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COMMENTARY ON THE HOLY BIBLE
THE OLD TESTAMENT
IN
E%t Attt|oti}eli Vnmn,
WITH
NOTES AND INTRODUCTIONS
BY
CHR. WORDSWORTH, D.D.,
UtCHDBAOON OV WBSTKIIIBTIB.
£ «. d.
I. GENESIS and EXODUS. Second Edition 110
II. LEVmCFS, NUMBERS, DEUTERONOMY. Second
Edition 18
THE PENTATEUCH complete may be had in one Volume 1 18
m. JOSHUA, JUDGES, RUTH. Second Edition 12
IV. THE BOOKS of SAMUEL. Second Edition . ... 10
V. THE BOOKS of KINGS, CHRONICLES, EZRA,
NEHEMIAH, ESTHER 110
All the above Parts, completing the historical books of the Old Testament, may be had
bound together in three Volumes.
VI. THE BOOK of JOB 090
OTHER PARTS ARE IN PREPARATION. ANY PART MAT BE HAD SEPARATELY.
By the same Editor, uniform icith the above,
THE GREEK TESTAMENT,
WITH
NOTES AND INTRODUCTIONS.
£ «. d.
I. THE FOUR GOSPELS. Fifth Edition 110
II. THE ACTS of the APOSTLES. FouHh Edition .... 10 6
III. ST. PAUL'S EPISTLES. FouHh Edition 1 11 6
IV. THE GENERAL EPISTLES, REVELATION, and
INDICES. Third Edition 110
The whole work may be had bound together in two thick Volumes.
ANT PART MAY BE HAD SEPARATELY.
RIVINGTONS,
lonlion, ®xfotli, antt (ffamiirilige.
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THE
HOLY BIBLE;
WITH NOTES AND INTRODUCTIONS
BY
CHR. WORDSWORTH, D.D.
ARCHDEACON OF WESTMINSTER.
VOLH.
Pabt n.— the books of SAMUEL.
SECOND EDITION.
RIVINGTONS, WATERLOO PLACE ;
HIGH STREET, i TRINITY STREET,
1867.
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cS.:^ J6^^^> C3,/y/.
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THE
BOOKS OF SAMUEL;
WITH
NOTES AND INTRODUCTION
BY
CHR. WORDSWORTH, D.D.
ARCHDEACON OF WESTMINSTER.
SECOND EDITION.
RIVINGTONS, WATERLOO PLACE ;
HIGH STREET, I TRINITY STREET,
1867.
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CONTENTS.
PlOB
Iktboduction to the Books of Samuel ....... vii
I. Samttel ............ 1
II. Samuel ............ 70
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INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL.
The Books op Samttel properly form one Book '. They are represented as such in the Hebrew
Manuscripts, where they are entitled "The Book op Samuel*' or "Samuel." The name some-
times given to them, " The First and Second Book of Kings/' is derived from the Greek and Latin
Versions, and serves to mark their connexion with those Books, which are so called in the Hebrew
Original.
The Books of Samuel are like a continuation of the Books of Judges and Buth. The earlier
chapters of the First Book of Samuel place us in the times of Eli, one of the last of the Judges,
when the Ark was still at Shiloh. Samuel himself is a Judge of Israel ; and he anoints Said the
first King ; he also anoints David, whose genealogy has been presented to us at the close of the
Book of Ruth. Thus the Books of Samuel have a retrospective character. They also look forward.
They close with the last words of David, and display him erecting an altar to God on the spot which
was afterwards to become the site of the Temple built by his son Solomon.
But while the Books of Samuel have thus an intermediate position, they form also a distinct
whole. They hold a place of their own, and perform a peculiar work, not only in relation to the
Hebrew Nation, but in a higher function, as preparing the way for Cheist. The holy Apostle St.
Peter marks their character in this respect when he says, " All the prophets from Samuel . . .
have foretold of these days," the days of Christ and the Gospel (Acts iii. 24).
In this Book (let us be allowed with the Hebrews to regard it as one) there is, as it were, a
pensive tone of sadness and sorrow, mourning over the present, and yet a festive air of hope and
joy, yearning for the future. That future has its consummation in Christ.
This double character of the Book meets us at the beginning of it. There we see the pious
Hannah at Shiloh. Hannah is regarded by the ancient Expositors as a type of the Christian
Church *, for a long time barren, and mocked by her rival, the Jewish Synagogue, but at last
breaking forth into singing, with a rapturous ecstasy of thankfulness to God.
The Magnificat of H^mnah in the Tabernacle of Shiloh is an evangelical song, chanted by the
spirit of Prophecy under the Levitical Law. It is a prelude and overture to the Gospel. It is a
connecting link of sweet and sacred melody between the Magnificat of Miriam* after the triumphant
passage of the Bed Sea — symbolizing the Death, Burial, and Besurrection of Christ — and the
Magnificat of the Blessed Virgin Mary, after the Annunciation of His Birth.
At a time of national degeneracy, when the Sanctuary of God was desecrated by the sins of the
Priests who ministered there, and when Eli their father, the High Priest and Judge of Israel,
restrained them not, Hannah proclaimed the supremacy of Jehovah. Hannah is the first person in
the Bible who invokes Him as the " Lord of Hosts *." Thenceforth that title became the usual
appellation .of the Most High. As the Name Jehovah had acquired new significance in the
revelations of Horeb to Moses, and marked a new epoch in the history of Israel ', so the title
Jehovah Sabaoth ushered in with a voice of power a new period in the national annals of Israel.
It declared the sovereignty of the God of the Hebrew People, in opposition to the rival claims of
false deities worshipped by the heathen — such as the Sun and Moon, and host of heaven, and such
as the gods of Philistia — and it was also a divine protest against the worldly policy of God's own
People Israel, impatient of His supremacy, and craving for themselves an earthly king, and relying
on physical strength and secular support.
Heumah, the devout mother of Samuel the Prophet, asserted the incommimicable attributes,
^ Oriffen, in Eoseb. vi. 25. S. Cyril, CfttechoB. iv. 84. ^ See above, on Exod. r7. 20, and the Preliminary Note to
8, Jerome, Prolog. Galeat. Exod. xv.
' See below, on ch. i. 2. * See below, ch. i. 11 : cp. ch. i. 8.
* See above, note on Exod. vi. 2, 8.
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viu INTRODUCTION TO THE
and adored the divine majesty, of the Lord of Hosts; and was enabled by the Holy Ghost to behold
from afar the revelation of His glory in that future kingdom, — of which the monarchy of David,
who was to be anointed by her son Samuel, was a type —the kingdom of Christ. " The Lord," she
said, " shall give strength unto His King, and exalt the horn of His Anointed •,"
The divinely-inspired Song of Hannah, as we shall see, is like a golden key for the interpreta-
tion of the whole Book. In tones of sadness, the Book proceeds to describe the profligacy and
profaneness of Eli's sons. But the child Samuel shines forth in bright and quiet contrast, in that
dark picture. The child is made a Prophet to the aged Priest, and reveals to him the doom of his
house. The Philistines are used by Qod as His instruments for chastising the Priesthood and the
People of Israel. The Priests and the People rely on the external ordinances of religion ; and send
for the Ark from Shiloh to the camp at Aphek. But Qod would show them by a terrible example
that all outward forms, without inward holiness, are hollow, profitless, and vain. He punished
their presimiption by allowing the Ark — the visible symbol of His own Divine Presence, which had
led them to so many victories for four hundred years, from Sinai to Shiloh— to fall into the hands
of the uncircumcised Philistines, and to be carried in triumph to Ashdod, and to be placed as a
trophy in the temple of their god Dagon. But there he would still prove Himself to be '^ the
Lord of Hosts." Dagon should fall down prostrate before Him, and own the supremacy of
Jehovah ; and the Ark should be brought back to its own land, not by the agency of Israel, but
by the hands of the Philistines themselves.
Notwithstanding these divine interventions, Israel was not yet awakened frt>m its spiritual
lethargy. Shiloh had been pillaged by the Philistines; the Tabernacle was removed from it'.
The Ark was in banishment, separated from the Tabernacle. The frmctions of the Levitical Priest-
hood were in abeyance. The National Church seemed to be lying in desolation and ruin. But
still God was *' the Lord of Hosts." Cities may be spoiled. Men and Nations may fail, but God
never fails. His supremacy is indefeasible, and in times of national apostasy it is displayed with
greater prominence and in clearer light, even through men's defections. At such a time as that,
God raised up Samuel. Samuel, when a child, had been called by God at Shiloh, the Sanctuary of
the Lord of Hosts. But Shiloh had passed away as a dream, never to return. Samuel had ministered
before the Ark in the Tabernacle ; but the Ark was now severed from the Tabernacle: both of them
lay almost forgotten, in neglect and obscurity ^.
Samuel, when a child, had been commissioned by God to announce the woes which were
coming on Eli and his house. Those prophecies had now been fulfilled. The Lord was vrith
Samuel, and '' did let none of his words fall to the ground ; and all Israel, from Dan even to Beer-
sheba, knew that Samuel was established to be a Prophet of the Lord '."
After the return of the Ark to Kirjath-jearim, Samuel came forth and preached repentance ;
and gathered the people to Mizpeh, and proclaimed a fast, and sacrificed and cried to the Lord. The
Lord heard the cry, and thundered out of heaven in token of approval, and gave to Israel a great
victory over the Philistines at the self-same place, Ebenezer, where they had been before discomfited
by the Philistines \ and where the Ark of God had been taken ; and " the hand of the Lord was
against the Philistines all the days of Samuel."
Here was a striking contrast ; Israel had been smitten, although the Ark was present with them,
and the Priests had been slain, and the Ark had been taken by the Philistines. But Samuel,
without the Ark, was victorious over the same enemies at the same place ; and that place became a
memorable one in the history of the Hebrew Nation ; " Samuel took a stone and set it up between
Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name Ebenezer (or stone of help), saying, Hitherto hath the Lord
helped us " (1 Sam. vii. 12.)
But here we are encountered by objections.
Samuel was not a Priest ; he was only a Levite *. And yet he offered sacrifices to God, And
he did this, not in one fixed place, at the Tabernacle, or in the presence of the Ark, but in various
places, such as at Mizpeh, and at Gilgal ; and we hear no remonstrance made by God against those
acts as irregular ; on the contrary, they appear to be acceptable to Him, and were followed by
signal tokens of His favour '.
* See below, on ch. ii. 10. * See ch. viL 8 — 14; and see on ch. vii. 12.
7 See on ch. vii. 2. * See on ch. i. 1. 8. Jerome adv. Jovinian, lib. i. p. S2.
8 Compare 1 Chron. ziii. 8 — ** We inquired not at the Ark in Samoel propbeta fdit, Judex fUit, Levita ftiit, non Pontinx, ne
the days of Saul ;" or, rather, " we asked not for it.;" see the tacerdos quidem.
note there. * ch. iii. 19, 20. 'See ch. viL 10; ziL 18.
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BOOKS OF SAMUEL. j^
Some persons in our own days have taken occasion to comment on these proceedings as indica-
tions that either the Pentateuch did not exist in the days of Samuel, or that it could not have been
generally known. The Pentateuch prescribes in the clearest terms that sacrifices should be offered
by the Aaronical Priesthood, at the door of the Tabernacle, or at the one place which the Lord
shoidd choose to set His name there *.
If this command had been known to Samuel, would he not (it is asked) have observed it ?
Would the Hebrew Nation have connived at such infractions of the Levitical Law without any
expostulation on their part P Would sacrifices, offered in contravention of Qod's Law, have been
accepted by Him who enacted it P
This is one form which the comments on Samuel's acts have assumed '.
Here, then, it appears that the history of Samuel, as related in this Book which bears his
name, has been used as an argument against the credibility of the Books of Moses.
Other allegations, also, which seem to require notice, have been derived from it.
Li the sacred history of the Old and New Testament the name of Samuel is commemorated
with signal honour. In the Psalms he is distinguished among those who call upon the Name of the
Lord', and are heard most graciously by Him. In the prophecies of Jeremiah, God couples
Samuel with Moses as exercising special power by his intercessions \ Samuel is introduced in the
New Testament by St. Peter ', as standing at the head of the goodly company of prophets.
And yet in this Book, which bears Samuel's name, he is displayed to us as doing priestly acts,
although he was not a priest ; and as sacrificing in various places, although God had commanded
that sacrifices should be offered to Him in one place.
Hence Samuel has been described by some as a second Gideon', fashioning an Ephod for
himself, according to his own device ; or, like another Micah - , making for himself a sanctuary and
teraphim of his own, and worshipping God according to ways of his own imagination ^
The inferences from this estimate of Samuel's acts are obvious. They have been used as proofs
that compliance with God's requirements, as to the order and ministrations of His worship and
service, are of secondary importance, and are even regarded by Him as indifferent. If Samuel could
assume the functions of the Levitical Priesthood, and not only be blameless in God's sight, but be
specially honoured by Him, why, it may be asked, should we speak in harsh language of what we
are wont to call " schismatical intrusions into the Christian Priesthood?" and why should the
Ministry of the Word and Sacraments in the Christian Church be assigned and restricted with
superstitious reserve and nsurrow-minded jealousy to a special order of men, set apart and solemnly
appointed for that purpose P
These are important questions. How are they to be answered P
Samuel, it is true, was not a Priest, but only a Levite, and he performed prieetiy acts in
various places. But his case vras altogether extraordinary. He had an express commission from
God to do what he did; and the anomalous and exceptional character of the times, in which he lived
and acted, gave a peculiar reason for this extraordinary conmiission from God.
Almighty God is the only Author and Governor of every Priesthood, whether Patriarchal,
Aaronic, or Christian. All the authority, by which the Priests of His Church have acted, now act,
or ever will act, is derived from Him alone. His Priests are only instruments in His hands. He
is the Sovereign Agent who works by them. They are channels of grace which flows from Him
Who is its only source,
* See Levit. zvH. 4. Bent. zii. 5. 13 ; liv. 24 Abore^ J»- Similar remarks may be found e^^n in the artiole on the
trodueHan to Deateronomy, p. 198. Books of Samuel in the IMctionary of the Bible, H. p. 1127,
* In J^. OoUtuo on the Pentateuch, "Patrt Y. These objections e. g. ** The Book of Samuel seen^s to have been writt^ when
had been raised by Voter, Be Wette, and others, and may be the PcAtateuch— whether it was, or was not, in existence in its
seen stated with force and confidence br Br, Damdeon (Intro- present form— was at any rate not acted on, as the rule of
duction to the Old Testament, p. 623), who says, '*In the religions obseryai^oes."
Books of Kings the Deuteronomio Legislation is pre-supposed, * Ps. xcix. 6. ' ^er. xr. 1.
in which the imity of worship in Jemsuem ¥ras strictly ei^oinedi * Acts iii. 24. * See Judg. yiii. 7.
but in the Books cf SamMel it u reUted thataltars yrere erected > See Judg. xrii. 6.
and sacrifices offered to JehoTsh in other places than that where ' May it not be hoped, that Bean Stanley may be induced to
the Ark was dcqposited, without any hmt of illegality or of ^econsiderthe following statement in his Lectures on the Jewish
Jehovah's displeasure. On the contrary, such sacrifices are Church, First Series, p. 894^ " Samuel dwelt in his own birth-
Tiewed as acceptable to God." 1 Sam. yii. 5^17; ix. 18 ; x. 8; place, a;id, like Oideon or like 3£icah, made it a sanctuary of
xir. 85 ; xtL 2. his own '' ? (m. 2nd series, p. 83, where Uzzah's act Qn touching
J^. Coleneo says, p. 155, referring io the history befbre ns» the Ark, 2 Sam. tL 7) is called an ** unexplained sin ;** and
"On all hfuids we are met with diffi^ties and direct contradic- q>. his remarks on what is called Samuel's " anti-eaoerdotal
tions of the Mosuo Law;" and p. 157, <* All the concUtions of character," 1st series, p. 406. Surely, it is remarkable, that the
ths Priesthood, as we gather from the more autiientio history, reetoroHon at the regular worshij) of God b^ the Priests and
were in those days utterly at variance with the laifs and Levites, after a time of confiision, is ascribed m Holy Scripture
examples of the P^tateu<di " (p. 159), io tha inflnfflioe of Samuel (see below, on 1 Chron. ix. 22).
Vol. n. Pabt n. a
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X INTRODUCTION TO THE
It is God*8 ordinary will and desire, that men should receive grace, by means of those instruments
and channels which He appoints for the dispensing and conveying it; and that they should
receive it at the places, and in the manner, of His divine appointment. Men are tied to the use of
the means which God appoints ; but God^s power is not tied to the means which are appointed by
Him. And though the human instruments and channels may fetil, yet the Divine Agent and Source
never fails. Nay, rather, the working of His Almighty power, and the abundance of His exhaustless
loYe, are more magnified in days of human degeneracy; and it is then most clearly shewn, that God
is the Almighty Agent and the Only Source of all grace to all.
This is precisely what was manifested in the days of Samuel. He had received a call from
God, when He was ministering as a child before the Ark, in the Tabernacle at Shiloh. But, for the
sins of the People and the Priesthood, the Ark was taken, the Tabernacle was removed, and Shiloh
was dismantled and destroyed. And during the whole time of Samuel, the Ark was never again
united to the Tabernacle. The reason for bringing the sacrifices to the door of the Tabernacle was
set aside by the removal of the Ark, which was the very heart and soul of the Tabernacle. The
Tabernacle had become like a cenotaph. There was no one place to which sacrifices could be brought
in compliance with the Levitical Law. It was not till after Samuel's death that the Law revived.
The Ark was brought up by David to Mount Zion ; but it was not till the Temple was built on
Moriah, and the Ark was settled in it by Solomon, that the requirements of the Levitical Law, pre-
scribing that sacrifices should be brought to the place which the Lord had chosen, could take effect*.
Then the Law awoke, and after this choice of a place was made by God, and the Ark was
settled there, then the offering of sacrifice in any other place, and by any other hands, than those of
the family of Aaron (except by God's express commission) was contrary to God's will. Such an
act would have been like the gainsaying of Korah. Such was the sin of Jeroboam. Hence,
also, the punishment of IJzziah the king of Judah, smitten with leprosy, for presuming to perform
a priestly act, namely, to bum incense *.
Yet further. The offering of sacrifices in different places by Samuel, who was not a priest, and
the favourable acceptance of those sacrifices by God, served another very important purpose of the
highest kind. It not only showed God's supremacy, and man's subordination to Him, but it was
preparatory to another higher and more spiritual dispensation, that of the Gospel, and of the priest-
hood of Christ. It weaned the minds of the faithful Israelites from dwelling on any one place in
their own land, as the centre of the Visible Church, or from regarding one earthly family among
themselves, such as that of Aaron, as the only priestly Ministry of God's Sanctuary. It prepared
them for the transfer of the priesthood from Aaron to Christ, and for the imiversal diffusion of God's
grace, and for the universal extension of His kingdom, in the days of the Messiah, when '' in every
place incense would be offered to His name, and a pure offering*."
Thus, the priesthood of Samuel was preparatory to the priesthood of Christ. The prophetic
declaration of God Himself to Eli, the priest, at Shiloh, when the Tabernacle was profaned by his
sons, was, " I will raise Me up a faiihful priest, that shall do according to that which is in my heart,
and in my mind, and I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before mine Anointed for
ever*/* This prophecy had indeed a preparatory accomplishment in Samuel, who was not of the
family of Aaron, and who was specially raised up by God, in days of priestly degeneracy, to do
priestly acts ; and it had another fulfilment afterwards in Zadok ; but it reached its consummation
in Christ, Who was not of the seed of Aaron, or of the tribe of Levi, and Who was raised up by (Jod,
*when the Jewish Church and priesthood were lying in degradation and confusion, and Who joined
the priesthood and the kingdom in one everlasting bond of union, in Himself'.
We are thus led on to observe, that the Book of Samuel occupies an unique place, and has a
special value and interest, as revealing the Kingdom of Christ. It is the first book in Holy Scrip-
ture which declares the Incarnation of Christ as King — in a particular family — the family of David.
It is the first book in Scripture, which announced that the Kingdom founded in Him, raised up from
the seed of David, would be universal and everlasting. Here also the prophetic song of Hannah
gives the clue to the interpretation of this history. " The Lord," she says, " shall judge the ends of
the earth;" that is. His kingdom will be established in all nations. "He shall give strength unto
His King, and exalt the horn of His Anointed^; ''^the Messiah, or Christ; Who was to come of
David, and sit on His throne for ever.
» See below, on ch. iv. 6; vii. 9. 15; ix. 12; and note above, « See cb. ii. 85.
°^'^^*"'^- . ,„ _ See below, on Luke xi. 2.
< 2 Cbron. xxvi. 18—21. • Mai. i. 11. « See cb. ii. 10, and note there. •
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BOOKS OF SAMTJEL. xi
It was God*8 design that Israel in due time should have a king. God had promised to Abraham
and to Jacob that kings should arise from them S and Jacob had foretold that " the sceptre should
not depart from Judah till Shiloh came/' in whom it was to be settled for ever ^; and Balaam had
prophesied that " a sceptre should arise out of Israel *;" and God Himself had been pleased to give
laws preparatory to the establishment of the kingdom, and for the better regulation of it'.
The sin of Israel in the days of Samuel with regard to the kingdom consisted in not waiting for
God's time, in which He might think fit to give them a king. It consisted in antedating that
season, by a rude seizure and impati^it grasp of human anticipation, and in asking for a king in
order that they might be like other nations, and that their king might lead them forth to battle,
and deliver them from their enemies, — as if it was not a special privilege to be unlike other nations,
in being directly under God's rule ; and as if God had not always delivered them from their enemies,
whenever they were obedient to Him !
But God often accommodates and adjusts His doings to men's devices *, in order that they may
see by experience how evil a thing it is to follow their own inclinations, instead of conforming to
His will, and tarrying His leisure. So it was with Israel. God gave them a king in compliance
with their wish, a king endued with many gifts and graces, and adapted by his physical strength
and prowess to their carnal reliance on material force and support. The fair beginnings of Saul,
his modesty, prudence, clemency, and success ; his subsequent degeneracy when he was elated by
victory, and pufiiBd up by his royal dignity ; his vain-glory, self-confidence, and disobedience to God
speaking to him first by Samuel, and next in a direct command from Himself ; his hypocrisy and
formalism ; his rejection and desertion by God ; his visitation from an Evil Spirit ; his envy, hatred,
and malignant persecution of David, his deliverer and benefactor, and even of his own son ; his
desolation, distress, distraction, despondency, and despair ; his resort to the witch of Endor for
counsel from Samuel when dead, whom he had disobeyed when living ; his shameful defeat by the
Philistines, and his wretched death on Mount Gilboa by his own hand ; and the succession of
David in his room — all these events are full of deep moral interest, and fraught with warning,
admonition, and instruction, both in faith and practice.
But the history of Saul's monarchy acquires fresh value for us, and is seen to have a profounder
meaning, when it is viewed, as the ancient Christian Church has taught us to regard it', in its
relation to Jesus Christ, who was foreshadowed by David and his hereditary kingdom, and who was
promised to Abraham and Jacob, and whom Balaam pre- announced and proclaimed from afar, and
of whom Hannah prophesied when she said, ** The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth, and He
shall give strength to His i^ng, and exalt the horn of His Anointed."
Saul had no successor of his own line ; and his kingdom was introductory to that of David,
who had an uninterrupted succession even to the days of Christ. Saul foreshadowed the Jewish
dispeilsation, preparatory to the Kingdom of Christ, and giving way to it. The Hebrew kingdom
was contemplated in the counsels of God ; the monarchy of Saul came in, as it were, accidentally
and parenthetically. So it was with the Levitical Law '• " It was added because of transgress-
ions ^," it was preliminary and transitory, and introductory to the Kingdom of Christ.
The beginnings of the Jewish dispensation, as long as the Hebrew nation was humble, submis-
sive, and obedient to God, were, like the beginnings of Saul, fair and promising, and were marked
by extraordinary tokens of God's marvellous favour and protection. But it became self-confident
and vain-glorious. It degenerated, like Saul. It persecuted the true David, and was forsaken and
rejected by God. It resorted to false prophets. The Jewish Nation became like Saul at the Cave of
Endor ; and God, by the mouth of His prophets, and of Christ Himself, revealed to it its doom, as
He had done to Saul by Samuel at that cave. The Jewish Nation fell by its own hand, and was
spoiled by heathen armies, as Saul was by the Philistines. " Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself®."
But God's mercy triumphed over man's sin. In the family of Saul there was a faithful remnant.
Jonathan, the loving and beloved friend of David, he who was very pleasant unto David, and
whose love to him " was wonderful, passing the love of women *," stands forth in beautiful contrast
to Saul, his father ; and is a type of those faithful Israelites who loved Christ for His own sake.
Although the Jewish Nation was to melt away and be absorbed into Christ's Kingdom, as Jonathan's
• Gen. xviii. 6. 16 ; xxxv. 11. » As will be seen in the followiiuf notes : see, for example, on
» See above. Gen. xlix. 10. ch. xt. 28; xz. 42; and below, p. xiv.
s Num. xxiv. 17. ' See below, Introdnction to St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans,
« Dent. xvii. 14—20. p. 191.
* PiB. xviii. 26 ; see above, on Num. xxii. 20 ; and below, 7 See on Gal. iii. 19.
Rev. xxiL 11. s Hoe. xiii. 9. • Ch. 1. 26.
3
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iii INTRODUCTION TO THE
kingdom was merged in Ddvid's, yet tliose loving and faithful Jonathans beUeved the Divine David,
even when persecuted and rejected by His own people *.
Saul of Tarsus, " of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews," first a persecutor of the
Church, then an Apostle and Martyr for Christ, is the evangelical contrast to Saul of Gibeah *. And
the son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth, lame and impotent in his feet, and thtis a striking contrast to
the physical stature and strength of his grandfather Saul — ^but shewing his reverence for David by
bowing before him when king, and admitted by David to be a constant guest in his palace at his
own table — is surely a beautiful type of all true Israelite ; and is a cheering pledge and earnest to
the faithful Jew, of the blessings which are yet in store for him, when turning to the true David,
and bowing before Him as King, in the spiritual Sion of His Church '.
It must be reserved for the Book itself, and for the notes upon it, to set before the reader this
view of its inner meaning in a clearer light ; suffice it to say, that this interpretation is confirmed
and illustrated by the whole history of David as related in this inspired record.
Who can read of SamueVs visit to Bethlehem, and of David's private unction there, by the
express appointment of God, without thinking of the spiritual imction of Christ the Divine David
when bom in privacy at Bethlehem P The successive unctions of David, first at Bethlehem and
afterwcu*ds twice at Hebron, first as King of Judah, next as King of all the Tribes of Israel, find
their Evangelical coimterpart in the successive unctions of Jesus Christ *. David, designated as
King by Samuel the prophet, and miraculously preserved by God, and at length victorious and
reigning at Jerusalem, after many years of danger and hdir-breadth escapes, is a figure of Christ,
resisted and persecuted, but finally, according to the voice of Prophecy, triumphant and supreme in
the heavenly Jerusalem.
The victory of David over the Philistine Champion Goliath, defying the armies of Israel for forty
days, is a rehearsal of Christ's Temptation and victory a thousand years afterwards *.
The sweet music of David, exorcising the Evil Spirit which possessed Saul, is a melodious
prelude to that Divine Voice which cast out Evil Spirits from the Saul of the Jewish nation. The
persecutions which David endured from Saul are like prophetic revealings of the bitter malignity
with which the true David was pursued by that nation. David's compassionate and forgiving spirit
toward Saul, and his lament at his death, has its holy gushing'-forth and overflow in Christ's tears
over Jerusalem, and in His dying prayer for his murderers.
The ascent of David in triumph to Mount Zion, as recorded in this Book and celebrated in
David's Psalms, is happily connected by the Christian Church with the Ascension of Christ to the
heavenly Jerusalem *, and with the Coming of the Holy Ghost from heaven.
The tardy and interrupted progress, by which the Ark of God was at length brought up to
Zion, after many delays, checks, and hindrances, is a representation of the course of the Church of
Christ in this world, in a long and weary pilgrimage, attended by many sorrows, trials, and human
shortcomings and imperfections ' ; but at length, after patient struggles, brought up to the altitude
which the Divine David has already reached, and where He has prepared a place for her, and where
she will rest for ever in an everlasting Temple built by Him Who is the true Solomon, or Prince of
Peace, as well as the mighty Conqueror, the Divine David.
The divine promise of perpetuity and everlasting dominion to David's Seed follows the narrative
of the ascent of the Ark to Moimt Zion, and of David's desire to build a house for the Lord.
That promise has received its fulfilment in Christ, born of David's seed iti David's City ". The
victories of David, consequent on the settlement of the Ark on Zion*, have their full spiritual accom-
plishment in the triumphs of Christ and of His Gospel, and will be consummated at the Great Day,
when Christ will put all enemies under His feet, for of Him the Lord says, " Yet have I set My
King upon My holy hill of Zion ' ; " " Sit thou on My right hand till I make thy foes Thy footstool."
The history proceeds to relate the sin of David. This narrative belongs to that class of Scrip-
ture records which serve the purpose of shewing, that, though the most eminent Saints of the Old
Testament were Types of Christ, yet that they fall far short of the Divine Antitype. Their failings
remind us that they are figures and shadows, and are not the substance itself. Th^ir human ble-
mishes teach us not to dwell on them, but to look forward and upward to the High and Holy One,
» See below, on ch. xiv. 1 ; xviii. 1—4 ; zz. 42r • See below, on 2 Sam. vi., Prelimburfy Note,
s See below, on ix. 2 ; x. 11. 16. ' See below. Preliminary Note to 2 Sam. vL, and that chap-
' See below, on 2 Sam. ix. 6. ter throoghout.
* See below, on 1 Sam. xvi. 3. 2 Sam. ii. 4. & gee below, PreUminaij Note to ch» yii. ; and the chapter
^ See this exhibited in detail in the notes on 1 Sam. mrii. 4. throughout.
16. 40—51. » 2 Sam. yiiL » Pa. ii. 6.
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BOOKS OF SAMUEL. xiii
in whom no spot or stain of imperfection is seen. In the unsullied purity of Christ there is always
a contrast to what is faulty in the Type. We ha^e seen this already in the history at the Patriarchs
and of the Judges '.
So it is with David, regarded as a figure of Christ. David sinned by lust and murder, and the
history of his sin serves to bring out more clearly the purity and love of Christ. It is not without a
spiritual meaning, that the holy Evangelist, St. Matthew, introduces the name of her who had been
the wife of Uriah, in the genealogy of Christ, and relates that she was the mother of Solomon. St.
Matthew reminds us there, that the Son of God vouchsafed to take our nature in a line which had
been tainted by the sins of a Tamar, a Bahab, and a Bathsheba, and He thus shows that penitent
sinners of every nation may find mercy in Him.
Our Divine David joined to Himself a Spouse formerly stained by sin, like Bathsheba, and united
her to Himself in pure mystical wedlock, and begat by her a holy seed, a " Jedidiah, beloved of the
Lord'," who was also called Solomon; for from this imion of Christ with our Nature we have peace
with God*, and are " accepted in the Beloved."
The above remarks may be extended to the remaining scenes of David's life. David is punished
for his sin, by the rebellion of Absalom his son, and by the revolt of his people, and is driven from
Jerusalem. This history brings before our eyes in many particulars a picture of the treatment
which the Divine David, Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, experienced from His own children
the Jews, and from His own city, Jerusalem. The parallelism in the incidents of the two histories
is too striking to escape the notice of even the most cursory reader *. The return of David to Jeru-
salem, after the rebellion of Absalom, and after Absalom himself was slain, and the eagerness of
Judah to receive him, and the mention of the loyalty of those who welcomed him in his return, and
the sorrow of David for his son's miserable end •, have already in part received an evangelical ac-
complishment in the overthrow of Christ's enemies ; and exhibit to the inner eye a view of His
tender compassion for their suflPerings consequent on their rebellion. They have also a prophetic
significance, and vrill hereafter be seen to have a complete fulfilment in Christ, the true King of Judah,
received and adored as such by the faithful remnant of His ancient people the Jews ' turning to
Him with contrite hearts, and saying, with plaudits of joy, ** Hosanna to the Son of David, Blessed
is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord ; Hosanna in the Highest."
Some persons have expressed surprise that the death of David is not mentioned in this book.
It contains his hymn of thanksgiving for the mercies of his past life'. It sets down his " last words *."
It concludes with a narrative of the erection of the altar on the threshing-floor of Araunah on the
cessation of the pestilence, and describes the offering of sacrifices on the site purchased by David *,
the spot where the Temple was afterwards erected by Solomon his son \ But it says nothing of
David's death.
. Why was this P
The reason will appear firom a consideration of the true character of this book.
The Book of Samuel is connected with the Book of Judges by its beginning, and with the Book
of Kings by its ending ; and is yet a well-organized and complete whole in itself. It is not (as some
have most erroneously imagined') a congeries of ill-digested materials, and of fruitless repetitions.
It is 8L prophetic history* of real events, preparing the way for the Priesthood and Kingdom and Pro-
phetic Office of Christ ; and foreshadowing them. We have seen in the history of the Pentateuch
that there is no break or interruption in the narrative, but the history of one Patriarch gradually
melts into the history of another; and by this blending together and shading off of one history into
another, we have a clearer prophetic view of the character and office of Christ, in their various
phases', which could not be in any degree adequately represented by anyone of the Patriarchs indi-
vidually. We shall also see that the Prophet Elijah passes almost imperceptibly into his successor
the prophet Elisha, by the transmission of his mantle and of his spirit *, so that the sons of the
prophets could say, *' The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha ; " and thus Elijah and Elisha together
symbolize the imbroken continuation of Christ's working after His Ascension, and the manifesta^
« See above, on Gen. xxviL 17; and Introdnotion to Judges, » E. g. Bertheau, Ds Wette, Oramherg, Chraf, Theniu9, and
pp. 78, 79. others : q>. Davidson, Introdnotion, ii. 513. This notion haa
» See below. Preliminary Note to 2 Sam. xi. been ably refnted by Dr. Keil, Einleitnng in d. a. test., pp.
< See 2 Sam. xii. 25. Eph. i. 6. 166—175 : cp. EavernicJc, Einleitnng, ii. 133—142.
• See below. Preliminary Note to ch. xv. * The reader will bear in mind that these Books, and the
• See note below, on ch. xviii. 33. Books of Joshua, Judges, and Kings, are called " the former
7 See 2 Sam. xix. 14> 16. 31. Prophets " by the Hebrews : see ^[otHnger, Thesaurus, p. 468,
• 2 Sam. xxii. • 2 Sam. xxiii. 1—7. • See above, note on Gen. xxxiv. 1.
> See on 2 Sam. xxir. 15. 18—26. > 2 Chron. iii. 1. < See below, note on 2 Kings iL
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xIt introduction to the
tion of His presence and spirit in the Apostles and their successors to the end of the world. We
have seen also that the virtue of Christ's One and All-sufficient Sacrifice, with all its manifold mean-
ings and phases, which could not be represented by Ofie kind of sacrifice in the Levitical Law, is
symbolized by a group of various sacrifices clustering together in the Levitical Ritual '.
So it is with the histories of David and Solomon. The one melts into the other. There is no
break in the story. David utters his last words ; but he does not die. Solomon succeeds to the
throne of Israel, while David, his father, is still alive. David rises again, as it were, into youth and
glory in Solomon ; and so the double character of Christ, the King of all faithful Israelites, the true
David, and also the true Solomon, is symbolized. In David we see Christ the Conqueror — the Man
of War — the Lord of Hosts. In Solomon we see Him Who is the Builder of the Temple of His
Church, the all-wise, and all-glorious King, the Prince of Peace. The history of the glorious end
of David is reserved for the Book of Chronicles, where he is seen, on the eve of death, with
Solomon at his side, in the assembly of the Princes and People of Israel, at Jerusalem ; and so the
Father and the Son are, as it were, blended into one.
There is one point more, intimately connected with what has been said, which seems to demand
attention. The Book of Samuel marks a memorable epoch in Hebrew history in the institution
of a particular office, continued thenceforth for many hundred years, the office of Prophet.
This institution of the Prophetic office was a natural consequence of the degeneracy of the
Priesthood, in such times as those of Eli's sons ; and it was a result of the erection of the earthly
Monarchy*, in Saul. Hebrew Prophecy is supplementary to the defects of the Hebrew Priesthood ;
it discharges its functions in times of national confusion and ruin ; and it was directive of the
actions, and corrective of the aberrations, of the Hebrew Monarchy and Hebrew People. It was to
the Hebrew Priesthood, and to the Hebrew Monarchy, in a far higher sense, what the most
enlightened Equity is to human Law. It was to them what the calm wisdom of the lyrical Chorus
in the Greek drama was to the frailties of the actors in the dialogue. It was an impersonation of
the Eternal Godhead itself; supplying the defects of sinful humanity, and controlling its passions,
and regulating its practice, and punishing its sins.
Those Hebrew Dispensations— the Kingdom^ the Priesthood, the Prophetical Office — were only
for a time ; and they all had their appropriate functions in preparing the way for Christ, the
Universal Prophet, Priest, and King. Christ is the Eternal King ; His is the never-failing Priest-
hood. He is the all-wise Prophet. In Christ all the attributes of Samuel, as Prophet and as
Priest (raised up from another family than that of Aaron) are united with the royal prerogatives of
David and Solomon. In Christ's Priesthood there are no defects to be supplied ; in His Kingdom
there are no errors to be rectified ; and therefore the Hebrew Kingdom, Priesthood, and Prophecy,
are all concentrated in Christ ; they coalesce, and are harmonized, and dwell together in loving
union in Him, to Whom all the Prophets bear witness by their words and deeds, and in Whom all
the Kings, Priests, and Prophets of the Hebrew Dispensation culminate, as their consummation,
and of Whom Moses said to Israel, " The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the
midst of thy brethren like unto me ; unto Him shall ye hearken •." (Deut, xviii. 15 — 19. See
Acts iii. 22 ; vii. 27.)
Such considerations as these, which have now been submitted to the reader, in reference to the
office and acts of Samuel, Saul, and David, whose history forms the subject of this Book, seem to
suggest strong arguments for its divine Inspiration. An uninspired Annalist could hardly have
treated the history of Samuel, Saul, and David in such a manner as to display preparatory and
prophetic foreshadowings of the Office and Work of Christ, as Prophet, Priest, and King, and of
the history of Judaism in relation to Him. The history of this Book is written in such a method
as to be pre-adjusted in a marvellous manner to the mysterious revelations of the Gospel, which
was preached to the world a thousand years after the events which are here narrated.
If the remarks here offered are well grounded, and they are little more than an expansion and
development of what the Ancient Church has taught on this subject S then here surely is a proof
7 See above, on Levitioof, Introduction, pp. ii. and iii., oh. iii. 1. Impcoii Sacramenta testator:" q). 8. JM^usHne in Pi. VL,
A See below. Preliminary Note to 1 Chron. xxviii., and the and in Ps. Ivi., and eroedallr 8, AuguHine de Civitate Dei,
end of that Book. xvii. 4 : " Procursus civitatis Dei, nbi penrenit ad Begum tem-
' See below, on 1 Sam. ix. 1 ; and on 1 Kings xvii., Prelimi- pora, quando David, Saule reprobate, ita regnum primus
nNote, and above on Judg. viii.*: cp. Hengttenberg, obtinuit, ut ejus posteri in terren& Jerusalem diuturnk suo-
entic, i. 146. ^ oessione regnarent» dedit %uram re gett& sigpfiiflcans atque
^ As, for example, the language of 8. Jerotne (Epist. 50 ad prsonuntians de rerum mutatione futurarum, quod attinet ad
Paulinum iv., p. 572), *' Samuel (i. e. the Book of Samuel) in duo Testamenta, Yetus et Novum, ubi Sacerdotium Regnum-
Heli mortuo, et^ in occisione Satil, veterem Legem abolitam que mutatum est per Sacerdotem eundemque Begem, Novum et
monstrat; porro in Sadoc, atque David, novi Sacerdotii novique Sempitemum, qui est Chbistts Jssus.
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BOOKS OF SAMUEL.
XV
that this Book was composed under the guidance of Him with Whom " a thousand years are as
one day."
On the Authobship and Date of the Books of Samuel.
Many early Expositors, Jewish and Christian, have supposed that there is a reference to the
Books of Samuel in 1 Chron. xxix. 29 ; " Now the acts of David the King, first and last, behold
they are written in the book of Samuel the Seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in
the book of Gad the Seer,'* and they were of opinion that the books now called the books of
Samuel owed their origin to Samuel, Nathan, and Gad *. The Hebrew word here rendered book is
dibrei, which may mean either words or acts. Indeed, in the former part of this verse it is rendered
acts in our version *. Inasmuch, however, as Nathan and Gad were prophets, whose duty it was to
^eak God's word rather than to act slb rulers of the people, there seems good reason to prefer the
rendering tcords or books in this particular passage. And though we cannot speak with certainty on
the subject, it seems unreasonable to regard as altogether erroneous the opinion above recited, that
the author of the Chronicles, in the passage just quoted, may refer to written compositions of
Samuel, Nathan, and Gad, and that these writings are extant in these books which bear the
name of Samuel ^.
That the books of Samuel were written at an early period, considerably before the date of the
composition of the books of Kings, is almost universally admitted. The style is of the purest
Hebrew, free from Chaldaisms*. It has been argued by some, that the date of its composition cannot
be earlier than the days of Jeroboam, on account of the expression in 1 Sam. xxvii. 6, ** Where-
fore Ziklag pertaineth to the Kings of Judah unto this day." But this does not seem to be a
valid inference. The historian is speaking of the Kings of Judah, as contradistinguished from the
rulers of the Philistines, and not as contrasted with the Kings of Israel. Even in David's time
Judah was regarded as entire in itself. Arguments for a date later than the beginning of Solomon's
reign, have been attempted to be deduced by some from the use of the word nabi (prophet) in
1 Sam. ix. 9, and from the phrase mentioned as a proverb, "Is Saul among the prophets?"
(in X. 12) and from the expression, " unto this day " (1 Sam. v. 5 ; vi. 18 ; xxx. 25 ; 2 Sam. iv. 3 ;
vi. 8). But these appear to be of little weight '. It seems most probable that the Books of Samuel
were written at intervals during the times of Samuel, Saul, David, and the earlier years of Solomon.
The period comprised in this book is about 120 years ', terminating at about B.C. 1016,
The ancient commentaries on these books are specified below, p. 1, to which may be added the
two homiKes of Origen ; the Quaestiones of Tkeodoret and 8. Augustine, the Apologia Sancti David
by 8. Ambrose, the Commentaries of 8. Ghregory the Great, and of Isidorus Hispaknsis, and oiBede;
the expositions of Bonfrerim, 8anctius, 8erarius, A Lapide; of Calvin, P. Martyr, Brentius, Burmann,
Willett, 8, 8chmidt, Drusirn, Bp. Patrick, Le Ckrc, and of the more recent works of Hensler, Konigs-
feldt, TJienius, and KeiL
" Nam et, Heli sacerdote reprobato, subetitntuB in Dei rniniB- * This was the opinion of some of the Talmudists, e. a, in
teriom Samoel, simol officio Amctns sacerdotis et jndicis, et, Baha Bathra, cap. i. f. 14: and J2. Mosm Kimchi; and of
Sanle abjecto, David fimdatus in reg^o, hoc quod dico figura- Theodoret, Fracopitu, Qregory the Qreat, Isidorus of Pelu-
venxnt. C^ S. Prosper. Aquitcmus de Vrovolss, n, 2^ : Siunuel sium, and JSucherius; and of BCu^fo, Lyranus, Cdietanus,
ejus gratifiB ftiit, ut et diviua responsa acciperet, et ei futura Vatahlus, Sixtus Senensis, SancHus, Serarius, Cornelias ^ La-
Dominus nuntiaret : in illo tria inveniuntur, qusB Christo sunt pide, Waltherus, Calovius, Carpzovitts, and many others. See
Domino consignanda. Dux enim^et sacerdos, et propheta &ctu8 Carpzovius, Introduction, p. 214; and note below, on 1 Chron.
est." xxix. 29.
S. Augustine (de Civitate Dei, xvii. 4), having animadverted • As it is fteqnently : 1 Kings xi. 41 ; xiv. 29 ; xv. 81 ; xvi.
on the poverty and meagreness of that kind of expository Criti- 14. 20—27. 2 Kmgs xv. 11 ; but is not less often rendered
dsm, which would interpret the Song of Hannah as a mere word or words : cp. 1 Kings xi. 41, with the margin,
hymn of thanksgiving for the birth of a child to herself, instead * Cp. Keil, Kommentar, p. 11, who supposes that those dibrei
of regarding it as a divine prophecy, reaching forward from her were used by the author of the Books of Samuel. For a further
own times to Christ, asks this question, whether the reader of discussion of the point see Sdvemick^ Einleitung, ii. 193 ; Keil,
this Scripture ought not to recognize in Hannah a figure of the Einleit. in d. a. T., p. 438 ; and Apolog. Versuch fiber die
Church of God P ** Nonne agnoscit ]per banc mulierem, cujus Bucher der Chronik., p. 249 ; Archdeacon Zee, on Inspiration,
etiam nomen, id est Anna, OrcUia ejus interpretatur, ipsam p. 466; and Movers, iiber die Chronik., p. 179; and the note
Civitatem Dei, cujus Rex ^ et conditor Christus, ipsam pos- below, on 1 Chron. xxix. 29.
trem6 Dei Gratiam prophetico spiritu sic locutam, a qu& * Cp. Keil, Einleit. in d. a. Teat. p. 176 ; Davidson, Int. i.
superbi alienantur ut cadant, ^u& humlles implentur ut surgant. 524 ; 2>r. Smith, BibL Diet. iL 1128.
Dicat ergo Ecclesia Christi, Civitas Regis Magui, gratis plena, ^ Cp. 1 Sam. xL 8 ; xvii. 52 ; xviii. 16. 2 Sam. ii. 9, 10 ;
prole fecunda, dicat quod tant6 ante de se prophetatum per os iii. 10; v. 1 — 6; xix. 41; xx. 2; xxiv. 1. Cp. Sdoemick,
hcgus pis matris agnoscit ;" and then S. Augustine proceeds to ii. 143 ; Keil, 175.
shew how the song of praise of Hannah for the birth of Samuel, 7 Cp. Keil, Einleit. in d. a. Test. p. 175, who has slightly
is in a large and prophetic sense a song of the Church for the modified his opinion in his Kommentar, p. 10. A later date is
birth of Christ, and thus concludes : *' Heeo Anna prophetavit, assigned to the Book in the article in I>r. Smith's B. D. ii.
SamueUs mater, sancti viri, in quo tunc est figurata mutatio 1129 ; and by Dr. Davidson, Int. p. 528.
Veteris Sacerdotii, et nunc impleta, quando infirmata est (Syna- * See above. Introduction to Judges, p. 83 ; and Browne's
goga Judaica) quss multa erat in filiis, ut novum hab^t in Ordo SsBCulorum, pp. 264^ 265; Winer, R. W. B. ii. 877;
Clmsto Sacerdotium sterilis, que peperit septem." Savemick, Einleit. iL 119; Keil, Kommentar, p. 1.
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THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL,
OTHIBWIBl CAJiLSD,
THE FIRST BOOK OF THE KINGS.
I. VNOW there was a certain man of Bamathaun-zophinii of monnt
Ephraim, and his name was ^Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihn, aichron.e.ar,
the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, **an Ephrathite : ^ And he had two wives ; bRiithi.2.
the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah : and
Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
^ And this man went up out of his city "" f yearly ^ to worship and to sacrifice o ex. «8. m.
nnto the Lobd of hosts in ^Shiloh. And the twp sons of Eli, Hophni and lX2.4i.^
' * t Heb./ro«
toy war.
dDeat. IS. 5,6,7.
fromytar
e Josh. 18. 1.
Ch. T. 1. Bamathaim-9ophim\ the same as Hamah Q., e. the
lofty place) ; see V. 3 compared with v, 19, and iL 11. The
name is always osed with the article ha-rctmah (the high place),
and ramathaim is the dual fonn ; probably becaose there was
an npper and lower dty (cp. the plnnd words Athenm, Mycena,
Theta, &c.). Zophim may dther mean loatckmen (cp. Num.
xziii. 14), and in a spiritnal sense prophets (Tar^um, Jerome),
or it may be the proper name of Elkanah's &mily, among which
we find the name ZivpA or Zophcd (see here and 1 €7£x)n. vi.
26. 35). Bamah is now called Er Bdm, two hours K.w. of
Jerusalem, and was situated on a circular hill on the east of the
road to Shechem. It was the place where Samuel was bom,
and afterwards dwelt, and died (vii. 17; zv. 34; zvL 13;
zix. 18. 22), and was buried (xzv. 1 ; zzviii. 3).
— SlkaiMhl i. e. ctcqttired by God/ as the Levites were, in
exchange for the firstborn (Num. iiL 13. 44), an appropriate
name for one who was of the family of Levi, as Elkanah was :
see Jeromkuter*^ here, and Theodoret, Qu. 1; Seldende Success,
i. 18 ; Hengst^ Auth. ii. 62.
— an Bphrathite'] i. e. an EphraimUe : so Sept. and Tar-
amm Jon, Cp. Judg. xii. 6. 1 Kings xi. 26; and EeU, The
Levites of the famOy of Kohath, to which £3kanah belonged,
had their cities in the tribes of JSyhraim, Dan, and Manasseh
(Josh. xxi. 5. 21->26), and Elkanah is called an Ih)hraimite
because he derived his origin from the residence of his family
in that tribe. Cp. Hengetenberg, Auth. ii. 61.
2. two wines'^ Ferhaps he took a second wife on account of
Hannah's barr^mess.
— Hannah'] \,%, grace, favowr : cp. Luke ii. 36.
— Peninnah] t e. peaA (Bochart, Martmann), or, as others
suppose, coral (GheeiC).
— Hannah had no children^ The Christian Fathers com-
1 Under this name (JeromiaHer) is here dted the author of
the " Quffistiones HebraicsB in Libroe Begum," which are con-
tained in the editions of 8, Jerome, App. tom. ii., ed. Bened.,
Paris, 1699. In some recent publications these ** Questions **
have been attributed to S. Jerome.
In the fbllowing notes on the Books of Samuel and Kings
the reader will also find refer^ces to the valuable commentiary
attributed to JSkcherws, Bishop of Lyons in the fifth century.
It was written bv a later author, a contemporary of S. Ore-
gory I., to whom he refers, lib. iiL c. 22; th^y may be found in
Bibl. Patr. Max. vol vi. pp. 939—1014. The commentary of
Asigelomue, which has also oeen used, is contained in Bibl. Pntr,
Max. XV. 309—413.
Vol. II. Pabt II.— 1
pare Hannah, at first barren— as Sarah and Bachel, contrasted
respectively with Hagar and Leah— and taunted by her rival ;
but afterwards the mother of Samuel the Ptophet; to the Chris-
tian Church scorned at first by the Synagogue, as sterile, but
afterwards fruitful in all lands (Isa. tiv. 1. GtaL iv. 27. S.
Gregory, Bede, and Angelomue in 1 Sam.).
8. the Lobd qf hosts] This is the first occurrence of this
Name, "Jehoval Tsebaoth," "The Lord op Hosts." It is
not found in the Pentateuch, nor in Joshua, Judges, or Euth.
But henceforth it becomes an usual appellation of the Most
High (see o.ll; iv.4; xv. 2; xvii. 46. 2 Sam. v. 10; vi. 2.18;
vii. 8. 26, 27). It declares that the God of Israel is the Lord
of all "the host of heaven*' (Gen. ii. 1. Cp. Ps. ciii. 21. Isa,
xL 26), who were worshippea as divine by the ancient inha-
bitants of Canaan and by tiie Assyrians, and afterwards by the
kin^ of Judah (cp. Deut. xvii. 8. 2 Kings xvii. 16 ; xxi. 6 ;
xxiu. 4. Jer. xix. 18. Zeph. i. 5) ; that He is the Lord of all
the elements of the world above, and of the angels (Gen. xxxii. 2),
and is worshipped by them ^eh. ix. 6), and much more is
He the Sovereign Ruler of all nations and armies (cp. Exod.
vii. 4 ; xii. 41). This titie is found firequentiy in the books of
the prophets ; sixty -two times in Isaiah ; and sixty-five times in
Jercnniah. It does not occur in the Book of Job or in Ezekiel.
In the Books of Kings it occurs seven times ; in the Chronicles
three times, in passages derived from the Books of Samuel
(1 Chron. xi. 9. Cp. 2 Sam. v. 10. 1 Chron. xvii. 7. 24. Cp.
2 Sam. vii 8. 26).
This title, <<The Lord of Hosts," seems to be inserted
designedlv by the sacred historian at the beginning of this
book, which relates the craving of Israel for an earthly king
when the Lobd was thdr King (see viii. 6 ; xii. 17^, and the
setting-up of an earthly kingdom in Saul. It is like a pre-
liminary protest against that act of national fhithlessness; and
it proclaims the umversal supremacy of Jbhotah.
— tfi ShUoh] where the Tabemade and Ark were (see above.
Josh. xviiL 1).
Here is an evidence, that notwithstanding the corruptions
which prevailed in the days of the Judges, the devout ^milies
of Israel continued to resort to " the pl»ce which Gk)d chose out
of their tribes to pkoe His Name there,'' according to the Law
of Moses (Deut. xvi. 15); and here is a refutation of the allega-
tion of some, that the Pentateuch could not have existed iu
those days, because its precepts were not observed : see farther
on this objection the excellent remarks of Hengst,, Auth. ii.
63-56. 83. 89.
— And the two sons of Eli] or, rather, and two sons ofEU,
He may have had more sons. Eli was of the line of Ithamar,
B
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Hannah's payer.
1 SAMUEL I. 4—22.
SamueVs birth.
Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. * And when the tune was that
L^^ii!'* *'* **■ Elkanah 'offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her
daughters, portions : ^ But unto Hannah he gave || a worthy portion ; for he
loved Hannah : ^but the Lord had shut up her womb. ^ And her adversary
also f ^ provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up
her womb. ^ And as he did so year by year, || f when she went up to the house
of the Lord, so she provoked her ; therefore she wept, and did not eat. ^ Then
said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou ? and why eatest
thou not ? and why is thy heart grieved ? am not I ^ better to thee than ten sons ?
^ So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had
drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of ^ the temple of the
Lord. ^^ ^ And she was f in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and
wept sore. ^^ And she "vowed a vow, and said, Lord of hosts, if thou wilt
indeed "" look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and "" remember me, and not
forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid f a man child, then
I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and ^ there shall no
razor come upon his head.
^^ And it came to pass, as she f continued prayiog before the Lord, that
EU marked her mouth. ^' Now Hamiah, she spake in her heart ; only her
to^fai.""^''*"^ Ups moved, but her voice was not heard : therefore Eli thought she had been
drunken. ^^ And Eli said jmto her. How long wilt thou be drunken ? put
away thy wine from thee. ^^ And Hannah answered and said. No, my lord,
I am a woman f of a sorrowful spirit : I have drunk neither wine nor strong
drink, but have ** poured out my soul before the Lord. ^^ Count not thine
handmaid for a daughter of ' Belial : for out of the abundance of my || complaint
and grief have I spoken hitherto. ^^ Then Eli answered and said, • Go in
peace : and Hhe God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of
him. ^^ And she said, ""Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the
woman "" went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.
^^ And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord,
and returned, and came to their house to Eamah : and Elkanah ^ knew Hannah
his wife ; and * the Lord remembered her. * Wherefore it came to pass, f when
the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and
called his name || Samuel, saying y Because I have asked him of the Lord.
^^ And the man Elkanah, and all his house, * went up to offer unto the Lord
the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. ^ But Hamiah went not up ; for she said
I Or, a doubtt
portion.
f Gen. 80. 3.
f Heb. angtrod
hor.
h Job 24. 21.
I Or, from the
timt that «Atf, 4e.
t Heb./VoMAn-
going up.
\ Ruth 4. 15.
k ch. 3. 8.
1 Job 7. II.
& 10. 1.
t Heb. Utter of
tout.
2 Sam. 17 8.
m Gen. 28. 20.
Num. 30. 8.
Judg. 11.80.
n Gen. 29. 82.
Ex. 4. 31.
2 Sam. 16. 12.
Pa. 28. 18.
o Gen. 8. 1.
& 30. 22.
t Heb. eeed of
men.
5 Num. 6. 5.
udg. 18. 8.
t Heb. hard of
tptHt
4 Ps. 68. 8.
& 142. 2.
r Deut. 18. 13.
K Or, meditation.
8 Judf . 18. 6.
If ark 5. 84.
Luke 7. 50.
8r 8. 48.
t Ps. SO. 4, 5.
u Gen. 88. 15.
Ruth 2. 18.
X Bccle*. 9. 7.
y Gen. 4. 1.
2 Gen. 80. 22.
t Heb- in reoolU'
tion of dage.
I That it,
AtkedofOod.
the yoonger Km of Airon (1 Chron. zxiv. 8), wluch had now
been advanoed above that of Eleazar; but that of Eleazar after-
waids recorered its precedence. See above on Num. uvL 12, 18 ;
and below, 1 Kings iL 27. Jo9epK Antt. t. 11. 5. BengH^
Anth. U. 74, 76. JTaii, p. 80.
Joeqphns says that there were three high priests between
Phinehas and l^—viz., AUeaer, Bokki, and Uui, who were of
the line of Eleazar (1 Chron. vi. 60, 61), so that EU was the
first high 'priest of the line of Ithamar. Eli was Judge of
Israel (vr, 18) for fwrty years, as well as high priest.
— ike priests of the Lobd] rather, priests qf the Lord ;
there were other priests beside them; this is necessary to be
observed in regard to the objections of some, that Mi and his
sons wotdd not have sufficed to perform the priestly functions of
the sanctnary : cp. Sengst^ Anth. U. 68.
Although H^hni and Phinehas were among the priests,
yet Elkanah and Kumah did not separate themselves from the
service of the sanctuary where they ministered— • lesson against
schism : cp. note below on Matt. x. 4.
4. offhred^ peace-oflTerings. 2 Sam. vi. 18: cp. Lev. vii. 84;
Deut. xii. 11.
5. a worthy portion] literal^, one poriii^ far hoo pers<m»i
Gesen. 69; Keil, 18 ; and so Sgriae.
2
6. her adversofy also provoked her sore"] Observe the evil
effects of polygamy : cp. Gen. iv. 19. 28 ; zzx. 8.
9. by a post of the temple qf the Lobd] near a portal qf
the palace of Jehovah, The Tabernacle is called a palace, not on
account of its external splendour, but as the royal residence of the
Lord, the Emgof Israel. Cp.iii.d. P8.V.7. Geseu,222, £nZ,19.
11. all the days of his life"] Samuel was a Levite, but as
such, he was not bound to tiie service of the sanctuary before
be was twenty years of age, and his term of service did not
extend beyond fifty (Num. viii. 24^ 26); but his mother dedicated
him to the Lord's service all ^ dijq^ qf his life, not only as a
Levite, but as a Kazarite.
— there shall no raaor oome upon his head] he shall be a
Nazarite for ever : see above, Num. vi. 6, and the history of
Samson, Judg. xiii. 6; xvi. 17. Here is another evidence of
acquaintance with, and observance of, the Mosaic law at this
tame. Cp. Mei^st,, Auth. ii. 77.
16. qf BeUcU] See above on Deut. xiiu 18. Judg. xix. 22 ;
XX. 18. The high priests were sons of Belial (ii. 12). Such was
the degeneratrr of tiie times.
80. S arnu e t] L e. heard of Ood; from shama, to hear, and
lEl, Ood {Gesen, 888. 886. Joseph., Antt. v. 10. % who inter-
prets the name by Beeiryrroi) : cp. v. 27.
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He is dedicated to God. 1 SAMUEL I. 23 — 28. 11. 1. Hannah's song of praise.
unto her husband, I mil not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will
*» bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there ^^ abide ** for ever. l^^^Hl
^And 'Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; &i*i.*''**-
tarry until thou have weaned him ; ^only the Lord estabhsh his word. So the lllmhlr.
woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him. ^ And when she ^^ ^^' '* "*
had weaned him, she ' took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah « oeut. u. s,
of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto ** the house of the Lord in h J6«h. is. i.
Shiloh : and the child was young. ^5 And they slew a bullock, and 'brought i Luke 2. m.
the child to Eh. ^^ And she said. Oh my lord, ^as thy soul Uveth, my lord, I kG«n.42. 15.
am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. ^ ^ For this i Matt 7. r.
child I prayed ; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of
him : ^ " Therefore also I have || lent him to the Lord ; as long as he Hveth "Jr?;il'4!i
II he shall be lent to the Lord. And he " worshipped the Lord there.
II. ^ And Hannah * prayed, and said,
^ My heart rejoiceth in the Lord,
^ Mine horn is exalted in the Lord,
bSeeLuk«l. 46, &o.
Aim, whom I have
obtaintd hp peti-
tion, to thf Lord.
U Or, he whom [
have obtained by
petition than be
returned.
n Gen. S4. 26, 62.
a Phil. 4. 6.
Pa. 92. 10.fr 112.9.
88. gave her 9on suok^ On tb« duty of mothers to nnne
their own children, according to the example of Sarah and
Hannah, see ahove, on Qen. xxi. 7; and helow, on 1 These.
iL 7 : cp, S, Chrytoriom in Ps. xx. Clem, Alex., Pted. iii. 4.
24. iohen she htid v>eamed him, the took him up with her"]
The Hehrew mothers oontinaed to give their children suck for
three years (2 Mace. vii. 27) : cp. ahore, on Qen. xxi. 8.
— and the child was tfoun^] literally, and the child was a
chUd, not merely in tenderness of years, hnt in childlike dodlity,
meekness, and gentleness.
35. they slew a bullock'] the hollock for the homt-offering,
with which Samnel was dedicated to Qod. The other two
bullocks were offered as thank-offerings and peace-offerings,
with which Elkanah feasted his friends.
28. he worshipped the Lobd] Elkanah joined with Hannah
his wife in the dedication of Samuel, for whom he probably
prayed with her : cp. ii. 20.
The mother (says A Lapide) cannot dedicate a child
without the father's consent ; for " the husband is the head of
the wife " (£ph. y. 23), and of the whole household.
On the dedication of the child Samnel to the service of the
Lord in Shiloh, and the practical lesson thence to be derived,
see the five Homilies of 8, ChryeoHom in Annam, tom. iv.
pp. 699—747, ed. Montfaucon, Paris, 1721.
Thb Soho of Haititah.
Ch. II. L Aud Sduuah prayed, and eaid"] This Prayer and
Song of Hannah is, as it were, one of the golden links which
connect the song of Sarah, on the birth of Isaac (see above,
Qen., xxL 6, 7), with the Magnificat of the Blessed Virgin, after
the annunciaticm of the Angel Gabriel, saluting her as the
Mother of Chbibt : see Luke L 46 — 65. Let this ^ine Sooog
of Hannah be read in the Septuayini, and thai let the May-
mfioai of the Blessed Virgin be read in St. Luke's original, and
the connexion of the two will be more clearly recogni^. The
Holy Qhost inspired both, and he leads on the devout mind firom
the birth of Samuel to that of Christ. See, fox example, the
beginnings of each song —
'£<rrc^ci^ i^ KupZia /mv iv McYoX^ct ^ ^vx^\ uov vhif
Kvp(^f i>i^$il K4fMs /Mv ^ K6pio¥, kcU iiytiwUurt rh
ffurripl fjMv (Luke L 46). Cp.
below, vv, 7, 8.
Another link is the triumphal Song of Miriam, after the
passage of the Red Sea, and the victory of Jehovah and His
people over their enemies (Exod. xv. 20, 21). Another is the
Song of Deborahy praising the Lord for dehvering His people
by the hand of a woman : see Judg. v. All these poetic hymns
of thanksgivix^, uttered by women, are celebrations of joyfU
events, which are prophetic foreshadowings of the universal
deliverance and victory achieved by the Incarnation of Christ,
the Promised Seed of the woman (Gen. iii. 15).
This is their true meaning, and here is a reply to the oh-
jectiont of some (such as JEkoald and T^hetdua) who except
8
against the genuineness of this song of Hannah, as if it were of
too general and comprehensive a character to be suited to the
occasion which suggested it — the birth of Samuel — an^who
assert that it must have been produced by some great national
victory of the Hebrew people, or by such an event as the over-
throw of Goliath (Stanley, Jewish Church, p. 878 ; and note to
Diet, of Bible, ii. p. 1130).
The true characteristic of Sacred Poetry is, that it is not
egotisticaL It merges the individual in the Nation, and in the
Church Universal. It looks forward from the special occasion
which prompts the utterance of thanksgiving, and extends and
expands itself, with a loving power and holy enei;^, into a lai^e
and s^pathetic outburst of^ praise to God for His love to all
mankmd in Christ. Like a pebble cast into a clear and calm
lake, it sends forth concentric rings of waves, ever cnlarg^g
toward the margin, to that the puticular mercy to the indi-
vidual produces ever-expanding undulations of praise.
This Magnificat of Hannah is conceived in this spirit. It
is not only a song <^ thanksgiving, it is also a prophecy : it is
an utterance of the Holt Ghost moving within her, and
making her maternal joy on the birth of Sunuel to overflow in
outpourings of thankfulness to God for those greater blessings
in Chiubt, of which that birth was an earnest and a pledge :
see Auyuetine de Civ. Dei xvii. 4; and the remarks of S,
Qreyory, Euthymius, Angelomua, SancHus, and others here.
In this req>ect it may be combined with the Song oj
Moses (Dent, xxxii.^ and the Song of David (2 Sam. xxii.), and
forms a connecting link between them : see bebw, PreUminary
Note to 2 Sam. xxii.
The Books of Samuel contain other divine songs : see xviii.
7. 2 Sam. i. 17—27 ; iii. 88 j xxii. ; xxiii. 1—7. Some have
supposed them to have been collected and preserved in the
" Book of Jasher " {Dr. Lee on Inspiration, p. 466).
— My heart rejoiceth in the Losp] All the joy of the saints
is in the Lord (S, Chrys., Hom. 8, de Ann&). <* lllud verum
est gaudium, quod non de creatur& sed de Creatore susdpitur"
{S, Bernard, Epist. 116).
The Targum of Jonathan well says here, "Hannah prayed in
the spirit of prophecy, and saidj" and the same Chaldee Para-
phrast interprets this song as a prophetic announcement of the vic-
tories to be gained by Jehovah and His people over their enemies
(the Philistines and c^er Heathen nations), even to the last days ;
and sums up by saying, " He willgive strength to His kings,
and will increase the kingdom of JERs Messiah .*" so Kimchi.
It was, therefore, the opmion of the ancient Hebrew
Church that this song is a prophecy of Christ. And ancient
Christian Expositors recognize in Hannah a figure of the
Christian Church, contrasted with the Jewish Synagogue, and
blessing God for His mercies in the Gospel. « Manifbstissim^
Anna m cantioo suo mutationem Veteris Testamenti, vel sacer-
dotii, in Novum Testamentum, vel sacerdotium, qui est Chbis-
TTTS, prophetare videtur " {Angelomus),
— Mine horn] Concerning this figure which first appears
here, and reappears in David's Song (2 Sam. xxii. 8), and
agun in the Song of Zaoharias in the Gospel (Luke i. ^), set
b«low on 2 Sam. xxii. 2.
B 2
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Hannah's song of praise. 1 SAMUEL 11. 2—10. The Lord wUl strengihm His King.
My month is enlarged over mine enemies ;
Because I "* rejoice in thy salvation.
2 • There is none holy as the Lobd :
For there is 'none beside thee :
Neither is there any rock like our God.
* Talk no more so exceeding proudly ;
« Let not f arrogancy come out of your mouth :
For the Lord is a God of knowledge.
And by him actions are weighed.
* ^ The bows of the mighty men are broken,
And they that stumbled are girded with strengths
^ * They that were fall have hired out themselves for bread ;
And they that were hungry ceased :
So that ^ the barren hath bom seven ;
And ^ she that hath many children is waxed feeble.
^ "" The Lord killeth, and maketh ahve :
He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
^ The Lord ° maketh poor, and maketh rich :
"" He bringeth low, and lifteth up.
^ p He raiseth up the poor out of the dust.
And lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill,
*> To set them among princes,
And to make them inherit the throne of glory :
' For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,
And he hath set the world upon them.
^ • He will keep the feet of his saints.
And the wicked shall be silent in darkness ;
For by strength shall no man prevail.
The adversaries of the Lord shall be * broken to pieces ;
" Out of heaven shall he thunder upon them :
' The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth ;
And he shall give strength unto his king,
7 Pt. 89. 24. ^ And exalt the horn of his anointed.
d Pt. 9. 14.
& 18.5. & 20.5.
8t 35. 9.
e Ex. 15. 11.
Deut. 8. 24.
ft 32. 4.
Pt. 86. 8.
ft 89. 6, 8.
r Deut. 4. 35.
2 Sam. 22. 32.
f Pt. 94. 4.
Mai. 3. IS.
Jude 15.
t H«b. hard.
h Pt. 37. 15, 17.
ft 76. 3.
i Pt. 34. 10.
Luke 1. 5S.
kPt. 113.9.
1 Isa. 54. 1.
Jer. 15. 9.
m Deut. 32. 39.
Job 5. 18.
Hot. 6. 1.
n Job 1.21.
P». 75. 7.
pPt.n3. 7, 8.
Dan. 4. 17.
Luke I. 52.
q Job 36. 7.
r Job 38. 4, 5, 6.
Ps. 24. 2.
ft 102. 25.
ft 104. 5.
Heb. 1. 8.
t Pt. 91. U.
ft 121.3.
t Pt. 2. 9.
u ch. 7. 10.
Pt. 18. IS.
X Pt. 96. 18.
ft 98. 9.
10
2. Neither is there oiiy roek Uke our God"] This figure of
the Bock is another connecting link which joins together this
song, and the song of Moses, with the song of David, and all of
them with Christ : see above, Dent, xxxii. 4 ; and PreUminanf
Note to 2 Sam. xxii., and v, 82 of that chapter.
8. 7\xlk no more eo exceeding proudhf] TT«.nni^li goieralizes her
reply to the taunts of her adversary, who had provoked her for what
was the Lord's doinff (for ** the Lord had shut up her womb," i. 6),
into a lesson of moderation to all who boast Uunnselves against
Qod, who is a Qod of knowledge, and whose acts are just.
Prophetically these words may be applied to the Christian
Church reproving the arrogancy of the Synagogue {Angelomue),
— Let not arrogancy'] The negative (not expressed in the
Hebrew text) is implied m the foregoing member of the sentence.
In the text is To with an aleph (signifying no€), instead of
lo with a vau (signifying, to Amm). And this passage is reckoned
by the Masorites as one of those fifteen places in which this con-
fusion exists. C^, Exod. xxL 8, and AurivHUut, Dissert, p. 469.
— hg him actume are foeighed]thai is, His actions are all
rightly balanced, and just (S^t, Vulg,, Theodoret, KeU), Or,
man's actions are weighed by Him in the balance of His judg-
ment {Targum, Striae, A £apide, JStoald), Cp. Ptov. xvi. 2;
xxi. 2 ; xjdv. 12.
4 — 9.J With these words of Hannah compare those of Mary,
recognizing in her iown exaltation a specimen of Gk)d's general
dealings in raising up the lowly and abasing the proud (Luke L
48-63).
4
5. oeated] 1. e. to be hungry.
7, 8. He bringeth low, and Itfteth up] The Septuagint has
here K6piot raTftyoiKoi itpvipot *Aif urr^ imh yiis friwrirti. ....
KaBlffai fierit ^vvaffrmw XooD, ical Bp6vov Z6^s KarcucXripoyofuow
aJbrois, Thus the Septuagint Vorsion helps us to connect
Hannah and her song of praise with the Blessed Virgin Mary,
and her Magnificat^ in which we read, ica0eiXc hupdarat &irb
Bp6v»v jcol (Kf^ofO'c raxtiwoifs (Luke i. 62).
Hannah, the type of the Christian Church, nrophesies the
abasement of the pride and self-righteousness of the Synagogue,
and the graces and glory of the meek, who believe in Christ
(Origen, Theodoret, Augustine, Angelom^ A Lapide),
8. the pillars of the tfo^f*^ ft flffurative expression, derived
firom a palace or temple. The will of God (says 8. Basil in
Hoseam, Hom. i.) is the base and column on which the earth rests.
10. The adversaries of the Load] The word Jbhoyab
stands onphatically at the beginning of this sentence, as in ov. 6, 7.
— shall he thtrnderl fulfilled literally in this historyi see vii.
10.
— he shall give strength unto his king. And exalt the hom
of his anointed] Thus, in this heavenly-inspired song,
Hannah prophesies that God in His own appointed time would
ndse up a king {Sis kinf ) to His people ; and thus this holy
and pious woman, in this psalm or praise to God for mercies
foi^seen as well as past, and in her devout acknowledgment
that God only is the Book (v. 2), and that it is the sole pro-
, rogative of God to raise up Irinoes (vv, 6—8), and to give them
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The sins of the priests.
1 SAMUEL n. 11 — 22. Samuel ministering at Shiloh.
^^ And Elkanah went to Bamah to his house. 'And the child did minister
unto the Lobd before Eli the priest. ^^ Now the sons of Eli were * sons of Belial ;
^ they knew not the Lobd. ^^ And the priest's custom with the people wasy
that, when any man offered sacrificei the priest's servant came, while the flesh
was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand ; ^^ And he struck
it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot ; all that the fleshhopk brought up
the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that
came thither. ^^ Also before they "" burnt the fat, the priest's servant came,
and said to the man that sacrificed. Give flesh to roast for the priest ; for he
will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. ^^ And if any man said unto him.
Let them not fiedl to bum the fat \ presently, and then take as much as thy soul
desireth ; then he would answer him. Nay ; but thou shalt give it ms now :
and if not, I will take it by force. ^^ Wherefore the sm of the young men was
very great ^ before the Lord : for men • abhorred the offering of the Lord.
^^ ^But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, ^girded with a
hnen ephod. ^^ Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it
to him firom year to year, when she ^ came up with her husband to offer the yearly
sacrifice. ^ And Eli * blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said. The Lord give
thee seed of this woman for the || loan which is ^ lent to the Lord. And they
went unto their own home. ^ And the Lord ^visited Hannah, so that she
conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel
" grew before the Lord.
^ Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel ; and
how they lay with ** tiie women that f assembled at the door of the tabernacle
B Ter. 18.
ch. S. 1.
a Deut. 18. IS.
b Judg. 2. 10.
Jer. 2S. 10.
Rom. i. 28.
c Lev. 8. S, 4,
5,16.
t Heb. M on the
daif»
d Gen. 6. 11.
e Mftl. 2. 8.
fver. li.
g Ex. 28. 4.
t Sam. 6. 14.
h ch. 1. 8.
Oen. 14. 19.
H Ox, petition
which the atked,
k ch. 1. 28.
1 Gen. 21. 1.
m Judg. IS. 24.
▼cr. 26.
ch. S. 19.
Lake 1. 80.
& 2. 40.
n See Ex. S8. 8.
t Heb. assembted
hjf troopt.
Btren^, ttands in a striking contrast to tiie people of Israel,
who impatiently asked for a king "to jndge them Uke the
noHons/* and to go out before them, and to Ji^ht their hattlee
(see below, viii. 5— -20), instead of waiting patiently Qod's time,
and instead of r^oicinff in their privilege in not bdng like the
nations, bat in being the spedal people of Qod, and Instead of
relying on His Almighty arm to save them fhmi their enemies.
Hannah, the mother of Samuel, is the first person in Holy
Scriptnre who addressed Qod as ^ the Lobd ov Hosts ^'
(L 11), a title which emphatically declares the sovereignty of
the Ahnighty and unseen Baler of the world; and thns also by
her Adth in Him she stands in ccmtrast with the fidthless im-
patience of the people of Israel, who asked of Samnel to make
them a visible nesd who might reign over them : see above
on L 11.
Hannah is also the first person in Holy Scriptnre who
nses the words ** his anointed. As was before observed (on
o. 1), the ancient Hebrew Charoh interpreted her words as a
prophecy of the Messiah : see next note.
— And exaU the horn of hie anointed"] {n^^cfi K4pas
Xpi<rrov cUrrov (Sept,) : "Christi sni" (Vul^.), The king, of
whom Hannah prophedes, is " JEKe king/' a king by whom ** the
Lord shall judge the ends of the earth," not the king craved
by the people, on mere worldly considerations (see the pre-
ceding note), bat the King to be appointed by Goa, in His own
doe time; and a figure ra Christ, of whom Jehovah says by
David, <* Tet have I set «!Mf Icing upon my holy hill of Sion **
(Ps. iL 6), and to whom Tie will give the heath^i for His in-
heritance, and to whom all judgment is given (Ps. Izxii. 1.
John V. 2&, 27), and who will put all His enemies under His
€BetaCor.xv.26— 28).
Therefore it is rightly said, '< h»c omnia spectant ad
Christum " {A Lapide).
12, eone of Belial] Seech.L16. How different from Hannah !
There is a similar contrast in the Gospd between Mary of Beth-
any and Judas : see on Matt. xxvi. 6.
— knew not the Lobb] Tbey who ministered daily to Him
did not know (i. e. did not fear and love) Him to whom they
ministared. They were blinded by thdr sms. Cp. Judg. ii. 10.
Titus L 16. 1 John ii. 4.
18. the prieet^e euetom .... was] Such were their sins.
These sons of £Ii were not contented with the portion of the
peace-oiKerings that was assigned to them by the Law (see Lev.
5
vii. 81 — 85. Dent, xviii. 8), but they would also rob the offerer
and his Mends of that portion which belonged to them, and
which th^ were preparmg, in order to feast before the Lord
(cp. Sengit,, Auth. iu 88). This was a sin against men ; the
next was a sin against God.
15. before theg burnt the fat] which was not to be eaten, but
was God's portion, to be burnt by the priest on the altar (Lev.
iiL16j vU. 28. 26. 80, 81).
" I%ev burnt," not the offerer, but the prieet for him
(Mengst, ii. 67).
17. the einofthe goung men woe very greoH ** Grave pec-
catum saoerdotum, ob scandalum datmn laiois" {A Jjoptde),
On the sins of priests and their punishment, see Jer. xxiii,
1, 2. Ezek. xxxiv. 2 — i. Hosea v. 1. Zech. xL 17. Mai.
i. 6 ; iL 1 (5: Qregor,, Hom. 17, in Evanff.).
18. But Samuel minietered^ The Levite child is contrasted
with the g^wn-up priest.
— a linen ephod] not to be confbunded with the costly ephod
of the High Priest, described Bxod. xxviii. 4—6 ; and see below,
V, 28 ; xiv. 8 ; xxiii. 9.
The linen ephod (Heb. ephod bad) was a simple robe of
the ordinary priests (1 Sam. xxii. 18) and Levite^ and also
sometimes worn by men, — as David, dancing before the ark
(2 Sam. vi. 14. C^. Senget, u. 67).
19. a little ooaQ a little meil (Heb.). The meil was a
priestly robe, see Exod. xxviii. 4; xxxix. 22 — 26. Samuel is
described as wearing a meil below, xv. 27 ; xxviii. 14, but the
same word is also used to describe a princely and royal robe
(xviii. 4; xxiv. 4. 2 Sam. xiii. 18. 1 Chron. xv. 27).
80. the loan which is lent] Or, the boon which one has asked.
Eli supposes that Elkanah had joined in Hannah's prayer for a
son.
82. the women that aeeembled] by troops, for religious
worship (Targum, Josephue), Probably these women were
dedicated to the service of the sanctuary : see Exod. xxxviiL 8
{Sengst, ii. 76).
— at the door of the tabemaole] How different was this
Phinehas, tlie son of Eli, from Phinehas, the son of Eleazar ! See
above. Num. xxv. 6—8.
The punishment was suited to the sin. The Priests polluted
the tabemade at Shiloh; and ** God forsook the tabernacle in
Shiloh, even the tent that He had pitched among men; He
delivered their power into captivity, and their beauty into the
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Woes denounced on EWs house. 1 SAMUEL 11. 23 — 86.
A faithful Priest promisecL
n Or, / hear tvil
words of pou.
I Or, to cry out,
o Num. 15. SO.
pJosh. 11. SO.
Prov. 15. 10.
q ver. 21.
r Prov. 8. 4.
Luke 2. 52.
Acts 2. 47.
Rom. 14. 18.
s 1 Kings IS. 1.
t Ex. 4. 14, 27.
u Ex. 28. 1, i.
Num. 16. 5.
8i 18. 1, 7.
X Lev. 2. 3, 10.
& 6. 16.
8e 7. 7, 8, S4, 35.
8i 10. 14, 15.
Num. 5. 9, 10.
8c 18. 8—19.
J Dcut. 32. 15.
X Deut. 12. 5, 6.
a Ex. 29. 9.
b Jer. 18. 9, 10.
c Ps. 18. 20.
&91. 14.
d Mai. 2. 9.
e I Kings 2. 27.
Ezek. 44. 10
Seech. 4. U,
18. 20. He 14. S.
ft 22. 18, ftc.
I Or, the affliction
of the tabernacle f
for all the wealth
which Ood would
have given leraet.
{ See Zech. 8. 4.
f Ueb. men
g I Kings 13. 3.
i 1 Kings 2. 85.
1 Chron. 29. 22.
Ezek. 44. 16.
of the congregation. ^ And he said unto them. Why do ye such things ? for
II I hear of your evil dealings by aU this people. ^ Nay, my sons ; for it is no
good report that I hear : ye make the Lobd's people || to transgress. ^ If one
man sin against another, the judge shall judge him : but if a man "" sin against
the Lord, who shall intreat for him ? Notwithstanding they hearkened not
unto the voice of their father, ^ because the Lobd would slay them. ^ And the
child Samuel ''grew on, and was ' in £a.vour both with the Lobd, and also with men.
^^ ' And there came a man of God unto EU, and said unto him, Thus saith
the Lobd, 'Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy fietther, when they were
in Egypt in Pharaoh's house ? ^ And did I " choose him out of all the tribes
of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to bum incense, to wear an
ephod before me ? and "" did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings
made by fire of the children of Israel ? ^ Wherefore ^ kick ye at my sacrifice
and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my ' habitation ; and
honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all
the offerings of Israel my people ? ^ Wherefore the Lobd God of Israel saitii,
" I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before
me for ever : but now the Lobd saith, ** Be it far from me ; for them that
honour me ^'I will honour, and **they that despise me shall be lightly
esteemed. *^ Behold, • the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the
arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine
house. ^ And thou shalt see || an enemy in my habitation, ia b31 the wealth
which God shall give Israel : and there shall not be 'an old man in thine house
for ever. ^ And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar,
shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart : and all the increase
of thine house shall die f in the flower of their age. ^ And this shall be^SL sign
unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas ; ^ in
one day they shall die both of them. ^ And * I will raise me up a faithful
priest, that shall do according to that which t5 in mine heart and in my mind :
enemy's hand" (Ps. Ixxvlii. 61, 62). He allowed the Ark to be
taken by tbe Philistines, and it was never restored to Shiloh.
"The fire consumed their young men; and their maidena were
not given to marriage. Their Priests (Hophni and Phinehas)
were slain with the sword, and there were no widows to make
lamentation" (vv, 63, 64).
28. And he said unto them] Eli was the Judge and Priest ;
and he was bound, in his double character, to punish his sons,
and to vindicate the honour of Ood; but he did not follow
up his words with deeds, and he encouraged them by impunity.
C^. the remarks of the Sev. IL W. Evans, Scrip. Biog. i. 114.
36. the judge shall Judge him] or, rather, Ood shaU Judge
him, shall dedde between one man and another; and nere is
place for intercession. The aggrieved party may himself become
a mediator for the offender, as Moses was for Miriam when she
had spc^en against hhn (Num. xii. 18).
— who shall intreat for him ?] A man mav intercede with God
for remission of a penalty due for injury to hunse^, but who shall
venture to entreat for one who has outraged the migesty of God ?
On the senses of the Hebrew word used in both these clauses,
palal, to judge, and, in hithpael, to intercede, see Qesen, 676.
— heoause the Lobd would slay them] or, therefore the liOXD
would slag them (Noldius, Ffeiffer, p. 198). Cp. Ps. cxvi. 10.
Jer. iv. 10; xxix. 16 ; where the particle here translated because
signifies therefore. But the rendering of the Authorized Ver-
sion need not be abandoned : thev heawened not to the voice of
their father, because the Lord nad hardened thdr hearts for
their stna, and would punish them for their wickedness. Cp.
Exod. iv. 21.
26. the child Samuel grew on^in favour both with the Lobd,
and also with f^en] St. Luke adopts these words (ii. 52),
and applies them to Christ.
27. a man of Ood] A prophet (Judg. xiii. 6) pre-announoed
God's judgments on Eli's house, and explained the reason of
6
them, and thus made those judgments to be a dear pcoof of
God's truth and righteousness.
— of thg father] Aaron (Exod. iv. 14. 27).
28. kick ge] Cp. Deut. xxxii. 15, « Jeshurun waxed ht, and
kicked.**
80. I said indeed] God's promises are con^tional on
obedience, as his threats may be averted by repentance (Jonah
iii. 4. 9. 10).
— should walk before me for ever] In uninterrupted pros-
perity : this was to be forfeited, at least for a time, by the
destruction of Shiloh, and the capture of the Ark.
81. thine arm] tiiy strength (Job xxii 9. Ps. xxxvii. 17).
82. thou shalt see an enemg in my habitation, in all the
wealth which God shaU give i»raen Thou, tbe High Priest,
and those who succeed thee in the oiffioe, shall see a destroyer
of my house at Shiloh, in all those good things which God
would have given Israel, if the Priestl:^od had been faithful in
its ministry. See ch. iv. 4. 11. 22. This was " the captivity "
wMch is mentioned above (Judg. zviii. 80). Cp. Pa. IxxviiL 62.
Even in the days of Samuel, the Ark, having been taken by
the Philistines, was never brought bade into the Tabemade ;
and the Tabernacle was never set up again in Shiloh.
88. thinehouse] This ^d not ext^id to the fkmily <^ Ithamar
g^erally, but only to that of EIL
84. in one dag theg shaU die] See iv. 11.
Thb Faithful Pbisst.
80. I will raise me up a faithfiU priest] Though thy sons,
the priests, shall die, and though thou, the High Priest, and ihw
house shall suffer grievous afflictions, yet the Priesthood shaU
not perish. '* I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do
according to that which is in my heart and in my mind : and I
will build him a sure house; and he shall walk befture mine
Andnted for ever."
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Ood reveals Himself
1 SAMUEL n. 36. HI. 1—11.
to Samuel.
and ^ I will bnild him a sure house ; and he shall walk before ^ mine anointed
for ever. ^ "* And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine
house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread,
and shall say, f Put me, I pray thee, into || one of the priests' offices, that I
may eat a piece of bread.
ni. ^ And* the child Samuel ministered unto the Lobd before Eli. And
** the word of the Lobd was precious in those days ; there was no open vision.
^ And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, ^ and
his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see ; ' And ere ^ the lamp of God
went out * in the temple of the Lobd, where the ark of God wasy and Samuel
was laid down to sleep ; ^ That the Lobd called Samuel : and he answered,
Here ami. ^ And he ran unto Eli, and said. Here am I ; for thou calledst me.
And he said, I called not ; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
^ And the Lobd called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli,
and said, Here am I ; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not,
my son; lie down again. ^ ||Now Samuel 'did not yet know the Lobd,
neither was the word of the Lobd yet revealed unto him. ^ And the Lobd
called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said.
Here am I ; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lobd had
called the child. • Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down : and it shall
be, if he call thee, that tnou shalt say, Speak, Lobd ; for thy servant heareth.
So Samuel went and lay down in his place. ^^ And the Lobd came, and stood,
and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered.
Speak ; for thy servant heareth.
^^ And the Lobd said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, ^ at
k 2 8am. 7. 11,27.
1 Kings 11. M.
IPs. 2. 1.
& 18. 50.
m 1 Kings 2. 27.
t Heb. Joim.
I Or, toflMwAal
about tk* prUai-
hood.
ach.2. 11.
b Pi. 74. 9.
Amos 8. 11.
See ver. 21.
Gen. 27. 1.
ft 48. 10.
ch. 2. 22.
ft 4. 15.
d Ex. 27. 21.
Ler. 24. S.
2Chron. IS. II.
e ch. 1. 9.
I Or, Thus did
Samuel btfor* ke
knew the Lord,
and bifort the
word of the Lord
wa» revealed unto
him.
f See AcU 19. 2.
2 Kings 21. 12.
5 2 Kings
er. 19. 8.
This prophec J was fulfilled jprimaiily in Sanmel.
Samuel, in. the interval of oonftiskni (when tha regular
exercise of the Levitical Ritoal and Priesthood was suspendM, by
the destractioa of Shiloh and by the sepamtioQ of the Ark from
the Tabemade), was nused np in an extraordinary manner, by
special commission from Qod, to perform priestly acts.
It had a secondary fiilfibnent in Ztutok, who, on aocomiC of
his fiutbfblness to the noose of David, was placed by Solomon in
the room of Abiathar (1 Kings ii. 27).
Bat it can only be siud to have iisfkU and final accomplish-
ment in Chbist, who b the Divine Samuel, and the faithful
Priest— the true Zadox, or RiaHTBOUS Oki, who has saper-
seded the Aaronic priesthood, and " abideth a Priest for ever "
(Heb. vii. 11 — 28); and has united the Priesthood with the
kingdom everlastinglv. 8, Bippolytut fed. Lagarde, p. 167) ;
Tkeodoret, Qu. 7 ; and 8. Auguttine de Civ. Dei xvii. 5, who
has commented at large on this prophecy in a Christian sense ; and
see also Angelomiu and A Lapids, and the notes below on
1 Kings ii. Itl,
86. And it shall come to paee] This was fulfilled literally
in the distress which afflicted the fiunily of Eli, and in the
massacre of his descendants at Nob (xxii. 19^ ; but it is fulfilled
in a larger sense in the submission of the Aaronical priesthood
to Him ** Who abideth a Priest for ever,'* and in their liumble
resort to Him for spiritual food and sustenance, especially in
His Holy Word and Sacraments, llie curse is taken away, and is
changed into a blessing, in Christ. 8, Auguttine uid Theodoret,
Qn. 7 ; and so 8, Oregory and Proeopiue in A Lapide.
Ch. III. 1. the ehild Samuel] He was then twelve years
old, says Joeephue (v. 10. 4).
If this was the case, tms vidon vouchsafed to Samuel, and
this message sent by €k>d through him to Eli in the Tabernacle,
may sugsest a comparison between him at this time and our
Blessed Xord when a child of twelve years old, in the Temple,
manifosting His Divine Wisdom, so that '* all were astonished at
His understanding^ and answers," and expostulating with His
mother, ** Wist ye'not that I must be about My Father's busi-
ness ?*' (Luke ii. 46—49 ;) and, as the child Samuel was not
elated by this vision and revelation vouchsafed to him in the
7
Temple, but went humbly to Eli ; and, when it was morning,
did the daily work prescribed to him (o. 16), so the chiM
Jesus, after the honour paid Him in the Temple, "went
down to Nazareth, and was subject to " Mary and Joseph (Luke
u. 61).
— precious] rare.
— no open vision] The prophetic vision was not opened,
extended (cp. ^^v. ui. 10), but was contracted on account of
the sin of the Priests and people.
2. his eyes began to wax dtm] Therefore Samuel might well
suppose that Eli called him to minister to him in some service
of help bv night ; and ho was probably sleeping near Eli for that
purpose (o. 6).
8. the lamp qf Ghd] The seven-branched candlestick, fed with
oil every evening (Exod. xxvii. 20; xxx. 8. Lev. xxiv. 2).
— went out] The call was, therefore, probably near morning.
— in the temple] the Tabemade at Shiloh.
4. the Lobd called Samuel] probably by a voice from the
Ark in the Holy of Holies. We may suppose that the High
Priest Eli was nearer the Ark ; but he heard not the voice of
Qod, which the child Samuel heard : it was directed specially
to ^m.
7. did not get know the Load] He did not know the Lord
in that fulness and deamess in which he afterwards knew Him,
speaking to him, and declaring His will, with an audible voice.
Compare the use of the phrase knew not, in John i. 81. 3d ;
see the note there, and the note above on Exod. vi. 3.
— neither was the word qf the Lobd get revealed unto him]
It was not yet uncovered (see Cfesen, 170) ; afterwards the Word
was uncovered (cy. v, 21), and his own ear was uncovered to
receive it : see below, ix. 16, and Bp. Pearson, Art. i. p. 7.
So it was with the disciples of Christ after His resurrec-
tion. Christ did then a double work for them. He opened to
them the Scriptures, and He opened their hearts to understand
them (Luke xxiv. 82. 46).
10. the Lobd came, and stood^ The Glory of the Lord was
revelled to him {Targum), It was not a dream, nor an inspira-
tion, but a vision of the Lord which was vouchsafed to Samuel.
See how Ood loves holiness in children. The child Samuel was pre-
ferred by Him to Eli, the aged hijch priest and judge {Theod<iret).
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Samuel is established to he 1 SAMUEL III. 12—21. IV. 1—3. a Prophet of the Lord.
h ch. 3. Sfr-M.
t Heb. beginning
and ending.
D Or, Amd I will
tell Mm, ^e.
i ch. 2. 29, SO,
31. ftc.
k Ezek. 7. 3.
«r 18. 90.
1 ch. 2. 12, 17, 22,
H Or, accureed.
t Heb. frowned
not upon them.
m ch. 2. 23, 25.
nNum. 15.30,81,
Isa. 22. 14.
oRuthl. 17.
f Heb. to add.
D Or, word.
f Heb. all the
thinge, or worde.
p Job 1.21.
& 2. 10.
Ps. 80. 0.
Isa. 39. 8.
qch. 2. 21.
r Gen. 39. 2,
21, 23.
■ ch. 9. 0.
t Judg. 20. 1.
I] Or, faithful.
u ver. 1, 4.
U Or, came to
poet.
f Heb. was.
a eh. 5. 1.
&7. 12.
t Heb. the baUle
woe epread.
t Heb. the arrag.
f Heb. lake t
which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. ^^ In that day
I will perform against Eli *" all things which I have spoken concerning his
house : f when I begin, I will also make an end. ^' || * For I have told him
that I will ^ judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth;
because * his sons made themselves || vile, and he f ° restrained them not.
^^ And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's
house ** shall not be purged with sacrifice nor oflfering for ever.
^^ And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of
the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision. ^^ Then Eli called
Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered. Here am I. ^^ And he
said. What is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee ? I pray thee hide
it not from me : **God do so to thee, and f more also, if thou hide any |i thing
from me of all the things that he said unto thee. ^^ And Samuel told him
f every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, ^ It ts the Lord : let
him do what seemetll him good.
^^ And Samuel '^ grew, and 'the Lord was with him, • and did let none of his
words fall to the ground. ^ And all Israel ' from Dan even to Beer-sheba
knew that Samuel was |{ estabhshed to be a, prophet of the Lord. ^^ And the
Lord appeared again in Shiloh : for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in
Shiloh by "* the word of the Lord. IV. ^ And the word of Samuel || f came to
all Israel.
Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside
• Eben-ezer : and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. ^ And the Philistines
put themselves in array against Israel : and when f they joined battle, Israel
was smitten before the PhiUstines : and they slew of f the army in the field
about four thousand men.
^ And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said,
Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines ? Let us
f fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it
11. tinffle] Cp. 2 Kings xxi. 12. Jer. xix. 8. Hab. i. 5.
The massacre of Eli's descendants by Sanl, at Nob, was in
part a Ailfilment of this prophecy (see xxii. 19).
20. from Dan even to Beer-sheba] from the northern to the
southern extremity of the land (see Jndg. xx. 1).
SAinnSL IS BBTABLIBHBD TO BB ▲ PBOPHXT.
— that Samuel was etiahUthed to be a prophet of the Loud]
A ve^ important statement. What Samuel did in offering
sacrificee, &c. (see vii. 9), was not (as some seem to imagine)
an irregular intrueion into th.e prieetly office. But in a time of
great degeneracy and confusion, temporal and spiritual, when
the Priesthood itself was polluted, and when the Tabernacle was
defiled by deadly sins, and when, in consequence of those sins,
the priests were slain by the sword, and the Ark of God was
taken, and Shiloh itself was destroyed, and when the exercise
of the ordinary functions of the Ijevitical priesthood was in
abeyance, Samuel was specially raised up by God, and receiyed
an extraordinary commission from Him who is the Author of
all priestly power and authority, to do what he did in main-
taining the worship of God ; and *' all Israel, from Dan eyen to
Beersheba," knew, by yisible tokens, that Samuel "was estab-
lished to be a prophet of the Lord," that is, an interpreter and
expounder of God's will to Israel. Obserye also what follows ;
21. the LoBD appeared again'] literally, ctdded to appear,
and He reyealed Himself to Samuel by the Word of the Lord,
by audible manifestations. This was done in Shiloh, the ap-
pointed place of Diyine worship. Samuel deriVed his extra-
ordinary commission from God, in His own House.
Consider the circumstances recorded in this chapter. « The
Word of God was precious in those days : there was no open
yision " (v. 1). God breaks through the silence of many years
and reyeals Himself to Samuel. Wherefore was this ? Samuel
had a childlike fiuth. Therefore he was yery dear to God. The
8
words are remarkable, " the child was a child " (see i. 24), and
" he g^ew before the Lord " (ii. 21. 26) ; he was a child in in-
nocence, humility, siniplicity, and holiness. He was holy, amid
scenes of unholiness. In spite of the pernicious examples of Eli's
sons, the priests of God, the child stood firm ; he was true to
God in the most trying circumstances. Therefore God reyealed
Himself to him. The child Samuel was preferred to the aged
Eli, the high priest and judge ; and thus (as Theodoret remarks)
God showed that holy childhood is better than hoar hairs. God
reyealed to Samuel the things which concerned Eli. See here
the fruits of obedience. He was ** wiser than the aged," and
had ** more understanding than his teachers," because he ** kept
God's commandments" (Ps. cxiz. 99, 100), and he was not
elated by his reyelations : he was meek and docile as before,
reyerent and dutiful to Eli, who was treated with contempt by
his own sons. Therefore he grew on, and the Lord was with
him, and g^ye him more reyelations, and "all Israel knew that
he was established to be a prophet of the Lord."
Ch. rV. 1. ihe word of SamueT] The word which God spake
to and by him who was established *' a prophet of the Lord,"
and whose appearance was a remarkable era in the history of
Israel ; see Acts iii. 2^ " all the prophets from Samuel,** the
most eminent prophet after Moses. Cp. Heb. xi. 82, " The time
would fail me to teU of Samuel and of the prophets."
— Eben-ezer"] which signifies, stone of help; so called by
anticipation, firom the yictory giyen there to Israel, twenty
years afterwards, in answer to Samuel's prayer (yii. 12) ; it was
between Shen and Mizpeh (the watch-tower), lurobably Mizpeh
of Bei^amin (Josh, zym* 26), now Nehy Samwil (Kobinson),
two hours K.w. of Jemflalem, half an hour s. of Gioeon. The
site of Shen {tooth or crag) is unknown.
— in ApheJe] See Josh. xy. 68.
8. Let us fetch the ark of the covenant] by means of which
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The Ark taken.
1 SAMUEL IV. 4—11.
Hophfd andPhinehas slain.
Cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. ^ So the
people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the
covenant of the Lobd of hosts, ** which dwelleth between *the cherubims : and
the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the
covenant of Gk>d. * And when the ark of the covenant of the Lobd came into
the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.
^ And when the PhiUstines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth
the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews ? And they
understood that the ark of the Lobd was come into the camp. ^And the
Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they
Raid, Woe unto us 1 for there hath not been such a thing f heretofore. ® Woe
unto us ! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods ? these
are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
^ * Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, ye Philistines, that ye be not
servants unto the Hebrews, * as they have been to you : f quit yourselves like
men, and fight.
^^ And the Philistines fought and 'Israel was smitten, and they fled every
man into his tent : and there was a very great slaughter ; for there fell of
Israel thirty thousand footmen. ^^ And » the ark of God was taken ; and ^ the
two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, f were slain.
b 2 Sun. 6. S.
Pt. 80. 1.
ft99. 1.
c Ex. t5. 18, 22.
Num. 7. 89.
t Heb. futerdafft
or, tkt third daif.
d 1 Cor. 16. IS.
e Judg. IS. 1.
t Heb. b€ men.
t ret. 2.
Ley. 26. 17.
Deut 28. 25.
Ps. 78. 9. 62.
g ch. 2. 82.
Pt. 78. 61.
h ch. 2. 34.
Pi. 78. 64.
t Heb. died.
God bad wrought gach wonden of old, espedalhr in the puBOge
of Jordan, and in the overthrow of Jericho. Bat they forgot
that God only works for those who obey Him. They trusted in
the ouiwitrd meant. But God would show that the outward
means are of no arul without inward holiness, and therefore He
suffered them to be smitten, and allowed the Ark to fidl into
the hands of their enemies. « Trust ye not in lying words,"
says the prophet ^Jer. vii. 4), "saying. The Temple of the Lord ;"
but if ye thorougnly amend your ways, '*Then wiU I cause you to
dwell in this place for ever and ever " (o. 7). It is observable
that God there refers to this history, and says, « Go ye now to
Shiloh, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my peo^e
Israel" («. 12).
Probably David remembered this history, when, with a
clearer faith, he refused to allow the Ark to be carried with him
in his retreat before Absalom out of Jerusalem ; and even when
the priests had brought it forth, he commanded them to carry
it back to its place, saying, " If I shall find favour in Uie eyes
of the Lord, He will bring me again and show me both it uid
his habitation" (2 Sam. zv. 25).
David, without the Ark visibly present, but with the unseen
help of Him who was enthroned on the Ark, triumphed, and
was restored to Jerusalem and the Ark. But Israel with the
Ark visibly present, but without the blessing of Him whose
Throne the Ark was, fell before their enemies, and were deprived
of the Ark, which was taken by the Philistines.
4. between ths cherubinu'] or, on the cherMm.
— ^ the two tone of Sli, ffovhm and Phinehat, were there"]
What, therefore, would the Ark profit them, when the priests
were profane who ministered before it, and polluted it by Uieir
presence? What are mere outward Churches of God, when
the living Church— the Priests and People— are unholy ? The
hiBtory of Jerusalem supplies the answer (see on Matt. xxiv. 15).
7. the PhiUttinet — tatd, God it come into the campl The
Ark is called by the sacred writer <'The Ark of the Load"
(Jehotah), but the Philistinee, being heathens, say that
Elohik is come into the camp ; and they speak of God in the
plurcU number, — " these mighty Gods." However, they bear wit-
ness to the truth, that the rresence of God was enshrined in tJie
Ark ; and that the God of Israel had smitten the E^^tians with
^ag^nes. Here is a fulfilment of what Moses hS. prophesied
cExod. XV. 14), " Sorrow shall take hold of the inhabitants of
Falettine.** Cp. below, vi. 6.
Thb Captitsb ot thb Abe.
11. the ark of God woe taken'] The Ark, which Moses had
made by Gk)d's command at Sinai, and on which the Divine
Presence was enshrined in the Holy of Holies; and which had
Vol. n. Pabt IL-9
accompanied Israel in their marches through the wilderness, and
before which the waters of Jordan had fled backwsrd, and the
Wis of Jericho had fiUlen down — that Ark was taken by
Idolaters.
Why did God permit this P
(1) In order to show that His presence had forsaken Israel,
because they had forsaken Him ; and especially to punish the
Priesthood, which had profimed Hb Sanctuary by their sins.
(2) In order to show that visible ordinances of religion only
profit those who have the spirit of religion within them. The
Ark of God's visible Church only benefits those who have the
Shechinah of His Presence in their hearts. As long as Israel was
obedient (says Theodoret, Qu. 10), thev might safely trust in
the providence of God ; but when they forsook Him, neither He
nor the Ark would profit them. The Ark contained the Tables
of the Law, and thus showed the sanctity of the Law ; and how
could the Ark avail those, who broke the Law which was con-
tained in it ?
(3) In order to show that though men are bound to use the
outward means of grace which God has instituted for the convey-
ance of His benefits to them, yet God's presence and working are
not tied to those means; and that He can act without them.
Thus it was shown that the means of grace are only
channelt of blessing from Him, and that He is the only touroe
of grace. After the capture of the Ark, the Tabernacle was like
a Cenotaph. It was like a body without a souL And Shiloh
itself was soon reduced to desolation.
The Vieible Church of Israel seemed then to be Iving in ruins.
But the God of Itrael still lived and acted. And His
Sovereign Power and Divine Independence were seen to work
more ^oriously and graciouriy even when the Visible Church
appeared to be overthrown. He raised up a Samfel, the most
illustrious of Prophets after Moses. He authorized him, though
only a lievite, by a special commission, to do the work of a
Fnett, in offering sacrifices (see above on iii. 20, 21 ; and below,
on vii. 10. 17). He accepted the sacrifices offered by him, as He
had accepted those of the Patriarchs who offered sacrifices before
the Law. He employed him in anointing Saul first ; and then
David, tJie type and ancestor of Christ. He inaugurated, as
it were, a new era in Samuel ; and prepared the way for the
Gospel. He showed that the Aaromcai Priesthood was only
parenthetical and provisional ; that the Levitical ordinances were
not necessary to God's gracious dealings with His people ; th^t
they were shadows which would one day pass away ; that they
were like a scaffold for building up a house — the Church of
Christ — and would one day be removed, when their purpose had
been served, and the spiritual house was erected, which is " built
on the foundation of Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself
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EWs death — Ichabod.
1 SAMUEL IV. 12—22. V. 1—3. The Ark at Ashdod.
i 3 Sam. 1. S.
k Joth. 7. 6.
