Exposition of the Whole Bible

la chapter relates the dangers David was expofed unto through Sau/’s enmity at him, and his deliverance from them, as by the notice Jonathan gave him of his father’s defigns againtt him, and by his kind interpofition on his behalf, y. 1-7. by David flipping out of Sax/’s prefence, when he was about to caft a javelin at him, y. 8, 9, 10. by Michal’s letting him down through a window, when Sau/ fent meffengers to kill him, and by deceiving them with an image laid in his bed in the room of him, ¥. 11—17. and again by Samuel’s protection of him at Naioth, whither David fied, and where Saul fent meffengers after laying hands on David, both he and the meffengers were fet a prophefying, y. 18—24.!

¥. 1. And Saul fpake to Jonathan his fon, &c.} Who was heir to his crown; and though he knew he loved David, and was in ftrict friendfhip with him, yet he might hope, that as his fucceffion to the kingdom was in danger, as he thought, and that David was his rival in it, his mind would be alienated from him and that he would liften rather to a father than a friend, and would fee where his true intereft lay, and abandon David, yea feek’ his ruin, which Squz/ was intent upon: azd to all. his him, and at length came himfelf; and inftead of| ervants; who yet pretended to love David, and as he himfelf faid they did, and fome of them might 5 ‘thing, and much lefs ever thought to take away his with thefe he might rather hope to fucceed, as they, were attached to him, and might be fecretly enetnies of David, and therefore to thefe, as well as to his fon, he fpake, and gave his orders: that they fhould. kill David, as if he was a traitor, anda ufurper of his throne, and one that had a defign upon that, and upon his life; finding he could do nothing by the fchemes, and fnares, and ftratagems, he ufed in a private manner; he grew outrageous and furious, and openly declared his views, and laid his injunctions on his fon and fervants, to take away Davia’s life as a very dangerous perfon to his crown and government.

y¥. 2. But Jonathan Sauls fon delighted much in David, &c.|). In his company and converfation; he loved him with a love of complacency, and was conftant and ftedfaft in ir, and which was a kind providence to David; for by this means he came to the knowledge of Sau/’s defigns upon him, and could the better guard againft him: and Fonatban told David, faying, Saul my father feeketh to kill thee; to. inform him of which was acting the part of a fincere and faithful friend: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed of thyfelf until the morning; it feems it was now evening when he informed him life, | or feize his crown, as he might imagine:. @ becaufe his works have been to thee-ward very goo by flaying the Philiftines, when he and his ar were in the utmoft terror; by driving away the evil {pirit from him, through playing on his harp be-— fore him; as well as by commanding his troops, — and leading them again{t the Pdilijimes, and obtaining victory over them. =. > ae ¥. 5. For be did put bis life in bis hand, &e,) Expofed himfelf to the utmoft danger, when n one in all the camp of Jrael would do the like = and flew the Philiftine,; Goliath of Gath, who defied the armies of //rael; againft him he went unarmed, only with his fling and flones, and fought him,_ and flew him: aad the Lord wrought a great fal~ vation for all Ifrael; by his hand, fo that they were delivered trom their enemies, who fled before them, and they purfued them, and got a complete victory over them: thou faweft it, and didft rejoice; he was an eye-witnels ot Devid’s going forth againit the Philifiine, and flaying him, and of all happy effects of it, which then greatly affected him, and he could not forbear expreffing great joy on that occafion: wherefore then wilt thou fa againjt innocent blood, to flay David without a caufe?

of it; and as he knew not what emifiaries Scu/ and fo entail the guilcof it on himfelf and family. ©

¥. 6. nd Saul bearkened unto the voice of Fona- — might have out that night in queft of him, he adviles him to take care of himfelf, and not expofe himielf to any danger, and to keep a ftri€t guard about him; and in the morning he would try to conciliate his father to him, when he might hope, having flept upon it, that he would be in a better temper, and more difpofed to hear what might be faid to him: and abide in a fecret place, and hide thyfelf; he feems to fuggeft, as if it was not fafe for him to be in his own houfe, and in his own bed-chamber thar night, but that it was advifeable to retire to fome private place, where it might not be known, or fufpected that he was there. By what follows he means fome field, and a private place in it.

¥.3. And 1 will go out, &c.] In the morning, at the fame time his father ufed to take his morning-walk: and fland befide my father in the field where thou art; on that fide of him next to David, that he might not fee him, and yet be fo near, that David might hear what paffed between them: and I will commune with my father of thee; {peak in favour of him, and endeavour to diffuade him from attempting to take away his life, which was of io much importance and ufefulnefs ip the.com- than, &c.\ Not only heard him out what he had to 'fay, but was affected with it, and wrought upon by it, and was convicted for the prefent,, that he was: wrong in feeking the life of David, and therefore would defift from it; the Lord working upon his mind by what ‘Jonathan faid, and inclined him to* liften to it, and a& accordingly:. and Saul fware, as the Lord liveth, be foall nat be fain, this oath, he added to what he faid to Yonathan, for the con-. firmation of it; and which was. taken either with: a real intention to keep it, though that intention. did not long continue or with.a view to deceive Jonathan, that he might acquaint David with it,, and fo prevent his flight and efcape, and that he might the more eafily fall into his hands; but the former feems rather to be the cafe. ‘ae

¥.7. And Jonathan called David, &e.| Out of — his lurking place in the field, after Saud was re= turned home: and Jonathan fhewed bim all thefe things; which had pafied between him and his father, and particularly the oath he had made that. he fhould not be flain: and Jonathan brought David to Saul; introduced him at court again, and monwealth of I/racl: and what I fee, that I will into the prefence-chamber of Saul; who, in ap= tell thee; what David could not well hear he would inform him of, and what he could perceive in the pearance, received him courteoufly, and a reconciliation was feemingly made: and be was in bis countenance of Sau/, as well as conclude from his prefence @s in times. daft; when he was firft received words, that he would make known to David, that fo he might know better what he had to do, and provide tor his fafety..

¥.4. And Fonathan fpake good of David unto Saul bis father, 8c.) Obferved to him what a good man he was, and what good things he had done, what wifdom and prudence he had fhown in the management of all his affairs, what ‘valour and courage in all- his expeditions, what faithfulnefs and integrity to his king and country in every inftance: and faid unto him, let not the king fin againft bis fervant, againft David; by taking away his life; which would have been a great fin indeed, a fin againft the law of God, which forbids murder, and which would have been attended with fad aggravations of cruelty and ingratitude: becaufe be bath not finned againft thee, had not difobeyed any of his orders, but faithfully ferved him in every Saul, 8c.)

jat court, and in great efteem both with Seu/ and his courtiers. srarit $ ¥. 8. And there was war again, &e.) Between

T/rael and the Philifines s it does not appear that — either of them fent out their whole force, -only fome parties or detachments, between which there were {kirmifhes: aud David went out and fought with the Philiftines; he went out with his thoufand men, over which he was made captain, ch. xviii, —

13, for.he had not the command of the whole army; that belonged to Abner: and flew them with

a great flaughter, and they fled from him, he killed —

many of them in his engagements with them, and = -— the reft fled, and he returned victorious; which ftirred up the envy and increafed the jealoufy of ~ 2h he ‘Ss His melancholy and frantic er:

Saul, to obferve which, this is related. ¥.9. And the evil fpirit from the Lord wast

Ch. xix. y. FOS-137 1,5 WW RK. returned upon thofe victories of David, and he grew envious, jealous, fpiteful and malicious: as be fate in bis houfe with bis javelin in bis hand; which either defcribes the pofture he was in when the evil {pirit came upon him; or the effects of it, he became dull and melancholy, did not care to go abroad, but kept’at home, and was fufpicious of every body; and therefore kept a javelin in his hand to defend himfelf; or it may be rather to dilpatch David with it, when an opportunity fhoula offer; which quickly did: and David played with bis hand; on fome inftrument of mufic, particularly the harp, to drive away the evil fpirit, the melancholy diforder from Sau/; which fhewed his humility, that though he was an officer in the army, had a confiderable poft in it, yet deigned to act the part of a mufician to Sag/, and his great kindnefs and affection for him his fovereign, willing to ferve him what he could to promote his health and comfort, and the truft and confidence he put in his promife and oath, or rather in the providence of God for his protection in the way of his duty, though he knew how {piteful and ‘injurious Sau/ had been to him. ¥.10. And Saul fought to {mite David even to the wall with his javelin, &c.|° To’ ftrike it through him, and faften him to the ‘wall with it, as he had attempted, before, ch. xviii. r1, Sut be Slipt away cut of Saul’s prefence; he perceived his defign, and being of great agility of body, moved out of his place before him very nimbly: and be Jmote the javelin into the wall; he threw it with fuch force that it entered into the wall, and ftuck there; fo great was his refolution to deftroy David, and fuch the rage and paffion that he was in, and {uch his ftrength of body, and which, in perfons in his circumftances, is ftrangely exerted at times: and David fled, and efcaped that night; it being towards night, or in the evening, very probably when this affair happened; upon which he departed from Saui/’s court, and went to his own houf, and fo efcaped the danger he was expofed to for the prefent. ' ¥. 11. And Saul fent meffengers unto David's houfe, &c.}] Suppofing that he was gone thither; where this was, is not faid, very likely in Gideab, where Saul lived: to watch bims; that he might not get out from thence in the night: and to flay bim in the morning, the reafon why he did not order them to break into the houfe, and flay him at once, but wait till morning, feems to be, left thould he be alarmed by their breaking in, he might take the advantage of the night, and eafily efcape, or another perfon through miftake might be flain for him; and therefore that they might be fure of him, they were to watch till it was broad day-light, when they could not well mifs of him. Fo/ephus * fays, the orders to watch him until morning were, that he might be taken and brought to a court of judicature, and be condemned and put to death, which was ulually held in a morning; but Saui’s orders to the meflengers were to put him to death themfelves, and he had no notion of dealing with him according to a formal procefs of judgment: and Mickal David's wife told bim, faying, if thou fave not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou foalt be flain, meaning, if he did not take the benefit and advantage of the night to make his efcape, he would not be able to do it in the morning; the houfe being fo befet, as fhe perceived, by perfons whom fhe might fufpect were fent by Sau/ to deftroy him, but the pillow or bolfter had the form of a leathern bag or bottle; the Septuagint verfion is very odd, * and put the liver of goats at his head;* and knowing the ill will her fathet boré to him; ora mefienger at the fame time might be difpatched to, her, either from her brother Fenathan, ortrom one of her friends at court, acquainting her with the defign againft David, and the danger. he was in. Upon this occafion David penned.the 59th pfalm. _

¥.12. So Michal let David through @ window, &c.} In like manner as Rahab let down the'{pies from her houfe in Fericho, when the king’s: mef= fengers were in queft of them; and as the difciples let down the apoftle Paul at Damafcus, to preferve him from the defigns of the ¥ews upon him: and’ he went, and fled, and efcaped, he departed. from his houfe, and ran with all the hafte he could, and efcaped the meffengers that had befer the houle, and were waiting for him.

