John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

1 Samuel 29:1



INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 29



This chapter gives an account of David's going forth with the armies of the Philistines, 1Sa 29:1; of his being objected to by the princes of the Philistines, who insisted upon his being sent back, 1Sa 29:3; of the report Achish made of it to David, and the discourse that passed between them upon it, 1Sa 29:6; whereby David had a way unexpectedly opened for him to be freed from this service, which he gladly embraced, 1Sa 29:11.



Ver. 1. Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek,.... Not the city in the tribe of Judah of that name, Jos 15:53; where the Philistines had a camp in the time of Samuel, 1Sa 4:1; but rather that in the tribe of Asher, Jos 19:30; unless there was one of this name in the tribe of Issachar, not mentioned, since it seems to have been near Jezreel and Shunem, which were both in that tribe, Jos 19:18;



and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel; in the valley of Jezreel; of which See Gill on "Jos 19:18" and

See Gill on "Ho 1:5".





1 Samuel 29:2



Ver. 2. And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands,.... Not that there were so many lords, for there were but five of them; but these marched, some at the head of hundreds with them, and others at the head of thousands:



but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish; who being the generalissimo brought up the rear, and David, whom he had appointed captain of his bodyguards, attended him with his men, which in point of gratitude he could not refuse; and yet was in the greatest strait and difficulty how to act, it being both against his conscience and his interest to fight against Israel, and was waiting and hoping for some appearance of Providence to deliver him out of this dilemma, and which was quickly seen; but Abarbinel thinks David had no other notion in going to the battle, but of being the bodyguard of Achish, and accompanying him, and that he should not fight against Israel, nor for the Philistines: neither harm the one, nor help the other.





1 Samuel 29:3



Ver. 3. Then said the princes of the Philistines,.... To Achish; not those of the court of Achish, who were his subjects, but the confederate princes with him in this war, the lords of the other principalities, as appears by the freedom they took with him, 1Sa 29:4;



what [do] these Hebrews [here]? or Jews, as the Targum; what hast thou to do with them, or they to be with thee? men of another nation and religion, and known enemies to the Philistines:



and Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines; in order to soften them, and reconcile them to these men, and their being with him:



[is] not this David the servant of Saul the king of Israel; between whom there had been a quarrel, and the former had fled from the latter to him:



which hath been with me these days, or these years; had been with him many days, and he might say years, as he had been with him one whole year, and part of another, see 1Sa 27:7; and he might have known him longer, if he was the same Achish David first fled to; Kimchi interprets it, that he knew him as well as if he had been with him as many years as days:



and I have found no fault in him since he fell [unto me] unto this day? the affair of David's going against the Geshurites, &c. not being yet known by him, or, if it was, he approved of it, they being enemies of his; this shows that David behaved with a great deal of prudence to have such a character as this from a king of the Philistines.





1 Samuel 29:4



Ver. 4. And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him,.... With Achish, for giving such a character of David, and taking his part, in order to detain him, if possible:



and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, make this fellow return; they speak of him with contempt, and insist on it that Achish order him to turn back, and go no further with them:



that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him; to Ziklag, the place that Achish had given him for his residence, 1Sa 27:6; they did not desire to have him sent to his own country, and to Saul, since should a reconciliation be made between them, he would be of great service to Saul against them:



and let him not go down with us to battle; into the valley of Jezreel, where the Israelites had pitched:



lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: and fall upon them behind, being in the rear, while they were engaging in the front with Israel:



for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? to Saul he had offended, and fled from:



[should it] not [be] with the heads of these men? the Philistines; or unless by the heads of these men {m}; he had no other way of making his peace with his master but by cutting off the heads of the Philistines; and therefore he was a dangerous man to take with them into the battle.



{m} yvarb alh "nisi per capita", Noldius, p. 257. No. 1147.





1 Samuel 29:5



Ver. 5. [Is] not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances,.... Long ago:



saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands; so that he is an old sworn enemy of ours; and the more valiant and victorious he has been, the less is he to be trusted, see 1Sa 18:7.





1 Samuel 29:6



Ver. 6. Then Achish called David,.... Being so near him, that he could call unto him himself, or he sent some person to him, to require his presence with him:



and said unto him, surely, [as] the Lord liveth; or "Jehovah liveth"; an oath by the true God, of whom Achish might have some knowledge, as he also had of angels, from his conversation with David; though the Heathens had a notion of a supreme Being, and yet worshipped other gods, and whom they called Jove, from this name of Jehovah. Kimchi observes, that all confess a first cause; and therefore when he swore to David, he swore by him in whom David believed, perhaps out of complaisance to him, or that David might pay the greater regard to his oath:



thou hast been upright; sincere, honest, faithful, and just in all his deportment; yet not so sincere as he thought him to be, witness the road he pretended he had taken against the south of Judah, 1Sa 27:1;



and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host [is] good in sight; his behaviour in the army, attending him as the keeper of his head, or captain of his bodyguard, was exceeding agreeable to him, and he could wish to have him continued:



for I have not found evil in thee, since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day; whatever he had done before to the Philistines, having greatly afflicted and distressed them in his wars with them, of which this seems to be an exception:



nevertheless, the lords favour thee not; or thou art not acceptable to them, yea, very offensive and disagreeable.





1 Samuel 29:7



Ver. 7. Wherefore now return,.... To Ziklag:



and go in peace; not only in a peaceable manner, easy and satisfied, as David was at his very heart to hear this, but all prosperity and happiness attend thee; the Jews {n} distinguish between wishing persons to go in peace, and to go to peace; the former they observe has not issued happily, when the other has, and they instance in the wish of Jethro to Moses, and of David to Absalom;



that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines: and what would be the consequence of that he could not say, but suggests it would be most for his peace and safety to depart.



{n} T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 64. 1. Sepher Alphes, par. 1. fol. 421. 2.





1 Samuel 29:8



Ver. 8. And David said unto Achish, what have I done?.... This question is anticipated by the speech of Achish, who had declared he had found no evil in him; but David must say something to put on an appearance of concern for being dismissed, when he was heartily glad of it:



and what hast thou found in thy servant, so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king? which cannot be excused of great dissimulation, since nothing was more foreign from his heart, and against his will, than fighting against the Israelites, and which he determined to avoid if possible; and glad at heart he was to be thus excused, and freed from the straits and difficulties he was involved in; but that the Philistines might have no cause of suspicion of him, and that he was warmly attached to their interest among whom he was still to continue, he put on these airs. Abarbinel is of opinion that the lords of the Philistines were only afraid of David, but not of his men, and therefore were not solicitous about their going, but his, which gave David a concern; and since he was particularly singled out, he desired to know what special evil had been found in him; but when he understood, by the following answer of Achish, that his servants were to go with him, he was content, and said no more; but the princes asked, "what do these Hebrews here?" 1Sa 29:3.





1 Samuel 29:9



Ver. 9. And Achish answered and said unto David,.... In reply to the questions:



I know that thou [art] good in my sight as an angel of God: for his great wisdom, and graceful behaviour, and inoffensive carriage:



notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, he shall not go up with us to the battle; though Achish had so good an opinion of him, and had declared it in council, yet an order had passed there that he should not go to battle with them; there were but five of them, and Achish was one of the five, so that there were four to one for the dismissing him; and Achish, though a king, was obliged to submit.





1 Samuel 29:10



Ver. 10. Wherefore now rise up early with thy master's servants that are come with thee,.... Meaning his six hundred men, who were considered as the servants and subjects of Saul, though with David: and which tacitly carried in it the objection of the Philistine lords unto them, that since they were the servants and subjects of Saul, they were not to be trusted in a battle with him; lest finding an opportunity, they should seize it, and thereby ingratiate themselves into his favour again:



and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart; he advises them to get away as soon as they could, lest the Philistines should fall upon them, and force them, and he could not say what mischief might befall them; wherefore for their safety it was best to depart as soon as they could see their way.





1 Samuel 29:11



Ver. 11. So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning,.... Being as willing and ready to go as the Philistines were desirous they should:



to return into the land of the Philistines; for now they were in the land of Israel, at Aphek, near Jezreel, from whence they went back to Ziklag, which was within the principality of Gath; and, according to Bunting {o}, was eighty eight miles from the place where the army of the Philistines was; but it seems not very likely that it should be so far off:



and the Philistines went up to Jezreel; where the army of the Israelites lay encamped, in order to fight them. By the dismission of David from the army of the Philistines, he was not only delivered from a sad plight he was in, either of acting an ungrateful part to Achish, or an unnatural one to Israel; but also, by the pressing charge of Achish to get away as early as possible in the morning, he came time enough to rescue the prey the Amalekites had taken at Ziklag his city, as in the following chapter; and the providence of God in this affair is further observable, as by some represented, since if David had stayed in the camp of the Philistines, it would not have been so easy for him, on the death of Saul, to have got from them, and succeed in the kingdom, as he could and did from Ziklag.



{o} Travels, &c. p. 137.

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

1 Samuel 30:1



INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 30



This chapter relates the condition Ziklag was in when David and his men came to it, the city burnt, and their families carried captive by the Amalekites, which occasioned not only a general lamentation, but mutiny and murmuring in David's men, 1Sa 30:1; the inquiry David made of the Lord what he should do, who is bid to pursue the enemy; and being directed by a lad where they were, fell upon them, and routed them, and brought back the captives with a great spoil, 1Sa 30:7; the distribution of the spoil, both to those that went with him, and to those who through faintness were left behind, 1Sa 30:21; and the presents of it he sent to several places in the tribe of Judah, who had been kind to him when he dwelt among them, 1Sa 30:26.



Ver. 1. And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag, on the third day,.... Either from their departure from thence, when they went out with Achish, or rather from the time of their leaving Achish, and the camp of the Philistines; so long they were upon their march homewards, see 2Sa 1:1; and no wonder, if it was the distance of eighty eight miles, See Gill on "1Sa 29:11";



that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag; the southern parts of the land of the Philistines, and of Judah, as appears from

1Sa 30:14; taking the opportunity of the Philistines being gone into the land of Israel, and particularly of David's absence from Ziklag, to whom they bore a grudge for his invasion, destruction, and spoil of them not long ago, see 1Sa 27:8;



and smitten Ziklag, and burnt it with fire; not that they smote the inhabitants of it, there were no men in it, and the women and children they carried captive; but they demolished the buildings in it, pulled down the houses after they had rifled them, and burnt them with fire, that David and his men might dwell there no more.





1 Samuel 30:2



Ver. 2. And had taken the women captives, that [were] therein,.... There being no other to take, the men were gone with David:



they slew not any, either great or small; that is, of the women, whether married or unmarried, old, or maidens, or children; which was very much, since David destroyed all that came within his reach, men and women, when he invaded them, 1Sa 27:9; but perhaps this was not owing to their humanity, but to their covetousness, designing to make an advantage of them by selling them for slaves; no doubt they were restrained by the providence of God:



but carried [them] away, and went on their way; homewards with their captives.





1 Samuel 30:3



Ver. 3. So David and his men came to the city,.... Or however to the place where it had stood, and where it now lay in ruins:



and, behold, [it was] burnt with fire; the whole city was laid in ashes:



and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives; as it appeared afterwards; for upon their first coming they knew not but they were all destroyed; and which they might reasonably suppose from their former treatment of them, unless there were any left upon the spot which could inform them how things were, which does not appear, and which must make their distress the greater.





