Commentary on the Holy Bible

Verse 32. Jl'here he ttorshipped God] Though in danger of his life, he stops on the top of Mount Olivet for prayer! How true is the adage, Praj/ets and provender never hinder ani/ man's journey. Reader, dost thou do likewise?

Jlushai the Archile] He was the particular friend of David; and was now greatly alVected by his calamity.

Verse 33. Then thou shall be a burden unto me.] It ap> peiirs that Hushat was not a warrior, but was a wise, pruuent, and discreet man, ^^ho could well scne David by gnin- and say nolo Ansalom, I will he thy - servant, () kin;;; as I have hrvv thy falher'H servant hitherlo, so w/7/ 1 now aKo he thy servant: (hen rnayesl thou for me defeat tlie counsel of Ahitho|iliel.

:i.) And hnsi Ihou not Ihere with thee Zadok and Ahiathar the |)rie<-ls •• therefore it bhall be, that what tiling soever tlion shalt hear out of the kine^'s house, "'thou shall tell it to '/.adok and.Miialhar the priests.

'My Hehold, thoj have lliere " with them their two sons, Ahimaa/ /adok's son, and Jonathan Aliiathar's hdu: and by them ye shall send unlo me every (liin;^ Mint ye can hear.

37 So liushai "David's friend came into the city, •'aiul.Mjsalom came into Jerusalem.

ing him intelligence of (he succcts of Absalom's conspiracy: and he directs him to form a strict confederacy with the priests, Za<lok and Abiathar; and to make use of (heir SODS as couriers between Jerusalem and David's place of retreat.

Verse 37. Absalom came into Jerasalcm."] It is vory |)rol)able that lie and his partisans were not far from the city when David left it; and this was one reason which caused him to harry his departure.

Reader, behold in the case of David a sad vicissitude of human affairs; and a fearful proof of their instabilily. Behold a king, the greatest that ever lived; a profound politician, an able general, a brave soldier, a poet of the most sublime genius and character, a prophet of the Most High God, and (he deliverer of his country, driven from his dominions by his own son, abandoned by his fickle people, and, for a (irap, even by his God! See in hii desolate state that there is none so exalted that God cannot abase; and none so abased that God cannot exalt. He was forsaken for a time, and his enemies triumphed: God returned, and his enemies were confounded. His crime, it is true, was great: and God had declared by Nathan what has now come to pass. God is just, and in numberless instances sees right to shew His displeasure, even at those sins which His mercy has forgiven. In all cases, it is a fearful and bitter thing to sin against the Lord.

^iba, servant of Mephibosheth, meets David with provisions; and, bi/ false insinuations, obtains the grant of Ms masttr''s properl)/, 1 — 4. Shimei abuses and curses David; who restrains Abisliai from slai/ing him, 5 — 14. Ilushui 7nakes a feigned tender of his services to Absalo?n, 13 — 19. Absalom calls a council; and Ahithophel advises him to go in to his father's concubines, 20 — 22.

ND ^wlien David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, ^ Ziba the servant of INIephibosheth met him, with a couple of

asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.

2 And the kinj;^ said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said. The asses be for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, " that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink.

3 And the king said. And where is thy master's son? ^ And Ziba said unto the king. Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said. To-day shall the bouse of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

4 "Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine

Verse 1. Tzoo hundred loaves of bread'\ The word loaj gives us a false idea of tlie ancient Jewisli bread; it was thin cakes, not yeusted and raised lilie ours.

Summer fruils'\ These were probably pumpions, cucumbers, or zcater melons. The two latter are extensively used in those countries to refresh travellers in the burning heat of the summer. Mr. Harmer supposes they are called summer fruits on this very account.

A bottle of wine. '\ A goat's skin full of wine: this 1 have already shewn was the general bottle in the Eastern countries, see on 1 Sam. xxv. 18.

Verse '2. The asses be for the king's household'] This is the eastern method of speaking when any tiling is presented to a great man. — " This and this is for the slaves of the servants of your majesty;" when at the same time the presents are intended for the sovereign himself, and are so understood. It is a high Eastern compliment: These presents are not are all that pertained unto IMephibosheth. And Ziba said, '^I humbly beseech thee that I may find in thy sight, my lord, O king

5 H And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name teas ^ Shimei, the son of Gera: '"he came forth, and cursed still as he came.

6 And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men wei^e on his right hand and on his left.

7 And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou ' bloody man, and thou '' man of Belial:

8 The Lord hath ' returned upon thee all '" the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the Lord hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son:

Verse 3. To-duij shall the house of Israer\ What a base wretch was Ziba! and how unfounded was this accusa> tion against the peaceable, loyal, and innocent Mephibosheth.

Verse 4. Thine are aW] This conduct of David was very rash; he spoiled an honourable man to reward a villain, not giving himself time to look into the circumstances of the case. But David was in heavy alllicHons; and these, sometimes, make even a wise man mad. Nothing should be done rashly: he who is in the habit of obeying (he first impulse of his passions or feelings, will seldom do a right action; and never keep a clear conscience.

Verse 5. David came to Bahurim] This place lay northward of Jerusalem, in the tribe of Benjamin. It is called Almon, Josh. xxi. 18.; and Alemeth, 1 Chron. vi. 60. Bahurim signifies ^oh^Aj, and Alemuth ^o«^/i y so the names are of the same import.

10 And tlie kinj;- said, '' VVIiat liavo I (o do with you, yc sons of /ciiiiah?.so U'.l him curse, brcause ' Ihc Loud hath said unto him, Curse David. ' >\'li() >,h:ill lilt II say, VVIierelbre liast thou (h)iie so?

I I.\iid David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Hehold, ■= my son, which ''cume forth of my bowels, seekelh my life: how much more now 711(11/ (/lis nenjamile do it '^ let him al(»ne, and let him curse; for the I^okd hath bidden him.

VI It may be that the Loitn will look on mine ' allliction,'' and that the Loitu will ' re(iuite nic yood for iiis enrsiiii;- this day.

I.'i And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went aloiii!^ on tiic hill's side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and '" cast dust.

14 And tlic king', and all the people that were

Verse 10. Because the Lord hath sahl'] The particle *31 veki, should be tianslatcd /or if, not because. For if the Lord hath said unto him. Curse David, icho shall then say, ll'herefore hait thou done so?

Verse 1 1. Ltl him curse; for the Lord hath hidden him."] No soul of man can suppose that ever God bade one man to curse another; much less that he commanded such a wretch as Shimei to curse such a man as Dand: but this is a peculiarity of the Hebrew language which does not always distinguish between permission and commandment. Often the Scripture attributes to God what He only permits to be done; or what, in the course of His Providence, He does not hindir. David, however, considers all this as beins; permitted of God, for his chastisement and humiliation. [ cannot withhold from my readers a very elegant poetic paraphrase of this passage, from the pen of the Rev. Charles IVesleij, cue of the first of Christian poets: —

" Pure from the blood of Sattl in vain, He dares not to the charge reply:

Uriah's doth Uie charge maintain, (Jriali's doth against him cry!

Ki And it came to pass, when Ilushai the y\rchite, "David's friend, was come unto Absalom, that Ilushai said unto Absalom, *' Ciod Have ihc kinj;-, (iotl save the kiiif;-.

17 Anil Absairun said to Ilushai, Js tiilH lliy kindness to thy friend f ' N>iiy wentesl thou not with thy friend '^

18 And Ilushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom the Loitn, aiul tliis people, and all the men of Israel, choose, his will I be, and with him will

I 19 And ai;ain, 'whom should I serve' should I / not.srrvc in the presence of his son f as i I have served in thy father's presence, so will I be in thy presence.

20 ^ Then said Absalom to Aliithopbcl, Give counsel amon^- you what we shall do.

21.\nd Aliitliophel said unto.\bsalom. Go in unto thy fallier's ' concubines, which he hath left lu keep the house; and all Israel tsliall hear

Let Shimei curse: (be rod he bears

For sins which mercy had forgiven; And in the wrongs of man rovores

The awful righteousness of heaven. Lord, I adore Thy righteous will, Through every instrument of ill

My Father's goodness see: Accept the complicated wrong Of Shimei's hand, and Shimefs tongue,

As kind rebukes from Tiile."

Verse 15. The men of Israel] These words are wanting in the Chaldee, Scpluagint, Sijriac, Vulgate, and Arabic; and ill two of KcnnicotCs and De Rossi's MSS.

Verse 18. Whom the Lord and this /leople — choose'] Here is an equivoke: — Hushai meant in his heart th&t GoU and all the people of Israel had chosen Dazid; but he spake &o as to make Absalom believe (hat he spoke of him: for whatever of insincerity may appear in (his, Uushai is alone answerable. What he says afterwards may be understood in the same way.

Verse 21. Go in ur-to thy father's concubines'^ It may be remembered that Da\id left ten of them behind, to take care of the house, see chap. xt. 16. Ahithophcl advisA] this itN

B.ciiola: that thou "art abhorred of thy fa- *°'^68'''^"' ther: then shall "the hands of all Anno ante I. that are with thee be strong'.

"'^"P-^^^- 22 So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines ' in the sight of all Israel.

fernal measure, in order to prevent the possibility of a reconciliation between David and his son: this was the prophecy of Nathan fulfilled, chap. xii. 11. And this was probably transacted in the very same p'ace that David's eye took the adulterous view of Bath-.'.heba: see chap. xi. 2.

The wives of the conquered king were always the property of the conqueror; and, in possessing these, he appeared to possess the right to the kirgdom. Herodotus informs us that Smerdis, haying seized on the Persian throne after the death of Cambyses, espoused all the wives of his predecessor, lib. iii. c. C8. But for a son to take his father's wives, was

23 And the counsel of Ahitho- b.c.iS'.' pliel, which he counselled in those An. Exod. isr. days, was as if a man had en- Anno ante i, quired at the " oracle of God: so "'^"P" -"• was all the counsel of Ahithophel ""both with David and with Absalom.

the sum of abomination, and was death by the law of God, Lev. sx. 11. This was a sin rarely found, even among the Gentiles.

Every part of the conduct of Absalom shews him to have been a most profligate young man: he was proud, vindictive, adulterous, incestuous, a parricide, and, in fine, reprobate to every £rood word and work. AVe still, howeve.'. recollect ihat David had grievouslj' sinned; and we should also recollect that he suflered grievously for it; and that bis humiliation, repentance, and amendment, were most decisive and exemplary. Reader! God is as just as He is mercijul.

