Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, [whom] the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give [them].
Ver. 6. Let seven men of his sons.] Saul and some of his sons perished in that last battle of his against the Philistines, for the massacre of God's priests: and now more of them for his cruel dealing with these Gibeonites. Murder is a crying sin; and albeit mortal judges may not punish the children for the father's offence, - although the Japanese do so, they say; and it was the cruellest manner of Uladus Prince of Wallachia, together with the offender, to execute the whole family, yea, sometimes the whole kindred, a - yet God may justly punish the father in the children, though innocent in that particular, because all are sinners before him: children also are part of their parents' goods, &c. women from Tekoah confessed that they were all worthy to die. 2Sa 14:14 and Mephibosheth stated. 2Sa 9:8
Whom the Lord did choose.] And therefore his sin was the greater. As he perished "as though he had not been anointed with oil," 2Sa 1:21 so he sinned as if he had not been elected of God for king of Israel. Junius referreth it to David, and readeth it, "O thou who art the chosen one of the Lord": but the former interpretation seemeth to be the better.
a Turk. Hist., 363.