שמואל ב, פרק כ״א, פסוק י״ג

After many years, the remains of Israel's first king and his son are finally brought to their permanent resting place alongside the rest of their executed family members. King David takes the initiative to retrieve the bones of Saul and Jonathan from the city of Jabesh-Gilead [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. These remains are then joined with the bones of Saul's seven sons, who had been hanged in Gibeah of Saul [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון].

This gathering of remains is intended to correct a historical wrong. At the time of his death, King Saul was never properly mourned. To fix this, David transports the bones throughout all the tribes of Israel, allowing the entire nation to assemble and pay their final respects to their former king.

Although the appropriate time to eulogize Saul and Jonathan had passed long ago, David finds a way to honor them. He brings their remains up alongside the bones of the seven hanged sons, who had been killed within the past year. Because the normal mourning period for the recently executed sons is still relevant, the nation uses the occasion of their eulogies to finally and properly mourn their royal ancestors as well [מלבי״ם].