2 Sam. IS. 19.
ft 16. 82.
Neh. 9. 1.
Job 2. 12
1 ch. 1. 9.
m ch. 8. 2.
t Heb. Hood.
n 8 Sam. 1. 4.
t Heb. it tht
I He seemt to
haTc been a
Judge to do
Justice only, and
that in South-
west I$ra§t.
I Or, to cry oui.
t Heb. wtre
turned.
o Oen. M. 17.
t Heb. Mt not
her heart.
I That if, Where
is the gUtTMt
m, There U no
glory.
p ch. li. 8.
iPi. 26. 8.
78. 61.
a ch. 4. 1.
ft 7. 12.
b Judg. 16. 23.
Isa. 19. 1.
ft 46. 1, 2.
^2 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and * came to Shiloh
the same day with his clothes rent, and ""with earth upon his head. ^' And
when he came, lo, Eli sat upon ' a seat by the wayside watching : for his heart
trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told
it^ all the city cried out. ^* And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he
said. What meaneth the noise of this tumult ? And the man came in hastily,
and told Eh. ^^ Now Eli was ninety and eight years old ; and ■• his eyes f were
dim, that he could not see. ^^ And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came
out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, " What
f is there done, my son ? ^^ And the messenger answered and said, Israel
is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among
the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark
of God is taken. ^^ And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of
God; that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his
neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. || And he had
judged Israel forty years.
^^ And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near || to be
delivered : and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and
that her &ther in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and
travailed ; for her pains f came upon her. ^ And about the time of her death
**the women that stood by her said unto her. Pear not; for thou hast bom a
son. But she answered not, f neither did she regard it. ^^ And she named
the child ||Plchabod, saying, ""The glory is departed from Israel: because the
ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.
22 And she said. The glory is departed from Israel : for the ark of God is taken.
V. ^ And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it *from Eben-
ezer unto Ashdod. ^ When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it
into the house of ^'Dagon, and set it by Dagon. ^ And when they of Ashdod
arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was "" fallen upon his face to the
beinff the chief Comer-rtone" (Eph. ii. 20). God thus gave a
prophetic fbreshadowixig of what was more rally displayed to the
world when the material Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by
the Romans, and the UniTersal Church of Christ was nused up
in its place.
(4) By allowing the Ark to feSl mto the hands of the PhiHs-
tinei, luid to be bronght in triumph into the temple of their god
Da^on, and by the wonders that He wrought m that temple,
where He made Dagon fidl prostrate before the Ark, Qod gave
the Philistines themsdves an evidence of His own Divine
Sovereign^, and c^ed them to turn firom idols, and to worship
the True God. Cp. Theodoret, Qu. 10.
— Hophni and Phinehae were eloHi] A proof of God's
truth (u. 84).
13. ^t eat upon a teat hy the way tide watching] So all the
ancient versions. J2. Schwartz, by an alteration of the Hebrew
pointing, renders it " by the wayside leading to Mucpeh*' (see
Grove, B. D. ii. 888). The reading of the MSS.,^ac, is cor-
rected by the Keri to yad, a hana or tide. See Cteten. 847.
UliKeil,4Si.
IS. qfthe arh cf Q^d] The news of its capture was more
grievous to Eli than that of the defeat of Israel, and the death
of his own sons. " If I forffet thee, O Jerusalem, let mv right
hand forget her cunning; u I do not remember thee, let my
tongue cleave to the rwA. of my mouth, if I prrfer not Jeru-
taUm above my chief Joy" (Pb. cxzxvii. 6, 6). The dying words
of Archbishop Whit^ were ** Tto Ecdesia Dei."
— he had judged Itrael forty yeartl When I read of Eli the
Priest, of the sons of Aaron, judging Israd forty years, and of
Samuel, certainly a Levite, though not a Priest, going circuit as a
judffe, itinerant in Israel (1 Sam. vii. 16); and of others of the
fimiilies of Levi appointed by Sang David to be judges and officers,
not only in all the business of the Lord, but also for the outward
business of Israel (2 Sam. xv. 86. 1 Chron. xxvi. 29. 82); when
10
I observe in the Church Stories, ever since the world had
Christian Princes, how ecclesiastical persons have be^ em-
ployed }y their sovereigns in their weightiest consultations and
affiurs of state ; I cannot but wonder at uiose who inveigh against
the courts, power, jurisdiction, and the temporalities of Bishops
and other Ecclesiastical persons. I speak it not to justify abuses
of men, but to justify the lawfulness of the thine (Bp, Sanderton,
U.249).
19. bowed hertein sank on her knees.
21. IchabodTi No glory (Geten. 86. 88).
88. The glory it departed from Itrael : for the ark of Ood
it taken} The Ark being the visible centre of the theocratic
system of Israel, its capture was the departure of lorael's glory,
and is spoken of as the *' captivi^ of Uie land :'* see above, on
Judg. iviii. 30 ; and Ps. Ixxviii. &3 — 67, " God was wroth, and
gfreatly abhorred Israel, so that He forsook the tabernacle of
ShUoh, the tent which He placed among men, and delivered
His strength into captivity, and His ghry into the enemy's
hand; He gave His people over also unto the sword: their
priests fell by the swokL" Cp. Jer. vii. 12; xxvi. 6. Hengtt^
Auth. ii. 48. 62. 66.
The glory is departed from Israel — so it seemed in the eyes
of men. But with God there is «no variableness or shadow of
turning ** (James L 17) ; and in that dark night of sorrow to
the Hebrew Church and Nation, His gloir £one forth most
brightly : see above, v. 11. There is no Ichabod to God.
Ch. v. 1. Ajthdod] now Btdud : see Josh. xiiL 8.
8. Dagon] See on Judg. xvi. 28.
8. Dagon xrufUlen upon hit face to the earth] Dagon £aU
prostrate before tiie ark, though the ark was captive. Dagon in
his own temple fell down like a prisoner before his conqueror,
or like a suppliant before his god. Cj^Jotephut, vi. 1. 1.
Thus tiM device designed by the Philistines for the glory of
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Dagon falls prostrate.
1 SAMUEL V. 4—12.
Philistines plagued.
earth before the ark of the Lobd. And they took Dagon, and ^ set him in his
place agam. * And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold,
Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lobd ; and
® the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the
threshold ; only Wthe stump 0/ Dagon was left to him. ^ Therefore neither the
priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, 'tread on the
threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.
^ But ' the hand of the Lobd was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he ^ de-
stroyed them, and smote them with * emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.
^ And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said. The ark of the
God of Israel shall not abide with us : for his hand is sore upon us, and upon
Dagon our god. ® They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the
Philistines unto them, and said. What shall we do with the ark of the God
of Israel ? And they answered. Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried
about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.
^ And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, ^ the hand of the Lobd was
against the city ' with a very great destruction : and " he smote the men of the
city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.
^^ Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as
the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying. They have
brought about the ark of the God of Israel to f us, to slay us and our people.
^^ So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the PhiUstines, and said.
Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that
it slay f us not, and our people : for there was a deadly destruction throughout
all the city ; " the hand of God was very heavy there. ^^ And the men that
died not were smitten with the emerods : and the cry of the city went up to
heaven.
d Iia. 46. 7.
e Jer. 50. S.
Ezek. 6. 4, 6.
Micah 1. 7.
g Or. tkeJUky
part,
f SeeZeph. 1.9.
gTor. 7, 11.
Ex. 9. 3.
Pa. 82. 4.
Acts 18. 11.
h ch. 6. 5.
i Deut. 28. 27.
Ps. 78. 66.
k Deat. 2. 1
eh. 7. 18.
ft 12. 15.
Iver. II.
m yer. 6.
Pt. 78. 66.
t Heb. mtt to tla/g
me and my.
t Heb. wu not,
andmf.
n ver. 6, 9.
their god Dagon, and for the humiliation of Jehovah, redounded
to D^^'s humiliation, and to Jehovah's glonr. So it ever
has b^en, and ever will be, with all the contrivances of evil
men and of Qod's enemy, Satan, against His Cbspel. They
will recoil upon thdr authors, and will tend to the exaltation of
Christ and of His Church. " The fierceness of man shall turn
to Thy praise, O God" (P*. bum. 10).
— ctnd tet Urn in hi* pUtce] Their god Dagon could not set
up himself, but must be raised fix>m the earth by the hands of
his worshippers in his own temple. See the blindness of
idolatiT ! Cp. v. 5.
4. the head of Dagon and both the palm* of his hand* wete
cut ofr\ The word vyere is not in the original, and would be
better omitted ; the head and palms of I^gon being cut off,
were lying on Ihe threshold. Here was the miracle; and it was
very sigmficant. It was done by the divine power. The head
and pahns of Dagon, the chiefest of his members, the emblems
of his strength, were lo|n)ed off, and they were lying on the
threshold, as if to be trodden under foot by his worshippers.
— onUf the stump of Jk^on wa* ieff] The words, the
ttrnnp of are not in the original ; the sense is— only Dagon, the
fish (from doff, tiJUh), the ignoblest part, was left.
5. Therefore neither the priest* . . . tread on the threeh-
olt] Another proof of the obstinate pride and blind infatua-
tion of idolatry. Instead of concluding, as they ought to have
done from these miracles, and from others that followed (see w,
6—12 ; vi. 1—9), that Dagon was no god, and that his idol
ought to be trodden under foot, and that the Lord God of Israel
ought to be wordiipped, the Philistines turned these miracles
themselves into occasions for more superstitious devotion to
th^ idol, although they were constrained to confess that the
hand of the God of Israel was upon them, and upon Dagon their
god {v, 7). When a Church becomes idoUUrou*, her case is
almost desperate.
After the record of the infatuation of these men of Ashdod,
it is refiresinng to turn to another scene in the same place.
*' Philip was found at Axotu* ** (Acts viii. 40). Perhaps then the
11
joyfUL prophecies of the turning of Philistia to God in Ps. Ix. 8 ;
cviii. 9, were fulfilled : see below on Acts viii. 26.
6. with emerods'] Cp. Deut. xxviii. 27, and Ps. Izxviii. 66,
*' He smote them on their hinder parts" (Ifeiffter, Dnbia, p. 194 ;
Gesen, 645. 821).
Quorsum hoc supplicium a Deo immissum P Forsan Philis-
tffii, sicut alisB nationes Canaanitic& stripe oriundee, Sodomiticis
flagitiis erant inquinati, idedque iis membris, quibus erant abusi,
a Deo plectebantur (cf. v. 9).
At the end of v. 6, the Sept. and Vulg. insert a relation of
the devastation of the land by mice ; an addition which seems
to have been suggested by the fiict recorded in vi. 4.
8. Oath'] They thought that Jehovah the God of Israel had
a special hatred against Ashdod and Dagon, but that his power
would not reach to Gath, which was probably between Ashdod
and Ekron (cp. Josh. ziiL 8), and therefore they sent the ark
thither. They imagined Hun to be a mere local dei^: cp.
1 Kings zx. 28.
Tmt device also recoiled upon themselves, and redounded
to the greater glory of God. All the shifts of Satan will issue
in his own greater confusion. Observe how he is represented in
the Apocalypse as shifting his artifices against the Church of
God, and how all are frus&ated : see below on Rev. vi. 16.
Tlie site of Gath is not accurately known. It was probably
in the interior of Philistia, about ten niiles east of Ashdod, at a
place called now Tell-e*'8cfleh, and about the same distance B jb.
of Ekron {Porter),
9. theu had emerod*] emerods broke out (JKei^
10. Wcron] now Jkvr, the most N.w. city of Philistia (Josh,
xiii. 8), where Beelzebub was worshipped (2 Kings i. 2). The
struggles of the Philistines against Jehovah tended only to
bring the ark nearer to its own home, and to bring more evils
on its enemies. The sufferings of Ekron were worse than those
of Ashdod, and the sufferings of Gkth were more g^evous than
those of Ekron. So all the assaults of the enemies of the fiuth
against the Ark of Christ's Church, will serve only to bring her
nearer to ber heavenly and eternal home.
C 2
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The Ark sent bach.
1 SAMUEL VI. 1—14.
Comes to Beth-shemesh.
ft Omi. 41. 8.
Ex 7. 11.
Dan. a. 2.
&4. 7.
Matt. 2. 4.
b Ex. 2S. 15.
Deut. 16. 16.
Lev. 5. 1», 16.
d Ter. 9.
e See ver. 17, 18.
Joth. IS. 8.
Judg. 8. 8.
t Heb. tkim.
rcli.5.6.
ff JMh. 7. 19
Iia. 48. IS
Mal. 8. a.
John 9. 24.
h Bee oh. 5.
Pt. 39. 10.
i eh. 5. 3. 4, 7.
k Ex. 7. 13.
ft 8. 15.
at 14. 17.
I Or, reproadk-
IBx. 12.81.
t Heb. ik4tm,
m a Sam. 6. 8.
a Num. 19. 2.
6,11
o ver. 4, 5.
p Josh. 15. 10.
I Or, a.
q Ter. 8.
YI. ^ And the ark of the Lobd was in the coontry of the PhUistines seven
months. ^ And the PhiUstines ^ called for the priests and the diviners, saying.
What shall we do to the ark of the Lobd ? tell us wherewith we shall send it to
his place. ^ And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send
it not ^ empty ; but in any wise retnm him "" a trespass offering : then ye shall
be healed, and it shall ''be known to you why his hand is not removed from
you. ^ Then said they. What shall be the trespass offering which we shall
return to him ? They answered. Five golden emerods, and five golden mice,
^ according to the number of the lords of the Philistines : for one plague was on
f you all, and on your lords. * Wherefore ye shall make images of your
emerods, and images of your mice that 'mar the land ; and ye shall 'give glory
unto the God of Israel : peradventure he will ** lighten his hand from off you,
and from off * your gods, and from off your land. ^ Wherefore then do ye
harden your hearts, ^ as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts ?
when he had wrought || wonderfully among them, ^ did they not let f the people
go, and they departed ? ^ Now therefore make " a new cart, and take two
milch kine, ° on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart,
and bring their calves home from them: ^ And take the ark of the Lobd, and
lay it upon the cart ; and put ** the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a
trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that
it may go. ^ And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to **Beth-
shemesh, then \\ he hath done us this great evil : but if not, then "> we shall know
that it is not his hand that smote us ; it was a chance that happened to us.
^^ And the men did so ; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart,
and shut up their calves at home : ^^ And they laid the ark of the Lobd upon
the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.
'2 And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, and went
along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand
or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went alter them unto the
border of Beth-shemesh. ^* And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their
wheat harvest in the valley : and they lifted up their eyes, and &aw the ark, and
rejoiced to see it. ^^ And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-
shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone : and they clave the
Ch. VI. 1. the arh of the Lobd was ui the eountrjf of the
FhilUtinee seven monthe] So enfeebled and debased was Israel
by their sins, that they durst not, or wonld not attempt to
recover it. God displayed His own power by brining back the
Ark, not by the hands of Israel, bat by those of His enemiea.
8. thepriette and the divinert] who were so controlled and
'overmled by God, that even th^ answer was made ministerial
t6' God's glory, as were the prophecies of Balaam and Caiu^has,
and the soroeij of the witch at Endor, and the writing of Pilate
on the cross of Christ.
— ihe ark of the Lobd] They now call it the Ark of
Jbhotah (cp. V. 8). Before this, they had called it the " Ark
of the God of Israel" (w. 7, 8: 10, 11). The recognition of
the God of Imtiel as <' the Loid" was consequent on what they
had seen and sniffered from Him.
8. ihen ^e shall he healed] If ve are then healed, then ye
shall know, why His hand is not withdrawn from you as long as
ye detain Uie Ark here (Keil).
4. ff olden emerode—mice'] On the custom of dedicating
images or pictotes of diseased members as votive offerings to
gods, see Theodoret (iv. p. 821, ed. Schulze) j Winer, R. W. B.
n. 266, art. " PhiKstcr;" and Keil, p. 48. Snch representations
may be seen still on the Pnvx at Athens. The onstom is also
practised in some Christian Chnrches.
— onyoi* ain rather, on them all; i.e. on all the people.
12
6. as the Egjfptiane'] Another testimony from the heathen to
the tmth of the Pentatench (see above, iv. 8), and a proof that
Qod*B judgments on Egypt were not without salutary effects on
idolatcffs.
7. two mUch kine, on which there hath eome no ^oke] who,
naturally, wiU be restive under a yoke, and wiU yearn after
their calves; their course therefore in another diction was
pretematmraL God's hand drove them.
8. thereof] of the Ark. The Philistines were withheld, it
seems, by awe of the Ark fitmi looking into it, and from putting
the images of the emerods and the mice into it.
9. Beth^hemeeh] now Ain 8heme, on the borders of Judah
and Dan (see Josh. xv. 10). Gk)d directed them, bearing the
Ark, to Beth-shemesh, as bemg a citv of the priests (Josh. xxi. 16).
12. lowing as they went] bearmg au^ble witness to their
natural and motherly yearning for their calves, and yet preter-
naturally going away from them.
18. wheat harvest] about Pentecost.
14. iield of Joshma] Observe the name. The Ark wiMi not
carried back to the place whence it had been taken, but to Beth-
shemesh, a priestly city, and to the field of Joslma ; one who
bore the same name as he who had brought Israel and the Ark
into Canaan, and who was a type of our Jesus, in whose field
the Ark of the Church rests. See 8» Justin Mar^r c Tiyphon.
§182.
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IThc men of
1 SAMUEL VI. 15—21. VH. 1.
Beth-shemesh smitten.
wood of the cart, and offered the kme a burnt offering unto the Lobd. ^* And
the Levites took down the ark of the Lobd, and the coffer that was with it,
wherein the jewels of gold werej and put them on the great stone : and the men
of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day
unto the Lobd. ^^ And when ' the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they
returned to Ekron the same day.
17 • And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a
trespass offering unto the Lobd ; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon
one, for Gath one, for Ekron one ; ^^ And the golden mice, according to the
number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of
fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the || great stone of Abel,
whereon they set down the ark of the Lobd : which stone remaineth unto this
day in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemite.
1^ And ^ he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into
the ark of the Lobd, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore
and ten men : and the people lamented, because the Lobd had smitten many
of the people with a great slaughter. . ^o ^nd the men of Beth-shemesh said,
" Who is able to stand before this holy Lobd God ? and to whom shall he go
tip from us ? ^1 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of * Kirjali-
jearim, saying. The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lobd ; come
ye down, and fetch it up to you. VH. ^ And the men of * Kirjath-jearim came,
and fetched up the ark of the Lobd, and brought it into the house of ** Abinadab
in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lobd.
r Josh. 18. 8.
I Or, ffrtai tton*.
t See Ex. 19. 21.
Num. 4. 5, 15, 20.
t Sam. 6. 7.
u 2 Sam. 6. 9.
Mai. 8. 2.
X Josh. 18. 14.
Judg. 18. 12.
1 Cliron. 18. 5, 6.
aoh. 6. 21.
Pf. 1S2. 6.
b 2 Sam. 6. 4.
— th^—a^ered the kine'] Some suppose that this was done
bj the FiuUstines {Schmidt, Men^tt),
15. the Leviiet took down the ark] Cp. Num. iv. 15.
— the men of Beth-ehemeeh offered burnt offerings and
eaefificed eacrifloes] This was not a violation of the Levitical
Law, as some allege. The men of Beth-shemesh, which was a
priestly dty, offcured these sacrifices by the ministry of the
priests who dwelt there (A Lapide, MiehaeUt, Hengst. iL 60).
It must also be borne in mind, that at this time there was no
fixed place chosen by Ood for sacrifices; but wherever the Ark
was, uiere was the llirone and Presence of the Lord.
18. of fenced cities, and of country villages'] Literally, from
fenced otty even unto country village ; L e. m>m large towns
even unto little hamlets: so gpreat were the ravages of the
Divine visitation.
— even unto the great stone of JheV^ The words etone qf
are not in the original, but they seem to be rightly inserted :
see V, 14, " The cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-
shemite, and stood there, where there was a gretU ttone** The
stone may well have he&a. called Ahel (mourning) on account of
the lamentation of the Philbtines for their afflictions, which
extended to fenced cities and country villages, and even to this
place, the frontier of Israel (Kimchi, Serariue, A Lapide),
19. hecauee they had looked into the ark] either with vain
curiosity, or, it may be, with a good intention, to see whether
the Philistines had restored all tlutt was in it before its captivity.
Even the Philistines, it seems, had not ventured to open the
Ark, but they had placed their offerings in a casket beside it.
Here is a solenm lesson on the reverential awe which is
due to Divine things (cp. 2 Sam. vi. 6) ; Bi)ecially may this be
applied to the Word of Ood and Sacraments. Compare St. Paul's
WOTds, 1 Cor. xi. 80, and see note below on Mark xiv. 3, p. 147.
— emote— fifty thousand and threescore and ten men] In
this statement, as it stands in some of our present manuscript
copies of the Hebrew, there is something anomalous in the
position of the threescore and ten htfore the fifty thousand, and
m the absence of the copula vau before the second number.
It is also surprising that Beth-shemesh should have had so
large a population as would be inferred from this number.
Some Hebrew manuscripts (three in Kennicott) do not
oontain the words fifty thousand, and Josephus (Antt. vi. 1. 4)
■peaks only of threescore and ten ; and this is accepted by some
18
as the right reading, as by Keil. Some ancient versions (the
i^riac and Arabic) h&YQfive thousand instead fA fifty thousand.
The Chaldee Targum has " he smote of the elders of the people
seventy men, and of the whole body of the people fifty thou-
sand.
The occurrence of the munher fifty thousand in the majority
of the Hebrew manuscripts seems to be best accounted for by
supposing, with Le Clere, that seventy were smitten out of
fifty thousand. This is confirmed by the position of the numbers
in the MSS., in which the seventy precede the fifty thousand.
It is not wonderful that a large number of persons should have
flocked to Beth-shemesh at the tidings of the return of the
Ark of God. And it is observable that the Sacred Historian
adds that the people lamented because the Lord had smitten of
the people (literally, on the people) with a g^eat plague. This
exposition is approved by Waterland, Script. Vina. p. 136.
Another interpretation is given by Bochart, Hierozoic. ii.
36, which is accepted by Bp. Patrick and others : « He smote
threescore and ten men, fifty out of a thousand ;" a sense at
which he arrives by supplying a Hebrew preposition before eleph
— a thousand. This preposition, of, is oiten to be supplied in
Hebrew. Cp. Exod. xxxvi. 8. 19. 34. 2 Sam. xxiii. 24.
21. Kirjath-jearim'] i. e. city of woods : cp. Ps. cxxxii. 6, "We
have found it (the Ark) in the wood" Now Kuryet-el-Enab. See
Josh. ix. 17. It was the nearest large city to Beth-shemesh, on
the way to Shiloh, to which, perhaps, they supposed that the Ark
ought to return. But the Ark remained at Kiijath-jearim till it
was removed thence by David to Jerusalem (2 Sam. vi. 2, 8).
Ch. VII. 1. sanctify Sleazar his son to keep the ark]
To keep it, not to minister before it ; but only to defend it from
such profane intrusions as had caused so much suffering to the
Beth-shemites.
An answer to the objections of those ^such as De Wette)
who infer fh)m this statement that the Levitical Law was not
known to the men of Kirjath-jearim, and even that the Penta-
teuch did not then exist in its present form, has already been
g^ven by Calvin, in his note on this passage. See Hengst,,
Auth. ii. 66. It has been supposed by some (see Josephus vi.
1. 4, Bp. Patrick, and KeiJ) that Abinadab was a Levite.
This may have been so, but this is not stated in the sacred
history.
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The Ark at Kirjath'jearim. 1 SAMUEL VII. 2 — 10. SamtieVs sacrifice at Mizpeh.
cDeut. 80.2— 10.
1 Kings 8. 48.
Isa. 55. 7.
Hos. 6. 1.
Joel 2. 12.
d Gen. 35. 2.
Josh. 2i. 14, 23.
e Judg. 2. IS.
f2Chron. 30.19.
Jobl). 18, 14.
g Deut. 6. 13.
h 10. 20.
ft IS. 4.
Matt. 4. 10.
Luke 4. 8.
h Judg. 2. 11.
i Judg. 20. 1.
2 Kings 25. 23.
k 2 Sam. 14. 14.
1 Neh. 9. 1, 2.
ban. 9. 3, 4, 5.
^091 2. 12.
m Judg. 10. 10.
I Kings 8. 47.
Ps. 106.0.
t Heb. Be not
iitentfrom u»
from erffing,
n Isa. 37. 4.
Pi. 99. 6.
Jer. 15. 1.
1 Or, aiuwered.
p See Joih. 10.10.
Judg. 4. 15.
ft 5. 20. ok. 2. 10.
^ And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Eirjath-jearim, that the time
was long ; for it was twenty years : and all the house of Israel lamented after
the LoBD. ^ And Samuel spake onto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do
"" return unto the Lobd with all your hearts, then ^ put away the strange gods
and 'Ashtaroth from among you, and 'prepare your hearts unto the Lobd, and
* serve him only : and he will deUver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
^ Then the children of Israel did put away ^ Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served
the Lobd only. ^ And Samuel said, ^ Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will
pray for you unto the Lobd. ^ And they gathered together to Mizpeh, ^ and
drew water, and poured it out before the Lobd, and * fasted on that day, and
said there, ""We have sinned against the Lobd. And Samuel judged the
children of Israel in Mizpeh.
^ And when the PhiUstines heard that the children of Israel were gathered
together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And
when the children of Israel heard tt, they were afraid of the Philistines.
® And the children of Israel said to Samuel, \ " Cease not to cry unto the Lobd
our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. ^ And
Samuel took a sucking lamb, and oflFered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the
Lobd : and " Samuel cried unto the Lobd for Israel ; and ^e Lobd || heard
him. ^^ And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines
drew near to battle against Israel: ^but the Lobd thundered with a great
2 Sam. 22. 14. 15.
2. the time was lon^'] nearly fifty years. The Ark was not
carried to Shiloh, which had been destroyed by the Philistines.
On account of the sin of the Priests, who had mimstered there,
" God forsook the tabernacle of Silo ; and refused the tabernacle of
Joseph " (i. e. in Ephraim, where Shiloh was. Ps. Ixxviii. 61. 68).
The Tabernacle (from which the Ark was separated) was
removed to Nob, where it remained for some time (xxi. 6), and
afterwards to Gibeon H. Kings iii. 4. 1 Chron. xvi. 39. 2 Chron.
i. 8) ; and there the xabemade remained till the Temple was
bailt by Solomon; and it was not till that time that the Ark
found again a resting-place in the Sanctuary of God.
Some suppose the Ark to have been also at Mizpeh
{Jeromiatter in 1 Begum vii. 2, p. 15).
The Ark remainoi at Kirjath-jearim till Da'nd's time, who
carried it—but ftot the Tabernacle — ^to Mount Zion (1 Chiron,
xiii. 6 ; xv. 29).
— it woe twenty yeare] before the people turned to God
by the exhortation of Samuel. Such was the irreligious in-
difference of those times. Indeed, during the whole of Saul's
reign, <*the people inquired not at the ark/' they did not ask
much after it (see 1 Chron. xiii. 3).
The term twenty yeart does not refer to the sojourn of the
Ark there, which was nearly j^l^ years : see the foregoing note,
and Bp. Fatrick't note, and Menffetenbery, Auth. ii. 51.
— and aU the houte of Itrael lamented^ They were affected
with feelings of remorse for their apostasy, and yearned for re-
conciliation with the Lord, and then Samuel stiired their hearts
to repentance {lAghtfoot),
5. to Mizpeh"] which signifies a watch-tower j probably at
Neby SamwU—BO called from the supposed tomb of tiie Prophet
Samuel, which is still shown there, surmounted by a mosque,
once a Latin church. " Neby Samwil is about 500 feet above
the plain, and is one of the most marked places in the vicini^
of Jerusalem," which is to the 8.x. of it. Cp. Josh, zviii. 26.
Judg. XX. 1. Bobinson, ii. 189—143. Vandevelde, p. 835.
6. and drew water, and poured it out before the Lobs] They
poured out water, as a sign of their penitential consciousness of
their own weakness, and as a token of the outpouring of their
own hearts in tears of sorrow for their sins (Taryum, J)rusius),
Cp. Ps. vi. 6, " Every night wash I my bed and water my couch
with my tears." Ps. xxii. 14^ *' I am poured out like water."
2 Sam. xiv. 14. 1 Chron. xi. 18, and Jeremiah, Lam. ii. 18, 19, " O
wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day
and night : pour out thine heart like water before the &ce of
the Lord." Jer. xiv. 17. Lam. L 16. " Aquam pro lacrymis
effundebant " (8. Gregory ^ A Lapide).
— and fasted'] Another sign of repentance. Thus they were
14
reconciled to God, and conquered thmr enemies. 8* Jerome o.
Jovin. lib. ii. ; TertuUian de Jgtm. c. 7.
— 8amuel judged the children of Israel] He was thdr
ruler as well as their prophet : cp. v. d6.
8. Cease not to cry unto the Loan our Qod^ An evidence of
the reality of their repentance and faitb in God ; and of their
reverence fo^ Samuel ; and of Samuel's habitual resort to God in
prayer for hdp. Cp. xii. 19. 28. In Ps. zdx. 6 Samuel is specially
mentioned as given to prayer, and as prevailing by prayer:
" Moses and Aaron among His Priests, and 8amu€l among them
that call upon His Name : these called upon the Lord, and He
heard them ;" and God says (Jer. xv. 1), " Though Moses and
Samuel stood before Me, yet My mind could not be toward this
people." Samuel had been given by God, in answer to his mother's
prayers (i. 20), and his whole life seems to have been governed by
a sense of the power of prayer, to which his birth was due.
9. 8amuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a bumi
offering wholly] To be a symbol of the total self-dedication of
the people now brought back by repentance to newness and
holiness of heart and Ufe. This offering of the sucking lamb is
recorded with special emphasis in Ecclus. xlvL 16.
Samuel, though only a Levite, offered a burnt-offering at
Mizpeh, because the regular ministries of the Tabernacle, which
was separated from the Ark (see above on o. 1, 2), were in
abeyance, and God had not yet chosen any fixed place to set His
Name there, after the destruction of Shiloh; and Samuel was
raised up with a special commission fix>m God to supply the
deficiency of this provisional and tranmtory state of things, and
to show that though men are tied to the use of means when
appointed by God, yet God's power and g^race are not tied to
means, but can work independently of them. And it was the
special office of the prophets to teach the Hebrew nation the
true meaning of the law, that " thellaw is spiritual," and that
" mercy is better than sacrifice," and " to hearken, than the fat
of rams." See above, on iv. 11, and below, on v, 16, and Intro-
duction to this Book, and A Lapide here, who says well, '* hine
patet Samuelem, licet ex sturpe tantum esset Levitat ex Dei
tamen dispensatione extraordinariwn fmsse saeerdotem: et cum
Samuele dispensavit Deus, et extra Tabemaculum et altare
holocaustorum sacrificaret in Maspha." And again, on xxi. 1,
he says, " The priests offered sacrifices at the place where the
Tabernacle was, and where was the altar of bumt-ofiisring
(cp. 1 Chron. i. 29) ; but Samuel and others, for g^ve reasons,
by special dispensation of God, offered sacrifices in other places,
until God chose a fixed place in the Temple of Solomon."
10. the Load thundered] The Voice of God answered the
prayers of Samuel, as on another occasion (xii. 17, 18).
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Rout of the Philistines— Ebenezer. 1 SAMUEL VII. 11—17. VIII. 1. Samuel judged Israel.
thtmder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them ; and they
were smitten before Israel. ^^ And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and
pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car. ^^ Then
Samuel "> took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name
of it i I Eben-ezer, saying. Hitherto hath the Lobd helped us. ^^ ' So the Philistines
were subdued, and they ' came no more into the coast of Israel : and the hand
of the LoBD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ^^ And the
cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from
Ekron even unto Gath ; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands
of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
^* And Samuel * judged Israel all the days of his life. ^^ And he went from
year-to year f in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel
in all those places. ^^ And "" his return was to Bamah ; for there was Ms house ;
and there he judged Israel ; and there he ' built an altar unto the Lord.
Vm. ^ And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he ' made his ** sons
b See Jadg. 10. 4. ft 12. H, compaied
.18.
q Gen. S8.
fr81.45.
ft 35. 14.
Josh. 4. 9.
ft 24. 26.
I That in,
Tke atout of help:
ch. 4. 1.
rJadg. 13.1.
• eh. 13. 6.
t Ter. 6.
ch. 12. 11.
Judg. 2. 16.
t Heb. and k4
HreuUed.
n ch. 8. 4.
xJudg 21.4.
a Dent. 16. 18.
2 Chron. 19. 5.
with Judg. 5. 10.
Here also was a proof from heaven that Samuel had a
Divine commiaaion to do what he did in offering sacrifice,
although he waa not a priest; and that his offering was aocept-
ahle to God.
Therefore the acts of Samnel in discharging the ftmctions
of the priesthood are no precedent (as some allege) for irregular
intmsions into holy ministries.
IL Beth-oar] west of Ifispeh: m^XP< Koffaimw (Joiephus,
▼i. 2. 2).
12. between Mizpeh and Shen] See iv. 1.
Ebeitxzib.
— Hhen-eter] Sione of the help received from the Lord in
answer to prayer. Samnd ascribes all the honour to Him, and
assumes none to himself. What a contrast between the event
now recorded at Ebenezer, and that recorded as having oc-
curred a few years before at the same place I See 1 Sam.
iv. 1.
At that time Israel had the Ark with them, the visible
sign of God's presence, but the Lord Himself had forsaken them
on account of thdr sins; and Hophni and Fhinehas were with
the Ark, and they were discomfited with a great slaughter, and
the priests were slain with the sword, and the Ark <n God was
taken by the Philistmes (iv. 10, 11).
Now they have not the Ark, but they have repented of
their sins, and Samuel is with them, and the Lord hearkens to
his prayers, and the Philistines are smitten; so that they return
no more into the coast of Iflniel during the days of Samuel, and
Samuel sets up the great stone at Ebeoezer.
Hence it appears that the outward ordinances of a Visible
Church are of no avul without holineas in the wOTshippers; and
that in the most distressed conditions <^ the ^Hsibie Church
God can raise up Samuels, and endue them with extraordinary
graces, and enable them to do great acts, and give comfort and
victory to the Church of God by their means.
In a spiritual sense, the true Eheneger of Israel is Jssns
Chbut. He is otfT Stone of Self. He was raised up, like
Samuel, in evil days, when the jpnesthood was degenerate and
corrupt, and when the glory of God was about to depart from
the literal Israel; and by extraordinary call and mission He
became the Priest and Prophet of all true Israelites, and routed
our spiritual Philistines, so that in His days they can no longer
come and hurt us. He set up the true Stokx of Hblp, even
TfimaAlf. See Isa. xxviiL 16, <* I lay in Zion for a foundiUion a
stone, a tried stone, a precious comer stone, a sure foundation."
Matt. xxi. 42. 1 Pet. iL 4. Augnttme de Civ. Dei, xviL 7.
18. the FMUetinee were enbduetT^ The forty years' domination
of the Philistines over Israel, mentioned in Judg. xiiL 1, could
not be overthrown bv the supernatural strength of Samson,
but it was terminated by the prayers of Samuel : so much more
powerfrd are the weapons of prayer in the hands of righteous
men (James v. 16), than any arm of fiesh.
— they oame no more^all the dayt of SamneV] But when
Samuel was dead, they again smote Israel, and overcame their
king, Saul (1 Sam. xxxi. 1).
15. Samuel judged lerael all the dajfe of hie Itfe] He was {
16
therefore continued in his judicial office after Saul's accession,
and a portion of the rule of Samuel as Judge, coincides with a
portion of ^e reign of Saul as Ejng, and is to be cotmted in the
forty years assigned to Saul in Acts xiii. 21 : cp. .<i Lapide
here.
16. QilgaX] Where Joshua had first encamped in Canaan :
see Josh. iv. 19, 20; v. 9.
— in aU those places'] The Sept, has iv wcuri rots i^xcur-
liipois roinois, in (Ul these sanctified places, which is a Inti-
mate paraphrase.
In the interregnum between the captivity of the Ark in
the days of Eli, until the bringing up of the Ark to Jerusalem
by David, and to the building of the Temple by Solomon, there
was no one fixed place in which God put His name, and to which
the offering of sacrifice was restricted. As is wdl said by Bp.
Patrick (on ix. 12), "According to the Levitical law, all sacri-
fices were rM^ulariy to be offer^ before the Ark, in the place
which the Lord should choose. But while this choice stood
suspended, because Shiloh lay desolate, and no other place was
appointed, they sacrificed in other places, where neither tiie Ark
nor the Tabernacle was, the TabOTuade beinff void of the Ark,
which was its principal ftimiture, and the Ark being without a
house of God to dwell in. But when the Ark was again settled,
it became unkn^kl to sacrifice t» other pUioes**
This must be carefhUv borne in mind, in order that we may
not fkll into the enor of those who allege that Samuel set at
nought the Levitical law, and that compliance with its precepts
waa a matter of indifference in his eyes, and who even compare
Samuel to Micah, who set up ten^mm in his own house (see
Judg. xvii. 4 5).
Such allegations as these would make Samuel to be no
better than a Eorah, and under the nretext of his example
would let in a flood of schismatic irregularities into the Church
of God.
But it is a sound maxim, ** Distingue tempora, et concorda-
bis mores." Samuel's times were altogether exceptional, and he
ly authorized and commissioned by God, who ** estab-
him as a prophet of the Lord," and directed him to adopt
measures suited to the peculiar exigencies of the times in whicli
he lived : see above, on v. 9 ; iv. 6 ; and Bp. Patrick on v. 17, and
on ix. 12 ; and Hengst,, Auth. ii. 49.
At the same time it is to be remembered, that the offering
of sacrifice in different places by Samuel who was not a
priest, and the fiivourable acceptance of those sacrifices by God,
were practical evidences that the Levitical cndinances and
Aaromc priestiiood were not the essential substances of religion,
but were only transient shadows, and were preparatory to
anoth^ dispensation,' when the knowledge of God would he
generally diffused, and when "in every jMce incense would be
offered to God, and a pure ofilering among the G^tiles '* by
those who were not of the line of Aaron (see Mai. i. 11), and
"that the hour vras coming when, neither in' this mountain
(Geriadm), nor yet at Jerusalem (only), should men worship the
Father :"— but in all pUcea. See John iv. 21.
Ch. YIII. 1. old] Tet he lived some time after this, and con-
tinued to Judge Ivael even while Saul was king : see vii, 15.
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SamueVs sons.
1 SAMUEL Vm. 2—5. The Israelites ask for a King.
I VaOtni,
I Chron. 6. 28.
Jet. 22. IS,
16, 17.
d Ex. 18. 21.
1 Tim- 8. 8.
ft 8. 10.
e Deut. 16. 19.
Pf. 15. 5.
frer. 19, 20.
Dent. 17. 14.
Hm. is. 10.
Acts 18. 21.
judges over Israel. ^ Now the name of his firstborn was || Joel ; and the name
of his second, Abiah : they were judges in Beer-sheba. * And his sons "" walked
not in his ways, but turned aside ^ after lucre, and ^ took bribes, and perverted
judgment.
^ Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to
Samuel unto Bamah, ^ And said unto him. Behold, thou art old, and thy
sons walk not in thy ways : now 'make us a king to judge us like all the
nations.
It haa been supposed by many learned expositors that Samnel
was about sixty years of age at this time ; that he continaed to
act as jndge for about sixteen years after Saul was created king
{Abulemis, ScUianus, A Lapide).
2. Joel^JJbiahl Samuel showed his piety by the names he
gave his sons ; Jenovah is Ood — Jehovah is mif father,
— M Beer-sheba'] Samuel himself being resident at Ramah
(vii. 17). Thus the country was divided into judicial districts
between Samuel and his sons.
8. took bribes'] taking advantage of their father's old age and
absence, he being at Ra^ah (Theodoref).
5. thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thgf ways] which
assertions, if true, were good reasons for prayer to Qod to raise
ap for them a ruler, but were not reasons for such a speech as
follows.
Thb Isbaxlites A8K 70B A Eiva.
— make us a king to judge us like all the nations] See
also V, 19. '* Nevertheless" (notwithstanding Samuel's remon-
strances) " the people refufled to obey the voice of Samuel ; and
they said, Nay, but we will have a king over us, that we may
be Uke all the nations; and that our king may judge us, amd
go out before us, and fight our battles"
The question here arises —
Wherem oonusted the sin of the Israelites in asking a
king?
To this it may be replied —
(1) It did not consist simply in wishing to have a king.
God nad promised to Abraham that kings should come out of
hhn (Qen. xvii. 6 : see also v. 16), and also to Jacob (Qen.
XXXV. 11). The Holy Spirit had prophesied by Jacob that
" the seeptre should not depart from Judah until Shiloh come "
(Qen. xlix. 10); and Balaam, that "a sceptre should arise out of
Israel" (Num. xxiv. 17); and God had provided in Deuter-
onomy certain laws for the kingdom wMch should arise in
Israel (Deut. xvii. 15—20).
But their sin consisted in not waiting patiently for God's
time, when He might think fit to give them a king. It consisted
in not leaving the season of the kingdom, and the choice of the
king, in His hands. It consisted in not asking Samuel to inquire
of Sod whether the time had arrived when they might have a
king; and in presuming that they were theniselves the best
judges of what conduced to their own welfisure, and needed not to
ask counsel of God.
St. Paul notices this in his historical address in the syna-
gogue at Antioch in Pisidia. ** Ood gave unto them judges
about the space of four hundred and nity years, until Samuel
the prophet and afterwards they desired a king " (Acts xiii.
20, 21).
It consisted in the nnthankfUness and discontent of the
people, dissatisfied with their present condition, when "God
was their King." It consisted in an eager desire to be " Uke
aU other nations," who had earthly kings ; whereas they ought
to have deemed it a high privilege to be unlike other nations, in
that they had been separated from all other people (Lev. xx. 26),
and chosMi from out of other nations to be t^peouUar treasure
to God above all people, a holy nation, a ktiydom of priests
(Exod. xix. 5, 6), "a special people unto the Lord their God,
above all people that are upon the fiice of the earth " (Deut. vii.
6). They thought lightly of this prerogative; and, like a
national Esau, they profimely bartered their birthright for what
they deemed a temporal benefit. They impiously imagined that
they would be more safo under an earthly king, than under the
shadow of the wings of Jehovah. ** Give us a king," they said,
"that he may ju^e us, and go out before us, waA fight our
battles" As if the Lobd ov Hostb could not judge them (see
above, i. 11) ! As if He had not fought their battles, and as if
they had not always been victorious when they obeyed Him ; and
ns if He had not recently saved them, after fifty years' bondage,
bv a marvellous deliverance at Ebenezer !
16
They had forgotten the noble answer of Gideon, when the
people ofiered him the kingdom, — ** I will not rule over you«
neither shall my son rule over you ; the Lobd shall rule over
you" (Judg. viii. 22, 23); and they imitated the example of
the trees in the parable of Jotham (Judg. ix. 7—15), and of the
men of Shechem, who made Abimelech their kins (Judg. ix. 6).
God adapted His reply to their request. He gave them a
king, as they desired. He gave them a king distinguished by
physical force and beauty, and eminent in bodUy stature; for
of Saul it is noted that he was higher than any of the people
from his shoulden and upwards (ix. 2; x. 23), a fit answer to
the earthly notions of those who trusted in an arm of flesh.
And when Saul " saw amy strong man, or valiant man, he took
him unto him " (xiv. 52).
But notwithstanding these physical qualities, Saul, the
king whom they received, showed by his character and acts
how profitiess and disastrous to a nation an earthly king is,
however gifted with natural accomplishments, who does not de-
pend on God's gprace, and does not govern by His law, and does
not aim at His glory.
The reign of Saul was fraught with bitter disappointment
to the people who had asked for a king. In the b^^ning of
his reign, while he was humble and « littie in his own eyes," and
obedient to God, guiding him by Samuel, the prophet of the
Lord, he prospered ; and God would have been with him, if he
would have acknowledged the divine sovereignty of Jehovah
(see ix. 16), and if he hi^ ruled as His Yioegerent. But he soon
became sdf-confident, arrogant, and vain-glorious; he disobeyed
the commands of God, and the Nation was reduced to a low
ebb of political abasement under his sway. The Philistines,
who had been defeated by Samuel's prayen at Ebenezer, the
Stone of the Help of Qod, a name which stands in striking con-
trast to the subsequent policy of Saul, who looked to 1wnse{f
for help rather than to God, and who were kept in subjection
during his rule, recovered their dominion over IsraeL And finally,
Saul fell by his own hand, forsaken by God and man; a memorable
warning of the evils of worldly-mmded policy, and of godless
government, the miserable victim of despair.
Almighty God, speaking by the prophet Hosea, has com-
mented on this history in tiiese wor& : " O Israel, thou hast
destroyed thyself, but in Me is thine Help" ^Heb. eter: I am
thine Ebenezer) ; " I will be thy Eing : where is any other that
can save thee in all thy cities ? and thy judges, of whom thou
saidst, Oive me a king and princes? I gave them a king in
Mine anger, and took him away in My wrath " (Hosea xiiL 9. 11).
And the Apostle St. Paul, interpreting this history, marks the
oontrast between the king who, like Saul, was asked for by the
people, acting without God, and who sought to reign independentiv
of God ; and the king who, like David, was raised up by God,
and who reigned as God's deputy or servant, and who, therefore*
said, " Thou art my King, O God" (Fs. xliv. 5 ; xlv. 12; xlviiL
14; cxlv. 1), and who nded in obedience to Gkxi's sovereignty;
and so was a dgnal tyipe of Chbist, the tme king of Israel, who
said, " I come to do Thy will, O God" (P». xL 7. 10).
St. Paul's words are — and they are very instructive to all
princes and subjects — " They desired a king, and God gave them
Saul, the son of Cis ; and when He had removed him, he raised up
unto them David to be their king, to whom also he gave testi-
mony, and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man
after Mme own heart, which shaUTW {/IZ all My will. Of this man's
seed hath God, according to His promise» raised unto Israel
a Saviour, Jssus " (Acts xiii. 21. ^.
Some modem critics (such as liwald, Themus, and Dieeteti
have alleged that tha« are inoonmstencies between seyeral
portions of this book, some portions (such as ch. yilL and x.
17 — 27 ; xi. 12) being dictate^ as they imagine, by a writer who
saw in the earthly kingdom an irreconcileable antagonism to
the monarchy of JehovBh : and other portions (such as ch. ix.,
and xiii. 14) being written by an author who looked on the
earthly kingdom with a more mvourable eye.
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Give us a King," 1 SAMUEL Vlir 6—22. IX. 1, 2. Samuel's remonstrance— Saul.
1* And "he •will take "i f '■ri.'- '•
^ But the thing f displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge J^f «»>• ^/*^i^*«
us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lobb. ^ And the Lobd said unto Samuel,
Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee : for ^they g see ex. i6.8.
have not rejected thee, but **they have rejected me, that I should not reign iich.io.i».&u
over them. ® According to all the works which they have done since the day hm-^s. lo, n.
that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have
forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. ^ Now therefore
II hearken unto their voice: || howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and *shew i or. obe,,
them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. It^S^Sin
^^ And Samuel told all the words of the Lobd unto the people that asked of prTtestJaJ^l^
^ •■^ ikuny then thou
him a king. ^^ And he said, ^ This will be the manner of the king that shall f^i^' **'•
reign over you : ' He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his tt^e^^^il:^^'
chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. ^^^^ ^^'^^ "•"•
he will appoint him captams over thousands, and captains over fifties ; and mil
set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments
of war, and instruments of his chariots. ^' And he will take your daughters to
be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of theniy and
give them to his servants. ^^ And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of
your vineyards, and give to his f officers, and to his servants. ^^ And he will ^^©b.
take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men,
and your asses, and put thm to his work. ^^ He 'vrill take the tenth of your
sheep: and ye shall be his servants. ^®And ye shall cry out in that day
because of your king which ye shall have chosen you ; and the Lobd " will not 2^^: ** "' ^^
hear you in that day. if^iafi.
^^ Nevertheless the people ** refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they 0Jer.44.i6.
said, Nay; but we will have a king over us ; ^ That we also may be ^ like all v^ex.6.
the nations ; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight
our battles. ^^ And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed
them in the ears of the Lobd. ^ And the Lobd said to Samuel, "^ Hearken ^
unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of
Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.
IX. ^ Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was * Kish, the son of ach. u. si.
•^ 1 Chron. 8. 38. &
Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, || a Benjamite, \'^ll^^,^^f^
a mighty man of || power. ^ And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice n>Vi*SlIi.
I Yer. 7.
Eios. 18. II
The condderatioiiB, which have heen now submitted to the
reader, may serve to show the groundlessness of this hypo-
thesis. Cp. Keii, pp. 60, 61.
9. the manner of the king'] The right which the king would
claim to exercise over them {A Lapide, CHroHut), Samuel
told them what a king mifht do dejure ; and also to what they
must submit, if he did it da facto. Bp, Sanderson, ii. 888. Cp.
Pfetfer, Dubia, p. 195.
IL Me will take your tone] As Saul did (xiv. 52).
14. he will take—^our vineyards'] Ab Ahab did (1 Kings xxi.7^.
22. Searken unto their voice] God gave them a king in His
anger (Hos. ziii. 11). « He gave them their request, but sent
leanness into their soul" (Ps. cvi. 15). He "punished them by
their own inventions." God was angrv with their request, and
chastised them by granting it. He g^ve them a king suited to their
own temper, and chastised them by his means. 8. Cyprian ad Re-
gatianum, Ep. 88. 8. Augustine in Ps. li., contra Julianum, v. 8.
— Ooye every man unto his city] He gave them time tore-
consider their request, as well knowing that God's permission
was a punishment. Cp. Ps. cv. 15; above, Num. xxu. 20.
Ch. IX. 1. Kish, the son of Abiel] In 1 Chron. viii. 88 ;
is. 89, it is said that "Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul;"
probably some one or more links are there omitted between Ner
and Kish {Keil), or the name Ner is here omitted between
Vol. II. Past II.— 17
Abiel and Kish. In xiv. 51 it is said that " Ner, the fiither of
Abner, was the son of Abiel, and that Kish was &ther of SauL"
Cp. above on Ruth iv. 20, and Saul's pedigree, in Stanley's
Lectures, Lect. xxi. p. 8.
— a mightyman qf power] This refers to Kish.
2. SauVi Heb. Shdul ; i. e. desired, asked for : his name was
an omen of his history.
SAJJJt AXD St. Paul oomfabed.
The history of Saul the king, the first kin^ of Israel, will
be read with greater profit if it be contrasted with that of the
Apostle St. Paul.
Both were of the same tribe— that of Bei\jamin ; both re-
ceived the same name at circumcision. The question which his
own people asked was, '*Is Saul also among the prophets f "
and the Hebrew nation asked with astonishment, *' Is Saul also
among the Apostles P " (See on x. 11.)
Saul the king began well ; he was modest, humble, and
obedient ; and the grace of God was with him ; and he gained
victories over the enemies .of God's people ; but, in raocess of
time, he became elated with pride; he disobeyed God, and
persecuted David; and God's grace was withdrawn iVom him.
He became the prey of an evil spirit, he was deserted by God,
and defeated by his enemies, and fell by his own hand.
Saul of Tarsus isfirstknowntous asapersecutorof the Divine
D
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Saul's appearance.
1 SAMUEL IX. 3—9. The Prophet's name and office.
bch. 10.18.
c 2 Kings 4. 41.
d Deut. Zi. I.
1 King! IS. 1.
ech.3. 19.
fSeeJudg.e. 18.
& 19. 17.
1 KingH 14. S.
t Kings 4. 41. 8e
8.8.
t Heb. i$ gone out
oA *c.
t Heb. is with u*.
t Heb. there i$
found in mp hand.
g Gen. 25. 22.
young man, and a goodly : and there was not among the children of Israel a
goodlier person than he : ^ from his shoulders and upward he was higher than
any of the people.
^ And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his
son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses.
^And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of
"" Shalisha, but they found them not : then they passed through the land of
Shalim, and there they were not : and he passed through the land of the
Benjamites, but they found them not. * And when they were come to the
land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him. Come, and let us
return ; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us.
^ And he said unto him. Behold now, there is in this city ^ a man of God, and
he is sua, honourable man ; ' all that he saith cometh surely to pass : now let us
go thither ; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go. ^ Then
said Saul to his servant, But, behold, t/ we go, 'what shall we bring the man ?
for the bread f is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the
man of God : what f have we ? ^ And the servant answered Saul again, and
said, Behold, f I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver : that
will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way. ^ (Beforetime in Israel,
when a man 'went to enquire of God, thus he spake. Come, and let us go to
the seer : for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called ^ a Seer.)
h 2 Sam. 24. II
2 Kings 17. 18.
1 Chron. 26. 28. 8r 29. 29. 2 Chron. 16. 7, 10. Isa. SO. 10. Amos 7. 12.
David (Acto is. 4). He gloried in his own strongtb, and tmsted
in his own righteonsness ; bat Jesus revealed Himself to bim, and
he was " not oiuobedient to the heavenly vision" (Acts xxvi. 19^ ;
and he rejoiced in suffering persecution, and loss of all things ror
His sake ; and though He " laboured more abundantly than all
the Apostles/' vet he ascribed all the fruit of his labours to the
grace of God that was with him (1 Cor. xv. 10). He places the
word grace in the forefront and end of all his Epistles (see below
on 1 Thess. v. 28, p. 23) ; Grace is his Alpha and Omega ; and
he died joyfully for Christ, and grace was ripened in him into
everlasting glory.
Saul of Tarsus, like Saul of Gibeah, once breathed forth
threatenings with furious phrenzy, and the Divine David sfud
to him, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou MeP" (Acts ix.
1 — 5 ;) and the Divine Da\id calmed and soothed him with the
Holy Spirit from heaven.
Saul the King is our warning ; Saul the Apostle is our ex-
ample. The former shows how wretched man is if he labours
for his own glory, and if he is without God's grace; the latter,
how blessed he is, if he relies on God's grace, and lives and dies
for His glory. For fhrther remarks on Saul of Gibeah, as
compared with Saul of Tarsus, see below, x. 11. 16 ; and cp. notes
below, on Acts ix. 1. 1 Cor. xv. 9, 10.
— /Vwis his shoulders and upward] See x. 23. In personal
qualifications, Saul corresponded to the desires of the people,
wlio, in their demands for an earthly king, showed that
they had little regard for spiritual qualifications, and trusted
in an arm of flesh : see on viii. 5, and Theodoretf Qu. 24.
Almighty God suggests the true moral inference from this
incident by tiie contrast which He draws in the case of David.
When Samuel saw Eliab among the sons of Jesse, he said in his
heart, ** Surely the Ijord's anointed is before him ;** but God
corrected this inference from physical qualifications: "Look
not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because
I have reftised him ; for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for
man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh
on the heart " (xvi. 6, 7). The elder and taller son was refused,
and David, the youngest, and probably the least, was chosen, and
lie was " the man after Qod*s oion heart" (xiii. 14. Acts xiii. 22).
4. he passed through mount JEphraim, and passed through
the land of Shalishcri He went from his own home, Gib^h
(x. 10), no»' Tuleil'el-Ph4l, about four miles north of Jeru-
salem (cp. Josh, xviii. 28), and went in a north-west direction
to the land of Shalisha, called Baal-Shalisha in 2 Kings iv.
42, fifteen Roman miles k. of Diospolis, or Lydda {Euseh),
There is, however, considerable uncertainty as to the site of
18
the places here mentioned: see Orove in B. D. ii. pp. 1229.
1861, and 8tanley*s Lectures, p. 6.
— land of Shalim] seven Roman miles w. of Lydda (JSuseb,).
5. land of Zuph] south-west of Benjamin, not far from the
tomb of Rachel : see x. 2.
6. •• this citg] Samuel hi^pened to be there at the time. It
is not to be inferred that the city was Samuel's residence, Ramah.*
Thb Nahx and Offioi op Pbophet.
9. Beforetime in Israel . . . ,for he that is now called a
Prophet was beforetime called a Seer] This parenthesis is em-
phatic, and marks a new era in the history of Israel, consequent
on the choice, now to be related, of a King.
The personage who, after the constitution of the Monarchy,
was called tL prophet, had aforetime been called a seer. Not
that the word no^, or prophet, was unknown in earlier times,
for Abraham is called a prophet (see above, on Gen. xx. 7) ; nor
was the word roeh, or seer, entirely supplanted by the word
ncUfi, or prophet ; for Samuel himself is called a roeh in 1 Chron.
ix. 22 ,- xxvi. 28 ; xxix. 29. But the name in use before Saul
was made king and the books of Samuel were written, was roeh.
The writer intimates that a change was introduced in the
popular nomenclature in this particular respect by the institution
of the earthly monarcJ^.
And no wonder. Before this period of time. Almighty God
had given answers on special occasions to special questions by
particular persons who were called seers.
But now a new era had arrived in the history of Israel. The
earthly Kingdom was to be established, and a permanent office
was to be instituted, co-ordinately with it, in order to represent
God's Supremacy over the earthly monarch ; and to advise, to
exhort, and, if need were, to correct, rebuke, and even to de-
nounce the earthly sovereign for his sins ; and even to declare
his dethronement, in the name of God, the Supreme Ruler of
Israel, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; and thus to pre-
pare the way for the time when the functions of King and Pro-
phet would all coalesce in Chbibt.
This permanent office placed side by side with the Throne,
was the office of Pbophet.
^ The crisis is strongly marked, and the transition is clearly
indicated in this book. Samuel, who as a roeh, in answer to an
inquiry, had informed Saul that his asses were found, afterwards
comes forward as God's Kabi or Pbophbt, and declares in the
name of God that Saul, on account of his disobedience to his
heavenly Lord, has lost the kingdom (ch. xiii. 14).
If we may venture to compare sacred thmgs with secular.
Digitized by
Google
f Heb. in the
ascent of the eify.
iGen.2i.il.
k Gen. 31. 54.
ch. 16. S.
y Or. feast.
1 1 Kings S. 2.
Saul comes to Samuel; 1 SAMUEL EX. 10—24. is honourably entertained by him.
^^ Then said Saul to his servant, f Well said ; come, let us go. So they went ♦Heb. r*y ^ord
unto the city where the man of God was. *^*"''
^^ And as they went up f the hill to the city, *they found young maidens
going out to draw water, and said unto them. Is the seer here ? ^^ ^^ y^^y
answered them, and said. He is ; behold, he is before you : make haste now,
for he came to day to the city ; for ^ there is a (| sacrifice of the people to day
* in the high place : '^ As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway
find him, before he go up to the high place to eat : for the people will not eat
until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice ; and afterwards they eat that
be bidden. Now therefore get you up ; for about t this time ye shall find him.
^^ And they went up into tiie city : and when they were come into the city,
behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place.
^^ "Now the LoBi) had f told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came,
saying, ^^ To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of
Benjamin, " and thou shaU anoint him to be captain over my people Israel,
that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines : for I have
** looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. ^^ And when
Samuel saw Saul, the Lobd said unto him, ''Behold the man whom I spake to
thee of! this same shall f reign over my people.
1® Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray
thee, where the seer's house is. ^^ And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am
the jseer : go up before me unto the high place ; for ye shall eat with me to day,
and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart.
^ And as for *> thine asses that were lost f three days ago, set not thy mind on
them ; for they are, found. And on whom ^is all the desire of Israel ? Is it not
on thee, and on all thy father's house ? ^^ And Saul answered and said, • Am not
I a Benjamite, of the ^ smallest of the tribes of Israel ? and "^ my family the
least of all the famiUes of the tribe of Benjamin ? wherefore then speakest thou
f so to me ?
22 And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlour,
and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which
were about thirty persons. ^ And Samuel said unto the cook. Bring the portion
which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee. Set it by thee. ^ And the cook
took up *the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul.
f Heb. to dap.
m ch. 15. 1.
Acts 13. 21.
t Heb. revealed
the ear of Samuel,
ch. 20. 2.
nch. 10. I.
o£x. 2. 26. &S.
7,9.
6ch. 16. 12.
oe. 13.11.
t Heb. restrain
in.
q ver. 8.
t Heb. to dap
three davs.
Tch.S.S, 19. &
12. IS.
Bcb. 15. 17.
t Judg. 20. 46, 47.
48.
Ps. 68. 27.
u See Judg.
6.15.
t Heb. according
to this uford f
z Lev. 7. 82, S3.
Ezek. 24. 4.
the Pbophst in the Hebrew Monarohy occupied a pMition some-
whAt similar to that of the Chobub m the Ghreek l>rama. The
OhoroB was the Personifioation of DiWne justice and truth, and
corrected the aberrations, and controlled Uie will, and restrained
the passions of pinces and people in the drama; as is hapjuly
expressed by Moraoe, in words which might be supplied to the
action of Hebrew prophecy under the Jewuh Monazchy,
" nie bonis fiiveatque et consilietur amio^
£t regat iratos, et amet pacare tumentes,
lUe dapee Uudet menssB brevis, ille salubrem
Justitiam, legesc[ue et apertis otia portis,
nie tegat commissa, deosque precetur et oret
Ut redeat miseris, abeat fortuna superbis."
(HortU., A. P. 196—201.)
The word noli expressed the official title of God's prophets,
who were established by Him to be the declarers and ex-
pounders of His will ; but roeh denoted those who had a special
revelation from Him fbr a particular purpose. Cp. HSvemick,
Einldtnng i. pp. 55—69 ; see also Dr, Lee on Inanition, p. 543.
11. to draw water] at the foot of the hill.
12. in the high place"] See abore on yii. 10. 17.
18. he doth hleee the eaeriflce] ihe peaoe-oflforingt; on which
See Ley. iii. 1.
19
15. told Samuel in hie ear] literally, had opened hie
ear, Cp. xx. 12. 2 Sam. yii. 27 ; and aboye on iii. 7.
16. I hone looked upon my people] Therefore though the
people had sinned in asking for a king (see yiii. 5), yet God in
His mensj would g^ve success to their king, if he and his sub-
jects would acknowledge God's Supremacy, and obey His Will.
17. ehiUl reign] literally, shall reetrain : see Qeeen., p. 648,
on the word ateor, to shut to, or hold back.
81. Am not I a Benjamite H Saul begins his public career
with modesty and humility, and God poured out upon him of
His Spirit (x. 6. 10). All seemed to promise well for the new
king and kingdom (see below, xy. 7). But these fair hopes
were blighted by disobedience to God, consequent on pride and
self-oonfidenoe. And thus the moral was made more evident ;
though a yisiUe earthly kingdom had now been established in
Israd, yet there was no promise of prosperity to him or his
subjects, except in subordination to the unseen heavenly
Monarchy of God.
28. the ehoulder] If it was the right shoulder, then Samuel,
to whose share it fell, as performing the functions of priest
(Lev. vii. 82), eave Saul of his own portion ; or, if it were the
left shoulder, then he admitted Saul to the next share after his
own. In either case he showed the harmony that ought to
exist between Uie prophetic and kingly office.
D 2
Digitized by
Google
Samuel communes with Saul, 1 SAMUEL IX. 25 — 27. X. 1 — 5.
afid anoints him.
I Or, re$erv4J.
J Deut. 22. 8.
2Sam. U. 2.
Acts 10. 9.
t Heb. to do$.
ft ch. 9. 16. tt 16.
18.
2 Kings 9. 8, 6.
b Pt. 2. 12.
c Acts 18. 21.
d Deut. 82. 9.
Ps. 78 71.
e Oen. 35. 19, 20.
f Josh. 18. 28.
t Heb. Ms buH-
g Oen. 28. 22. a;
85. 1, 8, 7.
t Heb. a$k th§e
ofptaee: as Judg.
18. 15.
h ver. 10.
ich. 18. 3.
And Samuel said, Behold that which is || left ! set it before thee, and eat : for
nnto this time hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people.
So Saul did eat with Samuel that day.
^ And when they were come down from the high place into the dty, Samud
commmied with Saul upon ^ the top of the house. ^ And they arose early :
and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to
the top of the house, saying. Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose,
and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.
^ And as they were going down to the end of the dty, Samuel said to Saul,
Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still f a
while, that I may shew thee the word of God. X. ^ Then ' Samuel took a
vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, ^ and kissed him, and said, Is it not
because "" the Lobd hath anointed thee to he captain over ^ his inheritance ?
^When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by
*^ Kachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin ' at Zelzah ; and they will say
unto thee. The asses which thou wentest to seek are found : and, lo, thy
father hath left f the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What
shall I do for my son ? ^ Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and
thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men
going up *to God to Beth-el, one carrying three kids, and another carrying
three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine : * And they will
f salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread ; which thou shalt receive of
their hands. ^ After that thou shalt come to **the hill of God, * where is the
garrison of the Philistines : and it shall come to pass, when thou art come
25. «po» the top cf the house"] to which they retired for
private eonverBation, after the sacrificial meal. See on Matt
xziv. 17. Acts X. 9. 8. Jerome, Epist. ad Soniam, "In
Paleetinft non habent in tectis cnlmina, sed domata, qniB Boms
eolaria yocant :" hence the VtUg, has *' eolarmm " here. Cp.
Dr, Thomson, Land and Book, p. 39.
The correctness of the present Hebrew text is confirmed by
the SyHcie and Arabic Versions, and by the Chaldee Targvm,
According to the Sept, Version, the sense is, " From the
high place he came down into the dt^, and they strewed a
couch for Sanl upon the honse-top^ and he slept ; and it came
to pass that when the day was breaking, Samuel called to Sanl
on the house-top, and said. Arise I" The Vulg, has, « They
came down from the l^h phioe into the city, and he talked
with Saul on the house-top ; and he slept, and when they had
arisen in the morning, and day was breaking, Samuel called
to Saul on Uie house-top, saying, Ansel" Josephus also says
(Antt. vi. 4. 2) that ** the rest of the guests arose and dispersed,
each one to his own home, but Saul lay down and slept by
the side of the prophet and Ms senrant."
It would seem that the variations in the Septuagint are
merely probable additions from the hand of the translator or
paraphrast, and that they have passed thence in part into the
Vulgate. To alter the Hebrew text in order to suit these varia-
tions, as some have done (Swald and I%emus\ seems to be con-
trary to sound criticism. There are frequent mstances through-
out tins book, where the framers of the Septuagint Version have
evidently intended to do the work of Paraphnuts, rather than of
Transktors: see, e.g., the next chapter, v, 1. The Septuc^UU is,
in many respects, rather a Targum than a Translation.
26. to the top of the house] or, doum from the top of the
house, where Saul slept {Keil). The original literally is, Samuel
called^to SauHpn) the top of the house, and so Sept, and Vulg,
The top of uie house (says 2>r, Thomson) is a common
place for sleeping in summer in the East. According to our
Authorized tranouEition, Samuel called Saul to the top of the
house ; but the true sense rather is, He called hha fi'om it. Saul,
young, vigorous, but weary with his long search, would
desire no better place to sleep in, than on the roof (Thomson,
Land and Book, p. 89). The incident is mentioned to
show Saul's modes^ and humility at this time. He was
20
content to make his bed with others of the household, in the
open air, on the roof of the house, whence Samuel called him
down in the morning, and anointed him king : see x. 1.
Oh. X. 1. Then Samuel took a vial qf oil, and poured it
upon his head] And thus Saul became the Lord's anointed
(xiL 3. 5). On the unction of kings, and on the consequent signi-
ficance of the woids Messiah and Christ (Anointed), denoting His
royal office, see Sp, Pearson on the Creed, Art li., pp. 79. 98.
— and kissed him] in token of reverence and love : cp. Ps.
ii. 12, "Kiss the Son."
Observe the aged Samuel's prompt obedience to God, and
his disinterested humility in paying th^ marks of honour and
afibction to a youngman who was to rule Israel in his own stead.
2. thou shalt fi^T] Samuel gives to Saul three signs as tokens
that what he had d^e was done by a Divine commission; and
that therefore Saul might be assured that God would be with him
if he would obey Him who had anointed him to be king by the
hands of His Prophet, whom He enabled to foretell the future.
— hy Saohel's sepulchre] about half an hour K.w. of Beth-
lehem : cp. Gen. xxxv. 19, 20. It appears therefore that the first
king of Inrad was anointed not far from the birth-place of David
the king, and of Christ, the "KiNa of kings and Losd of lords."
8. plain of Tabor] Or, rather, terebinth of Tabor; on the
road from Rebel's grave to Gibeah.
— to Beth-el] a.Bllowfid by the presence of God and bjr the
worship paid to Him by Abraham and Jacob (Gen. xii. 8; xiii. 3;
xxviii. 18 ; xxxv. 7).
4. give thee two] of the three loaves dedicated to Qod ; an omen
that GodHimself would feed and sustain him, if bewouldobey Him.
5. hill of God] Rather, Oibeah of Elohim : he is speaking of
Saul's own city, GHbeah, in the tribe of Bei:\jamin, called bdow
Oibeah of Saul (xi. 4; xv. 34. 2 Sam. xxi. 6). He thereby
intimates that though this dty might be called by SauPs name,
yet it must not be forgotten that it belonged to Ood ; just as
he had said before, ''the Lobd hath anointed thee to be
captain over Sis inheritance " (v, 1).
Hence, also, we may account fo}: the fiict that the people of
the place were acquainted with Sanl (v. 10, 11).
— the garrison qf the Philistines] A military post of the
Philistmes. Samuel assured him that the Spirit of the Lofd
Digitized by
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The Spirit of the Lord. 1 SAMUEL X. 6 — 13. "Is Satd also among the prophets}"
thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down
^ from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp,
before them ; * and they shall prophesy : ^ And " the Spirit of the Lobd will
come upon thee, and ° tiiou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be tamed into
another man. ^ And f let it be, when these ** signs are come unto thee, \ that
thou do as occasion serve thee ; for ^ God is with thee. ® And thou shalt go
down before me "* to GUgal ; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to oflFer
burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings : ' seven days shalt
thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.
^ And it was so, that when he had turned his f back to go from Samuel, God
f gave him another heart : and all those signs came to pass that day. ^^ And
• when they came thither to the hill, behold, ^ a company of prophets met him ;
and ""the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them«
^1 And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold,
he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said f one to another.
What is this that is come unto the son of Kish ? ' Is Saul also among the
prophets? ^*And one fof the same place answered and said. But ^who
15 tiieir father? Therefore it became a proverb. Is Saul also among the
prophets ? ^^ And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the
high place.
k ch. 9. 12.
1 Ex. 15. SO. 21.
2 Kings S. 15.
1 Cor. li. 1.
m Num. 11.25.
ch. 16. 13.
n ver. 10.
ch. 19. 28, 2i.
t Heb. it MkaU
eome to pan, that
wlun these eignSf
♦<?.
o Ex. 4. 8.
Luke 2. 12.
t Heb. do /or /Am
as thine hand
ehallfind.
Judg. 9. 88.
p Judg. 6. 12.
ich. 11. li, 15.
18.4.
r ch. 18. 8.
t Heb. shoulder,
t Heb. turned.
• ver. 5.
t ch. 19. 20.
u ver. 8.
t Heb. a man to
his neighbour.
X ch. 19. 24.
Matt. 18. 54, 55.
John 7. 15.
Acts 4. 18.
tHeb.Aom
thenee.
7lsa.54. IS.
John 6. 45. ft 7.
18.
would oome on bim there (o. 6). Here was an angnry that, if
he obeyed Gbd, he wonld be endned with supematimd strength
to overcome tli^ Philistines, the enemies of Israel and of Qod,
who now infested Sanl's own country; and that he would van-
quish them in thdr own strongholds : cp. xiii. 8, "Jonathan smote
the garrison of the Philistines in Geba."
— a company of prophets] Literally, a string, or a cord or
band (chehel; Oesen, 267, 268). The 8^t.hBsxoi>6si cp. below,
six. 20.
There is something significant in these words. The pro-
phets were all joined in one body, they were bound together
by a holy bond of unity, and blended their yoices as in a
chorus of praise to GkxL Compare the language of the Apos-
tolic fkther, 8. ZpnUmt, comparing the Christians jomed
together with their Bishop, to the *' chords of a lyre strung
together," and "joining as a chorus in a hymn of praise to Qod
the Father, through Christ." (5. l^nat. ad Ephes. c. 4).
— -ptaUery, and a tabrei, and a pipe, and a harp] llie first
of these in the Hebrew is nehel (whence ydfi\a) ; the second,
cMifsor—these were stringed instruments, the former like a
psaltery, the second like a ffvitar or harp ; the third (ioph) was
like a tambourine, rendered cymbal in Ezod. zv. 20; the fourth,
chaUly was like v^JUde (see Keil, ArcbsBol. ii. § 187, pp. 187—189.
Winer, B. W. B. ii. 128, where are fUll accounts of these instru-
ments). See also Mr. Wrighfs articles in the Diet, of the Bible,
under the words in the text, and ii. p. 446.
— {hey shaU prophesy"] Sing hvnms of praise to Qod with
rapturous ecstasy (Exod. zy. 21. ^m. xi. 26. 1 Chron. xxy. 8) .
The distinction is described by Augustine in Ps. xzxii., " cithara
lignum concayum, cui chorde innituntur, in inferiors parte
habet : psalterium in superiore**
6. the Spirit of the Lobd mil come upon thee, and thou
9haU prophesy with them, and shalt he turned into another
man] The Spirit bloweth where it listeth (John iii. 8), and the
power of the Holy Ohost manifested itself by sudden effiisions
before the day of Pentecost ; but on the day of Pentecost the
Hol^ Spirit was sent from heaven by Christ to His Church, to
• abide with her for ever' (John xiy. 16).
« As of Saul it is written when the Spirit came upon him,
<he was changed into another man;' this holds true even
of the whole world. For, when the breath (of the Holy Ghost)
came upon it, it was cast into a new mould presently, and became
a new world :" see £p. Andrewes^ Sermon on the Sending of
the Holy Ohost, *iii. 27.
Hence also we may see eyidence of the power of the Holy
Spirit to change our bodies at the Besurrection into a likeness
to the glorified body of Christ (Bom. yiii. 11. Phil. liL 21.
TertuUian de Besur. Camis, c. 66).
21
The Spirit is not in the natural man ; and when the Spirit
is given, a change is produced thereby (TertuUiau de Amma,
c. 11). But this g^ may be quencheo, as it was in Saul,
" Saul bonus pne cseteris livore posted evertitur " {TertuUian de
PrsMC. Hieret., c. 8). The Spirit was given to Balaam, Saul, and
Caiaphas, but they did not use it aright; no miraculous g^
"profiteth without charity" (1 Cor. xiii. 1—8. 8. Aug. ad
Simplidan. ii. o. 1).
7. do €ts occasion serve thee] For Qod is with thee» and 1
wiU not intrude upon thee with imperious dictations on each
several occasion, but I will leave thee to the free exercise of thy
royal authority.
8. Oilgal] Where thou wilt be reminded of the feith,
obedience, and success of tbe great Captain of Israel, Joshua, in
his campaigns against the enemies of Qod: see Josh. iy. 19;
v. 9; X. 48.
— seven days shalt thou tarry] This is to be the trial of
thy obedience ; and in this Saul failed : see xiii. 4. 8.
As to the chronology of these events, it is to be observed
that Samuel had commanded Saul to " do as occasion served,"
for God was with him. By his success in these enterprises
Saul would have evidence of God's favour to him. And after
he had executed them, and had done as occasion served, then he
was to come to Qilgal, in order to join Samuel in a sacrifice of
bumt'Off'erings ; that is, in a sacrifice ezpressive of total self-
dedication to God (this was the meaning of the humt-offering :
see above, on Lev. L 1, 2), and also m a sacrifice dl peace-
offerings ; i. e. in a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to Gk)d
for His goodness to him ; and in that sacrifice he would be ad-
mitted to communicate with Samuel, God's appointed minister,
and with God Himself (see above, on licv. iii. 1).
This sacrifice at Gilgal is mentioned by Samuel here as the
crisis in Saul's reign, and as the object to which he was to look
with special attention.
11. Is 8aul also among the prophets 1] A question showing
God's power in raising up one who was lightly esteemed among
his own people, to be the first king of Israel, and also in enduing
him with prophetic inspiration : cp. ziz. 24.
Is Saul among the preachers of Christ P was a question of
wonder which was asked by the friends of St. Paul (GaL i. 23\
whose career may be compared with that of Saul (see above, ix« 21).
12. But who is their father ?] Who is the father of the pro-
phets? Not man, but God. And God can make even Saul,
whom ve deroise, to be a prophet also.
18. he had made an end of prophesying] The gift, therefore,
in his case was transitory, not permanent, as in Samuel's : com-
pare the case of Eldad and Medad, and the other elders, as con-
trasted with that of Moses (Num. zi. 26). Theodoret.
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SauVs humility :
1 SAMUEL X. 14—27.
he is proclaimed king.
s Judg. n. n. sc
20. 1.
ch. 11. 15.
a ch. 7. 5, 6.
b Judg. 6. 8, 9.
c ch. 8. 7, 19. ft
12. 12.
d Josh. 7. 14, 16,
17.
Acta 1. Si, 26,
ech. 23. 2, 4, 10,
11.
fch. 0. 2.
g2 Sam. 21. 6.
h 1 Kings I. 25,
SO.
2 Kings 11. 12.
f Heb. Lei the
king live.
i See Deut. 17.
14. &c.
ch. 8. 11.
k Judg. 80. 14.
ch. 11. 4.
loh. 11. 12.
m Deut. 13. 13.
^^ And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye ?
And he said, To seek the asses : and when we saw that they were no where, wd
came to Samuel. ^^ And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel
said unto you. ^^ And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the
asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake,
he told him snot.
^7 And Samuel called the people together *unto the Lobd *to Mizpeh ;
^^ And said unto the children of Israel, ''Thus saith the Lord G-od of Israel,
I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the
Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed
you : ^^ "" And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out
of all your adversities and your tribulations ; and ye have said unto him. Nay,
but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by
your tribes, and by your thousands.
^ And when Samuel had ^ caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the
tribe of Benjamin was taken. ^^ When he had caused the .tribe of Benjamin to
come near by their famiUes, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son
of Kish was taken : and when they sought him, he could not be found.
^ Therefore they ' enquired of the Lord farther, if the man should yet come
thither. And the Lord answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the
stuflf. 23 j^^ tiiey pan and fetched him thence : and when he stood among the
people, ^he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
^ And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him * whom the Lord hath
chosen, that there is none Hke him among all the people ? And all the people
shouted, and said, ^ f God save the kiug. ^ Then Samuel told the people
* the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the
Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.
2^ And Saul also went home ^ to Gibeah ; and there went with him a band
of men, whose hearts God had touched. ^ * But the " children of Belial said.
16. of the matter of the kingdom — he told him not"] Such
was then his modesty and humility : cp. v, 21. In like manner
Samson, in the early days of his humility, told not his parents of
the lion (see Judg. xiv. 6). So Saul of Tarsus spaxe not ot
his visions and revelations of the Lord till he was constrained
to do so by his enemies : see below, on 2 Cor. xii. 1.
17. MUpeh] Whore Samuel himself had brought the people
to repentance, and had gained a victory over the Philistines by
his prayers : see vii. 5.
18. Thus taith the LoBD God^ Lest they should imagine that
because he was about to proclami Saul as king, they had not
sinned in asking for a king (see on viii. 5), he rehearses God's
gracious dealings with them since the Exodus from Egypt, when
He was their kmg.
19. before the Lobd] Before the altar at Mizpeh (vii. 9).
Samuel had already anointed Saul as king, by Qod's com-
mand, but he refers the matter to the Divine decision by lot in
the presence of all Israel, in order that it may not be thought that
he had been swayed bv any private partiality in anointing Saul.
— your thousands] Or, your famiUes : cp. xxiii. sS. See
Qesen. 54.
20. when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to
come near'] Tlie unction of Saul had been only a private act;
the king must receive also a public mission from God, in the
eyes of all Israel. God observes the same rule in sending forth
His priests. Christ was anointed by the Holy Ghost from His
mother's womb, but He received a public unction at Jordan
(Matt. iii. 17. Luke iii. 22). St. Paul was called by Christ
from heaven when he was going to Damascus ; but he did not
go forth as an Apostle to the Gentile world, till he had received
a public mission at Antioch : see below, on Acts xiii. 1 — 3.
— was taken] by lot. Compare the case of Achan (Josh.
22
vii. 14. 16—18), and of Jonathan (below, xiv. 41. Josephus,
Antt. vi. 4. 5).
21. he could not he found] Another sig^ of his modesty,
simplicity, and freedom from ambition at that time : see v. 16.
2^. they enquired of the Lobd] by the Uiim and Thummim :
cp. xxiii. 9; xxx. 7.
— among the stuff] The baggage of the people who had come
to Mizpeh : cp. xxv. 13 ; xxx. 24. Qesen, 399.
23. he was higher] Cp. ix. 2.
24. See ye him whom the Lobd hath chosenl Though the
people were resolved to have a king, yet none could make one but
Chxl, from whom all authority came : see below, on Rom. xiii. 1, 2.
— God save the king] Literally, "Let the king live" "Vivat
Rex," "Vive le Roi:" cp. Bp, Pearson, Art. xii. p. 395, note*
25. the manner of the kingdom] the law of the kingdom
{VulgjSi rh hucaifotxa (Sept.), the statute of the monarchy.
This law of the kingdom is not identical with the ''manner
of the king," described by Samuel, viii. 11 — ^18. Tlie Hebrew
word rendered manner in both places is mishpat, which pro-
perly me&ns judgment, right, law, that which is strictly dejure;
but it also signifies usage, manner, custom, that which is d^
facto (see 2 Kings xi. 14 ; and Gesenius, pp. 519, 520), and the
mishpat of the kingdom here expresses the former; but the
mishpat of the king (in viii. 18) comprehends also the latter.
— laid it up before the Lobd] Probablv (as Josephus says,
vi. 4. 6), in the Tabernacle in the Holy o^ Holies, where Uie
Book of the Law had been laid up (Deut. xxxi. 26).
26. Saul also went home to Gtbeah] Thus he obeyed Samuel,
who told him to wait, and do as occasion served. An occasion
for action soon presented itself, as is seen in the next chapter.
— a band of men] Rather, the valiant company (ha chayiT) :
cp. Exod. xiv. 28 ; and below, xiv. 48 ; xvii. 20. 2 Chron. ix. 1.
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Nahash the Ammonite.
1 SAMUEL XI. 1—11.
Jabesh-gilead.
How shall this man save us ? And they despised him^ " and brought h\m no
presents. But || he held his peace.
XI. ^ Then ' Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against
'^ Jabesh-gilead : and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, ""Make a
covenant with us, and we will serve thee. ^And Nahash the Ammonite
answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may
thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for ^ a reproach upon all Israel.
* And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, f Give us seven days' respite,
that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel : and then, if there
be no man to save us, we will come out to thee. * Then came the messengers
' to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people : and ^all the
people lifted up their voices, and wept. * And, behold, Saul came after the
herd out of the field ; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep ?
And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh. ^» And the Spirit of God
came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled
greatly. ^ And he took a yoke of oxen, and ^ hewed them in pieces, and sent
them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying,
* Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done
unto his oxen. And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came
out f with one consent. ^ And when he numbered them in ^ Bezek, the
children ' of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty
thousand.
^ And they said unto the messengers thsrt came. Thus shall ye say unto the
men of Jabesh-gilead, To morrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall have
II help. And the messengers came and shewed it to the men of Jabesh ; and
they were glad. ^^ Therefore the men of Jabesh said. To morrow " we
will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto
you.
i^And it was so on the morrow, that "Saul put the people ^'in three
companies ; and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch,
and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that
they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left
together.
n % Sam. 8. 2.
1 Kings 4. 21. &
10.15.
2Chron. 17. 5.
Pt. 73. 10.
Matt. 2. II.
B Or, h« was at
though he had
been deqf.
a ch. 12. 12.
b Judg. 21. R.
c Gen. 26. 28.
£x. 28. 82.
1 Kings 80. 84.
Job 41. 4.
Ezek. 17. 18.
d Gen. 34. 14.
ch. 17.26.
t Heb. Forbear
eoh. 10. 26. & 15.
84.
2 Sam. 21. 6.
f Judg. 2. 4. 8; 21.
g Judg. 8. 10. 8c
6. 84. & 11.29. &
18. 28. 8c 14. 6.
ch. 10. 10. ft 16.
18.
h Judg. 19. 29.
i Judg. 21. 5, 8,
10.
t Heb. a* one
wtan, Judg. 20. 1.
k Judg. 1. 5.
1 2 Sam. 24. 9.
I Or, deliverance
m ver. 8.
n Seech. 81.
11.
Judg. 7. 16.
The word chayil is often rendered armef and hoii in our version
in the latter books : q). Gesen. 275.
87. he held hie peace"] Literallj, woe ae deqf. Another sign
of his modesty, patience, and praoenoe at this time. *' Begium,
im6 divinnm ^t, i^joiias despioere, et beneficiis obmere"
(ALapide).
Ch. XI. 1. Nahaeh the Ammonite^ renewed the pretensions
which had been made by the Ammonites in the days of Jeph-
thah : see Judg. xi. 4. 12. 28.
— Jaheah-gUead] The metro^lisof Gilead {Joeephiu), called
Jabesh from its dryness ; accordmg to JSueebiue it was six miles
from Pella, on the east of Jordan, on the road to Qerasa. It
was perhaps at EUDeir, on the south side of Wadgf Jabee {Mohin-
eon) : op. Jndg. zzl. 8.
St. On thie condition mil I make a covenant wUh you, that 1
mojf thrust out all your right eyes'] In order to make them
nseiefls fbr ever. The left eye woold be covered by the shield
in battle : the right eye was needed for uming the spear : they
wonid therefore be no better than blind if they lost their right
eye {Joeephus, Theodorei).
Nahash the Ammonite de m anded of these Israelites a sur-
render of their principal organ of sight as the condition of a
covenant with Mm. In spiritoal things this is precisely what is
done by the Bishop of Rome. He is a " Kahash the Ammonite "
in the Catholic Church of Christ He requires of all Christians
to make a surrender of their reason, conscience, and their
23
will (which belong to their Master, Christ, see on 1 Cor. vii. 27.
Qal. V. 1), as the price of communion with himself. If we are
willing to allow him to " thrust out our right eyes," then he
will afiow us to communicate with himself — ^but not otherwise.
8. GHve us seven d€^s* respite] The demand of Nahash, and
the answer of the men of Jabesh, show to what an abject con-
dition the Gileadites had now been reduced, from which God
delivered them by SauL
4. to Qibecih of SauC] There appears to have been an ancient
alliance between the men of Jabesh and the tribe of Benjamin.
The men of Jabesh-gilead had absented themselves from the
league against Beiigamin (Judg. xxi. 8), and its maidens were
given as wives to the Bei\jamites (Judg. xxi. 12 — 14) ; and the
men of Jabesh -gUead showed their attachment to Saul after his
defeat and death (1 Sam. xxxL 11, 12).
6. the Spirit of Ood came upon Satu] A frilfilment of Samuel's
words (x. 7).
7. he— hewed them in pieces, and sent them] Saul the Ben-
jamite seems to remember what had been done by the Levite in
Judg. xix. 29, to stir up the tribes against the BeijamiteB.
8. Bezek] Seven hours K. of Sichem (Euseb.) : cp. Judg. i. 4.
— Israel— Judah] An evidence of the distinction of Judah
(the tribe of the friture kingdom and of Shiloh himself) from
the rest of the tribes even at that time.
11. into the midst qf the host] of the Ammonites who had
gone forth to meet the sally of the men of Jabesh, and found
tiiemselves between them and Saul's companies.
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Samuel speaks to Israel : 1 SAMUEL XI. 12— 16, XII, 1 — 10. recounts their history.
poh. 10.17. 12 j^^ the people said unto Samnel, 'Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign
over us ? ^ bring the men, that we may put them to death. ^^ And Saul said,
' There shall not a man be put to death this day : for to day • the Lobd hath
wrought salvation in Israel.
^* Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go * to Gilgal, and
renew the kingdom there. ^^ And all the people went to Gilgal ; and there
they made Saul king "before the Lord in Gilgal ; and ' there they sacrificed
sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lobd ; and there Saul and all the men
of Israel rejoiced greatly.
Xn. ^And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto
*your voice in all that ye said unto me, and "^have made a Inng over you#
2 And now, behold, the king ^'walketh before you: "^and I am old and
grayheaded ; and, behold, my sons are with you : and I have walked before
you from my childhood unto this day. ' Behold, here I am : witness against
me before the Lord, and before ^ his anointed : ^ whose ox have I taken ? or
whose ass have I taken ? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed?
or of whose hand have I received any f bribe || to * blind mine eyes therewith ?
and I will restore it you. * And they said. Thou hast not defrauded us, nor
oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand. ^ And he
said unto them, The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness
this day, ** that ye have not found ought * in my hand. And they answered,
He is witness.
^ And Samuel said unto the people, ^ It is the Lord that || advanced Moses
and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. ^ Now
therefore stand still, that I may ^ reason with you before the Lord of all the
f righteous acts of the Lord, which he did fto you and to your fathers.
® "* When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers ° cried unto the Lord,
then the Lord "* sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out
of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place. ^ And when they ' forgat the
Lord their God, "^ he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of
Hazor, and into the hand of 'the Fhihstines, and into the hand of the king
'of Moab, and they fought against them. ^^And they cried unto the Lord,
q See Luke 19.
27.
rSSam. 19.22.
• Ezod. 14. 13,
80. ch. 19. 6.
t oh. 10. 8.
u oh. 10. 17.
X cb. 10. 8.
a ch. 8. 5, 19, 20.
boh. 10.24.6 11.
14, 15.
c Num. 27. 17.
oh. 8. 20.
d cb. 8. 1, 0.
e ver. 6.
ch. 10. 1. k 24. 6.
2 Sam. 1. 14, 16.
f Num. 16. 15.
Acts 20. 33.
1 ThesB. 2. 5.
t Heb. ransom.
H Or, Ukai lihould
hide mint «««« ai
Aim.
K Deut. 16. 19.
h John 18. 88.
Acts 23. 9. 8c 24.
16. 20.
i Ex. 22. 4.
k Mic. 6. 4.
I Or, mad$.
1 Iia. 1. 18. ft 5.
3,4.
Mic. 6. 2, 8.
t Heb. righteous*
Jesses, or, beneMie,
udg. 5. 11.
t Heb. with,
m Gen. 46. 6, 6.
n Ex. 2. 23.
o Ex. 3. 10. ft 4.
16.
p Judg. 8. 7.
q Judg. 4. 2.
'Judg. 10. 7.
ft 18. 1.
• Judg. 8. 12.
12. And the people eaid unto Samuel] to whom they still
looked as their roler, and whose presence is mentioned to show
Saul's moderation and clemency at this time; for it was not
Samuel, hut Saul, who interfered to rescue those who had
despised him.
18. the Lobd hath wrought salo€tiion'] Saul claims none of
the victory for himself, but ascribes it all to God. How much
changed was he afterwards, when he had disobeyed God, and had
thereby forfeited God's grace ! Cp. ziv. 24.
15. to GmffcW] A very appropriate place, formerly the camp
of Joshua, and connected with those glorious victories which
God had wrought by his hand when he first settled Israel in
Canaan. How many instructive memorials of God's power and
' love to His people might suggest themselves to Saul at Gilgal !
How many pledges and earnests to himself if he imitated
Joshua in faith and obedience to God, especially at Gilgal!
See Josh. v. 9, and vi. 10.
— there they made Saul king before the Lobd] Or, rather,
they made him to reign. He hai ^en anointed bj Samuel pre-
viously (x. 1), and had been designed bv God as km? at Mizpeh;
but as yet he had not been puoUdy acknowledged king by the
Nation ; but now we read all the people went to Gilgal, and
made l^ul to reign before the Lora; that is, they would not
allow him any longer to lead a private life, but they made him
to assume the royal state and authority, to which he had been
appointed by God. In xii. 1, Samuel says, ** I have made a
king over you."
— there they sacrificed saerifieee of peace offerings] Thank-
24
offerings: see on Ezod. xx. 24; xxiv. 6; xxiz. 28.
Josh. viiL 8L 1 Sam. x. 8.
Lev. ill. 1.
Ch. XII. 1. And Samuel said] By appointing a great pert
of this chapter (viz., to o. 22) to be read in the synagQ^rues as
a Haphtarah to Num. xvi., xvii., xviii., the ancient Hebrew
Church suggests the parall^ between this speech of Samuel,
dedaratorv of God's migesty, power, and gpoodneas, and vin-
dicating his ffovemment and his own adnunistration, and tiie
address of Moees, in reply to Eorah and his rebellious asso-
ciates.
2. my sons are with you] They are reduced to the condition
of private persons, and are sulgects of the king, as ye are.
8. Behold, here I am — I will restore it you] On this text
see the Sermon of Bp, Sanderson ad Magistratum, ii. 830—862:
and on Samuel as an example to governors, spiritual and tern*
poral, submitting their acts to be examined by those whom they
govern, see Feter Damiani, Epist. i. 12, in .^ Lapide here.
Cp. the example of Job (xxxi. 18), who did not ** despise the
cause of his manservant or maidservant when they contended "
with him.
— whose ass hate I taken ?] So Moses said, "1 have not taken
one ass fVom them " (Num. xvi. 16).
— bribe] Heb. CMfher, ransom or satisfaction, from eaphar,
to cover, to pardon (Oesen, 411) : cp. Bp, Sanderson, iL 869.
6. It is the Loiu>] I brought thee out of the land of Egypt,
and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam (Micah vi. 4).
9. king qfMotib] Egk>n (Judg. iii. 12).
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Bedan.
1 SAMUEL Xn, 11 — 22. Samuel speaking of himself.
and said, ^ We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lobd, ''and have tjudg. 10.10.
u Jndg. S. 18.
served Baalim and Ashtaroth : but now ' deliver us out of the hand of our fg^«*«- ^^- »«'
enemies, and we will serve thee. ^^And the Lord sent ^Jerubbaal, and y Jndg. 6.14.32.
Bedan, and ' Jephthah, and 'Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your H^^l^ '•
enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe. ^^And when ye saw that "^Nahash bcii.n.i.
the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ^'ye said unto me. Nay ; cch.8.«, 19.
but a king shall reign over us : when "^the Lord your God was your king, ch^'i*?;*-*^-
^^ Now therefore •behold the king ^whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have t chill: a.
desired ! and, behold, ^ the Lord hath set a king over you. ^* If ye will ** fear L*'?. 2V*
the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the |/^f-,**/*-
f commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth ♦ ^***- '^•"*-
over you f continue following the Lord your God : ^* But if ye will * not obey the J^f i*'/f •'•
voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall ^^;^^%^^ „* ^^^
the hand of the Lord be against you, ^Mit was against your fathers. ^^Now i^ei.^:^^
therefore * stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your iEx.i4.ia,8i.
eyes. ^^ Is it not "wheat harvest to day ? "I will call unto the Lord, and he Jj^S^io^iV.
shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that ^'your wickedness j^^Vk 17,
is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king. l\. s. 7.
^^ So Samuel called unto the Lord ; and the Lord sent thunder and rain
that day : and ^ all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. ^^ And l^^^^i:^,
all the people said unto Samuel, "^ Pi-ay for thy servants unto the Lord thy j^jj^y"-
God, that we die not : for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us fJSSiVie.'
a king. ^ And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not : ye have done all this
wickedness : yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord
with all your heart ; 21 And ' turn ye not aside : • for then should ye go after vain r Dent. n. lo.
things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. ® For *the Lord f^/j^J-
will not forsake his people " for his great name's sake : because *it hath pleased pl.^fj.*- "
n Josh. 7. 9. Ps. 106. 8. Jer. 14. 21. Esek. 20. 9, 14. z Deut. 7. 7, 8. & 14*. 2. ' Mai. 1. 2.
10. we haneforioken the Lobd] Samuel adopts the words of
the Book of Judges (u. 18), *' They forsook the Lord, and served
Baalim and AshtaroUi :" see also Judg. z. 10.
U. and Bedan] Not mentioned in the Book of Judges or
elsewhere in Scripture. Hence some (e. g. KimoAi and others)
have supposed an error in the text, and that we ought to read
Ben-Dan, *' Son of Dan," L e. Samson, the name hsre in the
ChcUdee Targums and so JeranUcuter, Jjtffelom., lAjran^
Vatabl., A Lapide. Others read Barak (so the Sept., I^jfriao,
and Arahio Versions, and so KpV). JStoald suggests JJbdon :
see Judg. x. 18. 16.
But it is not at all probable^ that if such a well-known
name as Barak, or even JJbdon (Judg. xii. 18. 15), had ever
stood in the text, it would have been obliterated from all the
Hebrew HSS., and that an unknown name, such as Bedan,
would have been substituted for it by the copvists. And it is
not likely that 8amson would have been ouled by such an
indefinite name as Ben-Dan, which is never given mm in the
Book of Judges, or in any other part of the Scripture.
On the whole, Bedan, the reading of all the extant Hebrew
MSS., appears to be correct. And we may see here a confirma-
tion of the opinion already expressed in this work, that the
Book of Judges is not, and was not deeigned to be, a complete
history of all the events that took place under the rule of the
Judg^ any more than the Acts of the Apostles is intended to
be a record of' the doings of aU the Apostles : see above, Intro-
duction to Judges, p. 76 ,* and note on Judg. v. 6.
We have also a parallel here to what has perplexed some,
vis., the mention by Deborah of another Judge (viz., JaeT),
whose acts are not "known to us from that Book, and whose
name is not dsewhere mentioned in it (see Judg. v. 6) ; and if
Bedan is the true reading, as there is good reason for bdieving,
then in the very obscun^ of the name we have a confi^ation
of the genuineness of the speech. A forger woidd not have
ventured to insert a name which occurs nowhere else.
— and Samuel] To the objections of those who allege that
Vol. XL Pabt n.— 26
Samuel would not have thus mentioned himeelf, it is enough to
say, that the speaker is not recounting what Samuel did by hie
own strength, but what "the Loiu>" did hg him, and the
remarks aheady made on the manner in which Moses and St,
Paul speak of themselves m^ be applied here : see above, on
Num. xii. 8; and below, on 1 Cor. xv. 9, and 2 Cor. xi. 81.
Here, also, is another proof of the genuineness of this speech.
17. he shall send thunder emd rain] Very rare at that season.
See Josephus, B. J. iv. 4, 6. Beland on Joseph, iii. 1. 6.
<< Nunquam in his provindis in fine mensis Junii, aut in Julio in
his provindis, maxim^ue in Judtsa, pluvias vidimus " {S, Jerome
in Amos iv. 7). In ordinarv seasons, from the cessation of
the showers in spring, until their commencement in October or
November, rain never falls; snow in summer and rain in harvest
were things incomprehensible to a Hebrew (Prov. xxvi. 1.
Bobinson/FaL ii. 98, 99).
In theparallel history— that of Hoses (see above on v. H)—
the great Hebrew Lawgiver appeals to Qm, and predicts that
He " wUl make a new thing ^' in the natural world, in order to
prove the sin of the rebds, and to attest the integrity and com-
mission of Moses (Num. xvi. 80).
18. the Lord sent thunder] and thus confirmed the truth of
Samuel's words; and thus, auo, Qod has nven .assurance to us,
that what Samud did in offering sacrifices m various pLices, was
done by special commission firom God, Who raised him up and
authorized him, though only a Levito, to perform priestly
functions, in that remarkable period of priestly degeneracy and
of ecdesiastical confusion : see above, on iL 86 ; vii. 17.
The thunder was a sign of God's anger, for it is an instru-
ment of God's justice : and it declared the sin of the people
in despising the government of Samud, and seeking for some
other rule; for if Samuel had such power with God as to move
heaven by his prayers, doubtless he would be able to overcome
and destroy the enemies of Israd, if Israd obeyed God
(Zvranus), Indeed, he had already done so at Ebeneser
(vm.lO). ^
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Promises and warnings. 1 SAMUEL XII. 23—25. XIII. 1—9.
Saul at GilgaL
tHeb./rom
eeattng,
▼ Acts IS. 5.
Rom. 1.9.
Col. 1. 9.
2 Tim. 1. 8.
sPb. 84. 11.
Ptov.4. 11.
a 1 Kings 8. 36.
2 Chron. 6. 27.
Jer. 6. 16.
b Ecolei. 12. 13.
c Isa. 5. 12.
il Or, what a
gr^at thing, 3(c.
d Dent. 10. 21.
Pi. 126. 2, 8.
e Josh. 24. 20.
f Dent. 28. 86.
f Heb. tk0 ion of
one year in hi*
reigning.
a ch. 10. 26.
b ch. 10. 5.
B Or, The hiU.
t Heb. did etink.
Geo. 84. 30.
Ex. 5. 21.
c Jnd^. 2.
t Heb. irembied
after him.
d ch. 10. 8.
the Lord to make you his people. ^ Moreover as for me, God forbid that I
should sin against the Lord f^ in ceasing to pray for you : but * I will teach you
the * good and the right way : ^ **Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with
all your heart : for "" consider || how ^ great things he hath done for you. ^ But
if ye shall still do wickedly, •ye shall be consumed, ^both ye and your king.
Xm. ^ Saul t reigned one year ; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
^ Saul chose him three thousand rnen of Israel; whereof two thousand were with
Saul in Michmash and in mount £eth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in
^ Gibeah of Benjamin : and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.
^ And Jonathan smote ^ the garrison of tiie Philistines that was in || Geba, and
the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land,
saying, Let the Hebrews hear. ^ And all Israel heard say that Saul had
smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also f was had in abomi-
nation with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to
Gilgal. ^ And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel,
thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand
which is on the sea shore in multitude : and they came up, and pitched in
Michmash, eastward from Beth-aven.
^ When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people
were 'distressed,) then the people ""did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets,
and^in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. ^ And some of Hie Hebrews went
over Jordan to tibie land of G^ and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal,
and all the people f followed him trembling. ^ "^ And he tarried seven days,
according to the set time that Samuel had appointed : but Samuel came not to
Gilgal ; and the people were scattered from him. ^ And Saul said. Bring hither
a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.
88. God forbid that I should sim — in cBOiing to pra^ for
ffOii] Moees and Samael are specified by Qod as haying eictra-
ordinary power with Him (Jer. xv. 1) ; and why ? Because
they prayed for their enemies (8, Gregory , Horn. 27 in Evang.).
Ch. XIII. 1. SavX reigned one ^ear^ Literally, Saul (was) eon
of a gear in reigning : " filios omns anni erat Saul cum regfnare
ccepisset " (Vulg.), and the Chaldee Targum explains it to mean
that "he was as the son of a year (a child cmly a year old), in whom
is no guile, when he began to reign;" and so many Hebrew Babbis,
and l^heodoret, Qu. 26 ; and Jeromiaeter, and Feter Damiani,
Others suppose, that a letter signifying 20 years has fiUlen
out of the MSS. of the text, and of ancient Tersions here
{SeaUger and Kelt), But this is hardly probable. The true
meaning seems to Imb, that Saul had been publidy made king by
Samuel (see x. 1), and had reigned one year, when the evento
recorded in the former chapter had taken place ; and, that after
he had reigned two years, he chose 3000 men, and did what is
related in this chapter {A Lapide, Pfeiff^er, JBp. Patrick),
On the chronology of Saul's reign, see Acts xiii. 21, which
specifies a period of forty jears ; and uie most probable opinion is,
that this mdudes the time in which Samuel was judge with
him, and the time in which Samuel was judge before : and that
Samuel was judge by himself twenty-two years, then sixteen with
Saul as king ; and that Saul survived Samuel two years (SaUanus),
2. Saul choee kirn three thousand men] He seems to have
taken a body-g^uard to himself and his son, which was a new
thing in Israel and which was a symptom of distrust of God's
defence, and oi reliance on an arm of flesh. Hus was what
Samuel had prophesied (viii. 11, 12).
— Michmtuhl About nine miles K. of Jerusalem, now
Mukhmae, described by Robinson (ii. 117).
— mount Seth-et] now Beitin (see Josh. vii. 2), about six
miles N.w. of Michmash ; and twelve K. of Jerusalem.
— Qibeah of Benj(VBMn\ The residence of Saul, now Tuleil-el-
Ph4l, about midway oetween Jerusalem and Michmash.
8. G^eba"] now Jeba, s.w. of Michmash, and ir.i. of Bamah :
see Bobineon, ii. 118. Cp. Josh, xviii. 24.
4. Saul had tmitten a garrison of the FJalistines'] in his
own tribe of Benjamin : cp. x. 6. 20.
26
— to OilgaT] near Jericho, where Samuel had appointed to
meet him (x. 8), and where God had manifested His power and
glory in the days of Joshua. Cp. Josh. ix. 6.
5. thirty thousand chariots] So the extant Hebrew MSS.,
and the Sept, and Vulg, and Chaldee Targum, But some
ancient Versions (Sjgriao and Arabic) have 8000 chariots. The
number seems disproportionate to that of the persons (cp. 2
Sam. X. 18. 1 Kings x. 26. 2 Chron. xii. 8), and could hardly
have been raised by the Philistines themselves. Solomon had
only 1400 chariots, which are mentioned as a large number
(2 Chron. L 14). Some suppose that baggage-waggons are in-
cluded in this number. Probably the Philistines may have
engaged other nations, the enemies of Israel, to fight with them ;
and this supposition is confirmed by the mention of the people
"as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude;"
and also bv the confusion of the army, which is mentioned in
xiv. 20, and which was due in part to the &ct that it was com-
posed of various nations {Josephus vi. 6. 8).
There is a parallel to this in 1 Chron. xix. 6, 7, where it is
said that ** the children of Ammon sent to hire them chariots
out of Mesopotamia and other places :" " so they hired thirty
and two thousand chariots, and the king of Muochah and his
people."
