Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Dear Jack,

> It must be pointed that this is some time after Sauls
> death.  None of the seven male descendents of Saul are
> implicated in Sauls crime in the text.  They did not commit
> the sin but their death atones for Sauls (and Israels ?)
> sin.

HH: I don't know that we can say none of the 
seven descendants are implicated in Saul's crime. 
Listen to this word from God:

2Sam. 21:1 ¶ During the reign of David, there was 
a famine for three successive years; so David 
sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said,  "It 
is on account of Saul and his blood-stained 
house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to 
death."

HH: The famine was not only due to Saul but also 
to his "blood-stained house." His "house" 
signifies his family. These seven people were 
quite close to Saul and presumably could have 
participated with Saul in the destruction of the 
Gibeonites, thus making themselves 
"blood-stained."

HH: I don't know that the seven were personally 
involved, but I don't know that they weren't. I 
know that God characterizes Saul's family as 
blood-stained. God consented to the request of 
the Gibeonites and He is righteous. So there must 
have been good grounds for it.

HH: There is a notion of corporate solidarity and 
responsibility that existed in the ancient world, 
and we see it at work in God's judgments 
sometimes. The thirty-six who died at Ai had not 
committed Achan's sin, but they were part of the 
nation that God had warned not to take things 
under the ban as Achan did. Achan's family had 
not necessarily plotted in the crime, yet they 
were also put to death for it (perhaps they knew 
of it and kept it a secret). God is the God of 
eternity, so we have to trust that He knows what 
He's doing, even if He doesn't explain every 
detail.

                                        Yours,
                                        Harold Holmyard