Ahithophel counsels Abs(dom to pursue his father with twelve thousand men, 1 — 4. Hushai gives a different connsel, and is follozced, b — 14. JIushai informs Zudok and Ahiatltar; and they send zcord to David, 15 — 21. David and his men go beyond Jordan, 22. AMthophel,finding his counsel slighted, goes home, sets his house in order, and hangs himself, 23. David moves to Mahanaim; and Absalom follows him over Jordan, 24 — 26. Several friends meet David at Mahanaim, with refreshments and provisions, 27 — 29.

OREOVER Ahithophel said Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night t

2 And I will come upon him while he is " weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee: and I will * smite the king only:

,S And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all re-

Verse 1. Let me now choose out twelve thousand inert] Had this counsel Ix'en followed, David and his little troop would soon have been der>troyed: nothing but the miraculous iaterposition of God could have saved them. Twelve tlwu-

4 And the saying " pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of

5 Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise * what he saith.

6 And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do

sand chosen troops coming against him, in his totally unprepared state, would have soon settled the business of the kingdom. Ahithophel well saw that, this advice neglected, all was lost.

H I'Vir, said llii'.liiii, (lion kiinwost lliy rallicr mid Ills men, tlml they Ix mii^lilv men, iind (lu'\ be ' c'lialVd in llicir minds, as '' it Ijcar rol)l)C(l t>( lior ^>licl|)s in (lie fu Id: Jintl tliv fiilhor is ii tnan ol" war, and \\\\\ not l(i(lf;c with llic people. I

9 JJtiiold, lie is hid now in some pit, or in some ot/irr place: and it will eome to pass, when some of tiieni be ' overthrown at the (irst, that whosoever hraicth it willsas, There is a slauf^hter,' amonp- the people that follow Absalom. |

10 And he also t/iat is valiant, Avliose heart is ' OS the hrart of a lion, shall nllerly 'melt: for all Israel knowelh that thy father ns a niii;hly man, and l/ici/ which be with him arc valiant men. '

11 Therefore 1 counsel tliat all Israel be "enc-; rally f;alhered unto thee, " from Dan even to JJcer-sheba, '' as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and 'that thou go to battle in thine own person.

12 So shall we come upon him in some place ■wliere lie shall be found, and we will Ii^■ht upon liim as the dew falietli on the ground: and of him and of all the men that arc with hinj there shall not be left so much as one.

\S Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we

will draw it into the river, until there Vc.,'^ri!' \)i- not one small stone found there. An. tiwi. iw,

I. 5 H ""Then said Unsliai unto /adok and t(j Ahialhar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahilhophel counsel.Absalom nnd the « Iders of Isiael; and tluis and thus have I roun'-rlled.

It) Now therelore send (piirklv, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this nighl "in the plains of the wilderness, l)ut speedily pass ovc r; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that fl/e with him.

17 "Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz ''stayed by '' Kn-rogel; for they nnght not be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told tiiem; and they went and told king David

15 Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away cpiickly, and came to a man's house ' in Hahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down.

19 And "the woman took and spread a covering over the wclPs mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.

20 And when Absalom's servants came to the

turned'] Only secure David, and all Israel will be on thy side. He is the soul of the whole; destroy him, and all the rest will submit.

Verse 8. Js a bear robbed of her nhe^s] All wild beasts are Tery furious when robbed of their young: but we have some remarkable instances of the maternal affection of the bear in such circumstances; see one at the end of the chapter.

Verse 1 3. Shall all Israel bring ropes (a that city"] The I original word a>S3n chabitlini, which signifies ropes, and from which we have our word cable, may have some peculiarity of meaning here; for it is not likely that any city i could be pulled down with ropes. The Chuldce, which ' should be best judge in this case, translates the original word. by jnc!3 masheryan, toaers: this gives an easy sen«e.

Verse 17. En-rogcl] The fullers' zccll; the place where they were accustomed to tread the clothes with their/<t7;

hence the name fv cin, a veil, and Vjl regel, the/oot, because of the trending above-mentioned.

ytnd a nench xcent and told them] The word -aench occurs no where else in the Holy Scriptures; and, indeed, haa no business here, as the Hebrew word rrfj shr/ihchah, should have been translated giri, maid, maid-servant. The word either comes from the Anglo-Saxon fencle, a maid, or the Beigic:cunch, desire, a thing xtishcd for: multum enim ut plurimum I'uelltr, a Juvenibus ilesiderantur, sen appetunlur. So Minsiteu. Junius seems more willing to derive it from arncc. to frisk, to be skittish, kc.; for reasons sufficiently obvious, and which he gives at length. After all, it may as likely come from the Gothic nrew.«, or jzeins, a word frequently used in the gospels of the Codex Argenteus for sife. Coverdale's Bible, 1585, has damsell. Beck's li\b\e, 1349, has zcenchc. The same in Cardmardcn's Bible, 1 566; but it is maid in Barker' t Bible, 1615. fVench is more of a

water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

21 And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king- David, and said unto David, * Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for thus hath Aliithophel counselled against you. \

22 Then David arose, and all the people that vsere with him. and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan.

23 1[ And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not " followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to ""iiis city, and ^ put his household in order, and ' hanged himself, and died, and was buried in tlie sepulchre of his father.

24 Then David came to ' Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

I 25 ^ And Absalom made Amasa *b. c! I'oas." captain of the host instead of Joab: ^''-^/go*' '"*■• which Amasa was a man's son, whose Anno aiiie i. name was " Ithra an Israelite, that "'^"'P"^^^' went in to ' AbigaiP the daughter of ' Nahash, sister to Zeruiaii, Joab's mother.

I 26 So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Giiead.

; 27 1i And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that "'Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the ciiiidren of Ammon, and " Machir the son of Animiel of Lodebar, and " Barziilai the Gileadite of Rogelim,

I 28 Brought beds, and ''basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched cor7i, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse, 29 And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that 7rc?'e with him, to eat: for tliey said. The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty ■* in the wilderness.

Scotticism than mnid or damsel; and king James probablyrestored it, as he is said to have done lad, in Gen. xxi. 12. and elsewhere. In every other place where the word occurs, our translators render it hand- maid, bond-maid, maiden, woman-servant, inaid-servant, and servant. Such is the latitude with which they translate the same Hebrew term, in almost innumerable instances!

Verse 23. Put his household in order'] This self-murder could not be called liinacj/, as every step to it was deliberate. He foresaw Absalom's ruin; and he did not choose to witness it, and share in the disgrace. He was a very bad man, and died an unprepared and accursed death.

Verse 25. Amasa captain of the host] From the account in this verse, it appears that Joab and Amasa were sisters' children, and both nephews to David.

Verse 28. Brought beds] These, no doubt, consisted in skins of beasts, inats, carpets, and such like things.

llasuin'] niilD suphath. Pi obably zsooden bu!i-ls, such as the Arabs still use to eat out of, and to knead their bread in.

Earthen vessels] ■y^V -h:^ kecley yotser. Probably clay vessels, baked in the sun. These were perhaps used for lifting water, and boiliiif; tiiose articles which required to be cooked.

IViieut and barlei/., Sic] Tliere is no direct mention of Jkih meal here: little was eaten in that country; and it would not keep. Whether the sheep mentioned were brought for then Jlesh, or their milk, I cannot tell.

According to Mr. Jones, " the Moors of West Barbary use the flour of parched barley, which is the chief provision they make for ih^'n journies; and often use it at home; and this they carry in a leathern satchel." These are ordinarily made of goat skins. One of them now lies before me: it has been drawn off the animal before it was cut up; the places where the fore legs, the tail, and the anus were, are elegantly closed, and have leathern thongs attached to them, by which it can be slung over the back of man, ass, or camel. The place of the neck is left open, with a running string to draw it up, purse-like, when necessary. The skin itself is tanned; and the upper side is curiously

I embroidered, with red, black, blue, yellow, and fleshcoloured leather, in very curious and elegant forms and devices. Bags of this kind are used for carrying wine, water, milk, butter, grain, fluur, clothes, and difteient articles of

' butler, and si)i(e y Itimevt, is Hour, done up with organ oil: and limercece, is lloui, mixed with water, for driidi. This, says hej quenches thirst, much better than water alone;

salisficn ii hungry ii|)|>(tlito; cooU iiiid nTiOhlios tirnd mid wciiry S|iii'itN; ovciciiiniii)^ tliuf<<> ill clifctt Hliiili ji liul bum ' and faligiiiiif{ joiinioy iiiiglit ucll occusinii." '

A romarkahio account of niaternalaH'oction in a >hp hoar. — " In the year 177'2, (ho Scuhursc frigate and Carcuss bomb, under the command uf the hon. cajituin C. J. I'hipps, aflerwarils Lord JVlulgravc, wore sent on a voyage of discovery t<i the North Seas. In this expedition the Into ccli.'brafed admiral lord Nelson served as midshijiman. W'liilo the Carcass, lay locked in the ice, early one morning, the man at the masthead gave notice, that three bears were making their way Tery fast over the frozen sea, and wore directing their course towards (he ship. They had, no doubl, been invited by the scent of some blubber of a sea-horse, the crew had killed a few days before, which had been sot on fire, and was burn- ' jng on the ico at the time of their approach, 'i'hey proved (o bo a she-bear and her two cubs; but the cubs were nearly as large as the dam. They ran eagerly to the lire, and drew out from the flames part of the flesh of the sea-horse that remained unconsumed, and ate voraciously. The crew from the ship threw great lumps of llesh of the sea-horse, which they had still left upon the ice, which the old boar fetched away singly, laid every lump before her cubs as she brought, it, and dividing ii, gare each « «harr, rcierving but a •mall poilion to lienti'lf. Ai the wu* fi'lclilng away (he U«l piere, (hey levelled their mU'-Ueli at (lie cubn, and •hot llitm both dead; nnd, in hor retreat, (hey wounded the dam, but net rnoi tally. It would liavc drawn tears of pity from any bat unfeeling minds, to have marked the affectionate concern expressed by this poor ben^t in thi) dying moments of her e»- piring young. Though shn «us norely «round'-d, and could but just crawl to the place whrro they lay, the carried the lump of lli-sh she had fetched away, as she had done the other! before; tore it in piece*, and laid it down b<-fore them; and when she saw that they refused to eat, 'he laid her [nws fimt upon one, and then upon the other, and endeafoured to rai;e them up: all this while, it wai piteout to bear her moan. When she found she could not moTO them, «hc went oil; and, being at?omc distance, looked bark, and moaned: this not arailing to entice them away, the returned; an<l, smelling round them, began to lick their wounds. She went off a second time, as before; and, having crawled a few paces, looked ag:iin behind her, and for some time stood moaning. Hut still, her cubs not rising to follow her, sho returned to them again, and with signs of incxpreitible fondness went round one, and round the other, pawing them, and moaning, binding, at last, that they were cold and lifeless, she raised her head toward the ship, and growled a curse upon the murderers, which they returned with a volley of musket-balls. She fell between her cub'', and died licking their wounds."