8. he tarried seven days'] Samuel had commanded Saul,
'* Seven days shalt thou tany tUl I come to thee, and show thee
what thou shaU do" (x. 8).
Samuel tried Saul's ikith by this command; and then he came
to Gilgal : see 9. 8, and Josephus vi. 6. 2, who says that '* Saul
waited seven davs, but did not ftdly obey the command." The
seventh day had arrived, and Samuel had not yet come. Saul
seeing that many of his men had depurted, and that only six
hundred remained, resolved not to wait any longer ; and he
offered sacrifices — ^not only burnt-offerings, but peace-offerings —
and Samuel (it seems) came before the seventh day was over,
and before the sacrifices were completed. If Saul had waited
a few hours, he would have been blessed for his obediencd to
God speaking by the mouth of his prophet: see v, 18 {S,
Oregory, Lyranus, Serarius, A Lapidi),
9. he offered the bu/nU offering] Did Saul offer it with hii
own hand, or no ?
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Said's disobedience
1 SAMUEL Xm. 10—18.
and ryection.
^^ And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the
burnt offering, behold, Samuel came ; and Saul went out to meet him, that he
might t salute him. ^^And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul
said. Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou
camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered
themselves together at Michmash ; ^^ Therefore said I, The Phihstines will come
down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not f made supplication unto the
Lord : I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. ^' And Samuel
said to Saul, ^Thou hast done foohshly : 'thou hast not kept the command-
ment of the LoBD thy God, which he commanded thee : for now would the
Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. ^* 'But now thy
kingdom shall not continue : ^ the Lord hath sought h\m a man after his own
heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people,
because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.
^^ And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin.
And. 3aul numbered the people that were f present with him, * about six
hundred men. ^^ And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were
present with them, abode in f Gibeah of Benjamin: but the Philistines
encamped in Michmash.
^"^ And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Phihstines in three
companies : one company turned unto the way that leadeth to ^ Ophrah, unto
the land of Shual : ^^ And another company turned the way to ' Beth-horon :
t Heb. bUii him.
t Heb. intreated
tkefae$.
e 2 Chron. 16. 9.
fch. 16. 11.
geh. 16.28.
h Ps. 89. 20.
Acts 18. 22.
t Heb./ottfid.
i ch. 14. 8.
t Heb. G«6a,
▼er. 8.
k Joih. 18. 28.
1 JoBh. 16. 8.
ft 18. 18, 14.
It Ib said br some (e.g. by AhuUmit, Serariut, A Lapide,
and KeU, p. 97) that we must suppose here the interyention
and co-operation of a priest as the offerer, as on other occa-
sions, when the king is said to offer (2 Sam. xxiv. 25. 1 Kings
iii. 4 ; viii. 63). It seems that Sam had the Ark, and Ahiah
the priest with him : see xiv. 8.
Joiephus says (vi. 6. 2) that Sanl offered sacrifice in an evil
manner ; and his annotator, WhUton, asserts that Saul usurped
the priest's office.
Whether this was so or not, is not evident from the text.
It seems to be suggested by the words of Saul : " Bring hither a
bumt-offering to me" JDean Stanley says (L<H;tures, p. 23)
that "he sacrificed; and that, as kmg, he had a right to
sacrifice." Bishop Andrewes says that he usurped the priest's
office (iv. 88) ; and so Dr, KUto, pp. 155, 188, " The kings of
many other nations were also priests, but, although more
than one Hebrew king evinced a disposition to assume priestly
power, yet it was plainly unlawful, except the king were of the
fiunily of Aaron, as was the case with the Maccabsean or
Asmonean sovereigns. Saul offered sacrifices with his own
hand. This was a double offence. Priests only might offer
sacrifices ; the only exception being in the case of the pro-
phets, who sometimes claimed that right for the honour of God,
by whose Spirit they acted."
In the absence of any dear statement to that effect in the
text, and inasmuch, also, as Samuel does not animadvert on
any such intrusion on Saul's part, it does not seem safe to affirm
that Saul offered the sacrifice with his own hand.
His sin consisted in not obeying the word of the Lord,
speaking- by His Prophet, and commanding him to wait till
Samuel came and told him what he must do (x. 8 : see v, 13,
14, and Jeromiaeter), " Thou hast done foolishly : thou hast not
kept the commandment of the Lord thy God." Saul's faith in
God, and his obedience to Him, were tried by the number of the
Philistines, and by the falling away of his own forces, and by
the delay of SamueL If he had beheved in God, and if he had
obeyed Him, he would have been sure that God could, and
would, deliver him in His own time ; but he did not trust in
God's word and power: he feared man rather than God, and
relied rather on the externals of religion, than on the essence
of it, which is obedience; and therefore Samuel told him that
his kingdom should not continue.
12. I forced miyeeif therefore, and offered a humi offering']
As if burnt-offerings were more pleasing to God than obedience,
and could be acce^Sed by God, when offered without faith! Cp.
XV. 22.
27
13. for ever"] As long as his seed lasted.
14. thy kingdom shall not continue] Saul was not as yet
personally r^ected from being king. He is told, that if he had
oeen obedient, his *' kingdom should have been established" in
his family ; but that now it should not continue. And if he had
taken warning now, and repented, there is reason to believe that
even this penalty would not have been inflicted on him.
But he repeated his sin ; and the next punishment was more
heavy. " Thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord
hath rejected thee frvm being king " (xv. 26). In the former
case, the sentence was pronounced agiunst the kingdom ; in the
latter, against the king,
— the LoBD hath eonght"] David did not seek honour for
himself; but was sought by God for it. " I have found David
my servant" (Ps. Ixxxix. 20).
— a man after his own hearf] Cp. Acts xiii. 22. Samuel
does not mention David by name, lest he should excite Saul's
iealousv against him. David is called ** a man after God's own
heart," because, as to his general character, he conformed his
own will to God's will : beloved what God loved, and abhorred
what God hated (S. Chrys.),
15. Samuel—yat him up — unto CHbeah'] A proof that Samuel
had not been actuated by feelings of personal anger against Saul
and his family, and had not yet forsaken him, and would be
willing to befriend him, if he would repent. Cp; below, xv. 31.
— six hundred men^ Verv few, if compared with those who
followed Saul while he was ooedient to God ; and who amounted
to 300,000 men (xi. 6).
Therefore his sinful act in offering sacrifice, lest the people
should be scattered frcm him («. 11), failed of its purpose.
Worldly policy does not attain even its own temporal ends.
See below, John xi. 48, "If we let this man thus alone, the
Bomans will come and take away both our place and nation."
They did not let Jesus alone; and therefore the Bomans did
come, and destroyed them.
16. the Philistines encamped^ If Saul had obeyed God, they
would have been routed, as the Ammonites were (xi. 11).
17. the spoilers'j Literally, the spoiler, Qesen., pp. 616. 816.
— Philistines %n three companies'] Observe the contrast.
Saul, while obedient, had gone out ag^ainst the Anmionites in
three companies (xi. 11). But now that he has disobeyed God,
the Philistines come against him in three 'companies,
— Ophrah] Five miles B. of Bethel (see Josh, xviii. 23), pro-
bably now Tdxyibeh (described by BohinsolH, ii. 110. 119 — 126)'
— land of Shuat] foxland : perhaps ShaUm (ix. 4).
18. Beth'horon'] Beit-ur : see Josh. x. 11.
£ 2
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IsraeVs low -estate. 1 S.OIUEL XIII. 19—23. XIV. 1—6. Jonathan's prowess.
m Neh. 11. S4.
o See S King!
S4. 14.
Ter. 84. 1.
tHeb. a ;UewlM
moutha,
t Heb. to Ml.
So Judf . 5. 8.
p ch. 14. 1, 4.
I Or, ttandinff
H Or, there was a
dap.
a eh. 18. 15.
bch.S2.9, 11, 20,
called JMflMterA.
ech.4.21.
d eh. 2. 28.
ech 18.23.
t Heb. tooth.
and another companytumed to the way of the border that looketh to the valley
of " Zeboim toward the wilderness.
^^ Now ° there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel : for the
Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears : ^ But all the
Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his
coulter, and his axe, and his mattock, ^i Yet they had f a file for the mattocks,
and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for iJie axes, and f to sharpen the
goads. ^ So it came to pass in the day of battle, that "" there was neither
sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and
Jonathan : but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.
^ p And the || garrison of the Philistines went out to the ^passage of Michmash.
XIV. ' Now II it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said
unto the young man that bare his armour. Come, and let us ^o over to the
Philistines' garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father.
2 And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree
which is in Migron : and the people that were with him were * about six hundred
men; ^And ^Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, ^I-chabod's brother, the son of
Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord's priest in Shiloh, * wearing an ephod.
And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. ^ And between the passages,
by which Jonathan sought to go oyer "" unto the Philistines' garrison, there was
a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side : and the
name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. ^ The f forefront
— ZAoim] Perhaps k.b. of Jerasalem : see Neh. xi. 84.
19. Now there wot no smUk—for the Fhilistinee said] In
Buch a state of depresdon were the IsraeliteB : here was another
consequence of their king's disobedience : see xii. 16.
20. to the PhUUtmee] who had garrisons in the country
(x. 6 ; xiiL 8).
— hie share'] The root of this word and of that rendered
mattock is the same : viz.» charash, x^^P^^*>> ^ ^ *^*^» ^
plough (see Gesen, 466 and 809).
-^ his coulter] See Isa. iL 4. Joel iii. 10. Micah iv. 8,
where it is rendered ploughshare,
— his axe] See Qesen. 742.
~ his mattock] See Gesen, 466.
21. Yet they had a file for] Bather, so that hUmtness qfedge
was — i. e. ensued — ^to those instruments which ought to have
been sharp : they became notched and unfit for use. The word
translated file is petsirah from patsar, to mcJce hJMwt, The
words are well rendered bv Vulg,, "Betuss itaque sunt acies
vomerum:" cp. A Zapide here; Gesen, 685; and Keil, p. 98.
The parenthesis is continued as fkr as the word axes.
This is adduced as another consequence of Saul's dis-
obedience. The Philistines hdd Israel in subjection ; and not
only did they deprive the Israelites of weajpons of war» but they
made them dependent on their enemies for the sharpening of
their instruments of husbandry, which became blunted and
almost useless; and thus Agriculture suffered by the king's
disobedience to Qod.
— and to sharpen the goads] That is, they were forced to
resort to the Philistines even for this purpose. The words
rendered jfet they had a file (see the foregoing note) down to
axes form a parenthesLs : cp. Gesen,, p. 561. On the g^oads of
the Israelites, see Dr, Thomson, Land and Book, p. 822.
28. the garrison of the Philistines went out to &e passage of
Miohmash] Sallied forth to the steep predpitous valley now
called Wadg-es-8uweimt, between Geba and IGchmash, and
described by Mobinso'n, ii. 116. 126, and m his Later Biblical
Besearches, p. 878, quoted by KeH, p. 100.
Ch. XIV. L Jonathan] A name which means gift of
Jehovah, In name and character, he is the Ifathanael of this
history. Jonathan's name and prowess are mentioned here as a
eontraet to the unbelief and oisobedience of 8aml his father
(see further below at the end of ch. xx.).
The clue to the understanding of this narrative is afforded
by Jonathan's words (i^. 6), *' The Lobd will work fbr us : there
is no restraint to the Lobd to save by many or by few," and v,
10, <* The Lord hath delivered them mto our hand."
If Saul had been animated by the fiiith of Jonathan, he
would not have disobeyed the Lord at Gilgal (xiii. 8 — 18) and in
the matter of Amalek (xv. 19).
The miraculous success of Jonathan, the son of Saul* in the
present enterprise, is like a practical condemnation of Saul his
fkther. It shows how great would have been Saul's proiperity
if he had trusted in Ood and obeyed Him, instead of looking to
carnal ends, and being swayed by his own wilL
%, pomegranaie tree] Bather, the pomegranate-tree: a
well-known one. On the pomegranate-tree and its fruity see
8, Ambrose, Hex. iii. 18 ; 8. Jerome in Jovinian. lib. L ; and
A Lapide here, and on Canticles iv. 8. 18.
— Migron] v, of GilgaL
— six hundred men] His forces had not increased rfnoe he
came to Gibeah, as mignt have been expected : see xiii. 16.
8. Ahiah] Supposed by some to be the same as Ahimelecht
mentioned as the priest in xxi 1, and son of Ahitub (the elder
brother of Ichabod, the son of Phinehas, the son of £3i, " the
Lord's priest in Shiloh"), in xxii. 9. 11, which is possible:
Ahiah (brother or friend of Jehovah) may be another name of
Ahimeieeh (brother or friend of the king). But it is more
probable that Ahiah died without offspring, and that Ahimeieeh
(as his brother) succeeded in his place.
— wearing an ephod^ Bather, wearing the ephod; Le., the
high priesf s ephod, with the Urim and Thummun : see on li. 28.
Saul had with him the external ordinances of religion, but
they did not profit him, because he was unfidthftd and dis-
obedient to Qod.
There is a solemn sound in the words ** the Lord's priest in
ShUoh .*" the history of the captivl^ of the Ark, which had
been at 8hUoh, and the death of Hophni and Phbiehas, the
priests who had ministered there, and of Eli himself^ the High
Priest and Judge, and the destruction of Shil<^, were terrible
warnings to Sam, that no religious or political privilcp;es are of
any benefit, without a sanctified heart, and an obedient will :
see above on iv. 4, 6.
Howftill of encouraffement, on the other hand, are the his-
torical associations of GUgal, with its records of Gk>d's wonderAil
workings for Israel, by the hand of His fkithfhl servant Joshua !
Yet there, eVlm at Gilgal, Saul disobeyed God.
4. Bozez] shining (Gesen, 108).
— Seneli] Perhaps a tooth, or it mi^ be oonnected with
sanah, to lift up, or to sharpen (Gesen, 591).
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Jonathan's faith and courage. 1 SAMUEL XTV. 6 — 18.
Saul calls for the Ark.
of the one was situate northward over agamst Michmash, and the other south-
ward over agamst Giheah. ^ And Jonathan said to the young man that bare
his armour, Come, and let us go oyer unto the garrison of these uncircumcised :
it may be that the Lobd will work for us : for there is no restraint to the Lobd
'to save by many or by few. ^ j^^ }^^ armourbearer said unto him, Do all
that is in thine heart : turn thee ; behold, I am with thee according to thy
heart. ^ Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass oyer unto these men, and
we will discover ourselves unto them. ^ If they say thus unto us, f Tarry until
we come to you ; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto
them. ^^ But if they say thus, Come up unto us ; then we will go up : for the
Lobd hath delivered them into our hand : and ^this shaU be a sign unto us.
'^And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the
Philistines : and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of
the holes where they had hid themselves. ^^ And the men of the garrison
answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we
will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up
after me : for the Lord hath delivered them into the hand of Israel. ^' And
Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer
after him : and they fell before Jonathan ; and his armourbearer slew after
him. ^^ And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made,
was about twenty men, within as it were || an half acre of land, which a yoke o^
oxen might plow.
^^ And ^ there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the
people: the garrison, and 'the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth
quaked : so it was f ^ a very great trembling.
^^ And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked ; and, behold, the
multitude melted away, and they * went on beating down one another. ^^ Then
said Saul unto the people that were with him. Number now, and see who is gone
from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armourbearer
were not there. ^® And Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the
fJndg. 7.4, r.
SChion. 14. 11.
i Heb. Bt tUU,
fSee Gen. S4. 14^
udg. Ml.
%
Or, U(fa
m oftm aert
udg. 7. 21.
h S King! 7. 7.
Job 18. 11.
I oh. 13.17.
t Heb. a IrtmftMaa
oJQod.
k Oen. 85. 5.
1 Tor. SO.
On these two rocks, probably in Wady Suvmmt, leading
from Geba to Michmash, see Rohmson, ii. 116 : *' In the valley
are two hills of a conical or rather a spherical form, having
steep rodcy sides ; one of these rocks is toward Jeba (Qeba),
the other toward MukJkma* (Michmash)/'
These seem to be the two rocks mentioned here.
0. MichmaghJ Nine miles from Jemsalem (JSuieb,), to the
nor^ of it; now Mukhmas: see Sobinson, ii. 118—116.
6. Come, and lei ue go cner\ O divine power of fiiith* which
makes a man more than men ! The qnestion is not what
Jonathan can do» but what Qod can do^ whose power is
not in the means, bat in Himself. There is no restraint
in the Lord to save by many or by few. O admirable fiuth in Jo-
nathan, whom neither the steepness of the rocks, nor multitude
of enemies, can dissuade from such an assault 1 (J9[p. Kail.)
11. the BJBhrew9\ They will not call them by their more
Huxrad name —the men of lero/el : cp, v, 21.
18. we will shew you a tUng^ Literally, we will make you
know a word ; we will tell you something.
— the Lord hath delivered them] Jonathan shows extra-
ordinary fiuth in the choice of the rign, and in obedience to it»
and relies wholly on the Lord — a striking contrast to SauL
14. acre] Rather, Jkirrow {Geeen, 4Q&).
-*- of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow] These words
are a rendering of the Hebrew teemed, which properly sigmfles
a pair, or couple (firom ieamad, to hind), and uienoe is applied
to express tire quantity of land which a yoke of oxen oould
filougfa in a day : cp.jugum,jugerum {Qeeen. 712).
16. trembUny in the hoet] A panic sent by Gk)d. For
other instances, see 2 Sam. v. 24, 2 Kings vii. 6; xix. 7.
29
18. Briny hither the ark] This is the meaning of the text as
it stands in the extant Hebiew MSS., and in the Vuly,, SMae,
Arahic, and Chaldee Taryum, But the Septuayvnt has, ''Bring
hither the ephod,** which is supposed by some to be the prefer-
able reading; so Stanley, Lectures, p. 19, who calls the reading
of the Hebrew MSS. '* an obvious mistake."
But it is not probable that, if the word ephod had been in
the original text, it would have been changed by the oopvista
into arks on tlie other hand, a transcriber might suppose it to
be improbable that the aj^ should have been brought from Kir-
jath-jearim, and be now with Saul (vii. 2), and he might there-
fore be induced to substitute ephod here.
The presence of the Ark is very significant and instructive
(see on v. 8). Although Saul had the High Priest, the Urim,
and the Ark with him ; yet they were of no avail, because he
lacked the essential requisites fbr making them profitable. He
lacked faith in Him whose ordinances the Ark and the Priest-
hood were : compare the case of the army of Israel, above,
iv. 8-11.
On the other hand, Jonathan, Saul's son, having fkith in
God, was achieving at this time, ahnost single-handed, a great
victory over the enemies of Israel : see on v. 1.
Saul is a specimen of that class of persons who show a cer-
tain reverence and zeal for the outward forme of religion, and
even a superstitious reUanoe on them, but are not careftd to
cherish the inner epirit of vital religion, without which all out-
ward farmB and ordinances, even though instituted bv Ck>d
Himself, are mere " sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal :" cp.
1 Cor.xiiL 12; below, v. 24^ and xv. 21.
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The Lord saves Israel.
1 SAMUEL XIV. 19—29.
Saul's adjuration.
m Num. 27. 21.
a Or, tumult.
t Heb. were cried
togethtr.
n Jnd^. 7. 22.
2 Chron. 20. 28.
o ch. 18. 6.
p Ex. 14. 80.
P8. 44. 6. 7.
Hoi. 1. 7.
q ch. 18. 8.
T Joih. 6. 26.
• Dent. 9. 28.
Matt. 8. 6.
t Ex. 8. 8.
Num. 18. 27.
Matt. 8. 4.
I Or, weary.
ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel. ^^ And it came to pass,
while Saul " talked mito the priest, that the || noise that was in the host of the
Philistines went on and increased : and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thine
hand. ^ And Saul and all the people that were with him f assembled themselves,
and they came to the battle : and, behold, ° every man's sword was against his
fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture. ^^ Moreover the Hebrews that
were with the Philistines before that time, which went up with them into the
camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the
IsraeUtes that were with Saul and Jonathan. ^ Likewise all the men of Israel
which ""had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the
Phihstines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.
25pSo the Lord saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over ^unto
Beth-aven.
^ And the men of Israel were distressed that day : for Saul had ' adjured the
people, saying. Cursed he the man that eateth any food until evening, that I
may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.
^ 'And all they of the land came to a wood; and there was 'honey upon the
ground, ^ And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the honey
dropped ; but no man put his hand to his mouth : for the people feared the
oath. ^ But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the
oath : wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and
dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth ; and his eyes were
enlightened. ^ Then answered one of the people, and said. Thy father straitly
charged the people with an oath, saying. Cursed he the man that eateth any
food this day. And the people were || faint. ^ Then said Jonathan, My
father hath troubled the land : see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been
19. while SatU talked unto the prieef] Either with a yiew of
bringing forth the Ark to lead the people onward to the battle,
or thathe might inquii^ of Qod by Urim and Thummim before
the Ark.
— Withdraw thine hand^ i. e. let alone. There la no more
need of Inquiry or of prayer : let ni go at once to the battle.
There seems to have been an indifference and contempt on Sanl's
part for prayer and for a knowledge of God's will (cp. v, 86).
He thought ^tff of himself, and God was in the second place.
" The neglect ofprat/er" (says Bp. Andrewee, v. 823) "was the
beginning of SauVefall, as all the Fathers interpret that place,
where it is said that ^ul commanded the priest to withdraw
his hand from the Ark." See also Bp. Andrewes, v. 845 :
** There are some, who with Saul will call for the Arl^ and will
presently cry, • Away with it I* that is, wiU begin their prayers
and will break them off in the midst on any occasion." See also
Ibid, ii. 11.
Saul will consult the Ark : hypocrites, when they hare
leisure, will perhaps be holy. But when the tumult was aroused,
Saul's piety decr^sed. '* Withdraw thine hand," he said. The
Ark must giye place to arms. Worldly minds regard holy
duties no fia^her than they stand with their own carnal pur-
poses. Saul, who would before wilfully sacrifice ere he fought
(ziii. 9), will now, in the other extreme, fight. in a wilful inde-
votion (Bp, Salt).
The courage of Jonathan had already achieved the victory,
while Saul was talking about what was to be done : so much
more successful was, the faith and obedience of the son, than the
worldly policy and formal indifference of the father.
80. every man's sword was against his fellowl As was the
case with the Midianites when attacked by Gideon (Judg. vii. 22).
Thus God riiowed His Divine power and favour to Israel, and
merciAilly still strove with Saul m order to bring him back to
obedience.
21. the Sebrews'] As distinct from the men of Israel, with
whom they are contrasted here : cp. v. 11, and w. 22, 28.
28. the LoBD saved Israel} As Jonathan had said the liord
would do (w, 6. 12).
80
— Beth-itven'] East of Michmash. The Israelites attacked
the Philistines from the south, and scattered them toward Beth-
aven on the east, and to Ayalon on the west (o. 81).
24. the men of Israel were distressed] A consequence of
Saul's rashness. Even his prudence &iled him, by which he
had been before distinguished (z. 16 ; xi. 18), when he said
piously, ** The I^yrd hath wrought salvation in Israel." Blind-
ness and infatuation are fruits of disobedience to God, Who takes
His grace from those who forsake Him and rely on them*
selves.
— Saul had adjured the people! Another spedmen of Saul'i
hot, hasty, and headstrong wUfolness and imperiousness,
joined to a show of zeal for the outward forms of religion : see
V, 18. X
Here was an instance of that will-worship which is charac-
teristic of Saul. To eat no food all day was harder than to
attend for a short time on the Ark. But Saul chose the one
and neglected the other (see v, 19). Bp. Sail observes : " The
voluntary, self-imposed services of hypocrites are many times
harder and more painful than the religious duties enjoined by
Almighty God. But these acts of wul-worship are sweetened
to them by self-love ; and so they are ensnared and enslaved by
the Evil One— as Saul was."
— that I moff be avenged on mine enemies'] Observe his
egotism. He does not call them the enenues of the Lord, but
he says, "that I may be avenged on mine enemies;" and he
speaks in this self-confident tone even after that the Lord had
just marvellously interfered to save Israel (see v, 28). Thus he
abused God's goodness, and made it an occasion for sin. Here is a
symptom of that self-love and vain -glory which was his ruin.
25. honey] Wild honey, abundant in Canaan, ** a land flow-
ing with milk and honey." Bochart, Hieroz. II. iv. 12. Cp.
Exod. iii. 8. Num. xiii. 27. Judg. xiv. 8. Matt. iii. 4.
27. Jonathan heard not] And was not therefore bound by
his father's oath : and consequently could not be said to ha^e
transgressed it.
— put forth the end of the rod] In the eagerness of the
pursmt he would not stop to do more.
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Jonathan is discovered
1 SAMUEL XIV. 30—45-
hy the lot.
uIi«T.8. 17.
6 7.S6.
ft 17. 10.
ft 19. S6.
Dent. IS. 16,
X oh. 7. 17.
t Heb. thai •liar
he btfmn to h^atd
unto tkt LORD,
enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey. ^ How mnch more, if
haply the people had eaten freely to day of the spoil of their enemies which
they found ? for had there not been now a much greater slaughter among the
Philistines?
*^ And they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon : and
the people were very faint. ^ And the people flew upon the spoil, and took
sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground : and the people did
eat them "" with the blood. ^ Then they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people
sin against the Lord, in that they eat with the blood. And he said, Ye have
II transgressed : roll a great stone unto me this day. ^ And Saul said. Disperse ^Tu.
yourselves among the people, and say unto them. Bring me hither every man ckeri^iV.""
his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat ; and sin not
against the Lord in eating with the blood. And all the people brought every
man his ox f with him that night, and slew them there. ^ And Saul * built an ; Heb. <»*<«
altar unto the Lord : f the same was the first altar that he built unto the
Lord.
^ And Saul said. Let us go down after the PhiUstines by night, and spoil
them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them. And they
said. Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee. Then said the priest. Let us
draw near hither unto God. ^ And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go
down after the Philistines ? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel ?
But ^ he answered him not that day.
® And Saul said, "Draw ye near hither, all the f chief of the people : and J/^J/ji/*
know and see wherein this sin hath been this day. ^ For, * as the Lord liveth, Ju^g^ioT^'
which saveth Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. But
there was not a man among all the people that answered him. ^ Then said he
unto all Israel, Be ye on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the
other side. And the people said unto Saul, Do what seemeth good unto thee.
*^ Therefore Saul said unto the Lord God of Israel, || ^ Give a perfect lot. j^*^^ <*«
""And Saul and Jonathan were taken: but the people f escaped,
said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken
^ Then Saul said to Jonathan, ^ Tell me what thou hast done
told him, and said, ^I did but taste a Uttle honey with the end of the rod that eyer.s7.
was in mine hand, andy lo, I must die. ^ And Saul answered, 'God do so and f Ruth 1. 17.
more also : *for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan. ** And the people said unto ff^^w-
J ch. S8. 6.
aSi
IS. 5.
*2 And Saul i^T^J- »»•
Acts 1. 24.
c Joeh. 7. 16.
ch. 10. 20, 21.
And Jonathan Sf^l;""?/'"*-
81. Aifalon] West of Michmash : see Josh. z. 12.
8d. tM people flew upon the noU — and — did eat them wUh
the blood] In the ravenoas cravmg of their appetite, through
faintness, they did not widt to dr^ it, hut devoured it raw ;
another evil result of Saul's rashness. On the sin of eating the
blood, see Gen. ix. 4. Lev. iii. 17.
Thus Saul's rash oath brought the people under the curse
of God, who said, "Whatsoever soul eateth any manner of
blood, shall be cut off from his people " (Lev. vii. 26 ; zvlL 10;
xix. 26).
88. roll a great etone unto me] In order that I may slay the
cattle thereon, and sever the flesh from the blood, and pour out-
the blood on the ground, so that ve mav not eat thereof.
84. there] on the stone (Joeephue, vi. 6. 4).
86. the same woe the flret altar that he hniU] Literally,
tJUi same he began to buUd an altar to the Lobd. It was a
thank-offering U> God for the yictory. It seems to be implied
that though he bad reijgned three years, and had been enabled bv
God to gain many idctories, yet he had not made any such
acknowl^gments of gratitude to God for his successes, and that
he had ascribed the credit of them to himself.
86. Let ms go down] He did not inquire of the Lord whether
81
he should do so ; and he is, therefore, checked by the priest
(v, 87), and is restrained from executing his purpose by reason
of his rash vow.
87. he answered him not] Gk>d made no reply to his inquiry
bv Urim and Thummim, and thus gave him a foretaste of the
bitterness of that desertion which he afterwards felt more deeply
(xxviii. 6. 15).
88. see wherein this sin] which Saul infers from God's
silence. The sin, however, was not in Jonathan, but (what Saul
little thought) in himself. And this was brought to light
by God's silence, and by the lots which called forth Jonathan,
to be condemned unjusUy by his father, but to be honourably
acquitted by the people, as not having been conscious of Saul's
oaui (see v, 27), and, tberefore, not having broken it; and as
having wrought with God, and "wrought salvation in Israel "
(t».45).
4L Give a perfect lot] The word lot is not in the original :
the sense is, '* O Lord, mnt us perfectness — ^integrity. Beveal
Thy will to us. Give the truth '^ {Gesen, 267). Cp. Sept. and
Vulg. here. The original word tamim (perflBct) b used here in
a neuter sense, as in Josh. xxiv. 14. Judg. ix. 16. 19.
44. thou shaU surely die, Jonathan] He is swayed more
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The second trial
1 SAMUEL XIV. 46—62. XV. 1—6. of Saul's ohedienee.
hSSm. 14. 11.
1 King! 1. 53.
Luke SI. 18.
ieh. 11. 11.
k 2 Sun. 10. 6.
I Or, wrtmgki
mioMlm,
1 eh. 15. 8, 7.
m eh. SI. S.
1 Chron. 8. U.
tHeb.JMMr.
n eh. 9. 1.
o eh. 8. 11.
a eh. 9. 16.
b Ex. 17. 8, 14.
Num. 24. 20.
Deut.25. 17, 18,
19.
Lev. 87. 28, 29.
Josh.6. 17, 81.
BOr,/oiMAI.
d Num. 24. 21.
Jndg. 1. 18. ft 4.
Sard, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel ?
Grod forbid : '^ a^ the Lord liyeth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the
gronnd; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued
Jonathan, that he died not. ^^ Then Saul went up from following the
Philistines : and the Philistines went to their own place.
^7 So Saul took the kingdom oyer Israel, and fought against all his enemies
on eyery side, against Moab, and against the children of ' Ammon, and against
Edom, and against the kings of ^ Zobah, and against the Philistines : and
whithersoever he turned himself, he vexed them. ^ And he || gathered an host,
and * smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of them that
spoiled them.
^ Now "^ the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishui, and Melchishua : and
the names of his two daughters were these; the name of the firstborn Merab,
and the name of the younger Michal : ^ And the name of Saul's wife wm
Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz : and the name of the captain of his
host was f Abner, the son of Ner, Saul's uncle. *^ " And Kish was the fiftther
of Saul ; and Ner the fiftther of Abner was the son of Abiel.
^^ And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul : and
when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, ""he took him unto him.
XV . ^ Samuel also said unto Saul, ^ The Lord sent me to anoint thee to he
king over his people, over Israel : now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of
the words of the Lord. ^ Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that
which Amalek did to Israel, ^how he laid wait for him in the way, when he
came up from Egypt. ^ Now go and smite Amalek, and ^utterly destroy all
that they have, and spare them not ; but slay both man and woman, inHemt and
suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
^ And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two
hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. ^ And Saul came
to a city of Amalek, and || laid wait in the valley. ^ And Saul said unto ^ the
11.
by wilftdnees, self-love, and formalism, than by piety and natural
aflfection.
45. the people rescued JomUham] Obflerre the homiliatioa
to which Saul is reduced by his disobedience, and bv the con-
seanent withdrawal of divine grace, and by lus rashness and
innttnation. The son is raised abore the fk&er, and the people
above the lnng«
46. Then Saul weni up] and so the Philistines escaped:
another result of Sard's sin.
47. 8<ml took the kingdom] took it into his own hands.
There seems to be something of disapprobation in this expres-
sion, as if Saul took it as his own, rather than recdved it from
God, working by the fidth and courage of Jonathan his son.
51. Ner^ynA the eon of JbieT] as Kish also was ^ 1).
Joeephue, vL 6. 6.
bi. sore war agaimst the Philietinee aU the doge qf 8c
Very different had been the state of things when Samael
Israel. Then " the Philistines were subdued, and they came no
more into the coast of Israel ; and the hand of the Ixurd was
against the Philistines all the days of SamueL"
~ he took him] As Samuel had foretold (viii. 11. 16), "He
win take your sons, and appcnnt them for hixnself. He unJl take
your goodliest young men, and nut them to lus work." Saul
was himself distinguished bv physioal strength, and relied on
outward means, and forsook wa in the end, and perished
miserably. And the people, who looked for raotection to an arm
of flesh rather than to Ood who was their £mg, were punished
by that instrument — Saul — ^which they had chosen for themselves,
in order that they might be saved by it.
Ch. XV. 1. hearken thou unto the voice of the worde of the
Lobd] This was Saul's second trial. Before he nad been com-
manded by SamueU the Prophet of the Lord, to do nothing, but
82
to tarry Ull Samuel came to QilgaL He had ftuled in that trial;
and had received ope solemn wanung of Qod's anger fOT his dis-
obedience (see X. 8 ; ziiL 8 — 14).
But now he receives an express order from Ood Etmeeffi
commanding him to perform a certain act: "Hearken tboa
unto the voice of the Lobd."
2. I remember that which Jmalek did to leraeT] Ood does
not forget sins; rather, "He writes them with a pen of iron
and point of a diamond" (Jer. xvii. 1). It is not in the
Eir of Time to rase out the arrearages of Ood (Bp, SM),
2 Sam. xzL 1, which narrates the punishment inflicted
Saul's death, for Saul's an.
God had alread v declared by Balaam that His wrath was
hanging over Amalek : see Num. xxiv. 20.
Although God does not immediatelv punbh sins, but spares
the guilty for a time, in order that thev may repent; yel if
they do not repeni^ He then inflicts punishment. See above, on
Qea, XV. 16, " the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet foil." God
has " a book cKf remembrance written before Him;" and if men
and nations do not repent, thdr former sins rise up in judgment
against them : see Matt xvilL 88, 84; xziii. 84, 85. Li&e xi
51; and JTaterland, Scr. IHndicated, p. 142.
5. Now go and emite Amalek] It pleased God to set a brand
of infamy on the Amalftkiteat, on account of their inhumanity,
treachery, and impiety, and to take the most exemplary ven«
gfeance of them, in order to create the utmost abhorrence m such
practices in the eyes of aU men (Waterland).
— infant and euckUng] See above on Num. xxxL 17. Josh,
vi. 17. 21. •
4. Hblaim] Perhaps the same as Telem in Josh. zv. 24^ on
the eastern verge of the south country of Judah. Cpw Ife^fhr,
197.
6. a ^qf Amalek] The principal oitj of that people.
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Sard's disobedience
1 SAMUEL XV. 7—15.
denounced by SamueL
Kenites, • Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy
you with them : for 'ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they
came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 J^And Saul smote the Amalekites from »^Hayilah until thou comest to ' Shur,
that is over against Egypt. » And "^he took Agag the king of the Amalekites
alive, and * utterly destroyed all the people with the edge o£the sword. ^ But
Saul and the people " spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the
oxen, and || of the fatUngs, and the lambs and all that was good, and would not
utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they
destroyed utterly.
^^ Then came the word of the Loed unto Samuel, saying, ^^ " It repenteth me
that I have set up Saul to be king : for he is * turned back from following me,
»*and hath not performed my commandments. And it *> grieved Samuel ; and he
cried unto the Lord all night. ^^ And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in
the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to 'Carmel, and, behold,
he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to
Gilgal.
^^ And Samuel came to Saul : and Saul said unto him, 'Blessed be thou of
the Lord : I have performed the commandment of the Lord. '* And Samuel
said. What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing
of the oxen which I hear ? ^^ And Saul said. They have brought them from
the Amalekites : ^for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen,
to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God ; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
e Gea. 18. 25.
& 19. IS^ 14.
ReT. 18 4.
fEx. 18. 10^19.
Num. 10. 29, U.
gch. 14. 48.
Oen. 2. 11.
8e 25. 18.
i Oen. 16. 7.
k See 1 King! 20.
84, 35. &c.
1 Seech. SO. 1.
m ver. 8, 15.
t Or, 0/ the ueoHd
n ver. 85.
Oen. 6. 6, 7.
2 Sam. 24. 16.
Joth. 22. 16.
1 Kings 9. 6.
p ch. 13. 13.
ver. 8, 9.
q Ter. 85.
ch. 16. 1.
r Joih. }5. 55.
• Gen. 14. 19.
Jndg. 17. 2.
Ruth 3. 10.
t Ter. 9, 21.
Oen. 8. 12.
Prov. 28. 18.
6. Kenitet] On the contrast between the Kenites and Amalek-
ites, see on Num. xziv. 21.
7. Havilak-^to 8kwr] See Gen. xvL 7 j xxv. 18. Exod. xv. 22.
t. Agag"] The official title of the kings of Amalek : see Num.
xxiv. 7.
9. Sand and the people spared Agag'] Thns disobeying the
command of Qod (o. 8), and being swayed by his own private
fancy« and by what he supposed to be ms own personal interest
{Joeephue, vL 7. 2). Bnt thereby he lost his kingdom (v. 28).
— fhe beet of the eheep] As spoil far himself.
— failings] Heb. fnishenim i properly, those which were
brought forth at the second birth, which were considered the
best {KimelU, BddMsr, Keil).
— the lambs] Heb. carim : properly, fat-lambs. Cp. Dent.
xxxiL 14. Gesen, 412.
10. (Mme the word qf the Lord] The command came directly
iroai Qod (see «. 1), so did the condemnation for disobedienoe
to it.
U. It repenteth mel Qod does not feel the pain of remone
(says 8, Augustine in Ps. cxxxi.) j nor is He ever deceived, so as
to desire to correct any thing in which He has erred. Bnt,
as a man desires to make a change when he repents, so when
Qod is said in Scriptore to repent, we may expect a change from
Him. He changed Sanl's kingdom, when it is said that He
repented of malung him king. Cp. TertulUan c. Mardon. ii.
248. Theodoret, Qa. 32. Bnt God's repentance is not like
oars : for He is not a man that He shonld repent, i. e., as man
repents : see below, v. 29, where it is said, *« The Strengthof Israel
wul not lie nor repent,*' and Num. xxiii. 19, " God is not a man
that He shoold lie, neither the son of man that He shocjhd re-
pent :** and cp. above. Gen. vi. 6.
When God changes His doings by His unchangeable
counsd, then by reason of the change of His doing, and not of
His design. He is said to repent. 8. Augustine, who thus speaks
(Confess, i. 4) in his address to God, — "Amas nee lestuas;
zelas et secums es; pcsnitet te, et non doles ; opera mutas, et
non mutas consilium.''
— he cried unto the LoBD all night] in prayer fbr Saul
(Joseph, vi. 7. 4).
So tender-hearted was Samuel towards the sinner, while he
condemned his sin : see xii. 23 ; below, v. 36. Samuel was like
Moses in this respect also. Exod. xxxiL 26 — 29. 31, 32. Cp.
below, V. 36, and xvi. 1.
Vol. II. Pabt II.— 33
18. Cfarmet] Not Mount Carmel; but Carmel in the hill-
country of Judah, B.B. of Hebron, now Kurmul : see xxvii. 3,
and Josh. xv. 66.
— a place] Literally, a hand, a monument. Cp. 2 Sam. xviii.
18. So well satisfied was Saul with his own conduct, that he
proceeded to commemorate his recent action by a memorial or
trophy {Jeromiaster).
13. Saul said unto him. Blessed be thou of the Lobd] Saul
is well satisfied with himself; and in a tone of self-complacency
comes forward to boast his own obedience at a time when
God was angry with him for disobedienoe. Here is a proof
that A man may be blinded by his own self-will, and that
he may imagine that his own way is right, while it is leading
him to the gate of death (Ptoy, xiv. 12 ; xvi. 26j). It is not
enough fbr a man to be approved by his own conscience ; but it
is neceesaiy to regulate the consdenoe by Gkxfs Will and Word :
see below on Acts xxvL 9, and on 1 71m. L 13; and Bp, Sander-
son, Sermon on Bom. xiv. 23, vol. IL p. 122. The only safety
for man is in obedience to God.
— I have performed the commandment of theLo^iy] When
a man boasts of holiness, it is a sure sign that he is unholy.
14. this bleating qfthe sheep] which God commanded thee to
destroy.
15. the people] Saul lays the blame on the people, whom, as
king, he ought to have restrained ; as Adam laid the blame on
Eve, and Eve on the serpent.
— to sacrMoe unto the Lobd thg Ood] He pleads a good
intention ; as if evil might be done in order that good may come !
See Bom. iii. 8, and the exodlent remarks of Sp, Sanderson, in
his Lectures on Conscience, Lect. ii. § 13, where he comments
on this case of Saul, and exposes the futilitjr of tbe pretence
that good intenHon is a rignt rule of conscience, and a safe
guide of conduct.
Probably Saul saved the cattle in order in part to enrich
himself; and this plea of religion was a mere mask for covetous-
ness. " Saul" (says Bp. Sanderson on 1 Pet. ii. 16. vol. iii. 291)
'* spared Agag and the fktter cattle, contranr to the Lord's
express oommand, and the offering of sacrifice must be the
cloak. Jezebel murdereth Naboth, and the punishment of blas-
phemy must be the cloak." Men do not set themselves " colere
vf^utes, sed colorare vitia** {8, Bernard).
Samuel does not now pause to expose the hollowness of this
plea ; but proceeds to pronounce sentence on him for disobedience,
F
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The Lord pronounces by the 1 SAMUEL XV. 16 — 26. prophet the rejection of the King^
^^ Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath
said to me this night. And he said unto him. Say on.
^7 And Samuel said, " When thou wast Uttle in thine own sight, wast thou
not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over
Israel ? '® And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said. Go and utterly
destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until f they be
consumed. *^ Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but
didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord ? ^ And Saul said
unto Samuel, Yea, ' I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the
way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and
have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. ^^ ^But the people took of the spoil,
sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed,
to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. ^ And Samuel said,
* Hath the Lord as great dehght in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord ?
Behold, "to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to hearken than the fat of rams.
^ For rebellion is as the sin of f witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry
Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord,
^ He hath also rejected thee from being king.
^ ""And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the
commandment of the Lord, and thy words : because I ^ feared the people, and
obeyed their voice. ^ Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn
again with me, that I may worsliip the Lord. ^ And Samuel said unto Saul,
I will not return with thee :
* For thou hast rejected the word of the Lord,
And the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
u ch. 9. 21.
t Heb. a«y coii-
»um9 iktm.
X Ver. IS.
y yer. 15.
% Pi. 50. 8, 9.
Prov. 21. a.
Ita. 1. 11, 12, 18,
16. 17.
Jer. 7. 22, 23.
Mie. «. 6, 7, 8.
Heb. 10.6, 7,8.9.
aEcclei. 5. 1.
Hos. 6. 6.
Matt. 5. 24.
fr 9. 13.
it 12. 7.
Mark 12. 33.
Dent. 18. 10.
b eh. 13. 14.
c See 2 Sam. 12,
13.
d Ex. 23. 2.
ProT. 29. 25.
Isa. 51. 12, 13.
• See ch. 2. 30.
16. Stay"] Saul was going away as if nothing was amiss ; or
perhaps he was exasperated by Samoers rebuke ; bnt the pro-
phet oetains him, in order that he may hear his condemnation
from God, — **1 will tell thee what the LoBD hath said to me
this night."
17. when thou wast little in thine own Hghf] Then thoa
wast g^reat in the sight of God ; but now thou art great in thine
own eyes, and art little in B^ sight. Observe the contrast
between Saul and Paul. Saul of Gibeah lost an earthly king-
dom by pide, but Saul of Tarsus gained a heavenly kingdom
by humihty. *'I am the least of the Apostles, that am not meet
to be called an Apostle'* ^1 Cor. xv. 10). The name Pwlue,
which he receivea, proclaimed his littleness in his own sight :
see below, notes on Acts Ix. 21, and on xiii. 9.
81. thi/ Ood'} thy God ; as if he had been showing honour to
Samuel, as well as God, when he was disobeying both !
— in Gilffat] The place consecrated by Joshua, as a memorial
of his fkith and obedience. How different was his temper and
conduct from that of Saul !
22. And Samuel eaid] We behold here the holy seer cominff
forward as the interpreter of God's wilL There is a poeticid
rhythm in the original, which gives it the tone of a Divine
oracle uttered by the Spirit of God, imparting to it an awftil
solemnity, and making it sink deep in the memory of the hearers
in all ffeneratdons.
— hnmt offerings] In which men offer the flesh of irrational
animals; these are not to be put in comparison with that
sacrifice which man offers of himself; God required of Saul the
latter, and without it the former were an abomination (Prov.
XV. 8). Cp. Isa.L 11, 12—16; Ixvi. 8. Jer. vii.21— 28. Micah
vi. 6—8. Kom. xiL 1. 1 Pet. ii. 6. Mark xii. 88. << Per victimas
aliena caro, per obedientiam voluntas propria, mactatur" {S,
OregoTfft Moral, xxxv. 10). "Deum citrus placat quandogladio
prsBcepti se immolat " {8, Bernard de Ordine Vit»).
iB4
Here was a foreshadowing of the spiritual worship of the
Gospel, when bumt^fferings would cease. 8. Iren, c Hssr. iv. 82,
"Dooet eas Samuel, quoniam obauditionem vult Dens, quie
servat eos [magis] qu^ sacrifidaet hobcmutomata; et Novum
simul prophetaas Testamentum."
28. rebellion — witehcrq/t. And etubbomnees is na—idolatryu']
Literally, according to the orderof the words inl^origlnal, — *'ror
as the ein qfwitehoraft ie rebellion :" the emphatic word rebellion
is reserved for the last place in the sentence; and so in the next
clause, and (as) teraphim (jIb) etmbbomneee. Concerning teraphim,
images used for consultation, see Gen. xxxi. 19 ; below, xix. 18.
The principle of this solemn sentence of Samuel is, that the
man who disobeys Gk)d, is virtually guilty of consulting fkmiliar
spirits, and of resorting to sorcery, instead of obeying God's
will as revealed in His Word ; and ^at he is g^Uty of setting
up idols in his own heart in the place of God, and in opposition
to Him. He who disobeys God, is chargeable with mfidelity
and idolatry. Saul had been chosen out of all the tribes of Israel
by the Lord to be king; and by disobeying the word of the
Lord, he, the king of Israel, the chosen servant of J^ovah, had
been guilt;^ of apostasy fi^m Him, and had consulted the fhmiliar
spirit of his own carnal wiliulness, and had bowed down before
the idols which he had made for himself.
Tbb saying of Samuel came literally true in Saul's case.
Through disob^enoe he was forsaken of God, and became a
prey to the Evil Smrit ; and was led on in time to resort to
untchcrqft (xxviii. 7), and perhaps to consult teraphim: see
below on xix. 18. Here is a solemn warning for these Utter days.
24. I have tinned"] These were not the words of sincere re-
pentance : see o. 80.
— I feared the people] Thou shalt not follow a multitude to
do evil (Exod. xxiii. 2). And as king he ought to have restrained
the people from doing it.
26. the LoBB haih n^eeted thee] See above, xiii. 14.
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and transfer of the kingdom. 1 SAMUEL XV. 27—35. XVI. 1, 2. Agog executed.
^ And as Samuel turned about to go away, 'he laid hold upon the skirt of his
mantle, and it rent. ^ And Samuel said unto him,
* The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day,
And hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.
^ And also the || Strength of Israel ^ will not Ue nor repent :
For he is not a man, that he should repent.
^ Then he said, I have sinned : yet * honour me now, I pray thee, before the
elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may
worship the Lord thy God. *^ So Samuel turned again after Saul ; and Said
worshipped the Lord.
^ Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.
And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said. Surely the bitterness of
death is past. ^ And Samuel said,
^As thy sword hath made wom^i childless.
So shall thy mother be childless among women.
And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
^ Then Samuel went to Bamah ; and Saul went up to his house to ' Gibeah
of Saul. ^ And "" Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death :
nevertheless Samuel ° mourned for Saul : and the Lord "" repented that he had
made Saul king over Israel.
XVI. ^ And the Lord said unto Samuel, * How long wilt thou mourn for Saul,
seeing ^ I have rejected him from reigniug over Israel ? "^ fill thine horn with oil,
and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite : for ** I have provided me
a king among his sons. ^ And Samuel said. How can I go ? if Saul hear ity
fSee]
80.
King! 11.
gch.l8. rr, 18.
1 Kings U. SI.
h Num. 23. 19.
Esek. S4. 14.
t Tim. 2. IS.
Tit. 1. 2.
i John 5. 44. & 12.
4S.
k Ex. 17. 11.
Num. 14. 45.
See Jadg. I. 7.
1 ch. 11. 4.
m See ch. 19. 24.
n rer. 11.
ch. 16. 1.
o rer. 11.
ach. 15 85.
b ch. 15. 28.
c oh. 9. 16.
2 Kings 9. 1.
d Ps. 78. 70. ft 89.
19, 20.
Acts 18. 22.
28. Thelioni} haih rent the kingdom ofltraelfirom thee this
day. And hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better
than thou\ Compare the words A Ahyah the prophet to Jero-
boam» 1 mngs xi. 80, 81.
In this rencUng of the mantle, and the words of Samuel
pronouncinff sentence of the disruption of the kingdom of Saul
ror unbeli^ and disohedience, and for carnal wilfhlness and
obstinacy, and in the transfer of the kingdom to David, the
ancestor and type of Christ, the ancient Fathers saw a prophetic
figure of the removal of God's kingdom from the literal Israel,
the Jew, for stubbornness and unbelief, and of the transfer of it
to the seed of David, who believe in Christ : see 8, Angtutine de
CHv. Dei xvii. 7, ''Populi Israel personam fieurat^ gerebat
homo iste (Saul) ; qui populus reg^um fUerat amissurus, Christo
Jeeu Domino nostro per Novum Testamentum non camaliter
■ed roiritualiter regnatuio."
The histories of Samuel and David acquire a new interest
for us Christians, when we see in the former a picture of those
sins for which the literal Israel has been cast off by Qod, and in
the latter an image of those graces, by which alone we can
hope to be partakers of His kingdom in Christ.
59. the Strength of Israel] or, the Glory of lerael. The
Hebrew nettah signifies what is bright and shines continually,
and therefore what may be relied upon — as the sun and stars.
(Geeen, 662.) Cp. James i. 17, ** The Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
80. I have sinned] This was a confession of the lips, not
of the heart. This is evident from what follows, and from
Samuel's answer, as compared with that of Nathan to David,
who uttered the same words, but with a different spirit (2 Sam.
xii. 18).
— honour me now^before the elders of my people] Saul's
repentance was not genuine repentance : he £d not sorrow for
his sin, as offensive to Qod, but as prejudicial to himself: his was
not "dolor admissi," but "dolor amissi," sorrow for his punish-
ment, not for his sin ; it corresponded to the description of
worldly sorrow as described by St. Paul (see below, on 2 Cor.
vii. 10) ; and while he was asking for pardon, he was aJl the while
thinking of himself, and of the appearance he would mfte in
the eyes of the people. He did not seek for God's honour and
glory, but for his own. If Saul had been really penitent, he
would have prayed to be humbled, rather than to be honoured
(A Gregory),
85
" Many men who pass so little (i. e. care so little) fbr their
consciences, ;^et stand so much upon their credit; as Saul, who
using no diligence to regain the &vour of God, was yet very
solicitous that his honour might be preserved in the opmion of
the people" {Bp. Sanderson, ii. 821).
81. Samuel turned again after SauX^ Samuel had said
nothing in anger, but had spoken the truth m love, and was will-
ing to cherish the weakest tendencies of Saul toward repentance :
see above, on ziii. 16 ; and below, God's speech concerning Ahab,
1 Kings xxi. 29.
82. delicately] arjoyfkUy; the "Rehtew nM>adannoth is from
adan, to live softly, voluptuously {Ghsen, 491. 509).
88. Samuel hewed Agaa in pieces] He commanded it to be
done by the public executioner of justice : cp. Josephus, vi. 7. 5.
Cp. Matt, xxvii. 26. John xix. 1, and iv. 1, 2. He did it
before the Lord, that is, in execution of the Divine justice for
Agag's sins; so Phinehas slew Zimri and Cozbi (Num. xxv.
8~-15), and E^jah slew the prophets of Baal (1 Kings xviii. 40).
Samuel was a Judge of Israel, as well as a Prophet (see above,
vii. 16) ; and in Saul's default, the charge of executing God's
will (o. 8) devolved on him in his public capacity. Samuel's
act was not one of personal revenge, but of o£Bcial obedience.
W, of his death] Of his own death. On this mode of ex-
pression see Bp. Pearson, Art. iii., p. 174.
— Samuel mourned for Saul] As for one dead, while still
alive : cp. xv. 11 ; and xvi. 1. Here is a proof that Samuel
was free from all personal considerations for himself in his
prophetic denunciations against Saul. He mourned for the
king, whose appointment to the throne was a disparagement of
himself.
Samuel mourned for Saul, but we do not hear that Saul
mourned for himself.
Ch. XYI. 1. I have refected him] Saul, the persecutor of
David, was r^ected, and David, who was persecute was made
king in his place ; so the literal Israel (the Jew), who persecuted
the spiritual Israel (the Christian), has been rqjected by God,
and the Christian has received the kingdom in his room.
S, Aug, de CSv. Dei xvH. 7.
— Beth-lehemite] of Bethlehem ; the friture birth-place of
Christ, the King of Israel, of the seed of David.
— I have provided me a king among his sons] "Mediator
Novi Testament! Christus figurabatur in chrismate, quo unctus
t 2
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The unction of David
1 SAMUEL XVI. 3—13.
at Bethlehem.
f Heb. In thine
hand.
e ch. 9. 12. ft SO.
19.
f£x.4. 15.
g ch. 9. 16.
h eh. 21. 1.
t Heb. mteting,
11 Kings 2. IS.
2 Kings 9. 22.
k Ex. 19. 10, 14.
Ich. 17. 18.
Called Blihu,
I Chron. 27. 18.
m 1 Kings 12.26.
n Ps. 147. 10, 11.
Isa. 55. 8.
p 2 Cor. 10. 7.
t Heb. e^et.
q I Kings 8. 89.
1 Chion. 28. 9.
Ps. 7. 9.
Jer. 11. 20. Sc 17.
10. Sc 20. 12.
Acts 1. 24.
r ch. 17. 18.
s ch. 17. 18.
H SMwuuh,
2 Sam. 18. 8.
ShimiMt
1 ChroD. 2. 18.
t ch. 17. 12.
u 2 Sam. 7. 8.
Ps. 78. 70.
t Heb. round.
xch. 17. 42.
Cant. 5. 10.
t Heb. /a«ro/
eyu.
J So eh. 9. 17.
zch. 10. 1.
Ps. 89. 20.
he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take an heifer f with thee, and say, *! am
come to sacrifice to the Lobd. ^ And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and 'I will
shew thee what thou shalt do : and ^thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I
name unto thee.
^ And Samuel did that which the Lobd spake, and came to Beth-lehem.
And the elders of the town ^ trembled at his f coming, and said, ' Oomest thou
peaceably ? ^ And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the Lobd :
^ sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified
Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. ^ And it came to pass,
when they were come, that he looked on *EUab, and " said. Surely the Lobd's
anointed is before him. ^ But the Lobd said unto Samuel, Look not on "" his
countenance, or on the height of his stature ; because I have refused him : <»for
the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man ^looketh on the f outward ap-
pearance, but the Lobd looketh on the "> heart. ^ Then Jesse called 'Abinadab,
and made him pass before Samuel. And he said. Neither hath the Lobd
chosen this. ^ Then Jesse made ' || Shammah to pass by. And he eaid,
Neither hath the Lobd chosen this. ^^ Again, Jesse made seven of his eons
to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lobd hath not
chosen these. ^^ And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children ?
And he said, * There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the
sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, "^ Send and fetch him : for we will not
sit f down till he come hither. ^^ And he sent, and brought him in. Now he
was "ruddy, and withal f of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to.
y And the Lobd said. Arise, anoint him : for this is he. *^ Then Samuel took
the horn of oil, and * anointed him in the midst of his brethren : and ' the
a See Num. 27. 18. Judg. U. 29. & IS. 25. 8( 14. 6. oh. 10. 6, 10.
est David " {8. Auguttine de Civ. Dei zvii. 6, 7). See above on
XV. 28. (See v. 6).
2. he wiU kill me\ A proof that Saul had not repented of hii
sin.
The Sacred Historian does not conceal from ns that Samuel
himself was afraid, but relates the fact : here is an evidence of
veracity.
— Take an heifer with thee, and loy, I am come to eaeriflce']
At this time, when the Ark was separated from the Tabernacle,
there was no one fixed place for sacrifice; and Samuel, though
only a Levite, bein^ established as Qod's prophet, was autho-
rized and commissioned by Him to offer sacrifice : cp. vii. 9.
16,17; ix. 12.
There was no fidsehood here ; Qod willed that His prophet
should be safe by means of the exercise of a Amotion which
Samuel was autiiorized and commissioned to perform at that
time.
Samuel did as he was commanded bv God, Who ordered him
Kp&^ai fi^v ^pyop, tliruy 9i rh wdptpyov (Theodorei),
8. thou shalt anoint! It was to be done private^, out of ten-
derness to Saul himself as well as to David. Qod would not
provoke Saul to envy and jealousy bv openly setting up any
rival against him: but would give bun time to repent; and
though David was to succeed Saul in the kingdom, yet Saul
miffht have reigned long and hapj^ily, if lie had not obstinately
resisted God's g^racious dealings with him. But Saul would not
repent, but beotme more froward and wil^ in rebelling against
God.
Saul resembled the Jewish Nation, which ought to have
acquiesced in God's unction of Christ, Whose ki^dom— like
David's— came "not with observation," and they ought to
have rcrj<noed in it; and those among the Jews were blessed,
who did so. But the nation was envious of Christ, as Saul
was of David, and rq'ected God's mercifril overtures of grace in
Christ.
The succeenve unctions of David— first among his bre-
thren at Bethlehem, then as King at Hebron, and afterwards
at Jerusalem — were figurative of the successive unctions of
Chbist, conceived by the Holy Ghost in the Virgin's womb,
then anointed publicly at His Baptism, and finally set at God's
86
right hand as King of the universal Church, in the heavenly
Jerusalem : see notes below, on 2 Sam. ii. 4.
4. trembled at his coming] They supposed that God's
prophet was come to rebuke them fbr some sin. Probably they
had heard of Samuel's denunciation of Saul, and of his execu-
tion of Gk)d's judgments on Agag, related in the foregoing
chapter.
5. sanctify yourselves'] See Exod. xix. 10. 22.
7. Look not on — the height qf his stature] For the xoonl
inference from this, see on ix. 2.
9. Shamnuth] Called Shimeah, 2 Sam. xiii. 8. Cp. 1 Chron.
ii. 13.
11. Inhere remaineth yet the youngest] Slighted by men, but
beloved of Ck)d~such was Chnst.
Such, also, was the younger brother, the Gentile World,
desTOsed by the elder, the Jew, but chosen of God, and anointed
with the unction of the Holy Spirit in Christ : see S, Hilary
in Ps. xcviii.
As to David's age, it is to be remembered, that at Saul's
death and at his own accession to the throne of Judah, David
was only thirty years of age (2 Sam. v. 4). It is probable, that
he was about eighteen years old at this time : and that his con-
flict with Goliath took place when he was about twenty years
old.
— he keepeth the shew] In this respect also David was
a type of the ** Good Shepherd," Jesus Chnst.
— we will not sit down till he oome] To the feast that
followed the sacrifice of the peace-offering. There is no com-
fortable mrticipati<m in any sacrifioe without the presence of
the true David. We cannot sit down tiU He come.
18. ruddy] golden-haired, tu/)^(Cici}s (/Ssp^) ; "TufoB" (Vulg.).
Cp. Gen. XXV. 25. Gesen. 14.
— of a heautffltl countenance] Literally, beautifhl as to bib
eyes : see xvii. 42. Cp. the description of Christ (Ps. xlv.
2.8).
— Arise, <tnoint him] God acknowledged Samuel's act as
His own act : " I have found David My servant— with My holy
oil have I anointed him " (Pb. Ixxxix. 20).
On the typical character of this act see Angelomus here,
and note below, on 2 Sam. ii 4.
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David soothes SauVs spirit. 1 SAMUEL XVI. 14—23. XVIL 1—4. Goliath of Gath.
Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samnel rose
up, and went to Bamah.
^* "^But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and *^an evil spirit from
the Lord || troubled him. ^* And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now,
an evil spirit from Gtod troubleth thee. *^ Let our lord now command thy
servants, which are ^ before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on
an harp : and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee,
that he shall ''play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. ^^ And Saul said
unto his servants. Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him
to me. ^^ Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a
son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is cunning in playing, and 'a mighty
valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in || matters, and a comely person,
and * the Lord is with him. ^^ Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse,
and said. Send me David thy son, ** which is with the sheep. ^ And Jesse
' took an ass ladm with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them
by David his son unto Saul. ^^ And David came to Saul, and ^ stood before
him : and he loved him greatly ; and he became his armourbearer. 22 j^^
Saul sent to Jesse, saying. Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for
he hath found favour in my sight. ^ And it came to pass, when * the evil
spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his
hand : so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
XVn. ^ Now the Philistines 'gathered together their armies to battle, and
were gathered together at ^ Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched
between Shochoh and Azekah, in || Ephes-dammim. ^ And Saul and the men
of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and f set
the battle in array against the Philistines. ^ And the Philistines stood on
a mountain on the one side, and. Israel stood on a mountain on the other side :
'and there was a valley between them. * And there went out a champion out of
b Judg. 16. 20.
ch. 11.6.
& 18. 12.
& 28. 15.
Ps. 51. 11.
c Judg. 9. 23.
ch. 18. 10.
8c 19. 9.
I Or, UrrifUd,
d Gen. 41. 46.
ver. 21, 22.
1 Kings 10. 8.
e ver. 23.
2 Kings 3. 15.
f ch. 17. 82, 84,
35, 36.
Or, tpeech.
g ch. 3. 19.
& 18. 12, 14.
h ver. 11.
ch. 17. 15, 34.
i See ch. 10. 27.
Sc 17. 18.
Oen. 43. II.
Prov. 18. 16.
k Gen. 41. 46.
1 Kings 10. 8.
Prov. 22. 29.
1 ver. 14, 16.
a ch. 13. 5.
b Josh. 15. 35.
2 Chron. 28. 18.
I Or, The eoatt of
Dammim, called
Ptudammimt
1 ChiOD. II. 18.
t Heb. ranged
the battU.
13. the Spirit of the Lobd eameupon] Lit. leapt upon : ^Karo,
Sept, See Oessn, 709, and see above, x. 6 ; xi. 6, where the
w<Mrd is anplied to Saul. Cp. Jadg. xiv. 6. 19 ; xv. 14. The
word is often rendered by protper in our Version : see Dent,
xxviii. 29. 1 Kings xxii. 12. Isa. liii. 10.
14. em evil tpvritfrom the Lobd] sent 6y the Lord ; it is never
called *' an evil spirit of the Lord." Cp. v, 16—28 ; xviii. 10.
Saol, who at first was hnmble and hid himself among the
staff, that he might not be king, is now transported with vain-
glory. Satan ti^es vantage of his melancholic dejection, and
tarns this passion into trenzj. Ood will have even evil spirits
work by means ; and He Himself works oat His own purposes
by the powers of darkness. Cp. ^, Hall here.
— troubled] terrified him. The original word is from
bdaih — to frignten by a sadden attack : see 1 Chron. xxi. 80.
P^ xviii. 5. Job iii. 6. Dan. viii. 17 (Oeeen, 188). Saal
became melancholy, gloomy, irritable, envions, sospicioas, and
distracted, as a man wandering about in the dark (Abarbinel,
Joeephue) ; like another Cain—another type of the Jews, who
r^ect Christ : see Qxsn.. iv. 15.
On the moral decline and downfiill of Saul, see TertulUan
o. Mardon. iL 24; Bp. Andrewee, iv. 86 — 88.
16. he shall play with Mi hand, and thou shalt he well]
David with his holy psahns soothed Saul, and is ever soothing
the troubled spirit (cp. Josephus, vi. 8. 2. 8. Basil, Prooem. to
t)ie Psahns); a beautifbl passage, translated bv Sooker, V.
zxzvii. 2 : ** Let there be any grief or disease incident unto the
Boul of man, for which there is not in this treasure-house (the
Ptalms) a present comfortable remedy." This is done by the
■{mritual music of the Divine David in the Gospel.
We see music allied with prophe<nr in this book (x. 6), and
in the historr of Elisha (2 Kings iii. 15).
18. a fniffhty valiant man] As was proved by David's conflict
with the lion and the bear : see xvii. 84.
81. his armourbearer] One of many. Joab had ten armorr-
bearers (2 Sam. xviii. 15)
87
88. Saul wets refreshed, emd wets weU] David played with
his hand, and Saul was refireshed. So Jesus Christ, the true
David, came to the literal Israel, which Saul represents (see
XV. 29), and spoke sweet music to their ears, and cast out devils
by his Word (see Ps. xlv. 2) ; and they who listened to that
Divine Voice were refreshed and were well (see John v. 25) ; and
when the Jewish Nation turns to Him, and receives that Voice
into its heart by fiiith, then it will be "refreshed and be well."
Ch. xvii. 1. Shocihoh] about eleven miles s.w. of Jerusalem
and of Bethlehem ; now Shuweikeh, in Wadv-es-Sumt. Saul
encamped on the north side, opposite the Philistines (Bobinson,
ii. 850. Dr, Thomson, p. 567. Cp. Stanley's Lectures, xxii. p.
54).
— Ephes-dammUn] now Damwn, a ruined village, four miles
N.E. of Shuweikeh. Azekcth is to the east of Ephes-dctmnUm.
8. the valley of Elah] or of the terebinth. It is now called
Wady-eS'Sumt, The largest specimen of a terebinth which we
saw in Palestine still stands in the vicinity. It took its ancient
name (Elah) from the terebinth, just as now it takes its name
(es-Sumt) m>m the acacias there {Bobinson, li. 850).
Dattd Ain> Goliath oompabed with Chbist ajsd Satak.
4. a champion] Literally, the middleman, the mediator
{6 /iteirris, cp. Oesen., p. 115), "one who comes between," 6
fuedios (Sept, in d. 28 : such probably ought to be the reading
for 6 ifiLtectuos), that is, the fiunous man who came between the
two armies (see w. 8 — 10), and challenged the host of Israel ;
and who, as champion of the Philistines, asked that a man
should be given him, so that by single combat he might decide
the war between Philistia and Israel. Cp. Pfeiffer, Dubia, p.
199.
This word, " the mediator," applied to Goliath, the Philis-
tine champion, is remarkable in connexion with the spiritual
interpretation of this historv, in which David, the shepherd,
vanquishing Goliath in single combat, is a signal type of our
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His armour and challenge. 1 SAMUEL XVII, 5 — 18. Danid is sent by his father.
e 2 Sam. SI. 19.
dJoih. 11.22.
t Heb. elotktd.
H Or, gorgtt.
e 2 Sam. 21. 19.
fch 8.17.
f ch. 11. I.
h ver. 26.
2 Sam. 21.21.
i ver. 58.
Ruth 4. 22.
ch. 16. 1, 18.
k Gen. 85. 19.
Ich. 16. 10. 11.
See 1 ChroD. 2.
IS, 14. 15.
m oh. 16. 6, 8, 9.
1 Chron 2. IS.
n ch. 16. 19.
t Heb. ehtett* of
milk.
t Heb. captain of a tkoutamd.
the camp of the Philistines, named "" GoKath, of ^ Gath, whose height was six
cubits and a span. ^ And he had an hehnet of brass upon his head, and he
was f armed with a coat of mail ; and the weight of the coat wa^ fiye thousand
shekels of brass. ^ And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a || target
of brass between his shoulders. ^ And the ^ staff of his spear was like a
weaver's beam ; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron : and
one bearing a shield went before him. ^ And he stood and cried unto the
armies of Israel, and said unto them. Why are ye come out to set your battle
in array ? am not I a PhiHstine, and ye ' servants to Saul ? choose you a man
for you, and let him come down to me. ^ If he be able to fight with me, and
to HU me, then will we be your servants : but if I prevail against him, and
kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and » serve us. ^^ And the Philistine
said, I ^ defy the armies of Israel this day ; give me a man, that we may
fight together. *^ When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philis-
tine, they were dismayed, and greatly afiraid.
^^ Now David was * the son of that ""Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose
name was Jesse ; and he had * eight sons : and the man went among men /or
an old man in the days of Saul. ^' And the three eldest sons of Jesse went
and followed Saul to the battle : and the "" names of his three sons that went
to the battle were EUab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the
third Shammah. ^^ And David was the youngest : and the three eldest
followed Saul. ^* But David went and returned from Saul *" to feed his father's
sheep at Beth-lehem. ^^ And the PhiUstirie drew near morning and evening,
and presented himself forty days.
^^ And Jesse said unto David his son. Take now for thy brethren an ephaL
of this parched com, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren ;
^® And carry these ten f cheeses unto the f captain of their thousand, and ** look
o Gen. 37. 14.
Great Mbdiatob (6 fitairris, 1 Tim. ii. 6), overcoming the
champion of tbe spiritua] Fhilistinee, the finemy of the Israel of
God : see 8. Auguttine, Serm. 82, and in Ps. 88 : "In figar&
Chbibtt, David; sicnt Qolias in figur& Diaboli; quod I&vid
prostravit Goliam, Christus est, qni occidit Diabolnm ;" and in
Ps. 143 ; and cp. Angelomut here, and A Lapide,
Observe the contrast. Goliath the type, and Satan the
antitype of Goliath, is a Mediator who comes forward as an
enemy to shed the blood of his adversary; but Christ, the
" One Mediator between God and men " (1 Tim. ii. 5), comes
forward to make peace by shedding His own blood, even for His
enemies (Eph. ii. 14, 15. Rom. v. 10. Col. i. 21).
— tia cubiU and a tptM] about ten feet.
6. atargei] Bather, a dart: see Gh^en. 895. Keil, 128;
and cp. Joseph, vi. 9. 1.
7. a shield"] Literally, the shield.
8. a PhiUsHne] Rather, Am not I the Philistine ? Am not I
their famous champion and representative, who have already
performed great exploits against you ? (See the Targum here.)
Such is our spiritual Enemy : the Champion of the powers
of darkness ; the arch-enemy of the Israel of God ; " the Philis-
tine " of their souls.
— ye servants to Sauf] Time was, when Saul slew forty
thousand Philistines in one day, and now one Philistine is suf-
fered by him to brave him and all Israel for forty days. Whence
this difference ? The Spirit of God had departed from him, on
account of his disobedience, and his people suffer with him. If
it had not been so, <*one of them would chase a thousand"
(Deut. xxxii. 80).
10. give me a man, that we mayflghf] The first challenge
to a duel that we ever find, came out of the mouth of an uncir-
cumcised Philistine (Bp. Sail).
12. David] who had returned from the court of Saul (xvi.
21—28) to his shepherd's life : see o. 15 ; cp. v, 66. Probably
some years had elapsed since he had attended upon Saul.
— eight sons] See 1 Chron. ii. 18 — 16.
38
— and the man .... Saul] Literally, and the man (iek)
in the days of Saul was old, coming among the feeble (6a-
anoshim) — th^ is, declining to a place among the aged and
feeble. The difference between ish and enosh is here strongly
marked. Cp. above, on Gen. iv. 26; and Keil, p. 181.
16. fortg davs] The same time as the Temptation of Christ.
The true David ** was in the wilderness ./brily days, tempted oi
Satan" (Mark L 13). "In David, Chbistus." In David it
Christ, says 8, Augustine, commenting on this history, and he
shows how it is to be applied to Christ's conflict with Satan at
the Temptation, and to Uie conflict of every Christian with hii
Ghostly Enemy.
Jesus Christ, in His Temptation, was our pattern ; and we
are in Him our Head. '* Do not, therefore," adds Augustine,
** read this history of David, as if it did not concern yoa»
who are members of Christ." " In David, Christus ; Christos
caput et corpus ; non ergo sic andiatis, quasi ad vos non pertinett
qui estis membra Christi. Hoc tanquam fnndamento posito
videte qua sequantur" (Augustine in Ps. 148); an ezoellmt
observation, applicable to the whole history of David, as written
in this book, which can never be rightly understood without an
eye to Chbibt. David, after that he had been an(unted by
Samuel, when the Spirit of God came upon him, went forth to
meet the Philistine, — so our Divine David, after that He had
been anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, at His
Baptism, was led up by the Spirit into Uie wilderness to ep-
counter Satan there. Compare what is said on this analogy
between David and Christ by 8, Ambrose de Offic. i. 85 ; on Ps.
118. Chrvs., Hom. 46 in Genesim, et HomiL de Dav. et Sank ;
de Ticton& David; and in Pa. 50. 8, Basil SeUue^ Out. 15.
Bernard in Dom. 4 post Pentecost.
18. look how thy brethren fare] Literally, visii them in
peace ; namely, salute them. David is sent by his &ther, to his
brethren, from Bethlehem. So the Divine David, Jesus Christ,
who was bom at Bethlehem, was sent to His brethren by His
Heavenly Father.
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David is scorned hy Us brother. 1 SAMUEL XVII. 19—36. His faith and courage.
how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. ^^ Now Saul, and they, and all
the men of Israel, were m the valley of Elah, fighting with the Phihstines.
^ And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper,
and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the
11 trench, as the host was going forth to the || fight, and shouted for the battle, i or, piacto/tki
2^ For Israel and the Phihstines had put the battle in array, army against fof^i^tuarra
army. 22 j^^ David left f his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, T^^thl^eiL
and ran into the army, and came and \ saluted his brethren. ^8 ^^ ^^ j^^ {Xb!T*?rf1;,
talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the PhiUstine of Gath, -l^dS.fsTs"'
Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Phihstines, and spake ^ according to ?▼«. %.
the same words : and David heard them. -^ And all the men of Israel, when
they saw the man, fled ffrom him, and were sore afraid. ^ And the men of ♦Heb. /row *<.
Israel said. Have ye seen this man that is come up ? surely to defy Israel is he
come up : and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich
him with great riches, and "» will give him his daughter, and make his father's <» '^ ^»- >••
house free in Israel. ^ And David spake to the men that stood by him,
saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh
away 'the reproach from Israel? for who is this • uncircumcised Phihstine, that
he should * defy the armies of " the Uving God ? ^ And the people answered
him after this manner, saying, "" So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
^ And EUab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men ; and EUab's
^ anger was kindled against David, and he said. Why camest thou down hither ? 7 oen. 37. 4, s,
and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness ? I know thy Mitt. lo. se.
pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart ; for thou art come down that thou
mightest see the battle. ^ And David said. What have I now done ? " Is there « ^^ •'
not a cause ? ^ And he turned from him toward another, and * spake after «Ter.s«,a7.
the same f manner : and the people answered him again after the former t Heb. word.
manner. * And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed
them before Saul : and he f sent for him. t Heb. took him.
^ And David said to Saul, ** Let no man's heart fail because of him : "" thy » ^^i- «?• 1. 3-
' •' c ch. 16. 18.
servant will go and fight with this Philistine. ^ And Saul said to David,
** Thou art not able to go against this PhiUstine to fight with him : for thou art j^see Num. w.
btU a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. ^ And David said unto ^•"*' ^- *•
Saul, Thy servant kept his fiather's sheep, and there came a Uon, and a bear,
and took a || lamb out of the flock : ^ And I went out after him, and smote 1 ot. ^d.
him, and delivered it out of his mouth : and when he arose against me, I caught
him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. ^ Thy servant slew both the
rch. U.S.
s eh. 14. 6.
t Ter. 10.
u Deut. 5. S6.
X Ter. 25.
— and take their pledge"] Bring pledges to aBsnre me of
iheir safety. Compare the message sent l^ Jacob to his elder
sons, through Joseph the yonnger (Gen. jcxxvii. 18, 14).
Joseph and David, when peifonning acts of kindness to
their brethren at their fathers' bidding, were ill received by
those to whom they came 6cp. Gen. xxxvii. 4. 18. 20) ; so Christ,
when sent b^ His Father m>m heaven on an embassy of love,
was ill received by His own brethren the Jews. "He came
unto His own, and His own received Him not " (John i. 11).
20. trench'] Rather, the uxtggon^ampart ; constructed of the
waggons and other baggage of the armv (Gesen, 491).
&. hU carriage'] the Uiinffs which he had carried with him
iw. 17, 18); rS VKtiii ainov {8ept^', "vasa quae attulerat"
Vulg), Oa this use of the word "carriag^e, ' compare the
Authorized Vernon, Acts xzi. 15.
SS. the champion] the middleman : see v. 4.
S5. give him hie daugJUer] Such was the Inng's promise to
the victor. The true David, Jesus Christ, by BLis victory over
our ghostly Goliath, has gained to Himself the Bride—" the
king's daughter, all glorious withm" (Ps. xlv. 14).
39
99. Is there not a oauee ?] Rather, Is it not merely a word
that I have spoken (not any act thsit I have done), and wouldest
thou make me an offender for a word? See S^t., Vulg.,
Arabic.
83. Thou art not able to go] Such was the language <A Saul
to David; and such was the language of the Jewish people
to Christ. They had no fkith in His power to overcome the
enemy.
34. a lion] Heb. the lion : the beast of prey well known as
the enemy of the sheep.
The promise to the true David was, "Thou shalt tread
upon the Uon and adder : the young Uon and the dragon shidt
thou trample under feet" (Pb. xd. 18). Christ delivers His sheep
from the lion who goeth about seeking whom he may devour
(1 Pet. V. 8). Cp. 8. Prosper de Promiss. ii. 26.
On lions in Palestine, especially in David's country, see
Jer. iv. 7; xxv. 88; xllx. 19, and the firequent references
to the PSidms and Amos quotCMl by Wilton, Kegeb, p. 44, and
Ibid, pp. 216, 217. Stanley, Lectures, pp. 52, 58, Lect. xxii.
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The single combat
1 SAMUEL XVn. 37—49. hetwem David and Goliath.
ePs. 18. 16, 17.
<c68 9,
8c 77. II.
2 Cor. 1. 10.
2 Tim. 4. 17, 18.
fch.20. IS.
1 Chron. 22. 11,
16.
^ Heb. clothed
David with his
clothtt.
I Or, vaUtf,
t Heb.
g Ps. 123. 8, 4.
ICor. 1.27, 28.
h eh. 16. 12.
i oh. 24. 14.
2 Sam. 3. 8.
ft 9. 8. & 16. 9.
2 Kings 8. 18.
kl K&igs20. 10,
11.
1 2 Sam. 22. 38,
35.
Pfl. 124. 8.
8e 125. I.
2 Cor. 10.4.
Heb. 11.89, 34.
ra rer. 10.
t Heb. shut the*
up.
n Deut. 28. 26.
Josh. 4. 24.
1 Kings 8. 43.
ft 18. 36.
2 Kings 19. 19.
Isa. 52. 10.
6Ps. 44. 6, 7.
08. 1. 7.
Zech. 4. 6.
q 2 Chron. 20. 15
lion and the bear : and this uncircnmcised Philistine shall be as one of them,
seeing he hath defied the armies of the liying God. ^^ David said moreoveri
* The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of
the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said
unto David, Go, and 'the Lord be with thee.
^ And Saul f armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass
upon his head ; also he armed him with a coat of mail. ^ And David girded
his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go ; for he had not proved U.
And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these ; for I have not proved them.
And David put them off him. ^^ And he took his staff in his hand, and chose
him five smooth stones out of the || brook, and put them in a shepherd's f bag
which he had, even in a scrip ; and his sling was in his hand : and he drew
near to the Philistine. ^^ And the Philistine came on and drew near unto
David ; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
^^ And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he ^ disdained him :
for he was Imt a youth, and ** ruddy, and of a fair countenance. ^ And the
Philistine said unto David, ' Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves ?
And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ^ And the Philistine ^ said to
David, Oome to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to
the beasts of the field. ^ Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to
me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield : ' but I come to thee in
the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou
hast " defied. *^ This day will the Lord f deliver thee into mine hand ; and I
will smite thee, and take thine head from thee ; and I will give " the carcases
of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild
beasts of the earth ; "" that all the earth may know that there is a God in
Israel. ^^ And all this assembly shall know that the Lord ^ saveth ^ot with
sword and spear : for "> the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our
hands.
^ And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh
to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the
Philistine. ^ And David put his hand in his bag, and took tiience a stone,
87. The LOBD tTwi delivered me"] ** Ad prceUnm prooedere
coepit, fortis non in se, sed in Domino; annatos non ferro, led
fide" (Anffuetine).
88, 89. ScnU armed David vfUh Me armour — I cannot go
with these"] It was so ordered that the carnal weapons of this
world should be offered to Ditvid, and that they shoold be
refuted by him, in order that it might be seen firom this refusal,
and from the simplicity of the means nsed, that the victory was
of the Lord.
The Jewish nation, like Sanl, relied on the weapons of this
world ; but Jesus Christ, the true David, in His conflict with
the spiritual Goliath, and in the preaching of His Gospel* did
not resort to the armour of this world's wisdom, power, and
wealth ; but chose those things which are despised of men, and
overcame Satan with the Word of Gk>d, and by the Mnistry of
things and persons despised as weak and foolish by the world,
espeoally by the doctrine of the Cross, preached by publicans
and fishermen. 1 Cor. i. 27. 2 Cor. iv. 7 ; x. 4.
40. he took his staff in his hand] His pastoral staff, as a
shepherd ;
So our David, the Good Shepherd, went forth to meet the
<3nemy, not with sword or spear, but with a pastoral staff; nor
did ne put forth His Divine power, by any miraculous exer-
cise of it, against the Tempter. " The Shepherd and Bishop
of our souls " (1 Pet. ii. 25) taught us by His example how to
overcome temptation and vanquish our ghostly enemy.
— chose him five smooth stones out of the broole] David, the
Shepherd of Bethlehem, chose five smooth stones out of the
40
stream for his sling, and with one of them he overthrew the
enemy;
So our Divine David, the Good Shepherd of Bethlehem,
when He went forth at the Temptation to meet Satan, our
ghostly Goliath, chose ./Im etones out of the brook ; He took the
five books of Moses (" quinque lapides Lex erat, quse continetur
in quinque Ubris Moysi," says S, Augustine) out of the flowing
stream of Judaism ; He took what was solid out of what was
fluid; He took what was permanent out of what was transitory;
He took what was moral and perpetual out of what was cere-
monial and temporary. He took stones out of a brook, and with
one of these he overthrew Satan ; all Christ's answers to the
Tempter are moral precepts, taken from one book of the Law,
Dbvtbbokomy (see on Matt. iv. 4), and He prefaced His
replies with the same words, **It is written" and with this
sling and stone of Scripture He laid our Goliath low, and He
has taught us bv His example bow we may also vanquish the
Tempter. See S. Augustine, Serm. 82, and tiie parallel drawn
of David's combat wiUi Gk)liath, and Christ's oonflkt with Satan,
by 8, Prosper de Promiss. ii. 25, where he traces the analogy ;
and Beds (Quastion. in 1 Beg., q. 9).
The analogies between the nistories of David and Christ
are expressed in the Second Hymn for the First Sunday in
Lent in the " Mo^ Tear,*' b^niming with the words : —
''live pebbles from the brook
The Shepherd David drew.
One of those five he took.
And proud CK)liath slew."
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David with a sling and 1 SAMUEL XVII. 60 — 58. XVlil. 1. stone overthrows Goliath.
. S. 81.
.11.
.U
.u.
and slang it^ and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into
his forehead ; and he fell upon his face to the earth. ^ So 'David prevailed J^jJig%
over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, fsam!t8.a
and slew him ; but there was no sword in the hand of David. *^ There-
fore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and
drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head there-
with. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, 'they fled, •nth.u.
^^ And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued
the PhiHstines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And
the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to * Shaaraim, even unto » jo«j» "•
Gath, and unto Ekron. ^' And the children of Israel returned from chasing
after the PhiHstines, and they spoiled their tents. ^ And David took the
head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem ; but he put his armour in
his tent.
^ And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto
Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, "whose son is this youth? And 5,^ *'**•'* "•
Abner said. As thy soul liveth, king, I cannot tell. ^ And the king
said. Enquire thou whose son the stripling is. ^^ j^^ ^s David re-
turned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought
bim before Saul 'with the head of the Philistine in his hand. ^AndxTer.04.
Saul said to him. Whose son art thou, thou young man ? And David
answered, ^ I am the son of thy servant Jesse tiie Beth-lehemite. XVIII. y^ai.
^ And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto
40. smote the PhiUstine in his forehead] AH jiride comes
forth with boldness of forehead ; and therefore the wound was
on the forehead, the seat of impious effronteir. But we conquer,
because we have the cross on our foreheads ; for we are bold only
by Christ's Cross, the sign of His humility, by which He attained
to glory. 8. Augustine, Serm. 82, " Eracuata est frons (Phi-
listei) qusB haboit impudentiam superbiie suse; si portas (he adds)
in fronte signum humilitatis Christi, porta in coTCle imitationem
humilitatis Christi ;" and 8. Aug, in Ps, 83, «* In figurA Christi
David, et Golias in figur& Diaboli ; et quod David prostravit
Ooliam, Christus est qui ooddit Diabolum. Humilitas ocddit
tnperbiam/'
— the stone sunJc] by preternatural power: see the note
above, on Judg. iv. 21.
51. JDamd^took his sword^and cut off his hectd therewith']
''Gladium dus abetulit, et inde caput mi absddit; hoc fecit
noster David, dejecit Diabolum de suis" {8, Augustine). Our
divine David, Jesus Chxist, cut off our Gh)liath's head with his
own sword. " By death He destroyed him that had the power
of it -the devil '"^ (Heb. ii. 14). The devil excited the Jews to
stir up the Romans to crucify Christ, but by the Crudflxion the
devil himself was overthrown : he was beheaded with his own
sword (Theodoret, Qu. 41).
52. the men of Ztrael-'-arose] When David had conquered
Goliath, then Israel arose and routed their enemies. So when
Christ, our David, had overcome Satan, the Israel of Gkxl arose,
and routed the armies of the Evil One {Theodoret),
— 8ha(iraim] in the lowland of Judah; perhaps Kefr
Zcfkaria :' see Josh. xv. 86 (Keil).
54. took the head of the PhiUstine'-Jerusalem'] The city,
where Israelites dwdt already (see Josh. xv. 68. Judg. i. 8),
although the' stronghold of ^on was still in the hands of the
Jebudtes ; and thus David gave an omen of his future victory
over them : cp. Theodoret, Qa. 42.
David brings the head of the Philistine champion in
triumph to Jerusalem. Our David, Jesus Christ, ascended in
triumph to the heavenly Jerusalem, bearing His trophies with
Him, ''leading a^vity captive" (Ps. IxviiL 18. Eph.
iv. 8).
— he put his armour in his tent] in his abode at Bethlehem.
The word ohel, here rendered tent, oftai means any dwelling-
pUoe : see iv. 10 ; xiii. 2 (KeiCj. He afterwards dedicated the
sword of Goliath to the Lord : see on xxL 8, 9; zxii. 20.
Vol. II. Pabt II.-41
So our David did His mighty acts for His Father's glory,
and consecrated the spoils of His victories to Him, and t^hes
us to do the same (John vii. 18 ; viii. 50).
According to the Chaldee Paraphrast, the ninth Psalm was
composed by David as a Thanksgiving for this victory, — " I will
praise Thee, O Lord, with my ^ole heart : I will show forth all
Thy marvellous works."
55. whose son is this yonth T] In the time which had dapsed
between Davidfs residence at Saul's court and his appearance
at Shochoh (Josephus says that it was an interval of a few
years, vi. 9. l), and in the multitude of persons daily passing
before his eyes, and in Saul's disordered state of mind, it is not
ititprobable (as has been observed by Theodoret, Auguetine, and
others), that he did not even recognize David himself, who now
appealed, not as before in the costume of a courtier or warrior,
but in the homdy drees of a shepherd. J>r* Thomson observes
(in his hiteresting work, " The Land and the Book," p. 569) that
great alterations toke place in the physical appearance of the youn^
men of Palestine in a very short tune. " I have often (he says)
been accosted by such persons, formerly intimate acquaintance,
who had suddenly grown entirdv out of my knowledge ; nor could
I without difficult recognize them." The growth of the beard
especially would make a great change. But, it may be added,
this question of Saul does not necessarily imply ignorance on
his part as to who the youth himself was ; but he asks who his
father was P and David does not reply by giving his own name,
but his Other's name.
Saul asks Abner, ^ Whose son is this youth P" because he
had promised, that whosoever killed the Philistine should have
his own daughter in marriage (o. 26), and he naturally wished
to know what the parentage was of lus own future son-in-law.
May we not also add, that there is a spiritual meaning
here, as in the rest of this history P Abner said, " As th^ soul
liveth, O Ein^, I cannot tell." Saul, in his unbdief and disobe-
dience, and m his disordered mind, prefigured, as we hove
seen, the literal Israel — ^the Jew — who disobeyed Gkxl and re-
sided the True David, Jesus Christ, the Bethlehemite. The
Jew asks, "Whose son is this youth ?" The Jew even to this
hour does not know whose son Christ is, and his Abners cannot
tell him (see Matt. xxii. 41 — 44). C^. Angelomus, p. 881, who
says, <*GBcitas Judsorum Jesum Christum Filium Doi esse
approbare poterat; sed dicunt d, Ubi est pater tuus?" (John
vnS. 19.)
Q
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Jonathan' $ love f(/r David. 1 SAMUEL XVIII. 2—16.
Saul tries to kill him.
a 0«n. 44. 80.
b ch. 19. 2.
&20. 17.
3 Sam. 1. 26.
Deat. 18. 6.
c ch. 17. 15.
I Or, prosptetd,
ver. 14, 15, 30.
II Or, PkUUUMi.
d Ex. 15. 20.
Judg. 11.34.
t Heb. thrf-
ttringtd int^m-
e Ex. 15. 21.
fch. 21. U.
ft 29. 5.
t Heb. woi evil
in his effei.
g Eocles. 4. 4.
h (h. 15. 28.
i ch. 16. 14.
k ch. 19. 24.
I Kings 18. 29.
Acts 16. 16.
1 ch. 19. 9.
m ch. 19. 10.
ft 20. 83.
Prov. 27. 4.
n ver. 15, 29.
o oh. 16. 18, 18.
p ch. 16. 14.
& 28. 15.
q ver. 16.
Num. 27. 17.
3 Sam. 5. 2.
U Or, prospertdt
ver. 5.
r Oen. 89. 2, 8,
23.
Josh. 6. 27.
• ver. 5.
SaiQi that *the soul of Jonathan was knit with the sonl of Dayid, ^'and
Jonathan loved him as his own sonl. ^ And Saul took him that day, "" and
would let him go no more home to his fiather's house. ' Then Jonathan and
David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. ^ And
Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David,
and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
^ And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and \\ behaved himself
wisely : and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the
sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
^ And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the
slaughter of the || Philistine, that ^ the women came out of all cities of Israel,
singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with
f instruments of musick. ^ And the women ^ answered one anotiur as they
played, and said,
'Saul hath slain his thousands.
And David his ten thousands.
* And Saul was very wroth, and the saying f« displeased him ; and he said.
They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed
but thousands : and what can he have more but '' the kingdom ? ^ And Saul
eyed David from that day and forward.
'^ And it came to pass on the morrow, that ' the evil spirit from God came
upon Saul, " and he prophesied in the midst of the house : and David played
with his hand, as at other times : ' and there was a javelin in Saul's himd.
^^ And Saul " cast the javelin ; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall
with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
^2 And Saul was " afraid of David, because "" the Lord was with him,
and was "^ departed from Saul. *' Therefore Saul removed him from him, and
made him his captain over a thousand ; and "> he went out and came in before
the people. ^* And David [| behaved himself wisely in all his ways ; and ' the
Lord was with him. ^^ Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself
very wisely, he was afraid of him. ^^ But • all Israel and Judah loved David,
because he went out and came in before them.
Ch. XVIII. 1-4. the soul of Jonathcm weu hnW] bound, as
bj a card (G^en. zzzviii. 28 ; xIit. 80. Dont. yL 8). Jonttthan,
the son, is contrasted with Saul, the fiither (see abore, xiy. 1).
Saul is more and more estranged from David. Jonathan is more
and more attached to him. Jonathan prefigured the iaithfbl
Israel of God, who hailed the advent of the true David and
rejoiced in his triumphs ; Saul typified the envious and malig-
nant Scribe and Pharisee who desired to destroy him.
Jonathan represents those loving souls who were bom and
lived under the Iaw, like John the B^ytist and St. Paul, and who
gladly stripped tikemsshes qf their own robes (the robe of legal and
ceremonial righteousness, and all the privileges of the Levitical dis-
pensation), in order that they might do homrar to the true David,
who fulfilled all the righteousness of the Law, and who spiritual-
ized the Law by the Gospel. The Baptist said, " He must increase,
but I must decrease '' (John iii. 80) ; and St. Paul's words are, "I
count all things loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus my Lord, that I may be found in ffim " (Phil. iiL 8, 9).
Such is the language of the Jonathans of the Gospel.
The Hebrew preposition (ed, to\ "even to his sword," &e.,
is repeated thrice to show that Jonathan divested himself
entirely of his own prinoely raiment and armour, and gave them
to David. Such was tibe temper of the Aposties and Saints of
old. They emptied themselves of aU thin^ : they divested them-
selves of all notions of strength or grace m themselves, and gave
all the glory to Christ : see 1 Cor. xv. 10. Phil. iv. 18.
We must be evangelical Jonathans> if we would have our
souls knit with Christ.
42
6. the women! like Miriam (Exod. xv. 20), and Deborah
(Judg. V. 1), and Jephthah's daughter (Judg. xi. 84).
— tabrets'] timbrels.
— instruments ofrnmsicJc] Literally, triamgfdar instruments
{Gesen, 828).
8. 8oml was very ufroth] So the Jews were angry, and
envious of the triumph of Christ at Jerusalem (Luke xix. 89), and
at the success of the Gospel in heathen lands (1 Thess. ii. 15, 16).
10. he prophesied] Rather, he ratoed .* see 1 Kings xviii. 29.
Jer. xxix. 26. Oesen. 526. Keil, 189.
11. Saul oast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David]
In this and the fi>llorwing nanwtive of Saul persecuting David,
we may see a foreshadowing of the history of the Jew madly
raging against the true David, Jesus Christ. ** 8aml, Saul, whp
persecutest thou Me ? ** (Acts ix. 4,) the words of Christ Himself
to Saul of Tarsus, suggest the comparison. Saul of Gibeah
gave place to the Evil Spirit, and came to a miserable end. Saul
of Tarsus listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and is glorious
amonff the saints : cp. above, on ix. 2.
This is the first of the series of persecutions which David
suffered from SauL The earlier expositors reckon seven such
principal persecutions (Supertus, A ixtpide), and compare them
with the persecutions which David's great Aioditype endured on
earth from His enemies : e. g., Saul twice attempted to smite
David with a dart; so the Jews twice attempted to stone Christ
(John viii. 59 ; x. 81) ; and they observe that David came forth
more ffkrious from each of his persecutions, and so was a figure
ofChriBt
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Saul tries to slay 1 SAMUEL XVIII. 17—30- XIX. 1, 2. David by the Philistines.
*^ And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, ^ her will I give t eh. ir. js.
thee to wife: only be thou f valiant for me, and fight ""the Lobd's battles. tHeb.a«ofio/
For Saul said, 'Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the jy^Imi. ss. 20,
PhiUstines be upon him. ^* And David said unto Saul, ^ Who ami? and what f;e^;2i!'2ft.
is my life, or my father's feunily in Israel, that I should be son in law to the jt^velii.
ying ? 1^ But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should tiL^.\. is.
have been given to David, that she was given unto " Adriel the ^Meholathite to JJu®^v*ii**
wife.
^** And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the bver.28.
thing t pleased him. ^^ And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be i neb, 100$ right
^ a snare to him, and that ** the hand of the PhiUstines may be against him. l^^;\^j\''
Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt *this day be my son in law in the e8«jTer,26.
one of the twain. ^ And Saul commanded his servants, saying^ Commune
with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in tiiee, and all his
servants love thee : now therefore be the king's son in law. ^^ And Saul's
servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it
to you a Ught thing to be a king's son in law, seeing that I am Sk poor man,
and hghtly esteemed ? ^ And the servants of Saul told him, saying, f On this J^rtlSi^^"""'
manner spake David. ^ And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king
desireth not any 'dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the PhiUstines, to be foen.M.u.
•avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul *" thought to make David fall by «^^^/fy**-
the hand of the PhiUstines. ^And when his servants told David these words,
it pleased David well to be the king's son in law: and *the days were not*»^^'«-
t expired. ^ Wherefore David arose and went, he and ^his men, and slew of t^J?;{5?"'*'-
the PhiUstines two hundred men; and 'David brought their foreskins, and they usam.s.u.
gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king^s son in law.
And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. ^ And Saul saw and knew
that the Lobb was with David, and that Michal Saul's daughter loved him.
2^ And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy
continuaUy. ^ Then the princes of the PhiUstines "went forth : and it came »n 2Sain. n. 1.
to pass, after they went forth, that David "* behaved himself more wisely than n vcr. 5.
aU the servants of Saul ; so that his name was much f set by. t Heb.precimu,
XIX. ^ And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to aU his servants, that |Kingsi'.i8.
"■■ Ps. 116. 16.
they should kiU David. ^ But Jonathan Saul's son ^ deUghted much in David : a ch. is. 1.
and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee : now
18. what iBtny Ufef] Literally, who is mjf Ijfe ? i. e.> who are
the clasB of personB in m^ state of life and m my family, that I
sboold he exalted to this hononrP Cp. David's langoage in
2 Sam. Tii. 18, " Who am I, and what is my houses wat thon
hast hrooght me hitherto P '*
21. the hand of the Philistines may he (igainst him"] Saul
endeayoored to destroy David, the deliverer of Israel, hy means
of the Philistines, the enemies of Israel.
So the Jewii^ nation (which is typified hy Saul in his perse-
cntion of David as in other respects) contrived that the Divine
Son of David should he destroyed by the hands of the Romans,
their own heathen oppressors.
— in the one of the twain] Bather, in this second time, Cp.
Job x^iii. 14. Neh. xiii. 20. Oesen, 841.
25. foreskins'] Why not hetids ? Here is a ngn of Saol's
suspicious and malignant spirit ; he, judging from himself, im-
piously suspected, t£at David would go forth and destroy some
of the Israelites, Saul's own subjects, as he himself desired to
destroy David, his own deliverer; and the foreskins were re-
[uired as a proof that they who were killed were not Israelites
Theodoret, Procop. &€Ub!),
— Philistines] enemies of Israel and of Qod, who were oc-
48
I
cupying the land which God had given to His peof^. Saul could
profess seal for God, while he was seeking to kill David — as the
Pharisees professed zeal for Qod, when seeking to kill Christ.
27. two hundred] David's men, as well as David himself,
were employed in this campaign against the PhilistineB ; and
therefore it was not possible to limit the slaughter of the enemy
to the exact number.
Some have seen a spiritual meaning in this act of David,
who is a figure of Christ. The ChntUe world is aJled tiio
hKpofivffria, or ''the Unciroumcision," in the New Testament
(Bom. ii. 26; iii. 80. £ph. ii. 11) ; and Christ gained a peaceful
and bloodless victory fi>r the Gospel over the Oentile world before
He espoused to Himself a Church from the Jews — typified by
the daughter of Saul. Bede (Quasst. 10) says, "Prius in
nationibus resecavit ChristuB eamis poUutionemj et
postea copulatus est Synagogs;" and he refers to Bom.
xi. 25.
80. the princes of the PhiUstines went forth] to battle, in
order to avenge the act which David had done before his mar-
riage; and perhaps suppodng (as the Babbis suggest) that
according to the Hebrew law he would claim exem^ion from
warfare fbr a year after his marriage (Deut. xxiv. 6).
G 2
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Michal saves David.
1 SAMUEL XIX. 8-17.
Terapkm.
b ProT. 81. 8, f.
c Gra. 4S. SS.
Ps.U 12.
ft 109. 5.
Prov. 17. 13.
Jer. 18. 20.
d Judg. 9. 17.
ft 12. 8.
ch.28.21.
Ps. 119. 100.
e ch. 17. 49, 60.
fl Sam. 11. 18.
1 ChTon. 11. H.
g ch. 20. 82.
b Matt. 27. 4.
i eh. 16. 21.
ft 18. 2, 18.
t Heb. if*H9rda§
third dag.
iUeh, his fact,
k ch. 16. 14.
ft 18. 10, 11.
IPs. 89, title.
m 8o Josh. 2. 16.
Acts 9. 24. 25.
f Heb. teraphim.
Gen. 81. 19.
Judg. 17. 8.
therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a
secret place, and hide thyself : ^ And I will go out and stand beside my father
in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee ; and
what I see, that I will tell thee. ^ And Jonathan ^ spake good of Dayid unto
Saul his father, and said unto him. Let not the king ''sin against his servant,
against Dayid ; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works
have been to thee-ward very good : * For he did put his *^ life in his hand, and
*slew the Philistine, and 'the Lobd wrought a great salvation for all Israel:
thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: 'wherefore then wilt thou ''sin against
innocent blood, to slay David vdthout a cause ? ^ And Saul hearkened unto
the voice of Jonathan : and Saul sware, As the Lobd liveth, he shall not be
slain. ^And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those
things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence,
^ as f in times past.
^And there was war again: and David went out, and fought vrith the
Philistines, and slew them v^ith a great slaughter ; and they fled from f him.
^ And ^ the evil spirit from the Lobd was upon Saul, as he sat in his house
vdth his javelin in his hand : and David played vrith his hand. ^^ And Saul
sought to smite David even to the wall vnth the javelin ; but he slipped away
out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall : and David fled,
and escaped that night. ^^ ' Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to
watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him,
saying. If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain. ^^ So
Michal ""let David dovm through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.
^^ And Michal took an \ image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats'
hair for his bolster, and covered it vnth a cloth. ^^And when Saul sent
messengers to take David, she said. He is sick. ^^And Saul sent the
messengers again to see David, saying. Bring him up to me in the bed, that I
may slay him. ^^ And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was
an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster. ^^ And Saul
Ch. XIX. 5, he did put hUlifeinhis hand] Tentnred hU life.
What is put into the hand (eaph) may easily fall oat : see Judg.
xiL 8; bdow, xxviiL 21. Jobxiii. 11. See Bp. Andrewea, iv. 27.
9. the evil epirU from the Lord wot upon Saul] in con-
sequence of David's recent snccess. The evil spirit is said to be
from the Lord. God nses evil spirits to work His own imrposes
in pumshing evil men, who persecute His servants * see xvi. 18, 14.
18. through a window] as the spies escaped at Jericho (Josh,
ii. 15—21), andSt. Paul at Damascus (2 Ckir. xi. 83).
18. And Michal tooh] She thus guned time for David. On
the typical rdations of this history to the resurrection of Christ,
see below on Ps. lix. at end.
— an image] Literally, the teraphim. The word here used,
teraphim, occurs in thirteen other places in the Hebrew Scrip-
tures, and in all these it seems to mean image (literally, imagei).
See Qen. xxxi. 19. 84, 86, where Rachel secretes the images of
Laban ; and Judg. jlvu. 6 ; xviii. 14. 17, 18. 20, concerning the
teraphim of Micah ; and 2 Kings xxiii. 24^ where it is connected
with idols. Ezek. xxL21. Hosea iii. 4. Zech. x. 2.
What is the meaning of the teraphim here F The sense in
which it ii used in idl these passages, and in a place in the pre-
sent book, XV. 28 ("iniquity and idolatry," literally teravhtm),
is probably the same in which it is employed here. Rachel
was Jacob's wife, but was also Laban's cUiughter ; and Labau's
reliffion was idoktrous, and she took her father's teraphim ;
Mi<3ial was David's wife, but she was also Saul's daughter; and
the wilftdness of Saul's character, and the disorder of his mind,
possessed by an evil spirit and forsaken by Qod, mav have
already led him to resort to teraphim, not for worship, but for
oracular consultation, as they did afterwards lead Saul to
pnc^MB witohertfft,
44
Is there not also something mysterious and prophetie in
Samuel's speech to him (xv. 28^ F — *' Rebellion (is as) the nn of
witchcraft, and stubbornness (is as) iniquity and teraphim'*
The settmg up of idole in thg own heart, bv foUowmff thine own
will, in opposition to Qod's will, is witokort^ and teraphim^
Did it not lead Saul on to both F
Michal might have had teraplwn without David's know-
ledge, as ^tto observes (p. 243). The women's apartments in
eastern houses were separate; and David, being a military
commander, would be often from home.
Whatever Michal did in this respect, David, we have reason
to believe, found his help in Qod : see Ps. lix. « Deliver me from
mine enemies, O my God;" probably written, as the title inti-
mates, at this time, " when Saul sent, and they watched the
house to kill him."
— a piUow qf goate* hair] or, the coverlid of goatt^ hair;
or, the hair mattress. The word is derived from ctUnir, to bind
together, to plait, to braid (Oesen, 888). 8, Jerome (Epist ad
Marcell.) thus comments on the passage, — "Venerunt nuntii
et ecoe Kword^ia (Sept,) in lecto. Pro cenotaphiis in Hebr»o
Theraphim, id est, fxopipAfiara jxixtsk Aqruim interpret ationem
C'ta sunt ; et pulvillus capramm, qui intonsis capillis caput
linis in lecto mvoluti mentiretur."