¥. 13. And Michal took an image, &c.] Or Teraphim, as the word is; which if the fame with thofe that Rachel {tole from_ her father, they feem to be of the fame fort with the penates or houfehold gods of the heathens, which were privately kept by Michal; for had, David known of them, he would not have fuffered them to have been im his houfe. ben Ezra fuppofes they were images made in the form of men under fuch a conftellation, a fort of Tali/mans, to receive the heavenly influences, and which being. confulted, foretold things to come; and R. Saiah is of opinion, that Micbal chole and placed thefe in the bed, that her father might conclude, when he fhould hear of them, that David had found them; and by. this means knew that his intention was to kill him, and therefore fled; but to confult fuch images was very far from David, and without it he knew Saul’s intention. Abarbinel makes mention of fe~ veral forts of Teraphim, fome. for idolatry, fome to draw down the heavenly, influences, fome to know the time of the day, a fort of dials; fome were made after the form of a man known, and like him in his form and. features; and women, he fays, ufed to have the forms or ftatues of their, hufbands, that they might have them continually before them, becaufe of the great love they had to them 5 and of this fort he fuppofes were the Teraphim of Michal, and which is approved of by Abendana; and that this image had the likenefs of an human face is very probable, or it could not have fo well anfwered her purpofe: aud laid it in the bed; where David ufed to lie, that it might feem to be he himfelf: and put a pillow of goat’s hair for bis bolfter;. fhe took the fineft of the goat’s hair, which fhe had in the houfe, women being ufed to {pin in thofe days, even great perfonages, and put it into a pillow, and made a bolfter of it, and put it’ under the head or block of the image, which would fink it, being foft, and fo look like a fick man, whofe, face could not eafily be difcerned; though fome think this goat’s hair was put about the head of the image, to make it look the more like an human head; goat’s hair being very much like human hair‘, and of different colours, and fuch a colour, might be chofen as was moft like David's, fee Cant. iv. 1. the Targum interprets it, a bottle of goat’s fkins, that is, a leathern bottle or bag made of goat’s fkins, fuch as they ufed to put wine into; hence the conceit in the Midrajh', that a bottle of wine was put inftead of David;

‘man, that if fhe-had offered to have detained himy he would have murdered her, and threatened if the did, he would do it, when both were fale; that he fhould fay to her let me go, when it was fhe thag advifed him to go, and that if the refufed he would kill her; which lies were framed by her to excujé herfelf, at the.expence of her hufband’s reputa- y. 38. So David fled, and efcaped, &c] Fled from his own houfe, and efcaped talling into the hands of the meffengers of Ssu/, and fo of Saué himfelf: and came to Samuel to Ramab, the place where Samuel dwelt; to him David chofe to come; ‘by whom he had been anointed king. that his faith might be ftrengshened by him with refpect to the kingdom, which might be weakened by what had happened to him; and that he might have fome advice and direction from him, what he fhould do, and what courfe he fhould take. in his prefene circumftances, and that he might receive fome comfort from him under his prelent troubles: and told him all that Saul bad done to bim; how he had fpoken to his fervants to kill him, had caft a javelin at him himfelf, and had fent meffengers to his hoyge ‘to flay him: and he gnd Samuel went aud dwelt in Naicth; which was in or near to Ramah, as aps pears by the following verfe; which perhaps was a ‘more retired place, and fo chofen for the fake of ‘converfation between them, or reckoned a more fafe place. Here being a fchool or college of the prophets, might be a kind of an afylum, and where it might be thought Szu/ would not attemps to lay hands on David, thouid he know where he was; for if the Pbilifines gave no difturbance to the hill of Ged, and the prophets in it, ch. x. 5. it might be reafonably concluded Seu would not; fo the Targum paraphratles it, be and Samuel went and dwelt in the boufe of dotirine, or in the ichool, the fchool of the prophets. R. dbimi the Notbites or Naiothite, mentioned in the Za/mud', is. fauppofed * to be of this place; it is faid'to be tix miles from Ferufalem to the north.

¥. 19. And it was told Saul, &c.} By fome of+ ficious perfons who. faw David at Kamab, and obferved that he and Samuel] went together to Naioih = faying, behold, David is at Naioth in Ramab, or near it; according to R. J/aiah, Ramah was the name of a hill, or mountain, fo called from its height, and Naiorh the name of a place on it; ig fignifies paftures and pleafant places, as meadows and-paftures ate; and here in the fields near Ras mab was the houfe of do¢trine, as the Targum calls the meffengers returned and reported what they had feen, when Saul either came to her at her er fent for her to his palace: why baft thou deceived me fo, for deceiving his meffengers was deeeiving him, by pretending David was fick and in! bed, when fhe had placed an image there, and had let him down through a window, and he was gone: and fent away mine enemy, that he is efcaped? as if fhe was more obliged to gratify the wicked of a father, than to provide for the fafety of her hufband: and Michal anfwered Saul, be faid unto me, let me go, why fhould I kill thee? though the was concerned for the prefervation of her hufband, yet not for his honour and credit, nor for her own it, or the fchool of the prophets, being pleafant, houfe,!and retired, and fit for ftudy. ¥:20. And Saul fent meffengers to take Davids &c.] Notwithftanding the facred place he was in, fo bent was he upon his deftruction: and whem they aw the company of the prophets prophefying, ox praifing, as the Zergum; finging hymns and fongs of praife to God, under the infpiration and influence paffionjof the Spirit of God, who indited thefe fongs for them, and excited them to fing them; thefe prophets belonged to the {chool or college of prophets at Naiorb, whom the meffengers faw when they. came thither, and found them thus employed; or when be faw™, for the word is fingular, that is, fo Fofephus fays®; and it is obferved", that the liver of a goat will move a long time after it is

‘taken out, and fo make a fhew of the palpitation of the heart; but then this was put, not within the bed, but at the head of the image: and covered it with a cloth; to keep her fick hufband warm, as fhe would have it underftood.

yt. 14. And when Saul fent meffengsrs to take David, &c.} Either the fame, who in the morning enquired for David, or thofe ftaying longer than Saul ‘expected, and fearing they were negligent or corrupted, he fent others; to whom fee faid, be is fick; and in bed, and can’t be fpoke with; this lie the told through her affection to David, and to preferve his life; and this ftratagem fhe devifed to gain time, that whilft fhe was amufing the meffengers with this tale of hers, before they could difcover the truth of the matter, David would be out of their reach; whereas, had fhe denied his being at home,- or fignified that hé had made his efcape, they would have immediately purfued after kim, and he would have been in danger of being taken by them. - ¥. 15. And Saul fent the meffengers again to fee David, &c.] Not to vifit him, or to fee how he was, or enquire of his health in a kind manner, but to fee his perfon, whether he was fick or no, and whether he was there or no; for Sau/ might fafpect fome deceit was ufed, becaufe the meflengers took the report of Michal, and faw not David, nor attempted to fee him; but now they have ftriét orders to fee him, and not take Michal’s word as before; wherefore the fupplement again may be left out: faying, bring bim up to me in the bed; if {fo bad that he was not able to rife, or not fit to be taken out of his bed, his orders were, that he thould be brought to him in it; refolved he was to have him fick or well: shat I.may flay bim; not content that he fhould die a natural death, or willing to wait for it, he is in hafte, being full of wrath and malice, to flay him himfelf.

y. 16. And when the meffengers were come in, &c.] To David's houfe, and into the room where he was fuppofed to lie: behold, there was an image in the bed, to their great furprize, they expected to fee David, but inftead of him the Teraphim, as in ¥. 13. if they had been in the room before, and thought they had feen David in the bed, they might be the more furprized to find, that it was only an image they faw: with a pillow of goat's hair for bis dolfer; fee the note on ¥. 13.

y¥.17. And Saul faid unto Michal, &c.} After veracity; fhe attempted not to vindicate her hufband from the charge of being an enemy to Saul, as fhe might; but faggefted that he was fo the chief of the meffengers, or every one of them, ~ fo Kimchi: and Samuel flanding as appointed over defperate al shem 5 he was prefident of the college, atid he ftood:

Ch.xix.y.21—24. Li SAMUE Li | 48h to inftruct and teach them in the knowledge of divine things; fo the Targum, ‘ ftanding, teaching over them, or by them,” and to direct and affilt them in finging their fongs of praife: te Spirit of the Lord was upon the meffengers of Saul, and they aifo prophefied or praifed, as the Targum, fung hymns and fongs of praife asthe prophets did, and were fo taken up with thefe religious exercifes, that they forgot, or were inattentive to the bufinels they were fent to do. Ben Gerfom thinks, they foretold things 40 come, and fo Abardinel,; particularly chat they prophefied, that David fhould rule over-all J/rae/, and that God would not fuffer Saul to flay him; and fo were indifferent to, and negligent of doing the errand they were fent on, yea purpolely avoided it. things as they did;

y.23. And he went thither to Naioth in Ramab, &c.] He went on from the well towards the place: and the Spirit of God was upon kim alfo; as well as upon his meflengers; even the fpirit of prophecy, be came to Naioth in Ramah; in this he differed from his mefléngers; they did not prophely till they came to that place, but Sau/ began to prophefy before he came thither, as he was in his way from the well to it. Paes ge y. 24. And be fiript off bis clothes alfo, &c. | Not all his clothes, but his upper garments, as ~ men in fuch circumftances ufed to do, as the pro: phets fometimes did, and as it feems his mefléngers had done; according to Farchi, R. Liab, andjand others *, he ftript himfelf of his royal robes, and put on the habit of the fcholars, the difciples, and fons of the prophets: and prophefied before Samuel in like manner, as the meflengers had done; finging fuch-like fongs, or foretelling fuch-like he and they fpeaking not of themfelves, but as they were moved by the holy {pirit of prophecy; for fuch gifts have fometimes been beftowed on men that were deftitute of the what! grace of God, as Balaam, Caiaphas, and others: andj and lay down, or fell down®, as perfons in an exwhen they came to thejtafy or trance: and lay naked all that day, and all that night, not entirely naked, but without his in fing-|upper garment or royal robes, or elfe his arfo an unarmed man is faid to be naked, though otherwife he has his clothes on: thus Geoz having conquéred the Carthaginians, and made himfelf mafter of all Sicily, went into the forum |naked, (t. e. unarmed) and declared he would reftore the government to the citizens, wherefore a naked ftatue for him was erected in the temple of Juno?; fo Quinétius Cincinnatus was found plow-~ 1.ing naked*, who can’t be fuppofed to be without any clothes on him. archi, from Menachem, reports, that he had heard from an Arabian, that the word the Targum makes ule of for naked, fignifies, in the Arabic language, one that is furious or mad, as perfons in an extafy, or under a prophetic fpirit fometimes feemed to be; now Sad] was kept and held in fuch circumftances a whole day and night, that David might have an opportunity of making his efcape, and getting at fuch a diftance from him, that he could not overtake him: wherefore they ay, is Saul alfo among the prophets? this became a common faying, a proverbial exprefiion, at leaft was now revived and obferved with admiration; that Saul who had behaved himfelf in fo ill a manner, as an enemy to fo good a man, fhould be found among the prophets of the Lord, and prophefying as they did.

