israel, and Yonadab, son of Shama, the brother of David, killed him
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he defied Israel, and Jonathan son of Semei brother of David, smote him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Four Battles Against the Philistines
20And there was still another battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He too was descended from Rapha, 21and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him. 22So these four descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.…

Cross References
1 Chronicles 20:7
and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.

1 Samuel 17:49-51
Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. / Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. / David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword and pulled it from its sheath and killed him, and he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.

1 Samuel 17:4-7
Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height, / and he had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore a bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels, / and he had armor of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. ...

1 Samuel 17:10
Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man to fight!”

1 Samuel 17:26
David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

1 Samuel 17:36
Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

1 Samuel 17:45-47
But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. / This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. / And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”

1 Samuel 17:50
Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

2 Samuel 23:20-21
And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a man of valor from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He struck down two champions of Moab, and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion. / He also struck down an Egyptian, a huge man. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club, snatched the spear from his hand, and killed the Egyptian with his own spear.

1 Chronicles 11:22-23
And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a man of valor from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He struck down two champions of Moab, and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion. / He also struck down an Egyptian, a huge man five cubits tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s beam in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club, snatched the spear from his hand, and killed the Egyptian with his own spear.

1 Chronicles 11:12-14
Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men. / He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At a place with a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines. / But Eleazar and David stationed themselves in the middle of the field and defended it. They struck down the Philistines, and the LORD brought about a great victory.

1 Chronicles 11:10
Now these were the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who, together with all Israel, bolstered and strengthened his kingdom, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.

1 Chronicles 11:20-21
Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the Three, and he wielded his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name along with the Three. / He was doubly honored above the Three, and he became their commander, even though he was not included among the Three.

1 Chronicles 11:24-25
These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who won a name along with the three mighty men. / He was most honored among the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. And David appointed him over his guard.

1 Chronicles 11:26-47
Now these were the mighty men: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem, / Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, / Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, ...


Treasury of Scripture

And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah the brother of David slew him.

defied.

1 Samuel 17:10,25,26,36
And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together…

2 Kings 19:13
Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?

Jonathan

1 Chronicles 27:32
Also Jonathan David's uncle was a counseller, a wise man, and a scribe: and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king's sons:

Shimeah

1 Samuel 16:9
Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

1 Samuel 17:3
And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.

Shammah

1 Chronicles 2:13
And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third,

Shimma

Jump to Previous
David David's Death Defied Israel Jonathan Killed Purposing Reproacheth Shame Shimea Shimeah Shimei Shim'e-I Slew Smite Smote Struck Taunted
Jump to Next
David David's Death Defied Israel Jonathan Killed Purposing Reproacheth Shame Shimea Shimeah Shimei Shim'e-I Slew Smite Smote Struck Taunted
2 Samuel 21
1. The three year Gibeonite famine ceases, by hanging seven of Saul's sons.
10. Rizpah's kindness unto the dead
12. David buries the bones of Saul and Jonathan in his father's tomb
15. Four battles against the Philistines, wherein four men of David slay four giants.














and when he taunted Israel
The phrase "and when he taunted Israel" indicates a moment of provocation and challenge. The Hebrew root for "taunted" is "חרף" (charaph), which can mean to defy or reproach. This act of taunting is reminiscent of Goliath's challenge to Israel in 1 Samuel 17, where the Philistine giant defied the armies of the living God. Historically, such taunts were not merely insults but challenges to the honor and faith of the nation. In the ancient Near Eastern context, battles often involved psychological warfare, where demoralizing the enemy was as crucial as physical combat. This taunt against Israel was a direct affront to their identity as God's chosen people, and it required a response that upheld God's honor.

Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei
"Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei" introduces us to a lesser-known hero in the biblical narrative. Jonathan, not to be confused with David's close friend, the son of King Saul, is a member of David's extended family. The mention of "David’s brother Shimei" situates Jonathan within the lineage of Jesse, David's father, highlighting the continued valor and faithfulness within David's family. The name "Jonathan" in Hebrew, "יְהוֹנָתָן" (Yehonatan), means "Yahweh has given," suggesting divine providence and blessing. This familial connection underscores the theme of God's faithfulness to David's house, as promised in the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7). It also reflects the importance of family loyalty and the continuation of God's promises through David's lineage.

killed him
The phrase "killed him" signifies the decisive action taken by Jonathan. The Hebrew verb "הָרַג" (harag) means to kill or slay, indicating a complete and final victory over the adversary. This act of killing the taunter is not merely a physical victory but a spiritual one, as it defends the honor of Israel and, by extension, the honor of God. In the broader scriptural context, this victory echoes the triumphs of David over his enemies, reinforcing the idea that God empowers His people to overcome those who defy Him. Theologically, it serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Jonathan's victory is a testament to the courage and faith required to stand against those who oppose God's purposes, encouraging believers to trust in God's strength in their own battles.

(21) Jonathan the son of Shimeah.--Hence he was the nephew of David (1Chronicles 20:7), and was either the wily Jonadab mentioned in 2Samuel 13:3, or, more probably, his brother. David's family connections seem to have constituted a clan of heroes.

Verse 21. - Jonatham. He was brother to the subtle Jonadab who helped Amnon on his way to ruin. The spelling of the father's name shows how little importance we can place on the Hebrew text in the matter of names. He is called here in the Hebrew Shimei, which the Massorites have changed into Shimeah. In 2 Samuel 13:3 we have Shimeah, in 1 Samuel 16:9 Shammah, and in 1 Chronicles 2:13 Shimma.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
and when he taunted
וַיְחָרֵ֖ף (way·ḥā·rêp̄)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2778: To pull off, to expose, to betroth, to carp at, defame, to spend the winter

Israel,
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

Jonathan
יְה֣וֹנָתָ֔ן (yə·hō·w·nā·ṯān)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3083: Jonathan -- 'the LORD has given', the name of a number of Israelites

the son
בֶּן־ (ben-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of David's
דָוִֽד׃ (ḏā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

brother
אֲחִ֥י (’ă·ḥî)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 251: A brother, )

Shimei
שִׁמְעָ֖ה (šim·‘āh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8096: Shimei -- the name of a number of Israelites

killed him.
וַיַּכֵּ֙הוּ֙ (way·yak·kê·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5221: To strike


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OT History: 2 Samuel 21:21 When he defied Israel Jonathan the son (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 21:20
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