— for his bolster] or, for its head, to cover the image.
— with a cloth] with the cloth, or mantle f or his cloak, as
if he were sick.
16. there was an image in the bed] and thus David escaped j
and Saul said unto Michal, " Why hast thou deceived me so,
and sent away mine enemy F " The fidsehood of Michal, by
which she decdved her father Saul, was a retribution on him ;
it was the fruit of lus own evfl example, teaching her to practise
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Saul among the prophets 1 SAMUEL XIX. 18—24. XX. 1—8.
at Ramah.
said onto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy,
that he is escaped ? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me. Let me go ;
" why should I kill thee ? nssam. 2. ».
*• So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Bamah, and told him
all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.
^^ And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Kamah. ^Ati^
*" Saul sent messengers to take David : I'and when they saw the company of oseeJoimMs,
the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the f^J; Y' |' «•
Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also *» prophesied. flNum.n.25.
2* And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied ^^*'"*
likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied
also. ^ Then went he also to Bamah, and came to a great well that is in
Sechu : and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David ? And one said.
Behold, they be at Naioth in Bamah. ^AnA he went thither to Naioth in
Bamah: and 'the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and reii.io.io.
prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Bamah. ^ *And he stripped off his •i».ao.2.
clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and f lay down J^J^^^'/i.
''naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, "I5 Saul also 8i?i8ii?:6. m.
among the prophets ?
XX. ^ And David fled from Naioth in Bamah, and came and said before
Jonathan, What have I^ done ? what is mine iniquity ? and what is my sin
before thy father, that he seeketh my life ? ^ Aud he said unto him, God
forbid ; thou shalt not die : behold, my fiather will do nothing either great or
small, but that he will f shew it me : and why should my fiather hide this thing t Heb.
from me ? it is not so. • And David sware moreover, and said. Thy father 7eJ^i?^'
•^ ch. 9. 15.
certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes ; and he saith. Let
not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved : but truly as the Lobd Hveth, and
I eh. 10. 11.
deceit by his own acts: see eh. xviiL 17. 19. 21. 26. Hisfidiehood
and traacherj recoiled on himself, aa Laban's ikUehood and
tieacheiT against Jacob recoiled on Laban himiwlf, by the con-
duct of his daughters to him (Oen. xxxi. 14—20. 85). Sanl had
cheated Dand of his wife, as Laban had cheated Jacob of his
wife. The dao^ters of Laban and Saul practised against their
fkthers the lesscms of deceit which they had learnt ^ their own
homes.
May there not also be an instance of a similar nemesis m
tiiese teriMphim, or images? P^haps Sanl, forsaken by God,
and possessed by the Eyil Spirit, had resorted to ierapkim (as
be afterwards resorted to witchcraft) ; and Qod overmled evil
fbr good, and made his very ieraphim (hj the hand of his own
daughter) to be an instroment for Davici's escape.
Thns, in the history of the tme David— Jesns Christ — God
has used Kings' Daughters and heathen Temples as means for
promoting the Gospel, and for celebrating the worship of Himself.
18. came to Samuel] Samuel's forbearance toward Saul
appears from the fact tfiat he never attempted to raise up any
rival party against him, and in £iivour of David. Nor did bavid
attempt to engage Samuel as his ally against Saul. The only
instance^ where Samuel and David are seen together, after
Samuel had anointed David at Bethlehem, is in this chapter.
19. at Natoth"] Bather, in the abodee or ({«M^ZM|^»of the po-
phets at Bamah. The word here rendered Naioth is derived
from namahf to rett, to abide (Geeen, 688). It is rendered
*'the house of learning" (or college) by the ChtUdee Targum.
This coUe^ or school of the Prophets, was near Bamah,
Samuel's birth-place.
On the schools or colleges of the Prophets among the
Hebrews, see below, on 2 Kings ii. 8 — 28. 8, Jerome, Epist. ad
Busticum, and Epist. ad Paulinum, c. 6. Vitringa, Syn. Vet. i.
2. 7. Buddei Hut. v. 7; ii. 276. Kramehfel^e Essay, Berlin,
1865. Oehler in Herz. Bealencycl. ziL p. 216. Winer, B. W.
B. ii 282. Mm>. F. Meyriek, in Bib. Diet. ii. 928. KeiPe note,
pp. 146—161.
45
80. they also prophesied] This portion of Scripture, from
V, 18 to the end of the chapter, which relates the iUapse of the
Spirit on Saul's messengers, and even on Saul himself, the perse-
cutor of David, is appointed by the Church to be read on Whit-
sun Tuesday, in order to show the existence and working of the
Holy Ghost before the times of the Gospel, and the freedom
and power of His divine agency. Cp. above, Num. xi. 26— 30,
the mstory of Eldad and Mecfad, which is read on Whitsun
Monday,
82. Sechu] Perhaps Bir'Neballa, between Gibeah and
88. prophesied] as Balaam and Caiaphas did : see above,
on Num. xziv. 2.
84. stripped off his clothes] his upper garments; his royal
robe (Zyranus).
— naked] without his upper garment : see Isa. xx. 2. Micah
i. 8. So the word yvfufbs is used (Mark xiv. 51, 52. John xxL
7), and *'nudus" in Latin, as Viry, Geor. L 299, "nudus ara,
sere nudus,"
— Is Saul also among the prophets t] A saving which was
afterwards verified in the best sense in St. Paul : cp. on x. 11,
and on Acts ix. 21. If Saul the King had obeyed God, and had
cherished the Holy Spirit within him, he might have been like
Paul the Apostle; and Paul the Apostie would have been like
Saul the King, if he had grieved the Holy Ghost.
Many are the gifts of God (says Augustine), which are
posMSsed by evil men. Evil men have often great talents,
great skill, great wealth. The gift of the Sacrament of Bap-
tism is a great gift, but it was possessed by a Simon Mag^
(Acts viii. 18). The gift of prtyhecy is a great gift^ but it was
possessed by Saul. Saul, an evu king, prophesied at the very
time that he was persecuting holy David. Let not, therefore,
men boast if they have God's gifts : those g^fts will profit them
nothing without charity (1 Cor. xiii. 1, 2). But let them think
of the fearful account they must one day give to God, if they use
not holy things holUy {8. Aug, in Ps. 108).
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Jonathan renews
1 SAMUEL XX. 4— 21,
his covenant with David.
I Or, Sat ^f^* is
My mhtd, and 1
wUl do, tc.
f Heb. sptakeik,
or, tkimkHk.
ftNum. 10. 10.
&S8. II.
b ch. 19. S.
e «h. 16. 4.
I Ot, featt,
eh. 9 12.
d See Deat. 1.28.
2>8am. 17. 4.
e ch. 25. 17.
Esth. 7. 7.
f Josh. 2. 14.
g ver. 16.
ch. 18. 8.
8r 28. 18.
h 2 Sam. 14. 82.
t Heb. tearehod.
f Heb. uneovtr
thine *ar,
▼er. 2.
i Ruth 1. 17.
k Joeh. 1. 6.
ch. 17. 87.
1 Chron. 22. 11,
16.
1 2 Sam. 9. 1. 8,
7. ft 21. 7.
f Heb. (wl.
m ch. 25. 22.
See ch. 81. 2.
2 Sam. 4. 7.
U 21. 8.
I Or, hykitlov
inward Mm.
n ch. 18. 1.
ver. 5.
t Heb. mimed.
1 Or, ditigenttf,
f Heb. greaUa.
p ch. \i. 2.
t Heb. in tkedof
of the bmeineee.
i Or, that ekewetk
the waif.
as thy sonl liyeih, there is but a step between me and death. ^ Then said
Jonathan unto David, || Whatsoever tiiy soul f desureth, I mil even do it for
thee.
^ And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the *new moon, and
I should not fail to sit with the king at meat : but let me go, that I may ^hide
myself in the field unto the third day at even. ^ If thy father at all miss me,
then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run ""to Beth-lehem
his city : for there is a yearly || sacrifice there for all the family. ^ *^ If he say
thus. It is well ; thy servant shall have peace : but if he be very wroth, thm
be sure that •evil is determined by him. ^ Therefore thou shalt 'deal kindly
with thy servant ; for « thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the
LoBD with thee : notwithstanding, ^ if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself;
for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father ?
^ And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee : for if I knew certamly that evil
were determined by my fiather to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee ?
^^ Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me ? or what if thy father
answer thee roughly? ^^And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let
us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the
field. ^^And Jonathan said unto David, Lord God of Israel, when I
have f sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and,
behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and
t shew it thee ; *• * The Lord do so and much more to Jonathan : but if it
please my fSather to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away,
that thou mayest go in peace : and "the Lord be with thee, as he hath been
with my father. ^* And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the
kindness of the Lord, that I die not : ^^ But aho ' thou shalt not cut off thy
kindness from my house for ever ; no, not when the Lord hath cut off the
enemies of David every one from the fBU5e of the earth. ^^ So Jonathan f made
a covenant with the house of David, saying ^ " Let the Lord even require it at
the hand of David's enemies. ^^ And Jonathan caused David to swear again,
II because he loved him : " for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
^® Then Jonathan said to David, "" To morrow is the new moon : and thou
shalt be missed, because thy seat will be f empty. ^^And when thou hast
stayed three days, then thou shalt go down || f quickly, and come to ^the place
where thou didst hide thyself f when the business was in hand, and shalt remain
by the stone || Ezel. ^o j^^ j y^ shoot three arrows on the side thereof as
though I shot at a mark. 21 j^^^ behold, I will send a lad, saying^ Go, find
out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on
Ch. XX; 6. Beth-Uhem .... there lg a yearly iocrifioe
ihera] a yearly sacrificial feast. According to the Levitiod
Law (Deat. xii. 6, 6) Bacrifices could only be killed at the door
of the tabernacle. But in the present disordered and unsettled
condition of religion in Israel, when the tabernacle was without
the visible symbol of Qod's presence, the ark ; and when Qod
had not as yet chosen any one fixed place to put His name there,
altars existed in various places, wnere sacrifices were offered.
Cp. above, on ch. iv. 11.
10. or what ifj Bather, or loAo^— that is, who shall tell me
what thy father is resolved to do to me, or what rough answer
he may make to thee ? He may prevent thee finom having any
intercourse with me. Who then shall give me intdligence P
12. O LoBD &od of Israel] Rather, the Lord God of
Israel is witness, or knows that (Striae, Arabia, Sept.),
14, 16. And thou shalt not only .... earth'] Or, perhaps
these words may be rendered thus, — and it shail not he, that
46
while lam alive, thou shalt not show the mercv of the Lord
(i. e. thou shalt not fidl to show the mercy of the Lord} to me
(personally), and I shall not die-^i. e., so tliat I myself die not ;
be not destroyed; and thou shalt not cut off thy mercy firom my
house for ever ; no, not when the Lord shall cutoff tike §ne mies
qf the Lord, every one from iheface qf the earth.
The sense is, — The time shall never come when thou ahalt not
show kindness to Jonathan himself, so that he shall not be put
to death when thine enemiet perish; and more than this, thou
shalt show mercy to his posterity after his death, when all thine
enemies are cut off: see v. 42. Some versions {Syriao and
Arabic) seem to read lu (utinam) for lo (non). Cp. Cfesen, 482;
and so Ewald, Thenius, and KeU} but tms does not seem neoea-
sary. Some read the sentence interroffatively. And wUt thou
not show mercy J And this rendering gives a good sense. This
requirement of Jonathui was f\ilfill^ by David, in the case of
Mephiboeheth (2 Sam. is. 1. 8. 7; xxL 7).
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Saul seeks 1 SAMUEL XX. .22 — il. to kill his son Jonathan.
this side of thee, take them ; then come thou : for there is peace to thee, and
f no hurt; *»(w the Lobb liveth. ^ But if I say thus unto the young man, ?*?$; '^'•"^
Behold, the arrows are beyond thee ; go thy way : for the Lord hath sent thee ^ '^' * *
away. ^ And as touching 'the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, si%'e"'42*
the LoBD be between thee and me for ever.
^ So David hid himself in the field : and when the new moon was come,
the king sat him down to eat meat. ^ And the king sat upon his seat, as at
other times, even upon a seat by the wall : and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat
by Saul's side, and David's place was empty. ^ Nevertheless Saul spake not
any thing that day: for he thought. Something hath befallen him, he is 'not %^^/J/ii:
clean ; surely he is not clean. ^ And it came to pass on the morrow, which
was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said
unto Jonathan his son. Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither
yesterday, nor to day? ^And Jonathan * answered Saul, David earnestly tv«.«.
asked leave of me to go to Beth*lehem : ^ And he said, Let me go, I pray thee ;
for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded
me to be there : and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away,
I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's
table.
^ Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him,
II t Thou son of the perverse rebellious womany do not I know that thou hast i^^vSw!**^'
chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy i^'$!^ebtuion,
mother's nakedness ? ** For as long as the son of Jesse Hveth upon the
ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now
send and fetch him unto me, for he t shall surely die. *^And Jonathan J^^^'*"^
answered Saul his father, and said unto him, "Wherefore shall he be slain? m^Vz'.m.
what hath he done? •^And Saul "cast a javelin at him to smite him: xch*i«.ii.*
y whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. y^«''
^ So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the
second day of the month : for he was grieved for David, because his father had
done him shame.
^ And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field
at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. ^ And he said
unto his lad, Kun, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad
ran, he shot an arrow f beyond him. ^ And when the lad was come to the ♦^•^.J*'^'
place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and
said, Is not the arrow beyond thee ? ^ And Jonathan cried after the lad,
Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows,
and came to his master. ^ But the lad knew not any thing : only Jonathan
and David knew the matter. ^ And Jonathan gave his f artillery unto f his lad, t^eb. iiM«r«.
and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city. J J«*» *^* ^"
^* And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the
south, and fell on his fewje to the ground, and bowed himself three times : and
they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.
M. So David kid UnmJf t# the field] having gone first tc
Beihkhem {w. 6. 28).
87. the son of Jeesel S«al eeems to hate the name of David,
and in contempt he eaUa him "the son of Jesie."
80. eon of the perverse rebelUoue woman] Literallj, eon of
a perverse woman of rebellion : lee Oesen, 611. Such was
47
Saul's madness : hfs cnrse recoils on his wife and on himself.
8L he shall sureUf die] Literally, hew a son of death.
38. SatU oast ajaveHn] Saal tries to kill bis own son, for
loving David j so the Jews killed thdr own reUtives for be-
lieving in Christ : cp. on v, 42.
40. artillery] his weapons,— bow, quiver, and arrows.
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Jonathan and Damd.
1 SAMUEL XX. 42. XXI. 1—5.
David at Noh.
a oh. 14. S,
called Ahiuk.
Called also
Ahiatkar,
Mark S. 26.
b ch. 16. 4.
io^;tiJLmi)be *^ And Jonathan said to David, 'Go in peace, || forasmuch as we have sworn
JiSric'^*^ both of us in the name of the Lord, saying. The Lobd be between me and
See Tar. M. ^^^ ^^^ botweeu my seed and thy seed for ever — ^And he arose and departed:
and Jonathan went into the city.
XXI. ^ Then came David to Nob to * Ahimelech the priest : and Ahimelech
was ^ afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone,
and no man with thee ? ^ And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The
king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man
know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have
commanded thee : and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.
^ Now therefore what is under thine hand ? give me five loaves of bread in
mine hand, or what there is f present. ^ And the priest answered David, and
said. There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is "" hallowed
bread ; "* if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. ^ And
David answered the priest, and said unto him. Of a truth women have been
kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the * vessels of the
young men are holy, and the bread t5 in a manner common, || yea, though it
there i$ oihtf ioneii/Ml in the v$$$*t.
t Heh. found.
e Ex. S5. 80.
Lev. 14. 5.
Matt. 12. 4.
d Ex. 19. 15.
Zech. 7. 8.
e 1 These. 4. 4.
B Or» emede/ly
when thu dof
JoVATHAir'S COYEKAKT WITH DaTID.
42.foratmmeh^ LitenJly, that which,
^-for ever] After these words we mnst snpply the daote, —
let that remain established. There is something very pathetic
in this apoaopesis, as if Jonathan's words were broken off by
emotion, and by sobs stifling his utterance. Bat Damd eX'
ceeded. He said nothing : his sorrow was too deep for words.
How mnch more touching and true to nature is this simple
narratiye of Holy Scripture than the elaborate description of
Josephus, who makes them spend their time in long speeches to
one another ! (Joseph,, Antt. yi. 11. 10.)
The Christian reader, who contemplates the affecting and
beautiM scene presented to his view in the foregoing chapter,
can hardly fiul to be reminded of higher things ;
Saul, the persecutor of David, was a type of the unbelieving
and ^Usobedient Jew,~onoe endued with great spiritual gifts and
privHegee, but fidling away from Qod by pride, vain-glory, self-
will, and obstinacy, and at length rejecting Christ.
But Jonathan, Saul's son, was a figure of all those fiuth-
fill Israelites, such as John the Baptist, Nathanael, and the
loving Apostle St. Pbter, and the penitent thief, and the be-
loved disciple St. John, and St. Paul, who were bom under the
Law, and who hailed the rising glory of the true David, and
stripped themselves of the legal insig^nia in which they were at-
tired (see above, xviii. 4), and whose hearts were knit to Christ,
and who made a solemn covenant with Him, even at the time
when He was rejected and persecuted by the Jewish Saul ; and
who looked forward with fiuth to the time when the kingdom
of the true David would be established, and His fbes made His
footstool, and His enemies be cut off before His fiice, and who
prayed to Him to show mercy to themselves personally in
their own Hfetime, and to their posterity after their death, for
evermore (see tw, 14, 16), and who incun«d danger, scorn, and
death from their own parents and relatives, for the sake of
Christ: see v. 88.
Jonathan loved Damd as he loved hie own eonl (o. 17), and
made a covenant with him, « The Lord be between me and thee,
and between my seed and thy seed for ever," and they kissed one
another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.
What tears oeuld be compared with those shed by the true
David at the grave of Lazarus, and when He looked down upon
Jerusalem and wept over it ! What tears could be compared
with those tears of blood which He shed in His agony in the
garden, when ** in the days of His flesh, He offered up pravers and
supplications with Hronff crying and teare, and was beard in that
He feared ; and though iMPrere a Son, yet learned he obedience
by the things which He suffered ! " (Heb. v. 7, 8.)
Ch. XXI. 1. Noh'] A priestiy city (xxiL 19), a littie to the
north of Jerusalem, and between it*and Anathotii (Isa. z. 80. 82).
It is supposed by some to have been situated at the place now
called laawijeh d, e. Eeam^e town, or Edom-iown), about a mile
and a half v. of Jerusalem: by others it is placed near Shqfai -
see Hacketi in B. D. iL 676; and Keil, p. 159. Some place it
on the K. summit of Olivet (Thmpp, Stanley, FalesU 187).
— Ahimeleoh'] the high priest, son of Ahitub, son of Phine-
has, son of £11 : see below, zxii. 9. 11.
For a reply to the allegation, that there is a discrepancy
between the statement here and that in Mark ii. 26, see the
note below on that passage of St. Bfark, p. 119.
— Why art thou alone f] Thou, the king's son-in-law, why
art thou without any retinue P
9. The king h<»th commanded me a huaineee] The Sacred
Historian does not conceal the fiulings of David : cp. v, 8. He
here informs us that David in his distress resorted to an untruth.
He also shows us in the sequel the consequences of this untruth
in the slaughter of the priests at Kob : see zxii. 9—19.
With regard to this and other similar cases, see the
treatises of a. Anguetime de Mendacio and contra Mendacium,
ad Consentium, voL vL pp. 711 — 791; and Bp, Sanderson,
ii. 68 ; and on Consdence, Lect. iii. 6—9, § 9 ; and notes above,
on Ezod. i. 21, and on Josh. ii. 5.
The reconl of these fiulings of David ii an evidence of the
truth of the sacred narrative, and reminds us that human
ezamples are no safe rule of conduct; that there is but one
perfect ezample, that of the Divine David, Jesus Christ ; and
that His Will and Word are the only right standard of practice.
David afterwards confessed his fkilings in this respect, and
prayed to Qod fbr pardon and grace ; *' My soul melteth for
neariness : strengthen Thou me according unto Thy Word. Re-
move trom me the wag of lying, and grant me Thy Law
graciously " (P*. czix. 28* 29J.
Here also we have an evidence of the Inspiration of Holy
Scriptore. David, as a man, was not ezempt from human infir-
mities, but as "the sweet Psalmist of Israel,'* whose divine
songs are in the mouth of the Universal Church, he was guided
and inspired by the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth. David,
the IVophet and Psalmist, laments the errors of David the King.
And at this very time, when he fiiuled and filtered throu^
human weakness, he was made an instrument in the hands of
the Holy Ghost for inditing Divine Psalms, such as the 9th, the
84th, the 66th,the 69th, and the 142nd, in one of which he says :—
« What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days,
that he may see good P Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy
Ups ftom speaking guile" (Pe, zxziv. 12, 18).
4. hallowed bread] shewbread ; which might only be eaten by
the priest and his sons in the holy place : see Lev. zziv. 6. 8, 9.
— ^the young men'] The priest would give the shewbread
(under certam conditions) out of regard for the higher law, that
of love, to which, in his view, the ceremonial law must give
place ; and rightiy, as the Divine Author of the Law declares
in the Gospel : see Matt ziL 8» 4. MarkiL25, 26. Lukevi.8.
5, the vessels qfthe youngmen"] L •• thor bodies : see below,
on 1 Thess. iv. 4; 1 Pet. iiL 7 ; and tee also the next note.
— and the bread is tfi a manner eommon^-in the vessel]
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David receives the shewbread. 1 SAMUEL XXI. 6—15. XXII. 1.
Doeg.
were sanctified this day 'in the vessel. ^So the priest 'gave him hallow^
bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbreadi ''that was taken from
before the Lobd, to pat hot bread in the day when it was taken away. ^ Now
a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detamed before the
LoBD ; and his name was ' Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen
that belonged to Saul. ^ And David said nnto Ahimelech, And is there not here
nnder thine hand spear or sword ? for I have neither brought my sword nor
my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. ^ And the
priest said. The sword of GoUath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in "the
valley of Elah, ' behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod : if thou
wilt take that, take it : for there is no other save that here. And David said»
Tliere is none like that ; give it me.
^^ And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to IJAchish
the king of Gath. ^^ And * the servants of Achish said unto him. Is not this
David the king of the land ? did they not sing one to another of him in dances,
saying, * Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands ? ^^ And
David^laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king
of Gath. ^' And ^he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself
mad in their hands, and || scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle
&11 down upon his beard. ^^ Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see
the man {| is mad : wherefore then have ye brought him to me ? ^^ Have I need
of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my
presence ? shall this fellow come into my house ?
XXTT. ' David therefore departed thence, and *" escaped ^ to the cave Adullam :
fLey.S.M.
tMatt 13. 8, 4.
ark 2. S5, S«.
Luke 6. S, 4.
h L«T. S4. 8, f .
i eb. SS. •.
Ps. 5S, titi*.
k ch. 17. S, 60.
1 8m eh. II. 10.
I Or, Jbim$Ueh,
Pi. 34, title,
m Ps. M, titl*.
n ch. 18. 7. » S9.
5.
o Luke i. 19.
p Ps. 84. Utle.
I Or, wt&4$
mark$.
n Or, ptoy«M tMe
9Md Man.
a Ps. 57, title, ft
148. tiUe.
b 2 Sam. 88. 18.
The words the bread are not in the original; and the sense
rather is, ik€ waff (on which I am going), and in which I ask for
breadof^oo, wboareiMiosta, itaMow^ir one. Let it be granted
that it IS so X true it is, J am not engaged in any prZstfy or
sacred ministry, as jf« are. I do not wa& in the coorts of the
sanctoarj, as ye do; still it (the way) wiU be sanctified this day
(thongb not a Sabbath) by the vessel or instroment employed in
it. The ves9el is David hunsdf, who was the Lord's anointed (cp.
Theodoret, Qn. 58, and in part, JeromicuUr), and the word veswl
may be extended also to David's associates, who were ceremonially
dean : see the foregomg note, and Ljframu here, and ALapide,
The Hebrew woi^i (elf) and tiie Greek o-jccvof, rendered
vessel, are often applied to men in tiie Old and New Testament.
David compares himself to a veesel (P8. xzxL 12) ; and wicked
men are likened to broken veeeeU (Pto. ii. 9). Cp. Isa. ziiL 5.
Jer. uii. 28; zlviu. 88; L 26. Hos. viiL 8. AcU is. 16.
Bom. iz. 21—28. 2 Cor. iv. 7. 2 Tim. iL 21.
Oar Lord seems to sanction this interpretation, when He
jostifles the act of David eating the shewbread, in ccmsideration
of the condition of the veesel Qua body, then snffeiing hunger)
into which the bread was received; and this interprotation is
confirmed by S, Irenenu (iv. 20, p. 806, ed. Qrabe), who refers
to the words of onr Ixwd justifying David on this occasion, and
adds, *' Sacerdos autem sdtus (qu. sanctus) fuerat DaM apod
Deum, qnamvis Saul perseentumem fkceret ei ; iras fieurtKehs
SIkoios Uparac^v rii^iv lx«i :" cp. TerMUam de Exhort. Cast, c 7.
8, AugueUne remarks on this and other acts of David,
that they were prophetic of Christ, who would unite in Himself
the priestly with the royal ftmdaons: "Nonne oommutatun
regnum in David, reprobato Saule, damat prssnuntiari novum
sacerdotium, novumque regnum reprobato vetere, quod erat
umbra fhturi in Dommo nostro Jesu Christo venturum P Nonne
ipse David, cum panes propositionis manducavit, quos non licebat
manducare nin soils sacerootibus, in un& person^ utrumque fntu-
rum, id est, in uno Jesu Christo regnum et sacerdotium fiffuravit P **
In his note on the passage of Irenaras, Dr, Or^e applies
this passage to the consideration of the question whether, in
cases of necessity, where a lawful minister may not be had, the
Sacrament of Baptism may not be administered by lay hands ?
Cp. Hooker, V. Ixii.
6. the day when it woe taken away] The Sabbath (Lev.
xxiv. 8).
7. detained before the Lobd] Perhaps as a proselyte for
Vol. II. Pabt II. "
insfaruction, or fbr some rdigious purification. Doeg was en-
gaged in the performance of an act of religion, before the L<»d,
at His sanctuary, and yet he harboured malignant thoughts,
and was ready to perform an impious and luoody deed: see
below, xxii. 18. The sins of blasphemy and cruelty seem to
have spread from Saul to his servants.
IKMg the Edomite, the betrayer (^ David, is ccnnpared by
the fathers to Judas, the betrayer of Christ : cp. Bede, Qn. 18.
Judas the traitor, and the chief priests and people who joined
with him, were engaged in a work "befbre the Lord,'' viz., in
keeping the passover, when they crucified Christ.
9. The awordaf OoUath'\ See above, xvii. 61. 64.
— vaHey qfmakl or, of the terebinth : see xviL 2.
10. Aehieh'] Called Abimeleoh (the official title of the Ungs
of Gkktb) in the superscription to Pto. xxziv.
— Cfath] Oath was near David's native mountains, and
probably had more fHendly relations with the Israelites than
the more distant cities of the PhilistineB (Dr. Thornton, p. 669).
11. David the kiny qf the land] The Qentile Philistines
acknowledge him as sooh, even when Saul is perseeuting him.
So Pilate, the heathen governor, wrote on the Cross, " Jesus,
the King of the Jews," when they rmected him.
18. hB changed JUe behaviour] Literally, he ehanyed hie
eenee, hie reaeon. Cp. Ps. xxxiv. 1. Qeeen, 828.
— ecrdbhled^ scrawled : see on Pa. Ixxviii. 41.
1^ ye eee the man it mad] So speaks Achish oonceminf
David. David fieioned madness. In Christ, the true DavicC
there are none of ute infirmities of David. David taid that he
came on the king's business. This was not true of him, but it
it true of Christ, who said, <* Wist ye not that I must be about
My Father's buainessP" (Luke u. 49.) «I came not to do
mine own will, but the will of Hun that sent Me" (John v. 80;
vL 88). David feigned to be mad, and was demised as such.
Christ is the wisdom of Qod, but even His own friends said of
Him, " He is beside Himself" (Mark iiL 21); and His Gospel was
r^ecied as foolishness by the princes of this world (1 Cor. i.
22. 26; iL 6—8), and to Christ's Apostle it was said, " Much
learning doth make thee mad" (Acts xxvi. 24). Cp. 8.
Anyuttine in Ptt. xxxiii.
Ch. XXII. 1. Aduflam] in the lowlands of Judah ; probably
near Shochoh and Azekah, about eight miles from Bethlehem,
from which place David's brethren came to him.
^ H
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Saul sends for
1 SAMUEL XXn. 2— 15,
Ahimelech the Priest.
c Judg. U.S.
t Heb. had a
creditor.
t Heb. bitter of
soul.
d 2 Sun. U. 11.
1 Cbron. 21. 9.
3 Chron. 29. 2^.
il Or, gro9* in a
high plmeo.
• oh. 8. 14.
t Heb. Mneovereth
mine ear, ch. 20.
2.
fch. 18. 3. ft 20.
SO.
g ch 21. 7.
Pa. 52. Utle, ft
ter. 1, 2, S.
hch. 21. 1.
i eb. M. 8.
k Num. 27. 21.
Ich. 21. 6. 9.
i Heb. Behold
md when his brethren and all his fother's house heard it, they went down thither
to him. * * And every one that was in distress, and every one that f t^^ hi debt,
and every one thai was -f discontented, gathered themselves mito him ; and he
became a captain over them : and there were with him about four hundred men;
« And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab : and he said unto the kmg
of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and
be with you, till I know what God will do for me. * And he brought them
before the king of Moab : and they dwelt with him all the while that David was
in the hold. * And the prophet ** Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold ;
depart, and get thee into the land al Judah* Then David departed, and came
into the forest of Hareth.
^ When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with
him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a || tree in Bamah, having his spear in
his hand, and all his servants were standing about him ;) ^ Then Saul said
unto his servants that stood about him. Hear now, ye Benjamites ; will the son
of Jesse 'give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains
of thousands, and captams of hundreds ; ^ That all of you have conspired
against me, and there is none that f sheweth me that 'my son hath made
a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or
sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in
wait, as at this day ?
^ Then answered *Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants
of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse commg to Nob, to ** Ahimelech the
son of ' Ahitub. *^ ''And he enquired of the Lobd for him, and 'gave him
victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
^^ Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all
his father's house, the priests that were in Nob : and they came all of them to
the king. ^^ And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered,
f Here I am^ my lord. ^' And Saul said unto him. Why have ye consirired
against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a
sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to
lie in wait, as at this day ? ^^ Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said.
And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son
in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house ? ^^ Did I
then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king
1. every one that was in distrese — mi debt — dieconteiUed]
A foreshadowing of what was afterwards said of the tnie David,
Jesos Christ, — ** This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with
them " (Luke xv. 2). Cp. Matt. xi. 19. David's men were im-
proved under his command and influence : see zxv. 15. Christ
received nnners in order that they might not continue sinners,
but be released from the burden of their sins, and become holy
in word and deed (Matt. xi. 28).
— f9ur hundfed men] A list of the principal among them Lb
given in 1 Chron. xii. 8-— 18 ; and some of their acts are de-
scribed in 2 Sam. xxiiL 18—22. 1 Chron. xi. 15—24.
8. Mizpeh of Jfoa5] Perhaps he resorted to Moab for refuge
because his ancestress Ruth was from that country (Ruth i.
2.4; lv.21,22).
— Lei mif father and mf mather'-\)e with yon'] and be in
sirfbty, as Ruth was hospitaibly received at Bethlehem. In this
soGcitude of David for his parents, we see a fkint glimpse of the
tender care of the true David, when on the (>oss, fbr His
mother (John xix. 26, 27>.
4. the hold] the fortifudd cave. The original word is derived
fWim tewr, a i^>ek (Oeeem, 51). Ptobably it means the rock near
Mizpeh (fi^rrtoc, Jrcibio)} and Joeepmu (vL 12. 4) seems to
countenance this inteipretation. God came to David there, and
directed him to return to Judah.
6. Gad] who was probably brought up in Samuel's school of
the Flrophets, and was informed that David had been anointed
by him, and afterwards is oalled his seer (2 Sam. xxiv. 11.
1 Chron. xxL 9. 2 Chron. xxix.'25), and the chronider of his acts
(1 Chron. xxix. 29).
— Hareih] the site of which is unknown. In the Onomas-
ticon it is placed to the west of Jerusalem.
6. under a tree in Ramah] Rather, under the terebinth on
the hill, or high place, of Gibeah, Saul's own city. On the
word eehel, here rendered^^ree, see Gen. xxL 83 ; below, xxxL 18.
1 Chron. x. 12. Cfeeen, 86; and as to the word Samah {hen
with the article), hijfh pUtce, see Ezek. xvi. 24 ; and Oeeen, 769 ;
and Keil, 64.
14. ffoeth at thy bidding] Rather, who is admitted to thy
private audience. The Hebrew word here rendered ffoeih is fWnn
eur, to retire, to draw near i&eeen. 582) ; and the words seem to
mean, who retiree to thy amdtenee, i. e., is admitted to thy secret
counsiBls : see 2 Sam. xxiii. 28. 1 Chron. xi. 25 ; and Cfeeen, 518.
16. for him] No, it was not for him, but fbr ihee, whoso
son-in-law and loyal subject he Ib.
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Saul commands Doeg 1 SAMUEL XXII. 16—28. XXTII. 1—6. to slay the Priests.
impute any thing onto his servant, nor to all the house of my father : for thy
servant knew nothing of all this, fless or more. *^ And the king said, Thou tneb. «/a.ar
shalt surely die, Ahimeleoh, thou, and all thy father's house. ^^ ^nd the king '*^"''
said unto the || f footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of i or, gnard.
the LpBD ; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when ' "'""'^*
he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king "would not »8^Exod. i.
put forth their hand to fidl upon the priests of the Lobd. *® And the Inng said
to Doeg, Turn thou, and &11 upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned,
and he fell upon the priests, and ""slew on that day fourscore and five persons n see oh. s. si.
that did wear a linen ephod. ^^ •And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he oTer.i», n.
^th the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and
oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.
^ ''And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, pch.«».«.
*• escaped, and fled after David. ^^ And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had qch.i.M.
slain the Lobd's priests. ^ And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day,
when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul : I have
occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house. ^ Abide thou
with me, fear not : 'for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life : but with me r i King«i. se.
thou shalt he in safeguard.
XXTTT. ' Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against
' Eeilah, and they rob the threshingfloors. ^ Therefore David ** enquired of the a jch. u. h.
Lord, saying. Shall I go and smite these Philistines ? And the Lord said J^^[^ 'j ,,j jj.
unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah. ^ And David's
men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah : how much more then
if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines ? ^ Then David enquired
of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him and said, Arise, go down
to Eeilah ; for I mSl deliver the Philistines into thine hand. ^ So David and
his men went to Eeilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away
their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the
inhabitants of Eeilah. ^ And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of
Ahimelech ""fled to David to Eeilah, that he came down with an ephod in his e eh. u. so.
hand.
17. i^ tervanU .... womld nof] And thtis they were
more fidtiifhl to Sftal» than if they had obeyed hk order,
which was against the commandment of the Lord, whose servant
the king was, no leas than they.
The heinoosness of Saul's sin in killinff the Priests made
the cnp of his g^t to orerflow, and is made more oonqnonoos
by this refhsal of his servants to do it (Theodorei),
The three years' fhmine in David's time was "for Sanl and
his bloody hoose, because he slew the Gibeonitee," the ministers
of the tabernacle : see 2 Sam. zxi. 1.
18. a linen ephod] See above, ii. 18 ; xv. 27.
19. And Not, the city of the prieHe] who were treated by
Sanl in his rage as if they had been Amalekitee (xv. 8V
Yet even in this barlMurons act, Sanl unoonsdonsly lUffiDed
the prophecy of God against the honse of Eli fbr its dns : as
Josephue observes (vi. 12. 6). See above, ii. 27. 86 ; iii. 11—18.
God owed a revense to the honse of Eli, and now, by the
dehtion of Doeg, He tuces occasion to pay it. SaoFs cmelty and
Doeg^B treachery were made the instruments for the execution
of (iod's connsel ; but they lose nothing of their gnilt thereby,
nor does God's holy counsel gather any blemish by their guiH
(Bp. HaU\
The mty-second Ptalm was composed by David on this
occasion; perhaps also Psahns xvii., xxxv., Ixiv., and cxl. 8,
JSil€Mry, commenting on the Psalms, obwrves that Doeg the
Edomite, the herdsman of Saul, who betrayed David's visit to
the Tabemade, and to Ahimelech, and who murdered the
61
priests, is a figure of the Jews in their treadieiy to the troe
David. Judas was a Doeg. Such were the unbdieving Jews ;
such are all who betray c£rtst and persecute His Church.
88. Abide thou with me, fear not] By saving David he saved
himself. AHftt)>*»' received a testimony firom Solomon : ** Thou
barest the ark before David my fktl]^, and thou hast been
afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted;" therefore
« I will not put thee to death" (1 Kings ii. 26).
But he was treacherous to Solomon, and was thrust out of
the priesthood, and so another prophe<7 was fulfilled: see
1 Kings ii. 27, and on Num. xxv. 11—18.
Cb. XXm. 1. JT^iZoillin the lowlands of Judah (Josh. XV.44);
— the thr9ihin^[floor8\ on the high open ground outside the
town. Cp. on Ruth iii. 2. 16.
8. Damd enquired of the Lobd] By the Urim and Thum-
mim of the breastplate, which Abiathar the Priest had brought
to him.
The murder of the priests had deprived Saul of this access
to God, and had opened it to David : see v. 6.
6. Abiathar—fled to David to Keilah] Not as though
Abiathar had tb^ fled to David for ihe first time ; but he showed
his faith and attachment to David (see above, on xxii. 28) by
ling to David for a reftige, when David was supposed, even by
3 own men, to be in the greatest dai^r (t>. 8).
— he came doum with an ephod in hie hand] Rather, theephod
came down in hie hand, God's oracle came with him to David.
H 8
ffoi
his
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Jonathan comforts David. 1 SAMUEL XXIII. 7 — 24, The treachery of the Ziphites.
d Num. »7, 81.
ch. 80. 7.
e ch. M. 19.
f Heb. shut «p.
feh.tS.S.
ft S5. 18.
g Ps. 11. 1.
h Josh. 15. 65.
i Ps. 54. 8, 4.
k oh. 24. SO.
1 ch. 18. 8.
& 80. 16, 48.
2 Sam. 81. 7.
ni Bee cb. 86.
Ps. 54, title.
f Heb. •« th$
right hand,
I Or, TktwU-
denuut
n Ps. 54. 8.
tHeb./eo«s*aM
fre.
o Josh. 15. 55.
ch. 25. 8.
7 And it was told Sard that Dayid was come to Eeilah. And Sanl said, God
hath delivered him into mine hand ; for he is shut in, by entering into a town
that hath gates and bars. ^ And Saul called all the people together to war, to
go down to Eeilah, to besiege Dayid and his men. ^ And David knew that
Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and *^he said to Abiathar the
priest, Bring hither the ephod. ^^ Then said David, Lord God of Israel^
thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Eeilah, *to
destroy the city for my sake. ^^ Will the men of Eeilah deliver me up into his
hand ? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard ? Lord God of
Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the Lord said. He will come
down. ^^ Then said David, Will the men of Eeilah f deliver me and my men
into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up.
^^ Then David and his men, * which were about six hundred, arose and departed
out of Eeilah, and went whithersoever they could go« And it was told Saul that
David was escaped from Eeilah ; and he forbare to go forth. ^^ And David
abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in ' a mountain in the
wilderness of ^ Ziph. And Saul * sought him every day, but God delivered him
not into his hand. '^ And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life :
and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.
^^ And Jonathan Saul's smx arose, and went to David into the wood, and
strengthened his hand in God. ^^ And he said unto him. Fear not : for the
hand of Saul my fiather shall not find thee ; and thou shalt be king over Israel,
and I shall be next unto thee ; and ^ that also Saul my father knoweth. ^^ And
they two 'made a covenant before the Lord : and David abode in the wood,
and Jonathan went to his house.
^^ Then " came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David
hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah,
which is f on the south of || Jeshimon ? ^ Now therefore, king, come down
according to all the desire of thy soul to come down ; and ^ our part shall he to
deliver him into the king's hand. ^^ And Saul said. Blessed he ye of the Lord ;
for ye have compassion on me. ^ Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and
see his place where his f haunt is, and who hath seen him there : for it is told
me that he dealeth very subtilly. * See therefore, and take knowledge of all
the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the
certainty, and I will go with you : and it shall come to pass, if he be in the
land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.
^ And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul : but David and his men were
in the wilderness ^'of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.
9. Bring hither the ephod] with the Urim and Thnmmim.
Cp. HengH^ Auth. ii. 67.
U. the Lord eaid^ He will eome iatm'] God oonectB the
order of David's questions.
12. Thetf will deliver thee «j9] Henee it is dear (as many of
the Schoolmen have observed) that God's foreknowledge ex-
tends to eontimgenciee ; that is» to ev^ts which would take
place, if other events (which may not take place) should take
place. God fereknows what would be» and will not he, as well
as what will be.
On the importance of this proposition, in its hearing on the
question of Predestination, the Editor mav perhaps be allowed
to refer to his Occasional Sermons (Serm. iv. p. 71).
14. the wildemeee] between the hill-country of Judah and the
Dead Sea.
— Ziph"] now Tell-Zifs a hill about ibur milee I.B. of
Hebron \B0hin90n, iL 191). Cp. Josh. xv. 55.
16, in Chd] in God's promises— not by human aid : another
52
proof of Jonathan's faith, which confirmed that of David him-
self.
17. I ehaU he ne»t unto thee] So said Jonathan to David,
and so the fkithfbl soul of the true Israelite is permitted to say
to the Divine David i see Bev. iii. 21.
19. the Ztphiteel whose treachery fbrms a striking contrast
to the love of Jonauian, and makes it more conspicuous.
The oompUint of David for the treachery of the Ziphites
may stall be heard in the fifty-fourth Pudm, written (as is com-
monly supposed) at this time.
— SachHah] on the south side of Tell-Zif (v. 14), whence is
a fine panoramic view of the scene here described (Fande-
velde),
— Jethimon'] the wUdemeee; on the west side of the Dead
Sea.
80. eome down'] from Gibeah.
22. where hie h<HuU is] Literally, where hie foot »^*-tnick
him, as if he were a beast of prey.
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David at Maon and Engedi. 1 SAMUEL XXTTT. 25—29. XXIV. 1—6. Spares Saul's life.
^ Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told Ba^id : wherefore
he came down || into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when
Saul heard that^ he pursued after Da^id in the wilderness of Maon. ^ And
Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of
the mountain : ^ and Dayid made haste to get away for fear of Saul ; for Saul
and his men "^ compassed David and his men round about to take them.
^ 'But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come ; for
the Philistines have f invaded the land. ^ Wherefore Saul returned from
pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines : therefore they called
that place |l Sela-hammahlekoth.
^ And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at 'En-gedi.
XXrV. ^ And it came to pass, 'when Saul was returned from f following the
Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David t^ in the wilderness of
£n-gedi« ^ Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and
''went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. ' And he
came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave ; and "" Saul went in to
''cover his feet : and * David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.
^ 'And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lobd said
unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest
do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the
skirt of f Saul's robe privily. ^ And it came to pass afterward, that * David's
heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. ^And he said unto his
|Or,AoMM«
rock.
p Ps. 81. n.
qPs. 17.9.
r See S Kiogs 19.
9.
t Heb. »prM4
♦e.
I That is, The
roek qf dipiriont.
s 2 Chron. 20. 2.
a oh. 28. 28.
t Heb. ^fitr.
b Ps. 88. 12.
oPs. 141.6.
d Jodg. 8. 24.
e Ps. 57, title,
ft 142, title,
feh. 26. 8.
t Heb. lk$ rob*
wkiek WM Soul's,
g 2 Sam. 24. 10.
96. a roek] ih€ roeks probftbly tlie drcnkr hiU of Metith on
which are ruinf of a tower. It oommands an exteniiye view eait-
ward toward the Dead Sea; and northward toward Hebron,
which ia Tisible from it : aee Jiobimi<m ii. 194^ who layt, « Here
we found onnelTes gorroonded by the towns and monntuns of
Judah, and ooold enumerate before ns not less than nineplaoes
•till bearing iq^parenU^ their ancient names— Maon, €«rmel
(now KurmiU), and ^p^, and Jnttah ; Jatthr, Soooh (now
Skmwikek), Anab, and Eshtemoa (now Semuah), and • Kiijath
Arba, which is Hebron' (Josh. xv. 48). The feelings with
which we looked npon those ancient dtes were a soffldent
reward for our whole journey."
— 4fao«] now Maim, about nine miles south of Hebron (cp.
Josh. XY. 65), and about five miles south of 2V{^Z|f, whence it
is risible.
87. Seuie tkee, and corns ; for the FiiUsHnei Jloo* imvaded
ike land] The Philistine invasion was providentiallv the means
of David's escape. So Jerusalem was delivered by Qod, sending
a blast on Sennacherib, by a rumour of the inroad of the king
of Ethiofrfa (Isa. xxxviL 7. 9). So the primitive "Church of
Judiea bad rest," because tne Jews, their persecutors, were
driven off by the assault of the Romans npon them (see on
Acts ix. 81) ; so St. Fwal escaped by means of the quarreb of
the Pharisees and Sadducees (Acts xxiiL 9, 10).
S8. Sek^kammaAUkoih'] roek ofucafmgt: from ehalak, to
he smooth, and in hiphil, to slip away, to escape (Ghsen. 283^.
Anothor meaning of ehalak is to decide, and this meaning is
assigned to this word here in some andent versions {Sept,, Vulg,,
4^*» Arabics, whence perhaps the sense is rook of divisions,
because Saul s attention was distracted between two enemies ;
and so David escaped.
to. En-geds] now Ain Jidff, i. e. fountain of the kid, a
beantiAil fountain on the west coast of the Dead Sea (Josh. xv.
62). There David lived among " the rocks of the wild goats."
On an sides the countir is ftdl of caverns, which might serve as
lurking-places for David and his men. We ascended the sum-
mit of a perpendicular diff overhanging Aim Jid^ and the Dectd
8sa, fifteen hundred foet below us, iniich lay before us, in its
vast deep chasm, shut in on both sides by ranges ofpred^tous
mountains. The more ancient Hebrew name (^ Mgedi was
ffasezon Tamar (felling of palm-trees) ; as such it is first men-
tkmed before the destruction of Sodom (Oen. xiv. 7. 2 Chron.
XX. 2). Under the name ofSngedi it occurs as a dty of Judah
to the desert, giving its name to that part of the desert to
which David withdrew for foar of SauL According to Josephus
(AjxtL ix. 1. 2) it lay upon the Uke Aq^tites, and was celebrated
lor beautiftil ^a2m-<r0er, whence its name Hazezon Tamar; and
its vineyards are likewise mentioned in the Old Testament
(Cant. i. 14). Sobinson, ii. 204. 214. Ch^. Dr. Thomson's descrip-
tions, Land and Book, pp. 602, 608; and the description and view
in the ]iev. S. B. Tristram's Land of Israel, pp. 281, 282.
Ch. XXIY. 8. a caice'] Supposed by some to be a hurge cave
called EUnaamah in Wa^ Chareitmn (]r.B. of Tekoa), described
by Tococke (u, 41), and by Vandevelde QL 74), but this seems
to be too far from i)ngedL
•-- to cover his feef] One of the modes of expression by
which Hol^ Scripture teaches reserve and delicacy of language.
Cp. Judg. lii. 24^ and Joseph«s vi. 8, 4; and see note below, on
1 Thess. iv. 6.
4. cut of the skirt qf Sours robej The skirt (literally, the
foing) of bis long outer mantle {meiCj. Saul had probably laid
aside his loose mantle, when be retired for the purpose men-
tioned in V, 8, and had left lus mantle on the ground, which
David espied (perhaps it was of a bright colour, such as was
worn by lungs), and he advanced from nis retreat> and cut off
the skirt of it.
Pkobably David would have felt too much reverence for
Saul, to ii^ure bis robe, if it had been actually on his royal
person at the tome; as it was, "his heart smote him
because he had cut off Saul's skirt"
5 — 8.1 For lessons of CThristian loyalty to kings, derivable from
this history, see the sermon of Bp, Andrewes on this text, iv.
151—182.
Many divines of the Roman Church, especially among the
Jesuits, have not hesitated to affirm that David womd have been
justified in kUUng Saul, as an act of self-defence : see Lessius de
Justitia ii. 9, dub. 8, and Covamvias, Corduba, Ndvarms, and
others quoted by A L<spide here ; an opinion which contravenes
David's own declaration, v. 6. 10, 11; xxvi. 9. 11; and 2 Sam,
i. 14—16. Cp. S, Chrgs., tom. iv. p. 767. 8, Augustine c.
litt. PetiUan., " David Smilem, propter sacro-sanctam unctionem,
et honoravit vivum, et vindicavit oodsum ;" and bdow, on iv.
18.
0. Doeuf tf heart"] Here heitrt is used for conscience, as
often in Hebrew : see Prov, iv. 23. Eccl. vii. 22 ; note below,
on 1 John iii. 21; and Bp, ScMderson on Conscience, Pr»l.
L§8.
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David's speech to Saul.
1 SAMUEL XXIV. 7—22.
Said weeps.
hch 16. 11.
f Heb. en$ of.
i P«. 7. 4.
Matt. 6. 44.
Rom. 12. 17. 19.
k Ps. 141. 6.
Prov. 16. 28.
&17. 9.
1 Ps. 7. 3.
8r 35. 7.
m ch. 26. 20.
n Gen. 16. 5.
Judg. 11.27.
ch. 26. 10.
Job 5. 8.
och. 17.43.
2 Sam. 9. 8.
p ch. 26. 20.
q ver. 12.
r 2 Chron. 24. 22.
sPs. 85. 1.
&43. 1.
8c 119. 154.
Micah 7. 9.
t Heb. Mm.
t ch. 26. 17 .
u ch. 26. 21.
X Gen. 38. 26.
y Matt. 6. 44.
s ch. 26. 23.
f Heb. 9hut tip,
eh. 23. 12.
ft 26. 8.
a eh. 21. 17.
bOen.21.28.
e t Sam. 21. 6, 1
d oh. 28. 29.
men, ** The Lord forbid that I should do this thing nnto my master, the
Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he t^ the
anointed of the Lord. ^ So David f ' stayed his servants with these words, and
suffered them not to rise agamst Sanl. But Saul rose np out of the cave, and
went on his way.
^ David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul,
saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped
with his face to the earth, and bowed himself. * And David said to Saul,
^ Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying. Behold, David seeketh thy hurt ?
^^ Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee
to day into mine hand in the cave : and some bade me kill thee : but mine eye
spared thee ; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord ; for
he is the Lord's anointed. ^^ Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of
thy robe in my hand : for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed
thee not, know thou and see that there is 'neither evil nor transgression in mine
hand, and I have not sinned agamst thee ; yet thou "" huntest my soul to take
it. ^^ *" The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of
thee : but mine hand shall not be upon thee. ^^ As saith the proverb of the
ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked : but mine hand shall not be
upon thee. ^* After whom is the king of Israel come out ? after whom dost
thou pursue? "^ after a dead dog, after «*aflea. i^^The Lord therrfbre be
judge, and judge between me and thee, and 'see, and 'plead my cause, and
f deliver me out of thine hand.
^^ And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these
words unto Saul, that Saul said, * J« this thy voice, my son David ? And Saul
lifted up his voice, and wept. ^^ « j^^ he said to David, Thou art ' more
righteous than I : for ^ thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded
thee evil. ^^ And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well
with me : forasmuch as when " the Lord had f delivered me into thine hand,
thou killedst me not. ^^ For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well
away ? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me
this day. ^ And now, behold, "I know well that thou shalt surely be kmg,
and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand. ^' ^ Swear
now therefore unto me by the Lord, "" that thou wilt not cut off my seed after
me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house. ^ And
David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home ; but David and his men gat
them up unto ^ the hold.
6. The JjOTld forbid] Lit. a curse he to me firom the Lobd
{Cheten. 280^. Cp. Josh. zxU. 29; below, xxvi. 11. 1 Kings
xxi. 3. "Tnere is not in any tongue so earnest, passionate
an abnegation, abjuration, abrenundation as tins'' {Bp.
Andrewes, iv. 168V
David showed more heroism in oonqnering his own anger,
ambition, and revenge, and in roaring Saul, than in oonqaenng
Cioliatii the champion of the Philistines. 8. Chr^, in the homi-
lies quoted at the end of this chapter, p. 761.
7. suffered them not] Lit. tore them away. Cp. Qesen, 841.
18. nakedness proceedeth from the toicked] It comes from
the wicked ; but does not proceed from me.
David, though he could not but desire the accomplishment
of God's gracious promise to advance him to the Kingdom,
which was not his yet, otherwise than by God's designation, but
nnotfaer's (i« e. Saul's) ; yet when he was urged by his followers to
lay hold of a fiiir opporitunity, which, they thought, God had
put into his hand for the effect thereof, his soul did so much
nbhor the veiy mention of such a feet, that at two several times
(cp. xxvi. 11) he would not so much as take the advice into the
54
least ddiberadon, but rejected it, with an Abnt ! too. " ShaU I
lay these hands upon the Lobd'b anointed f Oodfbrbid t Ko ;
I will not do it for a kingdom ; such wicked &ct8 1 leave fbr
wicked men to act. God can, and will, in His own due time make
good His own promise without my sin. I shall be oontent to wait
His leisure, and to remain in the sad condition I now am in, till it
shall please Him to bring me out of it." Bp. Sanderson, i. 129.
Wickedness proceedeth from the uncked-^A prophetic
speech. Thy death will not be from me, who have no sudi erfl
thoughts — ^but from the wicked. And so it was : Saul perii^M
by his own wicked hands (xxxi. 4).
14. a flea'] Lit one flea : a single one ; and so 8ept^ V^U
Cp. XXVI. 20; the only other place where it is mentioned to p
Bible {Thomson).
16. Is this ihy voice, my son David f] Darid, by his tender-
ness and forbearance, heaped coals of nre — of burning ihMne,
remorsei, and love, on Saul's head. Cp. below, xxvi. 17 ; and
note on Bom. xii. 20 ; and 8. Chrys, Horn., quoted below, p. 778.
22. David— ff at ^unto the hold] David sware to Saul, nad was
true to him ; but David could not trust Sftol.
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Death of Samuel.
1 SAMUEL XXV. 1—11.
David and Nabal.
XXY. ^ And * Samuel died ; and all the Israelites were gathered together,
and ** lamented him, and buried him in his house at Bamah. And David arose,
and went down * to the wilderness of Paran.
^ And there was a man "^in Maon, whose ||posseseions were in ^ Carmel ; and
the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand
goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ' Now the name of the man
was Nabal ; and the name of his wife Abigail : and she was a woman of good
understanding, and of a beautiful countenance : but the man was churlish and
eyil in his doings ; and he was of the house of Caleb. ^ And David heard in the
wilderness that Nabal did 'shear his sheep. ^ And David sent out ten young men,
and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and
f greet him in my name : ^ And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity j
■Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thhie house, and peace be unto all that
thou hast. ^ And now I have heard that thou hast shearers : now thy
shepherds which were with us, we f hurt them not, ^ neither was there ought
missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. ^ Ask thy young men,
and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine
eyes : for we come in * a good day : give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine
hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David. ^ And when David's young
men came, they spake to Nabal according to aU those words in the name of
David, and f ceased. ^^ And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, ^ Who
is David ? and who is the son of Jesse ? there be many servants now a days
that break away every man from his master. ^^ ^ Shall I then take my bread,
and my water, and my f flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it
a ch. 28. 3.
b Num. 20. 29.
Dent, 34. 8.
c Gen. 21.21.
P«. 120. 5.
d ch. 23. 24.
I Or, buHntu,
e Jo«h. 15. 55.
f Gen. 88. 13.
2 Sam. IS. 23.
t Heb. ask him in
mff uamt of ptuee,
eh. 17.22.
g I Chron. 12. 18.
P«. 122. 7.
Luke 10. 5
f Heb. tkamid.
hver. 15,21.
i Nefa. 8. 10.
£tth. 9. 19.
t Heb. rested.
k Judg. 9. 28.
P«. 73. 7, 8. &
128. 8, 4.
1 Judg. 8. 6.
t Heb. slaughter.
Certain Psalms of David appear to be connected with the
incident! related in this chapter ; especially Psalm Ivti., see the
title to that PiBabn, "when he fled from Sanl in the cave " (" Be
mercifVil nnto me, O God ") ; and cp. Ps. Iviii., and Pb. Ixiii.,
which win be read with interest in refeorenoe to these incidents.
There are three eloquent homilies of 8. CkrytoHom, on
Sanl and David, which relate to this portion of the history :
see S, Ckrwi. xv. pp. 748—783, ed. Montfiincon. Meditat^ he
says, on this example of David ; and do thou imitate it. Imitate
it, in his self-control and in his love of his enemy. The cave
in which he was, became like a Christian Chnrch ; and he was
like a Christian Bishop, who first preaches a sermon, and then
offers the sacrifice of the altar. (On the sense in which S.
ChiTSDstom used the words, " offiBTS the saorifloe of the altar,"
see below, notes on Heb. ix. 12, p. 411.) So David preached a
sermon by his example; and offered a true sacrifice, the
^iritual sacrifice of himself, of his own anger : he became as it
were*a priest, a sacrifice, and an altar ; and having offered this
victim, he gained a glorious victory (8, Chryt,, tom. iv. p.
761).
Ch. XXV. 1. Samuel died] According to Joeepkue (vi. 18.
6) he had judged Israel twelve vears siter Eli's death, and
eighteen years together with Saul tne king : see above, on xv. 88.
After the death of Samuel the Prophet his protector and
fliend, David seemed to be more desolate, and retired to a
greater distance from the persecution of Saul.
— BamaX] where Samuel was bom and lived : see on i. 1.
— wUdemese i(f Faram] the northern tract of the desert of
Arabia : see Num. x. 12. ** Woe is me (he says, P&. cxx. 5) that
I sqjoum in Mesech, and dwdl in the tents of Eedar. My
flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no watcxr
i8"(P8.1xiu. 1; cxliii.6).
2. Moon] in the hill-oountry of Judah, where he had been
before : see xxiiL 24.
— Carmen not the Carmel on the sea-coast, celebrated in
the history of Elijah (1 Kings xviii. 19), but in the hill-country
of Judah, about a mile F.w. of Moon. It is now called Kurmul $
** where are more extensive ruins than we yet had seen an v
where unless, perhaps, at Bethel. The ruins of the town Ue
around the head, and along the two sides, of a valley, the head
of which forms a semicixcular amphitheatre shut in by rocks;
65
the bottom of which is formed by a beautifhl grass-plot with an
artificial fountain in the middle. Here Saul set up the trophy
of his victory over Amalek, and here Nabal was shearing his
sheep, when the affiiir took place in which Abigail bore so con-
spicuous a part" {Rohineonj iL 196. 199).
8. NahaV] On the meaning of which name see o. 25.
— AhigaiV] which means whoee father iejoy (Qeeen, 5).
— he was of the house of CsZsftJ Lit. and he uxte a Calebite;
which Josephus (vL 18. 6) interprets by kvvik6s, eur-Uke : and
so 8ept,t Arahict and JSjyriac ; and this seems to be the true
sense.
4. David heard in the wildemeeej of Paran : see o. 1. He
was drawn from his retreat bv these tidings.
5. ffo to Nahal, and greet him'] In all these particulars (says
Dr. Bobinson) when we were at Kurmul, taid were in the
midst of scenes memorable for the adventures of David, we
were deeply struck with the truth and strength of the biblical
description of manners and customs, almost id^tically the same
as tiiose that exist at the present day. On such a festive occa-
sion as a sheep-shearing, near a town or village, an Arab Sheikh
of the neighbouring deaert would hardly £ul to put in a word,
either in person or by message ; and his message would be a
transcript of that of David to Nabal (MoHneon, ii. 200, 201).
6. that Uveth] or, literally, to life. It seems to be a salutation
like vivae ! valeae / See Bp, Peareon on the Creed, Art. xii.,
note, p. 895.
9. and eeaaed] See Oeeen, 589. Some inte>^[>ret it ** they eat
down** waiting for a rcfdy. They added nothing of their own,
but delivered tiie message of thdr master, precisely as David had
uttered it.
11. flNjf bread] Nabal says,— my bread, my water, my flesh,
im shearars ; as if any thing were really his own, and not lent to
him by God ! Our Lord, describing the Nahal {ot foot) of the
Gospel ; who had said, ** I have no room where to bestow my
fruits ; I will pull down mff bams, and will build greater, and
there will /bestow all «^ fruits, and my goods; and I will say
to my soul. Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years;
take thine ease ; eat, drink, and be meny," adds, that Uod said
unto him, <* Thou fool (&^y)» (thou second Nahal,) this night
shiJl thy soul be requirod of thee ; and then whose shall those
thmga be winch thoa host provided ? " See below, on Luke
xiL 17—20.
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David's oath*
1 SAMUEL XXV. 12—26.
Abigail's intercession.
m ch. 80. S4.
them.
n vn. 7.
tHeb.
Ex. 14. 21.
Jobl. 10.
p ch. 20. 7.
q Deut. IS. IS.
Judg. 19 12.
rOen.Sl. IS.
Prov.18. 16.ft21
14.
I Or.
unto men, whom I know not whence they he? ^^ So Dayid's young men turned
their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings. ^^ And
Dayid said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded
on every man his sword ; and David also girded on his sword : and there went
up after David about four hundred men ; and two hundred "" abode by the
stuff.
^* But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying. Behold,
David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master ; and he
t railed on them. ^* But the men were very good unto us, and ° we were not
f hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them,
when we were in the fields : ^^ They were ** a wall unto us both by night and
day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. ^^ Now therefore
know and consider what thou wilt do; for 'evil is determined against our
master, and against all his household : for he is such a son of "^ Belial, that a
man cannot speak to him. ^^ Then Abigail made haste, and 'took two hundred
loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures
of parched com, and an hundred || clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes
B Gen. 81. 16. 20. of figs, aud IbiA them on asses. ^^ And she said unto her servants, 'Go on
before me ; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.
^ And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the
hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her ; and she met
them. 2^ Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow
hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto
him : and he hath * requited me evil for good. 22 u g^ ^^^ ^j^^j.^ ^^ ^^ q^^
unto the enemies of David, if I ' leave of all that pertain to him by the morning
light ' any that pisseth against the wall.
^ And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and ' lighted off the ass, and
fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, ^ And fell at
his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be : and let
thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine f audience, and hear the
words of thine handmaid. ^ Let not my lord, I pray thee, f regard this man
of Belial, even Nabal : for as his name is, so is he; \\ Nabal is his name, and
folly is with him : but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord,
whom thou didst send. ^ Now therefore, my lord, ^as the Lobd Uveth, and
as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath **withholden thee from coming to shed
t Ps. 109. 5.
Prov. 17. IS.
a Ruth 1. 17.
ch. S. 17. ft It.
13. 16.
z ver. S4.
7 1 Kings 14. 10.
&21.21.
2 Kings 9. 8.
I Josh.-lS. 18.
Judg. 1. 14.
t Heb. Mf».
t Heb. tmgiiio
Mtktort.
I That U. Foot.
at Kings 3. 2.
b Gen. 20. 6.
y«r. iS.
18. the ttuff^ See Oen. zzzi. 87; xlr. 20: above, x. 22;
below, zxz. 24.
17. 80% of Belial] See on Dent. ziii. 18, and Jndg. xix. 22.
20. covert qf the hiU] A deep dip into the hill, into which
she came down from the north, when David came down to it from
the sonth.
22. So and more aUo do €hd wUo—DavU^ David swears that
he will destroy eveir male of Nabal's hoosehold. Tet he did not
keep this oaA ; and he afterwards bleseed God that he was pre-
vented fiY>m keeping it (see v, 83), for he was nnder a previons
obligation to obey wd, and not to commit murder. He sinned
in swearing such an oath ; bat he wonld have sinned more, if he
had added the sin of murder to the sin of swearing a rash oath.
Here is instruction with regard to raeh oathe and unlcaoful
VOW9 : see Bp. Sanderson de Juram. iii. 16 ; and note below, on
Matt. xiv. 9. Acts xxiiL 12. Observe the contrast between the cases
of David and Herod. David is deterred by the expostulations of
Abigail, a prudent and fiur woman, from keeping his oath, and
from putting to death an evil man, Nabal; and he blesses Qod
for it. Herod is urged by Herodias and her mother, two
women fair in countenance, but foul in heart, to keep his rash
oath, and to put to death a holy man, John the Baptist ; and
56
he suffered remorse fbr doing so (Matt. xiv. 1, 2), and afterwards
fdl into greater sin, and mocked the Divine David (Luke xxiii.
11), and came to a miserable end.
— aay .... wall] any male (so B. Levi, BUae, Boohart,
KaUt Aisemann), espeoaUy the youngest boy of the &mily. See
Geeen. 853. Cp. 1 Kings xiv. 10; xvL 11 ; xxi. 21. 2 Kings
ix.8.
28. lighted off the ate] as Achash did, before her fiUiher
(Josh. XV. 18).
26. man of BeUaX\ man of nanght, a weak creature : see on
Deut xiii. 18 : above, o. 17 ; below, xxx. 22.
— Nabal is hie name, and foUy is with him] Bather, siUu
neet ie with him. He is by nature a weak creature. Do not there«
fore heed what he says. Abigail apologizes for her husband,
and represents him as offending out of stolidiW and sUUness,
rather than of malice prepense. Nabal, i. e. i^pttv, the word
used by our Lord in St. Luke's Gospel : see above, on v. 11 (from
the w(Hrd nahal, iofade away, Geeen. 528), and the Sept, here
has k^a^yfi fier* ain-ov, and Jotephue (vi. 13. 7) says that
Naj8((\or Korrk r^y 'Kfioaiwf yXStrra^ ii^poffvpiiv hjiKot, not so
strong a word as fAuplay, Job applies the word NabcU to his
wite (Job ii. 10), as Abigail does to her husband.
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David blesses Abigail.
1 SAMUEL XXV. 27— 39,
NabaVs deaths
blood, and from f" avenging thyself mth thine own hand, now *let thine
enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. ^ And now 'this
II blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be
given unto the young men that f follow my lord. ^ I pray thee, forgive the
trespass of thine handmaid : for 'the Lobd will certainly make my lord a
sure house ; because my lord » fighteth the battles of the Lord, and ** evil hath
not been found in thee all thy days. ^ Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and
to seek thy soul : but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life
with the Lord thy God ; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he * sUng
out, f as out of the middle of a sling. ^ And it shall come to pass, when the
Lord shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken
concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel ; ^^ That this
shall be f no ^ef unto thee, nor oflfence of heart unto my lord, either that
thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but
when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine
handmaid.
^ And David said to Abigail, * Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which
sent thee this day to meet me : ^ And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be
thou, which hast 'kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from
avenging myself with mine own hand. ^4 Yot in very deed, as the Lord God
of Israel liveth, which hath ° kept me back from hurting thee, except thou
hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had *" not been left unto Nabal
by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall. ^ So David received
of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, ** Go up in
peace to thine house ; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have ^ accepted
thy person.
^ And Abigail came to Nabal ; and, behold, ^ he held a feast in his house,
like the feast of a king ; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was
very drunken : wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, untU the morning
light. ^ But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of
Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him,
and he became as a stone. ^ And it came to pass about ten days after, that
the Lord smote Nabal, that he died. ^ And when David heard that Nabal
was dead, he said, 'Blessed be the Lord, that hath 'pleaded the cause of my
t Heb. saving
thyself.
c Rom. 12. 19.
d 2 Sam. 18. 82.
eOen.SS. U.
ch. SO. 26.
2 Kings 5. 15.
n Or, present.
f Heb. walk ai
the feet of, %e.
ver. 42.
Judg. 4. 10.
f2Siim. Ml, 27.
1 Kings 9. 5.
1 Chion. 17. 10,
29.
g ch. 18. 17.
heb. 24. 11.
1 Jer. Id. 18.
f Heb. in tht
midst of the
bought of a sling.
t Heb. no stagger'
ing, or, stumbling.
k Oen. 24. 27.
Ex. 18. 10.
Pa. 41. 18. 8c 72.
18.
Luke 1. 68.
1 ver. 26.
m Ter. 86.
n TOT. 28,
ch. 20. 42.
2 Sam. 15. 9.
2 Kings 5. 19.
Luke 7. 50. & 8.
48.
p Gen. 19. 21.
q 2 Sam. 18. 28.
r Ter. 82.
• ProT. 28. 88.
86. <u Kabat] weak, and ioBigniflcuLt, irnable to hxat thee;
Abigail refers to the etymology of ihe name, which means to
wither, to feule away, lilce a flower or a leaf: see v. 26.
27. Mi* blesnnsfj tlXoyla (Sept,), gifi : see Qen.zxziii. 11;
below, XXX. 26. 2 Kings ▼. 15. 2 Cor. ix. 6, 6.
29. T(Bt a num is risen] Literally, tmd a man is risen. She
spares the name of the kmg, and the case is put almost hypo-
thetically. '* Si enim snrrexerit ** ( Fulff.),
— in the bundle oflifel in the bundle of the Ueinaones wUh
the Lobd ; i. e., of those who Uoe with Jihoyah, the Eyer-liying
Onei, both in time and eternity. Cp. iyeiff^er,y. 200.
The word bundle is the same as that in (^. xliL 86. Job
xiv. 17. Prov. TiL 20, where it is rendered ba^, i. e. pnrse.
Comp. Lnke xii. 88, " bags which wax not old, a treasure in the
heavens." How expressiye therefore are the wmds of the Apostle,
who seems to refer to the same metaphor, '* Your life is hid with
Chbibt in God ** — as money in a safe treasury (Col. iii. 8).
— slinff out, as out of the middle of a sUng] from the middle,
or hollow cavity (Gen. xxxiL 25), in which the stone is placed by
the slinger in order to be slung out. This figure is adopted in Jer.
X. 18, "I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once."
80. 99hen the Lobd shaU have done to my lor^ Abigail
therefore had heard that David was appointed by God to be kSig.
Vol. IL Pabt II.— 67
81. That this shall be no grief uuto thee"] like a wise woman,
she reserves the strongest argument for the last.
" This shall be no grief unto thee*' The remembrance that
thou hast heard my prayer, and spared Nabal, shall be no grief,
literally, no offence, no stumbling-block, to thee, nor offenoe of
heart, no stone of stumbling to thy conscience : see xxiv. 5.
— either that thou hast shed blood causeless] RaUier, both
for shedding blood without a cause, and for avenging thyself,
instead of committing thy cause to God. This clause hangs upon
the foregoing word, stumbling-block. The sparing of Nabal will
be no such stumbling-block as thou wouldest have fbr kilUng
him, and fbr taking vengeance into thine own hands, instead of
reserving it to God. Cp. Bom. xii. 19, and the words of
Solomon (Prov. xx. 22), " Say not thou, I will vecompense evil;
but wait on the Lobd, and He shall save thee."
82. Blessed be the Lobd] David knew thecorruptionof hisown
heart. '* Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins,'* was
his prayer to CK>d (Ps. xix. 18) ; and if he was kept bade from
sinning, he praised God for it. Here is a double lesson to us,
not to rely on ourselves, but on Gbd's grace. See Bp. Sander^
son, i. 108, on Ps. xix. 13.
84. and come] On the unusual Hebrew form here used, tabothi^
see J^aU, Gr. § 191. 4>»^ p. 179. Cp. Dent xxxiu. 16.
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Damd takes Abigail to icife. 1 SAMUEL XXV. 40 — 44. XXVI. 1— 9. He spares Saul.
t vex. 26, 84.
a 1 Kings 2. 44.
Pt. 7. 16.
X Ruth 2. 10, 13.
Ptov. 15. 83.
t Heh. at her feet,
ver. 27.
7 Josh. 15. 56.
K ch. 27. 8. & 80.
a 2 Sam. 8. 14.
1 Phaltlel,
2 Sam. 8. 15.
b Isa. 10. 30.
a ch. 23. 19.
Ps. 54, title.
bch. 14. 60. & 17.
55.
n Or, midst of hit
carriagei,
ch. 17.20.
e 1 Chroa 2. 16.
d Judg. 7. 10, 11.
t Heb. ehttt up,
ch. 24. 18.
e ch. 24. 6, 7.
2 Sam. 1. 16.
reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath ^ kept his servant from evil : for the
Lord hath "returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head.
And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.
^^ And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they
spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.
*i And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said. Behold,
let 'thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.
^^ And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of
hers that went f after her ; and she went after the messengers of David, and
became his wife. *^ David also took Ahinoam ^ of Jezreel ; * and they were also
both of them his wives. ^ But Saul had given "Michal his daughter, David's
wife, to II Phalti the son of Laish, which was of ** Gallim.
XXVI. ^ And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, "Doth not
David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon ? ^ Then
Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand
chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. ' And
Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way.
But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after hm into
the wilderness. ^ David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was
come in very deed.
^ And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched : and
David beheld the place where Saul lay, and ^ Abner the son of Ner, the captam of
his host : and Saul lay in the || trench, and the people pitched round about him.
^ Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai "" the
son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will **go down with me to Saul
to the camp ? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. ^ go David and
Abishai came to the people by night : and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the
trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster : but Abner and the
people lay round about him. ^ Then said Abishai to David, God hath
f delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day : now therefore let me smite
him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite
him the second time. ^ And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not : • for who
89. And David sent and communed wnth Ahiffoin We are not
told how long a time elapsed between her huBband^s death and
her marriage with Dayi<L
41. hoio&i hersein She knew he wonld be king (v. 80).
48. cmd became hie vnfe'] after the death of ISabal, whose
character and acts have beaa described. S. Ambrose compares
the espoosalfl of Abigiul to David, after Nabal's death, to the
union of the Church to Christ after the cessation of its con-
nexion with heathenism (Ambroee, Epbt. 81, ad Irenem).
48. AMnoam] which means, whose brother is grace*
— JezreeU not the Jezreel in Issachar, but in Judah (Josh.
XV. 66).
44. to FhaU%] or, Fhaltiel (2 Sam. iii. 15). But David received
Michal back again after Saul's death (2 Sam. iii. 14).
— OtdUm'] between Gibeah and Jerusalem (Isa. x. 80).
Ch. XXVI. 1. And the Z^hites came'] the old enemies of
David : see xxiiL 19. In replv to the allegation of some modern
critics (such as Thenius, who has revived the ol^ections of
Ba^le), that it is not credible that the Ziphites and Saul should
have renewed their combined hostilities against David, and that
the present narrative is only a repetition c^ that in ch. xxiii., in
a modified form, the reader may refer to 2)r, Chandlef's life of
David, ch. xiii., and Keil here ; and he may be reminded of the
repeated combinations of the same foes, the Scribes and Pharisees,
against the Divine David in the Qospel (Matt. xii. 14 ; xxL 46,
46; xxii. 15, 16. John xi. 47; xviii. 8).
58
— HachUah — Jeshimon'] See xxiii 19.
2. the wHdemess qf 2XpS] That entire region is now almost
deserted, except bv Bedouin robbers, who render it as dangerous
to honest shepherds as it was in David's time : see J>r, Thomson,
p. 601.
— three thousand chosen men^ His body-guard : see xiii. 2.
6. Abishai] brother to Joab, son of David's sister Zeruiah
(1 Chron. ii. 16).
7. his we€W stuck in the ground] See on o. 11.
8. Chd hath delivered thine enemy] lum whom thou hast
saved, and who on several occasions has sought to kill thee
(xViii. 11. 25 ; xix. L 10. 15 ). Cp. Bp. Andrewes (iv. 27).
— let me smite him] At the cave of Engedi, David's men
had prompted David himself to smite Saul, whom they said the
Lord had delivered into his hand ; and David then said, " The
LoBD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the
Lobd's anointed" (xxiv. 4 — 6).
Abishai does not ask David to smite Saul, but asks his
leave that he himself may do it~" Let me smite him." David
might have pleaded that it was not his own act ; but he will
not do this. Re forbids Abidiai to smite Saul : " Destr(yr him
not: for who can sta^tch forth his hand against tiie Lord's
anointed, and be guiltless ?" For the lessons of Christian loyalty
to be derived firam these words, the reader may r^er to the
Sermon of Bp. Andrewes on this text, vcl, iv. pp. 24—42.
These inferences with regard to the dutv of reverence to kings
may be extended further, to all rulers, spintual and temporal.
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Takes his spear and cruse. 1 SAMUEL XXVI. 10—19. David's answeY to Saul.
can stretch forth his hand agamst the Lobd's anomted, and be gmltless ?
^^ David said furthermore, As the Lord liveth, 'the Lord shall smite him ; or » his
day shall come to die; or he shall ^ descend into battle, and perish. ^^^The
Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed :
but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of
water, and let us go. i^ Qq David took the spear and the cruse of water from
Saul's bolster ; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it,
neither awaked : for they were all asleep ; because ^ a deep sleep from the Lord
was fallen upon them.
1^ Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill
afar off; a great space being between them : '* And David cried to the people,
and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner ? Then
Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king ? ^* And
David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man ? and who is hke to thee in
Israel ? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king ? for there came
one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord. ^^ This thing is not good
that thou hast done. As the Lord liveth, ye are f worthy to die, because ye
have not kept your master, the Lord's anointed. And now see where the
king's spear w, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster. ^^ And Saul
knew David's voice, and said, * Is this thy voice, my son David ? And David
said, It is my voice, my lord, king. ^® And he said, "* Wherefore doth my
lord thus pursue after his servant ? for what have I done ? or what evil is in mine
hand ? ^^ Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his
servant. If the Lord have " stirred thee up against me, let him f accept an
offering : but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the Lord ;
fch. 35. 38.
Ps. 94. 1, 2, 23.
Luke 18. 7.
Rom. 13. 19.
g See Gen. 47. 29.
Deut. 31. 14.
Job 7. 1.&14.3.
Ps. 87. 18.
h ch. 31. 6.
1 ch. 24. 6, 12.
X Gen. 2. 21. M
15. 12.
f Heb. ike »otu of
death,
2 Sam. 12. 5.
1 ch. 24. 16.
mch. 24. 9» 11.
n2 8am. 16. 11.
ft 24. 1.
t Heb. smell,
Gen. 8. 21.
Lev. 26. 31.
11. ihe tpear that \b at hU hoUter, and the onue of water]
*' I noticed (says Dr, Thornton, Land and Book, p. 367), at
all the encampments which we passed, that the sheOch's tent was
distinguished from the rest by a tall spear stuck upright in the
ground in ftx)nt of it ; and it b the custom, when a party is out
on an excursion for robbery or for war, that when they halt to
rest, the spot where the chi^ reclines or rests, is thus designated.
So Saul, when he lay sleeping, had his spear stuck in the ground
at his bolster, and Abner and the people lay round about him
(1 Sam. xxvL 7). The whole of that scene is eminently Oriental
and perfectly natural, even to the deep sleep into which all had
fallen, so that David and Abishai could walk among them in
safety. The Arabs sleep heavily, especially when fatigued.
Often, when travelling, my muleteers and servants have resolved
to watch by turns in places thought to be dangerous ; but in
every instance I soon found them fiist asleep, and generally
their slumbers were so profound that I could not only walk
among them without their waking, but might have taken the
very aba with which they were covered. Then the cruse of
water at Saul's head is in exact accordance with the customs of
the people at this day. No one ventures to travd over these
deserts without his cruse of water, and it is very common to
place one at the ' bolster,' so that the owner can reach it during
the night. The Arabs CAt their dinner in the evening, and it is
generiuly of such a nature as to create thirst ; and the quantity
of water which they drink is enormous. The ontee is, there-
fore, in perpetual demand. Saul and his party lay in a shady
valley, steeped in heavy sleep, after the &tigue of a hot day.
The camp-ground of Sheikh Fareij, in WacUf Skukaiyif, is
adapted in 2l respects to be the scene of the adventure. David
from above marks the spot where the king slumbers, creeps
cautiously down, and stands over his unconscious persecutor.
Abishai asks permission to smite him once, only once, and pro-
misee not to smite a second time ; but David forbade him, and,
takinff the spear and cruse of water, ascended to the top of the
hUl arar off, and cried aloud to Abner : ' Art not thou a valiant
man ? and who is like to thee in Israel P . . As the Lord liveth,
^e are worthy to die, becauM) ye have not kept your master.
the Lord's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is,
and the cruse of water that was at his bolster ' (1 Sam. xxvi.
15, 16). What a strange sensation must have run through the
camp as David's voice rang out these cutting taunts fVom the
top of the hill ! But David was perfectly safe, and there are
thousands of ravines where the whole scene could be enacted,
every word be heard, and yet the speaker be quite beyond the
reach of his enemies."
The spear was the emblem of royalty, and this taking away
of the spear from Saul's head as he slept was like an omen of
the transfer of his royalty to David {Bp. Patrich),
14. David cried to the people, and to Abner] He did not
make an appeal now to Saul (as he had done before, xziv. 9),
having had bitter experience of his faithlessness.
16, worthy to die] Literally, eone qf death,
17. Is thu thy voice, my son JUavidf] See above, xxiv.
16.
19. lei him accept an offering Literally, let him smell (as a
tweet savour^ an offering (see Gen. viii. 21; xxvii. 27. Oesen,
760); literally, a minchah or y\/t (Lev. ii. 1). If the Lord
have stirred thee up against me, for any &nlt of mine [cp. the
case of Absalom's sin (2 Sam. xii. 11), and of Shimei's (2 Sun.
xvL 10), and of David's (2 Sam. xxiv. 10), and the note there],
let me know mine offence, and I am ready to make an offering
fbr it to the Lord, that I may be forgiven : so the Arabia
Vernon, and Chaldee Targum, Others suppose that David
suggests to Saul that The should offer a sacrifice to Gk>d, in order
that he may be relieved of his unworthy suspicions; but the
other interpretation seems preferable.
— ifitiej be the children of men] Without any offence of mine.
•— cursed be they before ihe LoBp] David does not utter a
wish, but states a fact; he does not pray that they may be
cursed, but he asserts that they are incurring a curse from Ood
by driving him from Qod's sanctuary, and fix>m communion
with GKxi's people.
The F«/$r. translates the words well "maledictinfii^.'" not
'' maledicti sint ;" and in our Authorized Yerrion the word he if
equivalent to are,
12
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Saul's confession. 1 SAMUEL XXVI. 20—25. XXVII. 1—8. David's flight to Goth.
Deut. 4. S8.
Ps. 120. 5.
t Heb. eltaving.
p 3 Sam. 14. 16.
& 20. 19.
q ch. 24. 14.
r ch. 15. 24. ft 24.
17.
I ch. 18. 80.
t Pt. 7. 8. ft 18.
20.
11 Oen. 82. 28.
t Heb. b* eon-
sumed.
a ch. 25. IS.
bcb.21. 10.
c ch. 25. 43.
** for they have driven me out this day from f abiding in the ^ inheritance of the
Lord, saying, Go, serve other gods, ^o j^q^ therefore, let not my blood fall
to the earth before the face of the Lobd : for the king of Israel is come out to
seek "* a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.
21 Then said Saul, 'I have sinned : return, my son David : for I will no more
do thee harm, because my soul was 'precious in thine eyes this day:
behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly. ^ Aai David
answered and said. Behold the king's spear ! and let one of the young men
come over and fetch it. ^ * The Lord render to every man his righteousness
and his faithfulness : for the Lord delivered thee into my hand to day, but I
would not stretch forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed. ^ And,
behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be
much set by in the eyes of the Lord, and let him deliver me out of all
tribulation. ^ Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David : thon
shalt both do great things, and also shalt still "prevail. So David went on his
way, and Saul returned to his place.
XXVII. ^ And David said in his ^eart, I shall now f perish one day by the
hand of Saul : there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape
into the land of the Philistines ; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any
more in any coast of Israel : so shall I escape out of his hand. ^ j^^ David
arose, •and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him **unto
Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath. * And David dwelt with Achish at
Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David ^^ with his two
wives, Ahinoam the JezreeUtess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.
— iotfinff, €h, serve other gods] He does not so mach quote
their words as represent the tendency of £heir acts (Keil),
20. let not my blood fall to the earth before the face </the
Lobd] for He will surely avenge it. The word here renaered
before is neged with m prefix, and is rendered by some far fi-om,
as in Ps. xxxviiL 11 (so Keil), Drive me not to a foreign land
that my blood may be spilt there. But the former interpreta-
tion seems preferable, and this sense of muneged is illustrated by
Gen. xxi. 16, and other passages : see Qeeen, 531.
— a partridge] Heb. hori. The word is only found here,
and in Jer. xvii. 11. Its name is derived from the Hebrew hara,
to cry. The Sept. renders it by yvxriKSpai : Vulg, and other
ancient versions by perdix, partridge ; and this seems to be
the right rendering.
Ths sense is. Thou, tlie King of Israel, huntest me, who am
not worth thy pains ; and thou doest it in strange places ; and
when thou mightest employ thy time in other pursuits, as in
conquests over tlie enemies of IsraeL As if a hunter, who might
find coveys of partridges in the^^, should leave the lowlands,
and oome and range ulo mounteUnt in quest of some one solitary
bird. The species of partridge here described is probably that
which when chased will not nse into the air, but runs rapidly
along the gpround, and which is pursued by the Arabs, and when
weary and can run no further, is knocked down by them with
their staves. Shaw, Travels, p. 236. Cp. iTiner, R. W . B. ii. 307.
David's language in Ps. xL is very appropriate here, and
seems to have been suggested by the incidents in the text, — " In
the Lord put I my trust : bow say ye then to my soul that she
should flee, as a bird utUo the hill?**
20. thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still
prevaiT] Saul is here also " among the prophets," and foretells
David's exaltation and victory. ** Vicisti, Nazarene I" was the
exclamation of Julian.
Ch. XXVII. L I shall now perish] These words, extorted
from David, prove Saul's faithlessness and impenitence— like that
of Pharaoh—after protestations of remorse : see ch. xivi. 21. This
narrative prepares us for Saul's desperate resolve, described in
the next chapter ; and it accounts for God's refusal to hear him.
There was some infirmity in this act of David, saying that he
should perish by the hand of Saul. It may be compaired with the
60
temporary weakness of Abraham, leading him to dissemble^ Ant
with Pharaoh, and afterwards with Abimelech (G^n. xx. 12).
Although David had a promise of the kingdom from God, yet
he feared that he should perish one day by the hand of Saul ;
and in a kind of distrust of God's truth and protection, he ven>
tured so far upon his own head, never so much as asking counsel
at the hand of God, as to expose himself to great inconveniences,
hazards, and temptations, in the midst of a hostile and idolatrous
people ; and he was sensible of the imperfection, and acknow-
ledgeth it as an infirmity, and striveth against it (Ps. IxxviL
10—12). Bp, Sanderson (i. 414).
— there is nothing better for me than] Literally, there is not
any good for me here : but I will escape into the land qf the
Philistines, That which he had most deprecated (xxvi. 19),
" They have driven me out from abiding in the inheritance of
the Lord," is liow forced upon him by Saul.
Here was another sign of distrust in David, of which he
afterwards repented. He says, there is nothing good for him in
the land of Israel. But he afterward said, " It is good for me to
hold me fast by God j to put my trust in the Lord God " (Pft.
Ixxiii. 27) ; and he censured those who said, " Who will show us
any good ? Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance
upon us " (Ps. iv. 6), and he encouragidd himself in the LOBB
his God : see below, xxx. 6.
2. Achish] See xxi. 11. 1 l^mgs ii. 89. Whether this
Achish is the same person as there mentioned, or whether Achish
may not have been an official title of the princes of Gath, cannot
be determined.
8. Ahinoam the JezreeUtess, and Abigail the Carmelitess']
Ahinoam means my brother is delight i and Jezreel signifies
sown of God, Abigait means my father is eataUatioH ; and
Carmel meanafrui^l field.
Some of t^ ancient Fathers regard the wives of David aa
types of Christian Churches (see Ambrose, Epist. 31); and
these names might be applied in a spiritual sense td Churches
of Christ.
David was a type of Christ ; but what in the human type
was sinful, was, as it were, purified from its sinfulness in the
Divine Antitype. David sinned in taking many wives; but
Christ's love is seen in His spiritual union with all Churches
and with fidthfiil souls in them : see beloW, 2 S4in. v. 18.
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David at Ziklag. 1 SAMUEL XXVn. 4—12. XXVm. 1—4.
Wizards^
^ And it was told Sanl that David was fled to Gath : and he sought no more
again for him.
^ And David said mito Achish, If I have now fomid grace in thine eyes, let
them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there :
for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee ? ^ Then Achish
gave him Ziklag that day : wherefore ^ Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah
unto this day. ^ And f the time that David dwelt in the country of the
Philistines was f a full year and four months.
® And David and his men went up, and invaded 'the Geshurites, 'and the
II Gezrites, and the ^ Amalekites : for those nations were of old the inhabitants of
the land, ^as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. ^ And David
smote the land, and left neither man nor woman aHve, and took away the
sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and
returned, and came to Achish. ^^ And Achish said, || Whither have ye made a
road to day ? And David said. Against the south of Judah, and against the
south of * the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of ""the Kenites. ^^ And
David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest
they should tell on us, saying. So did David, and so will he his manner all the
whUe he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines. ^^ And Achish believed
David, saying. He hath made his people Israel \ utterly to abhor him ; there-
fore he shall be my servant for ever.
XXVUl. ^ And "it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered
their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto
David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou
and thy men. ^ And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy
servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper
of mine head for ever.
' Now ^ Samuel Was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him
in Bamah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away ^ those that had
familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. ^ And the Philistines
d See Josh. 15.
81. ft 19. 0.
tHeb.lA«fi
h€r of daft,
t Heb. a year of
doffi.
See ch. 29. 8.
e Josh. IS. I.
f Josh. 16. 10.
Judg. 1. 29.
I Or, GtrnUti.
g Ex. 17. 16.
See ch. 15. 7. 8
h Gen. 25. 1&
I Or, Did ye« iwt
mutk* a romd, ^.
1 See 1 Chxon. S.
9,25.
k Judg. 1. n.
tHeb.to«Ma.
a ch. 29. 1.
b ch. 25. 1.
c ver. 9.
Ex. St. 18.
Lev. 19. 81. ft 20.
27.
Deat. 18. 10, U.
6. ZiJklaff'} on the west side of the sonth ooantrr of Judah :
■ee JoBh. XY. 31. Here, or in its neighbonrhooct David so-
jonrned for a year and four months ; cp. xxx. 14. 26. 1 Chron.
xiL 1 — 7. 20, where is a list of the mighty men who came to
him there ; and there he received the tidings of Saol's death
(2 Sam. i. 1 ; iv. 10) : its exact site has not been determined :
see Orove, B. D. ii. 1851. It has been conjectured to be at
AtU^, three hours B. of 8ehata (Sowlandt, JRobinsan, WUton),
7. a fitU year] Literally, day 9, Cp. Ley. xxy. 22 ; alwve, L
8.20; u. 19.
t. went up] to the moontainoos region, sonth of Judah* and
north of Paran.
— Qeshwritei] on the south of Fhilistia : see Josh. xiiL 2.
They and the Qezritee were Canaanites, whom Qod had com-
manded Israel to dispossess (Orotiut), David was not a private
person, but had been anointed king of Israel, and acted as such
{A Lapide),
— Amalekites] who were under the Divine malediction for
their cruelty and treachery toward Israel : see above, rv. 1, 2.
10. IFhither] So the ancient versions render the Hebrew el
here: cp. Oeten, 46. Some modem expositors interpret it as
equivalent to an interrogative not: "Te have not made any
excursion to-day, have ye ? " Compare the margin here, and
Qesen,, p. 44 Keil, p. 188.
— Against the south of JudoK] Here David is betrayed into
an equivocation by his distrust in CK>d, and by his recourse to
Achidi : see on 9. 1.
It was true that the country on which he had made an in-
vasion was to the south of Judah, and of the regions here
mentioned ; but it was not true that it was the land of Israel, or
of their allies, as Achish was led to believe (t>. 12). Cp. on xxL 1.
61
— JerahmeeUtes] the descendants of Jerahmeel, the first-
born of Hezron, the grandson of Judah (1 Chron. ii. 9. 25).
— Kemtes] who were under the protection of Judah (Judg.
i. 16).
11. ^ did David, and so will be his manner] Bather, so
did David, Here should be a full stop ; and here the lustorian
makes an addition of his own : and so was his manner all the
while he dwelt in the country of the Philistines, So Sept,,
Vulg,, Syriac, Arabic, Targum, The sacred historian does not
disrase from the reader, that David resorted to unworthy shifts
and prevarications, and to acts, it may be, of cruelty. Such
were the results of his want of trust in the Divine Providence
and protection (see v, 1), and of his looking for aid and defence to
the arm of flesh, particularly to the enemies of Gk>d and His
Church — the Philistines — ^instead of relying upon (Jod. Here is
a proof of ingenuousness and veracity in the historian ; and these
incidents in David's life are recorded as a warning to men and
churches, that they should not resort to doubtful expedients, but
cleave sted&stly to Qod in all dangers and adversities. Cp. xxL 1.
Ch. XXVIIL 2. thou shaU know what thy servant can do]
David does not promise his own cO-operation agwnst IsraeL His
answer is ambiguous ; and here is another evidence of the effects
of his distrust in GK)d : cp. xxvii. 10, 11. But God mercifully
interfered to deliver him from the dikmfaa in which he had
placed himself: see xxix. 4.
8. Samuel was dead] See xxv. 1.
4. Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits^ and
the wizards] The command of the Levitical law was, "Thou
shalt not suffer a witch to live '* (Exod. xxii. 18. Lev. xx. 27).
Saul had put away, not destroyed, those that had familiar spirita
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God does not answer Saul. 1 SAMUEL XXVIII. 5 — 12. Savi resorts to witchcraft;.
d Joth. 19. 18.
2 Kings 4. 8.
ech.81.1.
f Job 18. 11.
gch. 14.37.
Prov. 1. 28.
Lam. 2. 9.
h Num. 12. 6.
i Ex. 28. SO.
Num. 27. 31.
Deut. S3. 8.
kDeut. 18.11.
1 Chron. 10. 18.
Iia. 8. 19.
1 ver. 8.
gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in ** Shmiem : and Saul
gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in ' Gilboa. ^ And when Saul
saw the host of the Philistines, he was ^afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
* And when Saul enquired of the Lord, *the Lord answered him not, neither
by ^ dreams, nor * by Urim, nor by prophets. ^ Then said Saul unto his
servants. Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her,
and enquire of her. And his servants said to him. Behold, th^e is a woman
that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor.
® And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and
two men with him, and they came to the woman by night : and ^ he said, I
pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I
shall name unto thee. ^ And the woman said unto him. Behold, thou knowest
what Saul hath done, how he hath ^ cut off those that have familiar spirits, and
the wizards, out of the land : wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life,
to cause me to die ? ^^ And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying. As the
Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. ^^ Then
said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee ? And he said. Bring me
up Samuel.
^2 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice : and the
(ohoth : see Ley. zix. 31), and the wizards : see Lev. xii. 81 ; xz.
6. Deat. xviii. 11.
— Shunem] in the tribe of Issachar (cp. Josh. xix. 18), now
Sulem, or Sotem, on the eastern side of the plain of Jezi^, or
EsdraeUm, about dght miles s.w. of Mount Tabor, about a mile
to the south of Kain, and about four to the Bouth of Nazareth
(Bobmson, iii. 169. Vandevelde, p. 349).
It was the native place of Abishag, " the Shunammite'' (1
Kings i. 8), and was afterwards the scene of Elisha's mirade,
related in 2 Kings iv. 8; and the neighbourhood had been
rendered illustrious by the victories of Deborah and Qidoon over
the enemies of Israel ( Judg. iv. 7 ; vii. 1 — 22), but now it was
to be made memorable by a very different event.
Sulem affords an admirable camp-ground for a large army,
Jehel-eUDuhy rising abruptly behind it, and the top of it com-
manding a pOTfect view of the great plain in everv direction, so
that there could be no surprise, nor their march be impeded,
or retreat cut off (^Thomson, p. 451).
— in CHlboa] now Jelbon (Bobinson, iii. 157, 168. Van'
develde, 316). The mountain range of Gilboa, now called Jebel
ihikuah, rises on the eastern side of the plain of Esdraelon, and
extends its white, bleak, barren clifb ten miles, from west to
east {Porter, Thomson). The Philistines had now penetrated
into the very heart of the country, and the king of Israel and
hlB army lay to the south of them, at Qilboa.
6. Saul enquired of the Lobd] In 1 Chron. x. 14 it is said
that Saul did ** not inquire of the Lobp," and that therefore
*' He slew Him.'^ But the word there used in the original is
different. The word here used is ehaaU to ath ; there, it is
darath, to eeeh dUigentUf, Saul did, indeed, ask of God, but
he did not seek diUgentUf to Him ; and the difference is strongly
marked in that passage (1 Chron. x. 13), where it is said that
he did ask of the familiar spirit : he did seek diligently to it :
cp. Aaron Pick, Pref. to Hebr. Concordance.
— the Lobd answered him nof] for Saul was persisting
obstinately in his iniquity. He had killed the Lord's priests,
and had not repented of his sin in persecuting David, whom he
did not allow to return to his own land; and his unhappy
temper is shown by his resort to witchcraft, which God com-
manded to be exterminated, and which he himself, in a better
mood, had put away (©. 4). Therefore God hid His fece from
him.
— hy ITnm] on the High Priest's Ephod : see Exod. xxviii.
80. It seems that Abiathar himself, the High Priest who had
the ephod, l^id been compelled to flee to David to Ziklag
(see XXX. 7; and cp. xxiii. 6); and it is supposed by
some (as Kimohi) that Saul sent to Abiathar to ask counsel
by him. In v. 15, Saul does not mention the Urim : see note
there.
62
SaUIi Ain> THB WiTOH AT EhDOB.
7. Seek me a woman thai hath a familiar spiriQ Literally,
one who is mistress of an ob : see Lev. xix. 31.
— En-dor"] still bearing its ancient name, a village on the
northern side of Jebel Duhy, or Little Hermon, about a mile to
the east of Nain, and four miles to the south of Mount Tabor
{Robinson, iii. 218. 225. Tristram, p. 127), where is a view of
Mount Tabor from Endoor. Cp. p. 502.
The name Endor occurs m the record of Deborah's victory
over Sisera, as desmbed by the Psalmist ^s. IxxxiiL 9, 10).
8. Saul disguised himself . . . . 6y ntghf] It was a fearftd
ride (says Dr, Thomson, p. 451) that dark night; for the Philis-
tines lay encamped in Shunem, between Said's camp at CKlboa
and Endor. Saul probably kept to the east of Jezreel, erossed
the valley below Am Jalud, and thence over the shoulder of
Jebel-el-Duhtf to Endor.
— bring me him up] from Sheol, or the place of departed
spirits. Since God and the holy angels are in heaven above, and
the spirits of the faiths departed are not yet in glory, and
those of the ungodly are in misery, it could not be otherwise
than that an evocation of a spirit should be called a bringing
up; and the holy Apostles speak of their abode as the lower
parts of the earth (see below, on Eph. iv. 9. 1 Pet. iiL 19) ; and
the Christian Church has adopted this language into her creed,
when she says that Christ in His human so^ descended into
Hades ; without professing to determine the exact local relation
of Sheol or Hades to the earth in which we dwell.
U, 18. Bring me up Samuel — And when the woman sano
SamueV] Was the soid of Samuel really seen by the woman;
and was it Samuel who spoke to Saul P
(1) The Sacred Historian appears distinctly to assert that
it was Samuel. He says (t>. 12) the woman saw Samuel:
{v. 14) Saul perceived that it was Samuel : (t>. 15) and Samuel
said to Saul : (and so v, 16, and v. 20) Saul fell on the earth
because of the words of Samuel,
(2) The ancient Hebrew Church appears also to have been of
opinion that it was Samuel ;
In Ecclus. xlvi. 20 it is recorded of Samuel that ** after his
death, he prophesied, and showed the king his end."
In the Septuagint Version, made by Jews, we find an addi-
tion at 1 Chron. x. 13 : " Saul asked counsel of her that had a
familiar spirit, to inquire of her; and Samuel made answer to
hun."
In his history of the Jews, Josephus affirms that it was
Samuel who appeared and prophesied to Saul (Antt. vi. 14. 2).
This opinion is entertained by all the Jewish Expositors,
"fiiisse verum Samuelem statuunt Judffii ad unum omnes*'
{Pfeiffer, Dubia, p. 201).
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Samuel appears
1 SAMUEL XXVm. 13-
to the witch at Endor.
woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thon deceived me ? for thon art Saul.
^^ And the king said unto her, Be not afraid : for what sawest thou ? And
Tlin
Early Christian writers agreed with the Hebrew ChnrcK
bus Justin Martyr (c. Trypho. § 105) says, " That the sonl
lives after death, I have shown from the fact that the soul
of Samuel was broneht op by the woman with a &miliar spirit^
as Saul had desired/'
The same is asserted by Origen, in his second homily on this
book (torn. iL pp. 490 — 496), where he examines and coniutee the
opinion of those who alleged that it was only a phantom like
Samuel which appeared to the sorceress, and which spoke to
SauL 8, Sippofytut, the celebrated Bishop of Portus Bomanns,
in the third century, wrote a treatise on the Witch of Endor,
but it is not now ertant.
S, Ambrose (in Luc. tab. i.) expresses the same opinion,
"Samuel, post mortem, secunaum Scripturss testimonium,
ftitura non tacuit.''
8, JMgustine, after a discussion of the question in his former
treatises, De divers. Qucest. ad Simplicianum, ii. Qu. 8, andDeOcto
Dulcitii QusBstionibus, Qu. 6, appears to have made up his mind
in a later work, De Cur& pro Mortuis agend&, cap. 15, and com-
pares the appearance of Samuel to that of Moses and Elias at
the Transfiguration (Matt, xvii 8. Luke ix. 80). 8, JBaeU,
Epist. 80 ; a. Oregorv Nazian^ Orat. iii. ; 8. Jerome in Esaiam,
c vii.; Tkeodoret, Qu. 68.; 8ulp. 8everue, Hist. lib. L; Ivo
Veronensie de Resur., are of the same opinion, which is adopted
by many expositors, Abulensie, Cafetanus, Lyra, Hugo, Cor^
nelius a Lapide, ToetcUue, SaneUut s and, hesitatingly, by
NataUs Alexander, Hist. Ecdes. iii. 124 ; Wouvers, and others ;
and in more recent times, bv Dr. Waterland, in an excellent
sermon on this subject (vol. ix. p. 411) ; see also Dr. Kitto (p.
294— 298), and among later German writers, Oerlach, DeUtesck,
Stroehel, and KeU. In the heading of the chapter in our
Authorized Version we read, ** The witch ndseth up Samuel."
On the other side TertulUan de Anima, c. 67; 8. Cyril
Alex, de Adorat. 187 — 191, may be cited, and a sentence of
8. Jerome in Matt. vi. 84^ where he says, *' In Samuelis phan-
tasmate PythonisBa loquitur ad Saulem, Cras eris mecum;"
Eustaih. Antioch., Bibl. Patr. Max. torn, xxviii. ; Qalland. iv.
541 ; and so Luther, Cahin, Bp. Mall, Bp. Patrick, and M.
Henry.
The opinion that it was Samuel who appeared, seems most
probable.
The arguments which are alleged by those on the other
nde, who are of opinion that it was only a spectral illusion,
like to Samuel, which appeared to the sorceress, and which
spoke to Saul, and not the spirit of Samuel himself, are these :-~
(1) It is not likely that Gk>d would have allowed a witch
to bring up the holy prophet by her magical art. But here we
may reply, — It is not said that she brought up Samuel: indeed
it appears, that before she had time to resort to her magical arts,
or, at least, before she had gone through the mysterious process
of her incantations, the spirit of Samuel suddenly appeared, to
her great surprise, so that it could not be said that she had
brought him up. She was g^reatly amazed and terrified, and
cried with a loud voice when Samuel appeared. It was not the
witch who brought up Samuel, but it was Almighty God who
punished her for her sorceries, and who also punished Saul for
his sin in resorting to them, and for asking the witch to bring
up SamueL CK>d punished them both by the very means which
they had employed. He used their own instruments against
them. As He says by Ezekiel (xiv. 4. 7), " The Lobd will
answer him that oomeith " (m an idolater) " according to the
multitude of his idols. I will answer him bv Myself, and will
set My feoe against that man." God sent rorth the spirit of
Samuel the Jnx>phet, to confound the witch in her witchcraft,
and to do his work of a prophet even after death, and to pronounce
sentence on the king for his sins, and to foretell to him his
erasing death.
(2) Samuel says to Saul, " Why hast thou disquieted me to
bring me up P" Hence it is alleged, that God would not have
allowed the soul of his faithful servant to be disquieted in his
rq^KJee by Saul or by a sorceress.
But Samuel might well complain of Saul's sin, as the cause
of his mission, without in any way imputing any thing to God
Who sent him. He might also well complain that Saul had
resorted to magical arts in order to bring him up, and he might
well be ^turbai by godly sorrow and indignation on this account.
He could not but grieve for Saul ; and this declaration of his
own disquietude is a beautifxil trait in his character : it is a
sympathetic expression of sorrow for Saul's lamentable fall,
which was the occasion to Samuel of bdng the messenger of
evil tidings to Saul — tidings that might bring tears into the eyes
of the holy angels. Even the Holy One of God, Who dwells
in heavenly bliss, said to Saul of Tarsus, on his way to Damascus,
« Saul ! Saul i why persecutest thou Me ?" (Acts ix. 4.)