¥. 21. And when it was told Saul, &c.| That the mefiengers he had fent, inftead of feizing on David, were prophefying of him, or however were attending to fervices of a different nature than they were fent upon: be fent other meffengers, they prophefied lkewife;

fame place: and Saul fent meffengers again a third time, and they prophefied alfo, joined the reit ing praifes, or foretelling future events. mour;

y.22. Then went he alfo.to Ramab, &c.| That _is Saul; his meflengers not returning to him, whenj he fent one after another to take David, at length he fet out himfelf from Gibeah to Ramah: and came to a great well that is in Sechu; which was either the name of a man, the owner of the well, or a place near to which the well was, and is commonly thought to be the fame with Shochob, ch. xvii. at fuch places there was generally a concourfe of people at certain times, to fetch water for the inhabitants of the place, and for the watering of flocks and herds, and fo a proper place to ftop at, vand afk the following queftions: and he afked and faid, where are Samuel and David? for his meffen— gers not returning to him, he could not be fure where they now were, though he had heard they| were at Naioth: and one faid, behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah; at the houfe of doétrine, or fehool in Ramah, as the. Targum; thus one atl the well replied, in anfwer to his queftion, who had feen them go there, or knew they were there.

as the Targum: and be went on and prophefied until

AVID freeing from Naioth came to Fonathan, and acquainted him with his circumftances, with ftrong expreffions of affection and attachment to each other, ¥. 41, 42.

and intreated his favour, ¥. 1—8. which ona-: than promifed, and renewed the covenant with ‘him} ¥. g—17. a fcheme was formed between} &c. ‘them, by which David might know whether Sau/ was reconciled to him, and he might come to court, ‘y. 18—23. which being tried, Yonathan found it “was not fafe for him to appear, ¥. 24—34. of which he gave notice by the fignals agreed on, ¥. 35—40. and they took their leave of one another)

y.1. And David fled from Naioth in Ramab, ‘Whilft Sau/ was prophefying, or lay in a trance there: and came, to Gibeah, where Saul dwelt, and had his palace, and kept his court: and faid before Jonathan, whom he found there, and for whofe fake he thither fled to have his advice; and to ufe his intereft with his father, and be his friend at court: what bave I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my fin before thy father, that he feeketh my life? furely, as if he fhould fay, I muft have been guilty of fome very great crime, and yet Iam not fenfible of it; canft thou tell me what it is that has fo provoked thy father, that nothing will fatisfy him but the taking away of my life, which he feeks to do?

¥.2. And he faid unto him, God forbid, thou Jhalt not die, &c.] He could not believe his father had any fuch intention; and that if he difcovered any thing of that kind, it was only when he was in a phrenfy, and a melancholy diforder had feized him; and that David had nothing to fear on that head, and that he would fecure him from all danger in that refpect; the thing was too grofs and deteftable to be credited: Lehold, my father will do nothing either great or fmall, but that be will fhew it me; fuch an intereft had he in him, and in his favour, being his fon and heir to his crown, and having done many warlike exploits, which had the more endeared him to him, that he made him privy to all his fecret defigns, and took his opinion in all matters of moment and importance: aad why Should my father bide this thing from me? his defign of taking away the life of David, if he had really formed one: it is not fo 5 Fonathan concluded from his ignorance of it, there was nothing in it, and that it was only a furmife of David’s; and yet it is ftrange that Fonathan fhould know nothing of the meflengers being fent to David’s houfe to take him, and of others fent to Naioth after him, and of Saul’s going there himfelf with fuch a defign; and if he did know any thing of the matter, he made the beft of it to David, partly to allay his fears, and partly that his father might not appear fo black and vile as he really was.

¥. 3. And David fware moreover, and faid, &c.] To aflure Fonathan of the truth of it, that he did moft certainly feek after his life, of which, as he had no doubt himfelf, by an oath he endeavoured to remove any that might be in Fonathan, who was not willing to believe his father could be guilty of fo foul a ctime: thy father certainly kuoweth that I bave found grace in thine eyes; that he was high in his favour, that he hada great value for him, and he had a large fhare in his love and friendfhip, and that was the reafon why he hid from him his bafe intentions: and be faith, let not Fonathan know this, left he be grieved; as he would be, both for the evil his father would be guilty of, and the danger David, his beloved friend, would be in: but truly as the Lord liveth, and as thy foul liveth, there is but a ftep between me and death, as appeared by his cafting a javelin at him, fending meflengers to his own houfe to flay him, and others to Naioth to feize him, and coming himfelf thither with an intention to kill ‘him, and-in each of thefe inftances he had a narrow efcape for his life; and this he declared | in the moft folemn manner by an oath, for the} confirmation of the truth of it to Fonathan..

giving credit to what he had faid, and in order to comfort and fupport him under the apprehenfions he had of danger: whatfoever thy foul defireth, I will even do it for thee; for the prefervation of his life, by fpeaking to his father on his behalf, endeavouring to diffuade him. from his evil intentions, or by hiding and concealing him in fome obfcure place, that he might not execute his evil defigns,upon him, er by any method: he could point out to him. TH

¥. 5. And David faid unto Fonathan, &c. J Moved that the following method might be taken’ as a trial of the difpofition of Saul’s mind towards _ David: bebold, to-morrow is the new moon; the firft day of the month, which was kept folemnly with burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, fee Nwimd.— X. 10. and xxviii. cr. Some fay’, this feait was not kept for the new moon, but becaufe it was the day. of the feaft of trumpets, or the firft day of the new year, which fell together on that day; the calends, or firft day of the month was with the heathens facred to deity‘, in imitation of the Feast and I foould not fail to fit with ibe king at- meats it had been ufual for him at fuch a time: to fitvat table with the king; next to him, as Yarch in=: terprets it, either as his fon-in-law, or as one of” his princes; the cuftom being for the king, and his family and nobles to eat together on that day upon the peace-offerings; and it was the duty of David to attend at that time, and it might be ex pected he would: but let me go; he afked leave of Jonathan, who had power in his father’s abfence to grant it, he not being yet returned from Naiotb = that I may hide myfelf in the fields, unto the third day at even; or until the time of the evening of the third day, as the Zargum, which was the evening of the fecond day of the month; for that was the third, from that evening they were difcourfing together, as Ben Gerfom oblerves; the fields he propofed to hide himfelf in were near to Gideab, and he doubtlefs meant fome cave in thofe fields, where he might be and not be feen by men; though’ it can’t be thought that he remained, or propofed to remain, in fuch a place during that tire, where he would » be in want of food, but that he would abide incognito aniong his friends fome where or another, — until the feftival was over. iS y. 6. Tf thy father at all mifs me, &e.] Or diligently enquires after me: then fay, David earneftly afked \eave of me, that be might run to Betblebem bis city; the place of his birth, called the city of David, where he was born and had lived, Luke ii. 4. fobn vii. 42. which was not far from Gibeah, and whither he could foon run; and which fhews the hafte he ptopofed to make, and his’eager defire to be there, and which alfo is fignified by his earneft and importunate requeft; for: all this might be true, and no lie of David, framed foran, excufe; and after he had hid himfelf fome time in the field, until it was evening, he might go to Bethlebem,-and return foon enough to meet Fona-— than in the field atthe time fixed by them on the third day: for there is 4 yearly facrifice there for ail the family, ig was cuftomary for the family of Jefe one day mm.a year, and as it fhould feem on a firft day of the month, and perhaps the firft day of — the firft month, or new year’s day, to have an anniverfary feaft by way of gratitude and thankfulnefs. for the mercies of the year paft, and for the continuance of them for time to come; in which the family rejoiced together at the great goadnefs

¥. 7. If be fay thus, itis well, &c.] It is very well, it is very good and right in him to do fo: — thy fervant fall bave peace, it will be a token that the wrath of the king was removed, and that his — niind was well difpofed towards David, and things had taken an happy turn, and would iffue in his peace and profperity: dut if be be very wroth, with Yenetban tor giving leave, and with David a for going away; then be fure that evil is deter~ — mined by him that he has a fettled obftinate malice out both in his heart, which is become implacable and inveterate, and confirmed in him; and that it is a determined point with him to flay David if poffible, which he hoped to have an opportunity of doing at that time; in which he was difappointed, and caufed fuch wrath in him., y. 8. Therefore thou fbalt deal kindly with thy fervant, &c.] By informing him how his father’s mind ftood affected to him, that he might conduct himfelf accordingly, either by appearing at court, or by providing for his fafety by flight: for thou baft brought thy fervant into a covenant of the Lord with thee, a covenant of friendfhip between Yonathan and David, of which Fonathan was the firft mover; and {fo is faid to bring or perfuade him of them into the field; which belonged to Gibeah,. ¢