1 Samuel 30:4



Ver. 4. Then David and the people that [were] with him lifted up their voice,.... In doleful shrieks, and loud lamentations:



and wept, until they had no more power to weep; till nature was quite exhausted, and no moisture left; so the Vulgate Latin version, "till tears failed in them"; they could shed no more.





1 Samuel 30:5



Ver. 5. And David's two wives were taken captives,.... Which is observed as one cause of his particular distress, and another follows in 1Sa 30:6:



Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite: that is, who had been his wife; for he was now dead, 1Sa 25:39, and was so before she was married to David; both these came with him to Gath, and were left at Ziklag when he went with Achish, and here they were taken; see 1Sa 25:42.





1 Samuel 30:6



Ver. 6. And David was greatly distressed,.... Partly for the loss of his two wives, and partly because of the mutiny and murmuring of his men:



for the people spake of stoning him; as the Israelites did of Moses and Aaron, Nu 14:10; the reason of this was, because, as they judged, it was owing to David that they went along with Achish, and left the city defenceless, and because he had provoked the Amalekites by his inroad upon them, who took this opportunity of avenging themselves. Abarbinel is of opinion that it was his excess of sorrow for his two wives, and his remissness and backwardness to take vengeance on their enemies, that provoked them, and put them on talking after this manner:



because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; as well as David; and they were very desirous of recovering them if possible, and of taking vengeance on those who had carried them captive:



but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God; took all patiently, and exercised faith on his God; he encouraged himself in the power and providence of God; in the promises of God, and his faithfulness in keeping them; in a view of his covenant relation to God; in remembrance of the grace, mercy, and goodness of God, and his former experiences of it; hoping and believing that God would appear for him in some way or another, and work salvation for him. The Targum is,



"he strengthened himself in the Word of the Lord his God;''



in Christ the Word of God, and in the power of his might, and in the grace that is in him, Eph 6:10.





1 Samuel 30:7



Ver. 7. And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son,.... The son of Ahimelech, who was slain at Nob by the order of Saul, 1Sa 22:19; and Abiathar his son, who fled to David with the ephod, on the death of his father, 1Sa 22:20, was now high priest in his room; and who it seems was with David when he went with Achish, and returned with him; for had he been left at Ziklag, he and his ephod, in all probability, had been carried off by the Amalekites, unless we can suppose him under the protection of a special providence: it is much David had not inquired of the Lord by him about his going with Achish; perhaps the present disaster brought to mind that neglect, and made him the more diligent now:



I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod; not to put it on himself, but that the high priest might put it on, and inquire by it before him of the Lord:



and Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David; for the sake of David, that inquiry might be made before him of the Lord by Urim and Thummim.





1 Samuel 30:8



Ver. 8. And David inquired of the Lord,.... That is, by Abiathar, who reported his questions to the Lord in his name:



saying, shall I pursue after this troop? the large company of the Amalekites, as it appears by what follows they were:



shall I overtake them? two questions are here put together, and answers returned to them, contrary to a notion of the Jews;

See Gill on "1Sa 23:11";



and he answered him, pursue; which respects the first question:



for thou shall surely overtake [them]; which is an answer to the second question, and a full one, giving full assurance of overtaking; to which is added more than what was inquired about;



and without fail recover [all]; their wives, sons, and daughters, and the spoil that was taken; or "in delivering thou shall deliver" {p}, out of the hands of the Amalekites, whatsoever they had taken.



{p} lyut luh "eruendo erues", Pagninus, Montanus; "eripiendo erepturus es", Piscator.





1 Samuel 30:9



Ver. 9. So David went, he and the six hundred men that [were] with him,.... Encouraged by the oracle of the Lord:



and came to the brook Besor; which Adrichomius {q} places in the tribe of Simeon; it is thought to be near Gaza. Aristaeus {r} speaks of brooks that flowed by Gaza and Ashdod, places that belonged to the Philistines; some take it to be the river of the wilderness in Amos,

See Gill on "Am 6:14":



where those that were left behind stayed: or a part of them were left, as the Targum; all the six hundred came to this brook, but two hundred of them were left here, 1Sa 30:10 shows, and stayed here till the rest returned; for this is not to be understood of any that were left behind at Ziklag, for all came from thence to this brook.



{q} Theatrum Terrae Sanct. p. 133. {r} Hist. 72. Interpret. p. 41.





1 Samuel 30:10



Ver. 10. But David pursued, he and four hundred men,.... Not discouraged with being obliged to leave a third part of his little army behind; though it was doubtless a trial of his faith, with these to pursue an enemy, whose numbers he knew not, which must greatly exceed his; for after the rout and slaughter of them, as many escaped on camels as David had with him, 1Sa 30:17;



for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint; through their grief and sorrow for the loss of their wives and children, and through their march from the camp of the Philistines to Ziklag, and from thence hither, that they looked like a corpse, as the word signifies; Procopius Gazaeus has it only seventy men:



so that they could not go over the brook Besor: being so weak and feeble; for this was not owing to fear of their enemies, and faint heartedness on that account, then it would rather have been said, "they would not go over"; the Targum renders the word "faint" by "restrained" or prohibited, as if they were forbid by David to go over, but were ordered to tarry here by the stuff, while the rest pursued; and, according to the Syriac and Arabic versions, they were placed there, that none might go over the brook; and it seems, by 1Sa 30:22, that they had a good will to go over, but were made to abide there; or as all Gideon's army, but three hundred, were sent back, and not suffered to go with him, being too many, Jud 7:2.





1 Samuel 30:11



Ver. 11. And they found an Egyptian in the field,.... As they passed along, lying there, having been sick, and was half starved, almost dead:



and brought him to David; to know what was to be done with him; being in the habit of a soldier, they concluded he might be one of the company they were in pursuit of; but whether they should kill him, or make use of him for intelligence and as a guide, could they bring him to himself, they knew not, and therefore brought him to David:



and gave him bread, and he did eat, and they made him drink water; both which they had with them for their own use; had he been an Amalekite, and not an Egyptian, they might not have relieved or spared him, but must have destroyed him at once; see De 25:19.





1 Samuel 30:12



Ver. 12. And they gave him a piece of cake of figs,.... That were dried and pressed together, and made into cakes:



and two clusters of raisins; or dried grapes, as the Targum:



and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him; he seemed to be quite dispirited, almost lifeless, but upon eating some food he was refreshed, and his spirits revived, and he was capable of conversing:



for he had eaten no bread, nor drank [any] water, three days and three nights; that is, one whole day, and part of two days, as appears from

1Sa 30:13.





1 Samuel 30:13



Ver. 13. And David said unto him, to whom [belongest] thou?.... To what country or people? and to whom among them?



and whence [art] thou? of what nation? where wast thou born? what countryman art thou? for his being called an Egyptian before seems to be by anticipation, unless it was guessed at by his habit; for until he had eaten and drank he could not speak, and so could not be known by his speech:



for he said, I [am] a young man of Egypt; that was the country he belonged to, and came from; he was an Egyptian by birth:



servant to an Amalekite; one of those that had invaded the country, and burnt Ziklag, as it follows:



and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick; which was very barbarous and cruel to leave him at all, when they had camels with them, 1Sa 30:17; and no doubt carriages for their arms, provision, and spoil, and men; and more so to leave him without anybody with him to take care of him, and without any food, when he capable of eating any; but so it was ordered by the providence of God, that should be left to be the instrument of the just ruin of his master, and of the whole troop.





1 Samuel 30:14



Ver. 14. We made an invasion [upon] the south of the Cherethites,.... The Philistines so called, or at least one nation of them, such that dwelt to the south of the land, 1Sa 30:16;

See Gill on "Zep 2:5";



and upon [the coast] which [belongeth] to Judah; the south of Judah, where David pretended he had been, and had spoiled, and which was now actually done by the Amalekites, 1Sa 27:10;



and upon the south of Caleb; that part of the tribe of Judah which belonged to Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and his posterity, and which was the southern part of it, Jos 15:19;



and we burnt Ziklag with fire; and then departed.





1 Samuel 30:15



Ver. 15. And David said unto him, canst thou me down to this company?.... That is, show him, or direct him where they were:



and he said, swear unto me by God; the Targum is, by the Word of the Lord; but it is highly probable this man had no notion of Jehovah, and his Word, or of the true God; only that there was a God, and that an oath taken by him was solemn, sacred, and inviolable, and might be trusted to and depended on:



that thou wilt neither kill me; for he found now he was in the hands of those whose city he had been concerned in plundering and burning, and so might fear his life was in danger:



nor deliver me into the hands of my master; who had been a cruel one to him, and therefore would gladly be clear of him; and if he had nothing else against him, his late usage of him was sufficient to raise his resentment of him:



and I will bring thee down to this company; or show him where they were, having heard them say where they would stop, and make merry, and divide their spoil; and perhaps his master might tell him they would be at such a place at such a time, where, if he was better, he might come to them; the Vulgate Latin version adds, "and David swore to him": which, though not expressed in the original text, was no doubt done by him; and the Syriac and Arabic versions begin 1Sa 30:16 thus, "when David had sworn to him".





1 Samuel 30:16



Ver. 16. And when he had brought him down,.... To the place where the company of the Amalekites were, or near it:



behold, [they were] spread abroad upon all the earth; they were not in any regular order, and much less in any military form, but lay about in the fields, scattered here and there, were in detached parties:



some eating and drinking; in one place:



and dancing; others, in another place, expressing their joy, and perhaps their thankfulness to their idols



because of the great spoil they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah; from Ziklag, and from the south of the Cherethites, and the south of Judah, they had invaded, 1Sa 30:14; and here they were in the greatest security; knowing: that the armies of the Philistines were gone into the land of Israel, and were about to engage in battle with the Israelites, and David they supposed was with the Philistines, so that they had nothing to fear from any quarter; and thus it is often, that when men cry peace, peace, sudden destruction comes upon them.





1 Samuel 30:17



Ver. 17. And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day,.... As there are two twilights, the twilight of the morning, and the twilight of the evening; this is differently understood some take it for the twilight of the morning, and that it was night when David came to them, and let them alone till they were drunk and asleep, and then early in the morning fell upon them, and smote them until the evening; so Josephus {s} relates it; but others take it to be the twilight of the evening, and that he fell upon them that night, and continued the slaughter of them to the evening of the next day, with which agrees the Targum; nay, some take the next day, or the morrow, to be that which followed after the two evenings; so that this slaughter was carried on to the third day:



and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men that rode upon camels, and fled; that sort of camels called dromedaries, according to Josephus {t}, and which were very swift, and much used by the Arabians, near whom these people dwelt, see Isa 60:6.



{s} Antiqu. l. 6. c. 4. sect. 6. {t} Ibid.





1 Samuel 30:18



Ver. 18. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away,.... The wives and children of the Israelites, and their goods, excepting the provisions they had eaten:



and David rescued his two wives; which is particularly observed, because a special concern of his.





1 Samuel 30:19



Ver. 19. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters,.... Not any of the least or youngest, nor any of them that were grown up; for as these were not slain but carried captive, so they were brought back, and not one missing, see 1Sa 30:2;



neither spoil, nor any [thing] they had taken to them: except the food they had eaten and the liquor they had drank, as before observed; and perhaps what they had ate and drank were none of theirs, but the Philistines: so that



David recovered all; taken in the utmost extent.