Had this animal got among the destroyers of her young, she would have soon shewn what was implied in the chiijcd mind of a bear, robbed of her zchelps.

David reviews and arravs^cs the people, and gives the command to Joah, Abishni, and Illai, 1, 2. On his cxpi-essing a desire to aeeompani/ them to the battle, they xdll not permit him, 3. lie reriezcs them as thei/ go out of the eil I/, and gives commandment to the captains to save Absalom, 4,3. Thej/ join battle xcith Absalom and his army,:cho are discomfited icith the loss of tzccntij thousand men, 6 — 8. Absalom fit cing aicay is caught Inj the head in an oak; Joab finds and transfixes him ii)ith three darts, 9 — 15. The servants of David are recalled, and Absalom buried, IG — 18. Ahimnaz and Cushi bring the tidings to David, icho is greatly distressed at hearing of the death of Absalom, and makes bitter lamentation for him, 19 — 33.

A ND David "numborcd the poo- jj 2 And David sent forth a third

A"- ij\.j^'<>- i^r- J-\ pie that tare with liiiti, and j part of the people uiultr tlie hand Annoaiiu-i. Set cuplains of thoHsaiids and cap- of Joab, ""and a third part under the

Verse 1. And set captains (f lliousands'} By this time lionly to four thousand men. Others have supposed, that

David's small company was greatly recruited; but what its || they amounted to tenlhousand; for thus they understand a b'.c.'?oI3.' Joab's brother, ^ and a third part An.Exod.br. under the hand of Ittai the Gittite, Annoantei. And the king said unto the people, "'^"P- ^^'- I will surely go forth with you myself also.

3 ^ But the people answered. Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not "care for us;' neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art * worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou "succour us out of the city.

4 And the king said unto them. What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.

5 And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying. Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. ' And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.

6 f^ So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the ^ wood of Ephraim;

7 Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand

8 For the battle was there scat- Bic.'wU.' tered over the face of all the coun- An. Exod. isr. try: and the wood "■ devoured Anno ante i. more people that day than the "'^"'p- ^"- sword devoured.

9 H And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.

10 And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said. Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.

11 And Joab said unto the man that told him. And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst

; thou not smite him there to the ground? and ill would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a ffirdle.

as tea thousand of us. • Heb. be to succour. ' Verse 12.

12 And the man said unto Joab, Though I I i should 'receive a thousand shekels of silver in I mine hand, 7/et would I not put forth mine hand against the king's son: '' for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai,; saying, ' Beware that none touch the young! man Absalom.

clause ia ver. 3. which they think should be read, tVe are noa ten thousand strong.

Verse 3. But now thou art sorth ten thousand of «*] The particle nny dia now, is doubtless a mistake for the pronoun nnx cUa thou: and so it appears to have been read by the Sepluagint, the Vulgate and the Chuldee; and by tiso of KennicotCs and De RossPs MSS.

Versed. De3i\ gentlj/ — xeith the i/oung vian^ David was the/a<Aer of this worthless young man; — and is it to be wondered at that he feels as a father? Who, in his circumstances, that had such feelings as every 7nan should have, would have felt or acted otherwise.

Verse 7. Txsenty thousand men.} Whether these were slain on the Geld of battle, or whether they were reckoned with those slain in the wood of Ephraim, wc know not.

Verse 8. The wood devoured mure people^ It is generally supposed, that when the army was broken, they betook themselves to the wood, fell into pits, swamps, &c. and being entangled, were hewn down by David's men: but the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic, state, that they were devoured by wild beasts iu the wood.

been supposed, that Absalom was caught by the hair; but no such thing is intimated in the text. Probably his neck was caught in the fork of a strong bough, and that he was nearly dead when Joab found him: for it is said, ver. 14. he was yet alive; an expression which intimates he was nearly dead.

Verse 1 0. / saw Absalom hanged in an oak.'] He must have hung there a considerable time. This man saw him hanging; how long he had been hanging before he «aw him, we cannot tell. He came and informed Joab, this must

! have taken up a considerable time: Joab went and pierced him through with three darts; this must have taken up still

I more time. It is, therefore, natural to conclude, that his life must have been nearly gone, after having been so long suspended; and probably was past recovery, even if Joab had taken him down.

Verse 11. And a girdle."] The military belt was the chief ornament of a soldier; and was highly prized in all ancient nations: it was also a rich present from one chieftain to another. Jonathan gdve his to David, as the highest pledge of his esteem, and perpetual friendship, 1 Sam. xviii. 4. And Ajax gave his to Ileclor, as a token of the highest re. spect.— y/oOT. II. vii. ver. 305.

13 Ollicrwisc I should have An. Kifod. i»r. wrouiilit falscliood aiTuinHt iiiiiic li Thfii snid.Ioiih, 1 may not lany tliiis * with Ihce. And he look iliri-e dart.s in his iiand, and tlirust thcin throuj^h the heart of Absalom, \vliilc he icas yet alive in the '' mid.st of the oak.

ir> And ten younpf men (hat hare.loah's arnu)ur compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.

IC) And Joab blew the tium[)et, and liio people returned IVom pursuing after Israel: lor Joab held back the people.

17 And llii'y took Absalom, and cast him into a "reat pit in the wood, and ' laid a very i;reat heap of stones upon him: and all Israel lied every one to his tent.

18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in ""the kinf^'s dale: for be said, "' 1 have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the

pillar after his own name: and it is ij.t'.iw.* (ailed unto this day.Absalom's place. Ao. hiod. i.f.

I!) H Tlien said.Miimaa/ the son Auiioauiri. of Zadok, Let me now run, and "'>'"'' '"'■ bear the kinfj tidinfjs, how that the Loud hath ' avent^ed him of bis enemies.

yo And Joab said unl(» him. Thou sbalt not '' bear tidings this day, but thou sbalt bear tidinj^s another day: but this day thou shalt bear no tidinf;H, because the kin^j's Hf)n is dead.

'i\ Then said.Joab to C'usbi, fio tell the kin;^ what tliou hast seen..\nd C'usbi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran.

22 Then said.Ahimaaz the son of /adok yet again to Joab, Hut '' howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi..\nd Joab said, \\ hcrefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ' ready.

23 But howsoever, said he, let mc run..\nd he said unto him, Hun. Then Aliiinaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi.

24 y\nd David sat between the two gates; and '' the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes and

Verse 13. Thoit thyself icouldrst have set thyself aguinsl me.] This is a strong appeal to Joab's loyalt)', and respect for the orders of David: but he was proof against every fine feeling, and against every generous sentiment.

Verse 14. / may not tarry thus zcilh thee'] He had nothing to say in vindication of the purpose he had formed.

Thrust them through the heart of Jibsulom'\ He was determined to make sure work; and, therefore, he pierced his heart.

Joab should have obeyed the king's cammandmcnt: and yet, the safety of the state renuired the sacriCce of Absalom. But, independently of this, his life was quadruply forfeited to the law: — 1. In having murdered his brother Amnon. '2. In having excited an insurrection in the slate. 3. Ill having taken up arms against his own father, Deut. xxi. 18, '21. 4. In having lain with his father's concubines. Lev. xviii. 29. Long ago he should have died by the hand of justice; and now all his crimes are visited on him, in his last act of rebellion. Vet, in the present circumstances, Joab's act was base and disloyal; and a cowardly murder.

Verse 15. Ten young men — smote Absalom., and sleis him.'] Tiiat is, they all pierced the body; but there could be no life in it after three darts had been thrust through the heart: but they added as much as would have killed him had he been alive.

Verse 16. Joab btetc the trumpet j He knew that the rebellion was now extinguished by the death of Absalom; and was not willing that any farther slaughter should be made of the deluded people.

! the method of burying heroes, and even traitors; the heap of stones being designed to perpetuate the memory of tha

I event, whether good or bad. The ancient cairns, or heaps of stones, in different parts of the world, are of this kind. The various tumuli or burro:;.', in England, are the same as the cairns in different parts of Ireland and Scotland. In the former, stones were not plenty; hence they heaped up great mounds of earth.

Ver^e IS. Reared i/p for himself a pillar] There was a marble pillar ill the time of Josephus, called Absalom's pillar: and there is one shewn to the present day, under this name; but it is comparatively a modern structure.

j Verse '21. Tell the king rchal thou hast seen] At this time the death of Absalom was not publicly known: but Joab had given Cushi private information of it. This Ahimaaz had not, for he could not tell the king whether.\bsalom were dead. To this Joab seems to refer, ver. 22. Thou hast no tidings ready.

If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.

26 And the watchman saw another man running: and tiie watchman called unto the porter, and said. Behold another man running alone. And the king said. He also bringeth tidings.

27 And the watchman said, ^ Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said. He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings.

28 And Ahimaaz called and said unto the ••king/ All is well. And he fell down to the earth upon his face before the king, and said. Blessed be the Lord thy God, which hath "^ delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king.

29 And the king said, " Is the young man Ab-

probably in the seat of justice. Before the gate of the city it is supposed, there was an enclosure, which had its gate also: David sat in the space between these two doors. Over the larger gate there appears to have been a turret, on which a sentinel, or watchman, stood continually; and gave information of what he saw in the country.

Verse 25. If he be alone, there is tidings'] That is, good tidings. For, if tlie battle had been lost, men would have been running in different directions through the country.

Verse 29. I sazs a great tumult] It is very probable that Ahimaaz did not know of the death of Absalom: he had seen the rout of his army, but did not know of his death. Others think he knew all, and told this nntruth that he might not be the messenger of bad news to David.

Verse 30. Stand here] lie intended to confront the two messengers, and compare their accounts.

Verse 32. Is the young man Absalom safe?] This was the utmost of his solicitude; and it well merited the reproof which Joab gave him, ch. xix. 5.

Verse 33. O my son Absalom] It is allowed by the most able critics that this lamentation is exceedingly pathetic. In what order the words were pronounced, for much depends on this, we cannot say. Perhaps it was the following:—

30 And the king said unto him. Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still.

31 And, behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, ^ Tidings, my lord the king: for the Lord hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.

32 And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered. The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.

S3 And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, ^ O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God 1 had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

Beni Abshalom! O my son Absalom!

Tnnn 'jn 'nio jn' '» Mi yitten muthi ani tachteicha. Othat I had died in thy stead!

Is there no hope for the soul of this profligate young man? He died in his iniquity: but is it not possible that he implored the mercy of his Maker while he hung in the tree? And is it not possible that the mercy of God was extended to him? And was not that suspension a respite, to the end that he might have time to deprecate the wrath of Divine justice?