¥. 12. And Jonathan faid unto David, O Lord God of Irael, &c.] Or by the Lord God of J/~ vael | {wear unto thee;- for this is the form of the oath, as Farchi and Kimchi obferve: when I have Sounded my father, about to-morrow any time, or thé third day; fearched, enquired, and found out how his difpofition is: and bebold, if there be goad toward David; if he is well difpofed to him, as may appear by {peaking refpectfully of him, or kindly enquiring after him, and by being fatisfied with the account given him: and I fend not unto thee, and foew it thee» then let the vengeance of God fall upon me in fome remarkable manner or another, as follows, or fhall J mot then fend unto thee, and into it; called the covenant of the Lord, becaufe /hew zt thee‘? certainly I wills that is, I will fend made in his name and fear, and before him as a ‘witnefs of it; and this David pleads as an argument with “fonathan, to deal kindly and faithfully by him in the prefent cafe: notwithftanding, if there be in me iniquity, flay me thyfelf, or pats fentence upon him to be flain; ‘which, if guilty, he might have power to do in his father’s ab{ence, and which David defires might be done, notwithftanding the covenant of friendfhip between them, fhould he appear to deferve it by any action of his, of which he was not confcious; this expreffes the ftrong fenfe he had of his own integrity, and ferved to confirm Fouathan in his opinion of it: for why jfoouldft thou bring me to thy father? deliver him up into his hands to be put to a cruel death by him, or give him the trouble of doing,it, when he might as well difpatch him at once., ¥.9. And Fonathan faid, far be it from thee, &c.] To entertain fuch a thought of me, or to have the leaft fufpicion of me, that I fhould conceal my father’s ill intentions againft thee, if known to me: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my, father to come upon thee, then would J not tell it thee? certainly 1 would; canft thou doubt of my kindnefs and fidelity? furely thou haft no reafon, when fuch a covenant of friendthip fubfifts between us, and there has not been the leatft breach of it on either fide. y. 10. Then faid David to Fouathan, who foall tell me? &c.) The difpofition of Sau/’s mind. to- _wards him, whether he gave a kind anfwer to the report of Fonathan concerning him: or what if thy father anfwer thee roughly? or hard words, as the Targum, whether he anfwers in a kind, loving and fmooth manner, or whether in a rough and angry one: the queftion is here, how he fhould be informed of this, fince efpecially, if in the latter, it would not be fafe for Jonathan to come himfelf to him, nor could he well truft the meffage with any other. Adarbinel thinks, that the firft of thefe expreflions is by way of queftion, who fhould declare to him his father’s will and intention, whether good or bad; and the latter by way of outcry, wo unto a meffenger to thee to acquaint thee with it, who ae tell it; and caufe thee to hear it, as from my- _ elf.

¥..13. The Lord do fo and much more to Fonathan, &c.| Recompenfe evil more than can be thought of and exprefied,, fhould he neglect to inform David of the good difpofition of SauZ unto him: but if it please my father to do thee evil, if he feems determined upon it to take away thy life: then I will foew it thee, not by a mefienger, by whom it would not be fafe to communicate it, left by that means Sau/ would know where he was, and come and flay him; but Fonathan would come himfelf, and acquaint him with it: and fend thee away, that thou mayft go in peace; give him leave; and advife him to depart, and provide for his own fafety, adding his bleffing on him, and prayer for him: aud the Lord be with thee, as be hath been with my father, in the beginning of his reign, giving him counfel and advice in all things, and victory over his enemies, fucceeding and profpering nim in whatfoever he engaged in; the Targum is, «¢ the Word of the Lord be for thy help, &c.” Jonathan feemed to be fully apprized, that David was to fucceed in the kingdom.

y¥.14. And thou fhalt not only, while yet I live, foew me the kindnefs of the Lord, 8&c.] Such kindnefs as is well-pleafing in the fight of God, and imitate what he fhews to men, and which was covenanted, promifed and agreed to in the prefence of the Lord, when David and Fonathan entered into covenant with each other; this Fouathan did not doubt of, and therefore did not make this a requeft: tat I die not’; he had no fear nor dread on his mind fhould David come to the throne whilft he was alive, that he would take away his life; which was ufually done by tyrants and ufurpers,. when there were any that had a fairer title, and better claim to the throne than they.

¥. 15. But alfo thou fhalt not cut off thy kindne s

from my bhoufe for ever, &c.| His family fhould partake of it as well as himfelf: no not when the Lord hath cut. off the enemies of David, every one* me, if thy father fhould anfwer thee roughly; 1) from the face of the earth; Saul and his fons, and reatly fear he’ll chide thee for my fake; my heart will be filled with forrow if thou fhouldft fuffer reproach and rebuke on my account, ye 13a. And Fonathan faid unto David, come, and let us go out into the field, &c.].Thatthey might more fully, and freely, and familiarly talk of this, every one that fhould oppofe his fettlement in the kingdom; ‘Jonathan’s meaning is, that the covenant between them fhould not be only between them perfonally, but include their pofterity, as follows..

¥.16. So Jonathan made a covenant with the affair between them, without any danger of being! -over-heard by the fervants of Sau/,’as they were in his palace, where they now were: and they went boufe of David; &c.] Not with David him({elf only, which was now renewed, but with his family alfo: faying,

let the Lord even require it at the band

& Tremellius; monne tunc mittam ad te? fo fome in Va-

AS4 band of David's enemies; take vengeance on Fona- _than, or on any of his pofterity, fhould they break this covenant, by fhewing themfelves enemies to

- David, and his crown; and, on the other hand, alfo on David, and his pofterity, fhould they not fhew kindnefs to Fonathan and his feed, according to the tenor of this covenant. ‘ y.17. And Jonathan caufed David to fwear again,.&c.] Or Jonathan added to make David {wear *;

having fworn himfelf to make a covenant of friendfhip with David and his family, he moved and infifted on it, that David fhould fwear to keep covenant with him, and his family: decaufe be loved him it was not fo much for the good and fafety of his offspring, that he made this motion, and was fo defirous of renewing and enlarging his covenant with David, as it was his ftrong love and affection for him; being on that account defirous that there might be the ftricteft friendthip imaginable retained ‘between the two families; or he tnade him fwear by his love to him, as fome underftand it, which is not fo likely; the former fenfe is beft, for he himfelf fware by the Lord, y.

12,13. for be loved him as his own foul; or with the love of bis foul“; with the moft cordial affection, with a truly hearty, and fincere love, fee ch. xviii. 1.

y. 18. Then Fonathan faid to David, to-morrow is he mew moon, &c.}] The firft day of the month, as David had before obferved, y. 5. and thou fhalt be miffed, becaufe thy feat will be empty; or be enquired after, becatfe not in his ufual place at mealtime.

y.19. And when thou baft flayed three days, &c.] From court, either at Bethlehem, which feems moft probable, or in fome other place incognito; however, not in the field he propofed to hide himfelf in, where he sould not continue fo long for want of food: then thou fhalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didft bide thyfelf; which makes it clear that he did not continue there during that time, but went elfewhere; from whence he was to come in hafte at the expiration of three days, to the place he firft hid himfelf in, and which was fixed upon to meet at: whew the bufine/s was in hand; when the affair was difcourfed of, about getting knowledge how Saul was affected to David, and of informing him of it; or on the day of work* or bufinefs, ona working-day, as the Septuagint; and fo the Targum, on a common day; when, as the Vulgate Latin, it was lawful to work on it; and fuch was the day when Jonathan and David converfed together about the above affair; it being the day before the new moon, or firft day of the month, on which day they ufed not to work: fome render it, thou fhalt three times go down ¥ to that place; and the fenfe is, that he fhould come on the morrow, and if he found not Jonathan there, he might conclude that as yet he knew nothing of his father’s mind, and therefore fhould come the day following that; and if he found him not then, to come on the third day, that fo he might be on the fpot, let him come on which day he would: and fhalt remain by the fone Exel, which, becaufe it fignifies going, the

David to be near, fince it muft be’where two or_ more ways met, and fo a public frequented places others think therefore it had its name from Davia and Yonathan often going thither, to difcourfe with each other; the Septuagint calls it Ergab, and fo

‘the place where Yonathan, the fon ot Saul, exercifed himfelf by fhooting darts, is called by Ferom*; it is faid by Fofepbus*, to be 150 furlongs from Ferufalem, and from Fordan 60.

¥. 20. And I will fooot three arrows on the fide thereof, &c.] On the fide of the ftone Hze/; three days David was miffing: as though I fhot at a mark, as if he made the ftone the mark he fhotat; foghat his fhooting would not be taken notice of.

¥. 21. And bebsld ] will fend a lad, 8c.) That attended on him, and carried his bow and arrows, and fetched his arrows when he had fhot them: faying, go find out the arrows; where they are fallen, and return them: if I exprefsly fay unto the lad, behold, the arrows are on this fide of thee, take them 3 on one fide of him, whether the one or the other, which he would bid him take up, and bring them to him: ¢hen come thou, David, our of the place where he hid himfelf: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt, as ihe Lord liveth; he might appear, and not be afraid of being feen by any, fince by this fign he might be affured that Sawd was well affected to him, and would fhew him favour, and do him no injury; and that he’ might promife himfelf profperity and fafety, and be affured of it for the prefent. j

¥.22. But if I fay thus unto the young man, bebold, the arrows are beyond thee, &c.] Being fhet to a greater diftance than where the young man fwas: go thy way, for the Lord bath fent thee away;

then he was to depart directly, without ftaying to have any converfation with ‘forathan, which would not be fafe for either of them, and fo make the

‘beft of his way into the country, and efeape for his life; for fo it was ordered by the providence of

God, that he muft not ftay, but be gone imme-

‘diately: the fignals were thefe, that if things were favourable, then he'would fhoot his arrows on one fide of the lad, and David might come out and fhew himfelf at once; but if not, he would fhoot them beyond him, by which he might know, that he mutt flee for his life.

¥. 23. And as touching the matter which thox and I have fpoken of, &c.| The covenant they had made between them and their families - bebold, the Lord be between me and thee for ever; as a witnefs of the covenant, and a revenger of thofe that fhould break it; fo the Targum, “ behold, the Word of the Lord de between me and thee a witnefs for ever.” ‘ ee

¥.24. So David bid bimfelf in thé feld, 8c.) Not directly, but at the time appointed; for he went to Bethlehem, and returned from thence before

that time: and when the new moon was come; the ©

firft day of the month,which was a folemn feftival: the king fat bim down to eat meat; Saul fat down at his table to eat of the provifions that were fet upon it; which it is very probable were the peaceofferings for that day, which he, his family, and

_Jewifh commentators generally underftand it as a fign to direct travellers which way to go; but one! nobles feafted on together; it is in the Hebrew, 5 at down at the bread*, whichis put for all the food would think this fhould be an improper place for

‘on the table, and the provifions of it. = |

Tw CVI in 1 IND. TAN Ae yr tertiabi:

are pitched upon, according to the number of the.