It is not to be ruferred from this history, that Sorcerers
and Necromancers have power to disturb the repose of the de-
parted spirits of the righteous; but Holy Scripture teaches in
this narrative, that, for adequate reasons, God may employ the
spirits of his Prophets to amaze and confound those who practise
such evil arts, and to punish those who resort to them.
(8) It is otrjected, that the words of the Spirit to Saul, " To-
morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me '* (v. 19), coidd not
have proceeded from Samuel himself, inasmuch as Saul did not
die on the following day ; and the soul of Saul after death can-
not be supposed to nave been with that of Samuel ;
But to this it may be replied, with 8. Jerome (on Matt,
vi. 84), that, according to Hebrew usage, the Hebrew word
mdchar (to-morrow) does not here mean uie next day, but some
near ftiture time. (^. Exod. xiii. 14. Deut. viii. 20. Josh.iv. 6;
xxii. 24. Isa. xxii. 18. Qesen. 466. Cp. 1 Cor. xv. 22. And,
in saying, " Thou shalt he with me," Samuel does not pronounce
Saurs £ial condemnation ; for he had no mission to do so, but
rather draws him by tenderness to a better mind. He uses a
mild and charitable expression (as St. Paul does in 1 Cor. xi. 80)
applicable to all, whether ^ood or bad, " Thou shalt be as I am,
no longer among the living." In the vision of the werld of
spirits, revealed to us b^ our Blessed Lord, the souls of Dives
and Lazarus may be said to be together in the abode of de-
parted spirits, for Dives saw Lazarus and conversed with Abra-
ham (Luke xvi. 28), though there was a gulf fixed between them.
If Samuel had said to Saul, "Thou shalt be among the
damned," he would have crushed him with a weight of despair,
and have hardened him in his impenitence ; but by using this
g^tler expression he mildly exhorted him to repentance.
While there was life, there was hope: the door was still open,
and by ^leaking of to-morrow he urged him not to delay his
repentance j and if Saul had listened to the warning of Samuel,
even then, who can say that he might not have been raised
again into the fiivour of God, and have been numbered hereafter
with the penitent to whom the Lord said, " To-day thou shalt
be witkMe in Pkradise V* (Luke xxiii. 48. Cp. Heb. iii. 14, 15.)
It is well sidd by 8. Augustine (ad Simplician.), " Meoum eris
non ad equalitatem felicitates, sed ad parem conmtionem mortis
referatur; quod uterque homo ftierit, et uterque mori potuerit;
jamque mortuus (Samuel) mortem vivo (Sauli) denuntiabat."
This hbtory is fraught with spiritual instruction.
(1) It contains a dear, divine testimony to the existence of
the human soul after death. Samuel had been dead several
years (xxv. 1), but his soul was alive : his soul appears here and
speaks to Saul.
' (2) It shows the bitter consequences of being forsaken of
God, and supplies a solemn warning against disobedience and im-
penitence, and against the sin of stifling God's voice speaking
by Holy Scripture ; and of resorting to familiar spirits, or to any
other imlawful means, for counsel and guidance.
Saul, at the beginning of his reign, had been endued with
many g^ifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, but he had disobeved
God in not wiuting fbr Samuel (xiii. 9), and in the mission against
Amalek (xv. 10 — ^22); and Samuel, when alive, had pronounced
God's judgments against him for his disobedience ; but Saul had
not profited by the warning; and God took away His Spirit
from him, and Saul was visited by an evil spirit, ana slew wd's
priests, and persecuted David; and though God strove with
him still, and endeavoured to bring him to repentance, espedally
by means of David, who twice spared his life : yet though Saul
was touched for a time with remorse, he haraened his heart
more and more, and God became his enemy, and answered him
not by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets; and in an hour
of deep distress and despondency SaxH resorted to witchcraft
for counsel, and was caught in his own device ; and God met
him, as He met Balaam when he sought for enchantments, and
spoke to him with the stem voice of prophecy, and pronounced
upon him his own doom. Therefore we may well pray, « From
hardness of heart, and contempt of Thy Word and Command-
ment, Good Lord, deliver us !"
12. thou art Saul'] Probably Samuel had revealed this to her
(Josephus, vi. 14. 2). Samuel saw through Saul's disguise (o S),
which had deceived her whom Saul came to oonsult, and he
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Savl perceives Samuel. 1 SAMUEL XXVlJi. 14 — 26. Samuel prophesies to Saul.
m Ex. 22. 28.
t Heb. What U
his form?
D ch. 15. 27.
8 Kings 2. 8, 18.
oProv. 5.11, 12,
18. & 14. 14.
p ch. 18. 12.
q ver. 8.
t Heb. fry tht
ktmd of prophet*.
B Or, for himself,
Prov. 16. 4.
rch. 15. 28.
iHtb. mine hand.
• ch. 15. 9.
1 Kings 20. 42.
I Chron. 10. 18.
Jer. 48. 10.
t Heb. Made
haste, and fell
with thefulneee
of hii eiature.
t Judg. 12. 8.
ch. 19. 5.
Job 13. 14.
the woman said unto Saul, I saw " gods ascending out of the earth. ^* And he
said unto her, f What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up ;
and he is covered with *" a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel,
and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. ^* And
Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up ? And
Saul answered, **I am sore distressed ; for the Philistines make war against me,
and ^ God is departed jfrom me, and *» answereth me no more, neither f by
prophets, nor by dreams : therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make
known unto me what I shall do. ^^ Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost
thou ask of me, seeing the Lobd is departed from thee, and is become thine
enemy ? ^^ And the Lord hath done || to him, ' as he spake by f me : for the
Lobd hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour,
even to David: ^®" Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor
executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this
thing unto thee this day. ^^ Moreover the Lord wUl also deliver Israel with
thee into the hand of iJie Philistines : and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons
be with me : the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the
Philistines.
^ Then Saul f fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid,
because of the words of Samuel : and there was no strength in him ; for he had
eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. ^^ And the woman came unto
Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine
handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have * put my life in my hand, and have
hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me. ^ Now therefore, I
pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a
morsel of bread before thee ; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when
thou goest on thy way. ^ But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his
servants, together with the woman, compelled him ; and he hearkened unto
their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed. ^ And the
woman had a fat palf in the house ; and she hasted, and killed it, and took
flour, and kneaded tY, and did bake unleavened bread thereof : ^ And she
tpoke to Saul, as Saul (v. 16). So Ahnah the prophet,
though blind by age, saw through the disg^uue of the wife of
Jeroboam (1 Kings xiv. 2. 6).
18. I saw goaa] JBlohim, which may signify prineea or
judges, Exod. xxi. 6; xxii. 7. Ps. Ixxxii. 1. 6. AZapide here,
and Oessn, 49, suppose it to signify a god-like form — something
awMly miy'estic and august ; and Saul seems to have under-
stood the woman as speaking of some single apparition, for he
says, "What form is he of P'^
-- oui of the earthy See on t». 8. The abode of departed
spirits in Sheol may hence be inferred to be below the earth ; at
any rate, the departed spirits of the righteous, which are " in
Abraham's bosom" (see Luke xvi. 22, 23), or "Paradise" (see
Luke xxili. 43), are not yet in heaven; nor will they be in
heaven, till their bodies are raised at the general Resurrection,
and are joined again to their souls, and they receive their reward
of heavenly bliss at the I^v of Judgment from the lips of Jesus
Chbist, the Judge of quick aqd dead.
U. a mantle^ Hebrew meU : such as Samuel wore in his life-
time (xv. 27).
It is objected. How could a spirit be clothed P
The answer is—God designai that the spirit of Samuel
should be recognized by human eyes, and how could this have
been done but by means of such olgepts as are visible to human
sense ? Our Lord speaks of the tongue of the disembodied spirit
of Dives, in order to give us an idea of his sufferings ; and at
the Transfiguration He presented the form of Moses in such
a garb to the three disciples as might enable them to recognize
him as Moses.
15. TF^j^ hast thou disquieted mef] The Hebrew verb here
64
used is the hiphil form of rag at, to be stirred with any emotioii»
whether of anger, or sorrow, or fear : see Deut. ii. 26. F^. iv. 4.
Prov. xxix. 9. Isa. xxxii. 11. Cp. Oesen, 756.
— answereth me no more, neither hy prophets, nor hv dreams']
Why does not Saul mention the Urim, wMch is specified by the
sacred historian (v, 6), and which was the principal means of
learning the Divine Will P
Probably Saul's conscience smote him for having murdered
Ahimelech the priest, who had the Urim, and for having killed
eighty-four other priests at Nob (xxii. 18), and he did not dare
to speak to Samuel of the Urim which had been worn by the
priest whom he had slain. How natural this is !
17. hath done to him"] Rather, hath wrought for Simself,
for His own glory and truth : though thou hast resisted Him,
God has worked out his own purposes by thee, as He did by
Pharaoh of old (Exod. ix. 6).
— to David] whom Samuel had not mentioned by name to
Saul in his own lifetime (cp. xv. 28), lest he should excite Saul's
envy against David ; but now that Saul was about to die, this
testimopiy was very seasonable, being made in the hearing of
Saul's companions («. 8; v. 28), and being thus an additional
guarantee for Dayid's succession to the tl^ne. It was a pro-
clamation of David's royalty.
An evil spirit personating Samuel wot|ld not have spoken
thus: he would not have wished to help David, the man of
God's choice, the "man after God's own heart," to the throne of
Israel ; nor would an evil spirit have spoken in such solenm terms
of the punishment due to rebellion against God : see ev. 18, 19.
Here is another evidence that the Appearance was Samuel himself.
81. I have put my life in my hand] See six. 6.
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Philistines send David away. 1 SAMUEL XXIX. 1—11. XXX. 1—5. Ziklag lumt.
e Dan. 6. 5.
brought it before Saul, and before his servants ; and they did eQ,t. Then they
rose up, and went away that night.
XXIX. 1 Now *the Phihstines gathered together all their armies ** to j^h. 28.^1.
Aphek : and the IsraeUtes pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel. ^ And the
lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands : but David
and his men passed on in the rereward *^ with Achish. * Then said the princes c ch. 28. 1, 2.
of the Phihstines, What d^ these Hebrews here ? And Achish said unto the
princes of the Phihstines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of
Israel, which hath been with me ^ these days, or these years, and I have ^ found d seech. 27. 7.
no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day ? * And the princes of the
Phihstines were wroth with him ; and the princes of the Phihstines said unto
him, '^Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou f 1 chron. 12. 19,
hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest ^in the 8A«ch.i4 21.
battle he be an adversary to us : for wherewith should he reconcile himself
unto his master ? should it not he with the hes|.ds of these men ? ^ Is not this
David, of whom they sai^g one to another in dances, sf^ying, ^ Saul slew his h ch. is. 1,
thousands, and David his ten thousands ?
^ Then Achish called David, and said unto him. Surely, as the Lord Uveth,
thou hast been upright, and Hhy going out and thy coming in with me in the iKta^awfJv.
host is good in my sight : for ^^ I have not found evil in thee since the day of ^''^- «•
thy coming unto me unto this day : nevertheless f the lords favour thee not. L?^i^"«jr
^Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou f displease not the lords 7neh.*d^l^t%ii
of the Phihstines. ® And David said unto Achish, But what have I done ? and {Jr*?'. ^" ** "^
what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I ha,ve been f with thee unto J^^eb. b^/are
this day, that I may not gp fight against the enemies of my lord the king ?
^ And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my
sight, ' as an angel of God : notwithstanding " the princes of the Phihstines
have said. He shspll not go up with us to the battle. ^^ Wherefore now rise up
early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee : and
i^s soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have Ught, depart.
^^ So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return
into the land of the Phihstines. " And the Phihstines went up to Jezreel.
XXX. ^ And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag
on the third day, that the ''Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and
smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire ; ^ And had taken the women captives,
that were therein : they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them
away, and went on their way. * So David and his men came to the city, and,
behold, it was burned with fire ; and their wives, and their sons, and theup
daughters, were taken captives, * Then David and the people that were with him
lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. ^ And
David's ''two wives were taken captives, Ahmoam the Jezreeljtess, and Abigail JgJiJ'i^^;^-
1 2 Sun. 14. W,
20. & 19. 27.
m ver. 4.
n 2 Sam. 4. 4*
a See ch. 15. 7.
ft 27. 8.
Ch. XXTX. 1. Apheh"] Frobabty in the plain of Jezreel,
not the san^e as Aphek in iy. 1. The name signifies fcutneaa,
fortrs$8 iChsen, 72), and was given to several different places
in Palestine : see Winer, i. 67. Cfrove in B. D. i. 78. It is
placed near Endor by JSusehim,
— fountain — JegreeT] now Ain JcUut, i. e., fountain of
Goliath, a large and copious spring which, from under a cavern
in the conglomerate rock which there forms the base of Gilboa,
makes a fine limpid pool of forty to fifty feet in diameter;
Mobinson (iii. 167), who says, " There is eve^ reason to regard
this as the ancient fountain of Jezreel, where Saul and JonaUian
pitched before the last fktal battle ; and where, too, in the days of
the Ousades, Saladin and the Christians succeeaiyely encamped."
Vol. IL Pabt II.-66
4. the prinoei] Probably, the princes of the other cities of
Philistia (Josh. xiii. 3 ; above, vi. 18).
5. Is not this David ?'] See xviiL 7. Thus God, in His merey,
made use of the song of the women, which had occasioned Saul's
envy, to be the means for delivering David from the dilemma, in
which he had been placed by resorting to Achish for shelter : see
above, xxvii. 1. 10, 11.
11. into the land of the Philistines'] Probably to Zikkg
(xxx. 1. 1 Chron. xii. 20. 22).
Ch. XXX. 1. the Amalekitesl As a reprisal for what
David had done to them (xxvii. 8). In this disaster we see
another evidence of the consequences of his distrust : cp. xxvii. 1.
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Cmehy of Amalehites to a slave. 1 SAMUEL XXX. 6 — 19. David's mercy to him.
cEx. 17 4.
f Heb. bitter,
Judg. 18. 25.
ch. 1. 10.
2 Sara. 17. 8.
2 Kings 4. 27.
d Pa. 42. 5.
ft56. S. 4, 11.
Hab. 3. 17, 18.
e ch. 23. 6, 9.
f ch. 23. 2, 4.
g ver. 21.
h So Judg. 15.19,
ch. 14. 27.
i ter. 16.
2 Sam. 8 18.
1 Kings 1.38, 44.
Ezek. 25. 16.
Zeph. 2. 5.
k /osh. 14. 1. 3.
8c 15. IS.
1 1 Thess. 5. 3.
t Heb. tktir
wtorrow.
the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. • And David was greatly distressed ; ^for the
people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was f grieved,
every man for his sons and for his daughters : * but David encouraged himself
in the Lord his God.
^*And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee,
bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
® 'And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop ?
shall I overtake them ? And he answered him. Pursue : for thou shalt surely
overtake ihem^ and without fail recover all. ^ So David went, he and the six
hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those
that were left behind stayed. ^^ But David pursued, he and four hundred men :
* for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over
the brook Besor.
^^ And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and
gave him bread, and he did eat ; and they made him drink water ; ^^ And they
gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins : and ^ when he
had eaten, his spirit came again to him : for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk
any water, three days and three nights. ^' And David said unto him. To whom
belongest thou 2 and whence art thou ? And he said, I am a young man of
Egypt, servant to an Amalekite ; and my master left me, because three days
agone I fell sick. ^^ We made an invasion upon the south of ' the Cherethites,
and upon th£ coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of ^ Caleb ;
and we burned Ziklag with fire. ^* And David said to him. Canst thou bring
me down to this company ? And he said. Swear unto me by God, that thou
wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will
bring thee down to this company.
^^ And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon
all the earth, ' eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil
that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of
Judah. *^ And David smote them jfrom the twiUght even unto the evening of
f the next day : and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young
men, which rode upon camels, and fled. ^^ And David recovered all that the
Amalekites had carried away : and David rescued his two wives. ^^ And there
was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor
6. hut David encouraged himeelf in the LoBD his Ood"] His
calamities had brought him to repentance. Formerly he had
said, "There is nothing good for me, but to fly for help to
Philistia" (see xxvii. 1) ; bat havhig foond eartmv helps to be
weak and rain, he now strengthens himself in tne Lord his
Qod,— a striking contrast to SaoL
7. bring me hither the ephod] with the Urim and Thtunmim,
which Abiathar, the priest, had brought with him from Nob :
see xxiii. 6. 9. If Saul had been faithful to God, God would
have answered him by Urim, as .He answered David. But
Saul disobeved God; and God answered him not (xxviiL 6).
How dreadml was that silence ! Cp. Prov. i. 28.
9. brook Besor"] Supposed by some to be Wady /^keriah,
which flows down to the sea, south of Ashkelon and Gaza
(Raumer). But it seems to )iave been on the south of
Ziklag, which was probably about forty miles s.s. of Gaza
(WiUon).
13. nw master left me, because three days agone I fell sick]
An incidental trait of cruelty in the character of the Amalekites,
which made them hatefol in God's sight : see above, on xv. 2.
The Amalekites had camels for their young men (see o. 17) ; but
would not carry with them their sick slave, but left him behind
them to die in the desert.
But this act of barbarism cost them their lives. For this
66
forsaken slave vras an instrument in God's hands for the execu-
tion of His judgments upon them : see w, 15. 17.
Here is a warning to Christian Nations, who have, what the
Amalekites had not, a clear revelation of God's will in the
Gospel with r^ard to Slavery: see below. Introduction to
Philemon, pp. 884, 885. It may be expected that He wUl visit
them with retribution in mysterious ways of Hb Proyidence,
when they least anticipate it» for acts of cruelty to slaves.
On the other hand, we see that David's kindness to a
perishing stranger and slave, in the hour of his own sorrow and
distress, was the cause of his victory, and of the recovery of his
wives and substance, and of that of his people. Mercy is the
best policy of Kings and States. In this mercifol act of David
we see also a typical foreshadowing of what the true David,
our Divine Redeemer, b ever doing to the outcast and miserable
in thb world (Bede, Qu. 17).
14. Cherethites] Inhabitants of the southern parts of Philistia :
cp. Ezek. XXV. 16. Zeph. ii. 5. The Sept. and Svriac sometimes
render it Cretans; and by a comparison with Jer. xlvii. 4.
Amos ix. 7, some have conjectured that the Philbtines were
connected with Crete (see Ghsen. 417) ; but thb b doubtfol.
On the Cherethites and Pelethites see Airther^ 2 Sam.
viii. 18; xv. 18; xx. 23.
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They who tarry mth the stuff 1 SAMUEL XXX. 20 — 30. are rewarded with them that fight.
daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them : " DaTid
recovered all. ^ And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they
drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
2^ And David came to the " two hundred men, which were so faint that they
could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor :
and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him :
and when David came near to the people, he || saluted them. ^ Then answered
all the wicked men and men "" of Belial, of f those that went with David, and
said. Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil
that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they
may lead them away, and depart, ^s Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my
brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, and
delivered the company that came against us into our hand. ^ For who will
hearken unto you in this matter ? but ** as his part is that goeth down to the
battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.
^ And it was so from that day f forward, that he made it a statute and an
ordinance for Israel unto this day.
^ And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of
Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a f present for you of the spoil of the
enemies of the Lord ; ^ To them which were in Beth-el, and to them which were in
"^ south Kamoth, and to them which were in ' Jattir, ^ And to them which were in
•Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in *Esh-
temoa, ^ And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of
"the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the 'Kenites,
^ And to them which were in ' Hormah, and to them which were in Chor-ashan,
m ver. 8.
n ver. lOt
I Or, asked them
hnw tk*jf did,
Judg. 18. 15.
oDeut. IS. 18.
Judg. 19. 22.
t Heb. mtn.
p See Num. 31.
Josh. 22. 8.
t Heb. and
foruford.
1 Heb. bUiring.
Gen. S3. II.
ch. 25. 27.
q Josh. 19. 8.
r Josh. 15. 48.
s Josh. 13. 16.
t Josh. 15. 50.
u ch. 27. 10.
X Judg. 1. 16.
y Judg. 1 17.
20. iheflocht and the herd*] of the Amalekites.
— thote other cattU] whicn had belonged to David, and
were recovered by him : q^. v. 26.
— TMt is David's epotf] Perhaps this was snng in triumph.
82. men of Beliat] worthless men. See i. 16; ii. 12; x. 27;
XXV. 17.
— they went not with ut] Here is a specimen of the eiivv and
pride of those who imagine that no work is done in the Church
of Qod, except it be done in their way.
24. Of Ai# part \»—eiuff'] This decree of David seems to be
founded on the law of Moses, though not exactly identical with
what is recorded in Num. xxxi. 27.
26. he made it a ttaiute — unto this day"] And it continued to
the time of the Maccabees: 2 Mace viiL 28. 80.
The narrative of this expedition, which is introduced in the
middle of a critical part of the history, and is set down with
minute circumstantial detail, seems to be designed by the Holy
Spirit to be exemplary and prophetical ; as follows : —
(1) Some moral warnings which it suggests have been
already noticed : see v. 18.
^2) The reference to God for counsd and direction, befbre
entermg upon war, ought also to be observed.
(8) The moderaticm ci David in the hour of victory is also
instructive (o. 28).
(4) The decree, that they who for good reasons (see «. 21)
tany with the stuff, shall share alike with those who go down
to the battle, which became a received ordinance in Israel, is not
without its meaning ;
In the heavenly Church of God,
« His state
Is kingly ; thousands at His bidding speed.
And post o'er land and ocean without rest :
They also serve who only stand and wait.''
(Milton, Sonnet xix.)
Moses, praying on the hill, contributed to the victonr over
Amalek, even more than Joshua fighting on the plain (Exod.
xvii. 11). And in the Christian Church, provision ought to be
made for praver, and meditation, and for patient study of God's
Word (see 1 Tim. iv. 18. 2 Tim. iv. 18) ; and for the encourage-
ment of sacred learning, as well as for the more active exercise
of pastoral duties.
67
(6) "David was here a type of Christ" (says Bp, Hall) ;
'* we follow Him in His holy wars against our spiritual Ama-
lekites. Christ had compassion for us, who were, like the Egyp-
tian stranger, ready to perish; and He made our necessities to
be the occasion of His own victories. He took our nature, and
raised it up from the earth, and went forth against our Amalek,
who had cruelly left us to die in the wilderness. He not only
recovered what we had lost in Adam by the Fall, but overcame
our foes, and ' spoiled principalities and powers ' (Col. ii. 15),
and led tiiem in triumph. All Christians are not of equal
strength : some follow Christ to the conflict ; others tarry with
the stuff. Some fight the Lord's battles in the din of active
Ufo ; others, aged men and women, the Simeons and Annas of
tiie Church, pons widows and holy maidens, weak in body, but
strong in fiuth, fight with the peaceful arms of prayers aud
tears. Christ is omnipotent and mercifHil. He rewards those
who tany in patience with the stuff, as well as those who go forth
on the march, and fight valiantly in the battle."
(6) The victoiy of David over Amalek was probably con-
temporary in time witii Saul's defeat by the Philistines. David
consulted God, and prevailed. Saul resorted to witchcraft, and
perished.
There is evidently a contrast designed between the one and
the other; and this book thus doses, with a prophetic and
typicid view of the conquest of the true David, and of tiie
miserable end of all who persecute Christ and His Church.
27. Beih^V] PUiced here first, probably on account of its
sacred character. Some suppose ai^other Bethel to be meant ;
bat this seems improbable.
— south Ramoth] Josh. tix. 8.
— Jaitir\ See Josh. xv. 48.
28. Aroer] in Wady Arara, about ten miles BJ9.X. of Beer-
sheba, and twenty miles 8.E. of Hebron.
— Siphmoth] the site of which is unknown.
— Sshtemoa] in the s.w. region of the hill-country of
Judah, now Semua: see Josh. xv. 50 (Bohinson, ii. 194. 627).
29. Bachal] the site of which is not known.
— Jerahmeelites— Kenites] See xxvii. 10.
80. Hormah] now 2^ata : see Josh. xii. 14.
— Chor-ashan] Perhaps Ajshan in the northern confines of
the south country, and on the southern firontier of the lowlands
of Judah. Cp. Josh. xv. 42.
K2
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Jonathan's death on GUboa. 1 SAMUEL XXX. 31. XXXI. 1—9.
Saul's death.
1 Joth. 14. 18.
2 Sam. S. 1.
a 1 Chron. 10.
J— 12.
II Or, waundtd,
b ch. 28. 4.
c ch. 14. 49.
I Chron. 8. SS.
d See 2 Sam. 1.
6, ttc.
t Heb. MkooUti,
men with bowt.
t Heb. /ottmi
him.
e So Judg. 9. 54.
fch. 14.6.
& 17. 26.
II Or, tHock me.
g 2 Sam. 1. 14.
h 2 Sam. 1. 10.
i 2 Sam. 1. SO.
and to them which were m Athach, ^* And to them which were in * Hebron, and
to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.
XXXI. ^ Now • the Philistines fought against Israel : and the men of Israel
fled from before the Philistines, and fell down || slain in mount ** Gilboa. ^ And
the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons ; and the Philistines
slew ^^ Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchi-shua, Saul's sons. *And **the
battle went sore against Saul, and the f archers f hit him ; and he was sore
wounded of the archers. * * Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy
swwd, and thrust me through therewith ; lest 'these uncircumcised come and
thrust me through, and || abuse me. But his armourbearer would not ; 'for he
was sore ajfraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and ^ fell upon it. * And when
his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and
died with him. ^ So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and
all his men, that same day together.
7 And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and
they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and
that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled ; and the
Philistines came and dwelt in them.
® And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the
slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fetllen in mount Gilboa. ^ And
they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the
Philistines round about, to * publish it in the house of their idols, and among
— Athach'] Its site is unlmown.
81. Hebron] He had begun with Bethel (o. 27), and ends
with Hebron, DOth of which were renowned in the history of
the Patriarchs (Gen. xxiiL 17. Cp. Josh. x. 8) j and thns he
showed his g^titnde to Qod.
— were wont to haunt] From the liberality which dictated
these presents of David, and irom the testimony of the Car-
melites (xxv. 14), it may be inferred, that David's sqjoum in
that country was characteri^d by equity and mildness.
Ch. XXXI. 1. mount OUboa] See xxviii. 4. Probably the
battle took place in the plain of Jezre^ te the west of Mount
Qilboa; and ihe Islraelites, beiAg routed, took ifefuge in the
mountain, and fell there.
2. Jonathan] Jonathan, "felix opportunitate mortb," was
spared the sor^w of hearing that his father had died by his own
hand. Jonathan had not gone with his father to Endor; and we
hear nothing of Ins being with Ms &ther when he was persecuting
David; but he now comes to him when he is in dbtress, and
assists him against the Philistines. And now he falls in battle,
fighting for his father and for his counti^, against the enemies
of IsraxA ; and he is received to a better kingdom than that which
he leaves to David ; and his death is an entrance into a temporal
kingdom to his fHend David, and into an eternal one to himself.
A blessed end.
4. leit these uneireumeUed eOmif] Even in Saul's dving
speech there is something of ihtA religions formalism whi(£
marked his character after his fidl from God, and which is a
striking siffn of spiritual blindness : " Lest these unoireumcieed
come." He censures the Philistine as unoiroumcised : he pro-
fesses seal for the letter of the law, just as if circumcision could
profit without obedience, and as if he himself was not uneiroum'
cited, both in heart and Ups-!
— and fell upon U] bv his own hand. Cp. 1 Chron. x. 4^ 6.
All the care of Saul at his death— like the core of Abimelech
(Judg. ix. 54)— was to keep his perishable body from being ill-
treated by the himds of his enemies, instead of preparing his
immortal soul to meet God. He thought more of temporal
shame to his body than of eternal misery to his souL He acted
as a coward toward man, and as foolhardy toward GkxL
Such is the blindness, in which Satan plunges those who
disobey God. It must not be forgotten, that Saul was reffarded
by the ancient Christian Church as. a figure of the Jewish
Nation in its unbelief and disobedience; and Saul's death and
David's succession were considered as lypical of the abolition of I
68
Judaism, and the succession of the Gospel of Christ. '< Samuel
(that is, the Book of Samuel) in occisione Saul, veterem Legem
abolitam monstrat. Porrd in David, Novi Imperii sacramenta
testatur " (S. Jerome ad Paulin., Ep. 50, p. 572).
6. he feu likewise ^on his sword] Evil examples of kings
provoke imitation. The armour-bearer of Saul dares do that to
himself which he durst not do to his master : he would not kill
Saul because he was the Lord's anointed, but he forgot that his
life was not his own, but God's ; that he himself was made in
the image of God — the King of kings.
This act of Saul (slaying himiself in order to avoid insult
from the Philistines) has been defended, and even praised by
some, e,^,, Josephus, and some of the Rabbis; and even by
some Christian writers, as Lyranus, adopting the arg^uments of
the Stoics {tJi Seneca de Divin& Providenti4) m favour of suicide^
which was resorted to by many famous among them, as Oato
and Brutus. But these arguments have been well reftited by
8. Augustine de Civ. Dei i. 17—28. LactanHus, iiL 18; vi.
11 ; and by A Lapide here.
6. all his men] Explained in 1 Chron. x. 6 by *' all his house"
— ^that is, all the members of his house that were wiUi him. in
the battle. His son Ishbosheth was not there.
7. on the other side of the valley] That is, on the western
ude of the plain of Jezreei.
— on the other side Jordan] On the west side of Jordan.
The word rendered other side here, is eber, and does not mean
other side, but over against, Cp. Josh. 1. 14^ 15 ; ix. 1. 1
Sam. xiv. 40. 1 Kinss iv. 24j v. 4: see abovoi Deut. L 1. 5;
ilL 8 ; and the iSyrioo Version here.
— the Philistines came and dwelt in them] Thus at Saul's
death, almost the whole land of Israel was in the possession of
the Philistines, who had been driven from that land by Samuel
(vii. 13, 14). A remarkable contrast. And such was the issue of
the choice of a king by the people of Israel, on motives of mere
worldly policy, that they miffht be like other nations, and that
their king might go out before them, and fight their battles !
See 1 Sam. viiL 5 ; ix. 19, 20. A solemn warning to Christian
Nationg.
9. they cut off his head^ Another contrast to David, who
had cut ofi* the head of Goliath. Saul's head was fastened h^ tiie
Philistines in the temple of Dagon (1 Chron. x. 10). David
brought the head of the Philistine champion Goliath to Jerusalem
(1 Sam. xvii. 51. 54).
— in the house of their idols] whom they praised for what
was done by the God of Israel, punishing Saul for his sins.
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Saul's body at Beth'Shan, 1 SAMUEL XXXI. 10 — 18. recovered by the men of JabesL
-.•.^ kch.«1.9.
«»"^ IJudg.l. U.
in 2 Sam. 21. 12.
n Josh. 17. 11.
I of that which the ©"h.'n*. s,*9, n.
the people. ^® ^ And they put his armour in the house of ' Ashtaroth
" they fastened his body to the wall of ■" Beth-shan.
11 **And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard „ _
Philistines had done to Saul ; ^^ ** All the valiant men arose, and went all night, *'g^^*J'^ "^
and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth- llii. 1.4^7.
shan, and came to Jabesh, and *> burnt them there. 1* And they took their 3«J.^T*^*'*
bones, and ' buried them under a tree at Jabesh, ' and fasted seven days.
Amos 6. 10.
r 2 Sam. 2. 4. 5.
ft 21. 12—14.
■ Gen. 50. 10.
10. Jsktaroik] See Jadg. iL 18. 1 Chron. x. 10.
— Seik^han] now Beitan : see Josh. xvii. 11.
11. inhoMatUs of Jabeih-mlead] to whom Saul had showed
kindness in the beginning of his reign (1 Sam. xi. 1—11).
18. buTfU tkem] not to ashes ; ror the bones were left and
were bnried (v, 18}. It was not nsnal among the Hebrews to
bom the bodies of the dead, bnt to bury them. The mortal re-
mains of Sanl were partly bnmt, becanse they had been "aeris
ii^nriis ezposita, et patre&cta ; et ne ezponerentor novis Indi-
briis." Pfnff'er, p. 208, who examines the qnestion, whether
there are instances of boming the dead among the Hebrews :
those sometimes cited (2 Chron. xvi. 14 ; xxi. 19. Jer. xxxiv.
4, 6. Amos yi. 10) refer rather to burning of spices on the
bo^es, than of the bodies themselves.
18. under a trge] under the tamarisk (Geeen. 86). Op.
1 Chron. x. 11, 12, where the word is a more general (me.
The bones were afterwards removed by David to the
buiying-plaoe of Saul's fkther at Zelah (2 Sam. xxi. 12—14).
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THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL,
OTHEBWISB OAJLLSD,
THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS.
a 1 Sam. 80. 17,
26.
b ch. 4. 10.
cli
. 4. 13.
f Heb. Wkai wa$
1 Sam. 4. 16.
d 1 Sam, 81. 1.
e Se« 1 Sam. 81. 2,
8.4.
f Heb. Bthold
I Or, mff eoai of
matt, or, mp
embroidered eoai
kindtretk wu, thai
my, 4*0-
fJadg.9.54.
gch. 8. 81.
ft 18. 81.
I. ^ NOW it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned
from *the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in
Ziklag ; ^ It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, ^ a man came
out of the camp from Saul "" with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head : and
so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.
* And David said unto him. From whence comest thou ? And he said unto
him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. ^ And David said unto him,
t How went the matter ? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the
people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and
dead ; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. ^ And David said unto
the young man that told him. How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his
son be dead ? ^ And the young man that told him said. As I happened by
chance upon ** mount Gilboa, behold, * Saul leaned upon his spear ; and, lo, the
chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. ^ And when he looked behind
him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, f Here am I. ^ And he
said unto me, Who art thou ? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.
^ He said unto me again. Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me : for
II anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. ^® So I stood
upon him, and 'slew him, because I was sure tiiat he could not hve after that
he was fallen : and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet
that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.
^^ Then David took hold on his clothes, and 'rent them; and likewise
Ch. I. 1. t^ earns to past — AmalehUes] By tbese words
the Author coxmectB this Book with the preceding, in the same
way as the Author of the Book of Joshua begins with recapitu-
lating what is said at the dose of the Pentateuch (Jodi. i. 1).
C^. Deut. xxxiv. 6.
— Ziklag] See 1 Sam. xxvii. 6.
6. I happened by^ chancel The Sept has wtpurr^fiari
w9pi4ireffoy — ^the ori^nal word is in the niphal of the Hebrew
Jcarct, to meet, to occur, Oesen. 741 (see xk. 1). The
Amalekite thought " that he brought good tidings," and that
David would have rewarded him for them : see ch. iv. 10.
— horeemen] Lit., the mastere of the cavalry : Imripxcu, Sept.
9. cmguith'] Heb. ehabats ; vertigo, giddiness, dizziness
(Gesen, 803); darkness (Sept., Sgriac), cramp (Kimchi),
10. defter that he was fallen'] on his spear (1 Sam. zxxi. 8).
others, less probably, render it " after his misfortune."
It seems that Saul, having b^en wounded by the archers,
cetired from the battle to some recess in Mount Gilboa, and his
70
body was not found by the Philistines till the morrow: see
1 Chron. x. 8. Some suppose that this story of the Amalekite
is a pure fiction invented by him to ingratiate himself with
David (Theodoret, Serarius, A Lapide), But it is observable
that Josephus (vi. 14. 7 ; vii. 1. 1) adopts the story of the
Amalekite as true ; and it seems that the two accounts of Saul's
death are supplementary, the one to the other, Saul was the
author of his own death, because he did what he could to destroy
himself; but after he had fallen on his sword he may have been
despatched by the Amalekite ; and if the story of the Amalekite
had not been founded on fact, why did not the Amalekite re-
tract it^ and so escape from punishment ? and the presentation of
the crown and bracelet of Saul seems to afford some warrant for
its truth. If the story is true, it is worthy of remark that Saul
owed his death to one of that nation of Amalek which he had
been commanded by God to destroy : 1 Sam. xv. 8. Our sins
are our Amalekites, which we ought to destroy, in obedience to .
God; and which, if we do not de&roy them, wUl destroy us.
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David's lament
2 SAMUEL L 12—28.
over Saul and Jonathan.
all the men that were with him : ^^ And they monmed^ and wept, and fasted
until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the
LoBD, and for the house of Israel; because they were Mien by the
sword.
18 And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou ?
And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. ^^ And Dayid
said unto him, ** How wast thou not * afraid to * stretch forth thine hand to
destroy the Lord's anointed ? ^^ And ' David called one of the young
men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he
died. 1^ And David said unto him, " Thy blood be upon thy head ; for
"thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lobd's
anointed.
1^ And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan
his son : ^^ (** Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow :
behold, it is written ''in the book |j of Jasher.)
^^ The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places :
*» How are the mighty fallen !
20 ' Tell it not in Gath,
Publish it not in the streets of Askelon ;
Lest 'the daughters of the PhiHstines rejoice.
Lest the daughters of ^ the uncircumcised triumph.
Ye "" mountains of Gilboa,
" Let there he no dew, neither let there he rain, upon you.
Nor fields of offerings :
For there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away.
The shield of Saul, as though he had not heen ^ anointed with oil.
From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty.
The bow of Jonathan turned not back,
And the sword of Saul returned not empty.
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and || pleasant in their lives,
And in their death they were not divided :
They were swifter than eagles.
21
22
23
h Nam. 12. 8.
i 1 Sam. SI. 4.
kl Sun. 24. 0.
ft 26. 9.
Pt. 105. 16.
1 ch. 4. 10. 12.
m 1 Sam. 26. 9.
1 Kingt2. 82, 8S,
87.
n TCT. 10.
Luke 19. 22.
ol Sam. 81. 8.
p Joih. 10. 18.
I Or, 0/ Uu
mprigkt,
4 Ttr. 27.
r 1 Sam. 81. 9.
Mio. 1. 10.
See Jadg. 16. 28.
i See Ezod. 15.
20.
Judg. 11. ^4.
I Sam. 18. 6.
I I Sam. 81. 4.
u 1 Sam. 81. 1.
X So Jodg. 6. 28.
Job 8. sT?.
Jer. 20. 14.
7 1 Sam. 10. 1.
s 1 8am. 18. 4.
I Or,
18. a stranger] not bound 1^ ties of allegiance to Sanl.
* 14. the Lobd'b anointed] If the life of the Lord's anointed
wai to be revered by strangers and enemies (such the Amalekites
were to Sanl), how much more is the life of soyereigns to be
regarded by their own subiects !
18. the use of ^A« bow] that is, David not only mourned fbr
Saol and Jonathan in his own person, and in that of his fiunily
(see V, 11), but he composed an elc^ upon their death; and he
taught his own tribe, the tribe ofJitdah (who might be sup-
posed to be jealous of Saul, and of the tribe of Benjamin), to sing
this Diige, called " the Bow/* from the mention of the achieve-
ments of the archery of Jonathan (t?. 22) ; and of the tribe of
Bei\jamin, the tribe of Saul, fkmous for its skill in the use of the
bow. 1 Chron, viii. 40 j xii. 2. 2 Chron. xiv. 8; xvii. 17
(Seranue, Tirinue, A Lapide, Keil). So the Lamentations of
Jeremiah and others for Josiah appear to have been learned by
the people, who mourned for him (2 Chron. xxxv. 26).
The portion of Scripture, in which the vision of Hoses at
the bush is described, is called" the Bush " (Mark xiL 26. Lukexz.
87) ; Hymns of the Christian Church are called the Te Deum,
Magnificat, &c,, from words at their beginning. Cp. Bom.
3d. 2, where a portion of Scripture is called ** EUas"
David, in his tears of pity shed over his enemy Saul, is a
signal type of our compassionate Saviour, weeping over Jerusalem.
— it is written in the book of Jasher] Tins Dirge is in-
serted in the national collection of songs and records of heroic
acts : see on Josh. x. 18.
19. The beauty oflsraet] This dirge is divided into three
71
stanzas, each ending with the pathetic exclamation, ** How are
the mighty ^len!'°
21. Nor fields of offerings] fields which afford firsfflrnits ;
and therefore fertile and blessed by Qod. David appeals to the
elements and natural objects, that they may sympathize in his
sorrow. Let not the blessing of God descend in dew and in
rain on the mountains of Gilboa ! and let no fertile regions be
there, which may bring forth early fruits to be offered to Him.
But let them be smitten with banenness, for there the blood of
Saul and Jonathan was spilt» and there his shield was cast away.
The sense is given in Kiennicotfs translation (Dissert,
p. 123) and in Bishop Lowth's metrical version of this dirge, —
** Triste solum, Gilboa ! Tuis ne in montibus unquam
Vel ros, vel pluvisB decidat imber aqusd :
Nulla feret primos aris tua messis honores,
De grege lecta tuo victima nulla cadat ! **
^ east awasf] as if it were despised and loathed; fbr the sense
of the verb gaal here used, see Lev. xxvi. 11. 80. 48. Jer.
xiv. 19. C^esen, 176.
— as though he had not been anointed with oU] The words,
as though hehad, are not in the original, and the sense seems
rather to be, in that it (the shield) was not anointed wiih oilf
but, rather, was stained with blood (cp. v, 22). It did not par-
take of the unction of the king, and was not profited by it. And
so Sept., ^pfhs XaohK ohx ixp^^ ^^ i^Mv As to the sense of
the Hebrew beli, signifying * because not/ see Oesen. 122.
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David is anointed
2 SAMUEL L 24—27. II. 1—8. King of Jvdah at Hebron.
aJadg. 14. 18.
b 1 Sam. 18. 1, 8.
8c 19. 2.
&20. 17,41.
& 2S. 16.
c ver. 19.
aJudg. 1. 1.
1 Sam. 23. 2,4, 9.
& 30. 7, 8.
b 1 Sam. 80. 81.
ver. 11.
ch fi. 1. 3.
1 Kings 2. 11.
c 1 Sam. 80. 5.
d 1 Sam. 27. 2, 8.
& SO. 1.
1 Chion. 12. 1.
e ver. 11.
eh. 8. 8.
fl Sam. 81. 11,
13.
g Ruth 2. 20.
fie 3. 10.
Ps. 115. 15.
h2Tim. 1, 16.18
t Heb. he y« Ou
tont of valour.
i I Sam. 14. 50.
t Heb. the host
which was Saurt,
24
25
26
27
n.
They were * stronger than lions.
Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you in scarlet, with other dehghts,
Who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle I
Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
1 am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan :
Vei^ pleasant hast thou been unto me :
** Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the loye of women.
How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished !
^ And it came to pass after this, that David "" enquired of the Lobd,
saying. Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah ? And the Lobd said
unto him. Go up. And David said. Whither shall I go up ? And he said.
Unto ** Hebron. ^ So David went up thither, and his "" two wives also, Ahinoam
the Jezreehtess, and Abigail Nabal's wife the Carmelite. ^ And ^ his men that
were with him did David bring up, every man with his household : and they
dwelt in the cities of Hebron. ^ •And the men of Judah came, and there they
anointed David king over the house of Judah.
And they told David, saying, That Hhe men of Jabesh-gilead were they
that buried Saul. ^ And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh-
gilead, and said unto them, « Blessed be ye of the Lord, that ye have
shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried
him. ^ And now ^ the Lord shew kindness and truth unto you : and I also
will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing. ^ Therefore
now let your hands be strengthened, and f be ye valiant : for your master
Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over
them.
^ But * Abner the son of Ner, captain of f Saul's host, took || Ish-bosheth the
II Or, B»h-baal, 1 Chron. 8. 88. 8c 9. 39.
26. O Jonathan] David mourns bitterly for Saul ; but the
climax of bis sorrow is for Jonathan, dear to him as a brother,
and loving him with the love of a wife.
Jonathan was more than forty years old at the time of his
death (see ii. 10), more than ten years older than David (v.
4), and Saul was about seventy.
Ch. ii. 1. enquired of the JjOJO}] Bv the Urim aqd Thummim
in the breastplate on the ephod of Abiathar, the High Priest.
Cp. 1 Sam. xxiii. 9.
— 8h(Ul I go up into any cf the eities of Judah ?] David's
own tribe ; but he might well doubt, whether he might return
thither : first, on account of the Pbilistines who had got posses-
sion of the country ; and next, on account of the enmity of Abner
and of the house of Saul. He therefore inquired of the Lobd.
— Hebronl Because it was hallowed by its associations with
the history of the Patriarchs who were buried there (Theodoret) :
see Gen. xxiii. 19; xxxv. 27; xlix. 80; L 18; and of Caleb,
Josh. xiv. 18. Judg. i. 20 ; and of Samson, xvi. 3.
4. there they anointed David king over the house of Judah"]
As Saul, after having been privately anointed by Samuel, was
publicly inaugurated as king (see 1 Sam. jX. 15) ; so David.
This unction of David was figurative of the unction of
Christ. Hebron was the patriarchal dty; and David, being
anointed king of Judah at Sebron, was a figure of Christ, king
of the Jews, In the words of our learned Expositor, "David,
the most undoubted type of the Messias, was anointed at
Bethlehem ; for there * Samuel took the horn of oU, and anointed
him in the midst of his brethren : and the Spirit of the Lord came
upon David from that day forward ' (1 Sam. xvi. 18). Of which
unction those words of God must necessarily be understood, " I
have found David My servant ; with My holy oil have I anointed
him ' (Ps. Ixxxix. 20). And yet he was agun anointed at Hebron ;
first, over the house of Judah (2 Sam. ii. 4) ; then over all the
tribes of Israel, at Jerusalem (2 Sam. v. 8).
72
"As therefore David at his first unction received the
Spirit of Gk)d, and a full right unto the throne of Israel, which
yet he was npt to exercise till the death of Saul and acceptation
of the Tribes ; and therefore when the time was come that ho
should actually enter upon his regal office, he was again anointed :
so our Jesub, the Son of David, was first sanctified and anointed
with the Holy Ghost at His conception, and thereby received a
right unto, and was prepared for all those offices which belcmged
to the Redeemer of the world ; but when He was to enter upon •
the actual and full performance of all those Amotions which be-
longed to Him, then doth the same Spirit, which had sanctified
Him at His conception, visibly descend upon Him at His inau-
guration, and that most properly upon His Baptism ; because,
according to the customs of those ancient nations, washing was
wont to precede their unctions. Wherefore 'Jesus when he
was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and lo, the
heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending hke a dove ' (Matt. iii. 16) " (JBp. Fearfon on the
Creed, Art. ii.). Cp. A iapide on v. 8. Cp. below, on v. 8.
There is an analogy between royal coronations and ordina-
tions of priests. Not only a (livine call, but a public commis-
sion is necessary for them : see above, on Deut. xxxi. 7 1 xxxiv.
9 ; and below, on Acts xiii. 1 — 8. Heb. v. 4.
The xxviith Psalm (" The Lord is mv Light") is entitled
in the Sept, " before the anointing," and may probably be re-
ferred to this time.
8. Abner] Saul's first cousin (1 Chron. ix. 86), and captain
of Saul's host (1 Sam. xiv. 51 ; xvii. 57).
— Ish'boshith] which means, man of shame. He is called
JEsh'baal (fire of Baal, i.e. destruction of Baal, Keil, 215) in
1 Chron. viii. 83; ix. 89. So Jerub-baal (Gideon) is called also
Jerub'bosheth (2 Sam. xi. 21>; and Merib-baal (cont^ider
against Baal, Oesen. 509) is called Mephibosheth (see below, iy,
8. IChron. viii. 84; ix. 40). Cp. Hos. ix. 10. Jer- iii. 24.
These modifications of the name seem to have arisen from
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IshboshetVs reign.
2 SAMUEL n, 9—16.
Abner's challenge to Joab.
son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim ; ® And made him king over
Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over
Benjamin, and over all Israel. ^^ Ish-bosheth Saul's son was forty years old
when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of
Judah followed David. ^^ And ^the f time that David was king in Hebron over
the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
^2 And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of
Saul, went out from Mahanaim to ' Gibeon. ^^ And Joab the son of Zeruiah,
and the servants of David, went out, and met f together by " the pool of Gibeon :
and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the
other side of the pooh ^* Ajid Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now
arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise. ^^ Then there
arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin, which pertain£d to Ish-
bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. ^^ And they
k ch. 5. 5.
1 Kings 8. II.
f Ueb. numbtr of
iJosh. 18. 25.
t Heb. thtm
together,
m Jer. 41. 11.
a reUgiouB abborrence of the name of Baal, and an nnwillmg^ess
to pronounce it; but this reluctance was overcome in course of
time, and (marvellous to say) Baal was admitted to divine
honour under Ahab, and even superseded Jehovah in the hearts
of Israel. Such is the progress of Idolatry. Here is a solemn
warning for our own days, in which we nave to deplore the
melancholy fact that n^en and women in the Christian Church,
who have been brought up in a godly hatFed and righteous
abomination of creature-worship, are at length so fascinated and
bewitched by it^ that they sink into the lowest depths of Mario-
latry, and into abject deification of the Bishop of Rome, as if he
were a God upon earth !
— to Mcihanaim] On the eastern side of Jordan, in order to
be secure firom the attacks of the Philistines, and of David ;
and that he might stren^hen the power of Ishbosheth there,
before he declared lum King of Israel.
Mahanaim also, as well as Hebron (v, V), was hallowed by
patriarchal associations, and was perhaps cnosen by Abner on
that account : see Qen, zxxii. 1, 2.
9. nuide him kinff] Ishbosheth was not made king of Israol
immediately after the death of Saul, but after an interval of
some years, probably five ; during which time Abner was en-
deavouring to raise Israel from the state in which they lay in
servitude to the Philistines. Cp. Bp, Cotton in B. D,, i. p. 9;
and ibid., i. p. 891; and Keil, p. 216.
Ishbosheth, as son of Saul, seemed to have a right to the
kingdom as long as the unction of David was merely private,
and not published to the world ; and Ishbosheth is not regarded
in Scripture as an usurper: see iv. 11 {Abulensis, Serarius,
A Lapide), He may be compared spiritually to those who, before
Christ's public inauguration, and before the open preaching of
the Gk>spel, still clave to Judaism. He represents, as it were,
the state of transition between the birth of Christ and the pub-
lication of the GospeL
— Oilead] The region east of Jordan (Num. zziiL ^. Josh,
zzii. 9).
— Ashurites] The Syriac, Arabic, and Vul^. identify them
with the Geshurites (Deut. iii. 14. Josh. xiii. 13. 2 Sam. xv.
8. 1 Chron. ii. 23), on the S.B of Damascus; and so JEkoald and
Thenius. The Targum of Jonathan interprets the word by
"house of Asher," i. e. the country west of Jordan, above
Jezreel ; and so Orove, B. D. i. 124.
— Jezrest] The rich wide plain of Esdraelon, K.w. of
Qilboa : see Judg. i. 8 ; iii. 9 ; vi. 33. Josh. xvii. 16. JSobin-
son, ii. 815; iii. 113. Stanley, Palestine, p. 336. Vands'
velde, p. 826. Porter^ B. D. i. p. 575. It was celebrated in the
history of the conflicts of Deborah and Barak (see Judg. iv.),
of Gideon (see Judg. vii.), and of Saul and Jonathan (1 Sam.
xxix. 1) : see above, 1 Sam. xxviiL 4.
10. Ish-bosheth .... -vnAforty years old when he began to
reign .... and reigned two years] After which David became
Eling of Israel : see v. 1 — 3. The end of these two years of
Ishbosheth coincides with the end of the seven and a half years
during which David reigned over Judah ; which period of seven
and a half years began with the death of Saul : see v. 1, and on v, 9.
11. the time that David was king in Hebron over the house
of Judah was seven years and six inofi^Af] Before he beqame
ki^ over all Israel : see below, v. 1 — 8. This gradual exten-
VoL. IL Pabt II.— 73
sion of David's kingdom from Judah to all the tribes of Israel
was figurative of the expansion of the kingdom of Christ from
Judffia to all nations: see above, on 9. \ and below, on v.
1—8.
12. Qibeon] now W-Jlb, about seven miles west of Jerusalem
(see Sobinson, ii. 137)> odebrated in the history of Joshua's
miracle (Josh. x. 12), and as the place of Solomon's prayer
(1 King^ iii. 4 — 15. Vandevelde, p. 316). Here Amasa was
killed by Joab (below, xx. 8—12).
18. Joab the son of Zeruiah] sister of David (1 Chron. ii.
15, 16). Joah'sfather^s name, according to Josephus (Antt. vii.
1. 3), was Suri, who is never mentioned in Scripture. Probably
the name of his mother (Zeruiah) is mentioned on account of
her relation to David, and because his fitthor was of obscure
origin a ad station.
Joiib here first comes prominently forward in the history.
Abishai, the brother of Joab, is mentioned as a companion of
David, and as asking Um to allow him to kill Saul (1 Sam. xxvi.
6 — 9). Henceforward Joab plays a conspicuous part in the
military and civil history of David's reign, even tUl David's
death (1 Kings i. 7; ii. 5, 6).
It seems surprising, at first sight, that David, who was then
in the flower of his age, only tldrty years old (see v. 4i), and who
had been long distinguished for his courage and skill as a mili-
tary leader, should now decline into a subordinate position as a
warrior, and that Joab should occupy the principal place in the
wars of Israel, and should exercise a dominant influence over
David, so that the king was constnuned to sav, <* I am this day
weak, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah,
are too hard for me " (iii. 89).
Was this unhappy condition a consequence of his poly-
gamy (see iii. 2, 3 ; and particularly v. 13 — 16) ? Waa this
multipHcation of wives, contrary to God's command (Deut. xvii,
17), a cause of effeminacy and softness ? Did it disqualify him
for the hardships of the field, and afford an opportumty to such
bold, ambitious, and insidious persons as Joab, who profited by
his weakness and fiivoured it, to g^ain the mastery over him ?
see especially xii. 14 — 27, and consider what is suggested by
that history. ** Cams erit Begi, qui Begem tempore quo vult
Acousare potest."
— the pool of CHbeon] Gibeon, M-Jib, about fovr or five
miles K.ir.w. of Jerusalem, famous in the history of Joshua
(Josh. ix. 3 ; x. 2. 4. 12). The pool of Gibeon is described by
Itobinson, Palest, ii. 136; and by Dr. Thomson, Land and
Book, p. 669. It is mentioned by Jeremiah, xU. 12.
14. Abner said] Abner is the aggressor; and eventually,
after the slaughter of his men, falls a victim to his own cruel
proposal : see iii. 27.
(Hbeon was afterwards the scene g( the orud and trea-
cherous act of Joab killing Amasa (see m. 8. 10), and, by a
remarkable retribution, the scene also of his death (1 Kings ii.
28,29. Cp. 1 Chron. xvi. 89).
— play] an euphemism iov fight. The same word is used to
describe the act of Samson (Judg. xvi. 27) which was so fatal
to the Philistines. Cp. Prov. x. 23 ; xxvi. 18, 19.
16. twelve of Benjamin] Who arose in consequence of Abner's
oballeni^ to Joab and David's servants, and were slain by them.
— twelve of the servants of Dewid] These twelve servants
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Abner's men are beaten.
2 SAMUEL n. 17—32.
Asahel slain by Abner.
II That is, The
juid o/ ttrong
men.
n 1 Chron. 2. 16.
o 1 Chron. 12. 8.
f Heb. of hit feet,
t Heb. at one of
the roes that is in
thtJUld.
p Ps. 18. 88.
Cant. 2. 17.
ft 8. 14.
iHtb. from t^fter
Ahner,
J Or, tpoil,
udg. 14. 19.
q ch. S. 27.
ft 4. 6.
ft 20. 10.
r Tcr. 14.
Prov. 17. 14.
\lLt\>.fromih9
morning.
i Or, gone avcjr.
caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's
side ; so they fell down togetiier : wherefore that place was called || Helkath-
hazzurim, which is in Gibeon* ^^ And there was a very sore battle that day ;
and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
^^ And there were ° three sons of Zemiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and
Asahel : and Asahel was ** as light f of foot f ** as a wild roe. ^^ And Asahel
pursued after Abner ; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the
left f from following Abner. ^ Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art
thou Asahel ? And he answered, I am. ^^ And Abner said to him. Turn thee
aside to thy right hand os to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young
men, and take thee his || armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from
following of him. ^ And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from
following me : wherefore should I smite thee to the ground ? how then should
I hold up my face to Joab thy brother ? ^ Howbeit he refused to turn aside :
wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him ** under the fifth
rih, that the spear came out behind him ; imd he fell down there, and died in
the same place : and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where
Asahel fell down and died stood still. ^ Joab also and Abishai pursued after
Abner : and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah,
that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.
^ And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner,
and became one troop, and stood on the top of an hill. ^ Then Abner called
to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever ? knowest thou not that it
will be bitterness in the latter end ? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the
people return from following their brethren ? ^ And Joab said. As God liveth,
unless ""thou hadst spoken, surely then f in the morning the people had || gone
up every one from following his brother. ^ So Joab blew a trumpet, and all
the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they
any more.
^ And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and
passed over Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.
^ And Joab returned from following Abner : and when he had gathered all the
people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel.
^^ But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner 's men, so
that three hundred and threeiscore men died. ^ And they took up Asahel, and
buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Beth-lehem. And
Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.
of DaTid deBtroted their enemies in thu bloody ttvf, and they
themselves perished in it.
The s^rrants of the Bivme David, the Prinoe of Peaoe» Hk
holy Apostles, have gfuned bloodless victories, and have oon-
qnered the worid bv being martyrs for Christ.
16. ofki thrust ni$ noord in] Or rather, and hi$ moord «a#
in the side.
— Melkath-hazzurim] Literally, the Jield of the Hones, or
rooks, i. e. of the strong men» firm as rocks : ** offer robust-
orum" (F«^.).
In a flgnrative sense, the Apostles of the true David are
also compared to stones : see Bev. xxi. 14. Some render turim,
edges (i. e. of their swords) (cp. Ps. Ixxxiz. 44. KeU) ; bat the
former interpretation seems prefSerable.
18. a wild roe] a gazelle: see below, xxii. 84.
81. tiike his armour] that thoa mayest have deftno^ and spoil.
88. the hinder end of the sj^ear] with which it might be
fixed in the ground (1 Sam. xzvi. 7).
74
^- fifth rib] the lowest. "Sab qnft nihil est osseom, sed
venter moUis, letali ictoi opportonos'' {A Lapide).
86. Shall the sword devour for ever?] Abner, who had
made a jest of shedding blood (" Let the young men pk^ before
OS," «. 14), now that he is worsted, and is in danger, professes
repagnanoe for bloodshed.
87. unless thou hadst spoken] If thou hadst not made tho
challenge ^ v, 14), this war 6i brethren with brethren would
never have begun. Thou oomplainest that the sword devoQrB>
but thou wast the first to unsheath it. Abner was the aggressor,
and his own death, as well as that of his men (o. 81), were the
consequences of the aggression.
88. J^oah hlew a trumpe£] To sound a retreat. Cp. xviiL 16.
89. the plain] The arabdh, or valley of the Jordan.
— aU Biihron] All the gorge, or ravine (flrom Heb. hafharf
to out; €fesen, 149 ; cp. the word T^empS, mm r4/um, to cat),
probably between the M>bok and Mahanaim.
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David's sons at Hebron. 2 SAMUEL m. 1—16. Abner turns against Ishbosheth.
in. 1 Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of
David : but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed
weaker and weaker. 2 j^^ a^^^ j)^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ 1^^^ ^ Hebron : and his •iciiron.8.1-4.
firstborn was Amnon, **of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess ; *And his second, »>> s«n. «5. «.
II Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the CarmeUte ; and the third, Absalom } Sjon*^*?'
the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king * of Geshur ; * And the fourth, « » 8»» «^. «•
** Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; d\' King.* 1.6.
* And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David's wife. These were bom to David
in Hebron.
^ And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and
the house of David, that Ahner made himself strong for the house of Saul.
7 And Saul had a concubine, whose name was • Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah : ech.ii.8ao.
and Ish'bosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou 'gone in unto my father's fch.i6.ii.
concubine ? ^ Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ish-bosheth, and
said. Am I « a dog's head, which against Judah do shew kindness this day unto g Dent. 23. is.
the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his jfriends, and have not ih.Tif*' **'
delivered thee into the hand of David, that thou chargest me to day with a
&ult concermng this woman ? * "^ So do God to Abner, and more also, except, ii Ruth 1. n.
* as the LoED hatii sworn to David, even so I do to him ; ^^ To translate the y^5*f "• "•
kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel f cLn. 12. 2«.
and over Judah, ^ from Dan even to Beer-sheba. ^^ And he could not answer k judg.20. 1.
Abner a word again, because he feared him.
^2 And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying. Whose is the
land 7 saying also^ Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be
with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee. ^* And he said. Well ; I will
make a league with thee : but one thing I require of thee, f that is, * Thou shalt ♦ Heb^^ _^
not see my face, except thou first bring "* Michal Saul's daughter, when thou mi8«n.i8.2o.
comest to see my face. ^^ And David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth Saul's
son, saying. Deliver me my wife Michal, which I espoused to me " for an j^* 8«n- >»• ««.
hundred foreskins of the Philistines. ^^ And Ish-bosheth sent, and took her
from her husband, even from ""Phaltiel the son of Laish. ^^ And her husband j.iJjT**' *^
went with her f along weeping behind her to i^Bahurim. Then said Abner unto t Heb.^ii,«iMr
him. Go, return. And he returned. T^.'Sl w.
h. 17. 11.
1 KinffB 4. 28.
DaTID'S SOire BOBV AT HXBBOV.
Ch. nL 8. wUo David were sans horn im SlAr<m} of Uie six
wives here mentioiied ; and he had many concabinei (t. 18).
This polygamy of David, forbidden by Qod, seems to have
been the cause or his weakness (see on iL 18), as it was of
innumerable jealousies and enmities in his family. Kane of the
SODS here mentioned were eminent for yirtne, and some of them
(Amnon, Absalom, and Adon^ah) were notorions fbr their sfauk
But David was a flgore of Christ : and that which was a sin
in him, does in a spiritoal sense distingriish, as a maik of teDder-
ness and aflbetion, the character of Him in whom titers is no
spot or blemish of hnman nnholiness, bat who is infinitely pnre,
and who vouchsafes to join to Himself particular Cbnrehes of all
nations, and even individual souls, by the neajrest and dsarest
intimacy of mystical wedlock, as St. Paul teaches, who says to
tl^ Corinthians, " I have espoused you to one husband, that I
may Pjesent you as a chaste virgin to Christ'' (2 Cor. zL 2).
This is well expressed by an ancient writer : '* Perhaps some
one may ask. If David was a type of Christ, how is it that he is
related to have had many wives and concubines : a thing which
Christ abhors and condemns? But this too was fi^^irative.
The wives of David foreshadowed the maiqr nations who would
be united to Christ in spiritual wedlock." (Bede, Qu. in 2 Sam.
c. IL : see below, on v. 18.)
Ukio Baifkd were sons hom •» Hebron, when he had
beeome lEmg of Judah, It is remarkable, that no sons seem to
76
have been bom to him befbre that time, when he was tUrt^
years of age ; and after it he had a numerous issue ;
Christ had no spiritual issue, before He was proclaimed
King, by the voice from heaven, at His baptism, when He was
thiHy $ears of age (Luke iii. 22, 28).
8. OJuUahli i.e. Uke his fathers called DaiM in 1 Chxon.
ilL 1, The Hebrew Babbis say that he was called Chileab also^
ffom his likeness to David, and to silence t^ insinuations of
soma that he was the son of Nabal.
— Oeshmr] ir.B. of Bashan (Deut. iiL 14).
5. Vglah Dofcid^s wtfe"] Supposed by some of tiie Babbis to
be Michal {Jeromiaster).
6. Jhner made himself strong"] But Qod strengthened David,
whom Abner knew to have been desi g ned for the kingdom by
Qod: see 09. 9, 10.
7. Baml had a ooneubine'] by whom he had two sons (zxi. 8).
— Whertfore hast thon gone ta — eononbine f] which was tan-
tamount to a daim to his throne : see zvL 21, and 1 Kings ii. 22.
8. a dog's head:] See 1 Sam. xviL 48. 2 Kings viii. 18.
Abner appears to denv the charge, which was one of immodesty
and undeanness {A JLapide),
14. David sent messengers to Tsh-hosheth] He proceeds law-
Mly, and not by violence, to recover her who belonged to him
by right.
— mg wife Michal, which I espoused to me] See 1 Sanu
zviiL26.27.
16. her husband went with her along weeptng behind her]
L2
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Abner resorts to David^
2 SAMUEL ni- 17—29.
is slain by Joah.
t Heb. both
iietterda& and ih«
third da^.
q Ter. 9.
r 1 Cbron. 12. 29.
• ver. 10, 12.
1 1 Kings 11. 27.
u 1 Sam. 29. 6.
Isa. 37. 28.
X 1 Kingf 2. S.
So ch. 20. 9, 10.
II Or, peaeeakly,
y ch. 4. 6.
X ch. 2. 23.
t Heb. bloodM.
a 1 Kings 2. 82,
33.
f Heb. b$ cut off.
b Lot. 15.2.
^7 And Abner had commtinication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought
for David f in times past to be king over you : ^^ Now then do it : ** for the Lord
hath spoken of David, saying. By the hand of my servant David I will save my
people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of aU
their enemies. ^^ And Abner also spake in the ears of 'Benjamin : and Abner
went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to
Israel, and that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin. ^ So Abner
came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made
Abner and the men that were with him a feast. ^^And Abner said unto
David, I will arise and go, and • will gather all Israel unto my lord the king,
that they may make a league with thee, and that thou mayest ^ reign over
all that thine heart desireth. And David sent Abner away ; and he went in
peace.
^ And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from pursuing a troop,
and brought in a great spoil with them : but Abner was not with David in
Hebron ; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace. ^3 Yfhea
Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab, saying,
Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he is
gone in peace. ^ Then Joab came to the king, and said. What hast thou
done ? behold, Abner came unto thee ; why is it that thou hast sent him away,
and he is quite gone ? ^ Thou knowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came
to deceive thee, and to know ** thy going out and thy coming in, and to know
all that thou doest.
^ And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner,
which brought him again from the well of Sirah: but David knew it not.
27 And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab * took him aside in the gate
to speak with him || quietly, and smote him there ^ under the fifth rib, that he
died, for the blood of * Asahel his brother.
^ And afterward when David heard itj he said,
I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lobd for ever
Prom the f blood of Abner the son of Ner :
^ * Let it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his father's house ;
And let there not f fail from the house of Joab
One ^that hath an issue,
Or that is a leper.
But his soitow wasnot caused by his oWn sin in taking to himself
another man's wife. His tears ought to have been tears of re-
pentance, for his sin against Qod and against David. It is not
said that Michal wept.
Here i^ spiritual instruction. David sent to recall Michal
to hims^j and she was received back by him. So Christ
mercifully recalls and receives a church, or a soul, which
has been gfuilty of un^thfulness to Him (Hos. iii. 1 — 6),
although they who have beguiled it to break its troth pursue
after it and endeavour to retain it. So God will recover His
own Michal, Saul's daughter, the Jewish nation, as the prophet
says, and unite her again to Himself. In this respect God's
love exceeds any tenderness and compassion which was pre-
scribed to men by His own law : see Jer. iii. 1, and cp. Theodoret
here.
18. I vrill gave] This is the correct rendering ; there is a
typographical error in most of the editions of the Hebrew here,
which have the past tense and the third person ; and are to be
corrected from many MSS. in De MosH, and firom the ancient
versions, which have "Iwill save."
19. Abner alto spake in the eart of Ber^aminl His own
tribe.
76
28. he is gone in peace"] David has let Abner escape, although
he had killed Asahel, his own nephew.
86. well of Birah] twenty furlongs from Hebron (Josephus,
vii. 1. 6).
27. for the blood of Asahel his brother] And because Joab
thought that Abner would supplant him in his high station as
chief captain of David's forces (Josephus, Theodoret), Abner
had slain Asahel, but it was in open war, and Abner had wished
to spare him (ii. 21), but Joab treacherously " shed the blood
of war in peace " (1 Kings ii. 5).
29. on aU his father^s house] The family of the husband of
David's own sister. David's indignation at Uie murder seems
to have transported him beyond the bounds of reason, and to have
betrayed him into forgetAilness of God's law, which declared
that children should not suffer for their faUier's sin (Dent,
xxiv. 16). But his passionate imprecation is an evidence that
Abner's death was not desired but detested by David, whose
name Joab had abused in order to effect the murder (see «. 26,
and Bp. Patrick's note), and who might therefore be thought
by all people to be the author of it.
If David's curse took effect, it is to be remembered that
'' outwardly and temporally children may fare the worse for their
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David's imprecation on Joab. 2 SAMUEL III. 30 — 89. IV. 1 — 3. His lament for Abner.
Or that leaneth on a staff,
Or that falleth on the sword,
Or that lacketh bread.
^ So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner, because he had slain their
brother "^ Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.
^^ And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, * Bend
yonr clothes, and* gird yon with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And
king David himself followed the f bier. ^ And they buried Abner in Hebron :
and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner ; and all the
people wept. ^ And the king lamented over Abner, and said.
Died Abner as a 'fool dieth ?
^ Thy hands were not bound,
Nor thy feet put into fetters :
As a man falleth before f wicked men^
So fellest thou.
And all the people wept again over him. ^ And when all the people
came *to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David sware, saying,
^ So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, ^ till the
sun be down. ^ And all the people took notice of it, and it f pleased them :
as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people.
^ For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of
the king to slay Abner the son of Ner. ^ And the king said unto his servants.
Enow ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel ?
^ And I am this day \ weak, though anointed king ; and these men the sons of
Zeruiah ^ be too hard for me : * the Lobd shall reward the doer of evil according
to his wickedness.
IV. ^ And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, * his
hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were ''troubled. ^And Saul's son
had two men that were captains of bands : the name of the one was Baanah,
and the name of the f other Bechab, the sons of Bimmon a Beerothite, of the
children of Benjamin : (for ^'Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin : ^ And the
Beerothites fled to ** Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.)
e cb. S. 23.
d Josh. 7. 6.
oh. 1.2. 11.
e Gen. 87. 84.
t Heb. bed.
f eh. 18.12,18.
iHeb.ekildnne
gch. 12.17.
Jer. 16. 7.
h Ruth 1. 17.
i ch. 1. 12.
f Heb. wa$good
in their epes.
f Heb. iender.
k ch. 19. 7.
1 See ch. 19. 18.
1 Kings 2. 5, 6,
88, 84.
Ps. 28. 4.
& 62. 12.
2 Tim. 4. 14.
a Esra 4. 4.
Isa. IS. 7.
b Matt. a. 8.
t Heb. second.
c Josh. 18. 25.
d Neh. 11. 88.
father's sms, but spiritaally and eternally they cannot" (Bp,
Sanderson, iii* 68), and that a flEtther's sin and ponishment are
salutary warnings to children, and that their own temporal
Bufferings may be made the means of everlasting felicity and gloily.
— a staff] or crutch ; Heb. peleo : see Q-esen,, p. 676.
88. the king lamented over Abner} As at the fkll of Sanl and
Jonathan, David not only wept for them, but composed a
lamentation^ a dirge for them, in order that the mourning for
them might be more pubUo and permanent (see i. 12. 17), so he
did also for Abner.
In the depth and tenderness of his affection and com-
passion, even for his enemies (Saul, Abner, Absalom), David is a
signal type of Him who wept {tKKavcw) over Jerusalem, and
composed its funeral dirge in the words of sorrow which He
pronounced over it even when it was about to reject and cruciiy
Him (Matt, xxiii. 37. Luke xix. 41).
— Died Abner as a fool dieth 7] Literally, Shall Abner die as
a fool ? Must Abner die as a miscreant ? see Ps. xiv. 1 ; and
for a version of this dirge see JBp, Lowth, Prslect. zxil. p* 229.
Moald, Dichter d. a. B. 1. 99. Keil, 224.
84. Thy hands were not bound] No ; thou wert not a male-
factor, treated by me as such, and eiven up to the Law as a
felon after sentence, with hands pimoned and feet fettered, in
order to be executed. I did not so deal with thee ; but thou
wast taken away by treachery and iniquity.
This short poem is not only a dirgp it is also an apology
for David, and for Abner himself.
87. it was not qf the king to slojf Abner] Though Joab had
77
made use of his name for the purpose of slaying him. David
showed kindness to Abner after his death by promoting his
son (1 Chron. xxvii. 21).
80. these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me] The
sons of his own sister; for Abishai as well as Joab had been
guilty of Abner's death {v. 80).
— the Lobd shall reward the doer of evil] Therefore David's
charge to Solomon concerning Joab (1 Kings iL 5, 6) was no act
of private revenge against Joab, but it was the execution of
QoaB justice upon him for his sins.
At the same time, if David had done what his conscience
had told him was right, and what he did to the miuderers of
Ishbosheth (iv. 11); if he had fully trusted God, and done
justice with courage, according to God's law (Gen. ix. 6) ; if,
relying on God, ana not looking to the carnal advanta^s which
he derived from the military skill of Joab and Abishai, he had
executed judgment on Joab, he would have probably prevented
other mm^ers, such as that of Ishbosheth^ and of Amasa ; and
he would have been spared the sorrow of giving on his death-
bed the warrant of execution against Joab, to be put in effect
by Solomon. "Impunitas ad deteriora invitat;" "Saevit in
innocentes, qni parcit nocentibus."
Ch. TV. 2. a Beerothite] Of Beeroth, now Bireh; on the
western frontier of the tribe of Benjamin: see Josh. ix. 17;
xviii. 25.
8. Qittaim] One of the places where the Benjamites dwelt
after the captivity (Neh. xi. 83).
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Mepkibosheih.
2 SAMUEL rV. 4— 12. V. 1, 2. David king of all Israel.
• eh. 9. 8.
f 1 8am. S9. 1,11.
I Or, Mtrib-iaal,
1 Chron. 8. 84.
ft 9. 40.
f eb. S. S8.
h 1 Sam. 19. S,
10, 11.
ft SS. 15.
ft 88. 29.
Oen. 48. 16.
1 Kings 1. 89.
Pa. 81. 7.
k ch. 1. 2, 4, 18.
t Heb. he was in
ki$ own eiie» a$ a
bringer, |«.
i Or, which waa
th4 reward
I gave him for
hit tidingt,
1 Oen. 9. 8, 6.
m oh. 1. 18.
n eh. 8. 88.
a 1 Chmn. 11. 1.
ft IS. 88.
bGeii.89.14.
^ And * Jonathaiii Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He
was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan ^out of
Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled : and it came to pass, as she
made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was
II Mephibosheth.
^ And the sons of Bimmon the Beerothite, Bechab and Baanah, went, and
came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who lay (m a
bed at noon. ^ And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though
they would have fetched wheat ; and they smote him ' under the fifth rib : and.
Bechab and Baanah his brother escaped. ^ For when they came into the
house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew
him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the
plain all night. ^ And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto Dayid to
Hebron, and said to the king. Behold the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul
thine enemy, ^ which sought thy life ; and the Lobd hath avenged my lord the
king this day of Saul, and of his seed.
^ And David answered Bechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Bimmon
the Beerothite, and said unto them. As the Lobd Hveth, ^who hath redeemed
my soul out of all adversity, ^® When ''one told me, saying. Behold, Saul is
dead, f thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew
hm in Ziklag, || who thought that I would have given him a reward for his
tidings : ^^ How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person
in his own house upon his bed ? shall I not therefore now ' require his blood of
your hand, and take you away from the earth ? ^^ And David " commanded
his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and
hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-
bosheth, and buried it in the *" sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.
y. ^ Then ^ came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake,
saying, Behold, ^ we are thy bone and thy flesh. ^ Also in time past, when
4. Hdin^i eam$ of SatU amd Janathtm] That ia, of their death
(1 Sam. zxxi.).
— idooMM lame\ Why is this aocoont of Mephiboiheth in-
•ertedhero?
In order to prepare the reader for hia sabaeqaent historj,
and to explain why the kingdom waa ao eaailv transferred fixmi
the house of Sanl to David T^^^mm) ; and becaoae he waa the
next arenger of blood, and» beinff lame and yonng» wonld not be
able to porane the mnrderera of lahboaheth, who were therefore
emboldened to do what they did. Bat thongh Mephiboaheth
waa lame and could not overtake them, yet God'a joatice followed
and poniahed them when they little expected it : aee o. 11.
— MephiboMheth] Called Jf0n&-iaaZ(*'atriying againat Baal")
1 Chron. Till. 84; ix. 40. The name Mepkibosheth probably
meana extermmatimg shame, or idol {Simonit, Oeten, 498) : aee
above, on it 8. For hia auJbaeqnent hiatoiy aee chi^ia. ix., xvi,
and xix. 25.
d. to the honee of Jbh-hoeheth^ At MiJ«t«i^m QL 8. 12).
0. aa thongh they would have fetched wheaf] lit. fetching
wheat i that ia, nnder the pretext of coming to the king'a
granary to ^t wheat fbr the ropd of the aoldiera of lahboahetii,
whoae captaina they were (v. 2).
7; through the plain"] The valley of the Jordan, between
Mahanaim and Hebron.
8. the Lobd hath avenaed my lord) They pretended piety
and loyalty, but they regarded nothing except their own interest.
A apecimen of what haa been often aeen in the history of the
world and the Church, where zeal for Qod ia aometimea a colour
fbr worldly ambition, and an occasion for doeda of craelbr and
treachery, — even for the murder of princes; aa Henry IlL and
Henry IV, of France.
78
But David jnatlv poniahed theae two murderers : and ihd
day ia coming when, however aome churches may canonize auch
methods of serving Christ, and of promoting what they call the
cause of the Catholic Church, Qod will declare that Christianity
was not intended to be a doak for crime, and that ** thor dam-
nation is just" who do evil in order that good may come
(Bom. iii. 8).
12. their hande and their feef] Their feet with which they
bad made haste to shed Uood; and their hands with which they
had shed it.
Dated xb xadi Enra oyib all Isbaxl.
Ck. y . 1. Then eame aU the tribee of lerael to David mnio
M^ron"] And thus Qod overruled evil fbr good, and bronght
good out of eviL He made the crimes of Abner, Joab, and of
the two Beerothites to be subservient to the exaltation of
David, and the establishment of his kingdom over all IsraeL
Hms Qod will make all the sins of evil men to be one day
ministerial to the extension and final settlement of the universal
dominion of Christ.
Afler the death of Saul, David had been anointed kine of
Jndah. Sanl represents the Jewish Dispensation, which m&ea
way for Christ and the Qospel (Jerome). A fhller unction wm
takes place.
^ thy hone and thy flesh'] So all Israel say to David; and so,
as St. Paul teaches, the Church may m to Christ (see Eph.
V. 80), "for we are of His flesh and of EUs bones,*" and Chrut,
bv His exaltation to the heavenly Jerusalem, is made king over
aU true Israelites, and is become our Second Adam in g^ory,
joining to Himself an imiversal Eve from all nations ; as Adam
said in Paradise of Eve, the mother of all living, '* This is now
bone of my hemes, and flesh of my flesh " (Qen. it 28).
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ixoes to Jerusalem.
2 SAMUEL V. 8—6.
The blind and the lame.
Saul was king over ns, ^ thou wast he that leddest out and bronghtest in Israel :
and the Lobd said to thee, * Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt
be a captain over Israel. ^ • So all the elders of Israel came to the king to
Hebron; 'and king David made a league with them in Hebron 'before the
Lobd : and they anointed David king over Israel. * David was thirty years
old when he began to reign, ^and he reigned forty years. * In Hebron he
reigned over Judah ' seven years and six months : and in Jerusalem he reigned
thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.
^ And the king and his men went ^ to Jerusalem unto ^ the Jebusites, the
inhabitants of the land : which spake unto David, saying. Except thou take
away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither : || thinking, David
1 Sam. 18. IS.
d 1 Sun. 10. 1, 11.
Ps. ys. n.
See ch. 7. 7.
e 1 ChTon. 11. 8.
f2 King! 11. 17.
g Judg. 11. 11.
1 Sun. 38. 18
h 1 Chron. 26. 81.
ft 29. 27.
i oh. 2. 11.
1 Chron. 8. 4.
k Judg. 1. 21.
1 Josh. 18. 68.
Judg. 1. 8.
fr 19. II, 12.
B Or, tajfiiu,
David tkaUnoi,
8. tkey amoUUed David himg over ItraeT] Aooording to the
word of the Lord hy Samoel (1 Chron. xL 8). David was a type
of Christ ; and here also was a preflgoration of the uniyerHil
dominion of Christ.
With regard to the soccessiye nnctions of Datid, which
were tyi^oal of the soccessiye unctions of Christ, JBp* Pearean,
following other expositors rsee A Lapide here), thus writes :—
" I>Avid was not only first designed, bat also andnted, king
orer Inrttel (1 Sam. xvi. 13), and yet had no possession of the
crown. Seven years he continued anointed by Bamael, and had
no share in the dominion; seven years after, he continued
anointed in Mebron, only king over ihe tribe of Judah (2 Siun.
iL 4). At last he was reodved by aUtJke iribei, and so obtained
fall and absolute regal power over aU lerael, and seated himself
in the royal city Jerusalem,
** So Chbist was bom King of the Jews, and the conjunc-
tion of His human nature with His Divine, in the union of
His person, was a sufficient unction to His regal office, yet as
the Son of Man He exercised no such dominion, professing that
His kingdom was not of thie world (John xviii. 86) ; but after
He rose from the dead, then, as it were in Hebron with His own
tribe. He tells the Apostles (Matt, xxviii. 18), all power is given
wUo Him ; and bv vurtue thereof g^ves them ii^junctions ; and at
His Ascension He enters into the Jerusalem above, and there
sits down at the right hand of the throne of God, and so makes
a solemn entry upon the fhll and entire dominion over all things ;
then could St. Peter say (Acts iL 86), 'Let all the house of
Israel know assoredly, tnat God hath made that same Jesus
whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ ' " {Bp, Pearson
on the Creed, Art. vi^. Cp. above, on iL 4.
4. thirty years ola\ As Joseph was, when he was exalted by
Pharaoh (Gen. xlL 46), and as Jesus was, when He was anointed
publicly by the Holy Ghost, and was proclaimed to be the Son of
God from neaven (Luke ilL 28. Angelomms\
— he reigned forty yeairs'\ As Saul did (Acts niL 21), and as
Solomon did (2 Chron. ix. 80^. " Quadragenarius numerus, qui
ex quater denis constat, plemtudinem temporum et rerum per-
feetionem significat" (Angelovms),
6. the kiny and his men^ Called, « all Israel ''(1 Chron. xL 4}.
David's victorious entry into Jerusalem is the triumph of " all
Israel.'' So the Ascension of our David into the heavenly
Jerusalem is the ascendon of us aD (Eph. ii. 6). Where tbte
Head is, there the members are already in hope, and wfll be
hereafter in fruition. They are His bone and His flesh.
— to Jerusalem unto the J^usites"] Who occupied the
fortress, ''the strongh<dd of Hod," tiie southern and highest
lull of the dty ; the northern and lower parts bong in the hands
of the Bei\jamites : see Judg. L 8. 21.
Thb BLnm Aim thb LuaE.^DATn> xktbbs JBBxrsiLEX.
— Except thou take cmay the blind and the lame"] This
translation has been corrected by some as follows : " Thou const
not come in hither; bnt the bUnd and the lame will keep thee
oft" (JBueU, who compares Isa. xiv. 82 for the use of the
smgular verb hesireoct, from swr to keep off, instead of the
plimd ; and see Swald, § 819.)
But the translation seems preferable which is given in the
Authorized Version, aococding to which the verb is the hiphil
infinitive, and this tnmdation is confirmed by Vuly., Arabic,
Striae, Taryum, Jonathan,
Who the lame and the bUnd were, has been doubted. Some
have supposed (as Josephus, vii. 8. 1) that the Jebusites relied on
the strength of their fortress, and set the Uind and lame on the
walls in ^terision of David^ as if they would suffice to keep him
79
off. A similar exposition is offered by Anyelomus, A Lapide,
Kennioott, Dissertations, i. 82— 42, and others.
Others suppose that the "blind and the lame" here mean
images sculptured with inscriptions, placed on the walls by the
Jebusites. So Ahen Ezra, R. Levi ben Oereon, and other
Jewish expoeitoTB: cp. I^cmus, Carihusiamu, and Luther,
Walther, and others, who suppose that they were idols of tiie
Jebusites, who had placed them on their battlements, and relied
on them as the patrons and tutelary deities of their city (cp. the
learned Essay or John Oreyorie, Dissotations, 1684^ p. 29, and
Dr, Kitto, p. 842, for illustrations of this practice), and that
David called these images " lame and blind," according to his
own language in Ps. cxv. 2 — 11, " Wherefbro should theneathen
say. Where is now their God P Their idols are silver and gold,
even the work of men's hands. They have mouths, and speak
not; wes have they, and see not; they have hands, and huidle
not; fiet have they, and walk not. They that msJce them are
like unto them, and so are all they that put their trust in them.
But thou, house of Israel, trust tnou in the Lord, He is their
succour and defence. Te that fear the Lord, put your trust in
the Lord, He is their helper and defender."
This interpretation is confirmed by what follows. If " the
lame and blind" had been mere feeble and maimed men, they
would have been pitied "by David's soul," but not have been
hcfted, as they are declared to be ; but if they were idols they
would be olg'ects of his detestation, and he would desire to abolish
them, and to establish the worship of the true Qod, the Chxl of
Israel, on the heights of Moriah, hallowed by the sacrifice of
Abraham, and called Jehovah-jireh by him : see Gen. xxiL 21.
Further, this is correborated by what is related of David subse-
quently in this chapter, v. 21, that he burned the images of the
Philistines : see note there.
Yet more ; the victory of David over the Jeburites, and
his triumphal entrance into Zion and Jerusalem, were critical
events in his life. Henceforth he became king over all the
tribes of Israel, and made Jerusalem the capital dThis kingdom,
and reigned there, and brought up the Anc of the Lord with
joy and thanksgdving into it.
Doubtiess (as is observed by ancient writers : see TertulUan
c. Marcion. iv. 86, and Anyelomus here) these things were pro-
phetic and typical of Christ, and of His victory over the heathen
world, and of His triumphal entry at His Ascension into the
heavoily Jerusalem, and of the establishment of His reyal sway
over all the tribes of true Israelites throughout the world, and
of His reception of the Ark of His Church into tiie heavenly
dty, to be enshrined for ever there.
But before this glorious consummation could be accomplished,
a previous work was to be done in the heathen world. Hie
heathen world trusted in false gods; it relied on "the blind and
the lame ;" on gods that could neither see nor walk : witness,
for example, the colossal image of Minerva Promachus, and the
Temple of the Parthenon on the Acropolis at Athens, the most
learned of heathen cities ; and the Temple and the Statue of
Jupiter adored on the Capitol of Bome, the mistress of the
world, when Christ and His Apoeties preached the Gospel, and
stormed tiie fortresses of Satan, who is worshipped by the
Jebusites of heathendom, and opened the way to tiie tarte Zion,
and planted the trophies of victory on the walls of the heavenly
Jerusalem. " The idok He shall utteriy abolish, and the Lord
alone shall be exalted in that day," was the prophecy of Isaiah,
foretelling the victory of Christ and the Gospel (Isa. ii. 17, 18).
" The blind and the lame," the fidse gods adored by heathen-
dom» but "liated by the soul" of the Divine David, Jbsts
Cbbist, ittust fizirt; be removed, before Jerusalem can be won«
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x
David takes Zion.
2 SAMUEL V. 7—18. David's house and offspring.
m ver. 9.
1 Kings 2. 10.
&8. I.
nl Chron. 11.
6—9.
R Or, Beeautt
ikey had said,
9ctn the blind and
the lame. He shall
not come into the
house.
ver. 7.
t Heb. went going
and growing.
p I Kings 5. 2.
1 Chron. 14. 1.
t Heb. hewtrs of
the stone of the
wall.
qDeut, 17.17.
1 Chron. 9. 9.
fr 14. 3.
r 1 Chron. S. 5.
9c 14. 4.
H Or, Shimea,
1 Chron. 8. 5.
I Or, Slishama,
1 Chron. 3. f.
I Or, BeeliadOt
1 Chron. 14. 7.
■ 1 Chron. 11. 16.
ft 14. 8.
t ch. 23. 14.
cannot come in hither. ^ Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion :
°* the same is the city of David. ® And David said on that day, Whosoever
getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the
blind, that are hated of David's soul, ° he shall be chief and captain. [| Wherefore
they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. ^ So David
dwelt in the fort, and called it ** the city of David. And David built round
about from Millo and inward. ^^ And David f went on, and grew great, and
the Lord God of hosts was with him.
11 And p Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and
carpenters, and f masons : and they built David an house. ^^ And David
perceived that the Lobd had established him king over Israel, and that he had
exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake.
1' And "* David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he
was come from Hebron : and there were yet sons and daughters bom to David.
1* And ' these be the names of those that were bom unto him in Jerasalem ;
II Shammuah, and Shobab, and Nathai^, and Solomon, i* Ibhar also, and
||Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia, ^^And Ehshama, and jjEhada, and
Eliphalet.
17 'But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over
Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David ; and David heard of itj * and
went down to the hold, i* The Philistines also came and spread tiiemselves
Here is a moral lesson to Christian Chorclies, and to every
individual soul j let them put away their idols, their worship
of creatures, of swnts and ancels, and of every object except
of the Lord God of Israel, if thev desire to ascend with Christ
into the heavenly Jerusalem, and to dwell with Him for ever
there. " For what agreement hath the templeof God with idols ?"
(2 Cor. vi. 16.) " Little children, keep yourselves from idols"
(1 John V. 21), Idolaters are cast forth from the heavenlv city
(Rev. xxii. 16), and Uiey will have " their part in the lake of fire *
(Rev. xxi. 8).
8. David said on that day, JFhosoever getteth up to the
gutter, and smiteth the Jehueitee^ This translation must be
corrected, as to the order of the words, and also as to the sense :
they would be better rendered. Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites,
let him cast down into the gutter the lame and the blind, hated
hg David's soul : so JBochart, Ewald, Keil,
The sense is complete (as Bp* Patrick has observed) with-
out the addition of the words in the Authorized Version, ** he
shall be chief and captain," which are indeed true, being found
in 1 Chron. xi..6, but ought not to be inserted here.
The word rendered gutter is tsinnor, which occurs also in
Ph. xlii. 8, and there means toater-spout
David ordered that whosoever smote the Jebusites should
cast down "the blind and the lame," i. e. their idols, into the
gutter; and so the true David commands that His faithful
soldiers and servants, who fight against the spiritual Jebusites
of the world, the flesh, and the devil, should cast down their
idols, and overthrow " every high and proud imagination that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor.
X. 5). This is the first pre-requisite for entrance into the
heavenly Jerusalem.
As to Mardon's objection, derived firom this passage, see
TertulUan c. Mardon. iv. 36.
What, therefore, is to be said of those who, after that
Christ and His Apostles have destroyed idolatry, pick up the
idols again out of the gqtter, and replace them on their pedes-
tab P Is not this the case with the Church of Rome, and with
those wl^ &U away to her ? and may they not derive a warning
to themselves from this Scripture ?
— The blind and the lame shall not come into the house']
Into the house of David, to whose soul they are hateftd. Idols
were not admitted by him into his own house at Jerusalem ; and
woe to those who set them up in the house of the Divine
David ; for, as the Apostle asks, '* What communion hath light
with darkness, and what concord hath Christ with Belial ? and
80
what agreement hath the Temple of Qod. with idols P" (2 Cor.
vi. 14—16.)
9. David dwelt in the fort"] Zion; David took up his abode
there ; literally, sat down there. So Christ, having conquered
our spiritual Jebusites, ascended into the heavenly Jerusalem,
the "holy hill of Zion" (Ps. u. 6. Cp. Heb. xii. 22. Rev.
xiv. 1), and sat down on the right hand of God (Heb. x. 12).
— firom Millo] From the fortress (see Judg. ix. 6. 46. 49) :
probably on the northern side of Mount Zion ; from which he
carried a wall round about, so as to enclose the lower city, which
lay on the north of Zion, and to connect it with Zion on the
south, and to join the city and the citadel into one.
11. Hiram king qf Tgre] On the chronology see 1 Kings
▼. 1. 1 Chron. xiv. 1.
— sent messengers to David — and theg buHt Daivid on
house] The heathen king and people of Tyre, the great mer-
chant city of antiquity, contributed to the gloiy of David after
his exaltation in JernBalem. So of the true David it is said
after His Ascension, that " the daughter of Tyre shall be there
with a g^ ; the rich among the people shall make supplication
unto Thee " (Ps. xiv. 12) ; and this was to be the presage of the
time when ** all kings shall fall down before Him, all nations
shall do Him service" (Ptu Ixxii. 11). Psalm xxx. is said in
its title to have been composed for the dedication of David's
house.
18. David took him more concubines and wives out of Jeru-
salem] Cp. 1 Chron. xiv. 8. A sin in David, as forbidden by
God's law (Dent. xvii. VTS. But the stain and blemish of the
type vanish in the Divme Antitype, Jesus Christ {Bede and
Angelomus : see above, on iii. 2).
The Divine David, after His ascension into the heavenly
Jerusalem, espoused to Himself Churches in spiritual wedlock
frt)m all nations, as the Apostle speaks (2 Cor. xL 2), and He is
ever raising up to Himself a holy seed of sons and dauffhters
from Churches throughout the world: Christ HimseEf, by
spiritual ^neration bnd propagation, is ever being bqrm,
according to David's language (Fs. Ixxxvii. 4) and that qf St.
Paul (Gal. iv. 19) in the hearts of believers in all lands.
14. these be th^ names] Mentioned by anticipation.
— Shammuah — Solomon] Sons of Bathsheba. 1 Chron.
iii. 6. On the name of Solomon, see xii. 24.
15, 16. Ibhar — Miphalet] Here are seven names ; in 1
Chron. iii. 8 are nine ; probably two of them, one of the two
Eliphalets and Nogah, died in childhood (Keil).
17. the hold] He came down from Mount Zion to another
strong place hAow, where his army might be more conveniently
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David bums the images; 2 SAMUEL V. 19 — 25. VI. 1. brings up the Ark to Zion.
in ** the yalley of Bephaim. ^^ And David ' enquired of the Lord, saying,
Shall I go np to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand?
And the Lord said unto David, Go up : for I will doubtless deliver the
Philistines into thine hand, ^o ^j David came to ^ Baal-perazim, and David
smote them there, and said. The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies
before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that
place II Baal-perazim. ^i ^^ there they left their images, and David and his
men ' |j burned them. ^ ' And the Phihstines came up yet again, and spread
themselves in the valley of Bephaim. ^And when *" David enquired of the
Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up ; but fetch a compass behind them, and
come upon them over against the mulberry trees. ^ And let it be, when thou
"^ hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou
shalt bestir thyself: for then * shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the
host of the Phihstines. ^ And David did so, as the Lord had commanded
him ; and smote the Phihstines from * Geba until thou come to ^ Gazer.
VI. ^ Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty
u Josh. 19.8.
Ita. 17. 5.
X ch. S. 1.
1 Sam. as. S, 4.
ft SO. 8.
y !»•. ?8. 21.
I That it. The
plmim of breaches.
% Deut. 7 5, 25.
1 Chron. 14. 12.
I Or, took them
awop.
a 1 Chron. 14. IS.
b ver. 19.
c So 2 Kings 7. 8,
d Judg. 4. 14.
• 1 Chron. 14. 16,
Oibeon.
f Josh. 16. 10.
encamped ; he also thns showed that he was not daunted hy the
approach of the Philistinesy hut trusted that with God's help
be would overcome them.
18. vall^ of BephaimloT giants: see Qen, jjv. 6; zv. 20.
Deut. ii. IL Josh. zii. 4. On the west of Jerusalem (Josh. zy. 8).
S80. Baal-perazim] place of breachee (Cfeten, 131. Cp. 1
Chron. xiv. 11).
21. thei/ left their imttffee, and David and hie men burned
them] The Philistines had probably brought the images of their
gods (see 1 Chron. xiv. 12) mto the field to be their champions ;
as the Israelites carried the Ark to thear wars (1 Sam. iv. 4^ 5).
The Ark, though it fell into the hands of the Philistines, was
the cause of plagues and shame to them and their idol I>agon
(1 Sam. V. 8—9). But the Philistines left their idols, which
had " feet, but walked not," and they fell into David's hantl,
and he burned them with fire, according to God's command
(Deut. vii. 5). So the true David, Jesus Christ, and His
servants, after He had ascended into the heavenly Jerusalem,
went forth to the battle against the armies and idols of heathen-
dom, and has cast them into the fire. Alas ! then for those who
venture to pluck idols out of the flame, and to set up creature-
worship in the Church of God, and in their own hearts.
28. Thou ehalt not go up] Why does God now say " Thou
shalt not go up," when He had said before '*Thou shalt go up ?"
To teach mvid not to follow his own devices, or to lean on his
own strength, but in all things to obey the Divine will, and to
depend on the Divine help {Theodoref), The same may be
observed with regard to the soldiers of the Cross, particularly
St. Paul : see below, on Acts xvi. 6.
— the mulberry trees'] So the Rabbis : others render it pear-
trees (Sept.), The original word baea is derived from baea or
baoah, to weep, and signifies some tree which dther weeps with
gum like the balsam, or hangs down its leaves in tresses Uke the
weeping willow, and is easily moved by the wind (see Oesen,,
p. 119, and B, D. ii. 440).
24. when thou hearest the sound of a goin^ in the tops of
the mulberry trees, that then thou shaU bestir thyself] Literally,
when thou hearest the voice of a going, <^o., then thou shalt
move thyself David might not move himself (says JosephuSy
vii. 4. 1) till the trees of the grove should be in motion without
any blowing of the wind, but as soon as the trees moved he
should go forth without delay to certun victory. This sig^
was very expressive. The sound of the voice of a going in the
tops of the trees had a double significance. It was the sound of
the viewless march of" the Lord, going out before him to smite
the host of the Philistines." It was the sound of God going
forth to smite their gods, even as He smote the gods of Egypt
{Jeromiaster). " The voice of the Lord " (as David hin^self says,
Ps. xxix. 4) " is powerfid and full of majesty : the voice of the
Lord bredceth the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of
Lebanon." But even the whispers of that voice are fUll pf trouble
to Hb enemies, and of comfort to His servants. The sound of
the voice of His going, even in the tops of the mulberry -trees,
— that is, even though it rustles in the quivering leaves of the
grove, must, if He wills, strike a panic into the hearts of the
Philistines : as He Himself says of those who disol^ey H^m, '* I
Vol. IL Paet II.— 81
will send a faintness into their hearts, and the sound of a shaken
leaf shaU chase them, and they shall flee as fleemg from a
sword, and they shall fall when none pursueth " (Lev. xxvi. 86).
Cp. 2 Kings vii. 6, " The Lord made the host of the Syrians to
hear a noise of chariots and a noise of horses;" and 2 Kings
xix. 7, " I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear ^
rumour." But in those who trust in Him and obey Him, the
gentlest murmur of His voice will breathe comfort and courage ;
they will listen eagerly for the slightest intimation of His will,
and will bestir themselves with alacrity and courage at the
signal of His going before them. " The wind bloweth where it
listeth " (John iii. 8) ; and at the Day of Pentecost the Spirit
came down firom heaven as the sound of a rushing mighty wind
(Acts ii. 2), and the soldiers of Christ were stirrwi by its power
to go forth and conquer the armies of the spiritual Philis-
tines, and to subdue the world unto Christ (cp. Angelomus
here).
Ch. VI.— Oy the Bsnranro xtp of thb Abk to Monrr Ziok.
This chapter, firom v. 1 to v. 19, was appointed by the
Hebrew Church to be read in the Synagogues together with
Lev. ix. 1 to xi. 47, which describes the offerings of Aaron, the
High Priest, in the Tabernacle, after his consecration, and the
coming down of the fire from heaven; and the Divine judg-
ment on Nadab and Abihu for oflering strange fire.
The connexion of these portions of Soripture is obvious.
The act of David, bringing up the Ark to its abode in Mount
Zion, was an accomplishment, in part, of the work begun in the
wOdemess by the setting up of the T&bemacle and the consecra-
tion of the Aaronical Priesthood.
But this act of David reaches far forward to a much more
glorious consummation. On the occasion of the bringing up of
the Ark to Zion, he composed (as is cpmmonly believed) the
xxivth Psalm, " The earth is the Lord's," &c. " Who shall as-
cend into the hill of the Lord ?" and the xlviith Psalm, apother
Psalm for Ascension ; cp. Ps. Ixxviii. ** Let God arise, and let
His enemies be scattered," &o. " Thou art gpne up on high, and
hast -led captivity captive, and received gifts for men ;" which
the Church has most aptly connected with the Abobnsion of
Jesus Chbist into the heavenly Zion, and with the Coming of
the Holy Ghost |n fire firom heaven on the Church of Cluist
at the Day of Pentecost.
The appointment of these Proper Lessons and Proper PBalms
by the Hebrenv and Christian Churches, is like a practical expo-
sition of the meaning of these Scriptures, which are thus
brought together, and reflect sjuritual light on each other.
Therefore, m reading the history of the going up of David and
the Ai-k, let us think of Christ going up into heaven, and carry-
ing up His Church thither ; and let us meditate on the spiritual
gifts which He procured for her by that glorious exaltation to
the heavenly Jerusalem.
But here another preliminary remark must be made.
David himself had already gone up to Jerusalem ; and was
there enthroned in his capital as King of Israel. But the Ark
—the Visible Church of God— was not yet established there.
And, as we shall see in this chapter, the progress of the Ark
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The Ark set on a cart.
2 SAMUEL VI. 2—7.
TJzzah touches it.
a 1 Chron. 13. 5,
6.
I Or, Baalah,
thm 18, Kirjatk-
4earim,
Joth. 15. 9, 60.
D Or, ai which
tht natne, even
the name of ihe
LORD of hosts,
icas called upon.
b I Sam. 4. 4.
Ps. bO. 1 .
t Heb. madt to
ride.
c See Num. 7. 9.
I Sam. 6. 7.
II Or. the hill,
d 1 Sam. 7. 1.
t Heb. with.
e 1 Chron. IS. 9,
he is called,
Chidon.
f Sec Num. 4. 15,
y Or, itumbted.
thousand. ^ And * David arose, and went with all the people that were with
him from || Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, || whose
name is called by the name of the Lobd of hosts ^ that dwelleth between the
cherubims. ' And they f set the ark of God "" upon a new cart, and brought
it out of the house of Abinadab that was in || Gibeah : and Uzzah and Ahio,
the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. * And they brought it out of ^ the
house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, f accompanying the ark of God : and
Ahio went before the ark. * And Datid and all the house of Israel played
before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps,
and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on comets, and on cymbals. ^ And
when they came to *Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah 'put forth his hand to the
ark of God, and took hold of it ; for the oxen || shook it. ^ And the anger of
toward Zion was retarded by many hmdrances and by many
drawbacks ;
Its progress* was commenced with the mistake of placing the
Ark in the new cart (v. 3) instead of on the shoulders of the
Kohathitee ; its course was arrested by the disastrous check at
Perez-uzzah {v. 6 — 8) ; it sojourned for a time at the house of
Obed-edom {v. 10—12). David's act of rejoicing before it was
derided by his own wife ; and it was not tdl the days of Solomon
his son that it was solemnly inaugurated in the Temple at
Jerusalem.
So it has been in the history of the Chnrch*
Our Divine David Himself is gone up to the heavenly
Jerusalem, by a glorious Ascension, and by that Ascension His
members are already there in hope. But the progress of the
Ark of His Church to that glorious altitude is a weary pil-
grimage, by a steep and rugged way (see on v. 3), attended by
many sorrows, trials, and imperft»ctions. It is not without
much tribulation that the Church militant can arise to the glory
of the Church triumphant.
1. Damd gathered together] See 1 Chron. xiii. 1 — 5, where
David associates the Priests and Levites and people throughout
all Israel with himself in this work of religious joy and exul-
tation. The universal Church of Christ partakes with the
Divine David in the gbry of His Ascension into the heavenly
Sion (Eph. ii. 6).
2. Baale'] The old Canaanitish name of Kiijath-jearim, where
the Ark had been, with only occasional removals, since its re-
covery out of the hands of the Philistines : see 1 Sam. vi. 21 ;
vii. 2.
Probably there is a reference to Kirjaih-jearim. i. e. city
of wooda^ in Ps. cxxxii. 6, in which we rend, — "We found
it (the Ark) in thejlelde of the wood.** " Arise, O Lord, into
Thy resting-place. Thou and the Ark of Thy strength/*
The Ta^ernacls at this time was at Gibeon, where it re-
mained till the building of Solomon's Temple, 1 Chron. xvi. 39.
2 Chron. i. 3.
— whose name — cherubims] Rather, over which (Ark)
the Name, the Name of the Lord of Hosts, TFho sitteth
on the Cherubim, is called; that is, over which is proclaimed
and manifested the glory and power of the Lord of Hosts.
The Ark was His Throne, on which His attributes of power
were manifested; as had been seen in the dividing of the
waters of Jordan, and in the fall of the walls of Jericho^ and
the overthrow of Dagon at God's presence manifested between
the Cherubim on the Ark. This was the reason, why David
desired to carry up the Ark, the visible syinbol of God's presence,
majenty, and power, into the capital of his kingdom, Jerusalem.
Cp. Exod. xxxiii. 19, where God says to Moses, " I will make aU
my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the Name of the
Lord before thee;" and Exod. xxxiv. 5, 6, " The Lord stood and
proclaimed the Name of the Lord ; and the Lord passed by him '
and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious ;"
and see 1 Chron. xiii. 6, where David is said to bring up the Ark
of the Lord, " that dwelleth between the Cherubims, whose Name
is called on it ;" and Keil, p. 240 ; and below, on 1 Kings viii. 43.