This is at least a charitable conjecture, and humanity will delight, in such a case, to lay hold even on possibilities. If there be any room for hope in such a death, who that knows the worth of an immortal soul, would not wish to indulge in it? 1 for h'lH iinuuidcrale sorrow.

DrtTid rnulinurs his Imnnildlion for /lia son, anil t/ir priipl,- nrr spiral/ 1/ ili^idinii'^r,/, I — 1..1 nal,,tjn,>\r\ nnd t/iniitois him uilh the i^incrnl dij'irtiun of Ihr jtrujili, b — 7. Dnvid Imjs nsiilr hi^ tnoiirninf^, ami ihrz^t himself to Ihr prop/r, who arc thcribt/ encouraged, 8. The tribn take counsel to bring the Ling Imck to Jmtsaleni, 9 — 12. J/c makes Amusu captain of the host, in place 0/ Joab, I. 'J. The king, returning, is nut by Judah, at Cilgal, 11, J5. Shimci coiiie<: to meet David, and entreats fir his life, uhirh JJavid grants, IG— 23. Mephihosheth also meets him, and sinus lanci he had been slandend l,jj Ziba, 21 — 30. IJaiid is met bij liarzillai, and between them there is an affecting interview, 31 — 40. Contention bcluecn the men of Judah and the men of Israel, about bringing back the king, 4 I-

AND it was lold Joab. Ikliold, the kill"; wccpctli iiiul inouniotli tor Ab.salom. 2 And the ' victory that day was titnicd into niournini^ unto nil the people: for tlie poopit* heard.say that day how the kiny was grieveil lor his son.

3 And tlie people gat them by stealth lliat day '' into the city, as people being" ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.

4 But tlie king" '' covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, '' O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!

5 And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy

daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines; () *" In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, ' that thou regardcsl neither princes nor servants; for this day I |)erceive, that if Ab.salom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.

7 Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak ~ comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the LoKi), if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befcl thee from thy youth until now.

8 Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And tliev told unto all the people, saying, Hehold, the king duth sit in the gate. And all the

Verse 2. The vidurj/ — aas turned into uiot4rnin^'] Instead of rejoicing that a most unnatural and ruinous rebellion had been quashed; the people raourned over their own success, bccuu-^o they saw their king so immoderately afflicted for the loss of hi.s worthless son. '

Verse 4. The king covered his face'] This was the cus- j torn of mourniTs. |

O mji son Absalont] Calmet has properly remarked, that I the frecjuont repetition of the name of the defunct, is com- I mon in tlie language of lamentation. Thus, Vihgil, Ed V. Ter. at.

-( lleh. to Ike heart of Oi)

Daphnim^MC tuum tollemus adastra;

Daphnim aJ ustrafcremus: ainavil nos quuque Daphnis.

AVith yours, my song 1 cheerfully shall join, To raise your Daphnis to the powers divine.

Daphnis I'll raise unto the powers abore, For dear to me was Daphnis' well tried lore.

See the Notes on the preceding chapter.

Verse 5. Thou hast shamed this day"] Joah's speech to David on his immoderate grief for the death of his rebellious son is not only remarkable for the insolence of office, but also for good sense and firmness. Every man, who candidly considers the state of the case, mnst allow that David acted imprudently, at least; and that Joab's firm reproof was necessary, to arouse him to a sense of his duty to his people. But still, in his manner, Joabliad far exceeded the bounds of that reverence which a servant owes to bis master, or a subject to his prince. Joab was a good soldier; but, in every respect, a bad man: and a dangerous subject.

Verse 8. The Ling — sat in the g'o/e] The place where justice was administered to the people.

''b. c! 1023!' people came before the king: for An.Exod. isr. Israel had fled every man to his

"'y^P- -"• 9 H And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying', The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is " fled out of the land for Absalom.

10 And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why ** speak ye not a word of bringing the king back?

11 1[ And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying. Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying. Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, even to his house.

12 Ye are my brethren, ye are " my bones and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king?

IS "^ And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not of my bone, and of my flesh? " God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab.

14 And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, ' even as ike heart of one man; so that they sent this word unto the king. Return thou, and all thy servants.

15 So the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to ^ Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan.

IG H And *■ Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjaraite, which was of Bahurim, hasted and came

Verse 1 1. Speak unto the elders of Judah'] David was afraid to fall out with this tribe: they were in possession of Jerusalem, and this was a city of great importance to him. They had joined Absalom in his rebellion; and, doubtless, were now ashamed of their conduct. David appears to take no notice of their infidelity; but rather to place confidence in them, that their confidence in him might be naturally excited: and, to oblige them yet farther, purposes to make Amasa captain of the host in the place of Joab.

Verse 11. ^ind he bowed the heart of all the men of Judahl The measures that he pursued were the best calculated that could be, to accomplish this salutary end. Appear to distrust those whom you have some reason to suspect; and you increase their caution and distrust. Put as down with the men of Judah to meet \ "; fo^l^; king David. An.Exod. i>r.

17 And there were a thousand men Anooantei. of Benjamin with iiim, and ' Ziba "'J^i':*^ the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went over Jordan before the king.

18 And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king's household, and to do '' what he thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was come over Jordan;

19 And said unto the king, ' Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember '" that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should " take it to his heart.

20 For thy servant doth know that I have sinned: therefore, behold, 1 am come the first this day of all ° the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.

21 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said. Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he •■ cursed the Lord's anointed?

22 And David said, "^ What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? " shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for do not I know that I am this day king over Israel?

23 Therefore ' the king said unto Shimei, Thou shall not die. And the king sware unto him.

24 H And ' IMcphibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor

much confidence in them as you safely can; and this will not fail to excite their confidence towards you.

Verse 16. Shimei the son of Gera"] It appears that Shimei was a powerful chieftain in the land; for he hacl here, in his retinue, no less than a thousand men.

Verse 18. There went over a ferry boat] This is the first mention of any thing of the kind. Some think a bridge or raft is what is here intended.

Verse 20. For thy servant doth know that I have sinned^ This was all he could do: his subsequent conduct alone, could prove his sincerity. On such an avowal as this, David could not but grant him his life.

Verse 24. Neither dresssd his feet] He had given the fullest proof of his sincere attachment to David and his

The land of Mcphibosltclk

Avas come to.leniHalem to meet tlie kiiif^', that the Iviiifj said iiiito him, " Uhcrefore wciitesl not thnii will) me. Mephihoslietli '

2(i And he answered, My lord, (> kinj;', my servant (U-ceived mc: for tliy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and ^o to the kiii<;'; hecausc thy servant i.s lame.

27 ''.And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the kini;'; 'hut my lord the kiiij^- j.s- as an angel of CJod: do therefore what is good in thine eyes.

2H lM)r all of my father's lioiise were hnt '' dead nu-n heforc my lord the kin;:^: 'yet didst thou set thy servant amonj;- them that did eat at thine own tahle. What right therefore have 1 yet to cry any more iiiilo the king?

2\> And the king said unto him. Why speakest tliou any more of thy matters ' 1 have said, Thou and '/iha divide the land.

ciO And Me|)hih()shetli said unto the king. Yea, let him lake all, forasmuch as my lord the cause; and by what he had done, amply refuted the calumnies of his servant Ziba.

Verse 27. The king is as an angel of GoUl As if he had said, I state my case plainly, and without g"''"^; thou art too wise not to penetrate the motives from which both myself and servant have acted. I shall make no appeal; with whatsoever thou determiuest, I shall re^t contented.

A'crso 29. / have said, Thou and Zilin divide the /««(/.] At lirst, David gave the land of Saul to Mophiboi^heth; and Ziba, his sons, and his servants, were to work that land; and to Mephibosheth, as the lord, he was to give the half of the produce. Ziba met David in his distress with provisions, and calumniated Mephibosheth: David, too slightly trusting to his misrepresentation, and supposing that Mephibosheth was actually such a traitor as Ziba represented him, made him, on the spot, a grant of his master's land. Now he finds that he has acted too rashly; and, therefore, confirms the formrr grant: i. e. that Ziba should cultivate the;;rouiid, and still continue to give to Mephiboshetli, as the lord, the half of tho produce. This was merely placing things in statu quo, and utterly annulling the gift that he had made to Ziba. But why did he leave this treacherous man any thing? Answer — 1. He was one of the domestics of Saul, and David wished to shew kindness to that house. 2. He

«>ver Jordan with the king, to conduct him over

'.Vi Now liar/.illai waH a very aged man, evrn fourscore years old: and • he had provided (he kin;;- of sustenance while he lay at.^Iallallalm; for he lean a very great man.

.T{.\nd the king said unto Har/illai, Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with mc in Jerusalem.

Si.\nd I'ar/illai said unto the king, '' How long have i to live, that I should g<» up with the king unto Jerusalem?

'.ib I ajH this day ' fourscore years old: and can I discern between good and evil •• can thv servant taste what I eat or what I drink •• can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women f AVhcrefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king!"

36 Thy servant will go a liltle way over Jordan with the king: and why should the king recompense it me with such a reward f

had supplied him with the necessaries of life, when he was in the greatest distress; and he thinks proper to continue him in his old ofTice, by way of remuneration. Out it was certainly too great a compensation for his services, however then important, when all the circumstances arc considered.

Verse 32. Barzillai xzas a rcrj/ aged m/in] This venerable person had given full proof of his attachment to David, by the supplies he had given him when he lay at Malianaim, where his case was all but des[)erate: the sincerity of his congratulations now, none can suspect. Bavid's offer to him was at once noble and liberal: he wished to compensate such a man; and he wished to have at hand such a friend.

Verse 35. Can Ihi/ servant taste shot I eat] Here is at once an alTecting description of the infirmities of old age; and a correct account of the mode of living at an eastern court, in ancient times.

B.c.!o23; 37 Let thy servant, I pray thee, An.Exod. isr. tum baclv aj^aio, tliat I may die in Anno ante I. minc own City, (111(1 be buried by the

ther. But behold thy servant " Chimham; let him g'o over with my lord the king-; and do to him what shall seem good unto thee.

38 And the king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good unto thee: and whatsoever thou shalt *" require of me, that will I do for

39 And all the people went over Jordan. And when the king was come over, the king ' kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and he returned unto his own place.

40 Then the king went on to Giigal, and ^ Chimham went on with him: and all the people of Judah conducted the king, and also half the people of Israel.

41 H And, behold, all the men of \i^J:,f^\- Israel came to the king, and said An. Kxod. isr. unto the king. Why have our bre- Anno ante i. thren the men of Judah stolen thee "'•""'''■ -"• away, and " have brought the king, and his household, and all David's men with him, over

j 42 And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is 'near of

jkin to us: wherefore then be ye angry for this matter? have we eaten at all of the king's cost? or hatii he given us any gift?