25. And the king fat upon bis feat as at other times, &c.| Upon the feat he ufually fat on: even upon a feat by the wall, on a couch by the fide of the wall; or, as Yarchi and R. Lfaiah fay, at the head of the couch by the wall, which was the moft honourable place; and Kimchi obferves, it was the cuftom in thofe days to eat meat fitting on beds or couches, fee ch. xxviii. 23. aud orathan arofe; either in reverence to his father, when he came in and took his feat, or in refpect to Abner upon his coming in, being the fon of Saul’s uncle, and general of the army; for though he arofe, he did not depart, it is plain he fat down again, ¥. 34. Kimchi thinks, that after Fonathan had fat down at the fide of his father, he arofe and placed Abner there, becaufe he would not be near his father, that if he fhould be wroth with him on account of David, he might not be near him to fmite him: and Abner fat by Saul’ s fide 5 according to Fofephus‘, Fonathan fat at his right-hand and Abner on the left, and it was ufual tor the mafter, or principal perfon, to fit in the middle; fo Dido in Virgil *. sibarbinel places them thus, Sau/ was at the head of.the table, and David was ufed to fit by him, and Fonathan by David, and Abner by Fonathan; and now the king fat in his place, and Yonathan in his place, and Abner after him; and Davia’s place being empty, Jonathan was left next to his father, without any between; wherefore he now arofe from his place, and 4dner {at on that fide where Scu/ was, fo that dbaer was between Fonathan and Saul: and David's place was empty; where he ufed to fit at table, he not being there, and no one taking it. ¥. 26. Nevertbelefs; Saul [pake not any thing that day, &c.| About David’s abfence, took no notice of it, faid nothing about it: for be thought jomething had befallen him; {ome impurity, fome nocturnal pollution, fee Lev. xv. 16. be is not clean, furely be 1s not clean, which he repeated in his ‘mind for the confirmation of it, and in:contempt, and to the reproach of David; and in this way he accounted for his abfence the firft day, and fo was enquires after him; and not owning him for his fon-in-law, by way of contempt, and to lefén him in the efteem of all at table, he calls him the fon of Feffe.

¥.28. And Fonathan anfwered Saul, &c.] In reply to Sau/’s queftion, and to excufe David, he faid, David earneftly afked leave of me to go to Bethlebem; his own city, his native place, where his family lived, whom he was defirous to fee, and yet chofe not. to go without afking leave; and as Saul was not at home, he afked leave of Fonathan, who was next to him, and a¢ted for him; and he was very prefling and importunate in his fuit, and therefore ‘Yonathan could: not well deny him it; and he hoped this would be a fufficient excufe for his abfence, efpecially when what follows fhould be obferved.

¥. 29. And he faid, let me go, I pray thee, for our family hath a facrifice in the city, &c. In the

city of Bethlebem where they lived, a peace-offering on account of the new moon, and as an anniverfary thankfgiving for the mercies of the year, ¥. 6. and feeing, though he was not at the feaft in one place, he obferved it in another, his abfence at court was the more excufable; and the rather, fince it was kept by him with his own family, in his own city: befides, it is added, and my brother he bath commanded me to be there; his elder brother Zliab, whofe commands, as a younger brother, -he judged he ought to obey; ’tis probable his father was now dead, fince no mention is made of him, and his’ elder brother took upon him the command of the family: and now if I have found

favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee,

and fee my brethren, he fhould take it as a favour to have leave to depart, and be free for the. prefent from waiting upon the king at court, and fo have an opportunity of feeing his brethren, for which he had a great defire; having not feen them a long time, not even fince he faw them in the camp, when he flew Goliath: therefore be cometh not to the king’s table; this was the reafon of it, eafy, it not being lawful and fitting for an perfon in a:ceremonial fenfe, to eat of the peaceunclean lat leaft one reafon of it, and Jonathan was not obliged to tell the whole.

offerings, which Sax/ and his family were now partaking of.

¥. 30. Then Saul’s anger was kindled againft Fonathan, &c.| For giving David leave to go, and

¥. 27. And it came to pafs on the morrow, which was the fecond day of the mouth, &c.] The Targum is, < and it was on the day after it, which was the intercalation of the fecond month,” when the beginning of the month was judged of by the apfor excufing him in this manner: and he faid unto bim, thou fon of the perverfe and rebellious woman 5 moft of the Yew commentators fupply it as we do, but the {upplement of woman may as well be left out, and be read, thou fon of perverfe rebel- pearance of the moon, and there was a difficulty about that, what day it appeared on, two days were kept for it; and barbinel* is clear for it, that two days were kept in this month; but if this was mot the cafe, fince the remainder of peace-offerings lion’; thou perverfe and rebellious wretch, perverfe in thy temper, and rebellious in thy conduct; for the defign of the expreffion is not to reproach his mother, for which there feems no provocation, but Fonathan only; and the next claufe confirms might be eaten the next day, Lev. vii. 16. Saul it, which expreffes a concern for his mother’s honour and his guefts might meet on the fecond day for that purpofe: that David's place was empty, on that day alfo: and Saul faid to fonathan bis fon; who he knew was Davia’s friend and confident, and could give the beft account of him: wherefore cometh not the fon of Feffe to meat, neither yef- -terday nor to-day, he accounted for his not coming yefterday, becaufe he fuppofed he might be under fome. ceremonial uncleannefs; but then that only lafted to the evening of that day; but not coming the fecond day when he was clean, he and credit; the Targum is, ** an obftinate fon, whofe rebellion is hard,” or intolerable; according to which, Abarbinel fays, it may refer to David: donot I know that thou haft chofen tke fon of Feffe to thine own confufion, and unto the confufion of thy mother’s nakednefs 2? The above writer obferves, that he does not fay to his own confufion, becaufe David would not reign in his life-time, only after his death, but to the fhame of Jonathan and his mother; to Jonathan’s fhame, who would be reckoned by men an arrant fool, to be fo friendly to a rival, and who in all probability would ‘him out of the throne; and what would men fay of him, that either he was not fit to reign, or had joftle;determined upon by his father, and he in fo much danger of it; as alfo, that he himfelf muft be parted from and lofe fo dear a friend, which was no right to the throne, that a fon-in-law took one reafon he eat no meat that day: and another place before hims -and that his mother had played the whore, and he was no fon of Saul, having nothing of his genius, temper and difpofition in as appeared by loving fuch his father hated; and befides, his mother would not have the honour follows, decanfe bis father bad done him fhame, the copulative and being wanting; and this he did by him,jcalling him a perverfe and rebellious fon, and re~ prefenting him as an arrant fool, and particularly by cafting a javelin at him to {mite him.

fhe expected, to be the mother of a king.

¥.35. And it came to pafs in the morning, 8ec.]

y. 31. For as long as the fon of Jefe liveth upon the ground, thou fbalt not be eftablifoed, nor kingdom, &c.] He would not, though heir to the The next morning, the morning of the third day thyjof the month: that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David; he went to crown, be fure of it; it would be precarious to him, he would be in great danger of being deprived of it on the death of his father; and therefore it would be his higheft wifdom to deliver David ap to be flain, as it was his greateft folly to protect him, and provide for his fafety: «wherethe place in the field, or near it, where David hid himielf, and at the time agreed between them 5 which, Abarbinel fays, was the time the nobles agreed on for walking, and motion, and for hunting, and cafting of arrows, fo that Foxathan could go forth without fufpicion: aud a litile lad with fore now fend and fetch him unto me {end to Bethlebem for him to come to court directly: for he bim; to carry his bow and arrows, and fetch his arrows when caft.

foall furely die, or he is the fon of death®; guilty

y¥. 36. And he faid unto his lad, run, find out now

of death, as the Targum, deferves to die, and Saul the arrows which I fooot, &c.} He no doubt told was determined upon his death if poffible. ¥. 32. And Fonathan anfwered Saul his father, and 'faid unto kim, &c,] | Making no anfwer to him the mark which he fhould fhootiat, the ftone

Ezel, and bid him look out about that for them: and as the lad ran, before he had got to the mark:

the charges of perverfenefs, rebellion and folly 4e /hot an arrow beyond him; or it; beyond the lad, brought againft himfelf, which he bore with patience, but could not bear to hear his dear friend fpoken againft, and as worthy of death: and therefore in anfwer to that fays, wherefore /hall he be Slain? what hath he done? has he attempted to take away thy life? to deprive’ thee of thy crown? to or beyond the mark he fhot at; purpofely fhooting with great ftrength, that he might exceed, and thereby give notice to David how things ftood, which was the fign agreed on,

¥. 37. And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Fonathan had foot, &c.| To the

fettle himfelf upon the throne? what overt aét of mark which he told him he fhould fhoot at, and treafon has he been guilty of, that he fhould die? on the contrary, has he not done many things wor- whereabout he might expect to find the arrow:

Jonathan cried after the lad, and faid, is not the

thy of immortal honour, for the good of the nation, and the glory of thy reign? and if God has determined the kingdom for him, and anointed him to it, what blame can be laid upon him? nay, fhould he not be the rather refpeéted and hoarrow beyond thee? he cried with a loud voice and faid this, not fo much that the lad might hear him, but that David, who lay hid near the place, might - hear him; fo that if they had no opportunity of feeing and converfing with each other through any

¥. 33. And Saul caft a javelin at bim to fmite by this fign that evil was determined againft him, perfon going by at that time, David might know bim, &c.] So provoked to wrath was he by what and muft. flee for his life; the Syriac and Vulgate

Tt feems by this, that Sau/ always had|Laéin a javelin or. fpear in his hand, which is to be accounted for by the cuftom of thofe times; in other countries, as well as in this, the kings ufed to| carry fpears in their hands inftead of fceptres, and which they ufed as fuch; fo Fu/tin", {peaking of the times of Romulus, fays, that kings in thofe umes had fpears, as an enfign of royalty, which the Greeks call {ceptres; and fo the Greeks called {ceptres fpears': whereby Yonathan knew that it was determined of bis father to flay David; for fince he attempted to {mite him, his own fon, for fpeaking on his behalf, it might be well concluded, that verfions read, behold, the arrow is beyond ¢hee; fo Noldius *..