1 Samuel 30:20



Ver. 20. And David took all the flocks, and the herds,.... Which they had taken from the land of the Philistines, or which belonged to the Amalekites properly:



[which] they drave before those [other] cattle; which had been carried from Ziklag; first went the spoil taken from other places, and then those taken from David and his men, or what was found at Ziklag. Abarbinel supposes the meaning to be this, that the herds were driven before the flocks, that the oxen were led out first, and then the sheep followed, as being the weaker sort, and more easily to be driven, and carried off; but the former sense seems best:



and said, this [is] David's spoil; either the whole of it, it being owing to him that it was got or brought back; or this may respect some peculiar part of it made a present of to him; or it may design what the Amalekites had taken from others, which was at the disposal of David, as distinguished from what was taken from Ziklag, and was restored, or to be restored to the proper owners: it may be taken in the first and more general sense, as being the song, or the burden of the song, sung by David's men as they returned with the spoil, giving him all the honour of it, of whom, but a little before, they talked of stoning.





1 Samuel 30:21



Ver. 21. And David came to the two hundred men,.... Left at the brook Besor:



who were so faint that they could not follow David; or, as the Targum, were restrained from going over after him; either through faintness of spirits, and weakness of body, or through the order of David that they should not follow him; and which seems to receive some countenance from what follows:



whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor; to guard the passage there, and to tarry by and keep the stuff:



and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that [were] with him; to congratulate them upon the victory they had obtained, and to see and receive their wives and children, and what portion of the spoil might be divided to them:



and when David came near to the people, he saluted them; asked them of their welfare, whether they were in better health, and recovered of their faintness and weakness, as it should seem they were, by their coming forth to meet him.





1 Samuel 30:22



Ver. 22. Then answered all the wicked men, and [men] of Belial, of those that went with David,.... Who were ill natured men, and of covetous dispositions, as what is called their answer shows; and it seems by that as if the two hundred men had moved that they might have their share in the spoil, or that David had given some intimation that they should:



and said, because they went not with us, we will not give, them [ought] of the spoil that we have recovered: which was very unreasonable not to let them have what was before their own which was recovered; and indeed it was but right they should have their share in the spoil that was taken which was of others, as will appear hereafter: but they were of opinion and were come to a resolution, they should have no more,



save to every man his wife and his children; which was very unkind and ungenerous:



that they may lead [them] away, and depart; but whither? Ziklag was burnt, the land of Israel they would not return unto, where they must fall a sacrifice to Saul; these men cared not where they went, so that they were rid of them, that they might not have any share with them in the spoil.





1 Samuel 30:23



Ver. 23. Then said David, ye shall not do so, my brethren,.... Though he saw through their wickedness, and disapproved of the bad sentiments they had embraced, yet he deals gently with them, calling them brethren, being of the same nation and religion, and his fellow soldiers; yet at the same time keeps up and maintains his dignity and authority as a general, and declares it should not be as they willed, and gives his reasons for it, that it was not fit they should do as they pleased:



with that which the Lord hath given us; what they had was given them, and therefore, as they had freely received, they should freely give; and what was given them, was not given to them only, but to the whole body, by the Lord:



who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand; it was not by their own power and might that they got the victory over the enemy, and the spoil into their hands, but it was through the Lord only; and therefore, as they should not assume the honour of the victory to themselves, so neither should they claim the spoil as wholly belonging to them.





1 Samuel 30:24



Ver. 24. For who will hearken unto you in fit is matter?,.... No wise and just man will take on your side of the question, and join with you in excluding your brethren from a share in the spoil:



but as his part [is] that goeth down to the battle, so [shall] his part [be] that tarrieth by the stuff; as these two hundred men did; they were placed to abide by and watch the carriages, the bag and baggage the rest had left there, that they might be the lighter, and make their pursuit more swiftly: besides, they guarded the pass here, and were also exposed to danger; for if the four hundred had been cut off, and the enemy had returned, they must all have perished; and therefore as they had their post assigned them, and were liable to danger, it was but just and reasonable they should have the share in the spoil; especially since it was not want of will in them they did not go with them, but weakness of body:



they shall part alike; this was David's determination and decision, and it was an equitable one: something similar to this was directed by the Lord in the war of Midian, Nu 31:25, &c. and was practised in the times of Abraham, Ge 14:24; and is agreeable to the light of nature, and what has been practised by the Heathens, particularly the Romans, as Polybius {u} relates; who tells us, that every man brought booty into the camp, when the tribunes divided it equally to them all; not only to those which remained in battle, but to those that guarded the tents and the baggage, to the sick, and to those that were appointed to any service, see Ps 68:12; and so the Turkish historian says {w}, that the Pisidians, who lived on spoil, gave a part not contemptible to those that abode at home with their wives.



{u} Hist. l. 10. p. 365. {w} Chalcocondyl. de reb. Turc. l. 5. p. 161.





1 Samuel 30:25



Ver. 25. And it was [so] from that day forward,.... Or "upwards" {x}, of old, formerly; and so may refer either to what was done at the war with Midian, Nu 31:27; or in the times of Abraham, Ge 14:23; and so Jarchi observes, it is not said, "henceforward", but "upwards", it being a statute and custom in the days of Abraham; the same he notes on Ge 14:24; where he, David, learnt this from thence; though Josephus {y} is express for it, that this law obtained from the time of David; and such was his authority, though as yet not king, but a wise and just commander:



that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day; it appeared so reasonable and equitable, that it was always regarded and attended to.



{x} hlemw "et supra", Pagninus, Montanus; "et jam olim", Tigurine version. {y} Antiqu. l. 6. c, 14. sect. 6.





1 Samuel 30:26



Ver. 26. And when David came to Ziklag,.... Perhaps with an intention to rebuild it, and make it still the place of his residence; and it is possible there might be some houses that escaped flames, and if not, tents might be pitched until the city was rebuilt, and it appears that he continued there some time:



he sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah: of that part of it which belonged to himself as a general:



[even] to his friends; such as had been kind to him when he sojourned among them; so that this was a piece of gratitude, as well as of policy in him, to make his way to the throne the easier, he perceiving the time drawing on for the expiration of the kingdom in the family of Saul; and besides, some in those parts he sent of the spoil to might have been sufferers by the Amalekites, so that it was but a point of justice to restore to them what had been taken from them; for they had invaded the south of Judea, and took spoils from thence, 1Sa 30:14; it was to his friends in those parts he sent, not to the inhabitants of Ziph and Keilah, which were places in the tribe of Judah; but these having attempted to betray him, were not entitled to his favours, though they were not the objects of his vengeance:



saying, behold, a present for you, of the spoil of the Lord's enemies; or a "blessing" {z}, which he sent them with a good will, wishing health and happiness to them; which they might without hesitation receive, seeing it was not the spoil of private enemies, or of what was taken from them in a way of private revenge, but the spoil of the enemies of the Lord, his and their common enemies; nor need they scruple eating and enjoying it, though the spoil of those that cursed the Lord, Abarbinel observes, since this they had with the blessing of the Lord.



{z} hkrb "benedictio", Pagninus, Montanus.





1 Samuel 30:27



Ver. 27. To [them] which [were] in Bethel,.... One part of the spoil was sent to them; not to those in Bethel, in the tribe of Benjamin, but in Kirjathjearim, called Bethel, or the house of God, because the ark was there, see 1Sa 7:1; moreover, this place was also called Baalah, which some think is referred to here, see Jos 15:9;



and to [them] which [were] in south Ramoth; a city of the tribe of Simeon, which lay within the lot of Judah; of which see Jos 19:8;



and to [them] which [were] in Jattir; a city of the tribe of Judah,

See Gill on "Jos 15:48".





1 Samuel 30:28



Ver. 28. And to [them] which [were] in Aroer,.... Not Aroer in the tribe of Gad beyond Jordan, where David is never said to be, but some city of this name in the tribe of Judah; the Greek version of

Jos 15:22, instead of Adadah, has Arouel:



and to [them] which [were] in Siphmoth; which very probably was in the tribe of Judah, though nowhere else mentioned:



and to [them] which [were] in Eshtemoa; a Levitical city given to the Levites by the children of Judah, Jos 21:14.





1 Samuel 30:29



Ver. 29. And to [them] which [were] in Rachal,.... Another city of the tribe of Judah, but nowhere else spoken of:



and to [them] which [were] in the cities of the Jerahmeelites: which lay to the south of Judah, 1Sa 27:10;



and to [them] which [were] in the cities of the Kenites; who dwelt in the wilderness of Judah, in the south of Arad, Jud 1:16.





1 Samuel 30:30



Ver. 30. And to [them] which [were] in Hormah,.... This was a city also in the tribe of Judah; of which see Jos 15:30;



and to [them] which [were] in Chorashan; or the lake of Ashan, which was in the same tribe, see Jos 15:42;



and to [them] which [were] in Athach; nowhere else mentioned; the Greek version has Nombe instead of it, which some take to be the same with Nob; but that was in the tribe of Benjamin.





1 Samuel 30:31



Ver. 31. And to [them] which [were] in Hebron,.... A noted city in the tribe of Judah, in the mountainous part of it, and a city of refuge, and where David was afterwards anointed, first king over Judah, and then over Israel, 2Sa 2:4;



and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt; where they had their walks, and went to and fro when persecuted by Saul; all such places, and the inhabitants of them, David had a grateful remembrance of, who sheltered and relieved him in the times of his distress.

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

1 Samuel 31:1



INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 31



This chapter gives an account of the battle between the Philistines and the Israelites, which had been preparing for, and the issue of it; in which Saul, his three sons, and his servants, were slain, upon which his army fled, and several of his cities were taken, 1Sa 31:1; what the Philistines did with his body and his armour, 1Sa 31:8; the former of which, together with the bodies of his sons, the men of Jabeshgilead rescued, and burnt them, and buried their bones under a tree at Jabesh, expressing great sorrow and concern, 1Sa 31:11.



Ver. 1. Now the Philistines fought against Israel,.... Being come to Jezreel where Israel pitched, 1Sa 29:1; they fell upon them, began the battle:



and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines; at the first onset, as it should seem:



and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa; which was near, and whither fleeing they were pursued and slain, at least great numbers of them.





1 Samuel 31:2



Ver. 2. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul,.... Stuck to him, pushed him close, bore hard upon him in that part of the army where he was having a design upon his person:



and upon his sons; who were with him:



and the Philistines slew Jonathan; who is mentioned first, being the eldest son, and perhaps first slain; and this was so ordered by the providence of God, that David's way to the throne might be more clear and easy; for though Jonathan would not have opposed him himself, yet the people, fond of him, would, at least many of them, been for setting him on the throne; and though he would have refused it, knowing David was the Lord's anointed, and have made interest for him, this would have looked as if he had made him king, and not the Lord:



and Abinadab and Malchishua, Saul's sons; these also were slain; former of these is called Ishui, 1Sa 14:49; Ishbosheth either was not in the battle, being left at home, as unfit for war, or to take care of the kingdom; or else he fled with Abner, and others, and escaped, and who was to be a trial to David.





1 Samuel 31:3



Ver. 3. And the battle went sore against Saul,.... Pressed heavy upon him; he was the butt of the Philistines, they aimed at his person and life:



and the archers hit him; or "found him" {a}; the place where was, and directed their arrows at him:



and he was sore wounded of the archers; or rather "he was afraid" of them, as the Targum, for as yet he was not wounded; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions render it, and is the sense Kimchi and Ben Melech give of the word: he was not afraid of death, as Abarbinel observes, he chose to die; but he was afraid he should be hit by the archers in such a way that he should not die immediately, and should be taken alive and ill used; the Philistines, especially the Cherethites, were famous for archery; See Gill on "Zep 2:5".



{a} whaumyw "et inveserust cum", Pagninus, Montanus.