43 And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said. We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more light in David than ye: why then did ye ^ despise us, that our

■ advice should not be first had in brinffina; back our king? And '' the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of

pendage to these banquets, as they do in most eastern courts to the present day. As David was a most sublime poet, and emphatically styled the si::eet singer of Israel, he, no doubt, had his court well supplied with vocal as well as instrumental performers; and, probably, with poets and poetesses; for it is not likely that he was the only poet of his time, though he undoubtedly was the most excellent.

Verse 37. Thi/ servant Chimham'] It is generally understood that this was Barzillai's son; and this is probable, from 1 Kings ii. 8. where, when David was dying, he said, Shezs kindness to the sons of Barzillai: and it is very probable that this Chimham was one of them. In Jer..\li. 17. mention is made of the habitation of Chimham, which was near to Bethlehem; and it is reasonably conjectured that David had left that portion, which was probably a part of his paternal estate, to this son of Barzillai.

Verse 39. The king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him] The kiss was the token of friendshq) and farewell; the blessing was a prayer to God for his prosperity: probably a prophetical benediction.

Verse 42. Wherefore then be ye angrij for this matter] We have not done this for our own advantage; we have gained nothing by it; we did it through loyal attachment to our king.

Verse 43. We have ten parts in (he king, and — more right] We are ten tribes to one; or we are ten times so many as you; and, consequently, should have been consuited in this business.

The words of the men of Judah zoere fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.] They had more weight, for they had more reason on their side.

It is pleasant when every province, canton, district, and county, vie with each other in personal attachment to the prince, and loyal attachment to his government. From such contentions as these civil wars are never likely to arise. And how blessed it must be for the country where the king merits all this! where the prince is the pastor and father of his people, and in all things the minister of God to them for good.

It is criminal in the prince not to endeavour to deserve the confidence and love of his people; and it is highly criminal in the people not to repay such endeavours with the most loyal and affectionate attachment.

Where the government is not despotic, the king acts b)' the counsels of his ministers; and while he does so, he is not chargeable with miscarriages and misfortunes: they either came through bad counsels, or directly thwarting providences. On this ground is that political maxim in our laws formed, the king can do no zsrotig. Sometimes God will have things otherwise than the best counsels have determined; because He sees that the results will, on the whole, be bettor for the peace and prosperity of that state. — " God is the only Ruler of princes." And as the peace of the world depends much on civil government, hence kings and civil governors are peculiar objects of the Almighty's care. Woe to him who labours to bring about a general disaffection; as such things almost invariably eud in general disappointment and calamity. It is much easier to unsettle than to settle; to pull down than to build up.

S/ifhn rahrs an iiisinrrctinii, fi)i(/ p;ains a pnrli/ In Jsmr/, I, 'J. Daxid i/mts up Ihr ten rnvniliitin tifio zccre de- Jilcd 1)1/ /U'saloni, 3. Aniiisa is sent to iissnnhlc t/ic men o/Jitda/i, 4,.0. yiiid in tin iiunn lime /Ihithni h srnl to pursue S/i(l)(i, a, 7. Jonh trrar/irroiishy niurdrrs.^niam, 8 — 12. Ju/ih and I fir tinni/ ronlhim the purtuil of Sliihii, Ui, 14. //r is hesirirrd in Alifl; tind, /;// t/ir rounsfls of a wite aonuin, the people of Abel cut t>ffhi$ head, and lhro:c it mir the -.call to Jiuih;:clio Idous Ihr trumpet of pi tier, and hr and hit tnrn return to J>. rusakm, l.'J — 22. Account ofDiniirs civil nnd milititri/ n/Jircrs, 2.'i— 'JO.

li'/is Shoha, the son of IJirhri. a I?(Mijaiiiite: and lie blew a trumpet, and said, "We have no part in David, neither have wc inheritance in the son of Jesse: ^ every man to iiis tents, O Israel.

2 So every man of Israel went up from after David, a7i(t followed Sheha the son of Hichri: but the men of Judali clave unto tiieir kinf^', from Jordan even to Jeru.«alem.

3 ^ And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his "^con-

4 f Then said the king to Amnsa, ^ Atisemhle ' me the men of Judah within three day:*, and hr thou here present.

5 So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: hut lie tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.

6 And David said to Abishai. Now shall Sheba the son of liichri do us more harm than ilid Absalom: lake thou ' thy lords servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and ■■ escape us.

7 And there went out after him Joab's men.

cubines, whom he had left to keep the hou.'je,, and the ' Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all and put them in ■" ward, and fed them, hut went tiie niighty men: and they went out of Jcrunot in unto them. So tiiey were ' shut up unto, saicm, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bithri

the day of their death, 'living- in widowhood.

8 When they were at the great stone which is

Versp 1. She/ja, the son of Bichri'] As this man was a Bcnjamilc, he probably belonged to the family of Saul; and he seems to have had considerable influence in Israel to raise such an insurrection: but we know nothing farther of him than what is related in this place.

IVe have no part in David'] We of Israel; we of the ten tribes, are uuder no obligation to the house of David. Leave him, and let every man fall into the ranks under bis own leader.

Verse 3. The ten:iomen'] He could not well divorce them: he could not punish them, as they were not in transgression; and he could no more be familiar with them, be. Cause they had been defiled by Ms son. To have murrit-d them to other men might havo been dangerous to the state, therefore he shut them up an A fed them; made them quite comfortable; and they continued as widows to their death.

Verse 4. Then said the king to Amasa'] Thus he invents him with tlie command of the army, and send.s him to collect the men of Judah, and to come back to receive his orders in relation to Sheba, in three days. It appears that Ama«a found more diflicully in collecting his countrymen than was at first supposed; and tliis, detaining him beyond the three days, David, fearing that Sheba's rebellion would get head, sent Abishai, who it appears was accompanied by Joab, to pursue after Sheba.

.•\masa, it seems, got up with thorn at Gibeon. ver. 8, wliere he was treacherously murdered by the execrable Joab.

Verse 8. Joab^s garment'] It appears that this was not a military garment; and that Joab had no arm* but a "ihort sword, which he had concealed in hi< girdle; and thi* txiord-, or knife, was so loose in its sheath that it could be easily drawn out. It is thought farther, that Joab, in passing to Amasa, stumbled, for so some of the \'ersions, and able critics, understand tlic words it j'cll out; and that the sword fell down when he stumbled; (hat he took it up with his left hand, as if be had no bad intention; and then, taking Amasa by the beard with his right hand, pretending to kiss him. he, with his sword in his left haml. ripwd up his bowels. This seems to be the meaning of this very obscure in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. ^''■^469''' ^''' -'^"'^ Joab's garment that he had put Anno ante I. OH was gilded unto him, and upon it

his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out.

9 And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? ^ And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.

10 But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand: so '' he smote him therewith " in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and '' struck him not again, and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri.

11 And one of Joab's men stood by him, and said. He that favoureth Joab, and he that is for David, let him go after Joab.

12 And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth npon him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still.

13 When he was removed out of the hinh-

Terse. It is worthy of remark that, in the Eastern country, it is the beard, not the man, which is usually kissed.

Verse 10. I?i (he fifth rib] I belieTe Bfjon chomesh,v/hic]i we render here, and elsewhere, the Jif/h rib means any part of the abdominal region. The Septuagint translate it rr^v ^oav, the groin; the Targutn, the right side of the thigh; i. e. the phrase of the Targumist being interpreted, the privt/ parts. That it means some part of the abdominal region, is evident from what follows, ^nd shed out his bozi-els to the ground. It appears from this that, in plain English, he ripped up his belly.

Verse 11. He that favoureth Joab'] As if he had said, there is now no other commander besides Joab; and Joab is steadily attached to David: let those, therefore, who are loyal follow Joab.

Verse 14. Amasa izalloxeed in blood] It is very likely that Amasa did not immediately die: I have known instances of persons living several hours after their bowels had been shed out.

Verse 14. Unto Abel] This is supposed to have been the capital of the district called Abilene, in St. Luke iii. 1.

Beth-mauchah] Is supposed to have been in the northern part of the Holy L;ind, on the confines of Syria, and probably in the tribe of Naphtali.

way, all the people went on after B.c.'ioa?' Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son ^"^ E^odrisr.

14? And he went through all the oiym^. 24g. tribes of Israel unto " Abel, and to Beth-maachah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him.

15 And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maachah, and they 'cast up a bank against the city, and * it stood in the trench: and all the people that were with Joab '' battered the wall, to throw it down.

16 H Then cried a wise woman out of the city. Hear, hear; say, 1 pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that 1 may speak with thee.

17 And when he was come near unto her, the woman said, vlrt thou Joab? And he answered, 1 am he. Then she said unto him. Hear the words of thine handmaid. And he answered, 1 do hear.

18 Then she spake, saying, 'They were wont to speak in old time, saying. They shall surely ask eounsfl at Abel: and so they ended the matter.

\9 1 am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city

Verse 15. Thei/ cast tip a bank against the city] The word nbbo sollah, which we render bank, means, most probably, a battel ing engine of some kind, or a tower overlooking the walls; on which archers and slingers could stand and annoy the inhabitants, while others of the besiegers could proceed to sap the walls. That it cannot be a bank that stood in the trench, is evident from the circumstance thus expressed.

Verse 18. They shall surely ask counsel at Abel] This is a proverb, but from what it originated we know not; nor can we exactly say what it means: much must be supplied to bring it to speak sense. Abel was probably famed for the wisdom of its inhabitants; and parties who had disputes, appealed to their judgment; which appears to have been in such high reputation as to be final by consent of all parties. To this the wise woman refers; and intimates to Joab that he should have proceeded in this way before he began to storm the city, and destroy the peaceable inhabitants.

Verse 19. I^peaceuble and faithful in Israel] I am for peace, not contention of any kind: I am faithful, I adhere to David; and neither seek nor shall sanction any rebellion or anarchy iu the land. Why llien dost thou proceed in oiy,^,.^ yO An.l.loal) iiiiHWcml and Hai<l, Far be it, fur ho it from rnc, that I slioiild swallow lip or destroy.

21 The matter is not so: hut a man of mount E|)liraiin, Sheha the son of Hichri '" hy name, Iiath lifted u|) his hand an^ainst the kiiip;', tvcn against David: deliver him only, and I will <lc- ])art from the city..And the woman f^aid unto Joah, Behold, liis head shall he thrown to thee over the wall.

