Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, September 11th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

2 Samuel 1:27

Oh, how the mighty heroes have fallen! Stripped of their weapons, they lie dead.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - David;   Elegy;   Friendship;   Jonathan;   Mourning;   Poetry;   Song;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Arms, Military;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Barley;   Jonathan;   Saul;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - David;   Funeral;   Jonathan;   Saul, king of israel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Friend, Friendship;   Funeral;   Psalms, Theology of;   Easton Bible Dictionary - David;   Gilboa;   Jasher;   Jonathan;   Lamentation;   Lamentations, Book of;   Poetry;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - David;   Lamentations;   Poetry;   Psalms;   Samuel, the Books of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Book(s);   Burial;   Gilboa;   Music, Instruments, Dancing;   Poetry;   Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - David;   Israel;   Jashar, Book of;   Mourning Customs;   Samuel, Books of;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Mount gilboa;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Dwelling;   Jonathan;   Scripture;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Da'vid;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - David;   How;   Psalms, Book of;   Samuel, Books of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - David;   Funeral Oration;   Poetry;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
How the mighty have fallenand the weapons of war have perished!
Hebrew Names Version
How are the mighty fallen, The weapons of war perished!
King James Version
How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
Lexham English Bible
How the mighty have fallen and the weapons of warfare perished."
English Standard Version
"How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"
New Century Version
"How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war are gone."
New English Translation
How the warriors have fallen! The weapons of war are destroyed!
Amplified Bible
"How the mighty have fallen, And the weapons of war have perished!"
New American Standard Bible
"How the mighty have fallen, And the weapons of war have perished!"
Geneva Bible (1587)
howe are the mightie ouerthrowen, and the weapons of warre destroyed!
Legacy Standard Bible
How have the mighty fallen,And the weapons of war perished!"
Contemporary English Version
Our warriors have fallen, and their weapons are destroyed.
Complete Jewish Bible
How the heroes have fallen and the weapons of war perished"
Darby Translation
How are the mighty fallen, and the instruments of war perished!
Easy-to-Read Version
Heroes have fallen in battle. Their weapons of war are lost."
George Lamsa Translation
How are the mighty fallen and the weapons of war perished!
Good News Translation
"The brave soldiers have fallen, their weapons abandoned and useless."
Literal Translation
How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
How are the Worthies fallen, and ye weapens destroyed?
American Standard Version
How are the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished!
Bible in Basic English
How have the great ones been made low, and the arms of war broken!
Bishop's Bible (1568)
O how are the mightie ouerthrowen, and the weapons of warre destroyed?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
King James Version (1611)
How are the mightie fallen, and the weapons of warre perished!
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
English Revised Version
How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
Berean Standard Bible
How the mighty have fallen and the weapons of war have perished!"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Hou therfor `felden doun stronge men, and armeris of batel perischide?
Young's Literal Translation
How have the mighty fallen, Yea, the weapons of war perish!'
Update Bible Version
How are the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished!
Webster's Bible Translation
How have the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
World English Bible
How are the mighty fallen, The weapons of war perished!
New King James Version
"How the mighty have fallen, And the weapons of war perished!"
New Life Bible
How have the powerful fallen, and the bows and swords of war destroyed!"
New Revised Standard
How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
How have fallen the mighty, and perished the weapons of war!
Douay-Rheims Bible
How are the valiant fallen, and the weapons of war perished?
Revised Standard Version
"How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"
THE MESSAGE
The mighty warriors—fallen, fallen. And the arms of war broken to bits.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"How have the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished!"

Contextual Overview

17 Then David composed a funeral song for Saul and Jonathan, 18 and he commanded that it be taught to the people of Judah. It is known as the Song of the Bow, and it is recorded in The Book of Jashar. 19 Your pride and joy, O Israel, lies dead on the hills! Oh, how the mighty heroes have fallen! 20 Don't announce the news in Gath, don't proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice and the pagans will laugh in triumph. 21 O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fruitful fields producing offerings of grain. For there the shield of the mighty heroes was defiled; the shield of Saul will no longer be anointed with oil. 22 The bow of Jonathan was powerful, and the sword of Saul did its mighty work. They shed the blood of their enemies and pierced the bodies of mighty heroes. 23 How beloved and gracious were Saul and Jonathan! They were together in life and in death. They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions. 24 O women of Israel, weep for Saul, for he dressed you in luxurious scarlet clothing, in garments decorated with gold. 25 Oh, how the mighty heroes have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies dead on the hills. 26 How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan! Oh, how much I loved you! And your love for me was deep, deeper than the love of women!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

How are: 2 Samuel 1:19, 2 Samuel 1:25

weapons: 2 Kings 2:12, 2 Kings 13:14, Psalms 46:9, Ezekiel 39:9, Ezekiel 39:10

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:2
The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
Genesis 1:7
And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens.
Genesis 1:9
Then God said, "Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear." And that is what happened.
Genesis 1:21
So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:25
God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 2:18
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him."
Psalms 139:14
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
Isaiah 43:7
Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.'"
Malachi 2:15
Didn't the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

How are the mighty fallen,.... This is the burden of this elegiac song, being the third time it is mentioned:

and the weapons of war perished! not only the valiant soldiers were killed, but their arms were lost; and particularly he may mean Saul and Jonathan, who as they were the shields of the people, so they were the true weapons and instruments of war, and with them all military glory perished; which must be understood as a poetical figure, exaggerating their military characters; otherwise David, and many mighty men with him, remained, and who revived and increased the military glory of Israel, as the following history shows.


 
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