1 Samuel 31:4



Ver. 4. Then said Saul unto his armourbearer,.... Who, the Jews {b} say, was Doeg the Edomite, promoted to this office for slaying the priests:



draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; for if he was wounded, yet not mortally, and it is certain he did not so apprehend it. It is much the sword of the armourbearer should be sheathed in a battle; but perhaps he was preparing for flight, and so had put it up in its scabbard:



lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me; lest they should not dispatch him at once, but put him to a lingering and torturing death, and insult him, and mock at him, as they did Samson:



but his armourbearer would not, for he was sore afraid; to lay his hand on the king the Lord's anointed, to take away his life, being more scrupulous of doing that, if this was Doeg, than of slaying the priests of the Lord; or he might be afraid of doing this, since should he survive this action, he would be called to an account by the Israelites, and be put to death for killing the king:



therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it; or rather "the sword", the sword of his armourbearer, and so was a suicide: the Jews endeavour to excuse this fact of Saul, because he knew he should die in battle from the words of Samuel; and being pressed sore by the archers, he saw it was impossible to escape out of their hands and therefore judged it better to kill himself than to fall by the hands of the uncircumcised; but these excuses will not do. Josephus {c} denies he killed himself; that though he attempted it, his sword would not pierce through him, and that he was killed by the Amalekite, and that that was a true account he gave to David in the following chapter; though it seems rather to be a lie, to curry favour with David, and that Saul did destroy himself.



{b} Hieron. Trad. Heb. in lib. Reg. fol. 77. B. {c} Antiqu. l. 6. c. 14. sect. 7.





1 Samuel 31:5



Ver. 5. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead,.... By his own hands, and not by the hands of the Amalekite, which the armour bearer would scarcely have suffered:



he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him; some think that Saul, and his armourbearer, died by the same sword, which was the armourbearer's; and if he was Doeg, they fell probably by the same sword with which the priests of the Lord were murdered at Nob, 1Sa 22:18; and it is observed by an historian {d}, that the murderers of Julius Caesar slew themselves with the same dagger they destroyed him.



{d} Sucton. Vit. Caesar. c. 89.





1 Samuel 31:6



Ver. 6. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer,.... Only with this difference, his three sons died honourably in the field of battle, but he and his armourbearer destroyed themselves. Josephus says {e} he reigned eighteen years in the life of Samuel, and after his death twenty two years, which make the forty years the apostle ascribes to him, Ac 13:21; Eupolemus {f}, an Heathen writer, makes him to reign twenty one years; but of the years of his reign, both before and after the death of Samuel, chronologers are not agreed, see 1Sa 25:1; and

See Gill on "Ac 13:21";



and all his men that same day together; not all the soldiers in his army; for many of them fled and escaped, and even Abner the general of the army, but his household servants, or those that were near his person, his bodyguards.



{e} Antiqu. l. 6. c. 14. sect. 9. {f} Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 3. p. 447.





1 Samuel 31:7



Ver. 7. And which the men of Israel that [were] on the other side of the valley,.... The valley of Jezreel; of which

See Gill on "Ho 1:5";



and [they] that [were] on the other side Jordan; or rather "on that side"; for the phrase will bear to be rendered either way, and so may mean that side of Jordan on which the battle was fought; for as for the other side, or that beyond it, the Israelites there could not be in such fear of the Philistines, nor do we ever read of their inhabiting any cities there; though as the phrase is used of the valley, as well as of the river, it may be rendered "about the valley, [and] about Jordan" {g}, and so describes such that dwelt near to each of them:



saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead; that is, had information and intelligence of those facts, for it is not to be supposed they saw them with their eyes:



they forsook, the cities, and fled; fearing they should be put to the sword, or carried captive:



and the Philistines came and dwelt them; having nothing more to do than to come and take possession.



{g} Ndryh rbeb-qmeh rbeb "circa convellem illiam--circa Jordanem", Junius & Tremellius, Picator; so Noldius, p. 295. No. 936.





1 Samuel 31:8



Ver. 8. And it came to pass on the morrow,.... The day after the battle, which perhaps was fought till night came on:



when the Philistines came to strip the slain; of their clothes, and take from them whatever was valuable, as their booty:



that they found Saul and his sons fallen in Mount Gilboa; to which they had betaken themselves, when the battle went against them in the valley; of which see 1Sa 28:4.





1 Samuel 31:9



Ver. 9. And they cut off his head,.... And fastened it in the temple of Dagon, 1Ch 10:10; perhaps that which was at Ashdod, one of the principalities of the Philistines, 1Sa 5:1;



and stripped off his armour; or vessels {h}, his clothes as well as his armour, and what he had about him; as for his crown on his head, and the bracelet on his arm, the Amalekite took them before the Philistines came, 2Sa 1:10;



and sent into the land of the Philistines round about: not his head and his armour, for they were placed in the temple of their idols; unless we can suppose these were first carried about for show, and as proofs of the victory: but rather messengers, who were sent express with the news,



to publish [it in] the house of their idols, and among the people; that so they might be glad and rejoice, and give praise to their idols, to whom they ascribed the success they had.



{h} wylk ta "vasa ejus", Munster, Montanus.





1 Samuel 31:10



Ver. 10. And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth,.... A temple dedicated to their deities, called by this name; of which

See Gill on "Jud 2:13"; Nothing was more common with the Gentiles than to place in their temples the arms they took from their enemies, as is strongly expressed by Homer {i} and Virgil {k}; and indeed the Jews did the same, as appears by the sword of Goliath being laid up in the tabernacle, 1Sa 21:9. Here also the Heathens {l} hung up their own arms when the war was ended:



and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan; which Josephus {m} says is the same which in his time was called Scythopolis, from the Scythians that possessed it, before called Nysa, according to Pliny {n}: it was given to the tribe of Manasseh, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of it, so that it was always in the possession of others, Jos 17:11; where it is called Bethshean; to the wall of the city they fastened the body of Saul with nails, as it is commonly understood; but it is more likely they hung it on a gibbet without, and near the walls of the city; so the Targum, they hung his body; or, as Josephus {o}, they crucified it there; and so they did also the bodies of his sons, as appears from 1Sa 31:12.



{i} teucea sulhsav, Iliad. 7. ver. 83. {k} "Multaque praeterea sacris in postibus arma", &c. Aeneid. 7. ver. 183. So Persius, Satyr. 6. ver. 45. {l} Messal. Corvin. de August. Progen. {m} Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 6. c. 14.) l. 8. {n} Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 18. Vid. Solin. Polyhistor. c. 49. {o} Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 6. c. 14. l. 8.)





1 Samuel 31:11



Ver. 11. And the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead,.... Who lived on the other side Jordan, about eight miles from Bethshan, according to Fuller {p}:



heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul; not only that they had got the victory over him, and routed his army, but had abused his body, and hung it up by way of reproach and ignominy; which they could not bear to hear of, remembering with gratitude the kindness he had shown to them, in delivering them out of the hands of Nahash the Ammonite, 1Sa 11:1.



{p} Pisgah-Sight of Palestine, b. 2. ch. 2. p. 82.





1 Samuel 31:12



Ver. 12. All the valiant men arose,.... Of the city of Jabeshgilead, fired with indignation at the Philistines' ill usage of Saul and the bodies of his sons:



and went all night; not only for secrecy, but for haste:



and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh; brought them with them thither, the Philistines either having no knowledge of it, or not daring to oppose them:



and burnt them there: that is, the flesh of them, for the bones they buried, as in 1Sa 31:13; and this they did, contrary to the common usage of the country, which was not to burn; but this they did, that if the Philistines should come to recover them, they would not be able to do it: though the Targum is,



"they burnt over them, as they burn over their kings there;''



they made a burning for them of spices over them; or of their beds, and other household goods, as Kimchi and Ben Melech observe, though they prefer the other sense; see 2Ch 16:14 perhaps the true reason might be, because they were putrid and infectious.





1 Samuel 31:13



Ver. 13. And they took their bones, and buried [them] under a tree at Jabesh,.... For though they burned the bodies, yet so as to preserve the bones; and these, together with the ashes of the parts burnt, they gathered up, and buried under a tree near this city; this tree is said to be an oak, 1Ch 10:12; so Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, was buried under an oak, Ge 35:8. The Jews generally interred their dead under some oak, as aforementioned writer observes {q}; pleased perchance with the parallel, as he expresses it, that as these plants, seemingly dead in winter, have every spring an annual resurrection, so men's dry bones shall have new sap put into them at the day of judgment:



and fasted seven days; not that they ate and drank nothing all that time, but they fasted every day till evening, as the Jews used to do; so long it seems a man may live without eating, but not longer;

See Gill on "Ex 24:18" and

see Gill "1Ki 19:8"; this they did, as Kimchi thinks, in memory of the seven days Nahash the Ammonite gave them for their relief, in which time Saul came and saved them, 1Sa 11:3.



{q} Pisgah-Sight of Palestine b. 2. ch. 2. p. 82.

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

2 Samuel 1:1



INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL



This book, in many copies of the Hebrew Bible, is carried on without any new title put unto it; the reason of it is, because, by some, this, with the preceding, has been reckoned but one book: hence the Jews say {a}, Samuel wrote his book, not his books; in others it is called Samuel Second; and by the Vulgate Latin the Second Book of Samuel, which we call the Second of Kings; though why his name should be put to it at all I see not, since it neither concerns him, nor could it be written by him, being an history of events after his death. The Greek version calls it the Second of Kings; and the Syriac version, the Second Book of the Kings of Israel; whereas there is but one king of Israel it makes mention of, and of whose actions only it is an history; and therefore with greater propriety it is called, as the Arabic version, the Book of David the Prophet, of whose reign, from the beginning to the end of it, it gives an account: wherefore Isidore {b} thinks it was written by David; and if so, it has this mark of simplicity and integrity, that the writer does not spare himself, nor conceal his own faults, and particularly that very capital one, the affair of Bathsheba, and also his numbering of the people; but it is most probable that it was written by Nathan and Gad {c}, see

1Ch 29:29; but whoever was the penman of it, there is no doubt to be made of its being written by inspiration, or that it is canonical; which has never been questioned, since there stands in it a famous prophecy concerning the building of the temple by a son of David, which had an exact accomplishment, 2Sa 7:12; as well as of the family of David, for a great while to come, which also was fulfilled, 2Sa 7:19; and an eminent passage concerning the Messiah, the son of David, and of his divine sonship, 2Sa 7:14; quoted by the Apostle Paul in proof of it, Heb 1:5. It contains an history of about forty years, for so long David reigned, seven years and six months in Hebron, over Judah, and thirty three years in Jerusalem, over all Israel and Judah; and this book relates his last words.



{a} T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 14. 2. {b} Origin. l. 6. c. 2. {c} Alting. Theolog. Hist. loc. 2. p. 86.





INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 1



This chapter contains an account of the death of Saul and Jonathan, as related to David by an Amalekite, 2Sa 1:1; of the sorrow he and his men were filled with at the news of it, 2Sa 1:11; of his order to put to death the messenger that brought the tidings, for his concern in the death of Saul, according to his own testimony, 2Sa 1:13; and of a lamentation composed by David on this occasion, 2Sa 1:17.



Ver. 1. Now it came to pass after the death of Saul,.... The third day after, as appears from the next verse:



when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites; as related in 1Sa 30:17;



and David had abode two days in Ziklag; which, though fired by the Amalekites, was not utterly consumed, but there was still some convenience for the lodging of David and his men; within this time he sent his presents to several places in the tribe of Judah, of which mention is made in the chapter before quoted, and at the same time it was that so many mighty men came to him from several tribes spoken of in 1Ch 12:1.