^2 Then the woman went unto all the people " in her wisdom. And they cut oil' llie liead of

such a violent manner? Perhaps the woman speaks here in the naiitf and on the bclia/j' of the cifj/: " I am n peaceable city, utid am faithful to the hint;."

y/ mother in hriirt] That is, a chief city of a district; for it is very likely that the woman speaks of the city, not of herself.

Verse ^l. Jlis head shall he thrown to thec\ Thus it appears she had groat sway in the counsels of the city; and that the punishment of a state rebel was then, what it is now in this kingdom, beheading.

Verse 23. Jonb was orer all the host^ He had murdered Amasa, and seized on the supreme command: and such was his power at present, and the service which he had rendered to the state by quelling the rebellion of Sbeba, that David was obliged to continue him; and dared not to call him to account for his murders, without endangering the safety of the state by a civil war.

Sheha the son of IJirhri, and cant \^i.V!?i.

triimi)!-!. and they "* retired from the Annoantri.

eity, every man to Ins tent. Ana

J»)ah returned to Jerusalem unto the kini;.

y.'i T Now '.Joah Tlox over all the host of Israel: and Henaiah the i*on of.lehoiada teat over the Clu'rethitcH and over tlie I'ehihites:

20 ' And Ira also the Juiritc wa.s 'a chief ruler about David.

Ucnaiah — over the Cherethilr.t'] Bcnaiah was over the archcri and slingcrs. — Seethe.N'otes on rhap. viii. 18.

Verse 21. Adorum was over the Irihulel Probably the chief receiver of the taxes; or Chancellor of the Exchequer, as we term it.

Verse 2fi. Ira — i;«x a ehirf ruler about Dazid] The Hebrew is Tnb jnj cohen le DaviJ, a priest to Dircid; and so the I'ul^ate, SeptuaginI, Si/riac, and Arabic. The Chaldee has 3"i rah; a prince., or chief; he was probably a sort of domestic chaplain to the kini;. NW- know that the kings of Judah had their seers, which is nearly the same: Gad was David's seer; 2 Sam. xxiv. II.; and Jeduthan was the «efr of king Josiah, 2 Cliron. \\\y. 15.

The conclusion of this chapter is very similar to the conclusion of chapter the eighth; where see the Notes.

A famine laling place three successive ^ears in Israel, DaviJ enquired of the Lord the cause; and xcas informed that it icas on account cf Saul and his bloodj/ house, uho had slain the Gibeoniles, I. David inquires of the Gibennites zchat atonement thei/ required; and they answer, seven sons of tfaul, (hat thery might hang them up in Gibcah, 2 — 6. Names of the seven sons thus given up, 7 — 9. Affecting account of liizpuh, icho tcatchcd the bodks through the whole of the time of harvest, to prevent them from being devoured bij birds and beasts of prey, 10. David is informed of Rizpah's conduct; and collects the bones of Saul, Jonathan, and the seven men that ircre hanged at Gibeah, and buries them; and God is intreated for the land, 1 1 — 14. If'ar belKcen the Israelites and Philistines, in ichich David zaas in danger of being slain by Ishbi-benob, but zcas succoured bij Abishai, 1 J— 17. He, aiul several gigantic Philistines, are slain by David and his servants, IS — 22.

Vc.wIl rriHEN there was a famine in tiie An. Exmi. isr. J[_ Jays of DavId three years, year Anno ante I. after year; and David "" enquired of

oiymp.. a. ^^^^ LoRD And the Lord answered. It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibconites.

2 And the king- called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but '' of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)

3 Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What sliall 1 do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless " the inheritance of the Lord?

4 And the Gibeonites said unto him, ^ We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said. What ye shall say, that will I do for you.

5 And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that "devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,

6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the

Lord ' in Gibeah of Saul, » ivhom'' the Lord did choose. And the king said, I will give them.

7 But (he king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of ' the Lord's oath that teas between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

8 But the king took the two sons of '' Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she b;ire unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of ' JNIichal the daughter of Saul, whom she "■ brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholalhite:

9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill "before the

. Lord: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

10 % And " Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock,

I p from the beginnins^ of harvest until water I dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neiliier the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

Verse 1. Then there was a famtne'\ Of this famine we know nothing; it is not meationed ia any part of the history of David.

Because he sleza the Gibeonites'] No such fact is mentioned In the life and transactions of Saul; nor is there any reference to it in any other part of Scripture.

Verse 2. The remnant of the Amorites^ The Gibeonites were Ilivites, not Amorites, as appears from Jesh. vi. 19.: but Amorites is a name often given to the Canaanites in general, Gen. XV. 16. Amos xi. 9. and elsewhere.

Verse 3. Wherezcith shall I make the atonement'] It is very strange that a choice of this kind should be left to such a people. Why not ask this of God Himself?

Verse 6. Seven men of his sons] Meaning sons, grandsons, or other near branches of his family. It is supposed ( that the persons chosen were principal in assisting Saul to exterminate the Gibeonites. But where is the proof of this?

Verse 8. Five sons of Michal — jehom she brought up] Michal, Saul's daughter, was never married to Adriel, but to David, and afterwards to Pbaltiel; though it is here said she bore mS' i/aledah, not brought up., as we falsely translate it: but we learn from 1 Sam. xviii. 19. that Merab, one of Saul's daughters, was married to Adriel.

Two of Dr. KennicutCs M^S. have Merab, not Michal; the Syriac and Arabic, have Nadab; the Chaldee has properly Merab; but it renders the passage thus: — And the five sons of Merab which Michal the daughter of Saul brought up, ichich she brought forth to Adriel the son of Barzillai. This cuts the knot.

Verse 9. In the beginning of barley harvest.] This happened in Judea, about the vernal equinox, or 21st of March.

Verse 10. Rizpah — took sackcloth] Who can read the account of Rizpah's maternal ati'ection for her sons that were now hanged, without feeling his mind deeply impressed with sorrow?

Did God require this sacrifice of Saul's sons, probably all innocent of the alleged crime of their father? Was there no other method of averting the Divine displeasure? Was ihe requisition of the Gibeonites to have Saul's sons sacrificed to God, to be considered as an oracle of God? — Cer- hoiiOH of Suul and liic l>()nfs ol' Jonathan his hon IVoiii llie mon of * Julxsli-jjili-ad, wliicli ha<l slolon tiicm from llic street ol Hcth-shan, wlicic the '' Philislincs had liaM;;cd llicin, when tlic PhiliMliiU's had slain Sinil in (iiihoa:

Hi And lie l)ronfjlit up from tlicncc the bones ol' Siiul and Ihe hones of.lonalhan liis son; and tliey gathereil the hones of ihem that were hanf;ed. I

14 And tlic hones of SanI and.lonallian his son huricd lliey in tlie eoniilry of IJenjaniin in. ' /elah, in the sepulchre of Kisli liis fatlicr: and I they |)eiloinMd all dial the kin^; conimandcd. And after that ''(Jod was intreatcd for the land.

15 f Moreover the I'hilistines iiad yet war a"ain with Israel; and David went down, and

IG And Ishhi-benoh, which jrws of '">"'•«♦«• Ihe HohH of 'Ihe f;;ianl, the weii;hl of whose 'spear icrifrlird line*- hundred sIiiI;iIh of hraHii in weiphi, he heiiif^ girded with u new HWurd, thoii<^lil l>) have slam David.

17 IJut Ai)i-hai llie son of /eruiah Kiicconrcd him, and smote the I'hilistine, und killed him. 'I'lien the men of F)avid swine unto him, Kayin^, '^Ttiou shall f;ii no more out uitli us to hallle, that thou (juench not the ''li^lit' of Isiiiel.

IS '' And it, came to pai-s after llii-, Itiat there was ap^ain a battle with the FhilistincH at Gob: liien ' Sihhecliai the llushathite slew "* Sapli, wiiitli wets of the sons of " the triant.

19 And there was ngain a battle in Gob witb the I'iiilistines, where Klhanan the son of

tainly, not; Ood will not hnve mnn's blood for sncrifice, no more tlian lie will have swine's blood. The fdiniiie might have been removed, and the laud properly purged, by offering the sacrifices prescribed by the law; and by a general humiliation of the people.

Until tcaler dropped upon dirm'] Until the time of the autumnul rains; w hich, in (liiU country, commence about October. Is it possible that this poor broken-hearted woman could have endured the fatigue, (and probably in the open air,) of watching these bodies for more than five months? Some think that the rain dropping on them out of heaven means the removal of the famine which was occasioned by drought, by now sending rain, which might have been shortly after these men were hanged: but this by no means agrees with the manner in which the account is introduced— Thei/ xtere put to death in the daj/s of harvest, in the Jirst days in the beginning of barley harvest. And Ri:quih — | took sackcloth, and spread it for her on the rock, from Ihe beginning of harvest, vidil scaler dropped upon them out of heaven. No casual, or immediately providential rain can be here intended; reference must be to the periodical rains above-mentioned.

X'crse 1'2. Took the bones of Saul'] The Reader will recollect that the men of Jabesh-gilead burnt the bodies of Saul and his sons, and buried the remaining bones under a • tree at Jabesh; seio 1 Sam. xxx'i. 12, 13. These David might ', have diagi'd up again, in order to bury them in the family j sepulchre. I his armour in general: he bad got new arm;, a new coat of I mail, or something that di-fended him well, and rendered him very formidable, i \'erse 17. That thou quench not the light of Iirael.] Divid is here considered as the lamp by which all Israel was I guided; and, without whom, all the nation muvt be involTcd I in darkness. The lamp is the emblem of direction and support, I'ight is Used in this sense by Homer: —

" I have neither been a light to Patroclu=, nor to his ' companions, who have been slain by the noble Hector.

I Verse 18. A battle — at Gob'] Instead of Gob, several I editions and about/or(y of K'-mnicotCs and De Rostfs MSS. have yob; but Gezer is the name in the parallel place, 1 Chron. xx. J.

Verse 19. FJhanan the son of Jaareoregim — slext — Goliath the Gittite] Here i— a most manifest corruption of the text, or gross mistake of the transcriber; David, not Elhanan, slew Goliath. In 1 Chron. xx. 5. the parallel place, 7 V 2

^'0 And ' ther/e was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and

it stands thus — FHhanan, the son of Jnir, slezi Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gillite, tshose spear- staff was like a tceax'er''s beam. This is plain; and our translators have borrowed some words from Chronicles to make both t?xts agree. The coriuption may be easily accounted for by considering that ^'J-\K oregim, which signifies tieavers, has slipt out of one line into the other; and that '«nSn n'3 Beth ha lechmi, the Bethlehemite, is corrupted from VJnV nK eth lachmi: then the reading will be the same as in Chronicles. Dr. Kennicott has made this appear very plain in his first Dissertation on the Hebrezc Text, pag. 78, &c.

