1. 2 Samuel 4:10 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why did David refer to his previous actions with regards to the Amalekite?

2 Samuel 4:10 (ESV)

10 when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.

Similar to Rechab and Baanah, the Amalekite thought that Saul was David’s enemy. He did not realize that David was a loyal servant of Saul. Likewise, these two Benjamites did not comprehend David’s respect for Saul and his family (1 Samuel 24:12; 1 Samuel 26:9–11; 2 Samuel 1:14–16) and his responsibility to uphold the law (Deuteronomy 17:19).1