2 Samuel 1:2



Ver. 2. It came to pass on the third day,.... After the battle was fought, in which Saul was slain:



that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul; that is, from them who were in the camp with Saul, for he was dead. Some say {d} this was Doeg the Edomite, which is not likely that he should come with such tidings to David; besides, if he was Saul's armourbearer, as others say, see 1Sa 31:4; he died with Saul; nor his son, as others {e}, which is not at all probable, though his being an Edomite is no objection, since the Amalekites were of the race of Edom:



with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: in token of mourning, and was the bringer of bad tidings, see 1Sa 4:12;



and [so] it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance; as being the rising sun, Saul's successor, and now king.



{d} Pesikta in Jarchi in loc. {e} Tanchuma in Yalkut in loc. Hieron. Trad. Heb. in 2 lib. Reg. fol. 77. C.





2 Samuel 1:3



Ver. 3. And David said unto him, from whence comest thou?.... It is very likely by his appearance and circumstances he suspected from whence he came:



and he said unto him, out of the camp of Israel am I escaped; which plainly suggested that that was in danger, confusion, and distress.





2 Samuel 1:4



Ver. 4. And David said unto him, how went the matter? I pray thee, tell me,.... That is, how went the battle? on which side the victory?



and he answered, that the people are fled from the battle; meaning the people of Israel, they had given way, and turned their backs upon their enemies, and were fled:



and many of the people also are fallen and dead; fell by the sword in the pursuit of them, and were not only wounded, but were slain, and these great numbers of them:



and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also; which are mentioned last, because they fell some of the last; and this part of the account is reserved by the messenger to the last, because it was the article of the greatest importance; the death of these two persons, the one the enemy, and the other the friend of David, and the death of both made way for his accession to the throne.





2 Samuel 1:5



Ver. 5. And David said unto the young man that told him,.... These tidings:



how knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? this he particularly inquired after, as what most affected him, and was most material for him to know; and his meaning is, whether he had this of his own sight and knowledge, or by report.





2 Samuel 1:6



Ver. 6. And the young man that told him,.... So it seems he was, and therefore could not be Doeg, more likely his son of the two; but there is no reason to believe he was either of them, who cannot be thought to be well disposed to David:



said, as I happened by chance upon Mount Gilboa; who was either a traveller that came that way just as the army was routed, and part had fled to Gilboa; or if a soldier, was not one of those that attended Saul, and was of his bodyguard, but happened on the flight to come to the same spot on Gilboa where Saul was:



behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; that that might pierce him through and die; but this seems not true, for he fell upon his sword for that purpose, 1Sa 31:4;



and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him; the charioteers and cavalry, of which part of the Philistine army consisted; though this also does not agree with the account in the above place; for according to that they were the archers that pressed him hard, and hit him.





2 Samuel 1:7



Ver. 7. And when he looked behind him,.... To see how near the enemy was, and who were pursuing him:



he saw me, and called unto me; by which it should rather seem that he belonged to the Philistines than to the Israelites, and as his being an Amalekite shows; for such an one would hardly be admitted among the latter, though it is most likely he was with neither, but happened to come that way just at that time:



and I answered, here [am] I; ready to hear what thou hast to say, and do thy pleasure.





2 Samuel 1:8



Ver. 8. And he said unto me, who [art] thou?.... Being willing to know whether a friend or an enemy, which by his coming behind him he could not tell:



and I answered him, I [am] an Amalekite: which he might be; but it is not likely he should tell Saul he was, which would not recommend him to him; though indeed he was now in such circumstances, that the Amalekites had nothing to fear from him; and if he was slain by him, as Josephus {f} affirms he was, it seems to be a just retaliation on him for sparing any of that race, contrary to the will of God.



{f} Antiqu. l. 6. c. 14. sect. 7.





2 Samuel 1:9



Ver. 9. And he said unto me again, stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me,.... Which it can hardly be thought Saul would say; since he might as well have died by the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines, which he endeavoured to avoid, as by the hands of an Amalekite:



for anguish is come upon me; or trembling, as the Targum, not through fear of death, but through fear of falling into the hands of the Philistines, and of being ill used by them. Some render the words, "my embroidered coat", or "breastplate", or "coat of mail", holds me {g}, or hinders me from being pierced through with the sword or spear; so Ben Gersom {h}:



because my life [is] yet whole in me: for though he had been wounded by the archers, yet he did not apprehend he had received any mortal wound, but his life was whole in him; and therefore feared he should fall into their hands alive, and be ill treated by them.



{g} Ubyh "tunica scutulata", Braunius; "ocellata chlamys", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "thorax villosus seu pelliceus", Texelii Phoenix, p. 210. {h} Vid. Braunium de Vest. Sacredot. Heb. l. 1. c. 17. sect. 9.





2 Samuel 1:10



Ver. 10. So I stood upon him, and slew him,.... Pressed with all his weight upon his body, that so the spear might pierce through him, and slay him; thus he represents his death to be brought about:



because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen; this is not consistent with what he had said before, both that he was leaning on his spear, and not fallen to the ground, and that his life was whole in him:



and I took the crown that [was] upon his head; which made him conspicuous, and therefore the Philistines aimed at him, and pressed hard after him, 2Sa 1:6; though some think that this was not on his head, but carried into the field of battle, ready to be put on if victory was on his side; and others say it was in the possession and care of Doeg, who at his death gave it to his son to carry to David, and thereby gain his favour:



and the bracelet that [was] on his arm; of gold no doubt, so Josephus {i}; such as great personages used to wear, men as well as women, see

Ge 38:18, especially military men {k}. Jarchi takes them to be the "totaphot" or phylacteries on the arm, which is not probable:



and have brought them hither unto my lord; as ensigns of royalty, fit only for a king, Saul's successor, as this person, by calling him lord, owned him to be, and thought by bringing those to him to be highly he neared and rewarded.



{i} Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 6. c. 14. sect. 7.) {k} Vid. Liv. Hist. Decad. 1. l. 10. c. 44.





2 Samuel 1:11



Ver. 11. When David took hold on his clothes,.... Not on the young man's but his own:



and rent them; on bearing of the death of Saul and Jonathan, see

Ge 37:34; from whence the Jews {l} gather, that a man is bound to rend his clothes for a prince, and for the father of the sanhedrim, since Saul, they say, was the prince, and Jonathan the father of that court:



and likewise all the men that [were] with him; rent their clothes also, in imitation of him; the same custom obtained among the Gentiles on mournful occasions {m}.



{l} T. Bab. Moed. Katon, fol. 26. 1. {m} "-----it scissa veste Latinus". Virgil. Aeneid. 12. prope finem.





2 Samuel 1:12



Ver. 12. And they mourned and wept,.... Inwardly mourned, and outwardly wept, no doubt sincerely:



and fasted until even; ate no food all that day until it was evening, the manner in which fasts used to be kept:



for Saul, and for Jonathan his son; it is no wonder that David and his men should mourn for Jonathan, a good man, and a valiant one, and a dear and faithful friend of David's; but it may seem not so clear a thing that they should, mourn for Saul, a wicked man, and a persecutor of David without cause: but it should be observed that he had been reconciled to David, and had not since attempted anything against him; besides, he was his prince, his father-in-law, and the rather he might be grieved for his death, and his men with him, because it was matter of joy to the Philistines, and they would endeavour to avail themselves of it; and especially the manner of his death, that he should be the cause of it himself, and die without repentance, as it might be feared, and quickly after consultation with a witch, and when left of God, if these particulars were known to David:



and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel; that is, the people of the Lord, even the house of Israel, or who were of the house of Israel; or if they are to be distinguished, the former may respect the people of the Lord who died in battle, for whom mourning was made; and the latter the people that survived, the whole kingdom of Israel, which had sustained a great loss by the slaughter made in this battle, as it follows:



because they were fallen by the sword; so many of them.





2 Samuel 1:13



Ver. 13. And David said unto the young man that told him, whence [art] thou?.... From what place, or of what people and nation art thou? though Abarbinel thinks it neither respects place nor people, but that David thought he was another man's servant; so that the sense of the question is, to what man did he belong?



and he answered, I [am] the son of a stranger, an Amalekite; he was not any man's servant, but the son of a proselyte, of one that was by birth and nation an Amalekite, but proselyted to the Jewish religion; he might know of what nation he originally was, by the account he had given of what passed between him and Saul, 2Sa 1:8; though the mind of David might so disturbed as not to advert to it; or if he did, he might be willing to have it repeated for confirmation's sake.





2 Samuel 1:14



Ver. 14. And David said unto him, how, wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand,.... By which it should seem that he did more than stand upon him, and press his body, that the spear might pierce through him, but that he drew his sword, and slew him; so David understood him, and is the sense of the phrase in 1Sa 17:51;



to destroy the Lord's anointed? a reason why David did not destroy him, when it was in the power of his hands, and which he made use of to dissuade others from it; and here charges it not only as a criminal, but a daring action in this young man, at which he expresses his admiration how he could do it; hereby representing it as a very shocking and detestable action; see 1Sa 24:6.





2 Samuel 1:15



Ver. 15. And David called one of the young men,.... His servants that attended on him:



and said, go near, [and] fall upon him; by smiting him with his sword:



and he smote him, that he died; his orders were instantly obeyed. Kings and generals of armies had great power in those times and countries to execute a man immediately, without any other judge or jury: what may serve, or David might think would serve, to justify him in doing this, is what follows.





2 Samuel 1:16



Ver. 16. And David said unto him, thy blood [be] upon thy head,.... The blood that he had shed, let him suffer for it; for as he had shed blood, his blood ought to be shed, according to the law of God; and for proof of this, that he had so done, he appeals to his own confession:



for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed; and what might serve to confirm the truth of what he had said were the crown and bracelet which he brought along with him; and besides he was an Amalekite, of a nation that was devoted to destruction; and, as Abarbinel thinks, David might suppose that he killed Saul to take vengeance on him for what he had done to their nation; but, after all, both he and Maimonides {n} allow the punishment of him was not strictly according to law, but was a temporary decree, an extraordinary case, and an act of royal authority; for in common cases a man was not to be condemned and put to death upon his own confession, since it is possible he may not be in his right mind {o}; but David chose to exercise severity in this case, partly to show his respect to Saul, and to ingratiate himself into the favour of his friends, and partly to deter men from attempting to assassinate princes, who himself was now about to ascend the throne.



{n} Hilchot Sanhedrin, c. 18. sect. 6. {o} T. Bab. Yehamot, fol. 25. 2. Maimon. ibid.





2 Samuel 1:17



Ver. 17. And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son. Composed the following elegy on account of their death, and sung it in a tune agreeable to it, he and the men that were with him.