Verse 20. On everjj hand six fingers^ This is not a solitary instance: Tavernier informs us, that the eldest son of the emperor of Java, (who reigned in 1G48,) had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot. And Alauperttiis, in his seventeenth letter, says, that he met with two families near Berlin, where sexdigilism was equally transmitted on both sides of father and mother. I saw once a young girl in the county of Londonderry, in Ireland, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot; but her stature had nothing gigantic in it. The daughters of Cuius Jloralius, of patrician dignify, were called sedigitts, because they had six fingers on each hand. Fokatius, a poet, wa>; called sedigitus, for the same reason. — See Pliny's llist. Nat. lib. xi. cap. 43.

There are evidently many places in this chapter in which the text has suffered much from the ignorance or carelessness of transcribers; and, indeed, I suspect the whole has suffered so materially as to distort, if not misrepresent, the principal facts. It seems as if a Gibeonite has had something to do with the copies that are come down to us; or that the fourteen first verses have been inserted from a less authentie document than the rest of the bonk. I shall notice some of the most unaccountable, and apparently exceptionable, particulars: —

1. The famine, ver. 1. is not spoken of any where else; nor at all referred to in the books of Kings or Chrunidc.s; and, being of three years' duration, it was too remarkable to be omitted in the history of David.

'2. The circumstance of Snul's attempt to exterminate the Oibeonites, is no where else mentioned; and, had it taken

21 And when he ' defied Israel, Jonathan the son of ^Sliimeah the brotlier of David slew him.

22 "^ These four were born to th Gath, and fell by the hand of David, hand of his servants.

place, it is not likely that it would hare been passed over ia the history of Saul's transgressions. Indeed, it would have been such a breach of the good faith by which the whole nation was bound to this people, that an attempt of the kind could scarcely have failed to raise an insurrection through all Israel.

3. The wish of David, that the Gibeonites, little better than a Heathenish people, should bless the inheritance of the Lord, is unconstitutional, and unlikely.

4. That God should leave the choice of the atonement to such a people, or indeed to any people, seems contrary to His established laws, and particular providence.

5. That He should require seven innocent men to be hung up in place of their offending father, in whose iniquity they most likely never had a share, seems inconsistent with His justice and mercy.

6. In ver. 8. there is mention made of Jive sons of Michal, which she bore, (prh'' yaledah,) unto Adriel. Now, 1. Michal was never the wife of Adriel, but of David and Plialfiel. 2. She never appears to have had any children, see 2 Sam. vi. 23.; this [ have been obliged to correct in the text, by putting Merab in the place of Michal.

7. The seven sons of Saul, mentioned here, are represented as a sacrifice required by God, to make an atonement (or the sin of Saul. Does God, in any case, require human blood for sacrifice? And is it not such a sacrijice that is represented here? Dr. Delaney, and others, imagine that these soven sons vieie priricipal agents in the execution of their father's purpose; but of this there is no proof. Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, certainly had no hand in this projected massacre, he was ever lame, and could not be so employed; and yet he would have been one of the seven had it not been for the covenant made before with his father: But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan — 6ecuusc of the Lord's oath that was between them, ver. 7.

8. The circumstance of Rizpah's watching the bodies of tho^e victims, upon a rock, and probably in the open air, both day and night, from March to October, or even /or a much less period, is, as it is here related, very extraordinary and improbable.

9. The hanging the bodies so long was against an express law of God, virhich ordained, that those who were hanged on a trM should l)c taken down before sun-KP(, ond buried Ihf same day, Icsl llic lanil xlwald bt: di filed, J)t'ul. mi. 'i'i, TS. Therflforp — I. (idd <li<l not rdniiniiiiil a hrc.iili of Hit own law. 'i. David was too t'»nct an oli-Prvcr of tliiil law to ri'- quire it. 3. Tlic |>po|)Ih could not linfo Piidun-d it; fur, in that sultry tpasnn, the land would indppd have hppn dr/Urd by iho pulrrfiich'iin of thi- dr.id hodlfs: and Ihii woulil, In all likelihood, havp added yicv/z/emf io famine.

10. The story of fnlli'ctini» and hiirj/irif; Ihr bonet of Snul nnd Jonntlian, b not very likely; considering that the men of Jabcsh-Kilead had burned their bodieH, and buried t}iP remainini^ bones under a tree at Jabe»h, 1 Sam. xxii. 12, 13. yet still it i<t posbible.

11. Josephus takes as much of this Htory as he thinks proper; but says not one word about Kizpah, and her loii^ watching over her slaughtered sons.

I'Z. Even ihe fuels in this chapter, which are mentioned in other places, see I Chron. xx. 4, &c. are greatly distorted and corrupted; for we have already seen that Elhiinan is made here to kill Goliath the Cillile, whom it is well known

Duid »!cv*: and it is only by m'-ant of the parallel place iiboTP that we can reiitore thi* to hitlorical truth.

That there have beeti attempti to remoTe some of thue olijertiiins I know; and, I know aUo, that these attempts have been, in general, without lucre-n.

Till I KPt farther li)(ht on the subject, I am led to conclude that the whole chapter ii not noi£ what it would b« romitig from tlip pen of nn inspired writer; and that ihi* |j»rt of the Jpwish records has kufl'ered much from rabbinical glostet, allprntiont, and addition*. The laze, the projihcli, and the ha);iupr(if)hii, including Pialmi, l'rot>crb$, EccUtiattei., ice. have been I'ver ronsidere<l as po»'e»siiig the highril title to Divine insjiirntion; and, therefore, have been most carefully preserved and transcribed: but the hiilorical booki, especially Samuel, Kin^s, and Chroniclei, hate not ranked so high, have been less carefully preserved, and have been the subjects of frequent alteration and corruption. Y'et 'till the great foundation of God slandeth sure, and is suflitiently at* tested by Ilis own broad seal of consistency, truth, and holiness.

David's Psalm of thanksgiving for God's poKcrful deliverance, and manifold blessings; including prophetic dc' claralions relative to the humiliulion and exaltation of the Messiah, 1 — 31.

ND David " spake unio the LdKD llie words f)f tliis song- 111 iIk' day that the Lord liad '' delivered liiin out of the hand of all Ills enemies, and ont of the luind of Saul:

2 And he said^ " Tiu* Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

3 Tile God of my rock; "' in him will T trust: he is my 'shield, and (he Miorn of my salvation, my high "^ tower, and my "■ refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

4 1 will call on tiie Loud, who?s worthy to he praised: so shall I he saved from mine enemies.

5 When the ' waves of death compassed me, the floods of " ungodly men made me afraid;

Verse 1. David tpake unto the Lord the words of this sotig^ This is the same in substance, and almost in tcords, with I'salm xviii.; anil, therefore, the exposition of it must be reserved till it occurs in its course in that liook, with the

7 In my distress ° 1 called upon the lyOitD, and cried to my Ciod: and he did 'hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

8 Then i" ihc earth shook and tromhled; ""the fonndalions of heaven moved and siiook, because he was wroth.

0 There went up a smoke 'out of his nostrils, and ' fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled hy it.

It) lie 'bowed (he heavens also, and came down; and " darkness kus under his feet.

exception of a very few obsenrations, and Dr. KennicoU's general view of the subject.

Verse 5. Jl'henthe aavet of death compassed mel Though, in a primary sense, many of these things belong to David; yet, generally, and fully, they belong to the Messiah alonet

^^ " 12 And he made *" darkness pavilions round about him, " dark waters, anrf thick clouds of the skies.

13 Through the brightness before him were "•coals of fire kindled.

14 The Lord "" thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice.

15 And he sent out '^ arrows, and scattered them; lightnin{2^, and discomfited them.

16 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the ^rebuking of the Lord, at the blast of the bieath of his ''nostrils.

17 ' He sent from above, he took me; he drew ine out of '' many waters;

18 ' He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.

19 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.

20 "" He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he " delighted i in me.

21 "The Lord rewarded me according to my i righteousness: according to the '' cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

Verse 1 1. He rode upon a cherub, and did Jit/; — he was seen upon the tilings of the wind'] In the original of this sublime passage, sense and sound are astonishingly well coniiRcted: I shall insert the Hebrew, represent it in English letters for the sake of the unlearned reader, and have only to observe, he must read from (he right to the left.

The clap of the wing, the agitation and rush through the air,» are expressed here in a very extraordinary manner.

Other beauties of this kind will be noted in the exposition of the P.ialm referred to above.

" The very sublime poetry contained iu this chapter is unWersally admired; and yet it cannot be perfectly uuder-

2.;} For all his 'judgments Mjpre be- oiymi^2i2^ fore me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.

24 I was also ^ upright ' before him, and have kept myself from mine inicjuitv.

25 Therefore " the Lord hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness " in his eye sight.

26 With 'the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.

27 Willi the pure thou wilt shew thy.self pure • and ^ with the froward thou wilt 'shew thyself unsavoury.

28 And the * afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon " the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.

29 For thou art my ""lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighien my darkness.

oO For by thee I have " run through a troop: by my God have 1 leaped over a wall.

31 As for God, ' his way is perfect; ^ the word of the Lord is ^ tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

32 For ' who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God }

stood, (till it is known,) who is the speaker; who the person, thus triumphant over mighty enemies; whose sufterings I occasioned such a dreadful convulsion of nature; and zoho,; upon his deliverance, indicted such vengeance on his own i people, and also became thus a king over the Heathen. I Should we be told that this person was David, it v\ill be very difficult to shew how this description can possibly agree i with that character: but, if it did in fact a^ree, yet would 1 it contradict St. Paul, who quotes part of it, as predicting the conversion of the Gentiles, under Christ the Messiah, j Rom. XV. 9. Heb. ii. 13.: and see Peirce's Commentary, pag. 50. Now, if the person represented as speaking through this Divine ode, be David only, the Messiah is excluded:, and, if it be the Messiah only, then David is excluded, la ' consetjuence of the difficulties resulting from each of these i suppositious, the general idea has been that it relates both to

.'i.') ''Ho tcjitliftli my liiiiids ' (o war; so thai a bow oCslcol is broken by mine arniH.

hast ' cnhiii^od my steps under me; " I'eet did not slip. 38 1 have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had eonsiimiim' them.

3*' And 1 iiave consumed them, and wounded tlieit', that they eould not arise: yea, they arc railen " under my feet.

40 For thou bast " girded mc with strenn^th to battle: ^ them tliat rose up against mc iiast thou 'subdued under me.

41 Thou hast also given me the ' nceks of mine enemies, that T might destroy them that hate me.

4'2 They looked, but tlicrc was none to save: even ' unto the IjOrd, but he answered them not.

