This contribution will explore the "case of justice" proposed by the story of 2Sam 21:1-14, starting from the hypothesis that this is not a unitary story. The first narrative thread (vv. 1-9, 14b) presents a case of application of the lex talionis (Ex. 21:23-25; Lev. 24:17-19): the Gibeonites, who have suffered a blood crime at the hands of Saul, demand the handing over of seven sons of the Saulide clan; the rebalancing of human relationships shows, with the end of the famine (v. 14b), its effect on the natural world as well. This narrative thread confirms the validity of the law and its power to rebalance human relationships, preventing the growth of uncontrolled vengeance. The Book of Samuel, however, repeatedly questions this straightforward view of human relationships and conflict resolution: the story of Nathan (2 Samuel 12:1-4) complicates the theft of property with the killing of a "beloved one"; the story of the woman of Tekoah (2 Samuel 14:1-20) puts in dialogue two equally important legal institutions for the protection of the family. David's judgment takes into account the complexity of each of these cases. Rizpah's silent action (2Sam 21:10) complicates the case of retributive justice by introducing a variable: the unburied bodies of the seven Saulids are an outrage to human dignity, which demands reparation, the theme of the second narrative thread (2Sam 21:11-14a). David takes the remains of Saul and Jonathan and reunites them, in the tomb of Kish in Benjamin, with the remains of the seven sons, thus closing the story of the Saulide house and pacifying its memory. The end of the famine (v. 14b), in the overall story, takes on greater importance: it is the outcome of both acts of justice, which highlight the theme of the inviolable dignity of the human being.