2 Samuel 1:18



Ver. 18. (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah [the use] of the bow,.... These words, with what follow in this verse, are rightly put into a parenthesis, since they do not begin nor make any part of the elegiac song, or lamentation of David; and are here inserted to show, that, amidst his sorrow and lamentation, he was not unmindful of the welfare of the people, and to provide for their defence and security; and therefore gave orders that care should be taken, especially in the tribe of Judah, which was his own tribe, and where he had the greatest authority, and for whom he might have the chiefest concern, that they should be trained up in military exercises, learn the art of war, and the use of every weapon of war, particularly of the bow, which, being a principal one, may be put for all; and which may be the rather mentioned, because the Philistines were expert in the use of it, and seemed to have done much execution with it in the recent battle, see 1Sa 31:3. They are said {p} to be the inventors of it; though Pliny {q} ascribes it to others; and it may be the people of Israel and of Judah had of late neglected to learn the use of it, and to make use of it, and instead of that had taken to other sort of arms in fighting; for that that was not unknown to them, or wholly disused, is clear from this song, 2Sa 1:22; see also 1Ch 12:2. Moreover, as the Philistines, especially the Cherethites, were expert in archery, David found ways and means to get some of them afterwards into his service, and by whom he might improve his people in the art, see 2Sa 8:18; though some {r} are of opinion that the word "keshet", or bow, was the title of the following lamentation or song, taken from the mention of Jonathan's bow in it; which song the children of Judah were to be taught to sing; but then, as has been observed by some, for this there would have been no need of the following reference, since the whole this song is here recorded:



behold, it is written in book of Jasher); which the Targum calls the book of the law; and Jarchi and Ben Gersom restrain it to the book of Genesis, the book of the upright, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and suppose respect is had to the prophecy concerning Judah, Ge 49:8, but Kimchi, extending it to all the five books of Moses, adds his blessing, in De 33:7. In the Arabic version it is explained of the book of Samuel, interpreted the book of songs, as if it was a collection of songs; which favours the above sense. Jerom {s} interprets it of the same book, the book of the righteous prophets, Samuel, Gad, and Nathan: hut this book seems to have been a public register or annals, in which were recorded memorable actions in any age, and had its name from the uprightness and faithfulness in which it was kept; and in this were set down the order of David for the teaching the children of Judah the use of the bow, and perhaps the method which he directed to for instruction in it; See Gill on "Jos 10:13".



{p} Bedford's Chronology, p. 245. {q} Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 56. {r} See Gregory's Notes and Observations, &c. ch. 1. and Weemse of the Judicial Laws, c. 44. p. 171. {s} Trad. Heb. in 2 lib. Reg. fol. 77. D.





2 Samuel 1:19



Ver. 19. The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places,.... The high mountains of Gilboa, where Saul their king, and Jonathan his son, a prince of the blood, and natural heir to the crown, and multitudes of young men, the flower of the nation, were wounded and slain. Here begins the lamentation, or the elegiac song:



how are the mighty fallen! mighty men of war, strong and valiant, as Saul and his sons were, and the soldiers in his army.





2 Samuel 1:20



Ver. 20. Tell [it] not in Gath,.... One of the five principalities of the Philistines, and the chief of them, being raised to a kingdom, and whose king was at the head of the armies of the Philistines that engaged with Saul. This is not to be understood of a command of David, who could not hinder the victory the Philistines had got over Israel being known at Gath, and talked of with pleasure there, but a wish it had not:



publish [it] not in the streets of Ashkelon; another of the principalities of the Philistines, and the sense the same as before:



lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph; it being usual in those times and countries for women, young women more especially, to express their joy, on occasion of victories obtained, by singing and dancing, Jud 11:34.





2 Samuel 1:21



Ver. 21. Ye mountains of Gilboa,.... On which fell Saul and his sons, and many of the people of Israel, 2Sa 1:6;



[let there be] no dew, neither [let there be] rain upon you; which is not to understood as a real imprecation; for David would never curse any part of the land of Israel, for which he had so great a regard; but only as a poetical figure, expressing his concern for, and abhorrence of what happened on those mountains; much less did this in reality take place, as some have feigned, as if never dew nor rain descended on them {t} afterwards; which has been refuted by travellers, particularly Borchard {u}, who, speaking of this mountain, says, that as he was upon it, there was such a violent shower fell, that he was wet through his clothes; and in the year 1273, laying all night upon this hill, there was a great dew fell upon him:



nor fields of offerings; of heave offerings; the meaning is, that he could wish almost that those hills were not fruitful, and that they brought no fruit to perfection, so much as that heave offerings for the service of the sanctuary might be taken; which is expressive of great sterility and scarcity, see Joe 1:13;



for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away; mighty men were obliged to cast away their shields and flee, which were greatly to their reproach and scandal, and to that of the whole nation: it was always reckoned very scandalous, and a great crime, even punishable with death, to cast away a shield, both with the Greeks and others {w}: yea, also



the shield of Saul, [as though he had] not [been] anointed with oil; as if he was not the anointed king of Israel, but a common soldier: or else this respects his shield, as if that was not anointed, as shields used to be, that they might be smooth and glib, and missile weapons, as arrows and others, might not pass through them, but slide off, see

Isa 21:5; though Gersom gives a different turn, that Saul's shield being in continual use, needed not to be anointed, as those did which for a time had been laid aside. Abarbinel interprets these words thus, that he, who was the shield of the mighty, even Saul himself, was vilely cast away, or become loathsome; and that his shield was anointed, not with oil, but with the blood of the slain, and the fat of the mighty, connecting them with the words following.



{t} Cippi Heb. p. 34. {u} Apud Hottinger not. in ib. see Bunting's Travels, p, 131. {w} Isocrates de Pace, p. 364. Horat. Carmin. l. 2. Ode 7. Tacitus de Mor. German. c. 6. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 2. c. 13.





2 Samuel 1:22



Ver. 22. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back,.... That is, it always did execution, the arrows shot frown it pierced into men, shed their blood, and slew them; even they entered into the fat of the mighty, or mighty ones, that were fat, and brought them down; so the arrows of the Medes and Persians, the expert men among them, are said not to return in vain, Jer 50:9;



and the sword of Saul returned not empty; but was the means of slaying many; though Abarbinel observes also that this may be interpreted of the blood of the slain, and of the fat of the mighty men of Israel; and that though Saul and Jonathan saw many of these fall before their eyes, yet "for" or "because" of their blood, they were not intimidated and restrained from fighting; the bow of the one, and the shield of the other, turned not back on that account.





2 Samuel 1:23



Ver. 23. Saul and Jonathan [were] lovely and pleasant in their lives,.... To one another, had no quarrel or difference with each other, only on the account of David; otherwise they agreed together in the court, and in the camp, in their councils, and in their conduct:



and in their death they were not divided; neither from the people, nor from one another; Jonathan stuck close by his father to the last; which is observed to clear him from any imputation of conspiracy against him:



they were swifter than eagles; in the quick dispatch of business, in hasting to the relief of the distressed, as Saul to the men of Jabeshgilead, and in the pursuit of their enemies, as of the Philistines, more than once:



they were stronger than lions; fighting with their enemies, who became an case prey to them; and what is stronger than a lion among beasts?

Jud 14:18; or swifter than an eagle among birds, which is said to cut the air with its wings {x}?



{x} Aelian. Hist. Animal. l. 15. c. 22. Vid. Ciceron. de Divinatione, l. 2. prope finem.





2 Samuel 1:24



Ver. 24. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,.... In their mournful elegies;



who clothed you with scarlet, with [other] delights; not only with scarlet, but with other fine and delightful apparel, such as were very pleasing to the female sex, especially young people, who are delighted with gay apparel; this Saul was the means of, through the spoil he took from his enemies, and by other methods taken by him to the enriching of the nation, whereby husbands and parents were enabled to provide rich clothes for their wives and children:



who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel; broidered work, jewels of gold, &c. See Isa 3:18.





2 Samuel 1:25



Ver. 25. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!.... The mighty and valiant men of war, the common soldiers as well as their general officers, whose loss David mourns, and the repetition of shows how much it affected him:



O Jonathan, [thou wast] slain in thine high places; in the high places of the land of Israel, the mountains of Gilboa, which though high, and in his own country, could not protect him from his enemies, and from falling by their hands: he who had been so valiant and victorious a prince, and yet he fell, not in an enemy's country, but his own.





2 Samuel 1:26



Ver. 26. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan,.... So he was, not only by nation and religion, but by affinity, having married the sister of Jonathan; and still more so by affection and friendship, he being a friend of David's, that stuck closer to him than a brother, and who loved him as his own soul; he was distressed for him, not on account of his spiritual and eternal state, which he doubted not was happy, but for the manner of his death, his loss of him, and want of his pleasant conversation, of his counsel and advice, and assistance in his present circumstances:



very pleasant hast thou been unto me; in their friendly visits of, and conversation with, one another; many a pleasant hour had they spent together, but now must see each other's faces no more in this world:



thy love to me was wonderful; as indeed he might well say, being towards one of a mean extract in comparison of his, to one who was not his own brother, but a brother-in-law; and to one that was a rival to the crown he was heir to, and would take it before him: and who ran the risk of losing his father's affection, and even his life, for espousing his cause: see 1Sa 18:1;



passing the love of women; either that which they are loved with by men, or that with which they love their husbands and children; which is generally the strongest and most affectionate. The Targum is,



"more than the love of two women,''



than his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail; so Kimchi; meaning that he was more strongly and affectionately loved by Jonathan than by them, who yet might love him very well too.





2 Samuel 1:27



Ver. 27. How are the mighty fallen,.... This is the burden of this elegiac song, being the third time it is mentioned:



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

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.

2 Samuel 2:1



INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 2



This chapter relates that David, upon inquiring of the Lord, was directed to go up to Hebron, and did, where he was anointed king of Judah, 2Sa 2:1. And that being told of the kindness of the men of Jabeshgilead in burying Saul, he sent them thanks, and promised to remember it, and took the opportunity to let them know he was anointed king over Judah, 2Sa 2:5. It also relates that Abner set up Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, to be king over Israel, 2Sa 2:8; and that there was an encounter between twelve of Abner's men and twelve of David's, which brought on a sore battle between them, in which Abner was beaten, 2Sa 2:12; and Asahel, who was of David's party, was slain in the pursuit by Abner, 2Sa 2:18; when a retreat was sounded by Joab, at the influence of Abner, who, with his wen, betook themselves to Mahanaim, where he had left Ishbosheth, 2Sa 2:26. And the chapter closes with an account of the slain on both sides, the burial of Asahel, and the return of Joab with David's men to Hebron, 2Sa 2:30.



Ver. 1. And it came to pass after this,.... After David had heard of the death of Saul and Jonathan, and made a lamentation over them, perhaps the next day; since David and his men are only said to mourn, and weep, and fast till even, 2Sa 1:10;



that David inquired of the Lord; of the Word of the Lord, as the Targum, by Abiathar the priest, and through the Urim and Thummim, in the ephod he had put on on this occasion:



saying, shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? though the Lord had promised him the kingdom, and he had been anointed by Samuel by his appointment, yet he was not hasty to take it into his hands, but was desirous of acting according to the will of God, and by his direction, and wait his time when and where he should go and take possession of it; he mentions Judah because it was his own tribe, and where he had the most friends:



and the Lord said unto him, go up; from Ziklag into the tribe of Judah, but did not mention any particular place whither he should go; hence another question was put:



and David said, whither shall I go up? To what town or city in the tribe of Judah? whether Jerusalem or any other?



And he said, unto Hebron; a city of the priests, a city of refuge, Jos 21:13, twenty miles from Jerusalem, or more, which is not directed to, because it was then chiefly in the hands of the Jebusites, and because, as Procopius Gazaeus says, Hebron was now the metropolis of Judah.





2 Samuel 2:2



Ver. 2. So David went up thither,.... From Ziklag to Hebron, which was sixteen miles according to Bunting {y}



and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, Nabal's wife, the Carmelite; who were beloved by him, and who had shared with him in his troubles, and which he took with him to partake of his honour and grandeur, wealth and riches; in which he was now a type of Christ. See Ro 8:17.



{y} Ut supra, (Travels &c.) p. 137.