43 Then did 1 beat them as small ' as the dust of the earthy 1 did stamp them " as the mire of

David and to the Messiah, as a prophecy of a double sense: first, as spoken by David of himself; and yet to he understood, in a secondary sense, of the Messiah. I3ut, it must 1)0 remiulied here, that, if.spoken only of David, it is not a prediction of any thing future, but a thanksgiving for favours past; and, therefore, is no prophecy at ail. And further, it could not 1)8 a prophecy descriptive of David unless the particulars agreed to David; whicii they evidently do not. If, then, David be here necessarily extl.uded from the single sense, he must be excluded also from the double sense; because nothing can be intended, by any sacred writer, to relate to f:co per.sons, unless it be true of both: but, it not being the care here as to David, we must conclude that this song relates only to the Messiah; and on this subject an excellent Dissertation, by the late Mr. Peirce, is subjoined to his comment on the Epistle to the Ilehress. It may be necessary to add here two remarks: the '2 Ith verse now ends with, / have kept myself from mine iniquity; which words,

44 ' Thou also hasl dclivercti me Anno.iari. from the strnings ol my people, Ihou liasl kej)! me to he 'bead of tin- heathen: 'a people w/iirh I knew not shall scrv*- me.

4.5 • StrangePH hiiall ''sul)mit' themfcelves unto me: as soon us lliey Ik ar, they shall be obedient unto me.

46.Strangers shall fade away, and they hhall be afraid out of tlieir (lose places.

47 Tiie I.1OUI) livclh; and Ijlc-sed ht: my ro* k; and exalted bo the (Jod of the ' rork of my salvation.

4H It is (Jod that ' avengeth me, and that '' bringetli down the peo|»le under me,

49.And that bringeth ine forth from mine enemies; thou aI>o iiast htted me up on high above them that rose up against mc: thou hast delivered me from the '' violent man.

50 Therefore 1 will give thanks unto thee, O fyOKn, among ' the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thv name.

.')! '' II( is the tower of salvation for his king: and shewelh mercy to his ' anointed, unto I)iivid, and '" to iiis seed for evermore.

it is objected, are not proper, if applied to the Messiah. But this difliculty is removed, in part, by the context, which represents the speaker as perfectly innocent and righteous; and this e.\actlv agrees with the proof arising from the Syriac and the Arabic Version*, (and also the CA/i/</fe paraphrase,) that this word was anciently ""JiJ*"! ab iniquitatibui; consequently, this is one of the many instances where the final mem is improperly omitted by the Jewish transcribers. — See my General Dissertation, pag. 12. Ij'iIt, the dillrulty arising from the title, which ascribes the psalm to Darid.znd which seems to make him the speaker in it, may be removed; either by supposing that the title here, (like tho=e now prelixed to several psalms.) is of no sutlicient auiho'itv; or rather, by coo'-idering this title as only meant to describe /Ac time whf'n David composed this prophetic hymn; that, zehen delivered from all his other enemies, as zrelt as from the hand of Saul, he then consecrated his leisure, by composing thii sublime prophecy concerning Messiah, his Son; shorn he represents here as speaking, (just as in Psa. xxil. xl. and other places;) and as describing — 1. His triumph over death and hell — 2. The manifestation of Omnipotence in llis favour; earth and heaven trembling at God's awful presence — 3. The Speaker's innocence thus divinely attested — 4. The vengeance lie was to take on Ilis oxen people., the Jews, in the destruction of Jerusalem — and, 5. The adoption of the Heathen, over whom He was to be the Head and Ruler.

" Another instance of a title, denoting only the time of a prophecy, occurs in the very next chapter; where a prophecy concerning the Messiah is intituled, Tlie last zoords of David; i. e. a hymn which he composed a little before bis death, after all his other prophecies. And, perhaps this ode in chap. xxii. which immediately precedes that in chap, xxiii. was composed but a little while before; namely, zchen all his tears mere over. Let it be added, that Josephus, immediately before he speaks of David's mighty men, (which follow in this same chapter of Samuel,) considers the two hymns in chap. xxii. and xxiii., as both written after his wars were over — Jam Davides, bellis et periculis perfunctus, pacenique deinceps profundam agitans, odas in Deum hi/mnosque composuit, Tom. 1. p. 401."

The last words of David, 1 — 7. T/ie names and exploits of his thirty-seven worthies, 8 — 39. OW these he the last words of

David. David the son of Jesse said, "and the man who was raised up on high, '' the anointed of

the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of

2 ' The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

3 The God of Israel said, " the Rock of Israel

Verse 1. These be the last words of David'\ I suppose the last poetical composition is here intended. He might have spoken many words after these in prose, but none in verse. Other meanings are given; this I prefer.

The words of this song contain a glorious prediction of the Messiah's kingdom and conquests, in highly poetic language.

The sweet psalmist of Israel] This character not only belonged to him as the finest poet in Israel, but as the finest and most divine poet of the whole Christian world. The saeet psalmist of Israel has been the sweet psalmist of every part of the habitable world, where religion and piety have been held in reverence.

Verse 2. The Spirit of the Lord spake by me~\ Hence the matter of his writing came by direct and immediate inspiration.

His isord was in my tongue.'] Hence the toords of this writing were as directly inspired as the matter.

spake to me, •" He that ruleth over men must 6e just, ruling "^in the fear

4 And 'he shall fte as the light of the morning, ichen the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.

5 Although my house be not so with God; '' yet

pnv anX3 biffin moshel ba adam tsadik: He that ruleth in man is the just one; or, the just one is the ruler among

Ruling in the fear of God.] It is by God's fear that Jesus Christ rules the hearts of all His followers: and he who has not the fear of God before his eyes can never be a Christian.

Verse 4. He shall be us the light of the morning] This verse is very obscure, for it does not appear from it who the person is of whom the prophet speaks. A'< the Messiah seems to be the whole subject of these last words of David, He is probably the Person here intended. One of Dr. Kenn/co/i's MSS. supplies the word mn' Yehovah; and he, therefore, translates. As the light oj the morning ariseth Jehovah; see below. He shall be the Sun of righteousness; bring salvation in His rays; and, shining, illuminating the children of men, with increasing splendor, as long as the sun and moon endure.

As the tender grass] The eflfects of this shining, and of the rays of His giace, shall be like the »hining of the sun upon the young grass or corn, after a plentiful shower of rain.

(J Hut the sons of liclial shall /jr all of tliem H'^ thorns thrust away, because they cannot he liikon with hands:

7 But the mail that shall toti( li lliein must he 'fenced with iron and the stall' of ii spear; and they shall be utterly burned with (ire in (he sainc place.

8 % These br the names of tl>e miafhly men whom David had: ''The Taciimonile that sat in the sent, chief amonf"- the captains; (he same was Adino the F'/.nile; *■ he lift up his sprar against eight hundred, ' whom he slew at one time.

stend of p ken, so, read p kun, ESTADLisaED; and let the whole verse be considered'- as an interros^ution, including a positive assertion; and the sense will be at niice dear and consistent. " For, is not my house, (family,) csliiblishcd with God; because He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all, and preserved? For thi^, (He,) is all my salvation, and all my desire, although He make it, (or Him,) not to spring up." All is sure relative to my spiritual Successor: though He do not as yet appear, the covenant i> firm; and it will spring forth in due time. — See KenukotCs Observations at the end of the chapter.

Verse 6. But the sons of liclial shall be all of them as ihorm'\ There is no word in the text for sons., it is simply Belial., the srood-for-nothing man / and may here refer — first, to Saul, and, secondly, to the enemies of our Lord.

jis thorns thrust azcai/'\ A metaphor from hedging; the workman thrusts the thorns asidr either with his bill or hand, protected by his impenetrable mitten, or glove, till, getting a fair blow at the roots, he cuts them all down. The man la fenced tcilh iron, and the handle of his bill is like the itajf of a spear. This is a perfectly i\atural and intelligible image.

Verse 8. These be the names of the mightj/ men'] This chapter should be collated with the parallel place, 1 Chron. xi. and sec Kcnnicott's first Dissertation on the printed Hebrew text, pag. 64 — 471.

The Tachmonitc that sat in the seat] Literally, and properly, Jashobeam the Uachmonite. — See 1 Chron. xi. 10.

The same was Adino the Eznile] This is a corruption for he lift up his spear, — See 1 Chron. xi. 10.

y And after him tcaa ' Flea/ar the ^'Ji^ " son of Dodo the Aholiilr, oiif of the "• 'i,,!""" three mij;lity men with l).i\id, when Sn^v^Av.

10 He arose, and smote the Philistineo until his hand wns weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the l.onn writught a great vi< lory that day; and the people returned after him only to s|)od

11 And alter him was ' Shammah the son of Agee the llararile. 'And ihe IMiilistincH were gathered logclher '' iiilo a troop, where was a piece of ground lull of lenliles: and the people fled from the Philistines.

VI Hut he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended il, and slew the Piiilistines; and the LoiiD wrought a great victory.

Eight hundred, Tchom he sleu; at one time.] Tiinhi. hundred is the reading in Chronicles, and seems to l)e the true one. The word "r^n ihalal, which we translate tlain, should probably be tran'-latod soldiers, as in the Srptuagint znxrtxras' he withstood three hundred soi.uii.n^ at one time. — See the Note on David's lamentation over Saul and Jonathan, 2 Sam. i. and Kcnnicott's 1st Dissertation, p. 101. Dr. Kennicott observes, " This one vef-e cont.iins three great corruptions in the Hebrew text — 1. The proper name of the hero Jashobeam is turned into two common words, rendered, that sat in the seat. — 2. The words he lift up hu tpear, ir'jn rx ■^"'ij* S^n hu orer et chanito, are turned into two proper names wholly inadmissible here: — *;vrn ir*iy KW hu Adino Haetsni, he was Adino the I'znite: it being nearly as absurd to say that Jashobeam the Hachmonile was the same with Adino the F.znite, as that David the [Vethlehemite wa» the same with Klijah the Ti^hliite. — 3. The number eight hundred was probably at first three hundred; as in 1 Chroo. xi. U. — See Kennicott, tibi supr.

Verse 9. H'hcn thei/ defied the Philistine! that sere there gathered] This is supposed to refer to the war. in which David slew Goliath.

Verse 11. A piece of ground full of kntilct] In 1 Chron. xi. 13. it is a parcel of ground full of barley. There is probably a mistake of S'sny adashim, lentiles, for ~""iT sheorim, barley; or vice versa. Some think there v»rr( tjoth lenliles and barlej/ in the field, and that a marauding party of the Philistines came to destroy, oi rarr) thrm off; and these worthies defeated the whole, and saved tlie produce of the field. This is not unlikely. 7 Z