- ¥. 38. And Yonathan cried after the lad, make peed, hafte, fay uot, &c.) But bring the arrows to him directly, that he might difmifs him; for obferving that no man was paffing by, he was defirous of embracing the opportunity for a few minutes to, have an interview with David alone before he fled: and Fonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows; for though the textual reading is fingular, the marginal is plural, to thew, as Kimchi obferves, that he caft three arrows, as he faid he would, ¥. 20. and came to his mafter; with them.

fuch was his fettled wrath and malice, that he

¥. 39. But the lad knew not any thing, &c.| What would if poffible kill David, could he get him into was meant by fhooting the arrows, and by fhooting them beyond where he was, and by bidding

_. 34. So Fonathan arofe from the table in fierce anger, &c.] Refenting his father’s attempt to fmite him, and his refolution to flay David: and did eat him make hafte to bring them: only Jonathan and David knew the matter; what was fignified by them, thofe being figns agreed upon between them.

no meat the fecond day of the month; not then at

¥. 40. And Fonathan gave his artillery unto his that meal he was juft fat down to, nor at another time that day, his ftomach was fo full through indignation at his father, and grief for his friend David, and befides, being a mourner on the above accounts, he might not eat of the factifices: for Jad, &c.] His vefels' or inftruments; his arms, as the Targum, his quiver, bow and arrows: and /aid unto him, go carry them to the city, to Gibeab, to Jonathan's houfe, or to his apartments at court there.

be was grieved for David; that his death fhould be

_y. 41. And as foon as the lad was gone, &c.] Which David ‘could obferve from his lurking not only him his deat friend; but his wife and family, place: David arofe out of a place toward the fouth; tothe fouth of the field in which he was hid, or to the fouth of the ftone Eze/, near which he was; and fo the Targum, “* and David arofe from the fide of the {tone At4a, which was towards the fouth;” Fonathan thooting his arrows to the north of it, left the lad fhould have difcovered David when he ran for them: and fell on bis face to the ground, in reverence of ‘fonathan, as the fon of a king, and in refpect to him as his friend, who had fo faithfully ferved him, and was fo concerned to fave his life: and bowed bimfelf three times; this was before he fell proftrate on the ground. Abarbinel obferves, that bowing three times was fit and proper to be done to a king; once at the place from whence. they firft fee him, the fecond time in the middle of the way to him, and the third time when come to him; but though this may have been acuftom in more modern times, it is a queftion whether it obtained fo early; however it is certain bowing was as antient, and therefore Xenophon * is miftaken in afcribing it to Cyrus as the firft introducer of this cuftom; and be it that he was the firft that began it among the Perfians, it was in ufe with others before, as this behaviour of David fhews: and they kiffed one another, as friends about to part: and wept one with another; as not knowing whether they fhould ever fee each other’s face any more: until David exceeded; in weeping more than Yonathan; he having more to part with,

HIS chapter relates that David went to Nod, Ty and pretending he was on fecret bufinefs for the king, got fhew-bread, and the fword of Goliath, from Abimelech the prieft, ¥. 1—g. and that paffing from thence to Gath, where he was known, through fear feigned himfelf mad, and fo efcaped from thence, ¥.10—15. 3 and other dear friends and people of God, and efpecially the fanctuary and fervice of God, which of all things lay neareft his heart, and moft diftreffed him; fee ch. xxvi. 19. and many of his pfalms on this occafion. Bex Gerfom fugeetts, that he wept more than was meet; through too a fear of Saul; but that feems not to be the cafe.

¥. 42. And Fonathan faid to David, go in peace, &c.] In peace of mind, committing himfelf, his family, and affairs, to the providence of God, who would take care of him, and keep him in fafety from the evil defigns of Saul; and particularly he would have him be eafy with refpeét to what had pafled between them two, not doubting but it would be faithfully obferved on both fides: fora/- much as we have fworn both of us in the name of the Lord; had made a covenant with each other by an oath, in the name and prefence of God as a witnefs to it: faying, the Lord be between me and thee, and between my feed, and thy feed for ever 5 asa witnefs of the agreement between them, including them and their offspring, and as a revenger of fuch that fhould break it. The Targum is, *“ the ** Word of the Lord be between thee and me, &c.” and he arofe and departed; that is, David arofe from the ground, and took his leave of Fonathan, and departed into the country for the fafety of his perfon and life: and Fonathan went into the city 5 into the city of Gibeab, where Saul dwelt and had his court.

him what way he fhould take, and that he would profper and fucceed him in it, grant him his prefence, and keep him in fafety: and Abimelech was afraid at the meeting of David; hearing that he was come or coming, he went out to meet him, but when he faw him alone he trembled; efpecially if he had heard of his having fallen under the difpleafure of Sau/, and that he now fled from him, y. 1. Then came David to Nob, to Abimelech the| pric, &c.] The high-prieft, as Abarbinel rightly calls him; he was the brother of Ahijah, the fon of Abitub, who being dead he fucceeded him; though fome fay *he was the fame; fee ch. xiv. 3. xxii. g. who was now at Nod, the tabernacle being there, whither probably it was removed by Scul, and where and at Gideon, according to the ews”, it continued 57 years; as in the times of Fofhua it was in Shilob, in the tribe of Ephraim, of which tribe he was; and in the times of David therefore he might fear that he fhould fall into difgrace and danger fhould he entertain him; and be faid unto him, why art thou alone, and no man with thee? he might well wonder at it, and put andjfuch a queftion, feeing he was fo great a man, both in the court and camp, and the king’s fon-in-law; he might therefore reafonably fufpect fomething more than ordinary was the cafe, and which occa fioned his fears.

y.2. And David faid unto Abimelech the prieft, &c.] In reply to his queftion, andto account for it was placed in the tribe of %udah, to which he belonged; fo in the times of Sau? it was in Nod, acity of his tribe, 12 miles from Gibeab, according to Bunting “; for that it was in the tribe of Benjamin appears by its being mentioned along with Anathoth, Neb. xi. 32. and according to Farchi and Kimchi4, it was near Ferufalem, and fo near that it might be feen from thence; fome fay they are the fame*; ‘erom ‘ {peaks of it as near Dio- Jpolis or Lydda. David before he departed farther off, was willing to fee the tabernacle once more, fuch an appearance he made without an equipage: the king hath commanded me a bufine/s, and. hath faid unto me, let no man know any thing of the bufinefs whereabout I fend thee, and what I have commanded thee; he pretended he was upon a fecret expedition, by the order of Sau/, which none were to know of, no not his own fervants, and that was the reafon why he came to him alone; which was a downright lie, and was aggravated by its being told only for the fake of getting a little food; and efpecially told to an high-prieft, and at the tabernacle and there worfhip his God, and enquire of him by the high-prieft, as he did, ch.

of God, and when he was come to enquire of the xxii, 10, to direét'!Lord there; and was attended with a dreadful

David, who as much hated lying as any man did, fell into it himfelf: and I have appointed my fervants to fuch and fuch a place, to fach a place, ofjand his men were in, it might be taken from fuch an one, not naming place nor perfon, that they might not be known; fo the Targum.calls it aplace hidden and kept; and that David had fome fervants, though not now with him, who eat of the fhew-bread, appears from Matt, xii. 3. whom Fonathan might fend after him, to a place agreed on and appointed between them; fo that this might be true.

¥. 3. Now therefore what is under thine hand? &c.] Meaning what food had he in liis houfe? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, to take with him, for him and his fervants in fuch a place: or what there is prefent; or to be found *in the tabernacle; if not five loaves, two, or three, or four, or what food foever he had by him.

y¥.4. And the prieft anfwered David, -and faid, there is x0 common bread under mine hand, &c.] In the tabernacle, though he might have fuch in his own houfe; which was common for any man to

WSAMUEL. Ch xxiy.3— ‘confequence, the flaughter of the Lord’s priefts there, which afterwards lay heavy on David's mind, ch, xxii. 22. and is the very fin he is thought refer toin Pf. cxix. 28,29. This thews the weaknels of the beft of men, when left to themfelves; was now common to the prieft and his famil. though not to others, yet in cafe of neceffity th to) hunger might be allowed to was: yea, though i# were fandlified this day in the vejel; even though, it had been fet but that day on the fhew-bread table, and fo became holy to the Lord; and yet even in fuch a cafe and circumftances as David thence and eaten of; for, as Abendana oblerves, nothing ftands in the way of prefervation of life, but idolatry, adultery, and murder; every thing elfe may be done for the fake of that but them; Or as in the margin of our bibles, ¢/pecially whem there is this day other fanétified bread, thatis, fince other bread is this day put upon the fhew-bread-table, inthe room of that which has been taken aS - whereby it is become holy to the Lord; then tha which is removed may be eaten, and be allowed to — us in our-circumftances. It feems by this that this — was the fabbath-day; for on that day the removal of the fhew-bread-loaves was made, Lev. xxiv. 8. and R. Ijaiab fays, that it was at the going out of the fabbath that.David came there; and which ftill makes it a more appofite cafe, as produced by our Lord to juftify his difciples in plucking ears of corn on the fabbath-day, Mast. xil. 1—4.

y¥. 6, So the prick gave bim hallowed bread, 8c.]