3. they set the arh of Qod upon a new cart] As the Philistmes
had done (1 Sam. vi. 7, 8. 14^ ; but it ought not to have been car-
ried in a cart, but on the shoulders of Levites, the Eohathites
(Num. iv. 15 ; vii. 9 ; X. 21).
Even David himself, we see, was liable to the charge of
no^ligence and forgetf\ilne8S in the manner of bringing up the
Ark ; and his fault is not disguised by the sacred writer. Ho
82
had imitated the Philistines, GKxl's enemies ; and had disobeyed
God's law. David afterwards recollected the error of which he
had been guilty in this respect, and corrected it, in the remainder
of the progress of the Ark to Jerusalem : see 1 Chron. xv. 2 — 15.
All religious reformations, which aro wrought by men, are
blemished by human infirmities. It is Christ only of whom it
can be said^ that " His Work is perfect," in the intention, and
in the act, and in the mode of doing it.
— in Oibeah] Rather, in the hill, on the ir.W. of Eiriath-
jearim : cp. 1 Sam. vii. 1, and so Sept. See Pfeiffer, Dnbia, p.
204^ and Dr. Thomson, Land and Book, p. 666, who describes
this road from Kirjath-jearim (Kuryet'el'Mnctb), on ihe borders
of Judah and Bei\jamm, to Jerusalem. ** It took " (he says)
"just three hours, moderate riding, from Kuryet-el-JSnab to
Jerusalem; first a long descent into Wady Sctmna, then a
similar ascent, succeeded by a very steep pass and a very slippery
path down to Kulonia. The path then winds up a valley, and
stretches over a dreary waste of bare rocks until within a mile
of the City (Jerusalem), when the view opens its naked ram-
parts and the mysterious region beyond the Dead Sea."
— Uzzah and Ahio, the sons qf Abinadab] Perhaps the word
sons here may mean grandsons, says Keil, who calculates (pp.
217. 240) that the time since the first arrival of the Ark at
Abinadab's house (1 Sam. vii. 1), when Eleazar his son was ap-
pointed to guard it, was about seventy years.
4. accompanying the ark] Literally, with the Ark; objections
have been made to the statement here, as if it were a mere
repetition of what had been said in the previous verse, and as if
it were tautology to say, they brought the ark with the ark
(Cappellus, Houbigant, Keil).
But the sacred historian is explaining how what he is
about to relate came to pass. The two sons brought the Ark ;
at first they were toith the Ark ; then AMo went before the
Ark, but Uzzah followed with it, and touched it {v. 6).
Others suppose that " they brought it," in this verse, means,
they brought the cart or carriage from the house of Abinadab,
and this opinion deserves consideration.
5. of^ wood] or, cypress {Oesen. 140).
— on harps] See 1 Chron. xiii. 8 ; and as to the Instniments
here named, cp. 1 Sam. x. 5.
— comets] Rather, sistra ( Vulg.), which were shaken in order
to produce sound. Cp. Oesen. 488. 540.
6. Nachon's threshingfloor] In 1 Chron. xiii. 9 it is called
Chidon* s threshing-floor : see the margin.
How is this to be explained ?
Neither Nachon nor Chidon are in fact proper names. Tho
words rendered " Nachon's threshing-floor," ought to be trans-
lated, the threshing-fl(X)r of smiting (from nacah, to smite), so
called from the event ; because God there smote Uzzah (Boehart,
Keil) ; and the words, " Chidon's threshing-floor," ought pro-
bably to be translated, the threshing-floor of the dart, i. e. of
the stroke with which Uzzah was smitten. Cp. Keil, p. 242.
Uzzah uaisa hoij> of the Abk.
— Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of Ood, and took
hold of it] which it was not lawful for him to do, not being a
priest (Num. iv. 15. Josephus, vii. 4. 2). It is not certain &at
he was a Kohathite, but if he were, then he had clearer know-
ledge than others, and knew he might not touch it, but help to
bear it on staves ; and death was threatened in the Law, as the
penalty for the violation of this law (Num. iv. 15. 19, 20;
vii. 9).
Uzzah did what he did with a good intention; and his punisb-
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Uzzah smitten.
2 SAMUEL VI- 8— 12,
The Ark with Obed-edom.
the Lord was kindled against Uzzah ; and * God smote him there for his \\ error ;
and there he died by the ark of God. ® And David was displeased, because
the Lord had f made a breach upon Uzzah : and he called the name of the
place II Perez-uzzah to this day. ^ And ** David was afraid of the Lord that
day, and said. How shall the ark of the Lord come to me ? ^^ So David
would not remove the ark of the Lord unto him into the city of David : but
David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom * the Gittite. ^^ ^ And the
ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three
months : and the Lord ^blessed Obed-edom, and all his household.
^2 And it was told king David, saying, The Lord hath blessed the house
of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God.
" So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom
g 1 Sam. 6. 19.
I Or, rashness.
t Hcb. broken.
H That ii,
The breach of
Uzzah.
hPs. lie. 120.
See Luke 5. b. 9.
il Chron. IS. IS.
k 1 Chroa. 13. 14.
1 Gen. 80. 27.
& 39. 6.
m 1 Chron. 15. 25.
ment is a warning that no itUentiony however good, can justify
a bad aot. As Balvian says (de Gnbemat. Dei yi. 10)» " Oza
Xievites ipao officio inofficiosas ftiit, qui iiyussa prsBsampsit, et
extinctus eat :" see Bp. Sanderson de Consc., Prsel. ii. § 13, who
says, ^ This inadvertency of Uzzah, notwithstanding the inno-
cence of his intention, brought down the Divine vengeance on
his head, which struck him with present death, before the whole
asAembly of the people, as the punishment of his presumption.
And by this severe stroke upon the first violator of the law,
God impressed a dread upon the hearts of men, and gave a
sanction to His commands that no man should attempt upon
any pretence whatever, to act in defiance of His Law, or boldly
to dispense with what God has established/'
"Die special moral of this warning is, that no one, on the plea
of zeal for the Ark of Gbd's Church, should resort to doubtful
expedients and unlawful means for the attfdnment of his end.
Let him not say, that for the advancement of the Church of
God, all acts are pleasing to Him. No : if the vessel of the
Church is tossed with storms, the Disciples may not approach
Christ and touch Him with familiar irreverence, in order to
awake Him who sleeps as man, but sees all things as God (see
on Mark iv. 88 — 40). Here is the trial of their faith. Let
them tarry the Lora's leisure, and He will rise and succour
them, and bless them for their trust in Him.
Here (as Bp. Sanderson has shown in the second of his
invaluable lectures *' On Conscience '') is a divine protest against
the fimaticism of the Anabaptists, Antinomians, and others, on
the one side, and the impiety of the Papal casusts on the other,
who justify and encourage any act, however sinM, if it conduce
to what they call a good end.
— the oxen shook it] Literally, the ox let it loose, perhaps by
slipping, so as to endanger its fiuling. The verb here used is
sl^txt, which is rendered to release in Deut. xv. 8, and^ to let
rest in Exod. xxiii. 11, and to throw down in 2 Kings ix. 83,
and to overthrow in Ps. cxli. 6.
The road was a steep and rough one, so that the
oxen might easily stumble, and cause a concussion of the
cart, and of the Ark in it : see o. 8. Josephus, viL 4. 2.
"Oza Levites, Arcam Domini, quam portare debuerat,
quasi mentem sustentare voluit, et percussus est" (i9. Jerome,
Epist. 48 : so Theodorei), His knowledge, if he was a Levite, ag-
gravated his sin. The mstory of the Divine judgment on Uzzcdi
IS a proof that the Mosaic Law, concerning the functions of the
Xievites, was then in existence, and may be appealed to in reply
to the strange allegations of some that the Levitical Amotions
date from the time of David himself: see Bp. Colenso on the
Pentateuch, F^irt v. ch. xv. p. 159.
Uzzah meant well ; but the best intention cannot excuse
us in unlawful actions. There is nothing more dangerous
than to be our own carvers in matters of devotion {Bp. Sail).
Observe the consequence of disobedience. If GUxi's law
had been complied with, the Ark would not have been placed on
a cart, but on the shoulders of the Eohathites ; and the occasion
for Uzzah's sin would not have occurred. Perhaps Uzzah had
been one of those who had caused it to be drawn by oxen : and
his own instruments became the cause of his death. Here then
is a warning to all, that they presimie not to put forth their
hands, without a due call and mission, to meddle with holy
things. " You must rather leave the Ark (of the Church) to
shake, if it so please God, than put unworthy hands to hold
it up ** (Lord Bacon) : cp. Acts xix. 13.
7. God smote him therefor his error^ In touching the Ark ;
83
and if such reverence was due to the Ark of the covenant, which
was sprinkled with the blood typifying that of Christ, with how
much awe ought the Name of Christ, and the " Blood of the
Covenant " itself to be treated ! see Heb. x. 29.
— he died] It is not said that he perished immediately ; or
that he died eternally : he may have repented of his sin, as the
Hebrew intei*preter8 suppose : see Bfeiffer, Dubia, p. 206.
8. David was displeased^ His anger was kindled against the
oause of this judgment, that is, against the sin, from which he
himself was not exempt, which had led to it. If he had taken
care that the Ark had been carried, as it ought t^ have been, on
the shoulders of the Kohathites (see v. 8), this calamity would
not have happened. One irregularity in holy things leads to
another: and €k>d's patience is exhausted, and He interferes
with some awful judgment to prevent ftirther aberrations.
David's displeasure was like that spoken of in 2 Cor. vii. 11.
— Berez-wizaK] Uzzah* s breach : cp. Baal-perazim, v. 20.
9. Bavid was (^aid—How shall the ark of the Loed come
to me ?J who have been an accessory to Uzzah*s sin t see on t;. 8.
David applies the judgment on Uzzah to himself.
We then make a right use of God's iudgments of others,
when we fear them for ourselves : and finding our sins equal,
tremble at the expectation of the same punishments. Awful'
ness is a safe inte^reter of God's actions, and a wise guide of
ours (Bp. Hall).
10. the house of Obed-edom the CHtUteli How is this to be
accounted for ? If Obed-edom was dwelling in his own city,
Gati-rimmon, which was in the tribe of Dan (Josh. xix. 46 ; xxi.
24), then David must have carried the Ark to a place which was
more distant from Jerusalem than Kiijath-jearim. Kirjath-
jearim was ten miles, and Gath-rimmon was twelve miles, west
of Jerusalem (Onomasticon).
This circumstance, which otherwise might have appeared
strange and incredible, is probably to be expkined fipom the fact
that Obed-edom was a Kohathite (see Exod. vi. 21; xviii. 16 ;
compared with 1 Chron. xv. 18. 21. 24; xvi. 5; xxvi. 4), and
was therefore one of those who were authorized and commis-
sioned to bear the Ark (see on v. 3) ; and it is a proof that David
had derived a salutary lesson from Gkxl's judgment on Uzzah,
as is indeed dear from what David himself says in 1 Chron. xv.
1—13. Cp. Theodoret, Qu. 19.
11. the ark of the LoBD contiwued in the house of Obed-
edom^and the LoBD blessed Obed-edom, and cdl his house*
hold] See here the courage and faith of Obed-edom : he knew
that the presence of the Ark had been disastrous to Dagon, and
had brought plagues on the Philistines, and that the men of
Beth-shemesh had been struck dead for looking into it; and
that Uzzah had been smitten for touching it ; and yet he gladly
welcomed it, and harboured it fi)r three months; and God
blessed him for his fidth. Obed-edom well knew that though
"God is a consuming fire" to those who treat Him with ir-
reverence. He is infijiite in mercj to those who obey Him.
The Gadarenes, smitten with fear, besought Jesus to depart out
of their coasts, and we do not hear that He ever visited them
again. But Zacchaeus, animated by love, received Him gladly,
and Jesus said, " This day is salvation come to this house "
(Luke xix. 9). All divine things, such as the Scriptures and
Sacraments, are set, as Christ Himself was, "for the fall and rising
agam of many m Israel " (Luke ii. 84); they are "a savour (or
odour) of death unto death" to those who reject or despise them,
and " an odour of life unto life " to those who love them (2 Cor.
ii. 16).
M 2
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The Ark is brought to Zion. 2 SAMUEL VI. 13—21.
MichaL
n Num. 4. 16.
Josh. 8. 8.
1 Chron. 15. 2,
15.
See 1 Kings 8.
5
1 Chron. 15. 26.
p See Exod. 15.
20.
Pb. 80. 11.
q 1 Sam. 2. 18.
I Chron. 15. 27.
r 1 Chron. 15. 28.
I I Chron. 15. 29.
tl Chron. 16. 1.
u 1 Chron. 15. 1.
Ps. 182. 8.
t Heb. tlretehed.
X 1 Kings 8. 5,
62, 63.
y I Kings 8. 55.
1 Chron. 16.2.
z 1 Chron. 16. 8.
aPi. SO, title.
b ver. 14, 16.
1 Sam. 19. 24.
c Judg. 9. 4.
I] Or, openltf.
d 1 Sam. IS. 14.
& 15.28.
into the city of David with gladness. ^^ And it was so, that when "^they that
bare the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed ** oxen and fatlings.
1^ And David ^ danced before the Lord with all his might ; and David was girded
*» with a liiien ephod. ^* ' So David and all the house of Israel brought up the
ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
^^ And " as the ark of the Lord came into the city of Ddvid, Michal Saul's
daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing
before the Lord ; and she despised him in her heart.
^f And *they brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in "his place, in
the midst of the tabernacle that David had f pitched for it : and David * offered
burnt offerings aaid peace offerings before the Lori^c ^® And as soon as David
had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peac6 offerings, ^ he blessed the
people in the name of the Lord of hosts. ^® * And he dealt among all the
people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as
men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of
witie. So all the people departed every one to his house.
^ * Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter
of Saul came oUt to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel
to day, who ** uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his
servants, as one of the ^^ vain fellows |f shamelessly uncovereth himself! ^^And
David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord, * which chose me before thy
13. thei/ thai hare the arkl Observe, David hite leantt
wisdom from the judgment on Utzah. The Ark is no longer
carried in the new cart, btit is borne on the shoulders of the
Eohathitea, who wei^ appoiiited by God to bear it. Cp. 1 Chron.
XV. 15.
— had gone ns pade^"} without any mark of God's dis-
pleasure. D^vid did not delay his thank-offering for G6d*B
goodness in allowing him to begin the mai^h afresh, and he
implored God's favoilr upon It with this sacrifice.
— he sctcrijtcedl Not with his own hand, but by the ndiiisfcry
of the Priests and Levites. C^. 1 Chfon. xv. 26.
14. danced] His transport was greater even on account of his
former fear and sorrow {f>. 8).
Here was an example of spiritual humility and moral
courage. David stripped himself of his royal raiment, and ex-
posed himself to the disparagement of the bystanders by his
holy love and zeal for (Jod and His ser^nce. " Non vitcscere
mctuit coram Deo. Ego plus saltantem stupeo quam pugnantem.
Pug^antera quippe hostes snbdidit; saltando, seipsum" (8,
Chreaory, Moral, xxvii. 27). Cp. S. Ambrosef Apol. David i. 6 ;
de Fcenit. ii* 6 ; in Lilc. c. vii., " Est honesta saltatio qui
tripudiat Animus. Hsec saltatio fidei socia, gp^ise comes."
By fighting he conquered his foes, by dancing he conquered
himself. Thus he Mras a type of Christ, Who hilmbled Him-
self, and was content to be despised and to be accounted mad
(Mark iii. 21) for God's sake ; and so St. Paul (Acts xxvi. 24).
— a Unen ephod] He laid aside his itoyal robes, and rejoiced
to appear as a minister of the Tabernacle : see 1 Sam. ii. 18.
A Lapide compares the history of Sir Thomas More, who
when Lord Chancellor of England sometimes took hb place and
sang in the choir of his Parish Church, in a surplice t and
when the Duke of Norfolk expostulated with him, as Michal
did with David, ibr degrading himself and the King's service,
he said, " Nay, your Grace may not think that the King mV
master will be offended with me for serving of God his Mastelr''
(Eccl. Biog. a. 68).
15. with the sound of the trumpet'] So David with the
Ark ascends to Mount Zion; ana or the Lord Jesus, the
Divine David, ascendihg to the heavenly Zion, and bearing H^
Church in triumph with Him, it is said by David, in one of the
Psalms appointed for the Festival of the Ascension, " God is
gone up with a shout, and the Lord with the sound of the
trumpet " (Ps. xlvil. 5. Cp. Ps. Ixviii. 24, 25 ; another Pbalm
for Ascension Day).
18. MichiO] Called here " SauPs daughter," rather than
"David's wife," because she was elated with pride for her
princely origin, and what she did was rather according to the
84
temper of her finther Saul (who had car^ little for the Ark,
1 Chron. xiii. 8), and was at variance with her duty to her
husband David. In 1 Skun. Iviii. 20, We are told that " Michal
loved David," Perhaps her affections had been estranged by
his subsequent marriage with Abig^, ais Professor Blunt sug-
gests, who thinks that tnere is a reference to Abigail and Ahinoam
in the words '* handmaids"
— she despised him in her heart] And she tras Smitten with
barrenness (o. 22). Saul's daughtOT Michal looking out of the
window at Jerusalem, and despbing David wheti going up with
joy and exultation before the Ark to Zion, and being smitten
for her sin with barrenness, is rightly regarded as figurative of
the proud and censorious temper of the Jewish Church, de-
spising the true David, and mocking at the glory of His Church,
and therefore stricken with sterility. ** Michal, in typo syna-
gogse, sterilis permansit " (cp. Ambrose, Apol. Dav. i. 6, and
Angelomus),
Vt. the tabernacle] Not the Levitical Tabemaele, which was
at Gibeon (cp. 1 Chron. xvi. 39), but a temporary one which
David had pitched for it, till he had bililt, a& he designed to do,
a temple to receive it : see vii. 1 — 8.
18. he blessed the people] As Isaac bleased J'acob (Gen. xxvii.),
and Jacob blefts^ Ephi^im and Manasseh (Gen. xlviii.), and
Moses blessed the tribes (Dent, xxxiii.), and Solomon blessed the
people (1 Kings viii. 14), and the people blessed Solomon {v. 66).
They did not use the peculiar form of Benediction pre-
scribed for the Priests (Num. vi. 22 — 27), as is all^^ by some
(Bp. Colenso on the Pentateuch, Pt. v. p. 157). King David,
having gone up to Zion, blessed the people in the Name of the
LoBD of Hosts ; so our David, who is the King of Glory, and
the Lord of Hosts Himself (as David describes Him in one of
the Psalms, written by him on this occasion, and used by the
Church on Ascen^on Day: *'The Lord of Hosts: He is the
King of Glory," Ps. xxiv. 10), moubted to the heavenly Zion in
the act of blessing His Apostles, th6 heads of aU the Tribes of the
spiritual Israel (Luke xxiv. 50—52), and in Heaven itself He is
ever blessing His people.
19. he dealt among all the people — a good piece] David,
when he had ascended into Mount Zion, gave gifts (see Oesen.
87. Keil, 245) ; a poHion perhaps of tiie sacrifice of peace-
offering (Josephus, lb, de Dieu),
— a flagon] Rather, a cake, of raisins, or other dried fhiits.
Cp. Cant. ii. 6. Hos. iii. 1 (Oesen, 75, and so Josephus, vii.
4.2).
21. And David said unto MichaZ] This reply of David to
Michal, Saul's daughter, may be said to have a prophetic and
typical reference to the tnie David, Jesus Christ, who laid aside
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MichaVs barrenness.
2 SAMUEL VI. 22, 23. VII. 1.
David in his home.
father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the
Lord, over Israel : therefore will I play before the Lord. 22 ^^ j ^ju y^^
be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own siffht: and II of the DOr,o/<A«Aaiid.
, _ oil maids of my
maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour. »«^»°'»-
2' Therefore Michel the daughter of Saul had no child •unto the day of her j^sw 1 sam. 15.
Vn. ' And it came to pass, •when the king sat in his house, and the Lord »ichron. 17.1.
His royal robe of heavenly glory, and consented to abase Him-
self, and to be despised and set at nought by the Jewish Syna-
gogue, prefigured here by Michal, and to lie vile in their eyes
hefore tKe Lord^ that is, for the sake of God's glory, and the
exaltation of His Church to the heavenly Jerusalem (see Ange-
lomMS, A Lapide).
28. will be base in mine own sighf] Observe these words.
Here is true humility. Many abase themselves in other
people's sight who are great in their own sight. Their very
humility is pride ; but David will not only humble himself in
the eyes of others, but in his own (S. Oregory, Moral. xxviL).
S)8. Mickal — had no child! Sne is here again called the
daughter of Saul, and not ** the wife of David" (see v. 16), for
the same reason as before. Micl^, Saul's daughter, despising
David, is compared by the Fathers to the Jewish nation's de-
spising Christ.
The Jewish Church ceased to be a faithful wife when it re-
jected the true David ; it was only ** a daughter qf Saul," who
fell from Qod by ffuthlessness and disobedience.
— had no child'] See on v, 16. Some suppose that she had
children before this time, but none after. Cp. below, on xxi. 8.
Many of the Pbalms of David are expressive of his feelings
on this solemn occasion. The 29th is entitled in the Sept,,
« On the going forth of the Tabernacle." The 15th, the 30th,
and the 101st seem to be connected with David's occupation of
his new abode at Jerusalem. The 24th and the 68th (as alreadv
observed) appear to celebrate the entrance of the Ark in triumph
within the portals of the ancient fortress ; and the 132nd appears
to be associated with that event. The student will do well to
read those Psalms in connexion with this history.
PBBLnnKABT NOTB TO ChAPTEB VII.
God's Paoxisb op Pbbpbtuity of Dubatiok Ain>
Douimov to David's Sebd.
This chapter is the proper sequel and completion of the two
foregoing ones.
In the last chapter but one, Daidd himself is anointed king
of all the tribes of Israel, and conquers the Jebusites, and takes
Mount Zion, and makes it the capital of his kingdom.
In the next chapter, the one immediately preceding the
present, David endeavours to bring the Ark of God to Mount
Zion, and, after some hindrances, he brought it; but he did
not settle it in the Tabernacle : the work is yet incomplete.
The present chapter carries us forward to the consumma-
tion of the work. David desires to build a house for God at
Jerusalem, but Gk>d forbids him ; at the same time He gives to
David a glorious revelation of the ftiture. He promises to build
a house for David himself, and that David's seed shall be set up
after him, and that he shall build a house for GK)d'8 name, and
that David's kingdom and throne shall be established for ever
(w. 12-16).
V The Apostle St. Peter, when filled with the Holy Ghost on
the day of Pentecost, not only affirms that these promises were
fulfilled in Chbist, who is the Seed of David, and in whom the
throne and kingdom of David is estabUshed for ever (iHa. xi. 10.
Luke i. 82, 83), but St. Peter asserts also that David himself
understood them to refer to Christ. " The Patriarch David "
(he says) " being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn
with an oath to him, that of the &uit of his loins He would raise
up Christ to sit upon his throne " (Acts ii. 29, 30 ; and cp. here
99. 12, 13). And (as Theodoret has remarked) the author of
the Epistle to the Hebrews quotes the words of God to David
(o. 14), " I will be his father, and he shall be My son " (Heb. i.
6), and applies them to Chbist. And the same writer says (Heb.
iii. 6), << Christ was faithftd, as a son over his house; whose
house are we." '
This chapter exhibits, therefore, a new era in Scripture
prophecy. A new step in advance is here gained.
In the prophecy of Jacob (see above, on Gen. xlix. 8—10)
the particular tribe— that of «7tK2a^~had been specified, from
85
which the Messiah should come, and have an everlasting
dominion ; and so the mind of David and all fiiithful men had
been opened to receive clearer light on that glorious subject.
And now the particular family in that tribe is pre-announced —
the fiimily of David himself.
Standing on the vantage ground of this prophecy, David
himself, and other writers of the Psalms, and other prophets of
the Old Testament, henceforth describe the kingdom of Christ
as settled on Mount Zion, and speak of Christ as enthroned on
the Seat of David.
At the same time, in a subordinate sense, the promise and
prophecy have a reference to Solomon (see v, 14), who as the
son of David, and in his name " Peaceable," Bhd in succeeding
his father on his throne, and in building the Temple at Jerusa-
lem, was a signal Type of the Prince of Peace, the Divine Son of
David, who has built up the true temple of God, His Church,
which will shine for ever in glory in the heavenly Jerusalem.
Thus then we see that these three chapters (v. vi. vii.)
reveal the history of Christ and His Church for evermore.
David himself wHs auoiilted King of all Israel, and esta-
blished his throne in Zion.
So Christ. He ascends to the Heavenly Jerusalem, and is
crowned there King of the Church Universal.
^ But the prog^ress of the Ark — the figure of the Church
Militant, oversnadowed bv the Divine Presence— toward Mount
Zion was slow and difficult, and impeded by many hindrances.
David hoped to be able to settle it in a fixed temple at Jerusa-
lem ; but he was not allowed to do so. The ascent of the Ark
was rather an ascent in hope than in accomplishment. It was
not enshrined in the Tabernacle. It had made a lono^ pilgrim-
age from Sinai ; it had moved from place to place; it had ndlen
into the hands of the Philistines ; Shiloh, its residence, had been
destroyed; it had remained in long banishment iq Earjath-
jearim. Even after its ascent to Zion under David, it must have
waited more than thirty years till it had a fixed abode in the
Temple of Solomon ; and for the sins of that king (see v. 14),
and of other kings of Judah, that Temple would be laid in ruins.
And though that Temple would be restored after many years,
yet it would be finally demolished.
But still the promise in this chapter is to David, *' that
God would not take His mercy from him, as He took it f^m
Saul, but David's house and kingdom and throne should be
established for ever" (w. 13—16).
This prophecy has been partly fulfilled already in the
Resttbbection and Ascension of Jesits Chbist the Son of
David according to the flesh, and in His Session at GK)d's right
hand ; but waits for complete fulfilment till His Second Coming,
when He will put all His enemies under His feet, and the throne
and kingdom of David will be established in Him for ever, and
the Ark of His Church Militant, after its weary journey through
this world, a journey beset with many hindrances and many
human infirmities, will rise at last to the glory of the Church
Triumphant, when, according to the Divine Vision, "the Ten^le
of God will be opened in heaven, and there will be seen, in His
Temple, the Ark of His Covenant" (Rev. xi. 19).
In confirmation of this interpretation of these chapters, the
reader may refer to iS^. Augustine de Civ. Dei xvii. 8, 9; and
Lactant., Hist. iv. 13 ; and the excellent remarks of Theodoret,
Qu. 21 ; Bee also hero Angelomus, Menochius, Gerhard, Huetius,
Calovius, Olassius, Waltherus, and others in ^eiffer, Dub.
207. Wouvers, Dilucid. in cap. vii. Hengstenherg, Christol. i.
143 — 169, or p. 41 of Arnold's translation; and Keil, p. 253,
who has sufficiently refuted the sceptical objections to the
authenticity of this prophecy, p. 2 17.
1. th£ king] Observe this phrase, " the SXng." Tfie Sacred His-
torian changes his style from " David" to " the King ; " because
he is about to speak of the perpetuity of his tnngdom, in Christ.
— sat in his house] In quiet meditation, for God had given
him rest. Probably the 132nd Psalm is the expression of his
feelings at this time«
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David's desire.
2 SAMUEL VII. 2 — 14. God's message to him hy Nathan.
bch. 6. 11.
c See Acts 7. 46.
d Ex.26. 1.
& 40. 21.
el Kings 8. 17,
18.
1 Chron. 22. 7.
& 28. 2.
t Heb. to my
tervant, to David,
fSeel Kings 6.
S. & 8. 19.
1 Cbron. 22. 8.
8c 28. 8.
g 1 Kings 8. 16.
h Ex. 40. 18, 19,
34.
i Lev. 26. 11, 19.
Deut. 28. 14.
ri Or, any of the
judaet,
1 Chron. 17.6.
k ch. 5. 2.
Pi. 78. 71, 72.
Matt. 2. 6.
Acts 20. 28.
1 1 Sam. 16. II,
12.
Pi. 78. 70.
i Heh. from after.
m 1 Sam. 18. 14.
ch. 6. 10.
& 8. 6, 14.
n 1 Sam. 81. 6.
Ps. 89. 23.
t Heb. from thy
face.
Gen. 12. 2.
p Ps. 44. 2.
& 80. 8.
Jer. 24. 6.
Araos 9. 15.
q Ps. 89. 22.
r Judg. 2. 14, 15,
16.
1 Sam. 12. 9, 11.
P8. 106. 42.
s ver. 1.
tEx. 1. 21.
ver. 27.
1 Kings 11. 88.
u i Kings 2. 1.
X Deut. 31. 16.
1 Kings 1.21.
Acts 13. 36.
y 1 Kings 8. 20.
Ps. 132. 11.
s 1 Kings 5. 5. ft
had given him rest round about from all his enemies ; ^ That the king said
unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in **an house of cedar, ''but the ark
of God dwelleth within ** curtains. ^ And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all
that is ^ in thine heart ; for the Lord is with thee.
^ And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto
Nathan, saying, * Go and tell f my servant David, Thus saith the Lord,
^ Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in ? ^ Whereas I have not
dwelt in any house * since the time that I brought up the children of Israel
out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in ** a tent and in a taber-
nacle. '^laaXLthe places wherein I have * walked with all the children of Israel
spake I a word with || any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded ^ to feed
my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar ? ® Now
therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of
hosts, * I took thee from the sheepcote, f from following the sheep, to be ruler
over my people, over Israel : ^ And " I was with thee whithersoever thou
wentest, " and have cut ofif all thine enemies f out of thy sight, and have made
thee ** a great name, Uke unto the name of the great m>en that are in the earth.
^^ Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will ^ plant them,
that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more ; *> neither shall
the children of wickedness afllict them any more, as beforetime, ^^ And as
' since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have
' caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the Lord telleth thee * that
he will make thee an house. '^ And '"when thy days be ftdfilled, and thou
* shalt sleep with thy fathers, ^ I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall
proceed out of thy bowels, and I will estabhsh his kingdom. ^® *He ahall
build an house for my name, and I will * stabUsh the throne of his kingdom for
ever. ^* ** I will be his father, and he shall be my son. ^^ If he commit
6.12.6 8.19. 1 Chron. 22. 10. ft 28. 6. a ver. 16. Ps. 89. 4, 29, 36, 37. b Ps. 89. 26, 27. Heb. 1. 6. e Ps. 89. 30, 31, 32, S3. '
2. Nathan the prophef] See above, on 1 Sam. iz. 9. Nathan
aftenvards comes forward to rebuke Dayid for his sin, in
xii. 1 — 12, and yet did not forfeit David's favour : see 1 Kings
i. 8. 10.
— curtains'] Exod. xxvi. 2.
8. Nathan said] The sacred writer does not disguise the
fact that prophets — as men, not under the direct inspiration of
God at that particuhir time— sometimes spoke without due con-
sideration and are corrected by Qod : see v. 4. Op. Acts xxi.
12, 13.
5. Shalt thou build me an house ?] No ; the reason for the
prohibition is declared by David himself. 1 Chron. xxii. 8;
xxviii. 3. Gk>d will not allow him to do it, although He com-
mends the intention : see 1 Kings viil. 18.
6. have walked in a tent] And thus Qod showed that a local
habitation is no necessary requisite for His worship, although
He is pleased to choose places wherein to put His Name, and to
reveal Himself specially there. This migratory character of
His Clmrch was a preparation and training, not only for faith
in His Omnipresence, but also for the reception of the doctrine of
the universality of the Church, not to be limited to Palestine,
but to be extended to all nations; and so St. Stephen expounds
it : see Acts vii. 46—49.
7. the tribes] Bepresented by their rulers : cp. 1 Kings viii.
16, and Ps. Ixxviii. 69 — 71, where the choice of David by Qod
is represented as the choice of the tribe of Judah. Qod had
not flowed Moses, Joshua, or the Judges to build Him a house,
because they were men of war, as David was (1 Chron. xxii. 8.
Jeromiaster),
9. all thine enemies] Up to this time: see v. 1. Other
enemies rose up afterwards (see ch. viii.), but the victory gained
over the former by God's help was an assurance to David that
the others would be eventually cut off.
10, 11. I will appoint a place — the LoBD telleth thee that
he will make thee an house] Thou desirest to appoint a place for
Me, but I will go before thee, and appoint a yltace for thj people
Israel, even an everlasting inheritance foreshadowed by Canaan,
b6
for all true Israelites; and I will build an eternal house for
thee, in thy seed, preftg^ured by thy son (Solomon), even in
Chbist: see Preliminan/ Note to this chapter; and or. 13.
16.
Qod built for David a house — even a temple— by the In*
carnation of Christ, Who came from his seed. For CbriBt calls
His own body, which He took from the Blessed Virgin Mair, of
the seed of David, a temple : " Destroy this temple, and in tlir^
days I will build it up agun. He spake of the temple of His
body," John ii. 21 (Theodoret),
12. when thy days be fuJfiUed, and thou shalt sleep with
thy fathers, IwiU set up thy seed qfler thee] Hence it is clear
that this prophecy was not exhausted in Solomon, who began
to rdgn Wore David slept with his fathers (8, Auyustine
de Civ. Dei xvii. 8. Laotant., Inst. iv. 13).
8. Augustine remarks, that we see some gleams and
glimpses in Solomon of what was to be fulfilled in Christ. In
some things Solomon's acts corresponded to this prophecy ; in
other things they did not. His name Solomon (peaceable), his
building of the Temple, these were tendencies to the fulfilment
of the prophecy, which is accomplished in the Et^nal Son of
David, the buUder of the Church Universal (Matt. xvi. 18.
Heb. iii. 6), Jesus Chbist our Lord.
18. I will stahUsh the throne of his kingdom for ever] In
Jesus Christ, who was made of the seed of David according
to the flesh (Bom. i. 3. 2 Hm. ii. 8), and of whom it was
declared by the angel Gabriel, that "the Lord Qod shall give
unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over
the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be
no end" (Luke i. 32, 33^.
This exposition of tne prophecy is elaborately confirmed by
IWrtullian c. Marcion. iii. 20, who refutes the notion of those
who restrain this prophecy to Solomon, and shows that it can
only be said to have had its full accomplishment in Christ. See
also Justin Martyr c. Tiyphon. § 68, and Bp. Pearson, Art. ii.
p. 153, and Art. vi. p. 280.
14. I will be his father] This is applied to Christ by St.
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God's promise of eternal dominion 2 SAMUEL VII, 15 — 23.
to David's seed.
iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the
children of men : ^* But my mercy shall not depart away from him, ** as I to6k
it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. ^^ And • thine house and thy
kingdom shall be established for ever before thee : thy throne shall be esta-
bUshed for ever. ^^ According to all these words, and according to all this
vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
^® Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord, and he said, 'Who
am I, Lord God ? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hither-
to ? ^® And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, Lord God ; » but thou
hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. ^ And is
this the t manner of man, Lord God ? ^o j^^ ^^i^Q^t can David say more
imto thee? for thou, Lord God, ' knowest thy servant. ^^ For thy word's sake,
and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to
make thy servant know them. ^ Wherefore ^ thou art great, Lord God :
for * there is none like thee, neither is th^re any God beside thee, according to
all that we have heard with our ears. ^'And "what one nation in the
earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom. God went to redeem for a
1 Sam. S. 2, Ps. 86. 8. ft 89. 6, 8. Iia. 45. 5, 18, 22. m Deut. 4. T, 82, 84. ft M.
d 1 Sam. 15. 23,
28 ft 16. 14.
1 Kingill. 18,
84.
e ver. 18.
Ps. 89. 36, 87.
John 12. 34.
' Gen. 82. 10.
g ver. 13, 18.
h Isa. 05. 8.
t Heb. law.
iO«n. 18. 19.
Ps. 189. 1.
k 1 Cbron. 16. 25.
2 Chron. 2. 5.
Ps.48. 1.
ftS6. 10. ft96.4.
ft 135. 5.
ft 145. 8.
Jer. 10. 6.
1 Deut. 3. 24.
&4. 35. &33. 3
29. Pt. 147. 20.
Paid, adopting the words of the Sept., Heb. i. 5, and so JuHin
Martyr c. Tryphon. § 117, "De fide ergo est, huno locum
intelligi de Chnsto." A Lapide. Cp. 8. Aug, de Civ. Dei zriL
8,9.
— J^he commit iniquUtf] That is, if thy seed commit iniquity ;
which was the case with Solomon, and with other kings who de-
scended from David.
The promise to them was conditional, as is acknowledged
by Dayid himself (Pb. Ixxxix. 80—82 ; cxxxii. 12), and, to adopt
the words of Bishop Pearson (Art. vi. p. 280), " The kingdom
of David was intercepted, nor was his family continued in the
throne ; part of the kingdom was first rent from his family, and
next the reg^ty itself, and when it was restored it was trans-
lated to another family. But yet, in a larger and better sense,
after these intercisions the throne of David was continued in
Him who never sinned, and consequently could never lose it,
and He being the Seed of David, m Him the throne of David
was without interception or succession continued. Of Him did
the angel Gabriel speak at His conception, ' The Lord shall
g^ve unto Him the throne of Sis father David, and He shall
reign over the house of Jacob /or ever, and of His kingdom there
■h^ be no end * (Luke i. 32, 38)." Compare the note above, on
Jacob's prophecy concerning Shiloh, Qen. xlix. 10.
The promise oi perpetuity was made to the house of David,
who is eminently the &ther of Christ ; and the distinction is
careftdly to be drawn between the conditionality of the promise
to his immediate son and to his successors, which their iniquity
might suspend or forfeit, and the absolute securifgr of the ulti-
mate promise to David, of the eternal royalty, which all Israel
expected to spring from him, and which was to triumph over all
apostasies and to g^ve peace to Israel and the world : see Dr.
W, H. Mill on the Genealogies, pp. 174, 175.
This promise was always in David's mind, even to the end
of his life ; and in it is the consummation of all the blessings,
for which he praises God in his song at the close of his days :
see below, on xxii. 50, 51.
— rod of men"] Thy seed, though favoured by Me, will not be
exempt from punishment any more than that of other men, if
they fell into sin (Jeromiast., A Lapide, Mengst.).
This warning was providentially and merdiiilly given, lest
David and his seed, presuming on God's favour to themselves
personally, might be tempted therebv to commit sin.
17. so did Nathan speaJc] Nathan honestly delivered the
message, which showed that he himself had been mistaken : see
17.8.
18. David— sat before the Loed] Before the Ark, '* sedit
oraturus :" Augustine (de Divers. Qu. ad Simplician. ii. 4), who
thinks that his attitude was the same as that of Elijah (1 Kings
xviii. 42 — 46), and that under the Law no special attitude
was prescribed for prayer, «sed liberum esse quolibet gestu
uti, qui ci^jusque conditioni et devotioni foret accommodus."
But probably the word, here rendered sat, is not to be taken
87
literally, but means, as it often does, he remained. Gen. xxiv. 55.
David's feelings at this time may be seen in Ps. cxxxvili.
19. And is this the manner of man, O Lord God ?] Lit., is
this the Law of Adam 1 This is the only place in the Authorized
Version where the Hebrew word torah is rendered manner ; in
all other places it is rendered lato.
The sense is, *' Dost thou thus condescend, O Lord God, to
one, who is a mere man (lit., Adam) ; one made of earth, earthy ? "
The beet comment on the words is that of David himself,
PB. viii. 4, ** What is man, that Thou art mindful of him ? and the
son of man, (Adam), that Thou so regardest him ? "
In that Psalm, where he uses the same titles in addressing
God, he had a vision of Christ, the Son of God, taking the
nature of man, and made a little lower than the angels, to be
crowned in His human nature with glory and worship. And
David, who, as St. Peter declares (Acts ii. 30), understood these
promises of God as implying that Christ would arise fh>m him-
self, may reasonably be supposed to be looking to Christ, and to
His everlasting kingdom (see v, 24. 29), when he exclaims, " Is
this the kw of Adam, OLord God P"
All the Ancient Versions, as well as the Authorized' Version,
r^^ard the words ''Lord God " as a vocative ; and for this and
other reasons, we cannot accept the rendering of those (such
as Luther, Oalovius, Gerhard, Pfeiffer, and others) who con-
sider these words as put in apposition with man, or Adam {this is
fhe law of the Man who is the Lord €hd), and who see here a
direct statement of the doctrine of the Humanity and Divinity
of Christ.
Others also (as 3p, Morsley) see here a prophecy of Christ,
and render the words, " this is the law of (or concerning) the Man
(Christ Jesus), O Lord Ood /* and they infer this sense also from
the parallel place (1 Chron. xvii. 17), Thou hast regarded me
according to the estate of a man {the man) of high degree ; i. e.
from above. *
But this parallel is in harmony with the interpretation
offered above at the beginning of this note ; and that interpreta-
tion seems to be the less forced, while at the same time it in-
cludes a reference to Christ, Who, beinff of David's seed, and
therefore Very Man, would exalt Davia and his house to a
Divine dignity, which David contemplates with awe and ad-
miration.
Is this the law of one that is a mere man created from the
dust, as I am, that I should be elevated to such a glorious
altitude as thisP I had supposed that the *'law of Adam,"
after the FaD, was to be subject to mortality (Gen. iii. 19), but
Thou hast spoken of everlasting continuance to my seed, and to
my kingdom; the curse of sin is revoked; the law of death
is repealed to me.
And no wonder; for though "in Adam all die," yet "in
Christ," who is the Second Adam, and of the seed of David, and
the Lord firom heaven, " all are made alive " (I'^Cor. xv. 22. 47).
88. Qod went to redeem'] The plural verb Is used here with
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David's tlurnksgiving. 2 SAMUEL VH. 24— 29, VIII. 1—3.
David's victories.
n Deut. 9. 26.
Neb. 1. 10.
o Deut. 26. 18.
p Ps. 48. 14.
people to himself, an4 to make him a name, and to do for you great things and
terrible, for thy land, before " thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from
Egypt, from the nations and their gods ? ^4 Yox **thou hast confirmed to thy-
self thy people Israel to he a people unto thee for ever : ** and thou. Lord, wt
become their God. ^ And now, Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken
concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and
do as thou hast said, ^ And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The
Lord of hosts is the God over Israel : and let the house of thy servant David
be established before thee. ^ For thou, Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast
♦ Heb oiHr»«d<A€|j.^y^aie^ to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath
thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. ^ And now, O
Lord God, thou o>rt that God, and ** thy words be true, and thou hast promised
this goodness unto thy servant : ^ Therefore now f let it please thee to bless
the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee : for thou,
Lord God, hast spoken it : and with thy blessing let the house of thy
servant be blessed ' for ever.
Vni. ^ And * after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines,
and subdued them : and David took || Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the
Philistiues,
^ And ^ he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down
to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put tp death, and with one
fall line to keep aUve. And so the Moabites ^ became David's servants, and
^ brought gifts.
^ David smote also || Hadadezer, the son of Behob, king of • Zobah, as he
Ruth 4. 4,
1 Sam. 0. 15.
q John 17. 17.
t Heb. be thou
pleaud and blett,
r cb. 22. 51.
a 1 Cbron. 18. 1,
ace.
I Or, The bridle
ofAmmak.
b Num. 24. 17.
Tei. 6, ft 14.
d Pt. 72. 10.
6eel Sam. 10.27.
II Or, Hadarezer,
1 Chron. 18. 8.
e ch. 10. 6. Pt. 60, title.
Elohim ; literaUy, godt wetU : was this merely fortoitoos P May
not this have been spoken by pophetic inspiration ? May not
David have had some divine mtimation of the comunction of
the Persons of the Godhead co-operating in the redemption of
Israel from %yp** *ypifyiJig *^® Redemption of the World by
means of Ood the Father, and of God the Son taking our
nature from David's own seed ?
26. let % name be magnified far ever] This was David's
first aim —the glory of God.
29. thctt it may continue for ever before thee] The estabKsh-
ment and perpetuity of the kingdom of Christ was the sum of
David's desires ; and it ought to be the end of ours.
Ch. VIII.— David's Viotobibs.
After the gracious promises of God to David in the fore-
going chapter, which reveal the friture full and final establish-
ment of the kingdom of Christ, it seems that the arch-enemy of
God and man, being moved with hatred and envy, put forth all
his power against David, as he did against the Divine Son of
David at the Temptation, after the glorious manifestation of
Christ at His Baptism ; and as he did against Christ's Church
after the Ascension.
He raised up against David enemies firom without, — Phi-
listines, Moabites, Ammonites (chaps, viii. and z.), and
Syrians.
Iliese were overthrown by David; but Satan afterwards
assailed him from vnthin, and David feU a prey to this infernal
temptation. While his armies ^ere victorious a^^ainst Moab, he
himself was taken a prisoner by Satan (ch. xi. xu.). He was in-
deed restored to God's fiivour by repentance; but after the com-
mission of that sin, though the sin itself was pardoned (zii. 18),
yet he sufiers temporal punishment for it in his owi^ person and
hous^ld, even to the end of his reign.
Thus the important truth is clearly displayed, that though
in many respects David was a signal type of Cnrist — thougl^ ne
had conquered the Jebusites, and placed his throne on Mount
Zion, and brought up the Ark to Jerusalem, and overthrown his
enemies round about — yet it was not possible for him, nor for any
of the sons of men, to achieve that g^eat triumph, and establish
that universal dominion which God had promised to his house ;
but that this glorious pons^mmation would be due to the power
88
of God's grace, to be displayed in Christ who was afterwards to
be revealed, and who is not only the Son of DavicU but the Son
of God (Ps. ex. 1 : see MaU. xxiL 44, 45).
The present chapter— followed up by certain additional
notices in ch. x. 1 — 19, xii. 26— 81— contains a summary of the
victories of David over the kings and nations round about him ;
and these victories foreshadowed the triumphant prog^ress of Him,
who after ^is glorious Ascension into the heavenly Zion, went
forth "conauering and to conquer" (Rev. vi. 2), and of whom
it is foretold by David himself, that <*all kings shall bow down
before Him, all nations shall do Him service:" see Pi. IxiL 11.
Other Psalms where Dayid, as a royal conqueror, appears as a
figure of Christ, are the 60th, the 108th, and the 110th.
1. took Metheg-ammah'] Took the bridle of the mother out
of the hand of the ^hiUetines, that is, of the metropolis, or
mother city. The dependent cities are called damghtere: see
Josh. XV. 45. 47.
To take the bridle of a mother city out of the hand of its
rulers, is to dispossess them of its government, as a man who
takes the reins into his own hands out of those of the driver
of a chariot, or rider of a horse, and deprives them of control
over it. (SchuUen, Oeeen. 57, Orove, B. D. iL 844: KeiL
258.)
In thp parallel passage (1 Chron. xviii 1) we have "Gath
and her daughter towns." There is a somewhat similar figure
in ^chglue, Pers. 195—200, where Xerxes is represented as
taking into his hands the reins of two personified countries, Asia
and Greece, yoked to his car.
2. he smote Moai] And thus he ftilfilled Balaam's prophecy
in part p^um. xxiv. 17).
This and the other victories of David reUited here, were
pledges and earnests of the final triumph of the mighty Con-
queror, whom Balaam pre-announced (see the note there), and
whom David prefigured: cp. David's own prophecy, Pb.
Ix. 8; cviii. 9, where, under the name of conquests ove»
Philistia and Moab, he describes the victory of Christ orer His
enemies.
— with tfoo lines measured A«] Two parts for destruction, and
a fiiU line for keeping alive : cp. Ps, Ix. 6, " X will mete out the
valley of Succoth."
8. Radadezer] which means Radad (the sun-god of the Sy-
rians. Movers, Phoen. i. 196) is our helps but he was no hdp
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David's conquests ;
2 SAMUEL Vin. 4—14.
he dedicates the spoiL
went to recover 'his border at the river Euphrates. * And David took || from
him a thousand p chariots ^ and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand
footmen : and David * houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for
an hundred chariots. * ^ And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour
Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand
men. ^ Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus : and the Syrians
* became servants to David, and brought gifts. ^ And the Lord preserved David
whithersoever he went. ^ And David took * the shields of gold that were on the
servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ^ And from || Betah,
and from || Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much
brass.
® When II Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of
Hadadezer, ^^ Then Toi sent ™ Joram his son unto king David, to f salute
him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer, and smitten
him : for Hadadezer f had wars with Toi. And Joram f brought with him
vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass : ^^ Which also king
David "did dedicate unto the Lord, with the silver and gold that he had
dedicated of all nations which he subdued ; ^^ Of Syria, and of Moab, and of
the children of Ammon, and of the Phihstines, and of Amalek, and of the
spoil of Hadadezer, son of Kehob, king of Zobah.
13 And David gat him a name when he returned from f smiting of the Syrians
in ** the valley of salt, ^ || being eighteen thousand m^en. ^^ And he put garrisons
in Edom ; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and •* all they of Edom
^ See Gen. 15.16.
Or, of his.
II As 1 Chron.
16.4.
g Josh. 11.6,9.
h I Kings 11. 29,
24, 25.
i ver. 2.
k ver. 14.
ch. i.9.
1 See 1 Kings 10.
16.
U Or. Tibhath.
li Or, CAaifi, ■
1 Chron. 18. 8
II Or, Tow,
I Chron. 18. 9.
m 1 Chron. 18. 10,
ffadoram.
t Heb. ask him
of peace.
t Heb. wa$ a man
of wars tritk.
t Heb. in bit
hand were.
n 1 Kings 7. 51.
1 Chron. 18. 11.
& 26. 26.
I Or, slaifing.
t Heb. hU
smiting.
o 2 Kings 14. 7.
p See 1 Chron.
18. 12.
Ps. 60, title,
q Gen. 27. 29, S7, 40. Num. 24. 18.
against David ; and the helps of the heathen will be no helps
against the " Sun of Righteousness."
— 2k)hah2 A district of Syria, probably N.E. of Damascus and
w. of Euphrates : see Bochari, Phaleg u. 7, and Bp. Patrick's
note here, and Keil, p. 26 : cp. 1 Sam. ziv. 47. 1 Chron. zviii. 3.
2 Chron. viii. 3. 1 Kings xi. 24.
4. a thousand chariots] The word chariots is not in the ori-
ginal, but it is in Sept, : see 1 Chron. xviii. 4 {Junius, Serarius,
Com. a Lapide, KeiX),
— seven hundred horsemen'] The Sept, Version has seven thou-
sand, and so 1 Chron. xviii. 4. It may be conjectured, there-
fore, that our present MSS. may be corrected from the Sept. in
this place. Chr, it may be supposed, with Abarbinel, that the
sacred writer here is speaking of the chief captains of the cavalry,
each of whom, as a centurion, may have had the command of
ten men (Serarius, Walther, and others ; see Wouvers),
Others suppose that the words here are to be joined to the
preceding, and that the number of horsemen was a thousand and
seven hundred, who had nothing to do with chariots, which are
not mentioned here ; and that the 7000 chariots in 1 Chron. xviii.
4 comprise both the drivers apd those who fought in the cha-
riots: cp. Isa. xxi. 9; xxii. 6 {Bfeiffer, Dub. 248). And this
is a probable opinion.
Compare below, on x. 18, where it is observable that the
word chtiriots comprises the men who fought in them.
— houghed^ See Josh. xi. 6. 9.
6. brought gV^'] As all kings will to Christ. Vs, Ixviii. 29 ;
Ixxu. 10, 11. Rev. xxi. 24.
7. that were o»] Or, that belonged to,
8. Betah — Berothai] The exact sites of which are uncertain.
Cp. 1 Chron. xviii. 6.
— brass] Of which the brazen sea, and brazen pillars, and
brazen vessels were made by Solomon for the Temple (1 Chron.
xviii. 8). The spoils of Heathenism, the gfold and silver of Egypt,
the cedars of Tyre, the brass of Syria, are to be dedicate to
the service of Qod, and of His Church. See abovei, note on
Exod. iU. 22.
9. SamcUh] The principal city of Upper Syria, in the valley
oftheOrontes: see Num. xiii. 21 ; xxxiv.8. Josh.xiii.5. Judg.
iii. 3.
10. Jorani] Which meai^ whom the Lord exalts. How are
we to account for such a name as this among a heathen people P
Vol.. II. Pabt 11.-89
He is called Hadoram in 1 Chron. xviu. 10 ; and hence some
have imagined a discrepancy here. But Joram is in the MSS. and
Versions here, and in Josephus vii. 5. 4. And is it not probable
that the Syrian or Arabic name Hadoram (cp. 1 Kings xii. 18.
2 Chron. x. 18) was Hebraized into Joram in honour of David
and of David's Qod ?
David dedicated the presents of Toi to the service of Je-
hovah {v. 11, 12 ; cp. 1 Kings vii. 51), and may not the son of
Toi, who came to bless DaWd, have received a spiritual bless-
ing for himself from his visit to Jerusalem ?
11. David did dedicate] David by his conquest procured
times of peace for his son l&lomon, in order that he might build
the Temple ; and he also provided silver and gold wherewith the
Temple might be adorned. The victories of Christ, as our David,
are all preparatory to the peaceful days of Christ as our Solo-
mon, and to the building up of the Church militant here and of
the Church glorified in Uie heavenly Jerusalem hereafler.
13. David gat him a name] By his victories ; and Christ by
His conquests has obtidned ''the Namb that is above every
name;" see on Phil. ii. 9 : cp. below, on v. 15.
— Jfrom smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt] How
is this to be explained ? The Syrians, who dwelt on the n.n.b,
of Palestine, are said to be defeated in the valley of salt at the
southern extremity of Judah. The literal rendering iB—fi*om
smiting of Aram in the valley of salt. The Sept. has Sdom
instead of Aram; and (as Movers and Robinson have observed)
this seems to be the true reading; the change in the MSS.
(written trithout Masoretic points) would be simply that of two
very similar letters, resh and daleth ; and this is confirmed by
the parallel, 1 Chron. xviii. 12, ** Abishai slew of the Edomites,
in the vaUey of salt, eighteen thousand men;" and thus the
eeographical difficulty cUsappean. The Syrians {Aram) were
mr from the valley of salt, which is to the south of the Dead
Sea, but the vaUey of salt separated Edom from Judah {Bobin*
son, ii. 483 ; cp. 2 Kings xiv. 7), and if the Edomites came
against David, then the valley of salt would be the most likely
pkoe for their encounter. A similar conAiaion of Edom and
Aram is supposed by some to occur in the hitherto ooUated
MSS. of 2 Kings xvi. 6i and above v, 12, Syria (i. e. Aram),
14. he put garrisons in Edom] And thus fulfilled, in part,
Isaac's prophecy (Gen. xxvii. 37—40), which has its peorfect
accomplishment in Christ. Cp. on Isa. Ixiii. 1.
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Davidreigns over all Israel. 2 SAMUEL VIH. 15 — 18. IX. 1. Zadoh and Ahinulech priests.
r Ter. 6.
• ch. 19. IS.
ft 20. 2S.
I ChroD. U. 6.
ft 18. 15.
I I Kings 4. 3.
I Or, remem'
brancer, or
writer of
chronicles.
tt I Chron. S4. 8.
B Or, $eeretar^.
X 1 Chron. 18. 17.
7 1 Sam. 80. 14.
|-Oc» prineet, ch.
became David's servants. 'And the Lobd preserved David whithersoever he
went.
1^ And David reigned over all Israel ; and David executed judgment and
justice unto all his people. ^®* And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host ;
and ' Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was \\ recorder ; ^^ And "^ Zadok the son of
Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests ; and Seraiah
was the || scribe ; ^® * And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the
' Cherethites and the Pelethites ; and David's sons were || chief rulers.
IX. ^And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul,
15. David reigned over all Israeli and David executed
judgment and juaiice unto all hit people"] And was thus a sieiial
type of Christ, of whom the P^hiet says, ** Behold* the days
come, siuth the Lord, that I will ruse unto David a righteous
Branch, and a Kin^ shall reign and prosper, and shall execute
judgment andjwtitce upon the earth. In his days Judah shall
oe saved, and Israel shall dwell safely : and this is his name
whereby he shall be called* The Lobd ous BiaHTEOVSirBSS "
( Jer. xxiii. 5, 6).
16. recorderj or remembrancer, who noted down all that
took place, and kept a record of it, and ^gested it into annals,
and reminded the king when necessary of afi that was chronicled
there : cp. Esther vi. 1 {Chardin, PauUen, Keil).
Zadok and Ahihblboh Pbixstb.
17. Zadok the son o/Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Alia-
thar, were the priests] How is this to be accounted for r
At this time Abiathar himself was living, and appears to
have been the High Priest. Before this time, Abiathar had mi-
nistered as High Priest, in the presence of David in his afflic-
tions. See 1 £m. xxiL 20; x:dii. 6. 9 ; xxx. 7.
Bat in David's old age, " Abiathar the priest " helped Ado-
n^ah against Solomon (1 Kings L 7 ; ii. 22) ; and after David's
death he was deprived of the power to exercise the ftinctions of
his place, and of the High Priesthood, by Solomon, and Zadok
was pat by the king into his room. See 1 Kings ii. 26, 27. 36.
Some critics have cat the knot by supposing an error in the
Manuscripts here, and by proposing to read AbuUh€ir the son qf
Ahimelech, instead of AMmeleeh the son of AbieUhar, (So
JEkoald, Thenius, and others : cp. Dr, Smith's B. D. i. 5.)
This coi^jecture receives some support iVom the ^friae and
Arabic Versions, but is contravened by the Sept, and Vulg., and
by the parallel place in 1 Chron. xviiL 16, and in 1 Chron. xxiv.
8. 6 ; uid it is not probable that AJbiaihar would have been
placed after Zadok here and in 1 Chron. xviiL 16.
There must, therefore, on that hvpothesis, not only a change
be made in the names, bat in the order of them.
The difficulty, after all, seems to be purely imaginary.
The historian states that Zadok ujidAhimelech were priests ;
so the original words oaght to be rendered ; and not, as in our
Authorized Version, " the priests'*
He supposes the reader to know the notorious fibct, that
Abiathar was the Priest. But he tells us, that in addition to
Abiathar, the High Priest (of the line of Ithamar), Zadok, who
was of the line of Eleazar, and Ahimelech (so ouled from his
grandfather, 1 Sam. xxi. 1 ; xxiL 9. 16, by a common usage
among the Hebrews : cp. 1 Chron. vi. 80 — 41), the son of Abiathar
(the High Priest), officiated as priests; just as we read of " the two
sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests of the Lord," 1 Sam. i. 8.
Thus he prepares the way for the sequel of Abiathar's his-
tory. His name may, perhaps, be kept hack here, on account
of some temporary disgrace, afterwards issuing in rebellion
against David ; and we see, that though the EL^^h Priesthood
was hereditary, and though fas we l»im from this passage)
Abiathar had a son, Ahimele<m, yet, on account of Abiathars
treachery, that son did not succeed hhn in the High Priesthood,
but Zadok, the faithfril priest, was advanced to the Hk'h Priest-
hood, from which Abiathar was degraded, and thus &e divine
prophecy concerning the lines of Eleazar and Ithamar were ful-
filled. 1 Kinffs ii. 26, 27. 85.
It is probable, that after the deitruction of the priests at
Nob by Saul, and after the flight of Abiathar to David (1 Sam.
xzii. 20), Saul appointed Zadok, of the line of Eleazar, to minister
in the priesthood at the Tabemade ; and the severance of the
Tabernacle ttom the Ark for manv years mav have given
occasioa to the ministrations of two almost co-ordinate and con-
temporaneous priesttioods: one at the Ark, the other in the
90
Tabemade. These coalesced in Zadok, when the Temple wm
built by Solomon. Similarly in the Qoepel we find tie con*
temporaneous priests (Annas and Oaiaphas) mentioned at Uie
epocb of Chrisrs public inauguration into ms ministry : hut all
tne Jewish priesUiood (then in oonfbsion) is summed up in our
Divine Zadok, Jb8V8 Christ, who alndeth a Priest for ever:
see below, on Luke iiL 2.
— sertite] Secretaiy of state.
18. Benaiah the son qf Jehoiada] See zxiii. 20.
— was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethiies'} David's
body-guard (JoMpA. viL 5. 4: cp. xv. 18. 2 Chron. zii. 11. 1 Kings
X. 16) ; perhaps, the executioners (from carath, to cut off), and
the counersjnom palath, to run). This is adopted by Oesenius,
417. 677 ; Keil, 266, 267 ; and I%enius on 1 Kings i. 88; and
see KeiTs note there, in his first edition : q>. A Lapide here.
The names are derived by others (Juntus, Pfdjfer, Ewald,
Bertheam, Movers, Sitmg, Stark, JEL S, Poole) from the Phi-
listines, and from a Philifene tribe (Cerethim) mentioned 1 Sun.
xxx. 14: cp. Ezek. xxv. 16. Zeph. iL 6; but the meaning of the
word in the latter two phices is doubtftil, and may be «mo»-
turners (Jerome). Cp. ^eiffm^s Dubia, p. 209.
This ofMnion seems to oe confirmed by the combination of
the Cherethites and Pelethites with <' all the Qittitea, six hun-
dred men," that is, with men of Oath, the Philistine dty, who
were part of David's body-guard, and remained fiuthfbl to hun
when ne fied fit>m Absalom (xv. 18).
David's sqjoum in the land of the Philistines, and his cam-
paigns in the service of their king (see 1 Sam. xxvii. xxix), may
have enabled him to organize a military force which was attached
by strong personal ties of affisction and loyalty to himself, on
which, as the event showed, he was able to depend with more
confidence than even on his own subjects and children (see on
XV. 18, and compare Stanlw, B. D. i. 408). We find Ittai
the Oittite distinguished by loyalty to David (xv. 19 ; xviiL 2).
The Cherethites and Pelethites were David's ministers for
execution of justice and mercy. Christ, the Divine David, has
His angelic Cherethites, who execute vengeance on the evil ; and
He has His angelic Pelethites, who speed on messages of love
to the righteous (Heb. i. 14).
— ch*rf rulers] The original word here is eohanim, the
same word as in o. 17 : it does not mean Priests here, butas the
paralld plaoe in 1 Chron. xviii. 17 shows, they '* were at the
hand of the king," or, *' near his person," as Josephms expresses
it ^viL 6. 4), prindpal officers in his courts. The word is
derived from eakan, to administer any one's affiiirs, to plead his
cause, to transact his business (Selden de Syned. iL 16. Oesen,
886) ; hence its double sense. The sons of the true David are
made ««Khig8 and Priests to God" by Him (Bev. L 6).
Ch. IX. 1. David said. Is there yet ang that is Irft qf the
house of Saul t] Observe the connexion with what has gone before.
How true to nature this is 1 David had been filled with thank-
ful amazement by the Divine promise of perpetuity to his own
house, and <^ evenasting dominion to his own seed (m, 18 — ^29).
Well might he contrast his own condition with that of Saul
(see viL 16). Tender-hearted and loving as he was, well might
he fed ^ij for that of SauL Having recdved an assurance
from Qod of continuance to his own Uneage, well might he call
to mind his own promise to Saul (1 Sam. xxiv. 21, 22), and his
covenant of love with Jonathan and his posterity (1 Sam. xx.
14—17.42; xxiii.l8).
David's Psalm on the bringing up of the Ark, *' Who shall
ascend into the hill of the Lord P " (Fi. xxiv.) shows his own
foding that one of the reqmsites for so hish an iMmonr was that
he who was thus fiivoured bv Qod should not ** swear deemU
fully " (Ps. xxiv. 8, 4); and m the spirit of that Ptahn he now
performs his oath to S«il and Jonathan,
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Mephihoshethf lame in Ms feet , 2 SAMUEL IX. 2 — 11. bows before David, and is exalted.
that I may * shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake ? ^ And there was of the
house of Saul a servant whose name was ^ Ziba. And when they had called
him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba ? And he said, Thy
servant is he. ^ And the king said. Is there not yet any of the house of Saul,
that I may shew "" the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the
king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is ^ lame on his feet. * And the king
said unto him, Where is he ? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in
the house of * Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar. ^ Then king David
sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from
Lo-debar.
^ Now when || Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was
come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said,
Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant ! ^ And David said
unto him. Fear not: 'for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy
father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father ; and thou
shalt eat bread at my table continually. ® And he bowed himself, and said,
What IS thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such * a dead dog as I am ?
^ Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, ^ I have
given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.
^^ Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him,
and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat :
but Mephibosheth thy master's son * shall eat bread alway at my table. Now
Ziba had ^ fifteen sons and twenty servants. " Then said Ziba unto the king.
a I Sam. 18. 8.
&20. 14, 15,
16. 17, 42.
Prov. 27. 10.
bch. 16. 1.
ft 19.17,39.
c I Sam. SO. 14.
d ch. 4. 4.
ech. 17.27.
n CaUed, Merib^
baatf
I Chron. 8. 84.
f T«r. 1, 8.
g 1 Sam. 24. 14.
oh. 16. 9.
h See ch. 16. 4.
& 19. 29.
iver. 7,11, 18.
ch. 19. 28.
k ch. 19. 17.
8. thai I may thew the kindness of Ghd] He rememben hU
own words in 1 Sam. zx. 14!, where he promised to show the
kindness of the Lord, — L e. love for the Lord's sake» and in the
Lord's sight, and according to the Lord's example, pore, per-
petual love, and not snch love as arises from mere human respects
and is shown in the eye of man— to Jonathan's posterity.
— lame"] His lameness was a permanent memento of the
misfortunes of Saul and Jonathan : see It. 4.
4. Lo-debar'] On the east side of Jordan, near Mahanaim,
xviL 27; perliapB the same as Lodehir, which seems to be
mentioned In Josh. xiii. 26. Seland, KeU.
6. Mefhibosheth'] See iv. 4.
Kbphibosheth, laics iw both his Feet, sownra beeobb
David, afd admitted to Datid's Table.
— hefeU on his face, and did reperencel Mephibosheth, the
son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, bowed lumself before David,
and said, ** What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look on
such a dead dog as I P" (v. 8.) << And David restored to him the
land of Saul his fkther, and also promised that he should eat of
his table continually " (v. 7).
It cannot be doubted that this incident, comparatively in-
ngnificant in itself, is recorded here with so much minuteness,
not merely as an historical evenly but fbr a spiritual purpose.
Saul (as the andent Christian expositors have unanimously
declared) was in his high privileges and prerogatives, and in his
noUe and holy beginmngs, and also in his melancholy dedine
and fall, and in his persecutions of David — a type of the
Jewish Nation, glorious in its origin, specially fitvoured by God,
but lapsing from its \high estate and persecuting the true
David, Jebits Chbist.
But Saul had a son — the beloved friend of David — J(Hia-
jthan; and Jonathan had a son, Mephibosheth, lame in both his
&et, and oommemorating by his lameness the melanohdy &te
of Saul (W, 4). David reniembers his {NXMnise to S|^id and
Jonathan; and when he is established in Mount Zion, and
has overcome the kings and nations round about him, l^e
calls Mephibosheth, and restores to him his frither's land» and
makM lum eat at his table: and Mephibosheth receives the
royal boon with grateftil reverenoe and lowly self-abasement.
Though he ktm lame qf both Ms feet, and could not stand,
yet he is able to bow down befixre him, and thus is exalted
to privUeges transcending the glory of those who were stxonger
91
than he -even of his father, Saul himself, so fiuned for his sta-
ture and strength, so confident and vain -glorious, and so mise-
rable in his &11.
Surely a greater than David is here. May we not see here
a type and a prophecy of what we know from *other portions of
Holy Scripture will one day come to pass ?
There is a remnant of Israel which has already bowed
before the Divine David. There is also a remnant which will
one day bow before Him. Israel itself is like Mephibosheth.
It is lame in both its feet. Its lameness is due to its Ml,
consequent on the apostasy of its fathers. It supposed that
it could walk before God hj its own strength ; but it can do
nothing to help itself. *' It is lame on both its feet/' the words
are emphatically repeated bv the sacred historian (v. 13).
But it will one day become sensible of its own lame-
ness, and then will recover its place in God's favour. Even now
the Divine David remembers His own promise, ratified hj oath
to the &thers. He remembers His own love to the Hebrew
Jonathan, the patriarchs and prophets, whose love to Him
was a deep and intense love, "a wonderful love, passing the
love of women " (2 Sam. L 26). He desires to show the
kindness of €hd to their souL He searches after them.
Let them come to Christ as Mephibosheth did to David, in
faith and humility. Let them divest themselves of all proud
notions of their own righteousness. Let them fidl on their fkoe
before the Divine Son of David, and do Him reverence.
Let them, who despised the (Gentiles as unclean, even as
dogs (Matt. XV. 26), sav with Mephibosheth, ««What is thy
servant, that thou shonlciest look upon such a dead dog as I P''
(v. 8.) Then the Divine David wul graciously receive them.
He will restore to them the inheritance of their fkthers : nay,
more, He will treat them as the kind's sons (v, ll). He will
make them eat and drink for ever at His table in H(is kingdom
in the heavenly Jerusalem (cp. «. 7 ; v. 10).
Here also we see that uie <* sure mercies of David " over-
flowed on the fiEuthful and humble-minded in the fJEunily of SauL
Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, was admitted to partake in
the roval prerogatives of David's son, and to sit continually at
David s table ; and so it will be with the Jews ; when they are
Mei^iibosheths in fiuth and humility, they will be Mephiboeheths
in honour, th^ wiU be admitted to share in the glorv of the True
David in the Church militant here and triumphant hereafter.
10. Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants] Whom David
N 2
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Contrast with Ziha. 2 SAMUEL IX. 12, 13, X. 1 — 10. David's servants insulted.
1 1 Chron. 8. S4.
m ver. 7, 10.
n ver. S.
% I Chron. 19. 1,
ftc.
t Heb. In thiiu
ejfet doth David.
b Isa. 20. 4.
ft 47. 2.
c Oen. 34. 30.
Ex. 5. 21.
1 Sam. 13. 4.
d ch. 6. 8, 5.
I Or, iha men c/
Toh, S9e
Judg. 11.3,5.
e ch. 23. 8.
f ver. 6.
According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall
thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth^ said the king, he shall eat at my table,
as one of the king's sons; ^^And Mephibosheth had a young son, * whose
name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto
Mephibosheth. ^'So Mephibosheth dtvelt in Jerusalem: "for he did eat
continually at the king's table ; and ° was lame on both his feet.
X. ^Arid it came to pass after this, that the *king of the children of
Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. ^ Then said David,
I vdll shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed
kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his
servants for his father. And David's servants came into the land of the
children of Ammon. ^ And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto
Hanun their lord, f Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he
hath sent comforters unto thee ? hath not David rather sent his servants unto
thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it ? * Wherefore
Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and
cut off their garments in the middle, ^even to their buttocks, and sent them
away. * When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the
men were greatly ashamed : and the king said^ Tarry at Jericho until your
beards be grown, and then return.
® And when the children of Ammon saw that they ^ stank before David, the
children of Ammon sent and hired **the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the
Syrians of Zoba^ twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand
men, and of || Ish-tob twelve thousand men.
^ And when David heard of it, he sent joab, and all the host of * the mighty
men. ® And the childi'en of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at
the entering in of the gate : and Hhe Syrians of Zoba, and of Rehob, and
Ish-tob, and Maacah, were by themselves in the field. ® When Joab saw that
the front of the battle was against him before and behind, he chose of all the
choice nten of Israel, aiid put them in array against the Syrians : *^And the
made tributary to Mephiboshetli ; but Ziba was not faithM
(see xvi. 3), and Mephibosbeth remained loyal to David, and was
content to part with all his earthly goods if he could only see
David in peace (xix. 30). So " the Israelite indeed" loves Christ
not for any worldly benefits he receives from Him, but for His
own sake.
18. Mephibosheth had a ifoung son, whose name was Michal
Who had a numerous ofispring (1 Chron. viii. 34, 35 ; ix. 40),
and so the house of Saul sprouted ttp and flourished afresh
from one who had seemed without help and hope, but being
received into David's favour, was endued with dew lif^. Such
will the Hebrew nation be when restored to God's &youi^ in Christ.
Ch. X. 1. kinff of— Ammon'] Probably Nahash (1 Sam. xi. 1).
4. Wherefore Hanun took David's servanti, and shaved off
the one half of their beards'] A special insult to Orientals, many
of whom would rather part with their lives than their beards
iArvieux), and who only shaved the beard as a sign of mourning
Isa. XV. 2. Jer. xli. 5 ; xlyiii. 87). It was al«> a contumely
offered to the religion of these Hebrews, who were forbidden by
the law to shave their beards, even in niouming (Lev. xix. 27.
Deut. xiv. 1). And the shaving of half the beards made a par-
ticular indignity in this respect, because they would not them-
selves cut off the other half, and therefore were exposed to the
contempt and ridicule of all spectators. And this was an
aflfront and outra^ agidnst David himself, whose ambassadors
they were, and who ^id sent them on a message of kindness
and peace. Here we may see a foreshadowing of the con-
tumeJions treatment which the ambassadors of the Divine David
must expect to receive from the World, even when they come
before men with the words of the Gospel of peace and loye in
their mouths (Matt. x. 26; xxiv. 9. 1 Cor. iv< 18).
92
But as it was with David and his ambassadofrs, so it is
with Christ and His ministers. Whosoever despiseth them,
despiseth Him (Luke x. 16). He sympathizes with them, as
David did with his ambassadors in their shame (o. 6), and
resents their injuries as offered to Himself (Acts ix. 4) ; and as
the insults offered to David in the person of his ambassadors
bec^ine the occasion of gn*eater triumph and glory to David, and
of greater shame and misery to his enemies, though confederate
against him, so it will be in the end in the cause of Christ
and His Church.
— cui off their garments] And thus reduced them to the
contemptible condition of prisoners — captiyes led in triumph :
see Isa. xx. 4 ; xlvii. 2.
6. saw thai they stank^Cp, Gen. xxxiv. 80. Exod. v. 21.
— hired the SuruuM] With a thousand talents (I Chron. xix.
6). They paid deariy for the insult to David.
— Beth-rehob] Called Behob in v, 8» south of Hamath : see
Kum. xiii. 21. Judg. xviiL 28.
— Zoba] SeeviiL8.
— Maacah] North-east of Geshur and near Hermon: cp.
Deut. iii. 14.
— Ish-tob] Rather, men of Tob (see Judg. xL 6) ; between
Syria and the land of the AmmonitaB.
7—10. A« sent Joah — Abishai his brother] David not only
makes war and gains victories in his own person, but by means
of his generals, the two brethren, Joab and Abishai; so the
Divine David not only conquers His enemies by His own hand,
but He conquered also by means of His Apostles, among whom
were three pairs of brethren, and whom He sent forth two and
two (see Matt. x. 1. 5. Luke x. 1). And this work He
continues eyen unto the end, till all enemies wUl be put under
His feet.
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David's conquests.
2 SAMUEL X. 11—19. XI. 1.
David's sin.
rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother ^ that he
might put them in array against the children of Ammon. ^^ And he said, K
the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me : but if the children
of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. ^^ » Be of «i>«««»i.«.
good courage, and let us ^ play the men for our people, and for the cities of our M^sam.y.
God : and * the Lord do that which seemeth him good. * > 8«»- «• *»•
^' And Joab drew nigh, and the people that were with him, unto the battle
against the Syrians : and they fled before him. ^* And when the children of
Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abishai, and
entered into the city. So Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and
came to Jerusalem.
^*And when the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel, they
gathered themselves together. *^And Hadarezer sent, and brought out the
Syrians that were beyond |[ the river: and they came to Helam ; and || Shobach i^.*^
the captain of the host of Hadarezer went before them. ^^ And when it was 5 cfcfnf^i*:
told David, he gathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came
to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought
with him. *®And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of
seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand ^ horsemen, and ^J^2~»- ^'^^
smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there. ^^ And when all the
kings that were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel^
they made peace with Israel, and * served them. So the Syrians feared to ich.8.6.
help the children of Ammon any more.
XI. * And it came to pass, f after the year was expired, at the time when l^^-^/,^ ^^
1 Kings SO. IS, i6. S Chron. 36. 10.
11. ijT the Syrians he too etrong for me"] Here Christ's
soldiers and Chnstian Churches mtj see an example to them-
selves, that they should strengthen and succour one another in
the spiritual conflict against the common enemies of the True
Bavid, and for the advancement of His kingdom : cp. Luke uiL
82. 1 Cor. xii. 21.
Joah's language on this occasion, as related here (and in
1 Chron. xix. 13), presents also a noble example of faith and
resignation and true valour, " Be of good courage, and let us
behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of
our Qod : and let the Lord do that which is good in His sight."
And so the great Christian Captain speaks, ** Stand fast in the
faith, quit you like men, be strong " (1 Cor. xvL 13).
16. Hadare»er] King of Zobah (viii. 3).
— they oame to Helam] That is, the Syrians beyond the
Euphrates crossed the river westward, and came to Elam ; per-
haps JJmatha, on the west of that river (Ewald, Orove),
or a site rather more to the south.
17. it was told Davitf] Who passed over Jordan with all
Israel, represented bv their captains, and went against the
enemy and put an end to the war (v. 19). So the Divine David,
after the conquest gained by His soldiers, will come in person
and destroy His enemies.
18. David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the
Syrians'] In the parallel passage in 1 Chron. xix. 18 we read
that David sUw of the Syrictns seven thousand men which fouyht
in chariots. Observe the word slew as applied to chariots in
both these places : it obliges us to supply some such words as
are supplied in our Version.
l^e Arabic Version has a clause here to the effect that to
each of these chariots several men were attached ; and confirms
the view taken of the two passages in our Authorized Version,
viz. that in the present passage the Historian, by seven hundred
chariots, means all the men that belonged to them ; and in the
Chronicles the Historian adds the information that ten men on
an average belong to each chariot. In the army of Poms
wluch marched against Alexander we are told by the Historian
that each chariot carried six men : ** Senos viros singuU
quadrigiB vehebant " {Ourtius, viii. 14. 2).
Indeed, whenever more than a thousand chariots are men-
tioned (which was a vast ncbaber fo^ any king to muster), we
93
may infer that the drivers and warriors who manned tliem are
in<uuded in the number. But whenever a great victory, such as
that befbre us, is described, and the number of chariots does not
amount to one thousand, it may be that to each of these chariots
were attached many men, and that the defeat of these many men
is implied by the mention of the destruction of the chariots.
— forty thousand horsemen] In 1 Chron. xix. 18 we have
forty thousand footmen. The Syriac Version inserts, '* and
much people;" the Arabic has, "a vast multitude of footmen."
It is observable, that in the present passage there is no mention
oi footmen, and in the parallel place in Chronicles there is no
mention of horsemen; and it is not credible that the Historian
intended to convey in the present passage that no footmen were
slain, or in Chronicles that no horsemen were slain. And
from this drcumstance, and the identity of the number in both
places, it may be inferred that in the Syrian method of warfare
the horsemen sometimes dismounted and fought on foot, and
that the footmen, when weary, mounted on horseback, and so they
relieved one another, and that they might therefore be called
dther horsemen or footmen as disting^sh^ from those in chariots.
It is supposed by some that forty thousand of each were
slain. Josephms says that Shobach had eighty thousand foot-
men and ten thousand horsemen under his command (Joseph.
viL 6. 3).
PBEilMIKABT NOTB TO ChAPTBB XI.
Di^tid's Snr.
After the erection of David's throne on Mount Zion, and
after the divine promise made in chapter viL of perpetuity to
David's seed, and of an everlasting dominion to his house, a
dominion to be established in Christ, it appears that the
Enemy of Qod and man, envious of such a privilege, which he
knew would be disastrous to himself, assailed David with succes-
sive temptations.
He first raised up enemies against him on all sides, and
endeavoured to overthrow his kingdom by a combination of
confederate forces marshalled against it.
These open and violent attacks recoiled upon those who
made them, and redounded to the greater gloir of the King of
Israel and Judah : see above, Prelim, Note to chap. viii.
In the present chapter^ a new and more dangerous form of
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David sends Joab to Rabbah.
2 SAMUEL XI. 1.
David tarries at home.
a 1 Chron. 20. 1.
kings go forth to battle, that ^ David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and
all Israel ; and they destroyed the children of Amnion, and besieged Babbah.
Bnt David tarried still at Jerusalem.
temptatiou assails him; a temptation from vntMn; and he
who had vanquished all his enemies in the hattle-tield is overcome
' by means of himself. As 8. Ambrose says (Apol. Dav. ii. 8),
" David, vir magnus, et qni allophylnm immanem oorpore armis
quoqne inhorrentem fide vioerat, ntinam se ipse vicisset ! Utinam
sic interiorem adversariom stemere potuissetl Qravior est
pugna ejns qui intus, quam illins qui /om dimicat.'^
He is guilty of adulter}-, then of dissimulation and murder :
adultery with the wife of Di-iuh, one of his most valiant soldiers ;
dissimulation with Uriah and with Joab ; and murder of Uriah
himself. And though, by God's goodness, his conscience was
awakened firom its slumber, and was brought to repentance, and
his sin was forgiven with respect to the future life and the eternal
world, yet from this time forth, as far as this world was con-
cerned, the sword never departed from his house (zii. \0\ and
his life was embittered by sins and sufferings in his own nunily
— the fhuts of his own sin — even to the day of his death.
Tet even here Satan is defeated, and Qod is glorified by
means of Satan's devices; which appears as follows, viz. : —
(1) We have here a strong proof of the veracity of Holy
Scripture. David's sin was committed in private. He was a
king, a powerful king, beloved by his people, and — as is clear
from his penitential Psalms, expressive of his remorse for his
sin, as well as from the language of Nathan (xii. 13^ — he was
sincerely contrite for his sin ; and in the rest of his fife he did
that wluch was right in the sight of the Lord (1 Kings xv. 5).
Besides, one of the worst consequences of the publication of
his sin would be that he would have given great occasion to the
enemies of the Lord to blaspheme (xii. 14). Might it not there-
fore have been expected that a veil would have been thrown
over his sin, and that it would not have been exposed to the
eyes of the world in Holy Writ ?
^ Holy Scripture had been the work of man, theee con-
siderations would probably have prevailed, and David's sin
would not have been disclosed to our view ; or, if it had been
revealed, the historian would probably have extenuated it—as
many of the Hebrew Babbis have done (see Bp, Patrick's
note on o. 4)— and have dwelt on David's virtoes, especially on
his repentance.
But the Author of this history is the Holy Qhost : it is
divindy inspired. He reminds na that we have to do with
One Who is no respecter of persons; One Who knows the
hearts of all, and beholds their secret acts ; and will one day bring
to light the secret sins of Princes and Potentates of this world,
and call them to receive their doom at His Judgment-seat.
In reading the Bible, we have the satis&ction of know-
ing that in it there is no suppression of facts, no disguise or
extenuation fipom worldly motives ; that in Uie Bible, and the
Bible alone, we have the realization of the perfect Historian :
" Ne quid falsi dicere andeat, ne quid veri non audeat."
Here there is one benefit to be derived from this record of
David's sin : it supplies an argument for the Truth and Indira-
tion of Holy Scripture.
(2) This history is also a moral test of the readers of the
Bible.
The oonsequenoe of David's sin is thus stated by Nathan,
that *' it would g^ve great occasion to tiie enemies of the Lord to
blaspheme " (xii. 14). But woe to the enemies of the Lord !
Woe to those who blaspheme Him! For it is written, *'A11
Thine enemies, O God, shall feel Thine hand ; Thy right hand
shall find out them that hate Thee " (Ps. xxi. 8). The enemies
of the Lord may turn the food of Scripture into poison, and may
abuse David's sin into an occasion for selling themselves captives
into the hands of the Tempter ; but the friends of God will take
warning fh>m his fall ; and, however great may be their spiritual
privileges, they will "not be high-minded, but fear," and they
will meditate on David's repentance, and bear in mind the
sorrows which were entailed on "the man after God's own heart"
by the commission of this sin : and thus the friends of the Lord
will derive a blessing firom this divine record, and they will bless
HLb Name for it.
(3) ^David's sin in the matter of Uriah the Hittite had
not been recorded in Scripture, we should have been astonished,
perplexed, and staggered bv the series of tribulations which
roUowed him henceforth to the grave.
But this sad scene explains them all. Qere is the weU-
' ig, from whence flowed forth that dark stream of sorrow.
If we had a similar view of men's secret nns, if we had a
94
dear insight into our own, as they are seen by God, the anomalies
of the present state of things in this world would in a great
measure disappear. The tangled web of its intricate mazes
and perplexities would be unravelled. We should doubtkat
behold the true cause of the misery which prevails around us, and
we should have a stronger convicikion, that the world is under
a Moral Governor; and that the day is coming, when every
work will be brought to judgment, and men will be rewarded
or punished accordmg to an exact rule of retributive justice.
(4) David, in many respects, was a signal type of Christ.
But he, and all the other types of Christ, have some features in
their character in which they are contrasts to Christ (see above,
Introd, to Judges, pp. 78, 79). So it is in the history before na.
David was a man of deep and tender affections : but here he was
mastered bv his passions, which hurried him into the oommissioii
of deadly sm. The love of Christ was stronger than death, bat
it was as pure as it was strong. It is an unmthomable fountain
of unsullied holiness. He, in the eventide of the worid, looked
down from the heights of heaven, and brought to Himself Ifi«
Church, once a Bathsheba; and placed her in His own royal
palace, and joined her to Himself in pure and holy love.
Thus when we pass in our thoughts from David to Christ*
that is, from the type to the antitype, we find that the sins of
the one vanish and are swallowed up in the gprace and glory of
the other.
The &iling^ of a David and a Solomon remind us also that
no human examples are to he substituted for the Divine law as a
rule of life, and that there is no spotless example but that of
Christ; and that the promise, in wluch we have a deep oonoem
and interest, of perpetual continuity and universal dominion to
the house of David, could never have been fulfilled, unless One
had arisen from that lineage, " Who was holy, harmless, nnde-
filed, and separate from sinners " (Heb. vii. 26), and in Whom aU
the promises of everlasting glory made to David's house are fhl-
fiUed to all those of every age and nation who believe and obey
BUm (cp. S. Ambrose, ApoL David, c. 3 and c. 4).
(5) Personally as a sinner, D^vid cannot be said to be a
type or Him who was sinless. And yet, inasmuch as it is said
in Holy Scripture that God laid on Christ the iniquities of na all
(Isa. liii. 6), and Qod. made Him to be sin for us Who Imew no
sin (2 Cor. v. 21), and that He was made a curse for us (Gal.
ilL 13), therefore even in David's sin and in its sorrowful conse-
quences Darid foreshadowed Christ bearing the burden of sin
by imputation, and as sufifering the heavy penalties of it. And
in the pardon and justification of David, by God putting away
his sin, and raising up, in lawfrd wedlock, oolomon^the Peace'
able — fifjax. him, even by Bathsheba, who had been the
companion of his sin, we have a glimpse of Ckd's justifying
grace to us in Christ, bringing to us paidon and peace even bv
means of ooi:\juncticm with our humanity, and of unioii witn
that flesh which had been the cause of our shame and woe (see
Bom. viii. 3, 4). The first Adam is seen in the adnltery of David
with Bathsheba, which brought forth death; for of ^b^firsi
issue of that union it is said, " The child that is bom unto thee
shall swrely die** (xii. 14). But the Second Adam is seen in
the coiyu^ union of David, now justified, with Bathsheba;
and in the issue of that union, Solomon, the peaceable, who is
called also Jedidiah, beloved of the Zord (lii, 26). Cp. 8.
Ambrose, Apd. David, cap. 3. 6. 16 and 17 ; and 8. Angustine
c. Faust, xxii. 87, " David graviter scelerat^ue peccavit ....
Christus adamavit Eodesiam mundantem se a sordibns ssBcnli^
eamque sibi perpetuo connubio eopulavit ; " and 8, Ambrose in
Luc. (lib. ill.), " Mysterium est in fignri; Pecoatnm in lustoriA ;
Culpa per hominem; Sacramentom per Yerbum;" and cp. 8*
Or^ory, MoraL iii. c. 21.
(6) David's sin and St. Peter's sin, and David's punishment,
are recorded in Scripture, that no one rnKv presume; and David's
repentance and Peter's repentance and pardon, are also re-
oorded there, in order that no one may despair. "Sicut lapsus
David cantos fkcit eos qui non cecidemnt, sic desperates esse non
vult qui oeciderunt" (8. Augustine in Pa. 60). " In Scriptnr4
Sacrft, David et P^ peccata sunt indita, ut cautela minorum sit
ruina miyomm ; utrorumque poenitentia et vepia insinnantur,
nt spes pereuntium sit recuperatio perditorum. De statu sno^
David (»dente, nemo superbiat: de lapsu sue, David cad^ite,
nemo desperet" {AngeUmms). How can we presume of not
sinning, or despair for sinning when we find so great a saint
thus fiiUen, thus risen ? {Bp, Mall,)
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David on the roof of his
2 SAMUEL XI. 2—13.
palace at eventide.
^And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed,
** and walked upon the roof of the king's house : and from the roof he "" saw a
woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
'And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this
II Bath-sheba, the daughter of || EUam, the wife ^ of Uriah the Hittite ? ^ And
David sent messengers, and took her ; and she came in unto him, and ^ he lay
with her ; || for she was 'purified from her uncleanness : and she returned unto
her house. ^ And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said,
I am with child. ^ And David sent to Joab, saying , Send me Uriah the Hittite.
And Joab sent Uriah to David.
^ And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him f how Joab
did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered. ^And David said to
Uriah, Go down to thy house, and 'wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out
of the king's house, and there f followed him a mess of meat from the king.
^ But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his
lord, and went not down to his house. ^^And when they had told David,
saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest
thou not from thy journey ? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house ?
^^ And Uriah said unto David, ^ The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents ;
and * my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open
fields ; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to he with my
wife ? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing. ^^ And
David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee
depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem tiiat day, and the morrow. ^' And when
David had called him, he did eat and drink before him ; and he made him
^ drunk : and at even he went out to lie on his bed *with the servants of his
lord, but went not down to his house.
b Deut. tS. 8.
c Gen. S4. S.
Job 31. 1.
Matt. 6. 28.
B Or, Batk-tkua,
1 Cbron. S. 5.
iOr, JmmUi.
ch. 23. 39.
e Ps. 61, title.
Jamet 1. 14.
I Or, and whtm
Mk« had pmri/Ud
reiumed^
fLev. 15. 10, 28.
ft 18. 19.
f Heb.o/M«p«ae«
g Gen. 18. 4.
ft 19. %.
f Heb. iMfi< out
^tmrkim.
h ch. r. 2, «.
i eh. 20. 6.
k Gen. 19. 88, 86.
1 Ter. 9.
1. it came ip pass] With regard to the date of these events,
it maj be noted that Solomon, the second child of David's
connexion with Bathsheba, was bom not much sooner than
two years afterwards, and that at David's decease^ who died
when he was seventy years of age, Solomon most have
been at least twenty years old, for at his accession to the throne
Solomon had a son one year old (1 Kinss xiv. 21. Cp. zi.
42). Anmon, who is mentioned soon after me events in the pre-
sent chapter (xiii. 1^, was bom afber David's accession to the
throne <^ Jndah (iii. 2), and was his firstbom son afl^r that
event, and mnst have lieen, at least, nearly twentr years old at
the time described in that chapter. It is probable, therefore,
that David was abont fbrty-eight years of age at the time here
tpoken of.
— after tke year was expired] That is, at spring time.
— - iahhah] The capital of Ammon (Dent. iii. 11. Josh. ziiL
26).
— But David tarried still ttt Jerusalem] At the time when
Icings go forth to battle. Observe the contrast; and compare
the lines of the Latin poet —
** Qa»ritnr, .Sgisthns quA re sit &ctns adulter t
In promptu caosa est — desidiosus erat."
8. in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed]
From his mid-day sleep : see iv. 6.
— upon the roof] To enjoy the cool air and the view : per-
haps for religions meditation. They who read this history may
thmk themselves safe like David. They may have fought the
Lord's battles as he did ; they may have song and written holy
psalms as he had. And yet, perhaps, in some tranquil season^
in the peaoefhlnees of their own home, in the cool of eventide in
the season of spring, their ghostly enemy may be near them, and
they may be most in danger w6en they think themselves most
secure. Then it is that they have most need to pray, ''Lead us
not into temptation" (Matt. vi. 13). Cp. Deut. zxii. 8. Josh,
ii. 6. 8. 1 Sam. ix. 25. Matt. x. 27. Acts x. 9.
This palace-roof, on which David walked when he oonodved
this sin in his mind, was probably the scene of the inoeetnons
95
act of his son Absalom, which was the bitter fruit and punish-
ment of David's sin : see o. 11, and xvi. 22.
— he s€MO a womtm washing herself] Probably, in the fountain
in the court-yard of her house.
8. enquired after the woman] The first step towards sin
had been in hu multiplying wives to himself, contrary to God's
law fDent. xvii. 17). If ne had kept close to 'that law, he
woula not have fidlen into this nn. The only safeguard agidnst
Satan is in obedience to Qod's will and word.
— Bath^heba] called Bath-^hua in 1 Chron. iii. 5. The vam,
according as it is vocalized, would be pronounced either « or « /
and 9 would easQv pass on to its cognate labial b,
— Xliam] called also Ammiel (1 Chron. iii. 5), which has
the same meaning, and is, indeed, the same word, its component
parts being inverted, and means Qod*s people, Eliam was the
son of Ahithophel, xxiii. 84 {Jeromiast,), and one of David's
most valiant soldiers (xxiiL 84). Here was an aggravation of
David's sin, and perhaps the sense of wrong done to Bathsheba
exdted Ahithophel, her mndfather, to help Absalom against him.
— «;i/V] iJavid had probably hcmed she was unmarried;
but now that his passion was inflamed, the knowledge that she
was a wife did not deter him from his purpose; " When lust
hath conceived, it bringeth forth sbi " (James L 15).
— Uriah] One of David's most faithfbl subjects and valiant
soldiers (xxiu. 89) ; another aggravation of the sin.
4. for she was purified] &ther, and she was pureed from
her uncleanness (see Lev. xv. 18) ; and then she returned home.
She was more scrupulous about the ceremonial law than the
mottl (Wouvers, Keil),
Sin often seeks for a shelter in superstition.
5. and sent and told David] In order that he might protect
her from the punishment due to adultery— death (Lev. xx. 10).
9. Uriah slept at the door of the hinges house] As one of his
bodv-guard. Cp. 1 Chron. xi. 41.
11. The arJe] Perhaps it had been carried with the army to
the battie. Cp. 1 Sam. iv. 8.
18. he made him drunk] And tried to make him break his
oath («. 11).
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David's sin.
2 SAMUEL XI. 14—27. XH. 1—4. Nathan is sent ft) him.
Judg. 9. 53.
5Judg. 6. 32,
ervbbaal.
m Seel Kings SI. ^ And it Came to pass in the morning, that David "wrote a letter to Joab,
and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ^* And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set
♦ Heb. stronff. jB Urfah ui tho forofront of the | hottest battle, and retire ye f from him,
*'"*u*' ,«T that he may ° be smitten, and die.
n ch. U. 9. •' '
^^ And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah
unto a place wherie he knew that vaUant men were. ^^ And the men of the city
went out, and fought with Joab : and there fell some of the people of the
servants of David ; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
^® Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war ; ^^ And
charged the messenger, saying. When thou hast made an end of telling the
matters of the war unto the king, 20 And if so be that the king's wrath arise,
and he say unto thee. Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye
did fight ? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall ? ^^ Who smote
**Abimelech the son of **Jerubbesheth ? did not a woman cast a piece of a
millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez ? why went ye nigh
the wall ? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
^ So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that Joab had
sent him for. ^s And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed
agaiost us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even
unto the entering of the gate. ^ And the shooters shot from off the wall upon
thy servants ; and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah
the Hittite is dead also. ^ Then David said unto the messenger. Thus shalt
t Heb. be€viiin thou Say uuto Joab, Let not this thing f displease thee, for the sword devoureth
fB.lh!'ti'and -j- one as well as another : make thy battle more strong against the city, and
overthrow it : and encourage thou him.
^ And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she
mourned for her husband. ^And when the mourning was past, David sent
4ch.if.9. and fetched her to his house, and she "^became his wife, and bare him a son.
♦Heb^ij«#rt*<ii But the thing that David had done f displeased the Lord.
a Ps. 61, title.
b See ch. 14^ 5,
&«.
I Kings 10. 85—
41.
IM. 5. 3.
f Heb. won§l.
Xn. ^ And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And • he came unto him,
and ''said unto him. There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the
other poor. ^ The rich m>an had exceeding many flocks and herds : 'But the
poor man had nothing, save one Uttle ewe lamb, which he had bought and
nourished up : and it grew up together with him, and with his children ; it did
eat of his own f meat, and 4rank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and
was unto him as a daughter. ^ And there came a traveller unto the rich man,
14. sent ifc hy the hand of Uriahl A proof that David well
knew how loyal and trusty a senranl Uriah was to himself, and
yet this knowledge did not prevent him from hasely and cruelly
trying to destroy him. David was now blinded and led captiye
by Satan.
16. Joab — assigned Uriah unto a place"] Joab, alover of powe|>,
an ambitious and aspiring man, and not scrupulous about blood-
shed, as David knew fW>m Joab's conduct to Abner (iii. 28 — 30),
was tempted to do this by a persuasion that by indulging
David in this secret sin he would acquire a complete ascendancy
over him, as he did.-
21. Who smote Abimeleoh?"] See Judg. ix. 53. It seems
probable that the Book of Judges was commonly known at this
time. Joab quoted God's Woid, but was not careM to keep it.
— Jerrubbesheth] or Jerubbaal : see Judg. vi. 82; and alM>ve>
ii. 8; V. 4.
27. displeased the Lobd] Literally, was evil in the eves of
the Lord : and how much more evil are such sins now m the
case of Christians, than they were in that of David ! For the
All-Holy One, the Ever-Blessed Son of Qod, has now taken our
nature, and has joined us in Himself to God, and has sane-
96
tified Marriage, and has given to us the Comforter, and has
made our bodies to be temples of the Holy Ghost : see Irenatts
iv. 46, who, quoting the words of a still earlier author, says,
" We ought not, thereforei, to be high-minded, and to censure
the ancient patriarchs, but to fear for ourselves, lest we, who
have received the dear knowledge of Christ, should do what ia
eyil in tiie eyes of Gk>d, and should be excluded from Hia
kingdom."
Ch. XII. 1. the Lobd sent Nathan unto David^ Having
waited nine months for some movement towards repentance
on David's part {v. 14) ; but he was blinded and hardened by
Satan, and might have continued in this state, if God had not
mercifuUv intervened to arouse him from his deadly slumber^
by the mmistry of His holy Word.
— and saict] This parable, and others in the Old Testament
(Judg. ix. 8. 2 Kings xiv. 9), prepared the wav for the Divine
teaclung of Christ Himself, revealing the mysteries of the Gospel
and impressing Divine truths on the hearts of men, by means of
parables (Matt. xiiL 3. Mark iv. 11).
4. a traveller— the waj/faring mofi] David's roving In^
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Davicts answer.
2 SAMUEL Xn. 5 — 11. Nathan's 'prophetic denunciation.
and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the
wayfaring man that was come unto him ; but took the poor man's lamb, and
dressed it for the man that was come to him. * And David's anger was greatly
kindled agamst the man ; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord Kveth, the man
that hath done this thing \\ shall surely die : • And he shall restore the lamb
* fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God
of Israel, I ** anointed thee kmg over Israel, and I deKvered thee out of the hand
of Saul ; ^ And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy
bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah ; and if that had been
too Uttle, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
* • Wherefore hast thou ' despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in
his sight ? » thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken
his wife to he thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of
Ammon. ^^ Now therefore ^ the sword shall never depart from thine house ;
because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to
be thy wife. ^^ Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee
I Or, is mortky tf>
tlirt or, it a Mff
death,
1 Sam. U. 1«.
c Ex. 2S. 1.
Lake 19. 8.
d 1 Sum. 16. IS.
e See 1 Sam. 15.
19.
f Num. 15.31.
R ch. 11. 15, 16,
ir.JT.
b Amos T. 9.
{Theodore£)i "immoderatsB Ubidinis Don pennando Aiit, led
tranntos ; proptereit vocatos est koMpet " {8, Au^fUfUne de Doet.
Chr. iii. 22, Senn. 58 de Tempore).
5. l>av%^4 an^er ¥ku greatUf InndUd] Pa^id had not recog-
nized his own likeness, drawn by Nathan in the parable, md
held up to hia own eyes ; he did not see Uriali in the poor man,
nor himself in the nch man, nor his own lost in the trayeJler,
nor Bathsheba in the ewe lamb, and he pronoonoed sentence of
death in the Name of *' the Lobd *' on the rich man for his
sin.
Our Conscience therefore is no safe mle of life unless it be
regxdated by the Divine Word. The conscience even of a David
may be seared, as with a hot iron, by sin (1 Tim. iv. 2), it mav
become callous and insensible. The sinner may continue, month
after month, in a treacherous And fatal sleep, hugging lus darling
sin, sleeping soundly on his pillow with his bebvS Bathsheba in
his bosom, unless he takes heed to examine his own life and con-
venation by the rule of Chxl's commandments, and to ascertain
horn that role what lus spiritual condition is in the sight oi Qod.
Here then is a warning against the prevalent notion, that
rdiance may be placed on our own per$onal aaturanoe, as to our
own spiritual state, and as to our own acceptance with Qod.
" lliere is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end
thereof are the ways of death " (Prov. xiv. 12; xvL 26). Cp.
below. Acta zziiL 1. 6. 14. Bom. xiii. 5; xiv. 6. 14. 1 Jdm
iii. 20. Our conscience is indeed to be heard, but it is first to be
informed. Its dial is to be illumined bv the solar beams of
Divine light. If David had thus dealt with his conscience, if he
had tried his own actions by the test of God's law, if he had re-
membered that it was written by the Divine hand in the Divine
code, ** Thou shalt not commit adultery," and " Thou shalt not
kill," he would have become a Nathui to himself; his Con-
science would have become a prophet, and have said to him in
God's Name, Thou art the man. Here also is a lesson to
hearers and readers of Scripture and of sermons. David listened
to a sermon fVxnn Nathan, which exactly suited his own case,
and yet he did not apply ii to himse^. He turned the edge of
it from himself to another. The benefit of sermons de-
pends more on the hearer than on the preacher. The beet
sermon is that which is hett applied by those to whom it is
preached.
6. fourfold] David remembers and quotes God's law (Exod.
zziL I) as agamst others, but not against himself.
Nathan manifested David's sin by the indignation which
David himself expressed at a less sin in another : ** Out of thine
own month will I judge thee."
7. Nathan said to David, 7%ou art the man"] Such was the
courage of the prophets of old. Qod sent them and spoke by
them; being strong in the consdouaness of their Divine mission,
th^ rebuked kings for their sins. Samuel rebuked Saul;
Nathan rebnked David; the man of God from Judah rebuked
Jeroboam, standing at his own altar; £l^jah robuked Ahab;
£lidia rebuked Je^ram; Isaiah robuked Ahaz; John the Bap-
VoL. II. Pabt II.— 97
tist robuked Herod ; S. Ambrose robuked Theodosius. When
will this prophetic spirit of (H)urage roturn to the Churoh of God P
8. /Ay mastef^e fwr«] No wife of a king of the Hebrow
nation could ever be married to any one but his successor : cp.
below, 1 Kings ii. 22.
9. thou hatt killed:] Thou, king David, hast slain thine
own brave and faithfU soldier, while fighting thine own battles.
Thou hast slain him by the sword of the Ammonites, the enemies
of God ! Thou hast robbed him first of his wife, and next of his
life. Thou art the man ; I show thee thyself, I reveal to thee
thy most secret acts.
If the prophet was enabled thus to expose secret sins,
how much more will this be done by the God of all the pro-
phets ! Compare below, the act and words of Elisha to Gehazi,
*« Went not mine heart with thee ? " ^2 Kings v. 26.) " The eyes
of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good "
(Prov. XV. 3) ; and <'all things aro naked and opened unto the
eyes of Him with whom we have to do ** (Heb. iv. 18). «* He will
bring to liffht the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest
the oounsds of the hearts" at the Great Day (1 Cor. iv. 5).
Thou hast slain — it was not Joab, nor the Ammonite in the
battle-field, but thou at Jerusalem, in thy palace, writing that
letter privately, and sending it by the hand of Uriah — thou luut
slain Uriah the Hittite. Thou art the murderer, and must pay
the penalty for thy sin.
Sins committed by the intermediate agency of others will be
brought home, at the Day of Judgment, to those who have em-
ployed that agency: ana however fiur romoved in time and
place the effect of the sin mav be ftom the prime author of it,
the complicated maze of all its intricate windings will be un-
ravelled by God's Omniscience ; and He will lay the sin at the
door of him who was the prime mover of it, and will say, « Thou
art the mau.'*
10. the tword ahaU never depart from thine house] Henco-
fbrward, for about twenty years, David had no respite from
domestic affliction.
If we turn to the next chapter, we find his son Amnon
g^ty of incest ; and if we proceed farther, we find another son,
his beloved son Absalom, guilty of murder, and of robellion
against his own fkther, and of adultery in David's own house,
and destroyed by Joab, who had been employed bf David in the
murder of Uriah ; and a third son, Adon\jah, rising m insurrection
against him when he was lying on his deathbed. " What a world
or miarhiflf and miserv did £b create unto himself by that one
presumptuous act in the matter of Uriah (1 Kings xv. 6), almost
all the days of his life after ! " See Bp, Sanderson, i. 99, Serm.
on Ps. xix. 18.