2 Samuel 2:3



Ver. 3. And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household,.... They and their families, and no doubt provided well for them when he was settled on the throne, who had shown themselves to be his faithful friends, closely attached to his interest, and had run the risk of their all on his account. See

Mt 19:28.



And they dwelt in the cities of Hebron; in the towns and villages about it; for that itself being a city of refuge, and inhabited by priests, there was not room enough for all David's men, who were now increasing, persons from various tribes flocking to him. See 1Ch 12:1.





2 Samuel 2:4



Ver. 4. And the men of Judah came,.... The inhabitants of the tribe of Judah came from the several parts of it to Hebron, that is, the principal of them, the elders of each city:



and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah; they did not take upon them to make him king over all Israel, but left the rest of the tribes to act for themselves; and no doubt in this they had the mind of David, who was not willing to force himself upon the people at once, but by degrees get the whole government into his hands, as Providence should make his way; these men knew the kingdom was promised to their tribe, from Ge 49:10; and were quite clear in what they did, and, without question, knew that David had been anointed by Samuel: but as that anointing was only a declaration of the Lord's choice of him, and of his will that he should be king after Saul's death, he is again anointed by the people, as an inauguration into his office:



and they told David, saying, [that] the men of Jabeshgilead [were they] that buried Saul. It is highly probable, that as soon as David was anointed king, the first thing he thought of was to inquire after the body of the late king, and give it an honourable interment, and upon inquiry was told that the men of Jabeshgilead had buried him already. See 1Sa 31:11.





2 Samuel 2:5



Ver. 5. And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead,.... To return them thanks for their courage and boldness in rescuing the bodies of Saul and his sons out of the hands of the Philistines, and for their civility in the burial of them:



and said unto them, blessed [be] ye of the Lord; which may be considered either as a wish, the Lord bless you for it, or as a prediction, the Lord will bless you:



that ye have showed this kindness unto your lord, [even] unto Saul,

and have buried him. To bury the dead, with the Jews, was always reckoned an instance of humanity and kindness, and indeed of piety; an act done in imitation of God {z}, who buried Moses, and so it might be expected the divine blessing would attend it.



{z} T. Bab. Bava Metzia, fol. 32. 2. and Sotah, fol. 14. 1.





2 Samuel 2:6



Ver. 6. And now the Lord show kindness and truth unto you,.... Or true kindness; confer real favours, bestow upon you good and substantial blessings, blessings indeed!



and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing. He not only prayed to God to bless them and reward them for it, but would remember them himself, and at a proper opportunity would show favour to them for this act of kindness to Saul. De Dieu proposes to consideration whether it may not be as well interpreted to this sense, "and I also do you this kindness" because of it; that is, have done you this honour by sending messengers to you, to thank you for it, and by wishing a blessing upon you on account of it, and by praising and commending you for it; but the former sense seems best.





2 Samuel 2:7



Ver. 7. Now therefore let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant,.... And not be afraid of the Philistines, who might resent their conduct in taking away from them the bodies of Saul and his sons, whom they had hung up in triumph; and these men might fear they would bring their armies against them, and destroy them; but David bids them be of good heart and courage, and not be afraid of them:



for your master Saul is dead; or rather "though" {a} he is dead; for that he was dead they knew full well, having buried him, and needed no information of it; but being dead, they might be discouraged, as having none to protect and defend them, or come to their relief as he did, should they be attacked:



and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them; or "for even", or "notwithstanding" {b}; and this therefore being the case, he would take their parts, and help and assist them; and which he suggests to them, to invite them to own him as their king also, and put themselves under his protection.



{a} yk "licet enim", V. L. "quamvis", Piscator. So Pool and Patrick. {b} Mgw "tamen", V. L. "nam similiter", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.





2 Samuel 2:8



Ver. 8. But Abner, the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host,.... This man's father, Ner, was Saul's uncle, 1Sa 14:50, and he was his own cousin, and being general of his army, a post he was willing to keep, might be the reasons for doing what he did, as follows:



took Ishbosheth the son of Saul; and who seems to be his only son left, except what he had by his concubine. This man's name is Eshbaal in 1Ch 8:33. Baal is the name of a shameful idol, and which was therefore sometimes called Bosheth, "shame". See Ho 9:10; wherefore such names of men, which had Baal in them, were changed for Besheth or Bosheth, as the names of Jerubbaal and Meribbaal, who were called Jerubbesheth and Mephibosheth. See Jud 8:35; compared with

2Sa 11:21, and 2Sa 4:4 with 1Ch 8:34. The latter of these, a son of Jonathan, bid fairest for the crown by lineal succession, but he being but five years of age, and lame, this man Abner judged fittest for his purpose; and though he knew it was the will of God, and he had sworn that David should be king, yet so blind and obstinate was his ambition, that he set up another against him:



and brought him over to Mahanaim; a city on the other side Jordan, in the tribe of Gad, on the border of the half tribe of Manasseh; see

Jos 13:26; and hither Abner had Ishbosheth, partly to keep the men of Jabeshgilead in awe, to whom David had sent messengers, acquainting them with his being king of Judah, and prevent their joining with him; and partly that he might be at a proper distance both from the Philistines and from David, till he could form his measures, and gradually carry his point, as he did.





2 Samuel 2:9



Ver. 9. And he made him king over Gilead,.... Which lay beyond Jordan, and included the tribes of Gad and Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh; these he prevailed upon to acknowledge Ishbosheth, their king, and proclaimed him king over them:



and over the Ashurites: that is, those of the house or tribe of Asher, as the Targum, and indeed none else can well be thought of; some indeed read the Geshurites, as the Vulgate Latin version; but these were never expelled by the Israelites, and had at this time a king over them, 2Sa 3:3; see Jos 13:13;



and over Jezreel; the great plain which went along the borders of Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali, and included these tribes:



and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin: the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin:



and over all Israel, excepting the tribe of Judah; that is, he prevailed first on one of these, then on another, until he got all the tribes of Israel to own him for their king; David all this time being still and quiet, and not opposing him, waiting God's own time to open the way for his possession of the kingdom over all Israel, and having a strict regard to his oath to Saul, 1Sa 24:21.





2 Samuel 2:10



Ver. 10. Ishbosheth, Saul's son, [was] forty years old when he began to reign over Israel,.... Being born the same year his father began to reign. See Gill on "1Sa 31:6";



and reigned two years; which some understand of these, and no more; and whereas David reigned seven years and a half over Judah, before he reigned over all Israel, it is thought by the Jewish chronologer {c} that there was a vacancy in the throne of Israel for the space of five years, and so says Kimchi; which vacancy was either before the reign of Ishbosheth, it being a matter in dispute whether he or Mephibosheth should be set up, or after his death; the tribes of Israel being so long before they acknowledged David their king; or Ishbosheth's reign of two years must be in the middle of David's reign over Judah; but there is no need to suppose either of these, for the text says not that Ishbosheth reigned only two years; but the meaning is, as Ben Gersom observes, that he had reigned two years when the following things happened, and a war began, and not by him but by Abner, and carried on by him; and he being an inactive prince, the rest of his reign was reckoned as no reign, whereas he lived and reigned the same length of time David did over Judah; see 2Sa 3:1;



but the house of Judah followed David; kept close to him as their king, yielding a cheerful obedience to him.



{c} Seder Olam Rabba, c. 13. p. 37.





2 Samuel 2:11



Ver. 11. And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah,.... And over them only,



was seven years and six months; to which being added thirty three years he reigned over all Israel in Jerusalem, made forty years and six months; and which, for the roundness of the number, is usually called forty years. See 2Sa 5:4.





2 Samuel 2:12



Ver. 12. And Abner the son of Ner,.... Who was before captain of Saul's host, and now of Ishbosheth's:



and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul; who seem to be not only his domestic servants, that waited upon him, or his courtiers, but his whole army by what follows:



went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon; came from the city on the other side Jordan, where perhaps they had been two years past, concerting schemes to bring all Israel under the government of Ishbosheth; in which they had succeeded, only Judah stood out with David; and in order to reduce that tribe, they passed over Jordan and came to Gibeon, a city in Benjamin. See Jos 18:25.





2 Samuel 2:13



Ver. 13. And Joab the son of Zeruiah,.... A sister of David, and this her son was general of David's army:



and the servants of David, went out; that is, his army went out from Hebron to Gibeon, which was twenty four miles {d} to meet that under Abner; for though he had but one tribe with him, and Ishbosheth had all the rest, yet Judah was a numerous, powerful, and warlike tribe; and besides many out of the other tribes had joined them, and, above all, God was on their side, and they had his promise to rely upon with respect to the establishment of the kingdom in the house of David, and his power and providence to trust in, and therefore went out boldly and cheerfully to meet the armies of Israel under Abner:



and met together by the pool of Gibeon; the same perhaps with the great waters in Gibeon, Jer 41:12;



and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool; facing one another, and watching each other's motions.



{d} Bunting's Travels, p. 146.





2 Samuel 2:14



Ver. 14. And Abner said to Joab,.... Perceiving he made no motion towards an engagement with him, his orders from David being only to act on the defensive, and avoid as much as possible the effusion of blood:



let the young men now arise, and play before us; with their swords after the manner of gladiators or duellers; that it might appear who were best skilled in the use of the sword, and who were the bravest, stoutest, and most courageous; and this he proposed in a way of bravado, and in order to bring on a battle, or to decide the quarrel between them; and this bloody barbarous exercise Abner calls play, as if it was a diversion and pastime to see men wounding and killing one another:



and Joab said, let them arise; he accepted the challenge, not caring to be hectored and bullied by Abner.





2 Samuel 2:15



Ver. 15. Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin,.... Whom Abner had picked out of that tribe, being his own, and whom he knew to be stout and courageous men, and closely attached to him. It seems by this as if Abner's men,



[which pertained to] Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, passed over the pool of Gibeon unto Joab's men; so forward were they to engage in this duel, and it makes it still more appear that they were the aggressors:



and twelve of the servants of David; of his army under Joab, whom Joab either selected, or they, offered themselves as willing to engage with the twelve that were come over.





2 Samuel 2:16



Ver. 16. And they caught everyone his fellow by the head,.... By the hair of his head with his hand:



and [thrust] his sword in his fellow's side; which he had in the other;



so they fell down together; the twelve on each side, all the twenty four; some think only the twelve on Abner's side fell; but to me it seems that they all fell dead as one man, since they thrust their swords in each other's sides:



wherefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which [is] in Gibeon; the field of rocks, or of mighty men as strong as rocks, who stood as immovable, and would not give way, but fell and died in the field of battle; the Targum interprets it, the inheritance of the slain.





2 Samuel 2:17



Ver. 17. And there was a very sore battle that day,.... When the twenty four men fell together, and no decision could be made thereby, or any triumph on either side, both armies drew up in battle array, and fought very furiously:



and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David; the army under him had the worst of it, and were routed, and obliged to flee before the army of David under the command of Joab.





2 Samuel 2:18



Ver. 18. And there were three sons of Zeruiah there,.... In the battle,



Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel; Joab was the general of the array, Abishai was he who went into Saul's host at night, and took away his spear and cruse of water at his head, 1Sa 26:6; and it is for the sake of the third, Asahel, that the account is given, the story of his death being about to be told.