eat of, even fuch as were not priefts; but he had none there, and David was in hafte to be gone be- Being fatisfied with the account he gave of himfelf, and his young men, and of the Taefalngi oF caufe of Doeg, and could not ftay till fuch was fetched: dut there is hallowed bread; fach as was devoted to facred ufe. Kémchi’s father thinks this was the bread of the thank-offering, to which Bez Gerfom inclines; otherwife the Fewz/d writers in general underftand it of the fhew-bread; and it is clear it was that from y. 6. and from what our Lord fays, Mast. xii. 4. Now this the prieft had under his hand, being juft taken off of the thewbread-table, and was the perquifite of the priefts; and which though it was not lawful for any but priefts to eat of, yet in this cafe of neceflity he feemed willing to give it to David and his men, on this condition; if the young men have kept themfelves at leaft from women; from their wives or others, and from any pollution by them, in any way or manner;, but as this was alfo only of a cefemonial kind, it might as well have been difpenfed with, had this been the cafe, asthe other. ¥. 5. And David anfwered the priet, and faid unto him, &c.] In reply to the cafe of the young men his fervants, and of himfelf too, who alfo was intended by the prieft, though out of reverence to him not mentioned: of @ truth women have been kept from us thefe three days fince I came out; reckoning either from the time he fled from Saul at Naioth, or from the time he left Jonathan, during which timeboth he and his men could have ‘ho converfe with women, and receive no pollution by them; and this was the time which ‘according to the law was required for the fanctifying of perfons in this way, Exod. xix. 15. and the vefféls of the young men are holy; their garments, as Kimchi, not being defiled with any ceremonial uncleannefs, as by the touch of any unclean perfon; or ‘what inftruments foever they were provided with for their journey; or rather their bodies; fee2 Cor. iv. 7. 1 Theff. iv. 4. and with refpeéct to the prieft’s faying that the bread he had was hallowed or {abath-day, and fo-he might not travel, at leaft more than 2000 cubits; or by fome which he was obliged to ftay and perf it in cafe of neceffity, acts of mercy being to b preferred to ritual fervices. Whether he gave him five loaves, as he defired, is not faid; but the reafon of his giving him fuch fort of bread is obferved, for there was no bread there;.in the tabernacle, whatever might be in the houfe of the prieft:

but the fhew-bread that was taken from before the Lord, from off of the fhew-bread-table; and it feems to have been juft taken off, it being fabbathday, and not as yet carried to the houfe of the prieft, and divided among the other priefts as ufual; and which was then removed, to put hot bread, in the day that it was taken away; that ds, new bread, 12 frefh cakes; for when the 12 that had ftood a week on the fhew-bread-table were removed, 12 more were immediately put in their room, and it feems by this they were put hot there; but here arifes a difficulty, how they could be put hot there, when it was not lawful to bake on a Sabbath day. About this the Jews are divided; fome fay they were baked on the fabbath-day, but the greater part fay that baking did not drive away the fabbath, or it was lawful on the fabbath-day; but others fay that they were baked on the evening of the fabbath, and kept in the oven until the timeof their being fet upon the table”; and as Abarbinel obferves, the mouth of the oven might be ftoppe up tillthat time to keep in the heat; but others fay ‘this heat was miraculous, or that a miracle. was wrought for the fake of it; which is not probable. in y¥.7. Now a certain man of the fervants of Saul was there that day, &c.] When David came to Nob, and. afked- bread of the prieft, and hadit, which this man was an eye-witnels of, ch. xxii, 9, 10, detained before the Lord, either becaufe it was fak

Lord, or pray unto him, orto ftudy the law of in the tabernacle, pretending to be a very man: and bis name was Doeg an Edomite, being by birth an Jdumean, but a profelyte to the Yewi religion; or he was of the feed of J/rae/, but caufe he had dwelt in Edom, he was called an Edomite, as Kimchi thinks; juft as Uriab is called like reafon the Hittite:

ina chamber for their ufe; and behind them the fword of Goliath was wrapt up in a linen cloth, and referved as 2 monument of the goodnefs of God to J/rael, and the falvation of them by the hands of David, who flew Goliath with this his own {fword, and brought it with him. The Targum underftands this word rendered bebind, not of the place where the fword was, but of the time Godjwhen the prieft faid this, and paraphrafes the religious; words, ** after he had enquired, for-him by the ¢phod;”* fee ch. xxii. 10. if thou wilt take that, h| take it; as if he frould fay, it is not mine to give be- thee, but thou mayeft take it if thou. pleafeft, none has a better right toit; it is what thou tookeft for ajfrom the Pdii:/tine, and may take it again for thy the chiefeft of the berd-menjute if thou art fo inclined 5 and thou mutt either take this or none: for thete is no other fave that 4ere; in the tabernacle, nor even in the prieft’s houfe, nor-in the city; for it was a city of priefts, who did not wear fwords: and David faid, there fee the notes zone like that, give it me; and which, as he was capable of wielding and making ufe of, as it is plain he was by cutting off Goliath’s head with it; {o it might ferve to ftrengthen his faith in God, as often as he looked upon it, that he would keep and preferve him, and in due time deliver him out undérftoodjof the hands of Saul, and all his enemies.

that belonged to Saul; Saul had his herds and men to look after them, and this man was fet over them all, to fee that they faithfully difcharged their truft. The fame officer the Romans called the prefect, or mafter of the cattle *; on 1 Chron. xxvii. 29, 31. though this man was not only over the king’s cattle, but over thofe that kept them; and was in the fame office as Phordas was, under Laws king of Thebes! and Melanthius in Homer™, and Fauftulus to Amulius®: but Abarbinel is of opinion, that this is to be not of the keepers of herds and flocks, but of the fhepherds or rulers of the people; and that this man was fet over all the other magiftrates and rulers of the people, hence faid to be fet over the fervants of Saul, ch. xxii. 9. and fo Farchi calls him Ab Beth Din, or father of the’ fanhedrim, or great court of judicature; who was detained in. the tabernacle to learn the law there, that he might be the better qualified for his office; but Kimchi interprets it as we do, the chief of the keepers the herd, and both the Septuagint and Fofephus ° fay that he fed the king’s mules.

¥. 10. And David arofe and fled that day for fear of Saul, &c.] He had fled before for fear of him, both from his own houle, and from’ Naioth, ch. xix. 18. and xx. 1. but now he fled out of the land of Jjrael, for fear of him; or it may be the reafon of his fear and flight on this day was becaufe of Docg the Edomite, left he thould go directly to Saw/, and tell him where he was; and therefore through fear of him would not ftay any ofjlonger, but the fame day he came, he fed: and went to Athifh the king of Gath, Gath, according to Bunting’, was 24-miles’ from Nod. © Achifp, the king of it, is called 4bimelech in the title of the 34th pfalm, that name being common to the kings jof the Philiftines, as Pharaoh was to the kings of Zgypt. It may feem ftrange that David fhould go,jinto an enemy’s country, and efpecially to the per-jcountry of the Philifines, by whom he was morquef- tally hated for the victories he had obtained over for Jjthem, and the numbers of them he had flain; and. particularly that he fhould go to Gath, the place of Goliath, their champion, whom he had flain, and whofe fword he now had with him: but this is s re-|\to be faid for him, that fuch was the fury of Saud whereas the againft him, and his refoJution to flay him, that he was as fafe in an enemy’s country as in the land of Yfrael, and that if he muft die, he might as well and had lain die in one place as another; and that he went parplace ticularly here, the reafon might be, becaufe all other lands were at peace with Sau/, and fo would;jhave delivered him up to him, had he went elfewhere; but this people were at war with him, and he might hope not to be known by them; and theif he was, that they might think it their intereft to detain fuch a perfon that was fo ferviceable to Saul, and fo hurtful tothem; and being Saul’s the garment of thejenemy, they might hope to engage him on their fide againft him; and _befides, he might know ofthat Achifh was well difpofed towards him, as he which were laid up feems to be, and might like him never the worfe for cutting off Goliath’s head, who might not be heartily in the intereft of Achifb. After all, as impolitic as this ftep of David’s may: feem to be, it wroughtjis what great_men have taken in their diftrefs, to go over to their ehemies, as Themiffocles to the Molofians, and| Alcibiades to the Lacedemonians.

y¥. 8. And David faid unto Abimelech, &c.| After he had given him fome of the loaves of the fhew-bread: and is there not bere under thine band Spear or fword? any weapon, meaning in the tabernacle, and in his keeping, and at his difpofe he knew the fword of Goliath was there, and haps had a principal view to it, and put this tion in order to get that in his poffeffion: have neither brought my fword, nor my weapons with “me; neither his fword, nor any part of his armour, but was come quite naked and unarmed; and as he pretended, decau/e the king’s bufine quired hafte; {till continuing his lie; true reafon was, he was let down in hafte by his wife through a window of his houfe, and could not ftay to take his armour with him; hid for fome time, and pafled incognito from to place, and without armour, that he might be the lefs known and obferved, and leaft fufpeéted though it may feem ftrange that ‘Fonathan had not provided him with a fword.

¥. 9. dnd the prief faid, the fword of Goliath Philiftine, whom thou fleweft in the valley of Elab, &c.] See ch. xvii. 2, 51. debold, it is bere wrapt in a cloth behind the ephod;

high-prieft, in which were the Urim and Thummim, and the breaft-plate, or the linen veftments the priefts; fee ch. xxii. 18.

¥. 11. And the fervants of Achifh faid unto him, &c.] Who knew, who David was, and perceiving

| BS i ee: * 490 SAMUEL. Ch, xxi. ¥. tc Saag that he was refpected by Achifb: is not this David the king of the land? of the land of the fo fome render the words, the king of this which belongs unto him for his conqueft of Gofiath, for this was what was propofed by him, whoever was the conqueror fhould poffefs the ” kingdom; and feeing it belongs to him, O why doft thou admit him to court; thou wilt be driven from the throne, and we fhall be his vants, and not thine’: but rather they mean the king of the land of J/rael, having heard that he was anointed king by Samuel, and was to fucceed that his countenance was changed, and his mouth — Philifines; diftorted, as’ perfons in fuch fits are; that he 7 } land*;)among them as one convulfed, and fell at, dafhed againft the doors of the, gates, and foamed thatjat the mouth, as iuch perfons do; fee Luke ix. 39. and foin the following words the Greek ver- Achih, fion is, ye fee the man is an epileptic; I dou’e want epilepticks; but the 34th and 56th pfalms, fer-;compoted by him at this time, flew that as he was of a found mind, fo in good health of body, and not fubject to fuch fits as here reprefented 3 which — would have rendered him unfit for fuch compo- —

Saul; or rather, they called him fo becaufe he led fures; a Be: | out the armies of J/rael as their general, and being victorious was more refpected than even Saul was; for they had heard what the women fung in their fongs as follows: did they not fing one to ther of him in dances, faying, Saul bath flain his thoufands, and David his ten thoufands 2 which are the burden of their fong,. ch. xviii, 7. and from whence. the fervants of Achifh concluded, that was in greater authority or honour, and in greater efteem, than Sau/ their king was.

thod as this has been taken by men of the eft fenfe and wit, as by Brutus‘ and Solon"; and yet according to the Vulgate Latin and verfions, this cafe of his was real and not feigned; that through the furprize of being known in the _ ¥. 14. Then faid Achifh to his Jervants, 1o3 you fee. the man is mad, &c.] Which he faid, as willing his fervants fhould think fo, and therefore rather the ~ ano- object of their pity than of their rage and malice; or as really believing he was fo, which heand — they might conclude not merely from thefe his actions, before deicribed, which they might judge helreal and not feigned; but they might fuppofe this was truly his cafe, brought upon him by the ifl ufage of Saul, who purfuing him from place to place, and fending after him to take away his.life, had really brought him to diftraction; and this they’ might rather conclude from. his coming to. Gat, an enemy’s country, ‘and whofe champion he had flain, and many others of them; which it left he fhould might be thouglit no man in his fenfes would have done: wherefore then bave ye brought him tome? — for if he was brought to be employed in his: ferfor it; whether in the camp, or in the court; and if to be tried and con~ crjdemned as an enemy, fince he wasa madman, he was rather to be pitied. a y