Let those who aro tempted by David's sin be deterred fh>m
sin by David's punishment. If he, who was in other respects
the *'man after God's own heart," was thus chastised for his
sin, even till the end of his life, what may not others expect, if
with greater means of grate, and with David's history as their
wam&g, they abuse it into an occasion for sin P
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God's sentence on David.
2 SAMUEL Xn. 12—21.
The child dies.
i Deut. 28. 30.
ch. 10. 22.
k ch. 16. 22.
1 See 1 Sam. 15.
24.
m ch. 24. 10.
Job 7. <0.
Ps. 82. 6.
&51. 4.
Prov. 28. IS.
nch.24. 10.
Job 7. 21.
Ft. 32. 1.
Mic. 7. 18.
Zech. 3. 4.
o Isa. 52. 5.
Esek. 36. 20, 23.
Rom. 2. 24.
iHth. fasted a
foti.
p ch. 13. 31.
t Heb. do^uart.
q Ruth 8. 3.
r Job 1.20.
out of thine own house, and I will * take thy wiyes before thine eyes, and give
them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this
sun. 12 For thou didst it secretly : *" but I will do this thing before all Israel,
and before the sun. ^^ ^ And David said unto Nathan, "" I have smned against
the LoBD. And Nathan said unto David, The Lobd also hath *" put away thy
sin ; thou shalt not die. ^^ Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given
great occasion to the enemies of the Lobd ""to Uaspheme, the child also that
is bom unto thee shall surely die.
i^And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lobd struck the child
that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. *^ David therefore
besought God for the child; and David f fasted, and went in, and ^ lay all
night upon the earth. ^^ And the elders of his house arose, and went to him,
to raise him up from the earth : but he would not, neither did he eat bread
with them. ^^And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died.
And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead : for they
said. Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would
not hearken unto our voice : how will he then f vex himself, if we tell him that
the child is dead ? ^^ But when David saw that his servants whispered, David
perceived that the child was dead : therefore David said unto his servants, Is
the child dead ? And they said. He is dead. ^ Then David arose from the
earth, and washed, and "^ anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came
into the house of the Lobd, and 'worshipped : then he came to his own house ;
and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. ^i Then
said his servants unto him. What thing is this that thou hast done ? thou didst
fast and weep for the child, while it was alive ; but when the child was dead,
11. he sh<ai lie with th^ wives'] See 2 Sam. zvi. 22.
The sin of AbBalom, commitied in the same place where
David's un was eonceived (see above, on zL 2), was used bj
God as a ponishment for the sin of David. God did not
approve Absalom's sin. Heaven forbid ! No, He forbade and
punished the sin (2 Sam. zviii. 32) ; but yet He made it to be
an instrament of His own justice. Satan himself will be €k)d's
eiecutioner on the wicked* when Satan has been condemned
for his own sin, and consigned to the lake of iite.
This doctrine milst be maintained against the dangerous
error of some (as CcUvin, Inst. L 18. 2), who have not
hesitated to call the sin of Absalom the work of God. But, as
Augustine well says, *' Deus non est auctor, quorum est ultor." Cp.
Pfeiffer, Dubia, p. 209; Gerhard de Prov. $122; WaUhery
liaim, BibL p. 891 : md note above, on 1 Sam. zzvi. 19; and
below, on xvi. 10, 11, and xxiv. 1.
18. offoinsi the Lobd] David's sorrow was a God-ward
sorrow : thouffh he had sinned against man, jet he looked
upward, and nghUv considered his sin in its rdation to God, so
that he sud, *' Against Thee onUf have I silmed." See Ps. li.
4 ; .and below, on 2 Cor. viL 9, 10. The moral and spuritual
character of true repentance, as distinguished from that penance
which relies on outward ceremonies, without inward affections,
is clearly brought out by David's example and words, ^th all
his zeal for the honour of the Leviti(»l dispensation and the
sacrifices of the Tkbemade, he says (see Pk. 11. 16, 17), *' Thou
desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it Thee, but Thoudelightest
not in bumt^fferings. The sacrifices of God are a troubled
sprit; a broken and oontrite heart, O (jU)d, Thou wilt not despise."
— The Lobd <Uso hath put away thtf sin] Did not Swil
also sa^, <*I have sinned" (1 Sam. xv. 24. 80; xzvi. 21) ? but
he received no such gracious answer in return. Why was this P
The words wero the same in sound in both cases ; but, as may be
concluded from the effect of those words, as heard by the ear of
God, who searoheth the hearts, they were not uttered with the
same inward fedings of faith and repentance, and therefore they
received a different treatment from God {Augustime).
The insincerity of Saul's profession appeared from his sub-
sequent acts ; the reali^ of David's sorrow was shown in its
firuits; especially in his penitential Psalms (P&. vi., zxxii.,
jjLZviii., IL, dl, cxzx., czliii.}*
98
— • ihou shalt not die] Nathan does not mean, as some luiva
supposed, that David should not suffer the infiiotion of temporal
dMth, the penalty affixed to the sin of adultery by the Levitical
law (xx. 10). The notion that the king of the Hebrew people,
the ropresentative of Jehovah, was subject to the q)eration ot
the code, of which the sovereign himsdf was the minister, it
altogether foreign to the primary principles ot H^row juris-
prudence. God reserved their punishment in His own hands.
8. Ambrose says truly (ApoL David, 10), "Bex utique erat,
nullis ipse legibus tenebatur, neque enim regee ad poonam
vocantur legibus; Homini ergo non peocavit; sed Deo erat sub-
ditns, et legi qjus se subjectum esse cognosoens peocatum segare
non poterat ; 2%bi soli peecaoi"
Nathan means to say, *< Thou shalt not die th€a death which
is the wages of sin, that is, dea& eternal." Nathan's dedaration
oonoemed the fnkmre lifo. It assured the penitent khig, that
although in this present short fife the sword i^uld ''never
depart finom his house," vet at the Great Day of reckoning his
sin should not be remembered against hiboi. And fUl of fiuth in
this gracious announcement, David uttered those joyous words,
<* Blessed is he whose unrighteousness is forgiven, and whose sin
is oovered " (Ps. xxxii. 1). '< I said, I will confess my dns unto
the Lord, and so llioa fragavest the wickedness of my sin "
(Ps. xxxii 6).
Here there is a dear proof of David's fiuth in the Besorreo-
tion. Judgment, and Eternity. As far as this world was con-
cerned, David henceforth was "most miseraUe." But he lo<^ed
beyond the grave, and derived joy, comfort, and thankflilness
from the prospect ; and the sorrows of this lifo had the chasten-
ing effect of increasing his fiuth, repoitance, and hope, and
of making him yeam with more intense desire fbr the l^ss of
the heavenly Jerusalem.
14. the child — shttU sureUf die] But even here thero was
mercy : if the child had lived, it would have been a record of
David's sin {Theodoret), and an occanon to evil men for reproach
and blasphemy, and have been exposed to insult fi;om many in
the earthly Jerusalem. But in the life to come, and in the
heavenly Jerusalem, where all will be bve and peac^ and
whero no sin will be remembered against the saints, that child
will be an everlasting monument of God's grace.
14 — 86.] For some remarks on the spiri^$al significance of th«
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Solomon's birth.
2 SAMUEL Xn. 22—31. XIII. 1.
Rabbah is taken.
then didst rise and eat bread. ^ And he said, While the child was yet alive,
I fosted and wept : • for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to
me, that the child may live ? ^^ Bnt now he is dead, wherefore should I fast ?
can I bring him ba(^ again ? I shall go to him, but ^ he shall not return
to me.
^ And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay
with her : and ' she bare a son, and "" he called his name Solomon : and the
LoBD loved him. ^ And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet ; and he
called his name || Jedidiah, because of the Lord.
^ And ^ Joab fought against ' Babbah of the children of Ammon, and took
the royal city. ^ And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought
against Babbah, and have taken the city of waters. ^ Now therefore gather
the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it : lest
I take the city, and fit be called after my name. ^And David gathered
all the people together, and went to Babbah, and fought against it, and took
it. ^ 'And he took their king's crown from oflf his head, the weight whereof
was a talent of gold with the precious stones : and it was set on David's head.
And he brought forth the spoil of the city f in great abundance. '^ And he
brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under
harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the
brick-kiln : and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So
David and all the people returned unto Jerusalelm.
Xm. ^ And it came to pass after this, 'that Absalom the son of David had
• See IM. 88. 1, 9.
Jonah 8. 9.
t Job 7. 8, 9, 10.
u Matt. 1.6.
X 1 Chron. 82. 9.
I That U,
Beloved of th§
LORD.
J 1 Chron. 20. 1.
sDeut. 8. 11.
t Heb. m$ name
b§ emlled iipoii ii.
A 1 Chron. 20. 2.
t Htb. Mry^Ml.
a ch. 8. 2, 8.
incidents recorded in these rerses, see the conduding paragraphs
of the PreUminafy Note to chap. xi.
8S. I shall go to him] An evidence of David's helief in the
personal identitj of risen saints, and in everlasting recognition
in a fhtnre state.
See below, the notes on Matt. zviL 8; cg:Q<A. i. 22. 28;
1 Thess. ii. 19.
24. Solomon] Heb., ShelSmoh; in the 8ept^ Salomon; in
the New Test, and in Josephms the second syllable is short,
SoliSmon, The name signifies peaoeable (Chsen. 831), as com*
pared with his fitther, who was a man of war (see 1 Chron.
xxiL 9).
Let it be remembered, that in the genealogy of Christ, the
Holy Spirit says, "David the king begat Solomon of her that
had been the wife of Urias f* and thns gives sinners the hope of
peace in Christ (see on Matt. 1. 6).
Solomon, in his name, was a record of the peace which
God had restored to David's conscienoe; and a flgnre of Christ,
the " Prince of Peace."
20. he sent bf the hand of Nathan] God, who " loved
Solomon," sent by the mimstiy of Nathan, and gave him an
additional name expressive of that love, "Jedidiah" (beloved
of the Lord), and thns made him to be in another respect a
type of the Beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased
(tlUtt. ilL 17; xiL 18; zvii. 6).
The name David signifies beloved, and after his repentance,
and when he had been pardoned by God, David revived, as it
were, after his fUl« and rose np again in his son Jedidiah, the
beloved of Jbhotah.
Solomon prefigured Christ, as Prince of Peace; and as the
WeU-beloved of God; and as the Bnilder of the Temple ; and
as excelling in 'Wisdom and knowledge. (Cp. Euoherime, in lib.
iii. Regnm m BibL Pktr. Max. iv. 966.)
27. the eity of waters] of the river Motet, or npper Jabbok
(KeU).
29. David — weni to Sdbhaih] David comet with his people at
the dose of the conflict, and gains the victory, and receives the
crown, and executes judgment : so will Chri^
20. the weight whereof] Bather, the value, according to
some Jewish interpreters in E»mcihii and so Bochart, FatricJc,
KeU : cp. Eitto, 894.
— wUh the precious stones] That is, as is expressed in
1 Chron. xx. 2, he took the crown, which was valued at a
talent> and there were precious stones in it.
99
Some suppose that the crown of the king of Ammon was
melted down, purified, and refined, and made anew fbr David,
and adorned with its jewels, and then set upon David^s head
{Angelom^ Wouvers).
— it was set on David's head] A type of the victories gained
over the heathen world by Him of Whom it is said, ** Thou hast
set a crown of pure gold on His head " (Ps. xxi. 8).
81. saws — liick'kiln] This seems to be the right interpre-
tation, though controverted by some: cp. Keil, p. 286, and
Kitto, pp. 895 — 898. It does not appear, that this severe punish-
ment was inflicted upon any of the Ammonites who had not
resisted the arms of David ; and it must be remembered, that
the Ammonites were guilty of savage cruelties toward Israel
(cp. 1 Sam. xi. 2), of which the prophet speaks,— « The children
of Ammon ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that
they might enlarge their border" (Amos i. 18. Cp. Ezek. xxv.
2) ; and that they had treated the ambassadors or David with
wanton insult ; and that they had lapsed from the worship of
God into the foulest and most unnatural idolatry.
Besides, the acts of David, executing vengeance on the
enemies of Israel and of God, are doubtless recorded in Scripture
as a prophetic warning to all, that they mav not incur the
terrible doom, which will be pronounced by the Divine Son of
David on His enemies, who wUl be cast hj Aim at the last day
into outer darkness, where will be weeping, and wuling, and
gnashing of teeth. ■
Pesuhivast Notb to Chapter XIII.
BxTEiBimoN TOB David'b Sik, which wab paedokbd.
Henceforward, for about twenty years, to the end of his
reigpi and life, David, though penitent and pardoned by God, is
afliicted by sufierings produced by sins in his own houMhold.
If we were to consider David's life as ending in himself in
tihm world, he would appear to be an object of commiseration,
and to be forsaken of God.
But this would be an erroneous view of his history.
(1) We must extend our view to another world, and see the
blessed fruits of his godly sorrow, ripened into an eternity of
bliss by the gracious dews and sunsliine of God's grace and
mercy to the penitent.
(2) Yet nirther. David, as guilty of sin, and as punished
fbr rin, and yet pardoned and beloved of God, is a signal type
of Him Who. in His own Person, knew no sin, bnt who bare our
fAjna. uid their punishment (see above, PreUm, Note to chap. xL) ;
02
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Amnorif David's son ,
2 SAMUEL Xin. 2—14.
his sin against Tamar.
b 1 Chron. 3. 9.
inth.itufos
marveltot$$, or,
hidden in tk§ cy«t
of'Amnoh.
c See 18am. 16.9.
t Heb. thin.
t Hcb. morning
bp morning.
dOen. 18.6.
B Or, pa»te.
e Gen. 45. 1.
f Oen. 39. 12.
tHeb. A«m^/«»e,
Oen. 34: 2.
gLev. 18.9,11.
ti 20. 17.
iHeb.Uougkinoi
so to be done.
b Oen. 34. 7.
Judg. 19. S3.
& 20. 6.
SSeeLeT.18.9,11.
k Dent. 22. 25.
Seech. 12. 11.
a fjEdr sister, whose name was ^ Tamar ; and Amnon the son of David loved
her. ^ And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar ; for
she was a virgin ; and f Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to
her. ^ But Amnon had a friend, whose liame was Jonadab, ""the son of Shi-
meah David's brother : and Jonadab was a very subtil man. ^ And he said
unto him, Why art thou, being the king's son, f lean f from day to day ? wilt
thou not tell me ? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Ab-
scLlom's sister. ^ And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and
make thyself sick : and when thy fathei^ cometh to see thee, say unto him, I
pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat
in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand. ^ So Amnon lay
down, and made himself sick : and when the king was come to see him, Amnon
said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and "^make me a
couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand.
7 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon's
house, and dress him meat. ^ So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house;
and he was laid down. And she took || flour, and kneaded tY, and made cakes
in his sight, and did bake the oakes^ ^ And she took a pan, and poured them
out before him; but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, ^Have out all men
from me. And they went out every man from hkn. ^^ And Amnon said unto
Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And
Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber
to Amnon her brother. '^ And wh^n she had brought them unto him to eat,
he 'took hold of her, and said unto her. Come lie with me, my sister. ^^ And
she answered him. Nay, my brother, do not f force me ; for ^ f ^^ such thing
ought to be done in Israel: da not thou this ''folly. ^*And I, whither shall
I cause my shame to go ? and as for thee, thou shalt be aS one of the fools in
Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king ; * for he will not
withhold me from thee. ^"^ Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice :
but, being etronger than she, ^ forced her, and lay with her.
and Who in this respect was ** a Miln of Soritol^trB, and &eqii&mted
with grief," ** for He was wounded for our transgressionR, and
bruised for oni' iniquities ; and ihfo chastisement of our peace
was upon Him^; and the Lord laid dA Him the iniquity of us all"
(Isa. liii. $^->6^. Thus He was a David in sorrow and suftering ;
yet He was the well-beloved Son. He wa9 the true Solomon,
the Prince of Peace, the Divine Jedidiah, the " Beloved of the
Lord :" and therefore the Prophet, having described His suffer-
ings, proceeds to say thatj though '*it pleased the Lord to
bruise EEim, Vet when His soul had been made an offering for
sin. He would see His Sbed, and prolong His days, and the
pleasure of the Lord would prosper in His hand " (Isa. Hii. 10).
Here iff the true key to the history of David's life. We
must not Umit our view to David as a sinner, and as puniahed
for his sin during the rest of his life ; but we must see him
as pardoned and justified in Christ : we must contemplate his
repentance ais a "repentance unto salvation," and as "yielding
the peaceable fhiits of righteousness " in those inward spiritual
comfbrts which he received from God in the salutary discipline
of sorrow, and which are abundantly manifested in the Psalms
which he cdtnposed at this time: sde Ps. iiu, tli., x^, xliii.,
Iv., lxi„ Ixii., Ixiit., cxiiii., which ought to be read together with
the history of this period.
We must not confine our view to David's personal life and
reign. After that we have seeti him fallen and suffering for sin,
we must see him rising again, r^viilg in a mord glorious reign
in Solomon his son, who began t0 reign while David his fietther
was still alive, in order that the continuity might be more
clearly mariced. And aboVe all, we must contemplate him as
culminating upward, and attaining the climax of his gloi^.
which God had rcvwiled tx) him, and for which he yearned with
devout aspiration, ifi CSIUST, the Divme Datid, and the Son of
100
David, the Solomon, thio Jedidiah, the builder of the Temple of
the ChuYch visible on earth, and glprified in heaven.
Different phases of Christ's Person and Office were fore-
shadowed in David and Solomon his son ; as different phases of
Christ's Persod and Office had been foi^hadowed in the suc-
cessive lived of the Patriarchs —Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and
Joseph. See above, on Gen. xxxiv. 1.
1. Absdlam—had a fair sister"] The daughter of David by
Maachah, the daughter of the king of Geshur (iii. 2, 8).
— tamar'\ which signifies a palm-tree.
— Amnon\ The firstborn son of David by Abinoam, after he
had been madje king of Juduh, at Hebron : see iii. 2.
2. for she was a virgin ; and Amnon thought it hardl These
words are to be cdnnected ; she was a virgin, and tnerefbre
secluded &om him in a separate house (o. 7) or part of the palace ;
and so he dould not execute his wicked design against her.
8. Shimeah'] or Shammab (1 Sam. xvi. 9).
4. d€^ to day] Literally, morning to morning.
11. he took hold of her] David's sins are reproduced in hit
own house, by his own children : he had been g^tv of adultery,
dissimulation, and murder : his son Amnon is g^^ilty of incest
and deceit ; and is murdered by his own brother Absalom (v.
28). " David is scourged by the sins of his sons, whom his act
taught to offend '^ {Bp. Sail). David's sons imitated him in
sin; but they did not imitate him in repentance: he was
forgiven by God, but they cime to a miserable end.
18. n^ brother] She reminds him of the near relationship
by blood between them, to deter him from sin.
18. speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me firom
thee] Either she ^ns so confused that she knew not what she
said, for such a marriage was strictly forbidden bv the Levitical
law (Lev. xviii. 9; xx. 17), or perhaps David's example in
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Amnon*s sin
2 SAMUEL Xm. 15—31.
and death.
1* Then Anmon hated her f exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he I^f^'^JS/^*
hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon
Bald unto her, Arisei be gone. ^^ And she said nnto him. There is no cause :
this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that thou didst unto me.
But he would not hearken unto her. ^^ Then he called his servant that minis-
tered unto him, and said, Put now this woman out from me, and bolt the door
after her. ^® And she had * a garment of divers colours upon her : for with i^^fij
such robes were the king's daughters that were virgins apparelled. Then his ^» *«•**•
servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her.
^*And Tamar put ""ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divert aJo.h.y.«.
colours that was on her, and ° laid her hand on her head, and went on crying. J'JJ.i'iy.
^ And Absalom her brother said unto her. Hath f Amnon thy brother been ^Ufib.Amimon
with thee ? but hold now thy peace, my sister : he is thy brother ; f regard Jfc25 w<?*'
not this thing. So Tamar remaiiied f desolate in her brother Absalom's tHeb.aiMirf«o.
house.
^^ But when king David heard of all these things, he was Very wroth.
22 And Absalom spake unto his brother Anmon ** neither good nor bad
Absalom >* hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar. ^a^^ j^. pLcT.ie.ir.is.
came to pass after two fall years, that Absalom **had sheepshearers in Baal- Jjf u.®**°- "•
hazor, which is beside Eplnraim : and Absalom invited all the king's sons. '^»"***»^-
^ And Absalom came to the king, and said. Behold now, thy servant hath
sheepshearers ; let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with thy
servant. ^ And the king said to Absalom, Nay, my son, let us not all now go,
lest we be chargeable unto thee. And he pressed him : howbeit he would not
go, but blessed him. ^ Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my
brother Amnon go with ud. And the king said unto him, Why should he go
with thee? ^ But Absalom pressed him, that he let Amnon and all the king's
sons go with him.
^ Now Absalom had commanded his servants, toying, Mark ye now when
Amnon's ' heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you. Smite Amnon ; {/^f«- '••«•
then kill him, fear not : || have not I commanded you ? be courageous, and be fSll^'Jiss.
t vaUant. ^9 j^^ ^y^^ servants of Absalom did unto Anmon as Absalom had pII^im: It:
^—^ I Or wiit MM
commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man fgat bim up "^^^c^/Aot^
^ * cowmandedpout
upon his mule, and fled. Jneb^'^Lo/
^ And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that tidings came to TuXlrode.
David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of
them left. ^^ Then the king arose, and • tare his garments, and ' lay on the Jci'li/ii.
latt.
for o ^n- ^' ^^'
multiplying wives to himself, contrary to the law, had introduced
lax notions into his family that their father as Idng conld dis-
pense with the law. The history before us is one of the many
prooft of the evils conseqaent on polygamy.
16. hated her] Instead of hating his own sin. Thus he showed
that the love he had professed to her was not love, bat lost; that
!t was not of Qo<1, bat of the Evil one.
16. There is no ea«se:—unto me'] There are no reasons
{C^esen, 18) for this evil, which is great even compared with the
other wickedness which thoa h&Bt done to me — ^this evil of
thus sending me away, and of ordering thy servants to bolt me
oat, which will expose me to the suspicion of being an immodest
and guilty person, and of having tempted thee to sin, whereas
thoa hast been the only author of the sin, and hast pat me to
shame. Tamar was therefore obliged in self-defence, to publish
her own shame, and to declare the wrong that had been done
to her.
18. a garment of divers colours] Her long mantle, with
fiinges and sleeves : see (Jn Gen. xxxvii. 3.
101
21. David — was very wroth] David was wroth, but did not
punish his son Amnon ; being conscious of the sin which he him-
self had committed, and by which he had tempted his children
to sin. And because the king did not execute justice, therefore
Absalom, Tamar's brother, takes the law into his own hands, and
murders his brother Amnon. Thus one sin leads to another by
an almost endless chain of consequences.
28. Baal'haxor] Perhaps T'ell-asur, five miles north-east of
Bethel {Eohinson),
29. the servants qf Absalom did unto Amnon] Joab,
David's servant, had l^een the instrument of Uriah's deat^ :
here again, David's sin is reproduced in his fEunily; and he
weeps over it, but does not punish it.
— mule] This is the tfrst mention of a mule in Scripture.
The meaning of (Jen. xxxvi. 24 is questionable. Cp. below,
xviii. 9 ; 1 Kings i. 33, where is mention of " the king^s mule."
The breeding of mules was forbidden to the Hebrews; but
their use was regarded as lawfbl. The king, it seems, would
not ride on a horse : cp. Deut. xvii. 16.
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Joab's device
2 SAMUEL Xm. 32—39. XIV. 1—11. for Absalom's return.
u ver. 8.
t Heb. wtomtk.
I Or, $ettl4d.
z oh. 19. 19.
J Ter. 88.
4 Heb. according
to the word of tkp
servant.
t Heb. with a
great weeping
greatly.
s ch. 3. S.
n Or, Ammihur.
ft ch. 14. 88, 82.
ft 15. 8.
I Or, woe eow-
eumedt
Ps. 84. 2.
b Gen. 88. 12.
a ch. 18.89.
b 2 Chron. 11. 6.
c See Ruth 8. 8.
d Ter. 19.
Ex. 4. 15.
e 1 Sam. SO. 41.
ch. 1. 2.
t Heb. 8oee.
f Sees Kings 6.
S6.S8.
g See ch. 12. 1.
t Heb. MO
delimerer between
h Nam. 85. 19.
Deut. 19. 12.
t Heb. itpon the
face of the earth.
i Oen. 27. 18.
1 Sam. 28. 24.
Matt. 27. 25.
k oh. 8. 28, 29.
1 Kings 2. St,
earth ; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent. ^ And "* Jonadab,
the son of Shimeah David's brother^ answered and said. Let not my lord
snppose that they have slain all the yonng men the king's sons ; for Amnon
only is dead : for by the f appointment of Absalom this hath been || determined
from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. ^ Now therefore 'let not my
lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are
dead : for Amnon only is dead. ^ ^ But Absalom fled.
And the yonng man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked^ and,
behold, there came mnch people by the way of the hill side behind him.
^ And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king's sons come : f as thy
servant said, so it is. ^ And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end
of speaking, that, behold, the king's sons came, and lifted up their voice and
wept : and the king also and all his servants wept f veiy sore.
^ But Absalom fled, and went to ' Talmai, the son of || Ammihnd, king of
Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. ® So Absalom fled, and
went to ' Gteshur, and was there three years. ^ And the soul of king David
II longed to go forth unto Absalom : for he was ^ comforted concerning Anmon,
seeing he was dead.
XIV. ^ Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was
^ toward Absalom. ^ And Joab sent to ^ Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise
woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, "" and
put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as
a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead : ^ And come to the
king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab "^put the words in her
mouth.
^ And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she * fell on her £eu^
to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, f ^ Help, king. ^ And the king
said unto her, What aileth thee ? And she answered, ^lam indeed a widow
woman, and mine husband is dead. ^ And thy handmaid had two sons, and
they two strove together in the field, and there was f none to part them, but the
one smote the other, and slew him. ^ And, behold, ^ the whole family is risen
against thine handmaid, and they said. Deliver him that smote his brotiier,
that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew ; and we will
destroy the heir also : and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not
leave to my husband neither name nor remainder f upon the earth. ^ And the
king said unto the woman. Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning
thee. ^ And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, king, ^ the
iniquity be on me, and on my father's house : ^ and the king and his throne he
guiltless. ^® And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him
to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. ^^ Then said she, I pray tiiee,
Ch. XIV. 1. 70062 Who probably looked upon Abealom
ai the heir of the kingdom^ now that Amnon his elder brother
was dead. Joab procures Absalom's return to Jemsalem, per-
haps wishing to win his favour; bat Absalom prefers other
friends, and rebels against David, and Joab slays hun (xviii. 15).
— toward AbMcUom] This seems to be the correct rendering
( Oesen,, p. 629) ; some translate it (igaintt Absalom, but this
is not supported by ancient versions, nor Jotephui (vii. 8. 4).
2. Joab] Who is the personification of worldly policy, and
secular expedioiov, and temporal ambition eager for its own
personal aggrandizement, and especially for the maintenance of
its own pohtical ascendancy, and practising on the weaknesses of
princes for its own self-interests; but at last the victim of its
own Machiavellian shrewdnesik
102
— TBhoaK] About two hours' south of Bethlehem (J2oUiiioii,iL
182—184), the birth-place of the prophet Amos ; an interestiDg
description of it is given by Raokett, B. D. iii. 1447.
4. Aind when the woman of 7}ehoah tpahel Bather (according
to the reading of many MSS. in De JRosei), and the womam
came; and this is confirmed by Sept., Vulg,, ^gfr,, Arahie,
5. WhtU aileth theeT] David's eav was open to widowi*
pravers : cp. Ps. Ixviii. 6.
7. DeUoer him\ To be put to death (Num. xxxv. 18).
— my eodC] The live ooal which is left ; by which the fire,
now almost extinct, is to be kindled and kept up.
10. And the king eaid] David pronounces judgment at onoe,
as he had done when he heard Nathan's parable (xii. 5), which
may have suggested this indirect method of working upon him.
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Absalom returns
2 SAMUEL XIV. 12—24.
to Jerusalem.
let the king remember the Lobd thy God, f that thou wonldest not snffer ' the t Heb. ikattkt
revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he j^Sni^^ip/yto
said, "* As the Loed liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the \^^^\l\i
earth. Acu^ri. *
^^ Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word
mito my lord the king. And he said. Say on. ^'And the wcnnan said.
Wherefore then hast thon thought such a tiling against ""the people of God ? nJ«<^- ><»-<.
for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth
not fetch home again ""his banished. ^^ For we ^must needs die, and are as ocii.i8.87.88.
" vJoh 84. I«
water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again ; || neither doth ^eb 9^27.
God respect any person : yet doth he "^ devise means, that his banished be not
LOr, keeatue Qod
ithnottakm
mvaif hfs liftt k§
expelled from him. ^* Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing )!S^f**^
unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid : and thy JfifiT'
handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king ; it may be that the king will
perform the request of his haadmaid. ^^ For the king will hear, to dehver his
handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son
together out of the inheritance of God. ^^ Then thine handmaid said. The
word of my lord the king shall now be f comfortable : for ' as an angel of God, J^Jl^VoT'^*"*
BO w my lord the king f to discern good and bad : therefore the Lord thy God tHib." w.
will be with thee.
^^ Then the king answered and said unto the woman. Hide not from me, I
pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said. Let my lord
the king now speak. ^^ And the king said. Is not the hand of Joab with thee
in all this ? Aiid the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord
the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my
lord the king hath spoken : for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and 'he put all •▼«'•*•
these words in the mouth of thine handmaid : ^ To fetch about this form of
speech hath thy servant Joab done this tiling : and my lord is wise, * according ^j^f^^J*,
to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.
^^ And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing : go
therefore, bring the young man Absalom again. ^ And Joab fell to the ground
on his fsrce, and bowed himself, and f thanked the king : and Joab said. To day t Heb. bim^d.
thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, king, in
that the king hath fulfilled the request of || his servant. ^ So Joab arose "* and I eh! isf sr.
went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. ^ And the king said.
Let him turn to his own house, and let him 'not see my face. So Absalom J,,®j;*ii^ *•
returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.
11. let the king remember the Lobd] She importonet him
for the usoranoe of an oath.
— that thou wouldeet not euffer'] Bather, that the avenger
qfhlood may not prevail (literally, be multiplied) to deetrog
anw more,
18. for the king doth epeak'] or, by speaking this word (that
is, in making this promise or oath to me), the king 4e ae one who
is in fault, and he oonyiett himself of nnldndness to his own
son.
14. neither doth Ood respect any person"] Rather, God doth
not cart awav any soulf or, as the Vulg, rightly expresses it,
'*Nec Yult Bens perire animam;" so the Svriao Version.
Ood had shown His long-suffering and loTing-kindness in an
especial manner in the case of David himself, and probably this
"wise woman" dedgned to suggest this thought to David's
mind, and to prevMl on him to imitate, in regard to his outcast
son Absalom, the tenderness which David's heavenly Father had
shown to himself when estranged by sin from God.
— yet doth he devise meofw] or rather, amd Se devisee
108
means, God not only does not wish the sinner to perish, but He
devises means fbr the rinner's return. God had done this to
David ; ought not David to do the same to Absalom P
16. ihe people have made me c^aid^ In demanding that my
son should be delirered up to the avenger of blood.
17. as am angel of Ood] The*' wise woman" prevails over
David by praising his wisdom. Cp. v. 19.
94. Ut Mm not see nw face] Absalom had dwelt in exile
three years in Geshur (xiu. 88), and whs now two years in
Jerusslem without seeing his other's face (v, 28). David was
veiy tender-hearted to him, but how much more tender-hearted
had God been to David hixnself ! Two mediators did not prevail
(Joab, and the wise woman of Tekoah) to reconcile David to
Absalom : but God sent a messaee of mercy to David, and gave
him an assurance of pardon, on his first si^ of repentance (xiL
18). How much more compassionate is our heavenly Father
than the most tender-hearted of earthly parents ; and how much
the loving-kindness of God is magnified and manifested in this
history 1 {8, AMibrose*)
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Jb$alom*$ heauty ; 2 SAMUEL XIV. 25—33. XV. 1, 2. he rebels against his father.
t Heb. And a$
Abtalom ihert
was not a beauti-
fui man in M
Israel to praU§
grtotlff.
7 Ita. 1. 6.
s See oh. 18.18.
A ver. S4.
t Heb. ntar ny
place.
b Gen. SS. 4.
8e 45. 15.
Luke 15. SO.
ach. 12. 11.
b 1 King! 1. 5.
^ f But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for
his beauty : ^from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was
no blemish in him. ^ And when he polled his head, (for it was at every
year's end that he polled it : because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he
polled it :) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the
king's weight. ^ And * unto Absalom there were bom three sons, and one
daughter, whose name was Tamar : she was a woman of a fair countenance.
^ So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, * and saw not the king's
face. ^ Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king ; but
he would not come to him : and when he sent agam the second time, he would
not come. ^ Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is f near
mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's
servants set the field on fire. ^^ Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto
his house, and said unto him. Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire ?
^ And Absalom answered Joab, Behold» I sent unto thee, saying, Come
hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say. Wherefore am I come firom
Geshur ? it had been good for me to have been there still : now therefore let me
see the king's face ; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me. ^ So
Joab came to the king, and told him : and when he had called for Absalom, he
came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king :
and the king ^ kissed Absalom.
XV. ' And "it came to pass after this, that Absalom ^ prepared him chariots
and horses, and fifty meu to run before him, ^ And Abstdom rose up early,
S5. Ahsalomfor hit heaufy'] Joab and Absalom, each of whom
rebdled against David to gratify their own passions^ -are represen-
tatives of two forms of worldliness which rebel against Christ ;
Joab is the representative of worldlv ambition; Absalom
of worldly vain -glory and self-conceit ; and both fell a prey to their
own designs. Snch will be the end of all conspiracies against Christ.
96. polled his head] Once a year — not more. The Talmadists
say that he was a Nazarite, and m snch, he let his hair g^w
long, and, it would seem also, under the pretence of religion, in a
vain-glorious ostentation of personal beauty : see Dr. lAghtfoofe
Works, i. 1092 ; ii. 774*. On the polling of the hur by Kazarites,
see below, note on Acts xviii.' 18.
— two hundred shekels ajter the hint's weiffhl^ About
three pounds {Boehart), If they were shekels of the Scmeiuary,
they would amount to nearly six pounds (KeiJ), Cp. Pools,
B. D. iii. 1874. JFiner, R. W. B. ii. 445.
** This hair was his halter:" see xviii. 9.
87. unto Absalom therewere bom three sons, and one daughter^
Absalom was the third son bom to David after he became king
at Hebron (iii. 8). David was thirty years of age when he began
his reign (v. 4), and therefore this notice relates to events which
took place when David was probably between fifty and sixty
? rears old. Cp. xviii. 18, whence it may be inferred that Absa-
om had been married some time befbre he had any son. From
the statement in xviii. 18 it has been inferred that his three
sons died before their father.
2l5i, let me see the king's foes'] Being sure that if he could
once do that, all would be gained ; such was his confidence in
the tender-heartedness of David. But all this, it seems, was
designed by Absalom in order that he might steal the hearts of
the people from the king his &ther (see xv. 1. 6), which he
could not do, as long as they k^ew that his father was estranged
from him.
Pbxldokabt Notb to
Chaptbes XY., XVI., XVn., XVIII., XIX,
BxBBLLiov 0? Absalom.
It is scarcely necessary to remind the Christian reader,
that in the history of the msurrection of Absalom against his
father king David there are many points of resemblance to the
rebelUon of the people of God — Inrael, "His firstborn" — against
the Divine David, the King of the Jews, Jesub Chbist.
David's departure firom Jerusalem, his passage over the
lai
brook Kidron, his ascent of the Mount of Olives, his tears on
that Mountain, the meekness of his deportment there ; his ten-
derness for Absalom, who rebelled against him ; his forbearance
toward Shimei, who cursed him ; the treachery of Ahithophel, his
fiuniliar fHend whom he trusted — the type of Judas the traitor,
in his sin, and in his wretched end — ^these' incidents bring
before us some prophetic and figurative foreshadowings of th«
last days of our Lord's Ministry : His weeping over Jerusalem,
when He was on the Mount of Olives ; His Agony in the Ghirden ;
His betrayal. His rejection and Crucifixion by the people of His
own city, Jerusalem, and His prayers for those who reviled and
slew Him.
Nor is this all. The counsel of Ahithophel comes to nought ;
the rebellion of Absalom is quelled, he himself is slain; and
Shimei, who cursed David« is humbled ; David is brought back
to Jerusalem in triumph, and is received by the people with joy.
May we not see here a foreshadowing of Chnsf s Resurrection and
Ascension, and of the discomfiture of His enemies, and of the
final establishment of His Kingdom P
Of this we are assured by the Holy Spirit Himself in the
New Testament, that David "knew that God would raise up
Chbist to sit on his throne," and that, "being a prophet, and
seeing before, he spake of the Besurrection of Christ, that His
soul was not left in hell, neither did His flesh see corruption "
(Acts ii. 29—81). The interest and beauty of the histoir of
David iu this severe trial are enhanced by these conriderations.
May we not be permitted to suppose, that he was cheered and
comfwted by the sense that he himself was travelling on the
same road of suffering in his way to glory, which would be
traversed by Him, Who was to be raised fix>m his seed and to
sit for ever on his throne F and so the sorrows of Olivet may
have even been brightened to David by visions of the Ascension
to heaven firom that M^mntain of Tears : and in his return to
Jerusalem he may have had a glOTious revelation of what he
himself describes, the triumphant entry of his own Son, the
King of Glory, the Lord of Hosts, within the gates of the earthly
Zion (Ps. oxviiL 18—26) and the heavenly Jerusalem (B9. xxiv.
7.9).
Ch. XV. 1. Jhsalom'] Whose name mocjiA father qf p^aoe;
but he belied his name by his acts.
— horses] A sign of pride and vain-glpry : see aoove, ziii.
29, and Dout. xvii. 16. 20.
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Absalom steals the hearts
2 SAMUEL XV. 8—16.
of the people.
and stood beside the way of the gate : and it was so, that when any man that
had a controversy f came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called mito
him, and said. Of what city art thou ? And he said, Thy servant is of one of
the tribes of Israel. ^ And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good
and right ; but || there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. ^ Absalom
said moreover, "" Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which
hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice !
^ And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he
put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. ^ And on this manner did
Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment : ^ so Absalom stole
the hearts of the men of Israel. ^ And it came to pass * after forty years, that
Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I
have vowed unto the Lobd, in Hebron. ^'For thy servant ^ vowed a vow
** while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying. If the Lobd shall bring me again
indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord. ^ And the king said unto
him. Go in peace. So he arose, and went to Hebron.
*® But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon
as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in
Hebron. ^^ And with Absalom went two hundred men put of Jerusalem, that
were * called ; and they went *" in their simpUcity, and they knew not any thing.
"2 And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, * David's counsellor, from his
city, even from *" Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was
strong ; for the people "* increased continually with Absalom.
** And there came a messenger to David, saying, ** The hearts of the men of
Israel are after Absalom. ^* And David said unto all his servants that were
with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us ^ flee ; for we shall not else escape
from Absalom : make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly^ and f bring
evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword. ^* And the king's
servants said unto the king. Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever
my lord the king shall f appoint.
^^ And ^the king went forth, and all his household f after him. And the
t Heb. to come.
fl Or, nont will
hear thee /rout the
king downward.
c Judg. 9. 29.
d Rom. 16. 18.
e 1 Sam. 16. 1.
f 1 Sam. 16. 2.
g 6«n. 28. 20, 21.
h ch. 18. 38.
i 1 Sara. 9. IS.
k 16. 3, 5.
k Gen. 20. 5.
IPs. 41.9.
& 55. 12, 13, 14.
m Josh. 15. 51.
nPs. 8. 1.
o ver. 6.
Judg. 9. 3.
p ch. 19. 9.
Ps. .1, title,
t Heb. thrmL
t Heb. I
q Ps. 3, title.
t Heb. at his
feet.
8. See, ihy mattert are goodr\ Thus the grand rebel Absa-
lom, by ^screditing his father's government, pretending a great
zeal n>r justice, and making shows and promises of gpreat
matters to be done by way of reformation, if the supreme power
were settled upon him, did by little and little ingratiate hmiself
with the people, and loosen them from the conscience of their
bounden alliance, and engage them in an imnatural war
ag^ainst his own father, and their undoubted sovereign. Bp.
Sanderson, i. 388; ii. 199.
7. after forty yeart] This is the reading of almost all our
hitherto cdlated Hebrew manuscripts. Two in Kennicott have
forty dctyt. It has been supposed that they ought to be cor-
rected m>m some andent versions, Syriao, Arabic, Siztine
edition of the Vulaate, and that the true rea(Ung is four years;
and so Josephus, Theddoret, Keil, and Bp, Cotton, B. D. i. 14.
Absalom had dwelt two years at Jerusalem without seeing the
king's fkce (xiv. 28), and after four years, probably since his
return to Jerusalem, he rebelled against him.
They who maintain the genumeness of the reading in the
Hebrew MSS. hitherto collated (forty years), date those years
from the unction of David by Samuel (1 Sam. xvi. 18) : see
Calovius, p. 778, and JTouvers, p. 878, who says that the first
unction of David was an era in Hebrew history, like that of the
Birth o^ Isaac in the history of Abraham.
— in Hebron"] Where he was bom (iii. 8), and where pro-
bably he had many friends, and would find many persons who
were disaffected and discontented on account of the transfer of
the capital of the kingdom from Hebron— the old patriarchal
YOL. II. Pabt IL— 105
city, associated with the memory of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
— to Jerusalem its rival.
Thus Absalom, the son of David, on religious pretences, en-
deavoured to make Hebron itself to be a seat of schism and re-
bellion agtunst David, and against Jerusalem, the city of Qod.
This is imitated by those, who, on the plea of religion, rise up
in separation and opposition to Christ and His Church.
10. *p»«] Intelligencers, couriers; literallv, runners on foot.
11. called] Invited by him to his sacrificial feast at Hebron ;
and drawn away in their simplicity, under pretence <^ religion,
to rebel against David.
12. Ahithophel— Davids 8 counsellor, from his city— from
Qiloh'] s.w. of Hebron. Cp. Josh. xv. 61.
Ahithophel, David's « familiar friend, in whom he trusted "
(Ps. Iv. 18), "who did eat of his bread" (Ps. jdi. 9), seems to
have been already in the plot, and to have imitated Abealom,
in masking his treacheiy by a plea of religion, for he was
offering sacrifices at the time. Such was also the pretext of
the Chief Priests and Pharisees — perhaps even of Judas himself
— when they conspired against Christ.
— the people increased continually wUh Absalom] ** Lord,
how are they increased that trouble me!" were the words of
David in a Psalm which he then wrote (Ps. iii. 1).
14. oflitd smite the city] David retired frt>m Jerusalem, in
order that he might not bo the occasion of bloodshed there.
He preferred the safety of the people to his own ; and was thus
also a figure of Him who said in the Ghirden of Gethsemane,
** If ye seek Me, let these go their way " (John xviii. 8).
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David crosses over Kidron ;
2 SAMUEL XV. 17—25.
sends hack the Ark.
r ch. 16. 21, 22.
t ch. 8. 18.
tch. 18.2.
I Sam. 23. 13.
X Ruth 1. 16, 17.
ProT. 17. ir.
fit. 18. 24.
king left ^ ten women, which were concubines, to keep the house. ^^ And the
king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was
far off. ^^ And all his servants passed on beside him ; ' and all the Cherethites,
and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after
bim from Gath, passed on before the king. ^^ Then said the king to ' Ittai the
Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us ? return to thy place, and abide
with the king : for thou art a stranger, and also an exile. ^ Whereas thou
t Heb. maketh^e camest hut vesterdav, should I this day + niake thee ^o up and down with us ?
icandef in going. % .^ i v-» x
seeing I go " whither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren : mercy and
truth be with thee. ^^ And Ittai answered the king, and said, ' As the Lord
liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king
shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be. ^^ And
David said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and
all his men, and all the little ones that were with him. ^ And all the countiy
wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over : the king also himself
passed over the brook || Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way
of the ^ wilderness.
^ And lo Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him, • bearing the ark of
the covenant of God : and they set down the ark of God ; and Abiathar went
up, until all the people had done passing out of the city. ^ And the king
said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city : if I shall find favour
in the eyes of the Lord, he ' will bring me again, and shew me both it, and his
fl Called, John
18. 1,
Cedron.
y oh. 16. 2.
z Num. 4. 15.
a Ps. 43. 3.
16. ten women — concubines'] It would seem, therefore, that
his wives followed him.
17. a place thai was far off] The houae outside the city, and
At some distance from it (Qesen. 509. 766). On the way toward
Jericho there seems to have been> a hoase that bore this name,
as the Sept. has iy oiKtp r^ ^tucpdy, *' the far-house." The Sept,
adds that it was near an olive-tree.
18. idl the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the
Gittites] Observe the repetition of the word all, markinff their
faithfulness to David in his affliction, when his son and many
of his own subjects rebelled against him. These Cherethites,
Pelethites, and Gittites, his body-guard, were probabljr strangers
(cp. V. 19), and perhaps of Philistine origin : see on viii. 18.
Our Lord found more fiuth in a Roman centurion than in
all Israel ^Matt. viii. 10) ; and Greeks were desirous to see Him,
when the Chief Priests were plotting against Him (John xii. 20) ;
and the first and greatest harvest of the Gospel was of strangers
who came from distant lands to Jerusalem (Acts ii. 5) ; the
Gentiles were eager to receive the Gospel which was r^ected
by the Jews (Acts xviii. 6; xxii. 21; xxviii. 28. 1 Thess. ii.
16).
19. Ittai the Oiitite] A beautiftd instance of loyal constancy
and faithfrd devotion to David in a Philistine soldier at a time
of apostasy and defection : see xviii. 2. His truth and fidelity
are brought out in stronger and clearer light by the contrast
with the treachery of Absalom, Ahithophel, and eventually of
Joab and Abiathar (1 Kings i. 19. 25 ; ii. 26. 28) ; and by the
Jermission given to him by David to retire from his service,
ttai's profession of fidelity to David has been compared with
that of St. Peter to the Divine King of the Jews near the same
place, Matt xxvi. 86 {Stanley^, 118).
— abide with the kinff] Whoever may be king, serve him :
thou art a stranger, it is not for thee to concern thyself about
our political conflicts, it is enough for thee to adhere to the
ruling power, whatever it may be, — <rr4pry€ rhif Kparovvr* h*l.
20. 1^0 whither I majf] Like the Son of Man, who had not
where to Uiy His head (Matt. viii. 20).
21. Itt<n answered]lL noble answer of genuine lovalty. Com-
pare the reply of theMoabitish stranger Buth to ner mother-
in-law of Bethlehem (Ruth i. 16, 17) ; and of Simon Peter to
Christ, <* Lord, to whom shall we go P Thou hast the words of
eternal life" ^John vi. 68).
22. Qo and pass over] the brook Kidron (o. 28).
— the Utile ones] His family : see Exod. xii. 87. Such was
his trust in David and in his fortunes.
106
28. hrooh Etdron] Kidron, dark ; probably so called from
hadar, to be dark (Gesen, 724) ; perhaps from the c<^our of its
water, or of its bed in the rocky gorge of the Valley of
Jehoshaphat, between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, and
having Gethsemane on its eastern bank {Robinson, i. 343. 402).
The word has been grecized into Kedron by the Sept,, and in
this form it appears in many MSS. of St. John xviii. 1 : see note
there. To us the most interesting feature in its history is, that
it was crossed by King David and his finithful followers in a
time of deep distress, when he retired from Jerusalem, and that
it was afterwards passed over by the Son of David, the King of
Israel, on the night of His Agony, when He was rejected by
Jerusalem, and was about to be crucified there.
24. Siadoh'-and Abiathar] Zadok is placed before Abiathar
by the historian (cp. €. 29), although Abiathar was the High
IHriest; either because Zaaok, as tiie younger man, took the
lead in bearing the Ark, or perhaps becimse Abiathar was
already b^ginnmg to show some signs of lukewarmness and
disaffection toward David and his cause. The writer composed
the history at a time when it was a well-known fact that
Abiathar was deposed by Solomon for disloyalty, and Zadok was
placed in his room : see below, 1 Kings i. 7 ; ii. 85.
25. Carry back the ark] An instance of David's dear
faith in the omnipresence of God, and of his spiritual elevation
from the outwaid symbols of the Sanctuary, to the Divine
Essence that was symbolized by them. Observe also here his
disinterested self-sacrifice for the good of the people. He would
not punish his subjects for his son's sins. If the Ark followed
him fh>m Jerusalem, his People would be deprived of the hallow-
ing influences of its pree^ice.
It must not however be imagined that David depreciated
outward forms, because he b^Mild with the eye of nith the
Divine Spirit which was enshrined in them. The Psalms, which
he compiled at this time, when he was separated from the ser-
vices of the Sanctuary, and when the bitt^ett ingredient in his
cop of sorrow was, that he was deprived of access to the Lord hk
the ministries of His Courts at Jerusalem, and when he ex-
presses hii intense longing to be restored to them ("My soul
thirsteth fbr God :" see xlii. 2—4 ; xliii. 8), sufficiently prove, that
he not only knew that " God is a Spirit, and is to be worshipped
in spirit and in truth " (John iv. 24), but that he felt that the
best helps to spiritual worship are to be found in those religious
ordinances which God Hunself has appointed for the main-
tenance of His own Worship.
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David ascends Olivet; 2 SAMUEL XV. 26 — 37. worships on the top of the mountain.
habitation : ^ But if he thus say, I have no ** delight in thee ; behold, here am I,
* let him do tome as seemeth good unto him. ^ The king said also unto Zadok
the priest. Art not thou a ^ seer ? return into the city in peace, and • your two
sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. ^ See,
^I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness, until there come word from you to
certify me. ^ Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to
Jerusalem : and they tarried there.
^ And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, f and wept as he went
up, and ^had his head covered, and he went ''barefoot : and all the people that
was with him * covered every man his head, and they went up, ^^ weeping as
they went up. '^ And one told David, saying, * Ahithophel is among the
conspirators with Absalom. And David said, Lobd, I pray thee, " turn the
counsel of Ahithophel into fooHshness.
^2 And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of tlie mounts
where he worshipped God, behold, Hushai the "Archite came to meet him
** with his coat rent, and earth upon his head : ^ Unto whom David said, K
thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be ^ a burden unto me : ^ But if thou
return to the city, and say unto Absalom, ** I will be thy servant, king ; as I
have been thy father's servant hitherto, so vnll I now also be thy servant : then
mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. ^ And hast thou not
there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests ? therefore it shall be, that
what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the king's house, 'thou shalt tell it
to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. ^ Behold, they have there "with them their
two sons, Ahimaaz Zadok's son^ and Jonathan Abiathar's son ; and by them ye
shall send unto me every thing that ye can hear. ^ So Hushai 'David's
friend came into the city, "* and Absalom came into Jerusalem.
b Num. 14. 8.
ch. 22. 20.
1 Kings 10. 9.
2 Chron. 9. 8.
Isn. 62. 4.
c 1 Bam. 3. 18.
d 1 Sam. 9. 9.
e Seech. 17. 17.
fch. 17. 16.
t Heb. going np,
and weeiJtng.
r ch. 19. 4.
Etth. 6. 12.
h I»a. 20. 2, 4.
1 Jer. 14. S, i.
k Ps. 126. 6.
1 Pg. 8. 1,2.
& 55. 12. &c.
m ch. 16. 23.
& 17. 14. 28.
n Josh. 16 2.
och. 1. 2.
p ch. 19. 85.
q ch. 16. 19.
rch. 17. 15, 16.
8 ver. 27.
t ch. 16. 16.
1 Chron. 27. 83.
uch.l6. 15.
97. Art Dot than a teer T] or, O thou teer. Vulg., Jerome^
Luther, Keil, Since thou art a prophet* return to Jemsalem,
which is the proper place for thee ; lor the Ark will be there,
and do thou give me coonsel and information therefrom. Per-
hm also there was something of remonstrance in this address ;
Thou, a teer ! Thoa, as such, miffhtest know that 1 would not
deprive God and His people of thy service, and of the Ark's
presence at Jerusalem^ for my oinn personal benefit.
88. the plain] Rather, thepcueoffe leading to the ford, by which
the Jordan might be passed over (Josh. ii. 7. Judg. iii. 28.
Cp. xvii. 16).
89. Zadok — and Abiathar'] Here, and in o. 24, and v, 27,
and V, 85, Zadok appears to occupy the principal place, although
Abiathar was the High Priest (cp. on o. 24). Some circumstances
unknown to us would doubtless explain this. Perhaps David
had already some reason to place less trust in Abiathar, and
this preference of Zadok may have been an occasion for Abia-
thar's subseouent defection.
80. And David went up hjf the aeeent of mount OUvet, and
wept] In the habit of a mourner (Esth. vi. 12. Jer. xiv. 8).
David wept on Mount Olivet; Chnst wept on Mount Olivet
(Luke xix. 41). Both wept for the ingratitude of those whom
they loved, and who were their own subjects and children.
Christ saw the future, and wept for it. Was David enabled to
see beyond the present sorrow, and to behold, in the Spirit,
Christ revealed to his eyes and weeping over the same city r
81. And one told David^ As to the construction, see Oeeen.
680. Some of David's Psalms, especially Ps. Iv., Ixix., cix.,
seem to express his feelings at the tidings of the treachery of
Ahithophel.
— into foolishness] Did David allude to the meaning of the
name Ahithophel (brother of a fool) ? Cp. Gesen. 871.
88. when David was come to the top d the mount, where he
worshipped Chd] The conjunction when is not in the original,
and would be better omitted. The fact recorded is, that David
came to the top, or head (Heb. rosh, which has been preserved
in the Sept.) of Olivet, and there bowed down before Gbd.
After that he has received the tidings of the treachery of
Ahithophel— the type of Judas — he mounts the hill, and there,
on the top of Olivet he fidls down and worships Qod.
107
Surely it was not without a providential coincidence that
he did this on the very spot wherd afterwards the Son of David,
when He had been betrayed by Judas, and rejected bv Jerusalem,
went up on the clouds in the sight of His futhiul disciples into
heaven itself, and sat down on the riffht hand of God (see the
note below, on Acts i. 10, On the place of the Asobnbion).
David worshipped God there. Did God reveal to him there
the glories which David himself had celebrated in the twenty-
fourth Psalm P "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord P
Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting
doors ; and the King of Glory shall come in " (Ps. xxiv. 8. 7).
— Hushai] David's friend {v. 87}, xvi. 16. 1 Chron. xxvii. 83.
— Arehile] Perhaps of the family which had possessions on
the southern boundary of Ephraim, between Bethel and Ataroth :
cp. Josh. xvi. 2.
— coat] Tunic, or long inner garment, with sleeves ; Heb.
cuiSneth : Qesen. 420.
84. as J have been thy father's servant] The words as and
have been are not in the ori^al, and had better be omitted :
Thy father's servant hitherto, and now I am thy servant.
There is mental reserve here, but in a certain sense the
words were true. Hushai would beet serve Absalom by serving
his father, by infatuating the counsel of his godless counsellor
Ahithophel.
David in his distress was driven to stratagems and arti-
fices. In this respect we have a contrast with the Divine Anti-
type, the Son of David, who in all His sorrows and suflTerings
retained His holiness, purity, and truth, unsullied and undefiled.
David's feelings of sorrow at this time were expressed in his
P&alms, especially such as Ps. iii. and cxliii.
87. Hushai Danid^s friend came into the city] David's fiuth-
ful friend Hushai went back to Jerusalem, being sent thither by
David fh>m the top of the Mount of Olives. Hushai's counsel
prevailed over that of Ahithophel.
Our Loid's fkithftil Apostles went back from the same place
to Jerusalem by His command, and tarried there till they were
endued with Divine wisdom, by the gift of the Holy Ghost
(Luke xxiv. 49. Acts i. 4. 12), and thus the counsel of those
who had conspired against the Son of David was brought to
nought, being confounded by their preaching.
P 2
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Ziba and Mephibosheth.
2 SAMUEL XVL 1— 12.
Shvnei's curses.
ftch. 15.30.32.
b ch. 9. S.
c ch. 15. 23.
m 17. 29.
d ch. 19. 27.
e Ptot. 18. 18.
tlleb./ <fo
obeitoHce.
fch. 19.16.
I Kings 2. 8. 4i.
II Or, he itill cotne
forth and cursed.
t Heb. man of
blood
g Deut. IS. 13.
h Judg. 9. 24,
56. 57.
I King8 2. 3!, 33.
i Seech. I. 16.
ft 3. 28, 29.
&4. II, 12.
i Hth. behold
Ihee in thy evil.
k 1 Sam. 24. 14.
ch. 9. 8.
I Ex. 22. 28.
m eh. 19. 22.
1 Pet. 2. 23.
n See 2 Kings 18.
25.
Lam. 3. 38.
o Rom. 9. 20.
p ch. 12. 11.
q Gen. 15. 4.
XVI. ^ And ' when David was a little past the top of the Jiill^ behold, ** Ziba
the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and
upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins,
and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. ^ And the king said
unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these ? And Ziba said. The asses be for the
king's household to ride on ; and the bread and summer fruit for the young
men to eat ; and the wine, "" that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink.
^ And the king said, And where is thy master's son ? * And Ziba said unto the
king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem : for he said, To day shall the house of
Israel restore me the kingdom of my father. * * Then said the king to Ziba,
Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, f I
humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, king.
^ And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man
of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was ^ Shimei, the son of Gera :
II he came forth, and cursed still as he came. ^ And he cast stones at David,
and at all the servants of king David : and all the people and all the mighty
men were on his right hand and on his left. ^ And thus said Shimei when he
cursed. Come out, come out, thou f bloody man, and thou 'man of Belial:
^ The Lord hath ** returned upon thee all * the blood of the house of Saul, in
whose stead thou hast reigned; and the Lord hath dehvered the kingdom
into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, f behold, thou art taken in thy
mischief, because thou art a bloody man. ^ Then said Abishai the son of
Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this ^ dead dog * curse my lord the king ?
let me go over, I pray thee, and take oflf his head. ^^ And the king said,
" What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah ? so let him curse, because
° the Lord hath said unto him. Curse David. ** Who shall then say. Where-
fore hast thou done so ? ^^ And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants,
Behold, P my son, which ** came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life : how
much more now may this Benjamite do it ? let him alone, and let him curse ;
for the Lord hath bidden him. ^^ It may be that the Lord will look on mine
Ch. XVI. 1. bunches of raisins'] Rather, masses of raisins
pressed together like cheeses.
— swnmer fruits'] Rather, perhaps, cakes made of dates
pressed together : see Sept. These are still used as provisions
for caraTans (Burckh, in Winer, R. W. B. i. 258).
•— a bottle] A large skin (Josh. ix. 4. Matt. ix. 17).
8. he said. To dav shall the house of Israel restore] For a
refutation of this calnmny see xix. 27. Ziba is contrasted with
Mephibosheth : Ziba loved David for the sake of the land,
Mephibosheth loved David for David's own sake: see xix.
80. Here we may see a figure of the two kinds of love for
Christ— the Divine David. The latter only is true love, the
former is love of self.
4. T^hen said the king to Ziba] Here is another instance of
the weakness into which David was betrayed in his distress.
How natural was it, however, that when his own son Absalom
was rebelling against him, David should suppose that he had no
fidthfiil friend left. Contrast with this hnman infirmity of
David the thoughtfblness of Christ for others, in the garden, in
the way to Calvary, and on the Cross (John xviii. 8. Luke
xxiii. 28. John xix. 27).
5. Bahurim] In the tribe of Benjamin, on the eastern slope of
the Mount of Olives (iii. 16), not far from the site of Bethanv.
7. Come out] From the kingdom which thou hast usurped.
9. Abishai] Who had asked David's permission to slay Saul
when in the trench at the hill of Hachilah (1 Sam. xxvi. 8), but
had been restrained by David from doing so. Tliat disinterested
and compassionate act of David was a sufficient reftitation of
Shimei's slander against him; but David was silent, and re-
strained Abishai from revenge; thus David prefigured Christ,
ivho said in the garden to Peter, " Put up thy sword into the
108
sheath : the cup which My Father hath ^ven Me, shall I not
drink it V* (John xviii. 11 ;) and who prayra for those who railed
upon Him at Calvary (Luke xxiii. 84).
10, 11. What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah 1]
So our Lord seems, as it were, to say, *< What have I to do with
you, ye sons of Zebedee ? " when they would have stimulated Hira
to destroy those who would not receive Him : see Luke ix. 55.
— ^Atf Lord haih said unto him. Curse David — the Lord hath
bidden him] By allowing him to do so. Since nothing happens
against, or without, the wiU of Him who is Omnipresent, Omni-
scient, and Omnipotent, all things, which God does not prevent,
may be said, in a certain sense, to be done by Him (S, Augustine
de Libero Arbitrio). Qod willed that David should be chastened
for his sins, but He did not will the evil means by which the
chastisement was inflicted. God willed the salvation of the
world, but He did not will the wickedness of those who crucified
Christ : see below, on Acts ii. 23, and PfeiJ^er, Dubia, p. 211 ;
and above, xii. 11, 12. ** Non accusat David Dominum, quasi
auctorem peccati ; sed magis laudat, qu6d patiatur nos minora per-
peti, ut minorum veniam peccatorum adipiscamur" (8, Ambrose,
Apol. Davia, c. 6). ** Deus voluntatem Shimei, vitio suo malam,
in hoc peccatum maledioendi Davidi indinavit (8, Augustine de
Gratia, c. 20).
Compare the porallel cases in 1 Kings xxii. 22. 2 Kings
ii. 7. Matt. viii. 32.' Tliese cases are important, as shedding
light on the question of Pharaoh's obduracy. As Augustine
says (ibid. c. 23), God hardens those evil men whom He allows to
be hardened ; but, to speak strictly, their own free will hardens
itself. " Deus obdurat, id est, obdurari permittit Pharaonem,
similesque reprobos ; sed propria libcrum eorum arbitrium seip-
sum obdurat :" cp. A Lapide here.
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Shvm^'8 cursing. 2 SAMUEL XVI. 13—23. XVH. 1—3. AhithopheVs counsel
II f affliction, and that the Lord 'will ' requite me good for his cursing thia day.
^^ And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill's
side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and
f cast dust. ^^ And the king, and all the people that were with him, came
weary, and refreshed themselves there.
^* And • Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem,
Mid Ahithophel with him. ^® And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite,
'David's friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom,
f God save the king, God save the king. ^^ j^^ Absalom said to Hushai, Is
this thy kindness to thy friend? "why wentest thou not with thy friend?
^^ And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay ; but whom the Lord, and this
people, and all the men of Israel, choose, his will I be, and with him will
I abide. ^* And again, ' whom should I serve ? should I not serve in the
presence of his son ? as I have served in thy father's presence, so will I be
in thy presence.
^ Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall
do. 2^ And' Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's ^ concubines,
which he hath left to keep the house ; and all Israel shall hear that thou ' art
abhorred of thy father : then shall * the hands of all that are with thee be
strong. ^ So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house ; and
Absalom went in unto his father's concubines **inthe sight of all Israel, ^s And
the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man
had enquired at the f oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel
*both with David and with Absalom.
XYn. ^ Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out
twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night :
- And I will come upon him while he is ' weary and weak handed, and will
make him afraid : and all the people that are with him shall flee ; and I will
** smite the king only : * And I will bring back all the people unto thee : the
{Or, tears.
Heb. «yf,
Oen. S9. 82.
lS«m. 1. II.
Ps. 23. 18.
T Rom. 8 28.
t Heb. dutUd
him wilh du4t.
t oh. Iff. 87.
t ch. 15. 87.
f Heb. LH th«
kino live.
u ch. 19. 25.
ProT. 17. 17.
z ch. Iff. 84.
y ch. Iff. 16.
ft 20. 8.
* Oen. 84. 80.
1 Sam. 18. 4.
a ch. 2. 7.
Zeoh. 8. 18.
b ch. 12. ]
t Heb. word,
cch. 15. 12.
a See Dent. 25.
18.
ch. 16. 14.
b Zech. 18. 7.
12. the LoBD wUl requite me good for hU curnng'] Let
them curse, but blegg Thou ! (Pa. dx. 26— 28.J 8, AugusHne
says well (de QratU, c 20), *' Deus utitur cordibus malorum ad
laudem atque a^umentum bonomm. Sic usus est JudA tradente
Christum ; sic usus est Judseis crucifigentibus Christum. £t
quanta mde bomi prsestitit populis credituris! Quin et ipso
Diabolo utitur pessimo, sed optim^ ad ezercendam et pro-
bandam fldem et pietatem bonomm."
God willed David's chastisement, but hated Shimei's wicked-
new j whose lewd tongue^ moved bj Qod, moved lewdly from
Satan (Bp. Sail).
For some excellent remarks derived from David's example
here, on the benefits to be elicited from ii^juries, see S, Ambrose
de Officiis, i. 6. 8. Chrytoti, in Ps. xxxviii., and Theodoret here.
8, Gregory, MoraL xxxi. 17, who observes that David was thus
brought to a deeper sense of his own sins, and was exerdsed iu
true repentance, and so found cause to be thankful for these
indignities, which made him nearer and dearer to Qod, ** Sicque
fit, ut oontumeliis gratia magis qutoi ira debeatur." It was
a wise saying of 8. ChrgsoeU>mf that "no man is ever really
hurt by any one but by himself." And on account of the bene-
fits to be derived firom ii^juries, and from not being overcome
of evil, but frt>m overcoming evU by good, even the heathen poet
could bless heaven for ii\jurie8, and say,
"Miserrima est fortuna, qusB inimico caret."
14. refiresJied themselvee there"] At Bahurim ; so Jesus Christ,
in His Passion Week, retired horn Jerusalem, in the evenings,
to the village of Bethany, on those eastern slopes of the Mount
of Olives, and refr<^ed Himself there in the house of Martha,
Mary, and Lazarus, whom He loved (Matt. xxL 17. Mark
xi.1.11. Lukexxi.87. John xL 1. 6).
21. Oo in—eonoubinet] This will be a public declaration that
thou daimest thy fitther's throne (^. iii. 7 ; xii. 8. 1 Kings ii. 22),
109
and that the breach between thee and him is irreparable.
Thot^h this was a capital crime (Lev. xx. 11 ; q>. 1 Cor. v. 1 ),
and Beuben had lost his birthright by it, and incurred his
fother's curse (Gen. xlix. 8 — 5), yet Ahithophel, in his worldly
policy, did not scruple to recommend it ; and Absalom complied
with the advice, and '* declared his sin, as Sodom."
Perhuis (as A Lapide and others suppose) Ahithophel was
influenced by feelings of private revenge against David for his
conduct to Bathsheba, who was the daughter of Eliam (xi. 3),
the son of Ahithophel (xxiii. 84).
Observe here the bitter fruits of David's own example In
the violations of God's laws, by Polygamy and Adultery. Those
sins recoiled on himself. But Absuom imitated David in sin,
not in repentance.
Obe^e also the end of Ahithophel's oounseL He armed
the son, Absalom, against his own father, David; and at last he
armed his own hanck agiunst his own life {Theodore^,
28. 8o theg spread'] And thus even by their sin tney proved
God's truth, who had foretold this by Nathan (xii. 11, 12).
Thus also they gave additional evidence that the prediction
made to David by means of the same prophet, of Divine punish-
ment to David's children if they sinned (vii. 14), and of the
perpetual establishment of his kingdom in the Divine Son of
David, Jesus Christ, would be fulfilled also (viL 16).
Tliis " roof of the house" was probably the same scene in
which that evil desire was conceived by David, which brought
all tills misenr on him and his fiunily (see xi 2). '* David walked
on the roof 01 tiie king's house." It was like a Maboth's vin^ard
to him. His sin and punishment met together there ; so (Hbeon
was the scene of Joab's sin and punishment : see below, xx. 8.
Ch. XVII. 8. J wUl bring back aU the people mUo theel
Ahithophel, David's counsellor, and traitor, treats Absalom Iki
king, and he treats David as the rebel against him ! He pro-
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Hushai's counsel
2 SAMUEL XVn. 4—18.
is pre/erred.
man whom thou seekest is as if all returned*: so all the people shall be in
j^Heb. ^^^M^ peace. * And the saying f pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.
1 8am. 18. 10. 5 Then sald Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear like-
iHeh.whaiiBin msB + what he saith.
Am mouth, '
t Heb. word t
t Heb. MUer of
soul,
Judg. 18. 25.
c Hos. 13. 8.
t Heb. falUn.
d3osh. 2. 11.
e Judg. 20. 1.
fGen.22. 17.
t Heb. that tkp
face, or, pretenet
go, ^c.
^ And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying,
Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner : shall we do after his f saying ? if
not ; speak thou. ^ And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahi-
t Heb. eovfuMtd. thophel hath f given is not good at this time. ^ For, said Hushai, thou
knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be f chafed
in their minds, as "^ a bear robbed of her whelps in the field : and thy father is
a man of war; and will not lodge with the people. ^ Behold, he is hid now in
some pit, or in some other place : and it will come to pass, when some of them
be f overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say. There is a
slaughter among the people that follow Absalom. ^^ And he also that is valiant,
whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly ^'melt : for all Israel knoweth
that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are vaUant men.
^^ Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto "thee, *from
Dan even to Beer-sheba, ^as the sand that is by the sea for multitude ; and
t that thou go to battle in thine own person. ^^ So shall we come upon him
in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew
falleth on the ground : and of him and of all the men that are with him there
shall not be left po much as one. ^^ Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then
shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until
there be not one small stone found there. '^ And Absalom and all the men of
Israel said. The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of
Ahithophel. For *the Lord had f appointed to defeat the good counsel of
Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom.
1^ ** Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and
thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel ; and thus and
thus have I counselled. ^^ Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying,
Lodge not this night * in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over ;
lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him. *^ ^ Now
Jonathan and Ahimaaz * stayed by "* En-rogel ; for they might not be seen to
come into the city : and a wench went and told them ; and they went and told
king David. *' Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom : but they
went both of them away quickly, and came to a man's house ° in Bahurim,
g eh. 15. 81, 84.
t Heb. eow^
manded.
h ch. 15. 85.
I ch. 15.28.
k ch. 15. 27, 86.
1 Josh. 2. 4, ftc.
m Josh. 15. 7.
ft 18. 16.
mises to bring back to Jerusalem all the people who have gone
forth from it with David. Here was a foreshadowing or the
traitoroos act of Jndas. Here was a foreshadowing of tiie anti-
christian policy of the Ahithophels of this world, who conspire
with rebellious Absaloms against the Divine David. But their
end will be like that of Ahithophel: they will perish by their own
devices.
— the man whom thou seekesf] The capture of David is
tantamount to the return of all the people to thee.
9, heU hid now in some j^f\ or cave, as he used to be when
Saul was pursuing him, and was not able to catch him.
— some of th^"] of Absalom's forces, then at Jerusalem.
11. m thine own person] Hushai insinuates that Ahithojphel
by his counsel had been indulging in an egotistical vauntmg.
Ahithophel had sud (t>. 1—3), ** J will arise : J will come upon
him : / will smite him : / will bring back the people ;" and he
insinuates also that Ahithophel had been desirous of robbing
Absalom of the gloir of the victory over David, and of assuming
it to himself. And tiius Hushai practises on Absalom's vain-
gloij and self-bve, and excites him against Ahithophel.
18. we wUl draw it into the riverl Hushai says we, not I, as
Ahithophel had done. He offers toM of the expedition, which
110
was to be led by Absalom himself, and thus persuades Absalom,
as wen as by the greatness of the adventure, whidi was very
flattering to Absalom's vun-glory. ** We wUl draw the town
into the river" ** Nihil est quod credere de se Non possit, cilm
laudatur Dts equa potestas." He takes advantage of the
weakness and self-conceit of Absalom. Hushai gain^ his end,
and overthrew Absalom by flattering his vanity: see above,
xiv. 25.
16. plains'] Rather, the passages : see xv. 28.
— pass over] Jordan.
17. Sn-roget] or ** filler's fountain," at the s.e. of Jerusalem
(Josh. XV. 7 ; xviii. 16) ; now called « Well of Joab," or more
probably, " Spring of the Virgin."
— a wen«^] Literally, the maiden ; one of the maidens of
the High Priest, who was entrusted with this confidential servioe
of being a means of communication between the High Ihiiest
and David (Keil) ; ij irai9l<rfcn (Sept.), She came to the well, as
if to draw water or to wash clothes there. It may not be un-
worthy of notice, that " a maid o£ the High Priest " is men-
tioned, though in a different capacity, in the histonr of David's
sufferings and of those of Christ (Matt. xxvi. 69. IkUrk xiv. 69.
Luke xxii. 56. John xviii. 17).
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AhithopheVs end.
2 SAMUEL XVn. 19—29.
Barzillai^s loyalty.
which had a well in his court ; whither they went down. ^^ And • the woman
took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground com
thereon ; and the thing was not known. ^^ And when Absalom's servants came
to the woman to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan ?
And ^ the woman said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water.
And when they had sought and could not find themj they returned to Jerusalem.
2^ And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the
well, and went and told king David, and said unto David, *> Arise, and pass
quickly over the water: for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.
^ Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed
over Jordan : by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not
gone over Jordan.
2^ And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not f followed, he saddled
his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to 'his city, and fput his
household in order, and •hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the
sepulchre of his father.
2* Then David came to ^ Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he
and all the men of Israel with him. ^ And Absalom made Amasa captain of
the host instead of Joab : which Amasa was a man's son, whose name was \\ Ithra
an IsraeUte, that went in to " f Abigail the daughter of || Nahash, sister to
Zeruiah Joab's mother. ^6 g^ igyael and Absalom pitched in the land of
Gilead.
^ And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that "^ Shobi
the son of Nahash of Babbah of the children of Ammon, and ^ Machir the son
of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and *Barzillai the Gileadite of Bogelim, ^ Brought
beds, and || basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and
parched com, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pvlsey ^ And honey, and
butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were
/.
See Josh. 2. S.
5 See Ex. 1. 19.
osh. 3. 4, 5.
q ver. 15, 1«.
t Heb. doM.
r ch. 15. 12.
t Heb. govt ekargt
eoneenUng hit
2 Kings 20. 1.
8 Matt. 27. 5.
t Gen. S2. 2.
Josh. IS. 26.
ch. 2. 8.
I Or, Jeihtr an
IshmattUe.
a 1 Chron. 2. 16,
17.
t Heb. Abtgal.
LOr, JetM,
se 1 Chron. 2.
18, 16.
X See ch. 10. 1.
6 12. 20.
J ch. 9. 4.
S ch. 19. 31, 82.
1 Kings 2. 7.
H Or, cup*.
18. a well] A dstero, then empty. It seems to have been
summer time.
19. ground corn] meal (Pror. zxvii. 27), as if she wished to
dryitCG'ettffi. 768).
21. the water] The Jordan.
22. Danid arose— and they pateed over Jordan] Perhaps
David then composed Psalms xlii. and ziiiL, where he looks
back upon Jemaidem "from the hmd of Jordan" (xlii. 6).
Some connect the 8rd and 4th Psahns with these days of trial.
See also bek)w, preUm, notes to Ptolms 56, 61, 68, 64^ 65, 84^
85, which seem to belong to this time.
28. Ahithophel— hanged himself] He strangled himself
(Oesen. 298), as Jndas the traitor did. The Sept, here uses
the word infiyiarro, and this word is adopted by St. Matthew in
his narrative of the death of Jndas (see Bfatt. xxviL 5), who
thns seems to invite his readers to compare Jndas and Ahitho-
pheL
Ahithophel jMi< Am housein order; and he did the deed de-
liberately. Josephus says that he foresaw that David's canse would
succeed, and that he desired to obviate his anger by this act.
Ahithophel's counsel had been formerly regarded ajs an
oracle hy Hoe world (xvi. 28); and he now killed himself from
vexation Uiat his counsd was rejected. With desperate pre-
meditation and impious recklessness, havinff settled his house-
hold affiurs with coolness, he rushed boldly mto the presence of
his Judge, his hands stained with his own blood, and with his
sins unrepented on his head — ^wise for this world, but a madman
for Eternity. Thus he displayed the miserable infatuation of
worldly p<^y. By his deadly revenge on himself, he incurred
eternal »iame and misery, in order to escape the contempt of
godless men. Such is political wisdom! ''The wicked is
snared in t^ work of his own hands" (Ps. vii. 15).
A wise man, whose wisdom is from God, lives happily under
the world's contempt ; but " worldly wisdom is no protection
finom shame and ruin ; Ahithophel cared for the world, cared
111
for his house, but cared not for his own soul. How foolish
is it to be wise, if we are not wise in Gtod ! " (Bp, Sail.)
24. Mahanaim] A fortified Levitical city on the east of
Jordan in the tribe of Oad, near the ford of Jabbok, and cele-
brated in the history of Jacob (Gen. zxzii. 2) and of l^hbosheth,
who had there been made king of CKlead : see ii 8, 9.
25. Amasa] A nephew of David, and cousin of Joab and
Absalom : see 1 Chron. iL 16, 17.
— Ithra an Israelite] Called Jether the Ishmaelite in
1 Chron. ii. 17. Perhaps he was a proselyte fVom Ishmael
( Vatahhis), Compare Josephus, vii. 10. 1. Or Israelite may
mean that he was not of the tribe of Judcth, as might have been
expected fVtnn his marriage with Abigail, David's sister ; he was
an Ishmaelite by descent^ and not an inhabitant of Judah, but
of some other tnbe.
— Naliash] Supposed by Kimohi and others to be another
name of Jesse ; and by others, to be no oth^ tluui the king of
the Ammonites (x. 2), but this is hardly probable.
27. 8hoh%] Whom David perhaps had put into Hanun's
place (cp. xii. 26). David had received beaieflfcs from Nahash,
and had shown kindness to Hanun whidi was ill requited by
him (x. 2), but not forgotten by ShobL
— Machir] Who had brought up Mephibosheth, and knew
David's kindness to him (ix. 5).
— Barzillat] contrasted with Ahithophel and with Absalom.
See on r. 29, and xix. 31.
28. beds] mattresses.
— basons] caldrons, or kettles.
99. cheese of kine] from buttermilk (Surckh,, Keil).
David was received with kindness in the land of (iilead, on
the east of Jordan, at a time when he was driven by his own
son out of his own capit4il, Jerusalem, in his own tnbe. The
Jews r^ected Christ, but the Gospel was gladlv received by
Samaritans (Acts viU. 4 — 6) and by the Gentiles (Acts xiii.
46—48; xxviii.28).
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71ie Wood of Ephraim.
2 SAMUEL XVm. 1—9.
Absalom's death.
a ch. 16. 3.
« ch. 15. 19.
bch.2I. 17.
f Heb. set their
heart on us.
i Heb. as ten
thousand of us.
t Heb. b« to
succour.
dJoth. 17. 15,18.
t Heb. multiplied
to deooMt .
with him, to eat : for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty,
' in the wilderness.
XVin. ^ And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains
of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. ^ And David sent forth a third
part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of
Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, ' and a third part under the hand
of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth
with you myself also. ' ^ But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth :
for if we flee away, they will not f care for us; neither if half of us die, will
they care for us : but now thou art f worth ten thousand of us : therefore now
it is better that thou f succour us out of the city. ^ And the king said unto
them. What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side,
and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.
^ And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying. Deal gently
for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. ""And all the people
heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.
^ So the people went out into the field against Israel : and the battle was in
the ^ wood of Ephraim ; ^ Where the people of Israel were slain before the
servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty
thousand men. ^ For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the
country : and the wood f devoured more people that day than the sword de-
voured. ^ And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon
a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his
head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the
earth ; and the mule that was under him went away.
Ch. XVIII. Z. hut now tbou avt] Instead of the Hebrew
atiah (with initial ayin), Bignifying now, some would read
attah (with initial aleph'S thou; and this seems probable, though
not necessary ; and the rormer word appears to have been reid
here by the Chaldee Paraphrast.
6. wood of Sphraim] where was this ** wood of Ephnum ?'*
It seems evident, that it could not have been in the tribe of
Ephraim, on the west of Jordan (as is supposed by some, Winer,
Keil), because the people say to David, who remained in
Mahimaim, that he should succour them out of the city (v. 8) ;
therefore it was not &r from Mahanaim, and therefore on the
east of Jordan.
Also in xvii. 26 it is said that " Israel and Absalom pitched
in the limd of GKlead/' that is, on the east side of Jordan. And
there is no mention of any crossing of the Jordan by David's army,
after the battle, in order to come hack to him ai Mcthanaim,
This opinion, which is that of the ancient expositors, is
nudntained by Ewald, Thenius, and others.
Why the wood or forest bore the name of Ephraim is
uncertain. Some (with Orotiue and Prof, ^/unQ have sup-
posed that it was so called from the slaughter of the Ephraimites
by Jephthah in that neighbourhood (Judg. xii. 1—8).
Others think that it derived its name from this very battle
between David's army and Absalom's, which is called the army
of " Israel " (see xvii. ; 24. 26 ; xviii. 6, 7), and in which probably
the tribe of Ephraim took the lead.
But the more probable opinion is, that there was a settle-
ment of Ephraim there, in connexion with the neighbouring
brother-tribe of Manasseh {Bp, Cotton, Stanley).
For a remarkable parallel to this supposed geographical
anomaly see above, on Judg. vii. 8.
8. the wood devoured] In swampa, morasses, and pits (see
V. 17) : and because, being entangled in the forest, they conild
not escape from their enemies : cp. below on Pa. Ixiii. 10.
Death of Absalom— Thb EnrG's Muu.
9. Ahedlom met the servants of David] Who would not attack
him. on account of the king's commandment (w. 5 and 12); but
though they let him go, Qod met him, and put a stop to bis
Oight (Bp, Patrick).
Absalom, by the counsel of Ahithophd, had perpetrated
112
that other crime by which he declared in the light of all Israel
that he had usurped his father's throne (see above, xvi. 21 — 23),
and now, in the ught also of the people, he rides upon the kind's
mule. Compare the incident mentioned in Esth. vL 8, ** Let
the horse that the kin^ rideth upon, be brought for the man
whom the king delighteth to honour;" and Henry IV.
^Bolingbroke) riding on King Richard IL's " Roan Barbair "
(Act V. Sc. v.). David, we are told, as if in reference .to this
act, had walked up Mount Olivet harrfoot (xv. 80) ; not on his
mule. He had Idft that behind him. Absalom, as if he were
king, mounts his father's mule, and rides upon it ; but, as we
shaU see, this act of usurpation was the cause of his death.
— Absalom rode upon a mule] Lit., upon the mule; Josephms
(vii. 9. 2) says that it was **the king^s mule." (Compare
i Kings i. 83. 88. 44, where the riding on the king^s mule (see
above, xiii. 29) is represented as an act of royal authori^, wluch
Absalom claimed, and which David afterwards gave to Solomon.
This circumstance makes the manner of Absalom's death
more remarkable. He was caught by his hair, in which he
gloried (xiv. 26, 26). The justice of God plaited a' halter with
that in which he sinned by pride ; and he was left hung up in
the tree by the mulo which he had usurped ; a fit punishment fbr
a rebel son and a traitor. Ahithophel, his counsellor, and Absa-
lom, both perished by the death which was accounted accursed
bv the Hebrews, that of hanging (cp. v. 10. Dent. xxL 28.
dp. Bp. Pearson, Art. iv. p. 2ff! note).
— of a greai oak] Lit., of the great terehinth ; probably it
renudned to after-ages, and was pointed out as the tree in which
Absalom had been caught; like the oak in wUch a lawful
English monarch escaped, when his throne had been usurped.
— his head caught hold qf the oak] Probably (tm Josephus
says, vii. 10. 2) his hair was caught in the tniok boughi
and twigs, and then his head was wedged in by his neck in
a forked bough, while his mule ran swiftly from under him.
— between the heaven and the earth] Absalom was rqected,
as a traitor, by both heaven and earth (S, Chrys.).
The mule, on which he rode, as if it were weary to bear
so unnatural a burden, resigned its load to the tree of justice.
Absalom, Ahithophel, Judas, all lifted up their hand agwnat
God's Anointed, and all died the same death {Bp. Sail). A
warning to all conspirators and reg^dcs.
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Absalom* $ death ;
2 SAMUEL XVm. 10—23.
his monument.
^^ And a certain man saw tV, and told Joab, and said. Behold, I saw Absalom
hanged in an oak. ^^ And Joab said nnto the man that told him. And, behold,
thou sawest fern, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground ? and
I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle. ^^ And the man
said unto Joab, Though I should f receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine
hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king's son : * for in our
hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, \ Beware that
none touch the young man Absalom. ^' Otherwise I should have wrought
falsehood against mine own life : for there is no matter hid from the king, and
thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against m^. ^* Then said Joab, I may not
tarry thus f with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them
through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet aUve in the f midst of the oak.
^* And ten young men that bare Joab's armour compassed about and smote
Absalom, and slew him.
^^ And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after
Israel : for Joab held back the people. ^^ And they took Absalom, and cast
him into a great pit in the wood, and 'laid a very great heap of stones upon
him : and all Israel fled every one to his tent. ^^ Now Absalom in his life-
time had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in » the king's dale :
for he said, ^ I have no son to keep my name in remembrance : and he called
the pillar after his own name : and it is called unto this day, Absalom's place.
^^ Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king
tidings, how that the Lord hath f avenged him of his enemies. ^ And Joab
said unto him. Thou shalt not f bear tidings this day, but thou shalt bear
tidings another day: but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the king's
son is dead. ^^ Then said Joab to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen.
And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran. ^2 Then said Ahimaaz the son
of Zadok yet again to Joab, But {howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also run after
Cushi. And Joab said. Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou
hast no tidings || ready ? ^ But howsoever, said he^ let me run. And he said
unto him. Run, Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran
Cushi.
t Heb. weigh mpon
mine hand.
e Ter. 5.
t Heb. Beware
whosoever ye be
0/, ♦«.
t Heb. b^ore
thee.
t Heb. heart.
t Joab. 7. 26.
gOen. 14. ir.
h See ch. 14. 27.
t Keh. Judged
him from the hand,
t Heb. be a man
oftidingt.
t Heb. be what
may.
I Or, convenient.
11. Joah 9ttid] Joab, wbose conduct wa0 swaged by regard to
his own interest, rather than by love to David« knew that if
Absalom succeeded, he himself would be superseded in the chief
command by Amasa (xviL 25).
We see here the same man, acting on the same motives as
the murderer of Abner (iii. 23 — 80). This is evident from Joab's
subsequent treachery and murder of Amasa (zx. 9, 10).
— a girdle] A captmn's commission, which perhaps was
ugnified by the delivery of a girdle : see Isa. xxii. 21 (Jf. Henry),
18. I should have wrought fdUehood'] I should have been
imtrue to myself, as well as to tne King and the King's son.
14. three darts] Literally, three rods, which is supposed by
some to be the meaning here {KeiJ), And in the more than
one hundred places where it occurs, this is the only one where
the original word (shebet) is rendered in our Vernon by dart :
a rendering however which is supported by Sept., Vulg,, Byriac,
and Targwn.
16. blew the trumpet] Sounded a retreat; for, with the death
of Absalom, the victory wni won.
17. catt him into a great pit] They spared David the sorrow
of seeing his son's mangled bodv.
— Imd a very great heap of stones] And thus Absalom, as a
rebel against his father, was in a manner punished according to
the Law of God with the penalty prescribed for a son's rebellion
—stoning (Deut. xxi. 20, 21).
18. Now Absalom i» his lifetime— pillar] The Sacred His-
torian, having described the heap of stones, which was the monu-
ment of Almlom's sin and diame — like the heap of stones
Vol. IL Pabt II.-113
which commemorated the sin of Achan (Josh. vii. 26), and like
the heap of stones raised over Uie body of the King of Ai, who
had been hanged (Josh. viii. 29. Cp. Josh. z. 27)^now pro-
ceeds to speak, by way of contrast, of the monument which
Absalom had designed for himself. His monument was a soli-
tary cairn in the wild forest, instead of a lordly pillar in the
"King's dale" near the capital city, to be admired by passing
crowds in future ages. Such was the result of his hopes.
By his unnatural rebellion his glory was turned mto shame.
<* But the memory of the just is blessed ;" and though in this
world he may have no monument, Christ wiU make him to be
<'a pillar in the house of his God'* (Rev. iii. 12).
— a pillar, which is in the king's dale] About a quarter of a
mile to the east of Jerusalem, in the valley of Jehoshaphat, near
the brook Kedron. Cp. J^osephus, viL 10. 8 ; and above. Gen.
xiv. 17.
— I have no son] The three sons mentioned in xiv. 27 were
either bom after the erection of the pillar, or (as Kimchi and
other Hebrew writers and Theodoret suppose) had died before
it. Absalom, a rebellious son, was punished by leaving no son
behind him.
— Absalom's place] Literally, Absalom's hand, or monu-
ment, that which pointed to him (cp. the word monumentum,
from moneo). Cp. 1 Sam. xv. 12. Isa. Ivi. 5. Oesen. 332.
And perhaps also, as being his handiwork, cp. Ps. xix. 1. The
pillar, which was designed by Absalom for his own glory, only
remained as a memorial of his shame.
21. Cushi] or an Ethiopian.
Q
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Damd mourns
2 SAMUEL XVIII. 24—33. XIX. 1—7.
for Absalom.
j Ut\i. I $te the
running.
D Or, Peace be to
thee.
t Heb. Peace.
t Heb. shut up.
t Heb. I8 there
peace t
f Heb. Tidinge ie
brought.
12 Kmgs0. ir. 24 ^^ David sat between the two gates : and * the watchman went np to the
roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted np his eyes, and looked, and behold
a man running alone. ^ And the watchman cried, and told the king. And
the king said. If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came
apace, and drew near. ^ And the watchman saw another man running : and
the watchman called unto the porter, and said, Behold another man running
alone. And the king said. He also bringeth tidings. ^ And the watchman
said, f Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz
the son of Zadok. And the king said. He is a good man, and cometh with
good tidings.
^ And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, || f All is well. And he fell
down to the earth upon his face before the king, and said. Blessed be the Lobd
thy God, which hath f delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against
my lord the king. ^^ And the king said, f Is the young man Absalom safe ?
And Ahimaaz answered. When Joab sent the king's servant, and m^ thy
servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was. ^^ And the king
said unto him. Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood
still. ^^ And, behold, Cushi came ; and Cushi said, f Tidings, my lord the
king : for the Lord hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up
against thee. ^ And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom
safe ? And Cushi answered. The enemies of my lord the king, and all that
rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. ^ And the king was
much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept : and as he
went, thus he said, ^ my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom 1 would
God I had died for thee, Absalom, my son, my son !
XIX. ^ And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and moumeth for
^ And the f victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the
people : for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son.
'And the people gat them by stealth that day *into the city, as people being
ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. * But the king ** covered his
face, and the king cried with a loud voice, ^ my son Absalom, Absalom,
my son, my son 1
^ And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed
this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and
the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the
tHeb.Bytortiv, lives of thy concubines ; ^ f ^^ ^'^^ *^^^ lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy
friends. For thou hast declared this day, f that thou regardest neither princes
nor servants : for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we
had died this day, then it had pleased thee well. ^ Now therefore arise.
k eh. 19. 4.
t Heb. ealvationt A Viao 1 nm
or, deliverance. -^OSaiOm.
a ver. 83.
b oh. 15. 80.
c ch. 18. 88.
f Heb. that
prineee ortervante
Kttnottc thee.
S4. the two gatet] The inner and oater gate of the city.
36. unto the porter] or, to within the gate where the king
was.
89. 1$ the yowng man Absalom ecfe X\ Lit., ie there ehalom
(peace) to Ahealom 7
88. And Oushi cmewered— young man is] See Bp. Andrewee,
V. 8 — 2B, for a sermon on this text.
Dated koubkutg- tob Absaloh.
88. would God I had died for theelJAt., who will grant me
to die for thee? Was not this done by David, in type of the tme
King and Redeemer of Israel ? (3p. Hall.)
David had not monmed after the death of his infimt child,
but had said, "Can I bring him back again P I shall go to him,
but he shall not return to me " (xii. 28). Why then this mourn-
ing for Absalom ? Why so intense a sorrow for it ? (see xix. 4.)
It was because David believed in the Resurrection, and in the
114
Judgment to come, and in a ftiture state of Rewards and Puiush-
ments. It was because (as Theodoret suggests) his son Absalom
had been cut off in an act of sin : the wages of which are the
second death, and because by Absalom's death the door of
repentance and pardon was shut upon him.
David did not weep because he had lost a son, but because he
well knew into what punishments that son's gnUty soul (tam
impi^ parricidalis et adultera) was carried away by death. 8»
Augustine (de Doot. Christ, lii. 21. Cp. c Faust, xzii. 66).
Ch. xix. 8. hg stealth] Not through the gate where David
sat (xviiL 88).
4. covered his face] as in mourning (xv. 80).
5. Joah oame] Thinking it best to assume a haughty tone, and
to proceed with a high hand, as if David was in the wrong, and
not Joab himself, who had disobeyed the king's orders and slain
his son.
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David is brotu/ht back
2 SAMUEL XIX, 8—22.
by Judah to Jerusalem.
go forth, and speak f comfortably unto thy servants : for I swear by the Lokd, l/jf^/^^};*^'
if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that ^en.M.s.
will be worse unto thee than all the evU that befell thee from thy youth until
now. ^ Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the
people, saying. Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people
came before the king : for Israel had fled every man to his tent.
^ And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying,
The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of
the hand of the Philistines ; and now he is ** fled out of the land for Absalom, d cb. is. i4.
1^ And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore
why f speak ye not a word of bringing the king back ? l^f-, ^ y*
^^ And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak
unto the elders of Judah, saying. Why are ye the last to bring the king back
to his house ? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, even to his
house. ^^ Ye are my brethren, ye are • my bones and my flesh : wherefore then e ch. 5. 1
are ye the last to bring back the king ? ^^ 'And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not 'ch. v. 2t>.
of my bone, and of my flesh ? * God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not g Ruth 1. 1».
captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab. ^^ And he
bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, ^even as the heart of one man; iiJ«dg.2o.i.
so that they sent this word unto the king. Return thou, and all thy servants.-
^* So the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to *Gilgal, to iJ««h.6.9.
go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan.
^^ And ^ Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted f Ktegf"2**8.
and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David. ^^ And there were
a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and *Ziba the servant of the house of i^^f^^jY^®'
Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him ; and they went
over Jordan before the king. ^^ And there went over a ferry boat to carry
over the king's household, and to 4o fwhat he thought good. And Shimei Jif^i'**^'''""
the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was come over Jordan ; ^^ And
said unto the king, " Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou ^ 1 8*«. 2«. 15.
remember "that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the nch.i6.5,6.&o.
king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should ** take it to his heart. ^ For och.i«.3«.
thy servant doth know that I have sinned: therefore, behold, I am come
the first this day of all ^the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the p86ech.i6.6.
king. ^^ But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei
be put to death for this, because he ''cursed the Lord's anointed? ^ And q ex. 11.28.
B. Israel hadJM^ Abialom's faroes (called Itrael, xvi. 24.
26 ; xviii. 6^ 7) luid dispersed themselyes to their own homes.
18. 9ajf ye to Asnasa] Let him not fear or resist me, becaose
ho was Abklom's general : see xviL 26.
— Art thou not qfmy hone T] My nephew : see xvii. 26.
— i^the room ofJoah'] the mniderer of my son, thv cousin.
This annooncement stirred the envy and jealousy of Joab« and
was the occasion of Amasa's death (xx. 10).
14. he bowed theheart qftUlthe men qf Judah — Metwm thou,
and all thp eeroants'] So it will one day be with the Jewish
nation, which is now serving an Absalom of their own will» but
will then greet the return of their true King, and say, " Blessed
be the Idngdom of our fi&ther David that cometh in the name of
tiie Lord — Hosanna in the highest" (Mark xi. 9, 10).
16. Jndah came to QilgdU—to meet the king] This turning
"of the heart of all the men of Judah" to David, whom they
had rqected at Jerusalem, and tins bringing of him back from
Gilgal to his own city, was a foreshadowing of the future con-
version of the Jews to their true King, Jesus Christ, whom they
have crucified, and whom they will hereafter hail with joy as
their King : see Matt xxiii. 9. Bom. xi. 26, 26. 2 Cor. iii. 16.
116
— Oilffaf] The place consecrated bv the historical associations
of Joshua and of Samuel (Josh. v. 9; ix. 6; x. 6. 1 Sam. viL 16;
XV. 33). Gilgal was a type of Qolgotha : see on Josh. v. 9. Is
that without a meaning here P See the foregoing note.
16. Shimei the eon of Gera"] Who had cursed David when
going over Olivet, in his flight from Jerusalem in sorrow, but -
now desires pardon from him, because David is returning in
power. The Shimeis of this world, who slight the Son of David
in His sufi^erings, will endeavour to make peace with Him when
He comes again in glory.
17. they went over Jordan before the king! Tins passage of
Jordan was the most memorable one since the days of Jodiua and
the Ark ; and like that, ought to be associated in our minds with
the history of the Divine David, Who by His baptism in that river
brought hsL^k His people to Ood.
20. of Joseph] Not of the tribe of Benjamin only, my own
tribe; but before any others, except thy own tribe, Judah.
Joseph comprehends all Israel (cp. Josh. xvi. 1). KeiU Shimei
avoids the mention of Benjamin, the tribe of Saul.
21. Abishai] Again eager to revenge David (see
xxvi. 8. 2 Sam. xvi. 9), and again restrained by him.
Q2
1 Sam.
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Mephibosheth's loyalty ;
2 SAMUEL XIX. 23—35.
and Barzillai's.
T ch. 16. 10.
1 1 Sam. 11. IS.
t 1 Kings 1. 8, 9,
37, 46.
Q ch. 9. 6.
X ch, 16. 1^7.
J oh. 16. 8.
s eh. 14. 17, 20.
t Heb. mn of
death,
I Sam. 26. 16.
a ch. 9. 7, 10, IS.
b I Kings 2. 7.
cch. 17.27.
t Heb. How many
dapt tLTe tk« peart
of my lift.
d Ps. 90. 10.
David said, 'What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should
this day be adversaries unto me ? ' shall there any man be put to death this
day in Israel? for do not I know that I am this day king over Israel?
25 Therefore * the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king
sware unto him,
^ And "" Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had
neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from
the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace. ^ And it
came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king
scdd unto him, "Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth ? ^ And
he answered, My lord, king, my servant deceived me : for thy servant said,
1 will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go to the king ; because
thy servant is lame* ^ And ^he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the
IriTig ; "but my lord the l^ing is as an angel of God : do therefore what is good
in thine eyes. ^ For all of my father's house were but f dead men before my
lord the king: "yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at
thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the
long ? ^ And the king said unto him. Why speakest thou any more of thy
matters ? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land. ^ And Mephibosheth
said unto the king. Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is
come again in peace unto his own house.
'* And **Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim, and went over
Jordan with the king, to conduct him over Jordan. ^ Now Barzillai was a
very aged man, even fourscore yea^rs old : and * he had provided the king of
sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim ; for he was a very great man. ^ And
the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee
with me in Jerusalem. ^ And Barzillai said unto the king, f How long have I
to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem ? ^ I am this day
** fourscore years old: and can I discern between good and evil? can thy
servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice
of ringing men and singing women ? wherefore then should thy servant -be yet
28. What have I to do v6Uh you— that ye should— he adve^-
eartee unto tnel'] LiterAlly, that ye should be an €ulversary (Heb.
a Saian) to me. The Vulgate here has ** in Satan." So our
Lord says to Peter, wben dissuading Him from suffering, " Qet
thee behind Me, Satan " (Matt. xvi. 23).
Mephibosheth meets David.
S4. Mephibosheth ?] This other Beniamiteis contrasted with
the traitor Shimei, and with Ziba, in his loyalty to David : he
is a type of the ffdthful among the Jews in love and devotion
to the true David, Jesus Christ : see above, note on ix. 6. Such
"Israelitesindeed" are grieved in all the sorrows, and rejoice
in all the joys, of Christ and his Church (see v, 24), and love
Him, not for temporal respects, but for His own saJce (v. 30),
and are content to ensure slander from theic friends and ser-
vants—the Zibas of this world — if only they can see His glory.
— had neilher dressed his feet— clothes] In token of sorrow :
cheered however by fiiith and hope, for he could not have
intended or expected that such a condiition of attire and person
should be other than of short duration. It was like the lasting
of the children of the bride-chamber, looking and praying for
the bridegroom's return (Matt. ix. 15).
29. Why speakest thou any more /] Why dost thou labour to
defend thyself? I am fully persuaded of thy innocence.
— / ha/ve said. Thou and ^ba divide the land^ That is, I
before declared (ix. 10) that Ziba should labour in tilling it,
and should render to thee a part of the produce. This b what
1 first commanded ; and I now reinstate thee in thy possessions,
J16
accotding td my orig^inal grant, aUd I revoke the concession to
Ziba, which he obtained from me by misrepresentation. See
xvi. 4, where David said to 2iba, " Thine are all that pertained
unto Mephibosheth."
Why, it may be asked, did not David punish Ziba for his
slander of his master by dispossessing him altogether of the
land ? Probably for the same reason as that for which he had
spared Shimei ; because this was a day for joy (v. 22).
80. And 'Mephibosheth said — Yea, let him take aU, foras"
much <u my lord the king is come again in peace unto JUs oum
house'} A beautiful contrast, not only to Ziba, but to Joab, Ahi-
thophel, and Absalom. Mephibosheth, the heir of Saul, did
not envy David, whose famUy had superseded his own in the
throne of Israel ; but he loved David, as Jonathan his fkther
had done, and he loved David for David's own sake. Others
loved themselves when they profemed love to the king. They
were self-seekers; and if they did any thing for David, it waa
not for David's sake, but for their own. In Mephibosheth we
see the picture of the true Christian soul, which loves Christ for
Christ's sake. *' Minus Te amat ** (says 8. Augustine), " Domine,
qui Tecum aliquid amat quod non propter Te amat. Beatus
qui amat Te, et amicum in Te, et inimicum propter Te."
** Rectum cor cum Deo est, cum Deus quseritur propter Deum."
81. Martillai} The Simeon of the Old Testoment, who now
sees David in peace, and sayn, ** Nunc dimittis " (o. 87* Luke
ii. 29). Compare prelim, note to Ps. Ixxxv.
— Rogelim] On the high limds east of Jordan.
85. singing men and singing women"] Had Solomon in hiB
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David crosses Jordan ; 2 SAMUEL XIX. 36 — 43. XX. 1 — 5. returns to Jei-usalem.
a burden tiiito my lord the king ? ^ Thy servant will go a little way over
Jordan with the king : and why should the king recompense it me with such
a reward ? ^ Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in
mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother.
But behold thy servant •Chimham ; let him go over with my lord the king; ei Kings 1.7.
and do to him what shall seem good unto thee. ^ And the king answered,
Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem
good unto thee : and whatsoever thou shalt f require of me, that will I do for t Heb.c*oM«.
thee. ^ And all the people went over Jordan. And when the king was come
over, the king 'kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and he returned unto his 'Gen.ai.ss.
own place. ^ Then the king went on to Gilgal, and f Chimham went on with + Heb. chimhan.
him : and all the people of Judah conducted the king, and also half the people
of Israel.
*^ And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said unto the
king. Why have our brethren the men of Judah stolen thee away, and «have gvcr.w.
brought the king, and his household, and all David's men with him, over
Jordan ? ^^ And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because
the king is **near of kin to us : wherefore then be ye angry for this matter ? !»▼«■ 12.
have we eaten at all of the king's cost I or hath he given u» any gift ? ^^ And
the men of Israel answered the men of Jud^, and said, We have ten parts in
the king, and we have also more right in David than ye: why then did
ye t despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our tHeb.jrt««#
king ? And ' the words of the men of Judah were fiei-cet than the words of the ^^Y^^- *• "•
men of Israel.
XX. ^ And there happened to be there a man of BeKal, whose name vms
Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite : and he blew a trumpet, and said, 'We '^^ ^^- *'•
have no part m David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse : "* every Jch^id.^ift.**
man. to his tents, Israel. ^ So every man of Israel went up from after
David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri : but the men of Judah clave unto
their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem.
^ And David came to his house at Jerusalem ; and the king took the ten
women his *= concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ^^^- \^^ »«
f ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were f shut up L^/"**^"
unto the day of their death, f living in vridowhoodr
* Then said the king to Amasa, **f Assemble me the men of Judah vrithin d^Jh.Ws.
three days, and be thou here present. * So Amasa went to assemble the men
of Judah : but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him'.
t Heb. bound.
t Heb. in widow-
t Heb. CaU.
memoTY this epeech of the aged Barzillai to his fhther when he
wrote in his own old age me words of Ecclesiastes xii. 4, 5 ?
"The daughters of music shall be brought low — the grass-
hopper shall be a burden, because man goeth to his long
home."
87. thy servant Chimhctm] Barzillai's son : cp. 1 Kings iit 7,
and Jotephus vii. 11. 4.
— let him go over] Chimham seems to haye received an in-
heritance from David in his own city, Bethlehem (see Jer.
xli. 17), or from Solomon, to whom David gave charge to show
kindness unto the sons of BarziUfu the Qileadite (1 Kings ii. 7).
40. QilgtW] Whither Judah Had come to meet David {v, 15).
48. ten ptirts'] As against Judah. Ephnum and Manasseh
are counted as one : the Levites are not reckoned.
— were fierc^ljaid thus gave occasion to the contention
which followed. Tbev had right on their side, but they did
wrong, and eaiued evUi by urging, their right with fierceness.
IVt
Ch. XX. 1. a man cfBeUaV] a worthless man : Deut. xiii. 13.
— to his tents, O IsraeV] This national proverbial expres-
sion, used in Israel long after they had settl^ habitations (see
1 Kings xii. 16. 2 Chron. x. 16), is an evidence that there had
been a time when they had no houses, but dwelt in tents ; and
confirms the Mosaic history of their long wanderings in the
desert : cp. I>r, Thomson, Land and Book, p. 296.
8. the ten women his concubines — itddowhood] beihg polluted
by Absalom's sin j and they were shut up in privacy, lest their ap-
pearance in public might be an occasion to others to speak of it ;
and they were punished fbr consenting to it as ail example and
warning to others. Here is another bitter fruit of David's sin in
multiplying wives to himself, against the law of God (Deut. xvii.
17). The punishiricnt of these concubines may be regarded as a
warning to unfaithful Churches.
4. Amas4t] Whom he had appointed in JoaVs place (xix*'
13.
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Joah treacherously slays Amasa 2 SAMUEL XX. 6 — 19.
at Griheon.
eeh. 11.11.
Kings 1. M.
t Heb. delivtr
himsefffrom our
eye*.
fch.8. 18.
1 Kings 1. 38.
g Matt. 26. 49.
Luke 22. 47.
h 1 Kings 2. 5.
i eh. 3. 23.
f Heb. doubled
not his stroke.
k 2 Kings 15. 29.
2 Chron. 16. 4.
1 2 Kings 19. 82.
K Or, il stood
agaitut^e
outmost wall.
t Heb. marred to
throw down.
li Or, Tkep
plainly spake
in the beginning,
saying, Surely
they will ask of
Ab«l,andsowMke
an end:
seeDeut.20. 11.
^And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more
harm than did Absalom : take thou ^thy lord's servants, and pursue after him,
lest he get him fenced cities, and f escape us. ^ And there went out after him
Joab's men, and the 'Cherethites, and die Pelethites, and all the mighty men :
and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.
^ When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa went before
them. And Joab's garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and
upon it a girdle with a sword fSEtstened upon his loins in the sheath thereof;
and as he went forth it fell out. ^And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in
health, my brother ? ^ And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand
to kiss him. ^^ But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand :
so ^ he smote him therewith ' in the fifth nb, and shed out his bowels to the
ground, and f struck him not again ; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his
brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri. ^^ And one of Joab's men stood
by him, and said, He that favoureth Joab, and he that is for David, let him go
after Joab. ^^And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway.
And when the man saw that a]l the people stood still, he removed Amasa out
of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that
every one that came by him stood still. ^^ When he was removed out of the
highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of
Bichri.
^^And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto ^Abel, and to Beth-
maachah, and all the Berites : and they were gathered together, and went also
after him. ^^ And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maachah, and
they ^ cast up a bank against the city, and || it stood in the trench : and all the
people that were with Joab f battered the wall, to throw it down. ^^ Then
cried a wise woman out of iJie city. Hear, hear ; say, I pray you, unto Joab,
Oome near hither, that I may speak with thee. ^^ And when he was come
near unto her, the woman said. Art thou Joab ? And he answered, I am he.
Then she said unto him. Hear the words of thine handmaid. And he
answered, I do hear. ^® Then she spake, saying, || They were wont to speak
in old time, saying. They shall surely ask counsel at Abel : and so they ended
the matter. ^^ I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel : thou
seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel : why wilt thou swallow up
6. to Abishaf} Not to Joab : here was a second slight upon
Joab.
7. Cherethitet] See viii. 18.
— th9 migMy men] Probably, the 600 yeterans of David :
see XV. 18.
8. CHheon] now called EUJib, about five or six milen K.N.w.
of Jerosalem ; celebrated in the histoiy of Joshua : see above.
Josh. ix. 8 ; x. 2. 4. 12.
The Tabernacle was there at this time, and it is remarkable
that Gibeon, the scene of the treacherous and evil act of Joab
here described (w, 8 — 10), was the scene also of his death :
1 Kings ii. 28, 29. Cp. 1 Chron. xvi. 89 : above, note on xvii.
22.
— Joah* 9 garmeni] How came Joab to be here ? Probably
he had heard that the rendezvous of the troops was to be at
Gibeon : chosen perhaps by David for that purpose, because the
tabernacle was tnere, in order that the expedition might be
inaugurated by sacrifice and prayer.
— a 9wordr—it fell oufX of the sheath. Joab seems to have
chosen a small sword for the purpose. It fell out of the sheath,
as if by accident ; but, in reality, this was so contrived by Joab,
in order that he might use it against Amasa, without putting
him on his guard by drawing it ftx)m the scabbard.
118
0. my hroihef^ cousin.
— took Amata hy the heard— to hi$» him] An usual oriental
salutation {Rarmer, Thevenot, D'Artneux).
10. he emote him--and struck him not ay ttin] The first wound
was so violent as to be deadly. This was tne third murder
committed by Joab (the two others were those of Abner and
Absalom) from motivei of jealousy and ambiUon, and for ^
sake of his own pre-eminence and supremacy. But these mur-
ders recoiled eventually upon himself (1 Kings ii. 5. 84), and be
was slain by Benaiah at Qibeon, where he hi^ slain Amasa.
14. Abel] now called AheUeUKaneh, on the east side of the
stream Deaara, in the north of Falestin^ above the waters (^
Merom.
— Beth-maachahl near Abel, so as sometimes to be con-
sidered as one pUice with it (1 Kings xv. 20. 2 Kings xv. 29),
called ftom its ndghbooring waters AheUBethmaim (2 Chron.
xvi. 4).
— the Beritee] Probably the inhabitants of that district.
There is no need for the change (proposed by Ewald and others)
into Bahurim, i. e. yomtg men,
18. ai AheV] wmch was of old time fkmous for its wisdom.
She reproves Joab for not first inquiring whether the men of
Abel were ready to make peace.
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David* 8 officers.
2 SAMUEL XX, 20— 26, XXI, !• The three years' famine.
"the inheritance of the Lord ? ^ And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far
be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy, ^i jj^g matter is not so :
but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba tie son of Bichri f by name, hath lifted
up his hand against the king, even against David : deliver him only, and I will
depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall
be thrown to thee over the wall. 22 Then the woman went unto all the people
" in her wisdom^ And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and
cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they f retired from the city,
every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.
2^ Now ''Joab was over all the host of Israel: and Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites: ^^ And Adoram
was P over the tribute : and "* Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was || recorder :
2* And Sheva was scribe: and 'Zadok and Abiathar were the priests: 26 "And
Ira also the Jairite was || a chief ruler about David.
XXI. ^ Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after
year ; and David \ enquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, It is for
ch. 8. 18.
f Heb. 90ughi the face, ^c.
m 1 Sam. 26. 19.
oh. 21.3.
t Heb. by ki»
name.
n Ecclet. 9. 14,
15.
f Heb. were
ecaiUred.
ch. 8. 16, 18.
p 1 Kings 4. 6.
q ch. 8. 16.
1 Kings 4. 3.
n Or, remem-
brancer.
rch. 8. 17.
1 Kings 4. 4.
s ch. 23. 38.
Q Or, a prince,
Gen. 41. 45.
Ex. 2. 16.
Bee Num. 27. 21.
88, ill her mtdom] with her wise oonxuel. Does Solomon
refer to this act in Eccles. ix. 14, 15, when he describes the
siege of a dty, the bnlwarks built against it, and the deliveranoe
of it by a single citizen P A good deal of mischief would be
prevented, if contending parties would endeavour to understand
one another, before they rush into the conflict. Joab furiously
attacks the city (o. 15). The citizens prepare to encounter
violence with violence. The wise woman mediates between
them. She devises and proposes terms of agreement, which are
accepted by both the belligerent parties; and so the city is saved
and the civil war is ended. This is the office of Christian teachers
and of the Christian Church, — ^to allay strife and to promote
peace by bringing men to a mutual understanding with each other.
88. Joah was over all the hotf] Joab prospered in this world,
even after his sin. Qod g^ve him time for repentance, but he
hardened his heart by sin, and in the end he was cut off (see on
V. 10).
— Benaiah'] See viii. 18 ; xxiii. 20. He was afterwards em-
ployed by Solomon to execute judgment on Joab (1 Kings ii. 34),
whom he succeeded as '<over the host *' (1 Kings iv. 8 ; ii. 85).
84. Adoram] Probably the same as Adoniram (1 Kii^ iv. 6).
— oter the tribute] the exchequer and its revenues, arising
from taxation : see Sept., Vulg., 8yr,, jirabic, Tar^vm, Others
suppose that tribute means the levy of forced service (iiyyapla) i
see Matt. v. 41 ; xxvii. 82; and Gpeen,, p. 488; and KeU (1 Kings
V. 13, p. 47).
85. Sheva was ecribe] Cp. viii. 17.
86. Ira— chief ruler] or cohen. See viii. 18.
— Jairite] n*om Gilead (Num. xxxii. 41).
Thb Thbei Ybabs* FAMnrs rs David's TncB fob thb
SLAVaHTSB OF THB QlBBOITITBS BY SaTTL,
National Jttdoments fob National Sins.
Ch. XXI. 1. Then there wae a famine] Rather, and, or now,
there wae a famine. The ooojunction then is not in the
original The famine here described may have been before the
revolt of Absalom {Aharhanel, Keil, Stanley),
— David enquired of the Lobd] A worldly-minded ruler
would have ascribed the famine to natural causes merely, such
as drought ; and perhaps he would have imputed that c&ought
to the mfluence of heavenly bodies ; but Jhrnd. knew that he
must look above the clouds and beyond the stars, and he
inquires of the Lord the cause of the fiunine ; and the Lord
gives him an answer. Compare the case of the Pestilence,
below, chap. xxiv.
Here is a rebuke to those who ascribe such visitations as
fiunines, murrains, and pestilences to secondary causes alone,
and do not regard them as Divine punishments for man's sins, and
as Divine ci^ to repentance. But how different is the view
which was taken of them by holy men of old : see the words of S.
Cyprian; speaking of the plague at Carthage (de Mortelitate,
p. 274), he says, ** Plagues to us are not f^erals of terror, but
exercises of holiness : we understand their meaning : they are
messages sent to us by God to explore our hearts, to sound the
depth of our love to man, and to fathom our faith in Qod."
119
In proportion as the World draws nearer to its end, we
may expect that national sins will be visited more closely by
national judgments ; because Nations, as Nations, will have no
existence in another world, and therefore they must look for
retribution in this world : see Ezek. xiv. 13 — 21, and the re-
marks in the Editor's Occasional Sermons, No. xxxiv., on this
subject.
— It is /or Saul, andfbr his bloody house, because he slew
the Oibeonites] Perhaps, when Saul dew the priests at Nob
(1 Sam. xxii. 18), he uew also the Oibeonites, who were their
servants, ** the hewers of wood and drawers of water " fbr the
Tabernacle (Josh. ix. 21. 27).
The slaving of the Gibeonites was a heinous offence, because
they were God's ministers ; and because the obligation of Israel
to protect them had been shown by the history of Joshua (see
above, Josh, x.), who hastened from Gilgal to rescue them from
their enemies.
It has been alleged, that it could not be consistent with
divine justice to visit Israel with a famine of three years, at the
end of David's reign (which lasted forty years), fbr a sin com-
mitted by his predecessor Saul and his house.
To this it may be replied with Dr, Waterland (Scrip. Vind.,
p. 147),—** It ought not to be said, because it cannot be proved,
that tne Israelites of that time were punished for crimes that
they were no way guilty of. We know not how many, or who,
were confederate with Saul in murdering the Gibeonites, or
guilty in not hindering it. We know not how many, or who,
made the crime their own, by approving it afterwards. We
know not what share of g^t might be derived upon the whole
nation for suffering so much innocent blood to be shed, against
a national contract; or for not expressing their horror and
detestetion of it by some public act. Further, we know not
what other sins (which had no relation to that) the people might
be guilty of, to deserve a &mine; which sins, though God would
have remitted or passed by at another time, He would not remit'
then, when the sins of their fathers, added to theirs, called for
an act of discipline. We know not, how far such an act of dis-
cipline at that time might be necessary to prevent the like
murders for the time to come, or to preserve the whole nation of
the Gibeonites from rudeness and insult; or to raise in the
minds of the Israelites a proper regard and respect for them.
We know not, how much the sacredness and validity of national
oaths or contracts might be concerned in that matter. In a
word, we know not the depths of the divine counsels, nor a
hundredth part of the reasons which an all-wise God might
have; and therefore it behoves us, in such cases, to be modest
and reserved in our c^isures, remembering that Qod is in
heaven, and that we dwell in dust, and that He knows all
things, and we nothing in comparison."
** Forty years and more are past between the sin and the
reckoning for it. It is a vain hope that is raised from the
delay ofGod's judgments. No time can be any prqudioe to the
Ancient of days" {Bp, Salt). Cp. 2 Pet. iii. 4—12.
Nearly forty years passed between the Crucifixion and
its punishment, — the destruction of Jerusalem.
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The reason of the famine.
2 SAMUEL XXI. 2—8.
Mephibosheth is spared.
a Josh. 9. 8> lfi|
16, 17.
b eh. 20. 19.
II Or, It is not
silver nor gold
that we have to do
with Sttul or hie
hou^e, neither pcT-
Uint It to US to
kill, 9e.
I Or, cut ue off.
e 1 Sam. 10. 26.
&11.4.
d 1 Sam. 10. 24.
D Or, chosen of
the LORD.
el Sam. 18. S.
8c 20. 8, 15, 42.
& is. IS.
fch. 8. 7.
g Or. MichaVe
eitter.
Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. ^And the king
called the Gibeonites, and said unto them ; (now the Gibeonites were not of the
children of Israel, but • of the remnant of the Amorites ; and the children of
Israel had sworn unto them : and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the
children of Israel and Judah.) ^ Wherefore Bsmd said unto the Gibeonites,
What shall I do for you ? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye
may bless ** the inheritance of the Lord ? * And the Gibeonites said unto him,
II We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house ; neither for us
shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said. What ye shall say, that will
I do for you. ^And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and
that II devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of
the coasts of Israel, ^ 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.
^ But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul,
because of 'the Lord's oath that was between them, between David and
Jonathan the son of Saul. ^ But the king took the two sons of ^ Eizpah the
daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth ; and
the five sons of || Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she f brought up for
t Ueb. bare to Jdriel, 1 Sam. 18. 19.
It is also evident from Holy Scripture, and from the world's
history, that Almighty God regards kiugs as representatives of
nations; and that as the piety of princes hrings blessings on
their people, so their sins are causes of national misenr. " Rex
est publica persona, et rempublicam reprsBsentat : iae6 publi-
cum regis peccatum public4 fame castigavit Deus" (ALapide),
Here is a lesson to rulers, that they should take heed to their
own conduct, not only for their own sake, but for that of the
community.
8. Amorites] The common designation of the Canaanites
(Gen. X. 16; xv. 16). They are called " Hivites" Josh. ix. 7.
This history has been rightly regarded as one of the many
internal evidences of the tmtib and inspiration of this portion of
Holy Scripture. In thb narrative, seven princely Israelites are
represented as given up to death at the request of the Gibeon-
ites, who were of the seed of Canaan, which was under a divine
curse ; and as a compensation for ii\jury done to them. Would
the Jews ever have accepted such a history as this as part of
the sacred canon, unless they had been convmced by irrenstible
arguments of its truth and inspiration ?
— hetd sworn unto them] Josh. ix. 15. 19.
— in his zeal] Zeal without knowledge TBom. x. 2); the
seal of a Saul persecuting the Church of God (Phil. iii. 6 : con-
trast Gal. iv. 18). Here is another proof in the history of Saul
(see above, 1 l^im. xv. 21, 22), that good intentions are not
sufficient to constitute a good action ; and that a person, who
intends well, may still be an object of God's displeasure, and
■ubject to punishment from Him ; and that if we desire to please
Him, we must not only make His glory our aim, but must walk
in the way of Hb commandments, in order to attain that
end.
4. We will have] Literally, I will have : they answer as one
man.
6. we will hang them up] Kot while alive, but after they had
been executed : see on Num. xxv. 4. Deut. xxi. 22.
— unto the Lobd] To satisfy His justice, because the
Gibeonites were mixusters of the Lord, and their safety had been
guaranteed by an oath before the Lord, and because the violation
of an oath is a sin against God, and He demands reparation for it.
Here is a warning to some Christian Churches and States
which countenance the opinion, that ** faith is not to be kept
with heretics."
This was also done to satisfy the justice of God, whose
ministers the Gibeonites were, and whose honour was outraged
by their murder ; and who has declared in the Law that blood
defileth the hmd, and can only be expiated by blood (Num.
XXXV. 33).
It is true that God had also paid that the children should
not be put to death for the parents (Deut. xxiv. 16. Cp. Ezek.
xviii. 20) ; but this lawt while it controlled the aption of the
120
magistrate, did not restrain God, who required and accepted
the expiation (o. 14. Cp. Exod. xx. 5).
Josephus affirms (vii. 12. 1) that David inquired of the
prophets, and that they answered that God would have the
GibeoniteB avenged, and that He would be entreated for the
land, when the Gibeonites had been consulted, and when their
demands had been complied with. David did what he did, not
as a private man, or even as a magistrate, but in obedience to an
oracle from God {TirinuSy Estius, A Lapide, Wouvers). God
seems to have prompted the Gibeonites to make the demand,
and to have authorized David to comply with it, for reasons
which we cannot fully ascertain : see above, on v. 1.
Certain it is, that God thus has made a solemn declaration
to the world, that no one should presume that sins will not be
punished hereafter, because they are not punished immediately ;
and that parents should be deteired from sm, by a consideration of
the sufferings they may entail on their children by sin ; and that
it is not suffering which is a sign of Gk>d's anger, but rather it
may be a salutary dispensation ; and that in this world it often
happens, that one man sins, and others suffer for his sins, and
therefore this present world is not every thing, but there is a
future state, in which every man will bear the burden of his own
sin : see Bp, Sanderson's three excellent sermons on 1 Kings
xxi. 29, vol. iii. pp. 2—87.
The Gibeonites were among the lowest and meanest of the
ministers of Gkxl's sanctuary, yet the shedding of their blood was
not overlooked by Him. The sin of their murder was visited by
a three years' fkmine on the whole nation, and by the execution
of the throe sons of the king who had committed the crime.
Here is a warning to kings and nations that they will incur
God's %vrath if they sin against the humblest ministers of Him
who said, '* Take heed that ye despise not one of these little
ones. Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe
in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about
his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea"
(Matt, xviii. 6. 10) ; and ''He that despiseth you despiseth Me, and
he that despiseth Me despiseth Him that sent Me *' (Luke x. 16).
If God thus avenged the sin of Saul against the Gibeonites,
who were the meanest ministers of his sanctuary, can we sup-
pose that He will spare those who are guilty of sins of sacri-
lege, and who injure the ministers of the Christian Church, the
spouse of Christ, for which He shed His blood P
Let those who would despoil churches — for instance, the
Church in Ireland— of revenues dedicated to God« meditate on
this lesson of Holy Scripture.
— in Ofheah of Saul] 1 Sam. x. 26 ; xi. 4 : that the warning
might be more solemn, tlie sin was brought home to his house,
and the punishment was executed at his door.
7. Mephibosheth] ix. 3—6.
8. Michal the daughter qf Saul, whom she brought up — the
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Rizpah the daughter of Aiah. 2 SAMUEL XXI. 9—18. Acts of David's Worthies.
Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite : ^And he delivered them into the
hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill ^ before the Lord :
and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest,
in the first daySj in the beginning of barley harvest. ^^ And ** Rizpah the
daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, * from the
beginning of harvest until water dropped uponthem out of heaven, and suflfered
neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field
by night.
"And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of
Saul, had done. ^^And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones
of Jonathan his son fi-om the men of ^ Jabesh-gilead, which had stolen them
from the street of Beth-shan, where the * Philistines had hanged them, when
the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa : **And he brought up firom thence the
bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son ; and they gathered the
bones of them that were hanged. **And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his
son buried they in the country of Benjamin in " Zelah, in the sepulchre of
Eish his father : and they performed all that the king commanded. And after
that ° God was intreated for the land.
^* Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel ; and David went
down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines : and David
waxed faint. ^^And Ishbi-benob, which was of the sons of || the giant, the
weight of whose \ spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he
being girded with a new sword^ thought to have slain David. ^^ But Abishai
the son of Zemiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him.
Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, ** Thou shalt go no more out
with us to battle, that thou quench not the ^ \ Kght of Israel.
^^ "lAnd it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the
Philistines at Gob : then ' Sibbechai the Hushathite slew || Saph, which was
gch. 6. 17.
h ver. 8.
ch. 8. 7.
i See Deut. 21.23.
rlChroD. 11.29.
k 1 Sam. 81. U,
12, 13.
1 1 Sam. 81. 10.
m Josh. 18. 28.
n So Josh. 7. 26.
ch. 24. 25.
I Or» Rapha.
t Heb. tk9 »iag,
or, iht h$ad.
o ch. 18. 8.
p 1 Kings 11.86.
8c 15. 4.
Pa. 182. 17.
f Heb. candle, or,
lamp.
q 1 Chron. 20. 4.
I Or, Sippai.
MehoUsthUe] The Hebrew text has, whom »he bare, Heb.
yaUdaht and so 8evt» and Vulg, In 1 Sam. xviii. 19, it is
said that the wife of Adriel was Merah, The Chaldee Targwm
has t^e name of Merab here ; but it adds, whom Miohal the
daughter of Saul had bronght up ; and the Syriao and Arabie
have Nadab.
The rendering, hrotight up, in onr Authorized Version was
sngfgested by the Hebrew expositors (e. g. EAmehi — who cites
RuUi iv. 17—80 JeronUatter, A Lapide, and Selden).
Two of Kennicotft MSS. have Merad here; and perhaps
when more MSS. have been collated the name Merah may be
found in some of them. Jotephus (vii. 4. 8) asserts that Michal
had four children ; cp. on 1 Chron. iii. 8. Some recent critics
say that there is an error in the MSS., and that for Michal we
oufi^t to read Merab here (Keil, Archdeacon Browne, Chrove,
in B. D., under the words Adriel, Merab, and Michal).
It seems not improbable that the Sacred Historian wrote
** the five sons of the daughter of Saul,'' and that some of the
copyists first placed the name of Michal in the margin, and that
thence it first found its way into the text.
0. in the beffinnina of barley harveetl At the Passover. See
licv. xxiii. 11. 15. JDeut. xvi. 9. Ruth iL 28. The beginning
of harvest was a critical time, and the expiation was to be
effected then, lest there should be a fourth year of famine.
10. until water dropped upon them out of heaven"] If this
were the " former rain," it would be about the end of October.
See on Lev. xxvi. 4. If this was the case (as some of the
Hebrew exporitors suppose, and so Stanley, Lectures, xxL p. 84),
the affectionate and fiuthfdl woman watched the bodies for half
a year, i. e. fiom Passover to October.
But it seems more probable, that God sent nun in modera-
tion (" the water dropped from heaven ") soon after the begin-
ning of the barley harvest; and this would be very opportune,
after the long drought, and would make the grain to swell, and
Vol. II. Pabt II.— 121
would produce an abundant wheat harvest, and would be a sign
that " God was entreated for the land " (v. 14), and then the
bodies would be taken down and buried. The law (Deut. xxi. 22),
which did not allow dead bodies to remain all night on a tree, did
not apply to such a case as this (Keif),
11, IS. it woe told Bavid^And David wentl David heard
what Bizpah had done, and he was pleased with her tenderness,
and was exdted bv her example to do honour to the bodies
of Saul and Jonathan, and thus showed that he did not war
with the dead, and that his recent act, in deliverinfl^ up Saul's
sons, was not one of personal revenge, but of public justice.
— from the men of Jabesh-ffilead] who had buried them
(1 Sam. xxzL 18).
— the etreet^ Heb. rechab, the market-place, not in the
middle of the city, but near the gate (cp. 2 Chron. xxxiL 6.
Neh. viiL 1. 3. 16), and therefore the bodies are said to have
been fastened by the Philistines on the waU of Beth-shan
(1 Sam. xxxi. 10).
14. Zelah] Ptobably the birth-place of Kish and his family ; it
is mentioned as in the allotment of Beijamin, in Josh, xviii. 28 :
perhaps it was the residence also of Saul himself before he
became king.
15. Moreover] This brief specimen of some of David's
deliverances is introduced here as a prelude to his hymn of
thanksgiving (ch. xxii.).
16. Ishbi-benob] L e. whose dwelUng is at Nob (Chsen, 872),
or on a high place,
— three hundr^ shekels] Half the weight of Goliath's (1 Sam.
xviL 7).
17. sware unto him] This, therefore, seems to have happened
after the rebellion of Absalom.
18. Gob] The same as Gezer, or near it (1 Chron. xx. 4) ;
near the modem site of Sl-Kubab, about fbur miles east of
Joppa. Cp. Josh. X. 88.
Digitized by
Google
Acts of David's Worthies. 2 SAMUEL XXI. 19—22. XXTT. 1, 2. David's song.
I Or, Kapha.
B Or, Jair.
I See 1 Chron. 20.
i.
t 1 Chron. 20. 6.
B Or, Rapha.
I Or, reproached,
I Sam. 17. 10, 25,
26.
u 1 Sam. 16. 9,
X 1 Chron. 20. 8.
a Ex. 15. 1.
Judg. 5. 1.
b Pt. 18, title.
& P«. 84. 19.
e Dent. 82. 4.
Pt. 18. 2, &c.
8e31. 8. ft 71. 8. ft 91. 2.^144.2.
of the sons of || the giant. ^^And there was agam a battle in Gob with the
PhiUstines, where Elhanan the son of |! Jaare-oregim, a Beth-lehemite, slew
• the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's
beam. ^And 'there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of gre(U
stature^ that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and
twenty in number ; and he also was bom to (| the giant, ^i^nd when he
II defied Israel, Jonathan the son of "* Shimeah the brother of David slew him,
22 « These four were bom to the giant in Gath^ and fell by the hand of David,
and by the hand of his servants.
XXII. ^ And David • spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day
that the Lord had ^ delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out
of the hand of Saul : ^ And he said,
^ The Lord is my rock, and my fortress,
19. Slhanan the son of Jaare-ore^m, a JBeth-lehemite, slew
the brother of ChUath the Gittite, the Haff of whose spear was
like a weaver's beam] The words, the hrother of, are not in the
original. In 1 Chron. xx. 5, we read, ** Slhanan the son of
Jair slew Lahmi the hrother of QoUath the OUtite, whose spear
staffs was like a weaver's beam"
Many expositors suppose that the text in our passage is
corrupt, and ought to be assimilated to the parallel passage in
CSironicles : see Movers, Keil, Grove,
None of the ancient versions authorize the insertion of the
words the brother of in our passage.
The Targvm supposes £lhanan Twhich means "given by
Qod's grace,'* and is rendered "Adeoaatu8**by Vulg,) to be no
other than David himself; and so JeronUaster g[n Qusest. Hebr.).
It seems not improbable that (as is suggested by A Lapide)
Ooliath was a eeneric name given to the family of giants, which
is mentioned m v, 22, "l^ese four were bom to the giant
{ha-raphdh) in Gath."
Cfoliath means simply a stranger, an exile (Gesen. 172), and
may be compared with the word Philistine, which signifies a
wanderer and emigrant, rendered in Greek by &A.A^vAos (one
of a different or foreign tribe), and an " alien " (cp. Heb. xi. 84) ;
and the name GvUath, therefore, mav describe any one of the
family of the giants of Gath, the Anakim, or sons of Anak, the
Philistine Titans; as Hamor was the name of the chieft of
Shechem; Abimelech, of Gerah; Pharaoh and Ptolemv of
those of Egypt ; Ceesar, of Rome ; and the members of the
giant-family of the Cyclops are all called Cyclopes by Homer
and other poets; and many other parallel cases might be cited.
The historian in the passages before us says that fSlhanan dew
GoluUh, L e. one of the fimuly of the ^ants. In the Chronicles
we have the special name Lahmi, by i/^ch he was distinguished
from other Goliaths.
In the passage before us, Elhanan is called the son of
« Jaare-oregim /' in the Chronicles he is called ike son of
"Jair." The original word oregim means "of weavers"
{Gesen, 76), and occurs at the end of the verse here: "The
staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam." May not the
word "oreffim " have been added to his name in honour of his
son's exploit ?
81. Shimeah the brother of David] xiii. 8.
22. to the giant] to the Bapha (Heb.). Hence JiliUon has
taken his character of Ha-rapha, in Samson Agonistes.
— by the hand of David^ None of them was slain by David
personaJly; but David, as km? and leader, is said to do, or co-
operate in doing, whatever is done by his servants.
This sugg^ts the consideration, that, as David himself,
fighting with the first Goliath of Gath who is mentioned in
Scripture, and overcoming him, was, as we have seen, a signal
type of Christ, our Divine David, conquering the champion of the
enemies of the spiritual Israel (see above, on 1 Sam. xvii.), so
doubtless these conflicts of David's servants are typical of the
spiritual combats of Christ's soldiers with the family of the Evil
One. The mention of the four heroes of David who overcame
the "sons of the giant" invites a comparison of the spiritual
victories achieved by the Four Evangelists, and by all Evan-
gelical champions who fight the good fight of faith preached in
tiie Four Gospels, and £us overcome Uie worid, thie fiebh, and
the devil. Whatever victory is gained by them, is not due to
themselves, but it is achieved by the co-operation of Christ
working in them and by them: and so the enemies of tiie
122
Christian Church fidl by the hand of the Divine " David, and by
Uie hand of lus servants :" cp. 1 Chron. xx. 8.
PftBLndKABT KOTB TO CE. XXII.— ThB SoKG 09 DaYID.
The Books of Samuel begin and end with a Song of praise
for God's mercies (sec 1 Sam. iL 1 — 10^. So Moses had begun
and ended the Wanderings in the wilderness with a Song of
thanksgiving (Exod. xv. I)eut. xxxii.).
These songs are connected together by means of the titleB
of honour given to God, especiafiy by that of the Rook : see
Deut. xxxii. 4, and passim: 1 Sam. ii. 2; and here v, 2.
Compare below, on v. 82 ; and the beginning of the Song of
Moses (Exod. xv.).
Tl^ present song appears with some modifications in the
body of the Psalms, as Ps. xviii., where the title has "to the
chieif musician^" or "precentor." The variations are probably
to be accounted for from the drcumstanoe that in the present
chapter the song appears as used by David ori^nally in his own
private devotions; and in the 18th P6alm it exhibits the
form in which he delivered it for the general liturgical use of
the Hebrew Church : cp. below, on 1 Chron. xvi. 7.
Moses in his song, and Hannah in her song (as we have
already seen : cp. above, on Deut. xxxii. and on 1 Sam. ii.), riae
from a consideration of God's mercies to themselves persooially,
and ascend by a lofly flight of inspiration to a contemplation oi
God's goodness to aU nations in Chbist, the Seed of Abraham^
the King of Israel, the Anointed One of God.
The present Song is composed in the same spirit : David
speaks first of merdes to himself, but his heart is more and
more warmed with divine forvour ; he rises to loftier heights ;
his field of view expands and enlarees, till its horizon embraces
all mankind, in all g^enerations, looking with fkith and love to
one divine central form — that of Chbist. In the glorious
altitude to which he is raised by the Holy Ghost, he looks
backward on God's mercies to Israel in <ihe Exodus, and in
the passage of the Bed Sea ^see on w, 8 — 18) ; and then he
casts his view forward, and bciiolds the glorious Antitype of aU
Israel's deliverances, and he sums up fdl bv an ascription of
pnuse» uttered in the name of all nations, both Jew and Gentile
(as the Holy Spirit, speaking by St. Pftul, has taught us : see
below, on w, 60, 51), and magnifies and blesses God for £Qs
goodness in Chbist to " David and his seed fbr evermore."
" The grace which the Lord has shown to David is so great,
that his praise fbr it cannot be limited to the narrow range of
Israel. Together with the dominion of David over the naSons*
the knowle^^ of the Lord and the praise of His name, who had
given him uie victory, extended themselves. Bightiy has St.
Paul QKom. xv. 9) adduced v, 60 of the present chapter, together
with Deut. xxxii. 43, and Ps. cxviL 1, as an evidence that the
salvation of God was demgned also for the heathen" (JT^i/).
The king, for whom God is a tower of salvation {v, 51), is
not merely C^vid as an individual, but " David and his seed fbr
evermore, and the royal race of David, which culminates in
Chbist. David's joys and hopes terminate as ours ought to
do, in Christ {Bp, Patrick, M, Eenry),
A critical comparison of the text of this chapter with that
of Psalm xviii. may be seen in Dr, KenmeoU^s Dissertation,
Oxf., 1753, vol. i. pp. 464—472, and vol. ii. 566-670.
2, 8. my rook] or my eUf^, or crag. In the English Tersion
the word rook appears twice, here and v, 8, but the original
Digitized by
Google
Ood ih4 Rock.
2 SAMUEL XXn. 3—11.
David's deliverances.
And my deliverer ; ^ the God of my rock ;
** In him will I trust :
He is my •shield, and the 'horn of my salvation,
My high * tower, and my ** refuge,
My saviour ; thou savest me from violence,
^ I will call on the Lobd, who is worthy to be praised
So shall I be saved from mine enemies.
* When the || waves of death compassed me.
The floods of f ungodly men made me afraid ;
^ The II ' sorrows of hell compassed me about ;
The snares of death prevented me ;
^ In my distress ^ I called upon the Lobd,
And cried to my God :
And he did * hear my voice out of his temple.
And my cry did enter into his ears.
* Then °* the earth shook and trembled,
■ The foundations of heaven moved and shook.
Because he was wroth ;
^ There went up a smoke f out of his nostrils.
And ^ fire out of his mouth devoured :
Coals were kindled by it ;
^^He ^ bowed the heavens also, and came down ;
And "> darkness was under his feet ;
1^ And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly :
And he was seen ' upon the wings of the wind ;
d Ueb. 2. IS.
e Gen. 15. 1.
f Luke 1. 69.
g ProT. 18. 10.
h Ps. 9. 9.
& 14. 6.
& 59. 16.
& 71. 7.
Jer. 16. 19.
II Or, pang».
t Heb. BtliaL
]| Or, cords.
i Ps. 116. S.
k Pi. 116. 4.
& 120. 1.
Jonah 2. 2.
1 Ex. 8. 7.
Ps.84.6, 15, 17.
m Judg. 5. 4.
Ps. 77.18.
& 97. 4.
D Job 26. 11.
t Heb. hg.
Ps. 97. 3.
Hab. 8. 5.
Ueb. 12. 29.
P Ps. 144. 5.
Isa.64. 1.
q Ex. 20. 21.
1 Kiugs 8. 12.
Ps. 97. 2.
r Ps. 104.8.
oonverB two distinct ideas. David first speaks of God as a high
oUff (sela), a steep lofty place to which he resorted for refine
(cp. Ps.xriiL 8; xxxi. 4; xlii. 10; IzxL 4), as he had done to
the steep clifib of Palestine^ as a refuge worn Saul : see 1 Sam.
zxiL 5 ; xxiv. 5.
This is the first passage in the Old Testament where God is
called a sela. It is obsenrable, that it is first used hy David,
who had often found reftige on a sela in his persecutions, and it
is used more frequently by him than by all the writers of Scrip-
ture; indeed, it is only once used by any other writer in the Old
Testament, in a figurative sense — ^viz. Isaiah (xxxii. 2), and
there the metaphor is derived from the shadow, and not from
the height, of the rock.
But the word rendered roeh in 9. 8 (vii. tswr) oonveyB a
diflSsrent idea.
It signifies what is solid, firm, compact^ and nnmoveable :
cp. Dent. TTTJi. 4.
Thus these two words {sela and tswr) intimoate that Ck)d is
a sure re^e at all times to the fiuthfU.
8. shield'] A figure borrowed from God's own language to
Abraham (Gen. xv. 1), and firom the words of Moses speaking of
God (Dent, xxxiii. 29).
— horn] The fignre is from animals, whose strength is in
their horns. This figure appears first in the song d Hannah
. (1 Sam. ii. 1. 10), and like the other figure here, the rock (see
00. 2, 8), serves to connect tins song of David with that of
Hannah ; and this figure is adopted in the Gospel and applied
to Christ in the Song of Zacharias (Luke i. 69), who says He
has "raised to us a horn of salvation in the house of His servant
Dooki."
5. the wanes] In the parallel {dace in the Psalm, xviii. 4, 5,
we have the wrad oords twice {sorrows in the English Version),
where the figure is from a hunter taking a wild beast in the
toils of a net : cp. Ps. cxvL 8.
Here David may seem to compare himself to Israel of old,
delivered from the waves of the sea, which overwhelmed their
enemies (cp. Isa. 11. 9, 10. 16), and to foreshadow the Divine Son
of David, aelivered from the waterfloods of Death and the Grave,
and rising by a glorious resurrection to life everlasting.
Accordmgly, St. Peter seems to refer to these words when
128
roeaking of the Besurrection of Christ (Acts IL 24). See JBp.
Pearson, Art. v., p. 248, note.
— qf vmgodty men] Literally, of Belial, who is spoken of
as a person by St. Paul (2 Cor. vi. 15). See above, on Judg. xix.
22; XX. 18. lSam.L16; ii. 12; X. 27.
7. qfhis temple] Heaven itself.
8. Then the earth shook] David here again seems to com-
pare himself to Israel, dehvered, amid storm and darkness, by
God's power, from the depths of the Bed Sea, in which their
enemies were overwhelmed (see esp^ually oo. 16, 17) ; and so
he foreshadowed the true David, whose Death and Besurrection
were prefif^ued by that glorious deliverance, and who by that
Death and Besurrection redeemed all true Israelites, all the
genuine seed of David, and overcame their enemies thereby.
See above* the Preliminary Note to Exod. xiv.
The intention of the Holy l^irit, speaking by David, to
associate his deUverance with the Exodus of Israel, and wiUi the
passage through the Bed Sea, and with the future Exodus of all
true Israelites, from a spiritual Egypt, in Chbist; — so that David
in his Divine Son is, as it were, a connecting link between the
Ancient Hebrew Church coming out of Egvpt, and the Church
of Christ Universal, delivered by the Divme David from the
E^ypt of Sin and Satan, and brought through the Bed Sea of
His Mission, into *'the glorious liberty of the children of God"
(Bom. viii. 21) ; — will be evident to those who compare the de-
scriptions here of David's deliveranoes, with the description of
the deliverance of Israel. Compare with o. 16 here the lan-
guage of Moses (Exod. xv. 8), David's own words referring to
Israel's deliverance HPs. cvi. 7 ; cxiv. 6), and Habakkuk's mag-
nificent description (iii. 8 — 15).
11. a ^kerub] Another roferenoe to the scenery of the
Exodus from Esypt and the Wanderings in the Sinaitic wilder-
ness, where God vouchsafed to appear enthroned on the Cheru-
bim over the Ark (see Exod. xxv. 20 : cp. note on Gen. iii. 22) ;
and, inasmuch as the Ark was carried through the wilderness,
the Mercy Seat became, as it were, God's ^umphal Chariot,
as well as His Boyal llirone ; whcoioe the imagery in Ezekiel
(x. 2—22 : cp. i. 4^28), and in the Apocaly^ (Bev. iv. 7).
— he wcu seen] Manifested Himself in His glory. In Pu,
xviii. 10 it is. He came flying as an eagle. Cp. Deut. xxviii. 49.
B 2
Digitized by
Google
Qod's majesty.
2 SAMUEL XXn. 12—31-
David's trust in Him*
flTer. 10.
Pt. 97. S.
1 Heb. hinding of
t Ter. 9.
u Judg. 5. 20.
1 Bam. 2. 10.
ft 7. 10.
Ps. 29. 8.
Isa. 80. 80.
X Deut. S2. 28
Ps. 7. IS.
&77. 17.
& 144. 6.
Hab.8.11.
T Ex. 15. 8.
Pa. 100. 9.
Nab. 1. 4.
Matt. 8. 26.
I Or, amjfttt
Pt. 74. 1.
s Pi. 144. 7.
I Or, great,
a Ter. 1.
b Pt. 81. 8.
ft 118.5.
c cb. 15. 26.
Pt. 22. 8.
d Ter. 25.
I Sam. 26. 28.
1 Kingt 8. S2.
Pt. 7. 8.
e Ps. 24. 4.
f Gen. 18. 19.
Pt. 119.8.
ft 128. 1.
Prov. 8. 82.
g Deut. 7. 12.
Pt. 119.80, 102.
h Gen. 6. 9.
ft 17. 1.
Job 1. 1.
t Heb. to him,
i yer. 21.
f Heb. before hie
ejfee,
k Matt. 5. 7.
I Lev. 26. 28,
24, 27, 28.
I Or, wrestle,
Pt. 18. 26.
m Ex. 8. 7, 8.
Pt. 72. 12. 18.
n Job 40. 11. 12.
Ita.2. 11, 12,
17. ft 5. 15.
Dan. 4. 87.
}0r, eandU,
Ob 29. 8.
Pt. 27. 1.
I Or, broken a
troop,
Dent. 82. 4.
Dan. 4. 87.
Rev. 15. 8.
pPl. 12. 6. ft 119.
140. Ptot.80.5.
U
15
16
^^ And he made " daxkness pavilions round about him,
f Dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies ;
^^ Through the brightness before him
Were ^ coals of fire kindled.
The Lord "* thundered jfrom heaven.
And the most High uttered his voice ;
And he sent out * arrows, and scattered them ;
Lightning, and discomfited them ;
And the channels of the sea appeared,
The foundations of the world were discovered,
At the ^rebuking of the Lord,
At the blast of the breath of his || nostrils.
^7 * He sent from above, he took me ;
He drew me out of [| many waters ;
*^ * He delivered me from my strong enemy.
And from them that hated me :
For they were too strong for me.
^^ They prevented me in the day of my calamity :
But the Lord was my stay ;
^ •* He brought me forth also into a large place :
He delivered me, because he "" delighted in me.
21 ^ The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness :
According to the ^ cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me ;
For I have 'kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God ;
For all his « judgments were before me :
And as for his statutes, I did not depart from them ;
I was also ** upright f before him.
And have kept myself from mine iniquity.
Therefore ^ the Lord hath recompensed me according to my righteousness ;
According to my cleanness f in his eye sight.
With ^ the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful.
And with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright ;
With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure ;
And ' with the froward thou wilt || shew thyself unsavoury ;
And the " afflicted people thou wilt save :
But thine eyes are upon " the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.
^ 'For thou art my || lamp, O Lord :
And the Lord will lighten my darkness ;
For by thee I have || run through a troop :
By my God have I leaped over a wall.
As for God, ** his way is perfect ;
^ The word of the Lord is \\ tried :
I Or, r^/lmed.
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
80
81
16. diteomJUed ihem] Another reference to the Exodns : see
Exod. xiy. 24 (Kay).
17. jETtf dmo me ouf] Another reference to the Exodus. The
original word here is mash<Mh, which occnrs only here and in
Exod. ii. 10, with reference to the deliverance of Moses (LtUher,
Km/, KsU).
87. wUh the flroward thou wiU shew thyself unsaitowry]
124
/iCT& crpe^Kov crp^fikaiBli^ {Sefi^i "com perverse perver-
teris" {Vulg), lliese two verses emhody the all-important
troth, that Qod deals with eveiy man acooraing to his ctisposi-
tion. Cp. above, on the history of Balaam, Kom. xziL 20 ; and
below, on Rom. L 28, and on Rsv. zxii. 11.
80. have I leaped over a ^o^ttt] 1 have sprang over the
battlements of the enemy. Davia and his men sprang over
the wall of Zion, and took the fortress of the enemy (vii. 8).
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Ood the Boch.
2 SAMUEL XXn. 82— 46.
David's victories.
He ts a buckler to all them that trust in him.
For *» who is God, save the Lord ?
And who is a rock, save our God ?
God is my ' strength and power :
And he \ ■ maketh my way * perfect.
He \ maketh my feet " like hinds' /^^i ;
And * setteth me upon my high places.
** ^ He teacheth my hands f to war ;
So that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation :
And thy gentleness hath f made me great.
Thou hast " enlarged my steps under me ;
So that my f feet did not shp.
I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them ;
And turned not again until I had consumed them.
And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise :
Yea, they are fallen 'under my feet.
For thou hast ^ girded me with strength to battle :
"" Them that rose up against me hast thou f subdued under me.
Thou hast also given me the "^ necks of mine enemies.
That I might destroy them that hate me.
They looked, but there was none to save ;
Even * unto the Lord, but he answered them not.
Then did I beat them as small ^as the dust of the earth,
I did stamp them ' as the mire of the street,
And did spread them abroad.
^ ^ Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people.
Thou hast kept m^tohe^ head of the heathen :
^ A people which I knew not shaU serve me.
^ t Steangers shall || f submit themselves unto me :
As soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me.
Strangers shall fade away,
And they shall be afraid ^ out of their close places.
32
33
34
86
37
38
40
41
42
43
46
Pi. 66. 8. & 81. 16.
?1 Sam. 8. 2.
sa. i6. 5, 6.
r Ex. 15. 2.
Pi.27. 1.
6 28. 7. 8.
&81.4.
Isft. 12. 2.
f Heb. ridd^ik,
or. lootglh.
» lleb. IS. 21.
t Deut 18. 13.
Job 22. S.
Ps. 101.2. 6.
ft 119. 1.
t Heb. equallelk.
u ch. 2. 18.
H«b. S. 19.
X Deut. 32. 13.
Iml 33. 16.
ft 58. 14.
7 P». 144. 1.
t Heb. /or /A*
war,
f Heb.
muUiplied vm.
% Prov. 4. 12.
t Heb. ankUi.
& Mai. 4. 3.
b Pt. 18. 82, 39.
o Pa. 44. 5.
t Heb. catued to
bow.
d Gen. 49. 8.
Ex. 23. 27.
Joeh. 10. 24.
e Job 27. 9.
Prov. 1. 28.
Isa. 1. 15.
Mic. 8. 4.
f2 Kings 13. 7.
Pi. 35. 5.
Dan. 2. 35.
R Isa. 10. 6.
Mic. 7. 10.
Zeeh. 10. 5.
h eh. 3. 1.
ft 5. 1.
ft 19. 9, 14.
ft 20. 1, 2. 22.
i Deut. 28. 13.
ch. 8. 1—14.
Ps. 2. 8.
k Isa. 55. 5.
f Heb. Son* of
ths itrangtr.
J I Or, pitld
tignod obodUmce,
tHeb. /<«:
Me Deut. 33. 29.
lMic.7. 17.
82. who U Ood,9ao€ the Lobd ? And who U a rock, saoe omr
Ood ?] He adopts the language of Moaee in hU somg, Deut.
xxxiL 4. 15. 18. dO, 91, in aU wUch places the word tsuTt rock,
IB applied to God ; and that is the first passage in the Bible, and
the only chapter in the Pentateoch, where that figore is nsed;
and it is next adopted in 1 Sam. iL 2, " There is none holy as
the Lord ; for there is none beside Thee, neither is there any
Soek like onr God." In the present chapter the fignre is nsed
four times, vv, 8. 82. 47 twice, and below, xxiii. 8. These are
the only places up to this point in the Hebrew Bible where the
word tmr is thus nsed, and they serve to mark the connexion
between the hymns of Moses, of Hannah, and of David.
84. like hind** feet] Like the feet of a gazelle. ** The sacred
writers (says Dr, Thomson) frequently mention gazelles under
the various names of harts, roes, and hinds. They are cele-
brated for their activity. Thus Jacob says of Naphtali, ' he is
a hind let loose' (Gen. xlix. 21); and his mountains abound
in gazelles to this day. Asahel was light of foot like a wild roe
(2 Sam. ii. 18); and David says, * He maketh my feet like hinds'
fleet, and setteth me upon my high places.^ I have often
stopped to admire the grace, ease, and fearless security with
whi<m these pretty creatures bound along the high places of the
mountains" {Dr. Thomson, The Land and Book, p. 172).
— seUeth me upon my high places'] So God exalts believers
in Christ, even to heavenly places, and makes them to sit tiiere
together with Him» Eph. li. 6.
125
86. He teacheth mgf hands to war] Compare the language
of the Apostle, speaking of himself, 2 Cor. x. 4, 5.
86. ^ gentleness] Thy gracious condescension to my prayer
for help.
41. Thon hast also gioen me the necks qf mine enemies'] See
above. Josh. x. 24, where is also a figure of Christ's victory, and
of the victory of all Christians in Him. 1 Cor. xv. 25—28.
67.
44. Thou also hast delivered me^A people which I knew not
shall serve me] This and the two following verses, fiilfllled in
part in David, will be accomplished completely in Christ : cp.
Isa. Iv. 6; Ixv. 1. Bev. vL 15^ 16; xix. 16.
46, Strangers shall submit themselves unto me] shall lie to
me; play the hypocrites; render me homage in an obsequious
and servile manner; there is a reference here to the words of
Moses, Deut. xxxiii. 29.
— As soon as thetf hear] Literally, at the hearing qf the
ear.
46. shaUfade awag] Shall wither, as if scorched up by my
power.
— shaU he afraid'] Literally, thev shall gird themselves and
come out, if the readmg be oonrect (see G^esen, 261) ; or, if the
reading in the parallel pUce in the Ptalm (Pto. xviii. 46) be
adopted* they shall come forth trembling from their hiding-
pla^ : cp. Micah viL 16, 17. Hos. xL 11.
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David and the heathm. 2 SAMUEL XXII. 47—51. XXTTT> 1—8. David's last words.
47
m Pi. 89. 26.
t H«b. giveth
aoenjftment for
1 Sun. 25. 89.
ch. 16. 19, 81.
n P». 144. 2.
o P«. 140. 1,
p Rom. 15. 9.
q Pi. 144. 10.
r Pt. 69. 20.
t cb. 7. 12, 18.
Pfl. 89. 29.
a cb. 7. 8. 9.
Pt 78. 70, 71.
& 89. 27.
b 1 8«m. 16. 12,
18.
Pt. 89. 20.
c 2 Pet. 1. 21.
1 Deut. 82. 4, 81.
?h. 2S. 2, 82.
B Or, Be thou
niUr, J^e.
Pt. 110. 2.
48
49
50
The Lord liveth ; and blessed be my rock ;
And exalted be the God of the "rock of my salvation.
It is God that f avengeth me,
And that ^ bnngeth down the people under me,
And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies :
Thon also hast lifted me np on high above them tibat rose np against me :
Thou hast delivered me from the "* violent man.
Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, Lobd, among ^ the heathen.
And I will sing praises unto thy name.
^^*^Heis the tower of salvation for his king :
And sheweth mercy to his ' anointed,
Unto David, and ' to his seed for evermore.
XXm. ^ Now these be the last words of David.
David the son of Jesse said,
' And the man who was raised up on high,
** The anointed of the God of Jacob,
And the sweet psalmist of Israel, said ;
2 *= The Spirit of the Lord spake by me,
And his word was in my tongue.
' The God of Israel said,
^ The Bock of Israel spake to me ;
II He that ruleth over men must be just,
60,51. Therrfore Iwms^ihanki unto thee^UtUo I>avid,
and to his teed for evermore] The Holy Ghoat, speaking by
St. Fkiul (Bom. XV. 9), teaches jib that here is a Divine prophecy
of the onion of the Gentiles with the Jews, in one nnivenal
CSiareh, and in a song of thankfUness to God for His merdes,
not onlv to David personally, bnt to David in hie eeed for ever^
more, tiiat is, to the blessed company of all faitht\il people of
every age and nation, united together in heavenly glory in Christ.
See above, on vii. 13^16, where God makes this promise of per-
petoi^ of duration and of dominion to David's seed in Christ.
Here also the Holy Spirit, speaking by David, uses the
same language as He luid uttered before by Moses (see on Deut.
xxzii. 48), and by Hannah (1 Sam. IL 10). And St. Paul, by join-
ing the last utterances of Moses with the last utterance of David,
and by combining them together in two consecutive verses in his
Epistle to the Bomans (Rom. xv. 9, 10. 12), snd by adding thereto
the words of the evangeli(»l prophet Isaiah, " There shall be a
root of Jeeee, and He that shall rise to reign over the Oentitee,
in Him shall the Qentilee trust" (Isa. xi. 1. 10), instructs us that
the consummation, to which Moses in the Law, and David in the
Psalms, and the Holv Prophets looked, was one and the same —
the Uinoiir of all nations in CasnT and His Church.
Pbixhok^bt Kotx to Chap. XXIII.
Thx Last Wobdb ov Datid.
These ''lattword* of Damd*'Bxe nottohe considered as the
last which he spoke as a man in his personal capacity (for later
sayings of Ids are fbund in 1 Kings i. and iL), but thev are his
«<novissima verba," his fkreweU utterances, as a divinely in-
spired Prophet of Ood. All lus hopes and desires are summed
up in them. They are like the seal, which God the Holy Ghost,
Who spake by him, sets to the whole historv of his life ; and in
them he leaves a last testimonv to the world, of his faith in the
promise of perpetuity, which he had received through Nathan
the prophet from God : see above, vii. 12 — 17.
It is to this futh, in which David spake, and in which he
fell asleep ; it is to this blessed hope, and to its farewell utter-
ances, that St. Peter refers when he says, ** The patriarch
David, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with
HU oath to him, that of the fhiit of his loins according to the
flesh ffe would raise up Chbist to eit on hie throne — he, seeing
this before, spake of the resurrection of Chbist :" see Acts ii.
29 - 81. Cp. Acts xiii. 88—37.
The Jews themselves acknowledge these words to be the
126
profesnon of faith, which David, the Elng, the Pnlmisty and
the Plophet, delivered as his final utterance to the world : cp.
Luthet^e Works, xxxvii. p. 1. Catovme, BibL Illnst. p. 778.
Hengetenherg, Christologie, i. 169.
1. David the eon of Jeeee muT) Literally, the saying or
utterance of David the eon ttf Jeeee. Hie word her« used and
rendered, eaid, is properly the pasnve participle ncOm, ftcm
naam, to speak bv Divine Inspiration (see Geeen, 525).
By means of this solemn word, this parophecy oi David is
linked on to that of Balaam oonceming the Messiah, which is
introduced in the same way : see Num. xxiv. 8, 4. 15, 16.
But there is this difierence between the nctUm, effhium, or
prophetic utterance of Balaam and David, that one is the utter-
ance of a man fidling into a trance, the other is that of one
lifted up on high, and greaUv favoured by God ( JTsiQ.
— raised up on h^gh, M anointed ftf the God of Jaeob"]
Baised from the low estate of a shepherd to tiie throne <»
Israel (see PS. Ixxviii. 72), and anointed by God Himsdf. This
is the correct interpretation ; the other, which is fbund in the
Vulgate, <'cui constitutum est de Christo," and is adopted by
Luther, Pfeiffer (DuUa, p. 211, "David oonfirmatus est de
MessiA"), and others, cannot be maintained on grammatical
grounds.
— the eweetpeaUmH ofleraeX] Literally, who is aeoeptable
(to God^ in the pealme (m hymns of praise to God) qf leraeL
David here spcidcs by inspiration, oonceming what the HoW
Ghost had uttered by his means (see o. 2). This is not «^-
praiee, any more than the words of Moses, *< the man Moses was
very meek," are : see above, on Num. xiL 8, and the words of
Samuel, 1 Sam. xii. 11.
8. The Spirit of the LoBD epake bg nui] As Christ Hhnself
bears witness : Matt. xxii. 48. Cp. Acts ii. 80 ; iv. 25 : cp. Bp.
Pearson, Art. i. p. 8. David says of himself, " My tongue is t&
pen of a ready writer" (Ps. xlv. 2) 5 it was God's secretary.
It is not without reason that many expositors have seen
here a prophetic reveUition ai the Three Persons of the Blessed
Trinity, peaking to David ;
(1) The Spirit of the Lord, God the Holy Ghost.
(2) The God of Israel, God the Father.
(8) The Rock of Israel, God the Son: BeeLuther, 1. c, and
Cfaloviut, Bi\A. HI. p. 778.
8. The Jtock qf Israel] See above, on xxii. 2, 8. The
origmal word here is teur. "Tribuit Scriptura Chrieto pecu-
liariter nomen Petro" (Calovius). Cp. below, on Matt. x^. 18.
8, 4^ 5. Me that ruleth over men must be Just — rain] The
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David'9 prophecy of Christ. 2 SAMUEL XXTII. 4 — 7. Christ's Coming and Kingdom.
Baling •in the fear of God.
^ And ^he shall be as the light of the mornings when the sun riseth,
Even a morning without clouds ;
As the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
' Although my house be not so mth God ;
^ Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
Ordered in all things, and sure :
For this ts all my salvation^ and all my desire,
Although he make it not to grow.
^ But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away.
Because they cannot be taken with hands :
But the man that shall touch them
Must be f fenced with iron and the staff of a spear ;
And they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.
e Ex. 18. 21.
2Chron. 19. 7,9.
f Judg. 5. 81.
Ps. 89. 36.
FroT.4. 18.
Hob. 6. 5.
SeePs. 110. 8.
g ch. r. 15, 16.
Pi. 89. 29.
ISA. 65. 8.
t Ueh.JllM.
words inserted in italics in the Authorized Version in these
three verses wonld be better omitted. These verses contain the
snm of David's utterances, the substance of David's fiuth and
hope» the kernel of all the Messianic Psalms ;
David has a vision of Christ, and he thus describee what he
sees. In his spiritual ecstasy and rapture he pours forth his
utterances with vehemence and brevity, and with characteristic
abruptness he omits verbs, and in the vigorous language of nouns
he declares the character of the Divine Person Whom he beholds.
He takes as it were the trumpet of prophecy in his hands, and
lifts up his voice, as a herald of the Messiah, and proclaims the
attributes and prerogatives of the Jodge and King, Whose
Coming he beholds ;
These verses may thus be translated : —
A Ruler over men, Righteomi
One who rtUeth in the fear of Chd,
The best comment on them is Jeremiah xxiii. 5» 6 >—
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,
That I will raise unto David a righteous Branch,
And a King shall reign and prosper.
And shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
And this is His name whereby He shall be called, " Thi
LOBD OITB BiaHTEOXJBirBBS.''
Compare Ps. hdi. 2. Isa. xi. 1 — i, and Zech. ix. 9.
Next follows a description of the blessed effects of Christ's
kingdom, in dispelling the darkness and in diffusing light over
the world ; And as Ught of the morning the Sun shall arise ;
as morning, and no clouds.
Christ is the Sun of ^ghteousness ^MaL iv. 2), and He
shall arise as the Dayspring from on high (Luke i. 78) ; and
no clouds shall be seen, tor they shall be dispersed by the bright-
ness of His rising.
From His brightness and rain, the greenness from the
earth (sprouts forth).
David is here describing the consequences of Christ's Birth
and of His Resurrection, and of the light, and dews, and showers
of the Holy Spirit, making the earth to flourish ; as the Psalmist
himself says (Pd. IxxiL 6), " He shall come down, like rain upon
the mown gprass, as showers that water the earth." And again
(Ps. Ixviii. 9), " Thou sentest a gracious rain on Thine inherit-
ance, and refireshedst it when it was weary :" cp. Deut. xxxii. 2.
Isa. xliv. 8, 4, " I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and
floods upon the dry ground : and they shall spring up among the
grass, as willows by the water courses" (Iv. 10, 11).
The Birth of Christ was from the gracious dews of the Holy
Spirit, as the Angel said to the Blessed Virgin, "The Holv
Gnost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall
overshadow thee " (Luke i. 85) ; and Sie Incarnation of Christ is
the origin of aU spiritual grace to mankind. As an ancient
writer expounds the words, "Ecclesia, oriente Sole, Christo
resurgent^ absque nubibus rutilat. Pluvia, evangdica prsDdi-
cstio. Herba credentem signiflcat populum " (Angelomus).
Ibr is not so mg house with Ood ? Is it not thus blessed
by Him P Certainly it is ; as to the construction, cp. Hos. xL 5.
lial. ii. 15 (j;ba?<2, § 824 Keil),
Because Me has established wUh me an everlasting
covenant. As had been declared by Kathan to David (see vii.
12—17). Comp. the paraphrase here in the Chaldee Targvm,
127
Ordered in all and guarded. He compares the covenant
to a strong fortress or city wall, ordered, and furnished, and
safely guarded, so as to be impreg^ble: <»>. Gesen. 654 and
837 for an explanation of the original words here used.
Jbr all mg salvation, and aU mg desire, wHl JBe not
make it grow f Will not God make my salvation and my desire
to spring forth and flourish in His own appointed season P As-
suredly He wilL David here looks forward to the coming
forth of Christ with all His blessed influences, as a branch from
the stem of his own family, of which the Prophets speak, " There
shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch
shall grow out of his roots" (Lml xi. 1), wbioh St. Paul applies
to Christ (Rom. xv. 12).
But Belial (i.e. worthlessness and wickedness : see Deut. xiii.
18 ; XV. 9. Judg. xix. 22; zx. 18. 1 Sam. i. 16. 2 Sam. xx. 1).
AU of them are thorns oast awag. They are thorns which are
uprooted from the field in order to be burned. Such are the
wicked rooted out of the field of God's Church t cp. Matt.
xiiL 80.
JFbr men wiU not gather them in their hand, Theyaxe
not like good wheat, which men gather into sheaves. " With
them the mower fllleth not his himd," as David says, "neither
he that bindeth up the sheaves his bosom" (Pa. cxxix. 7).
Sewho grapples with them will provide himself with iron,
and spear, and staff; and thev shall utterlg be burned with fire
in their own place. David is here speaking, as the Jews them-
selves confess, of the Aiture judgment to be executed by the Son
of David, the Messiah, at the Great Day : see the Chaldee Tar-
gum here. Cp. Luke xix. 27. Heb. vi. 8.
David'a Woethibs.
After the foregoing final prophecj^ of David, concerning the
Coming of Christ, and its blessed spiritual consequences to the
World, even to the end of time, the Sacred Historian inserts a
Catalogue of David's mighty men — ^his heroes or worthies.
In their names and deeds we may see a foreshadowing of
the noble acts effected bj^ the Apostles, and othen in succession
after them, in the Christian Church, its Martyrs, Confessors, and
other champions of the Cross, animated by the Spirit, Whom
Christ sent to enable them to overcome the enemies of the
Faith. Thus the acts of these mighty men are exemplary to
the soldiera of Christ.
David's worthies are divided into three classes : —
(1) Consisting of the three (8—12).
?2) Of two (18—28).
(3) Of 82 (24—89) ; v. 84 contains three names.
Twelve of these, viz. the five of the first two classes, and
seven of the third, were chie& for a month respectively of a body
of 24,000 apiece (see 1 Chron. xxvii. 1 — 15). Joab is not men-
tioned in this catalogue. Cp. v. 28.
Many critics Imve endeavoured to force the two accounti
here and in 1 Chron. xxvii. 1—15, into verbal identity; and a
great many constrained conjectural emendations have been pro-
posed by them for this purpose. It seems more reasonable to
suppose that the two writers are giving various details con-
cerning I>avid's worthies, and, sometimes, concerning different
periods of David's history, and that the latter writer is not a
mere copyist of the former.
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David's worthies :
2 SAMUEL XXm. 8—15.
their feats.
Ij Or. Joskeb'
bfUMbH ih0 Taek-
moMitt, Juad of
ike three.
II See 1 Chron. 11.
11.6 27.2.
t Heb. iMn,
h 1 Chron. II. 12.
& 27. 4.
i 1 Chron 11.27.
k See 1 Chron.
11. 18. 14.
U Oii for foraging.
1 1 Chron. 1 1. 15.
Or, the three
captain* over the
thirty.
m 1 Sam. 22. 1.
n ch. 5. 18.
o 1 Sam. 22. 4, 5.
^ These be the names of the mighty men whom David had : \\ The Tachmonite
that sat in the seat, chief among the captains ; the same was Adino the Eznite :
II he lift up his spear against eight hmidred, f whom he slew at one time. ^ And
after him was ** Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty
men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered
together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away : ^® He arose, and
smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the
sword : and the Lord wrought a great victory that day ; and the people
returned after him only to spoil,
^^ And after him was ^ Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. ^ And the
Philistines were gathered together || into a troop, where was a piece of ground
fiill of lentiles : and the people fled from the Philistines. ^^ But he stood in
the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines : and the
Lord wrought a great victory.
^3 And * II three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the
harvest time unto " the cave of Adullam : and the troop of the Philistines
pitched in "" the valley of Eephaim. *^ And David was then in ** an hold, and
the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem. ** And David longed.
An elaborate essay on the catalogue in this chapter, as com-
pared with the catalogae of worthies in 1 Chron. xi., may be
seen in Dr. Kenmcotfs Dissertations, Oxford, 1763, vol. i.
15—518. The learned author of that essay seems to have been
biassed by a theory that the two catalogues were originally
almost identical, and ought to be brought into coincidence
with one another.
8. The jyichmonife thai $at in the geiW] or, Jashobeam the
son of Machmoni : see 1 Chron. xi. 11 ; and compare v. 9 here,
where the son of Achochi is the same person with the Acho'
chite.
The reading in the extant MSS. here is supposed by some
to have arisen from the occurrence of the words b<uhshebeth, in
the seat, in the previous verse {Dr, Kennicott, who enlarges at
much length on the words of the text here, as compared with
1 Chron. xi. 11 : see his Dissertations, vol. i. pp. 64—128).
If the words in the MSS. here are genuine, they mean
sitting in the seat (Oesen. 872). This reading is confirmed by
the Targum here, and by Syriae, and Arabic, and Vulg., and is
not hastily to be abandoned. The name Jashobeam, in Chronicles,
means to whom the people turn, Cp. Fuerst, p. 616.
— the captains'] So Oesen., p. 828; or, rather, adjutants of
the king {Keil, p. 356).
— the same was Adino the Etnite] The Hebrow words here
(hu adino ha-etseno) are supposed by some to be equivalent to
those in the parallel place of Chronicles {hu orer eth chonitho),
he lifted up kis spear. But it is not easy to see how they could
have been formed from them. It is coiyectured by Simonis and
Gesenius, pp. 606. 648, that the sense is he (foiu^ht with) the
wielding (or vibration) of his spear aaainst — . Q>. Orove and
Bullock in B. D. i. 604. 934; and bdow, on 1 Chron. xL 11.
llie Sept. has, "Adino the Ezrite, he drew his sword;*' and
the Targum has, *< hurling with Ms spear;" and the Striae has
the name '* Gedchu." Abarbanel thinks that his second name
was Adino ha-ezri. Adina occurs as a name 1 Chron. xi. 42.
The words, he lift up his spear, might be omitted without
detriment to the sense "he stood (done against;" and the
difference of numbers (see next note^ seems to suggest as pro-
bable that the battle hero spoken of is a different one from that
in the Chronicles ; and that it is not reasonable to attempt to
force the two accounts into verbal identity.
ITie opinion of Pfeiffer (Dubia, p. 218> deserves attention.
The words Josheb bashshebeth here, and Jashobeam in Chronicles,
contain two descriptions of the same person; and the words
Tachmomte and son of Hachmoni represent redprocaUy the
cognomen of the person and the name of his fkther ; Adino ha-
eUino is another name of the same hero, with the addition of the
name of his birth -phice ; this is omitted in the Chronicles, and
it is there added that " he brandished his spear," and routed
the enemy therewith. ** Binomincs Hebrsei erant, nee opus ut
omnia simul et semel in uno loco referantur." So Pagninus,
Vatdblus, and Calovius, p. 784. We shall see numerous in-
128
stances of double names borne by the same person among David's
worthies : see below, w. 25. 27, 28. Why should we be sur-
prised at this, any more than at the different names borne by the
same Apostles of Christ ? see on Matt x. 3, 4.
— eight hundredr~-at one time'] In the extant MSS. of the
Chronicles the number is three hundred : cp. v. 18. But (aa
Kimchi supposes) the two writers are probably speaking of two
different battles : see the foregoing note ; and this is the reason
why each of the two writers adds "at one time," suggesting
that other feats were done at another tmte (Pfeiffer).
0. Eleazar the son of JDodo] or, of lyodai : see 1 Chron.
xxvii.4.
— the Ahohite"] Literally, the son of Achochi: m the
Chronicles he is called an Achochitef the patronymic
— with David] The Chronicles here adds the place, "at
Pas-dammim" (1 Chron. xi. 18); probably Ephes-daimnim
(1 Sam. xvii. 1).
— when thejf defied the Philistines'] In answer to the former
proud boast of Qoliath, who had defied the armies of the Living
Qod in the same place (1 Sam. xvii. 10. 36).
This incident, recorded here, is not mentioned in the
Chronicles ; here is one of the numerous evidences that the two
catalogues are supplementary to each other, and ought to be
treated as such, and not to be forced (as they are by some
critics) into identity by violent conjectural alterations. This has
been attempted, in part, by Kennicott, pp. 128 — 144.
11. Mararite] Perhaps the mountaineer {Syriao, Arabic,
Oesen.).
— a troop] The onnnal word, signifying a heap, is explained
in the Chronicles (1 Chron. xi. 18. 15).
— lentiles] In the Chronicles it is added that there was
barlejf there (1 Chron. xL 18). Doubtless the field (a large
plain) was sown with both ; the independence of the two writers
is thus shown ; and the latter intended that his own account
should be supplementary to the former : see the notes there.
18. three qf ^ thir^] Their names are not mentioned. Qod
knows them, as He knows the noble acts of all His Saints and
Martyrs, and wiU reward them at the Great Day, although,
like the fkr greater part of the actions and sufferings of the
holy Apostles themselves, they are not written in any earthly
histories. Th^ names are "in the book of life " (PhiL iv. 3),
and their acts, unknown to men, are registered in Qod's
Martyrology.
— h€^rvest time] When thirst would be most intense. In
the Chronicles it is added that they came "to the fock."
— cave of Adullam] Where I)avid had hid himself when
persecuted by Saul (see 1 Sam. xxiL 1), and where he was
fortifying himself agidnst the Philistines wnen they came against
him, as described above (v. 17, 18), as ai^>ears probable from
the mention of "the valley of Bephaim." Cp. Josephus, viL
12.4.
14. an hold] A fortress.
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David and the water of the
2 SAMUEL XXm. 16—20.
well of Bethlehem.
and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Beth-
lehem, which is by the gate ! ^^ And the three mighty men brake through the
host of the PhiUstines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was
by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David : nevertheless he would not
drink thereof, but poured it out unto the Lord. ^^ And he said. Be it far from
me, LoBD, that I should do this : is not this ""the blood of the men that went ?!•«*. i?. lo.
in jeopardy of their lives ? therefore he would not drink it. These things did
these three mighty men.
1® And *>Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among qichnm. 11.20.
three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, \and slew theniy and tHeb.#tei«.
had the name among three. ^^ Was he not most honourable of three ? therefore
he was their captain : howbeit he attained not unto the first three.
^And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of 'Kabzeel, rjo>h.is.?i.
15. Oh thai one would gvo€ me drink of the water of the well
qfBeth-lehem] His own birth-place ; water which he knew to be
refreshing, especially at that sultry time of harvest. But it was
then posMssed by the Philistines, the enemies of Israel and of GK)d.
Bethlehem itself is now ill snpplied vrith water (Thomson,
p. 647), and no Well has been foona within the dty or near the
gate {Mohinson, ii. 158). There is a dstem of dear cool water
about half a mile N.x. of the town (Eitter, Toiler), and it is
called *' the Well of David " (Bobineon) ; near it, according to
tradition, was " Jesse's honse" (Keil). Joeephus says (vii. 12.
4) that the Well was near the gate.
DaYID Aim THB WaTBB 07 THB WeLL AT BSTHLBHEM.
16. he would not drink thereof, hut poured it out unto the
Lobb] As a drink-offering. He gives the reason: that he
looked npon it, not as water, but bl<Hfd (v. 17), being procured at
the hazurd of their lives ; and he knew that it was forbidden by
the Law to drink of blood (Lev. xvii. 11, 12) ; as is related in
1 Chron. zi. 18, 19, he said, " Shall 1 drink the blood of these
men that have put their Uves in jeopardy P " Therefore he
would not drink it, bat poured it out to the Lord. Joeephue
adds (viL 12. 4) that he gave thanks to God for the preserva-
tion of their lives.
(1) There is a moral lesson in this history, as an example of
resisUnce to, and sacrifice of, the fleshly aj^tite. Riamples of
this kind are dted from prd^e history; viz. of Aleiander the
Qreat» in his Indian campaign, refusing a proffered draught of
water, when he was pardiea with thirsty saying, ** Nee solus,
inquit, bibere sustineo; neo tam ezifluum omnibus dividere
possum'' (Outfit. Curt. vii. 6); and of Cato Uticensis,
" Somni pardssimus ipse est ;
Uliimus hanstor aqu» ; qutun tandem fonte reperto
Indiga oonatur latices potare juventus,
Statdumlixabibaf'
{Lucan, iz. 590). In the words of Bp, Sanderson (L 107^,
slightly modified: When thou obeervest thy will eag^Iy
bent upon some one thing, deny thyself: cuirb thy desires,
though they be somewhat importunate, and thou shalt find
incredible benefit by it. This is one of the best uses of
to cross the appetite and pull down the will.
Solomon's words, '* Put a knife to thy throat** (Prov. xxiu. 2),
and «* Buffet thy body " (1 Cor. ix. 27). Exercise rule over thy
will (1 Cor. vii. 87). David would not taste a drop of the
water of the weQ by the gate of Bethlehem, but in condemnation
of his appetite, wmch had exposed such worthy persons to the
hazard of their lives, poured it out before the Lord. What a
mass ci sin and misery would he have e8<»ped, if he had so
denied himself in the matter of Uriah ! VerQy, there is no
conquest like this, for a man to conquer himself.
" Fordor est, qui se qukm qui fortissima vindt
Oppida-** ^ ^ ^
" Est virtus Ileitis abstinuisse bonis."
And to adopt also the words of S. Ambrose (Apol. David i.),
** David overcame nature by not drinking when he thirsted :
and he thus taught his army by his example to endure thirst,
and showed them that he would not expose his soldiers to
danger in order to grati^ any ambitious desires of his own.
To him the water would have no sweetness, being tainted with
the taste of the death of his friends."
J 2) Some of the Fathers suppose that thb inddent is related
ter to show that David, who had not been content with his
Vol. IL Pabt II.-.129
own wives, nor to drink ** water out of his own cistern " (Prov.
V. 15), but had coveted his neighbour's wife, and had been gpiilty
of adultery wiUi her, had now mastered his passions : see Chrys,
in Ps. L, and 8, Ambrose de Jacob i. 1 : " Humanum passus
est David ut concupisceret, sed ooncupiscentiam rationabiliter
parato fraudavit remedio." Cp. 8, Qregor, in Kegistro ix. 39 :
" Licebat d bibere, si voluisset ; sed quia illidta se fecisse me-
minerat, laudabiliter a Ileitis abstinebat."
David, who before had yielded to his carnal appetite in n
lawless lust, in his palace at Jerusalem, in the cool eventide (see
xL 2), now triumphs over the natural appetite of thirst in a
scorching summer's day. He who before had shed the blood of
his faithfrd soldier Uriah, now shrinks from drinking the water
because it seemed to be purchased by those who willingly
hazarded their lives; and he poured out tne water on the ground.
It is well said by an andent expodtor : " In sacrifidum
Domini effhsa aqua oonversa est, quia ctilpam concupiscentiss
mactavit per poenitentiam. Qui quondam concupiscere alienam
uxorem non tmiuit, post etiiam quia concupierat expavit. Quia
illidta perpetrAsse meminerat, contra sdpsum jam rigidus etiam
a lidtis abstinebat." «Quod aquam bibere nolui^ sed earn
Domino libavit, exemplum presbmt militibus suis. Vidt natu-
ram, ut suo exemplo omnis exerdtus vincere dtim disceret"
{Angelomms).
(8) Tet farther, as some of the Christian Fathers suggest,
the inddent here recorded by the Holy Ghost has not oiSv a
moral, but also a sdritual, prophetic, and typical meaning (see
8, Ambrose, Apd. l)av. L 7). David was a prophet : he spake
by the Spirit; he foreknew that Chbibt would spring ftt>m his
own loins (Acts ii. 80). He propheded by this action; though
we are not bound to suppose that he himself understood its
meaning, anv moro than we aro to suppose that he, or any other
propheC understood the ftdl meaning of what they uttered in
words. The events of the Gk)6pd nave explained to us the
meaning ci many acts and utterances of Patriarchs and IVo-
phets, which were not dgnificant to themselves. Christ is the
true Well-sprincr of Bethlehem, gushing forth with living waters
of salvation. David thirsted for the water which would spring
from that divine welL But he did not drink of it, and he was
overruled by a divine instinct to pour it out, as blood, beforo the
Lord. David ropresents the fiuthful souls of the Patriarchs
thirsting for Chnst (Ps. xliL 1).
(4) The Well of Bethlehem was in the hands of the Philistines,
and David's three valiant men broke through the host of the
enemy and ^rew water from it at the risk of their lives, and
gave it to David, who poured it out, as blood, before the Lord.
The water is called their blood. Thej represent Christ's self-
sacrifice for us, and our own duty. To win Christ requires a spirit
of m ar t v rdom; and when He isjjained, and when the soul rccdves
Him who was pierced <m the Cross, and who is the " true foun-
tdn opened to the house of David for sin and for undeanness "
rZech. xiii. 1), and from whom ''came forth blood and water"
(John xix. 84. 1 John v. 6) to save, deanse, and refresh us, then we
are not to look for carnal delights, but for something far higher,
nobler, and sweeter than all earthly pleasure ; we are to find our
joy in Him, and in sacrificing ourselves for Him ; then He be-
comes our all-sufficient Sacrifice before the Lord, and we are
accepted thereby: cp. Methodius in Hypapante; Euoherius,
Bede, Angelomus here.
18. Abishm] See 1 Sam. xxvL 6. 1 Chron. xi. 20.
'_ three"] Three with whom he was cUissed, not the first three.
80. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada^ The priest : 1 Chron.
S
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David's worthies. 2 SAMUEL XXIII. 21—39. XXIV. 1, 2. He numbers Israel.
f Heb. great of
acts.
s Ex. 15. 15.
I Chron. 11.22.
i Heb. liana of
God.
i Ileh. a MOM of
countenance^ or,
fight: called,
1 (hron. 11.23,
man of great
»lature,
1 Or, konourahU
among the thtrtif,
t cb. 8. 18.
ft > 0.23.
n Or, eomncH.
t Heb. at hit
command,
1 Sam. 22. 14.
uch. 2. 18.
X See 1 Chron.
11.27.
! Or, vallnft,
Deut 1.24.
y J udg. 2. 9.
z ch. 20. 26.
ach. 11.8,6.
ach.21. 1.
II Satan.
Seel Chron. 21.1
Jamet 1. 13, 14.
fwho had done many acts, 'he slew two f lionlike men of Moab: he went
down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow : ^^ And he
slew an Egyptian, f a goodly man : and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand ;
but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the
Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear. ^ These things did
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among three mighty men.
23 He was || more honourable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first
three. And David set him ' over his || f guard.
^ " Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty ; Elhanan the son of
Dodo of Beth-lehem, ^5 « Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, ^ Helez
the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, ^ Abiezer the Anethothite,
Mebunnai the Hushathite, ^ Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,
^ Heleb the son of Baanah, a Netophathite, Ittai the son of Kibai out of
Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, ^ Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the
! I brooks of ^^Gaash, «* Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,
32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, ^ Shammah the
Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite, 3* Eliphelet the son of
Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the
Gilonite, ^ Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, ^ Igal the son of Nathan
of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, ^ Zelek the Ammonite, Nahari the Beerothite.
armourbearer to Joab the son of Zeruiah, ^^ » Ira an Ithrite, Gareb an Ithrite,
^ * Uriah the Hittite : thirty and seven in all.
XXrV. ^ And * again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and
j! he moved David agamst them to say, ** Go, number Israel and Judah. ^ For
b 1 Chron. 27. 23, 24.
xxYu. 5 : qp. 1 Chron. xii. 27. Benaiah was the captain of the
Cherethites : viii. 18 ; xx. 28.
— the 8on] And therefore renowned, thronffh his grandfather
as well as his &ther, in war. So Tar^wm and Vulg.
— vcUionf] Literally, of life and valonr {&—&%, 273).
— of KabzeeH In the sonth of Jadah (Josh. xy. 21). He
was a Levite hj descent, bnt an inhabitant of Judah.
— two lionwce wen] Literally, two arieUt or Uone of Ood ;
a name given to valiant men mke " Cceor de Lion ") by the
Arabs and others (Booharf), He slew two lionlike men, and
a lion also.
— qfapif] or dstem, where he had taken reftige. Benaiah
leapt into it and grappled with the lion there, in a snowy day,
which is apt to benumb man's strength and to cool the courage,
and when beasts of prey are most fierce and ravenous ftt>m
hanger. The pit was probably near a house, and the lion was
lying in wait for his prey.
21. a goodly wan] A prodigious man, a man to be gazed at
with wonder, for his site ; he was five cubits high : see 1 Chron.
xi.2d.
28. Me gMord^ His body-guard (viii. 18 ; xz. 28). Who the
third was, b not mentioned. Could it be Joab ? Was he de-
graded, KoA is his name omitted, on account of his crimes P
Both his brothers, Abishai (o. 18) and Asahel («. 24), occur in
the list. His armour-bearer is mentioned (o. 87). llius there
are " some first that shall be last, and the last first."
JoaVs prowess is described in the first place in the catalogue
in 1 Chron. xi., and thouffh his name is not expressly mentioned
in thb list, it being well known, yet it is supposed here in order
to complete the number, 87 {Kennicott, p. 16).
26. Shammah] Called Shammoth, 1 Chron. xL 27.
— Harodiie] See Judg. vii. 1.
26. Paltite] Pelonite, 1 Chron. xi. 27.
27. Mebunnai] Called perhaps Sibbecai, 1 Chron. xL 29.
28. Zalmon] Called also perhaps lUu, 1 Chron. xi. 29.
29. Heleh] Called also Heled, 1 Chron. xL 80.
80. Pirathomte] Of the tribe of Sphraim, 8.w. of NahUte,
Judg. xii. 18.
— Hiddai] Called also Hurai, 1 Chron. xL 82.
— Oaaeh] in Ephraim, Josh. xxir. 80.
8L Ahi-aUHm] Called also AMel, 1 Chron. xi. 82.
180
— Jrhathite] From Arabah, in the wilderness of Judah
(Josh. XV. 61; xviii. 18. 21).
— BarknmUe] Of Bahurim, xvL 6.
82. of the eone <tf J<uhen] The two fbllowing weone his oiT-
^nring--Jonathan and Shammah.
88. Shara/r] Called also Sacar, 1 Chron. xi. 86.
84. EUam] The faUier of Bathsheba (xi. 8« and 1 Chron.
ilL6).
If this is correct, then we see both the &ther and husband
of Bathsheba (t). 89) were among David's worthies.
86. CarmeUte] Of Judah, iSam. xxv. 2.
88. IthrOe] Of Kirjath-jearim, 1 Chron. ii. 68«
89. Uriah] See «. 84. The names of the prindpal heroes
and worthies of David are recorded here and in the Book ci
Chronicles; and the names of all the faithful soldiers and
servants of the true David, whether they be men, women, or
childroi, are " written in the Book of Life " (PhiL iv. 8).
Ch. XXIY. 1. And again] That is, after the three years*
fiunine recorded in xxi. 1.
— the anger ^ the LoBB wa* kindled against leraet]
Ftobably for their sins in joining in the rebellion of Absalom
against David : see xv. 13, " The hearts of the men of Israel
are after Absalom ;'* and xviiL 7, and for their participation also
in the rebellion of Sheba the son of Bichri : see xx. 2, " Everr
man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba ;
and for other transgressions.
Datid VTnaaxa& Isbabl.
— €Md he moved David against them to sag, Oo, mtmher
Israel and Judah] In 1 Chron. xxi. 1, it is said, Saiam stood
up affainst Israel, and provoked David to number IsraeL
How is tills to be explained f
(1) It is replied by some, that '^ he moved David ** is to
be translated here impersonaUg, acoordingto a common Hebrew
usage, and that it signifies ^one moved Day'id," and ]m equiva-
lent to the passive, Damd was moved; CastaUo, CMaker,
Le Cleret and so Dr. Waierland, Ser. Yind., p. 160: cp. the
learned remarks of the Mev, 8. C. Malan, *' Philosophy and
Truth,'' p. 169> who would suj^y the nominative Satan, as in
oar margin.
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David* s sin
2 SAMUEL XXIV- 3—9.
in numbering the people.
the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, || Go now > 0'» compau.
through all the tribes of Israel, ""from Dan eyen to Beer-sheba, and number ye ^^^^s- 'o i.
the people, that "^I may know the number of the people. ' And Joab said djer.17.9.
nnto the king, Now the Lord thy God add unto the people, how many soever
they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it :
but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing ? * Notwithstanding the
king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host.
And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the
king, to number the people of Israel. * And they passed over Jordan, 'and
pitched in • Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the e Dcut. 2. se.
II river of Gad, and toward 'Jazer : ^ Then they came to Gilead, and to the ISim^nKz.
II land of Tahtim-hodshi ; and they came to »Dan-jaan, and about to ^ Zidon, L2/i"-A^J«h.''
^ And came to the strong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and $ud|!*i8 V/
of the Canaanites : and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beer* Ju^g. is. >» '
sheba. ' So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem
at the end of nine months and twenty days. ^ And Joab gave up the sum of
(2) But it BeemB better to refer the pronoun he to the
Lards and this is quite consistent with what is said in the pas-
sage in Chronicles, which throws additional light on the history.
Qod is not the author of any sin ; but nothing can happen
without His penmssion. And (as Anguttine and Theodorei
observe) He is often said in Scripture to do what He permits to
be done, when that which is done is ordered to some end which
conduces to the manifestation of His justice in punishing sin, or
of His glory in promoting holiness.
Thus, in the Books of Samuel, David himself supposes that
Ood may have stirred up Saul against him for some fkult of his
(1 Sam. zzyi« 19) ; and m 2 Sam. zii. 11, Nathan says to David
in God's name, " I will raise up evil against thee out of thine
own house, and I will take thy wives, uid give them unto thy
neighbour," &c. And David says of Shimei, " Let him curse,
because the Lord hath sud untx> him. Curse David .... the
Lord hath bidden him" (xvi. 10, 11).
In all these cases, the sin itselr was from Satan, and fionl
roan's corrupt hearty and was fbrbidden and hated by GKkL
But God used the sin well. He ordered it to the manifestation
of His own power and justice, and the punishment of sin. It is
in the moral worid as it is in the naturaL The filth of the dark
sewer is from corruptioD ; but (to adopt a modem term) God
** utilizes the sewage " of that corruption, and makes it fertilize
the soil, and bring forth fair fruits of piety and virtue. As is
wdl said by A Lapide, "God moved David, not by direct
suggestion, but by permitting Satan to stir up David to do
w£it he did ; and God is said to move David, because nothing
can be done without God's permission, and because it was of
Qod* s righteous retribution that the people were punished for
their sins, in consequence of David's act/' and so Bp. Hall,
<*Both God and Satan had their hand in tliis wwk. God by
permission, Satan by suggestion. God as a judge, Satan as an
enemy. God as in a lust punishment for dn, Saton as in an act
of sin. QoA in a wise ordination of it to good, Satan in a
malicious intent of confusion. Thus God moved, and Satan
moved. Neither is it any excuse to Satan or David, that God
moved. Neither is it any blemi^ to God, that Satan moved."
On the contrary, it redounds to the honour of God, that He
used Satan himself, and controlled and ordered his movements,
for the manifestation of H3s own power and justice. Cp. ^eiffer,
Dubia, p. 215.
This histoiy shows that the acts and fortunes of rulers and
people are closely connected together; and that the sins and
virtues of the one exercise great influence on the happiness of
the other (8. Oregory, Moral, xxix. 14).
8. thoit I mcuf know the number of the pwpW] Where was
the sin of this? God had twice ordered t& people to be num-
bered in the wilderness, at Sinai at the beginnmg of their march
(Num. i. 2), and in the plains of Moab at the end (Num. xxvi.) ;
and it is observable that the chapter immediately preceding the
present concludes with an emmeroHon of David's worthies. It
nas been suppcwed by some, that David desired to know the
number of the pecmle, and ordered this census to be made, with
a view of ascertaining the amount of taxes and imposts which he
181
designed to levy upon them. But this is altogether a ground-
less conjecture. The nature of David's sin is declared by tlie
sacred Writer, saving that it was prompted bv Satan, the author
of pride and unbelief; and it may be inrerred from Joab's
answer (v. 8), and from the mode in whidi it was punished by
God: see AuguH, c. Faust. xxiL 66, — <<Populo numerato,
peccatum elationis qjus sic punire placuit Deo, ut etmdem
numerum minueret morte multorum, cigus multitudine cor
regis frierat superbia pertentatum : in quo occulto judicio Deus,
apud quern non est iniquitas, quos noverat indignos hie vitd
subtraxit huic vit»."
It was the sin of lack of faith in God, and in His protec-
tion ; it was the sin of self-oonfidence, vain-glory, and reliance
on an arm of flesh. ** Let him that glorieth, glory in the Lord"
(2 Cor. X. 17). David says himself, " Some put their trust in
chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember tiie Name of
the Lord our God " (Fs. xx. 7). « No king can be saved by the
multitude of an host . • . • but the Lord is our help ana our
shield" (Ps. xxxiu. 15. 19).
6. Aroerji In the east of Jordan, in the tribe of Gad, before
Eabba, in "fvad^'Nahr-Jmrndn (Num. xxxii. 84. Josh. xiii. 25.
Judg. xi. 83), to be distinguishea from the other Aroer in Reu-
ben, on the bank of the river Amon (Dent. ii. 86. Josh. xiii. 9).
— Jazer"] See Num. xxxii. 8. Perhaps on the site of Ee-
Ssir, about nine miles w. oiAmmdn (Seetzen, cp. B. D. i. 909).
6. TahUm'hodehi] The site of which is uncertun. The ety-
mology of this word seems to tend to the transktion, the lower
parte Uee Oeeen. 862) of the new moon (Qeeen, 268). But
what toe meaning of this is, can only be conjectured. Some
have siroposed that the sea of Galilee may sometimes have been
called tne crescent moon (Bdticher), and that this phrase means
the lower parts of Gennesaret.
Is it not possible that Hodthi (new moon) may be one of
the many names in Palestine (like Jericho, Beth-shemesh, &c.),
which preserve a tradition of the old Canaanitish worship of the
heavemy bodies, and that this word, Tdhtim-hodshiy signifies
the lower parte of that region which was formerly celebrated
for the worship of the new moon f
— DiM'^'aan'] It is doubtful whether this is the Dan which
was originally called Laish (Josh. xix. 47. Judg. xviii. 29) :
see Keilhere, and above, on Gen. xiv. 14. It seems however to
be spedfied as the northern limit of David*s kingdom ; and as
the census was to be taken oi the people from " Dan to Beer-
sheba " (t). 2), that is an argument for thdr identity.
7. Simiee, and cf the C<tMaanxtee'\ In Naphtali and Zebulun
(Judg. i. 80. 88).
8. ai the end qfnine monihe and twenty daye'] This period
of time* nine months and twenty days, and the mention of it by
the sacred Writer, are remarkable. It seems to be equal to the
interval which elapsed between the commission of David's great
sin ¥rith Bathsheba and the birth of the child, after which
Nathan was soit to him by God (ch. xii.). On that occasion it
needed the stem denunciation of the Pnophet to arouse David
tram his spiritual lethargy ; but now David is a Nathan to him-
self: see V. 11.
S2
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The pestilence
2 SAMUEL XXIV* 10—17.
till the time appointed.
the number of the people unto the king: *and there were m Israel eight
hundred thousand yaUant men that drew the sword ; and the men of Judah
were five hundred thousand men.
1^ And ^ David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And
David said unto the Lobd, ' I have sinned greatly in that I have done : and
now, I beseech thee, Lobd, take away the iniquity of thy servant ; for I have
"* done very fooUshly. ^^ For when David was up in the morning, the word of
the Lord came unto the prophet " Gttd, David's "* seer, saying, ^^ Go and say
unto David, Thus saith the Lobd, I offer thee three things ; choose thee one of
them, that I may do it unto thee. ^^ So Gad came to David, and told him,
and said unto him. Shall ^ seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land ?
or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee ? or
that there be three days' pestilence in thy land ? now advise, and see what
answer I shall return to him that sent me. ^^ And David said unto Gad, I am
in a great strait : let us fall now into the hand of the Lobd ; "> for his mercies
are || great : and 'let me not fall into the hand of man.
^* So • the Lobd sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the
time appointed : and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba
seventy thousand men. '^ 'And when the angel stretched out his hand upon
Jerusalem to destroy it, " the Lobd repented him of the evil, and said to the
angel that destroyed the people. It is enough : stay now thine hand. And the
orlan ~"* *'' "' ^^g^l ^^ ^^ LoBD was by the threshingplace of "" Ajaunah the Jebusite. ^^ And
see yer. 18. 2 Chron. 8. 1.
1 Pee 1 Chron.
n.b.
k 1 Sam. 24. 5.
1 ch. 12. 18.
m 1 Sara. IS. 18.
n 1 Sam. 22. 5.
1 Sam. 9. 9.
1 Chron. 29. 29.
pSee 1 Chron. 21.
12.
q Ps. 103. 8, IS,
H.
& 119. 156.
II Or, Many.
r See Isa. 47. tf.
Zech. 1. 10.
s 1 Chron. 21. 14.
& 27. 24.
t Ex. 12. 28.
I Chron. 21. 15.
u Gen. 6. 6.
1 Sam.15.lt.
Joel 2. IS, 14.
9. ill lirael eight hundred thousand vcUiant men] In 1 Chron.
xxi. 5, the number is stated 1,100,000 men. In the former
muster it is probable the standing army of David (1 Chron.
xxvii.^, which had before been nombered, is not reckoned, but
it is mserted in the latter. This standing army consist^ of
12 X 24,000=288,000 men, who, with their chiliarcbs and twelve
generals, will make 300,000; and if these are added to the
800,000 mentioned here, the numbers in both places would co-
incide {TremelL, Junius.^ Orot^ WaUher, Ifeiffer),
— Judah— Ave hundred th<msand] In 1 Chron. xxi. 5 the
number of Judah b 470,000 men. Perhaps David had 80,000
stationed with him at Jerusalem, and the other 470,000 were
mustered by Joab, who "went out from the presence of the
king" (v. 4) unto other cities of Judah.
11. Jpbr when David was wpl Bather, and David arose.
The coigunction for in our Version leads to an impression that
David's confession was produced by Gad's visit. This is a mis-
take. David had made spiritual progress since the time when it
required the parable of Nathan and uie prophetic announcement
'< Thou art the man ** to awaken him iVom his spiritual slumber
(see above, xii. 7^. At this period of his life, he examined him-
self, and weighed his own actions in private, especially at night
time, and no sooner was the census of the men of war reported
to him, than, instead of being elated with self-confidence, and
puffed up with vain-glory, his heart smote him, and he confessed
his sin (cp. 1 Chron. xxi. 7 — 9), and Ood, who heard his confes-
sion, sent Gad to him with a message.
— David^e eeer] See 1 Sam. Ix. 9. 1 Chron. xxix. 29.
12. I offer thee three things] God remitted the future
punishment in another world, in consequence of David's con-
fession ; but He punished him with temporal chastisements, as
in the case of his former sin (see above, xii. 13, 14). Spiritual
pride, and reliance on human strength, are therefore heinous
sins in God's sight, as well as adult^ and murder. And God
punished Israel also for their sin (o. 1).
18. Shall eeven years of famine come ?] In 1 Chron. xxi.
10, 11, it is, '< Choose thee either three years' famine." And the
Sept, has three jean ; but Vulg., Syriac, Arabic, Chaldee,
and Josephus confirm the reading of the text. It has been sup-
posed by some expositors, that in the Chronicles the Author
calls the years three, because three successive years of fkmine to
come were offered ; and that here they are called seven, because,
together with the three former years of famine (see xxi. 1),
and with the year then in course, they would make seven
(Kimehi, Junius, Calovius, Pfeiffer),
132
14. let us fall now into the hand of the Lord] War and
famine would not have hurt David's own person ; with noble
disinterestedness he chose pestilence, in which he himself would
be exposed to deaUi no less than his subjects (Theodoret),
ThI PbSTILBKCE till the TiMB APPOnrTSD.
15. to the time appointed] or, rather, to the time of the
evening sacrifice (Targum, Jeromiaster, Patrick, Keil).
It would seem that the pestilence began in the morning,
and was not extended to three dags, but the time was shortened
by God, saying, ** It is enough " (v. 16), and was not extended
beyond one day (Josephus, SSpt,, Svriac, Arabic, KUnehi; and
so Theodoret, who says that it lasted only six hours; and 8. Am^
brose, in Pto. xxxviL), and seems to have stopped at the hour of
evening prayer, called eth moed, the ninth hour (Acts ill. 1).
It is remarkable that this was the hour of Christ's death
(Matt, xxvii. 46—50. Mark xv. 88 - 87. Luke xx'iii. 44—46),
by which the wrath of God against all Mankind for sin was ap-
peased; and God said to the destroying Angel, holding his drawn
sword over the World, ** It is enough : stay now thine hand."
The Angel Gabriel came to Daniel, at '* the time of the evening
oblation," and brought the message of the MssSLiH (Dan. ix. 21).
God's miraculous manifestations of mercy often take place
at the stated times of public prayer, and thus He shows His
approval of such appointments, and His gracious acceptance of
united prayer in His house : cp. 1 Kings xviii. 29. 2 Kings
iii. 20. Acts x. 8. 80.
God stayed the Angel—who had the sword drawn in his
hand — from destroying Jerusalem, in the same place where He
had stayed Abraham, who had the knife in his hand, firom sacri-
ficing his son Isaac. God "spared not His own Son," but gave
Him for us all, and thus He has saved us from the sword of the
destroying Angel; and He raised His beloved Son to eternal
glory, and has raised us up in hope with Him, that we may
worship, in the everlasting Temple of the heavenly Jerusalem*
Him who was prefigured by David and by Solomon, and by all
the sacrifices that were offered in that Temple, which Solomon
built on the place which David purchased, and where he built
an altar, and offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving for the deliver-
ance of Jerusalem, which was a fig^ure of a far greater deliver-
ance by Christ {8, Augustine c. Advers. L^gis i. 18).
— seventy thousand] David had glori^ in tiie number of
his subjects, and had relied on their strength, and is punished in
that which was the cause of his pride.
16. threshingpUice] On a hill, as most threshing-floors were,
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David buys the threshing-floor 2 SAMUEL XXIV. 18 — 26. of Araunah the Jebusite,
David spake nnto the Lobd when he saw the angel that smote the people, and
said, Lo, ^I have sinned, and I have done wickedly : but these sheep, what yichron.21. 17.
have they done ? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my
father's house.
^® And Gktd came that day to David, and said unto him, *Go up, rear an »ichroii.2i.i8,
altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of f Araunah the Jebusite. ^^ And t lieb. jramah.
David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the Lobd commanded.
^ And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward
him : and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face
upon the ground. ^^ And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the Intig come
to his servant ? * And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build jj^eeGen.aa.
an altar unto the Lord, that **the plague may be stayed from the people, d Num. w. 48, so.
■22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what
seemeth good unto him : ^^ behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing « > ^^^s* i»«i-
instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. ^3 ^jj these things
did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king,
The Lord thy God ** accept thee. ^ And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; dEzek. 20. 40,41.
but I will surely buy it of thee at a price : neither will I offer burnt offerings
unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So *^David eseeichron.21.
bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. ^ And
David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and
for ventilation. It was on Mount Moriah, K.x. of Zion. See on
t>. 18.
It may be inferred from Arannah's employment at the time
(see on v, 22), that the pestilence was in the summer heats, and
its virulence was aggravated thereby.
— Araunah] Called also Oman, 1 Chron. xxi. 15.
— the Jebusite] One of the old inhabitants of the city : see
V. 6.
17. these sheep, what have thejf done t let thine hand, Iprcty
thee, he against me] David imitates Moses (Exod. xxxiL 82),
and is a type of the Qood Shepherd, who gives His Ufe for the
sheep (John x. 11. 15). ''In gregem sibi commissum tanta
erat Davidi dilectio pastoralis, ut pro eis ipse vellet mori ** {S.
Aug, c Faust, xxii. 66. Op. 8. Ambrose, Apol. David, c. 7).
8. Ambrose (Epist. 51) courageoushr commends King
David's example to the imitation of the Emperor Theodosius,
after the massacre of Thessalonica.
— what have they done 1] They had rebelled against David
himself, and God was angry with them (see on v. 1), but David
forgets their sin in his own.
Thb Altab 07 David at Mobiah ok the Thbb8hik&-
PLOOB OP Abaunah thb Jbbitbitb.
18. Go up, rear an aUar^Jebusite] On Mount Mobiah, so
called from the Appearing of Jehovah ; where Abraham, in will,
had offered up Isaac, at Qod's command (see Josephus, Ant.
vii. 13. 4 ; and the notes above, on Qen. xxiL 2). And there, as
we read in 2 Chron. iii. 1, Solomon built the Temple : " Solomon
began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in Mount
Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in
the place that David had prepared in the threshing-floor of
Oman the Jebusite;** one who was descended from the old
heathen inhabitants of Jerusalem : see above, v. 6.
28. behold, here be oxen] With which Araunah was then
treading out the wheat on his threshing-floor. "Oman saw the
angel, and his fbur sons with him hid themselves. Now Oman
was threshinff wheat" (1 Chron. xxL 20). Hie plague had not
yet reached Jerusalem (v. 16).
88. All these things did Araunah — king] Bather, all these,
O hing, Araunah gives to the king (Keil), as it is in 1 Chron.
xxi. 28, " Take it to thee— I give it all,"
The willingness of Araunah the JebusUe to nve g^fts to
David, foreshadowed the readiness of the Gentues to bring
tribute and to do homage to Christ (Ps. Ixxii. 10, 11 ; ex. 8).
See below, on v, 24.
133
84. I will surely buy it — cost me nothing] It is heartless
r'ety to desire to serve God cheaply (Bp, MeUt), Cp. Malachi
18, and notes below, on Mark xiv. 8, and on John xiL
8—6.
— David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty
shekels of silver] In 1 Chron. xxi. 25, we read that David gave
to Oman six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place,
David did two things ; he purchased for fifty shekels of silver
the oxen and the threshing-floor for his own immediate use oa
that particular occasion, when he built an altar, and offered
sacrifice to God, for this special mercy to himself and his ;
But he did more than this ; he also purchased the place,
probably the area of the house and homestead of Araunah, as a
site fbr the Temple to be built by Solomon, and for all its
glorious apparatus of services in future g^erations.
The author of the Chronicles supposes his readers to be
acquainted with the Books of Samuel, and adds fr^sh materials
to them.
On the history of Mobiah and its religious associations
from the days of Abraham to those of David, Solomon, and
Chbibt, see above, notes on Gen. xxiL
In Holy Scripture the Universal Church of Christ is often
compared to a threshingfloor (Matt. iii. 12; Luke iii. 17);
compare above, on the histoiy of CKdeon (Judg. vL 87), whose
threshing-floor was al>>'ay8 considered by ancient expositors as a
figure of the Universal Church ;
Boaz at Bethlehem, the lord of the harvest, sleeping on his
threshingfloor, and finding there his bride, Buth the Moabitess,
presents another image of Christ, the Lord of the Spiritual
Harvest, and the Husband of the GJentile Church : see above, on
Buth iii. 9. And as the threshing fioor at Jerusalem formerly
belonged to Ara»nah the Jebusite — a Gentile — so the World
was formeriy under Heathenism. And as David would not
receive it for nothing, but bought the threshing-floor at a price,
so Christ has purchi^ied the Church with His own Blood (Acts
XX. 28). '< Quid per Aream Araunss Jebussri, nisi Ecdesiam ex
omnibus gentibus coUeotam, dgniflcat ?"' (Angelomus.)
David, offering his own life fbr his people (v, 17), and
saorificing on the threshing-floor of Araunah, and appeasing
God's wrath, and staying the plague on Moriah, was a type ot
Christ offering Himself at Jerusalem as a propitiation for the
sins of the world, and staying the plague of Death, which
threatened to destroy them. The Altar of David, and the
Temple of Solomon, erected on the threshing-floor and field of
Araunah the Jebusite, the heathen lord of the soil at Moriah,
where Abraham's sacrifice was offered, were a figure of the
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David's sacrifice. 2 SAMUEL XXIV- 25. The plagium is stayed.
peace offerings. 'So the Lobd was intreated for the land, and 'the pla^e
fch.SI. 14,
g ver. 21.
was stayed from Israel.
Church Universal^ bmlt of lively sfcoaes of all true Israelites of
all nations, on the foundation of the fisuth of Abraham (see
A IJapide),
The purchase of the Floor was the sign of the cessation of
the Pestilence; so the purchase of the Church Universal by
Christ, followed on the cessation of the power of Death, and on
the propidation of God's wrath. And as the site of the floor
became a Temple, builded by Solomon, the Peaceable, son of
David, so our Solomon, the Prince of Peace, the Divine Son of
David, has made the threshing-floor of heathendom to be an
universal Temnle of God, where sacriAoes of prayer and praise
are ever offered to Him. And still that Temple is a thrediing-
floor, for, at the end of the world, the Son of Man will come
with His fan in His hand, to judge, and '* will throughly purge
the Floor" of His Visible Church, « and will gathw the wheat
into His Gamer, and bum up the chaff with unquenchable fire "
(Matt. ill. 12^. May God of His great mercy grrant, that we
may be found to be good wheat, at that Day, through JBsrs
Chbibt our Lord, to Whom, wiUi the Fathbb and ttie Holt
Spibit, be all honour and gloiy, now and for ever. A kbit.
184
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