And Asahel [was as] light of foot as a wild roe: swiftness of foot, as well as courage, for which this man was famous, 1Ch 11:26; was a very great qualification for a warrior {e}. So Achilles, in Homer {f}, is often said to be swift of foot, and others of his heroes are commended for their swiftness. Harold son of King Canutus, was from his swiftness {g} called Harefoot; as here this man for the same reason is compared to a wild roe, which is a very swift creature, or to one of the roes that were in the field as in the original text. See So 2:7; one sort of which, called "kemas", is said to run as swift as a tempest {h}.



{e} Cornel. Nepos, Epaminond. l. 2. {f} podav wkuv, Iliad. 1. lin. 15. {g} Rapin's History of England, vol. 1. p. 128. {h} Aelian. Hist. de Animal, l. 14. c. 14.





2 Samuel 2:19



Ver. 19. And Asahel pursued after Abner,.... Ambitious of the glory of taking or slaying the general of the army of Israel; trusting to his swiftness, not considering that the race is not always to the swift, and that he had to do with a veteran soldier, and he a raw young man, though valiant:



and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left in following Abner; he kept his eye upon him, and pursued him closely, disregarding persons on the right or left he could have made prisoners; but those he neglected, being bent on taking Abner if possible.





2 Samuel 2:20



Ver. 20. Then Abner looked behind him,.... Perceiving one at his heels, and making haste up to him.



And said, [art] thou Asahel? for it seems he knew him personally, being well acquainted with his family:



and he answered, I [am]; so that they were very near to each other, as to discourse together, and be heard and understood by each other.





2 Samuel 2:21



Ver. 21. And Abner said unto him,.... Having a respect for him, and consulting his good, and however fearing his brother Joab should he slay him:



turn thee aside to thy right or to thy left; he does not advise him to go back, which would have been to his disgrace, having engaged in the pursuit, but to turn to the right or left, as if pursuing some other person and not Abner:



and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour; one of the common soldiers, or an attendant on Abner, a young man like himself, whom he might be able to cope with, and take him a prisoner and disarm him, when he was not a match for such an old experienced officer as he was; and this Abner seems to speak as a friend, consulting the young man's safety and his honour too.



But, Asahel would not turn aside from following him; fired with the ambition of taking him, and not content with any prey short of him; and perhaps was the more animated by what he said, as supposing it arose from fear of him.





2 Samuel 2:22



Ver. 22. And Abner said again to Asahel,.... Being loath to dispatch him:



turn thee aside from following me, wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? which was giving him fair warning, and letting him know what he must expect, if he did not desist from his pursuit:



how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother? the general of David's army, a stout valiant commander, a man of spirit and resentment, whom Abner knew full well, and that should he slay his brother, he would never be friendly with him, or look pleasantly on him; he would never forgive him, but seek ways and means to avenge his blood on him and by this it seems as if Abner was conscious to himself that he was in a wrong cause, that the kingdom was of right David's, and would be his, and he must be obliged to make peace with him; when he should stand in need of Joab as his friend, which he could not expect, if he slew his brother, nor to live in favour and friendship with him hereafter.





2 Samuel 2:23



Ver. 23. Howbeit, he refused to turn aside,.... Determined on making him his captive if possible.



Wherefore Abner, with the hinder end of the spear; he had in his hand, which seems to have had a pike at both ends; so that with the hinder end of it, next to Asahel, he thrust it at him, without turning to him: and



smote him under the fifth [rib]; the place where hang the gall and liver, as the Jewish commentators from their Talmud {i} observe. There are twelve ribs, seven of which are called true ones, and five spurious; if this was the fifth of the seven, the spear must pierce the breast {k}, and strike the seat of life, the heart and lungs; if the fifth from the eighth and first of the spurious ones, then wounding the hypochondria, it must pass to the vital bowels of the abdomen, which seems to be the case here {l}: according to some {m} this is meant of the inferior ribs, which we call the short ribs, and any of these five are called the fifth rib; and Abner must strike him in the right side, because he was behind him, and which stroke must be deadly, because he struck him through the liver:



that the spear came out behind him: the thrust was so violent that the spear went through him, and came out at his back:



and he fell down and died in the same place; he fell at once, and died on the spot immediately:



and it came to pass, [that] as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still; that is, such of David's men who were in the pursuit after the Israelites, when they came to the spot, and saw Asahel dead, they had no power to proceed in the pursuit, being so troubled and grieved at the death of him.



{i} T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 49. 1. {k} "Transadigit costas, et crates pectoris ensom". Virgil. Aeneod. l. 12. ver. 506. {l} Vid. Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 3. p. 501. {m} Weemse's Portrait of Man, p. 24.





2 Samuel 2:24



Ver. 24. Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner,.... Or rather but Joab, &c. {n}. They stood not still as the rest, but, filled with indignation and resentment, pursued after Abner, to be avenged on him:



and the sun went down when they came to the hill of Ammah; a hill by the side of which was a pool of water, as Kimchi thinks, and from thence so called:



that [lieth] before Giah; a place near Gibeon, but nowhere after mentioned:



by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon; very likely not far from the city from which it had its name.



{n} "Autem", V. L. Tiguriue version; "sed", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so Kimchi.





2 Samuel 2:25



Ver. 25. And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner,.... Either those that were with him before, who upon the battle were dispersed, but now got together again; or others of that tribe, who, hearing of the defeat of Abner, went out of the several cities after him, to strengthen his hands, and renew the fight with Joab:



and became one troop; were united together in a body, and became a regular troop:



and stood on the top of an hill; which was some advantage to them, and from whence they could take a view of Joab's army, and observe its motions.





2 Samuel 2:26



Ver. 26. Then Abner called to Joab,.... For having now a troop of men with him, he could stop with the greater safety; and being on an hill, and perhaps Joab on one opposite to him, could call to him, so as to be heard:



and said, shall the sword devour for ever? slay men, and devour their blood. See Jer 46:10. That he was not thoughtful of, nor concerned about, when he set the young men to fighting before the battle, and called it play to wound and shed the blood of each other; but now the battle going against him, he complains of the devouring sword; and though it had been employed but a few hours, it seemed long to him, a sort of an eternity:



knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? since it might issue in the death of himself, or of Joab, or of both, as it had in Asahel, or, however, in the death of a multitude of others; and which at last would cause bitter reflection in the prosecutors of the war:



how long shall it be then ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren? he pleads relation, that the men of Israel and the men of Judah were brethren; so they were by nation and religion, and therefore should not pursue one another to destruction; but who was the aggressor? It was Abner, that brought his forces against Judah; the men of David acted only on the defensive.





2 Samuel 2:27



Ver. 27. And Joab said, as God liveth,.... Which was the form of an oath, swearing by the living God:



unless thou hadst spoken; that is, these words in 2Sa 2:14; "let the young men arise and play", that he had not given the challenge to fight:



surely then in the morning the people had gone up everyone from following his brother; they would have gone away and never fought at all; they were not desirous of shedding their blood, and following after them to slay them: thus he lays the blame upon Abner, and makes him to be the cause and beginner of the war. Some render the particle by "if", and give the sense, that if he had spoken what he last did sooner, the people would long before this time have desisted from pursuing them; for it was not from a thirst after their blood, and a desire to luke vengeance on them, that they pursued them, but to bring them to submission, and lay down their arms; for they could not in honour retreat until they desired it; but the former sense seems best, and is the general sense of the Jewish commentators.





2 Samuel 2:28



Ver. 28. So Joab blew a trumpet,.... Or caused one to be blown as a signal of a retreat:



and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more; as soon as they heard the trumpet sound, the meaning of which they understood, they stepped at once, and left off their pursuit:



neither fought they any more; that day, and perhaps no pitched battle afterwards; for none we read of, though the war continued after this a long time, and there might be often skirmishes, which greatly weakened Abner's party. See 2Sa 3:1.





2 Samuel 2:29



Ver. 29. And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain,.... The plain of Jordan. He marched with his men all night, lest Joab should return, and pursue him, and take vengeance on him for the death of his brother:



and passed over Jordan; at one of the fords of it:



and went through all Bithron; the name of a province or country, as Jarchi, called so perhaps from its being separated from the rest of the tribes of Israel by the river Jordan; some think the mountains of Bether were in this country, So 2:17. From Gibeon, where the battle was fought, to Bithron, according to Bunting {o}, was twenty eight miles, the which he says was in the tribe of Gad, twenty eight miles from Jerusalem northeastward, lying between Dibon and Jordan:



and they came to Mahanaim: from whence they came, and where they had left Ishbosheth, 2Sa 2:8. From Bithron to this place, according to the same writer {p}, was sixteen miles.



{o} Travels, &c. p. 145, 146. {p} Ibid.





2 Samuel 2:30



Ver. 30. And Joab returned from following Abner,.... It being in his commission from David to shed as little blood as he could:



and when he had gathered all the people together; who had been pursuing the Israelites, some one way and some another:



there lacked of David's servants nineteen men, and Asahel; who is particularly mentioned, because a very honourable man, valiant and courageous, a relation of David, and brother of Joab the general, and the loss of him was greater than all the rest. This has made some think that the twelve men of the servants of David were not killed in the duel, or otherwise there must be but seven slain in the battle; though that is not more strange than that in the battle with Midian not one should be slain, and, yet a terrible slaughter was made of the Midianites, Nu 31:1. So in a sharp battle between the Spartans and Arcadians, ten thousand of the latter were slain, and not one of the former {q}. Stilicho killed more than an hundred thousand of the army of Rhadagaisus, king of the Goths, without losing one of his own men, no, not so much as one wounded, as Austin affirms {r}. At the battle of Issus the Persians lost an hundred ten thousand men, and Alexander not two hundred {s}. Julius Caesar killed in the three camps of Juba, Scipio, and Labienus, ten thousand men, with the loss of fifty men only {t}. After these instances, not only the case here, but that between the Israelites and Midianites, cannot be thought incredible, for the sake of which the above are produced. This account, according to Josephus {u}, was taken the day following.



{q} Diodor. Sic. l. 15. p. 383. {r} De civilate Dei, l. 5. c. 23. {s} Curtius, l. 3. c. 11. {t} Hirtius de Bello African. c. 86. {u} Antiqu. l. 7. c. 1. sect. 3.





2 Samuel 2:31



Ver. 31. But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and Abner's men,.... Of those of the tribe of Benjamin that joined him, and of those that he brought with him from Mahanaim; so many of them were smitten, as appeared by their bodies lying on the field of battle,



[so that] three hundred and threescore men died; the number of the slain on each side was very unequal.





2 Samuel 2:32



Ver. 32. And they took up Asahel,.... From the place where he fell; that is, Joab and Abishai, his brethren, as Josephus {w} relates; after they had buried the dead in the field of battle, they took up him:



and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which [was in] Bethlehem: not in the city of Bethlehem, but without it, on the south side of it; so says Fuller {x},



"southward, i.e. of Bethlehem, we find Asahel's sepulchre, who was buried in the grave of his father.''



What was his father's name is not known, only his mother's name, Zeruiah, is mentioned in Scripture, a sister of David, and daughter of Jesse the Bethlehemite. Bethlehem was sixteen miles from Gibeon, according to Bunting {y}.



And Joab and his men went all night; not the night following the battle, but the night following the next day, after he had been to Bethlehem, and buried his brother there; wherefore, lest David should think it long before he came, he travelled all night:



and they came to Hebron at break of day; where David was, which, according to the same writer {z}, was twenty miles from Bethlehem.



{w} Antiqu. l. 7. c. 1. sect. 3. {x} Pisgah-Sight of Palestine, B. 2. c. 14. sect. 21. p. 301. {y} Travels, ut supra. (p. 145, 146.) {z} Travels, ut supra. (p. 145, 146.)

 

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