¥.12. And David laid up thefe wards in bis heart, &c.] Pondered upon them, and thought them over in his mind, finding that he was known, and his charaéter alfo, and confidered with himfelf what might be the confequence of this: avd was fore afraid of Achifh the king of Gath; be fet againft him, and be prevailed wpon by his fervants to take away his life, or deliver him up into the handsof Saul. vice, he feemed very unfit y.13. And be changed his behaviour before them, &c.] Behaved like a fool, or a madman: changed his taffe*; which fome underftand of his reafon, ated as if he was deprived of it; and others of his fpeech, his words and the accent of them, drawled them out, as fuch perfons do.: feigned bimfelf mad in their hands; for in their hands he was, being taken by them, as the title of the Ivith pfalm fhews; and this ftratagem he ufed to get himfelf out of their hands, acting part of a madman, delirious, and out of his fenfes: and fcrabbled on the doors of the gate; as if he was writing fomething there, and making marks upon them: and let bis fpittle fall down upon bis beard; flavered, as ideots and mad-men do; and| however mean this may feem in David to actjmuch, fuch a part, it cannot be condemned as wicked, fince it was only a ftratagem to deliver himfelf out of an enemy’s hand, and ftratagems are always allowed to be ufed againft anenemy;

¥. 15. Havé I need of madmen? 8c.] Or fools, do I want them? han’t’ I enow of them already amdjat my court? I want wifemen, and not fools and madmen. The ews fay “ that the wife and daughter of Achifh were mad; that whilft David was playing the fool and madman without; they were the acting the fame part within; fo. that Achifo had enough of that fort of diverfion, if it was to be reckoned fuch; as it was according to the tafte 4 fome perfons who ufed, as in later fo in eatlie times, to keep fools in their houfés to make them port; but 4chi/o had enough of that, and too at leaft needed no more: ‘hat ye have Zrought this fellow to play the madman in my pre- /ence? or act the part of a fool before me: /ball this fellow come inta mine houfe? court or palace, and fucha me-land have a poft there; you need be in no pain great-jabout it; he’s neither. agreeable to me, nor fit for any; and therefore Achifh drove him away as a fool Septuagintjor madman, inftead of imprifoning him as an enemy, of taking away his life; fee the title of pfalm xxxivth. ‘tea court.of Achifb, he was feized with an epilepfy;

eae chapter gives us an account of the flight of David from place to place, from Gath to the cave of Adullam, where his relations came to him; from thence to Mizpeh in Moab, where he got leave of the king of Moab for his father and mother to dwell there; and from thence by the vice of Gad the prophet, departed intothe land of Fudab, and came to the foreft of Hareth, x. 1—5. and of the complaint of Sav/ to his fervants. of their unfaithfulnefs to him, and indolence < unconcern at the behaviour of Fonathan and David to him, ¥. 6, 7, 8. when Doeg the Edomife ad-linformed him of Dayid being feen by him at Nob, and of his receiving food and a fword from JAi- melech the prieft, who enquired of the Lord him, ¥. 9, fo. upon which Saul fent for Abimelech and all the priefts at Nod, and charged themi confpiracy againft him;

defence the prieft made, Sau/ ordered him and the reft of the priefts to be flain by his guards; which they refufing, Doeg betame the executioner them, and of all the inhabitants of the city of Nod, and the cattle in it, y. 11—t9.. only Abiathar a fon of Ahimelech efcaped and fled to David with the forrowful news; which greatly affected David, looking upon himfelf to be the dccafion of this fad difafter, and he took Abiathar under his protection, and promifed him fafety, ¥. foryjcountry, than in the land of I/ael: an ty unto be king of Moab, let my We and ges with alpray thee come forth; out of the land of Lrael, or: and notwithftanding thejout of the cave of Adullam, whither they were come to hint: and be with you; if not with the king of Moab at his court, yet in forme part of offother of Kis country, where they might be fafe from the rage of Saul: till I know what God will do for me; on whofe power and providence he wholly relied, and not upon the men that flocked to him, nor upon his own power and policy, courage, and wifdom; he knew the promife of God to him, and he put his truft in him for the performance of it; ‘but knew not the time, nor way;

20—23. and manner, in which it would be performed; and. pens expected-in the mean while to be obliged to remove y¥. f. David therefore departed from thence, 8cc. |from place to place; and confidering that his

From Gath, being driven by Achifh from his court, and let go by his fervants, and glad he was of the deliverance: and efcaped to the cave Adullam, which was no doubt near to a city of the fame hame in the tribe of Fudab, of which fee the note on Joh. xv. 35. this being a ftrong place, and in his own tribe, he might hope to be in greater aged parents were not fit for fuch quick and fudden motions, and long flights, he provided as well as he could for their fettlement; which was an in- {tance of his filial affection for them, and piety towards them. His father’s name is well known, Feffe, but his mother’s name is no-where mentioned; the Jews fay her name was Nafzdet, the fafety; here he penned his 142d pfalm: and when) daughter of Adal”.

bis brethren and all bis father’s boufe beard it; that he was come thither: ¢hey went down thither to bim; to vifit and comfort him, counfel and affilt him all they. could; and chiefly to fecure themfelves from the rage and malice of Sau/, who they might fear would fall upon them, and avenge him-

¥.4. And he brought them before the king of Moab, &c.| Having leave from him for it, and lefe them with him; fo the Targum, ‘* caufed them to remain before him:” and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold; either in the cave of Adullam, as fome think; or rather at

¥elf on them for David’s fake.

not know the circumftances of thofe in debt, nor of any of them thoroughly, nor their views in joining him; however he meant not to fhelter them from paying their juft debts if able, nor to 5 Mizpeb in Moab, which might be a fortified place; the fenfe may be, whilft he was in any hold in thofe parts, as he might go from one to another 3 what became of David's parents afterwards, we and every one that wasino where elfe read. The Fews* fay the king of oad flew his father and his mother, and his brea#djthren, all but one, whom Nabafh the Ammonite preferved;\ and is the kindnefs David fpeaks of dif-l2 Sam. x.2. and if this was the cafe, now it was that his father and mother forfook him, and God took him up, Pf xxvii. 10.

¥. 2. and every one that was in diffrefs, &c.)jor In ftraitened circumftances, through the oppréffion of men, through poverty, and afflictive providences in their families:

in debt; and not able to pay their debts, andj whofe cteditors were preffing upon them: every one that was difcontented,; with Saul’s government and condué&: or ditter in foul*; trefled and uneafy in their minds, being pinched with want, or preffed with fore afflictions, which made them very difconfolate: thefe gathered themfelves unto him, to help him, or rather to be helped by him; hoping in time things would take a favourable turn with him, and he fhould be advanced to the throne, and fo their circumftances would be mended thereby:

¥.5. And the prophet Gad faid unto David, &c.] Who either accompanied him in his exile, or was fent unto him on this account, being one of the company of the prophets, over whom Samuel was prefident, ch. xix. 20. abide not in the hold, depart and be became a captainjand get thee inte the land of Fudab; this feems to confirm it that the hold David wasin was not the he might|cave of 4dullam, becaufe that was in the tribe of F%udab; but rather fome hold in the land of Mad, which he is directed by the prophet to quit, and go into the country of Fudab, his own tribe, where Sau? would not be fo forward to purfue him, and over them, they enlifted themfelves in his fervice, and he took the command of them;

encourage them in difloyalty to their king, only to make ufe of them for his own prefervation for the prefent. In this he was a type of Chrif?, who receives finners diftreffed with afenfe of fin, difcontented in their prefent ftate, and in debt, and unable to pay their debts; fee Matt. xi. 28. Luke wii. 41, 42. and xv. 2. and there were with bim about 400 men, among whom fome think were the - three mighty men fpoken of in 2 Sam, xxiii. 13, 414. 1 Chron. xi. 15, 16.

y¥. 3. And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab, &c.] So called to diftinguith it from a place of the fame name in the land of J/rael; which Funius fays is the fame with Malle, and fignifies a fortified place, and refers to 1 Maccad. v. 26. here he might think himfelf fafer, though in an enemy’s where he would be among his friends, and in the way upon Saul’s death to be anointed king over judab; befides appeating more openly would fhew the innocence of his caufe, and his confidence in the Lord, more than to lurk about in a foreign land: then David departed from Mizpeb in Moab; or however from the hold in which hewas: and came into the foreft of Hareth; where he would have places and opportunity enough to hide himfelf as - he faw fit. Ferom* {peaks of a village called Arath, where David abode, to the weft of Yeru/alem. Kimchi fays this was a dry barren place, but for the fake of David it was made by the Lord a well watered and fruitful one. “th ¥. 6. When Saul beard that David was difcovered, and the men that were with him, &c.\ That ic I vas men were gathered to him, and that they now openly appeared in the tribe of Yudab; for fome time Sauz/ had heard nothing of him, but now a re- rt had reached his ears, that David was in arms, and atthe head of a number of men; which now greatly alarmed: Saul, and poffeffed him, with fears and jealoufies of his people, and all about him: now Saul abode in Gibeah, under a tree in Ramah, this was Gibeah of Saul, and in or near which was a place called Ramah, or an high place, as the word fignifies, on which was a remarkable tree, and under that Saul abode, being a proper fhelter for him from any inclemency of the weather; for this was not Ramah where Samuel dwelt, though the ews in the Talmud ” fo think, and metaphorically underftand the tree in it of Samuel in Ramab praying for him, by means of which he continued two years in the height of his kingdom; but this was a tree in a literal fenfe. R. Fonab ‘ fays it is polfible it might be the fame which in Aradia is called Ethel, and is like to a tamarifk-tree: having his fpear in his hand ready to defend himfelf, and revenge his enemies; or rather which he held as a fcepter in his hand; fee the note onch. xx. 33.

and all his fervants were fianding about him 3 in re-. a jeager of further preferment, which Sau/ feemed to verence of him, and honour to him, waiting upon him, and ready to obey his orders; thefe were his courtiers, or his guards, or both.