שמואל ב, פרק כ״א, פסוק י״ב

Years after the tragic deaths of Saul and Jonathan at Mount Gilboa, following a bitter period of famine and the public hanging of Saul's descendants, a moment of historical and moral closure finally arrives. David is moved to care for their memory and grant the first king of Israel the final respect that had been denied to him.

David's decision to act stems from several intertwined reasons. The immediate trigger is the profound kindness of Rizpah, who faithfully guarded the exposed bodies of Saul's descendants from wild beasts and birds. Her dedication inspires David to show a similar kindness toward the dead by ensuring that Saul and Jonathan are finally laid to rest properly [מצודת דוד]. Furthermore, a message from God revealed that the severe famine striking the land was partly because Saul had never received an appropriate eulogy [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. On a deeper spiritual level, Saul's initial lack of a proper burial and eulogy was a punishment for his past sins. However, once his family faced an additional punishment for his actions against the Gibeonites—resulting in the hanging of his descendants—the initial punishment of remaining unburied was no longer necessary. This shift opens the door for David to correct the lingering indignity [מלבי״ם].

To make this right, David approaches the leaders of Jabesh-gilead [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The people of this city had previously acted out of deep gratitude to Saul, remembering how he had once saved them from the Ammonites. Shortly after Saul and Jonathan fell in battle, the Philistines had publicly hung their bodies in the street of Beth-shan, a Philistine stronghold. Though earlier accounts mention the bodies hanging on the city wall, the wall simply faced the street, making the display highly visible [מצודת דוד]. Ironically, this public exposure by the Philistines closely mirrors the recent hanging of Saul's own descendants by the Gibeonites [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Unwilling to let their king suffer this disgrace, the people of Jabesh-gilead had stolen the bodies and given them a secret burial in their own city [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Because this initial burial was done in hiding and without the honor of a public eulogy, David now retrieves their bones. He brings them to be buried a second time, finally granting them the respect they deserve and laying them to rest alongside Saul's ancestors [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם].