ISA MU E
t; F an * - 1 f er > Are w re was known where David was, and what number of [ orry for me; concerned, troubled, and griey that he fhould be in fuch. circumftances, his own — fon and his fon-in-law in league. againft him: or as De Dieu renders it, were not Jolicitous for him cared not how things went with him, or pa him: or fheweth unto me that my fon hath flirred up my fervant againft me to lie in wait, as at this day; which he concluded was the cafe, from Fonathan’s not appearing at court, fince Saul caft the javelin at him; or however if he did, his countenance fhewed he was uneafy and difcontented, and difpleafed with Saul; and befides he could not™ think that David with fuch a. handful of men he had with him, would ever attempt to invade his © * kingdom, and feize his crown and throne, unlefs he was privately encouraged by his own fon; and David’s being either in the cave of Adullam, or foreft of Hareth, which ever of them Sau/ heard of, he interpreted as lying in wait for him, whereas it was only for the fecurity of himfelf; and what Saul took ill of his fervants was, that none of them apprized him of his fon’s concern in this matter. ¥.g. Then anfwered Doeg the Edomite, &c.] Fofephus * calls him a Syrian, and fo the Septuagint verfion; fee ch. xxi. 7. being full of enmity to David, and willing to curry favour with Saul, and promife; and being more forward than the reft of his fervants, prevented them and fpoke Grit;
y. 7. Then Saul faid unto bis fervants that food about him, &c.| He took this opportunity of addreffing them in the following manner, upon the report of David being at the head of a certainjin number of men: hear now ye Benjamites; Saul being of the tribe of Benjamin, his courtiers and his body-guards chiefly, if not altogether, (which was fet over the Jervants of Saul), over his herdfmen; fee ch. xxi. 7. and faid, I faw the fon of Jefe coming to Nob to Abimelech the fonof Abitub; imitation of Seu/, hecalls David by way of conforjtemptthe fon of Fee; and fignifies that what he had to fay of him was not by report, but he himfelf was an eye-witnefs of his coming to Nob, a confifted of perfons of that tribe; and therefore as icity of the priefts, and to Ahimelech the high- they were under obligation to him, and ought to prieft there, and of what pafled between them, abide by him, and adhere clofely to him, fo it was
¥.10. And be enquired of the Lord for bim, &c.]
the more ungrateful in them, as he thought, not to be concerned for his honour and intereit: w/ Which not being exprefied before, fome have taken jit to be a lieof Doeg’s, he being charged with lying the fon of Feffe give every one of you fields and vineyards; as Saul had done, or was capable of doing, and would do if they were faithful to him; whereas it was not in the power of David, whom in contempt he calls the fon of Jefe, to doit; and even fhould he ever be king, andin his power to make fuch donations, it can’t be thought he would give them to them, but to the favourites of his own tribe: and make you all captains of thoufands and captains of hundreds? which he now could not do, fince he had with him but 400 men in all; and fhould his army increafe, and the kingdom come into his hands, fo far would all of them be from being advanced to pofts in the army, that it was probable none of them would, but thofe of his own tribe and party.
¥. 8. That all of you have confpired againft me, &c.] For though they had not revolted from him, and been guilty of overt-acts of treafon, yet fince they did not difcover to him what he fuppofed they knew, and fhewed no concern for the circumftances in which he was, he interpreted this a con{piracy againft him: and there is zone that foeweth me, that my fon hath made a league with the fon of Feffe; Saul did not know this certainly, he only fufpected it from the ftri&t and clofe friendthip between them, and imagined that fome of his fervants were acquainted with it, though they kept it from him; whereas none knew of it, but Yonathan and David themfelves: and there is mone of you that is
© Apud Ben Melech in loc, by David, P/- lii. 3, 4. and cxx. 2, 3. but it is not at all improbable that David fhould defire him to enquire of the Lord for him, and that he did; and he feems to acknowledge it, ¥. 15. but according ° to the Hewi/h writers Doeg meant by this to provea charge of treafon both againft David and Abimelech; that the former made himfelf king, and the latter owned him to be fo, fince enquiry by Urim and Thummim was not made for a private perfon, but for a king®: and gave him vifiuals; hallowed bread, loaves of fhew-bread, which none but priefts might eat of; fuch was his kindnefs to him: ead
gave him the fword of Goliath the Philiftine; which -
David took from him, and flew him with it. All this was true, but then he acted the deceitful part, swith which he is charged in the above pfalms, in not declaring how David had impofed upon the prieft, by pretending he was fent in hafte on the king’s bufinefs; which was the reafon he was fo ill provided with fervants, food, and armour; which if Doeg had reported faithfully, as he ought to have done, would have faved the credit and life of the prieft, and of his family.:. ¥. 11. Then the king fent to call Abimelech prich, the fon of Abitub, &c.} Sent meffengers ta him, and fummoned him to appear before him; and all bis father’s houfe, the family of Eli, which God had threatened to deftroy, and now the time was haftening on: the priefis that were in Nob; in which dwelt none but priefts, at leaft thefe were
\ - »’ the chief of the inhabitants, and therefore called the city of the priefts, ¥. 19. and they came all of them to the king 5 not being confcious of any evil they had committed, or that could be charged upon! them; or otherwife they would not have appeared but would have fled to David for protection.
WV. 12. And Saul faid, bear now, thou fon of Abitub, &c.| The charge exhibited againft him;. in contempt of him, he does not fo much as cal} him’ by his name, nor give him the title of his office, as high-prieft; though he was the fecond perfon in the kingdom, and to whofe office a few years ago thecivil government was annexed: and be anfwered, here I am, my Lord; giving due honour to Saul, though he received none from him, and appearing with great boldnefs, as having a clear confcience, and fo ready to hear what was to be faid unto him.
¥. 13. And Saul faid unto him, why have ye con Spired againft me, thou, and the fon of Feffe? 8c.
No lefs than treafon and rebellion is he charged with, in conjunction with David; the proof follows: in that thou baft given him bread and a fword, the fhew-bread, and the fword of Goliath, and fo had furnifhed him with food and arms; one that he fuggefts was in rebellion againft him, therefore he muft be involved in the fame crime; but the ftronger proof follows: and hajt enquired of God for him, that he foould rife againft me. to lie in wait as at this day; enquired of the Lord for him by Urim and Thummim, to know his mind in this affair, and thereby encouraged him to rife upin rebellion againft him, and to lie in wait, as he the prefent time, watching for an opportunity to feize his crown and kingdom. ¥.17.
¥.15. Did I then begin to enquire of God for bim? &c.] Was this the firit time of enquiring of God for him? nos I have done this many a time, when he has been going upon the kine’s bufinels, engaging in war with his enefnies; he has then confulted the Lord by me, and I have enquired of the Lord for him, as I now did; and which I did not by what follows.
y. 16. And the king faid, thou foalt furely die, Abimelech, 8ec.] He pronounces the fentence himfelf, without taking the opinion and advice of andjothers, or farther time; which was an aé& of arhitrary power, and upon an innocent perfon, which was an act of great injuftice: thow and all thy fax rher’s houfe; more unrighteous {till; but God fuffered him to do this to fulfil his will, and executé his threatenings againft the houfe of Ek, which was this prieft’s father’s houfe, for former wickednefs; did at!but this is no excufe for, nor extenuation of the {in of Saal. yo And the king faid unto the footmen thar food about bim, &c.| Or the runners’; the running footmen, that ufed to run before him when he went out from place to place, and were here waiting on him, ready to fet out whenever he fhould as give the orders to go elfewhere. The tradition of the Yews is, that thefé were Aner and Amafa® s but as Kimchi obferves, they were not footmen, but princes, captains in the army, and the firft of them the general of it: turn and flay the priefis of the Lord; he owns them to be the priefts of the Lord, and calls them fo,'and yet gave orders to put them to death, though innocent; one would have thought this their charater would have fown in his face, and ftung his confcience, and deterred him from fo foul a fact: Lecaufe their band alfo is with David; as well as Abimelech; which did not at all appear, nor that they had fo much as feen him at Nob, only Abimelech; and ftill lef§ that they had entered ‘into a con{piracy with him: and becaufe they knew when he fled, and did not foew it to me; which alfo was falfe; they knew nothing of the flight of David, and. therefore could not dife cover it to the king: dut the fervants of the king would not put forth their band to fall upon the priefts of the Lord; their confciences would not fuffer them to do it; they refufed to obey the kings orders, and chofe rather to expofe themfelves to his | refentment, than to be guilty of fluch a crime. Saul’s footmen had tore fenfe of honour, juitice, and truth, than he himélf had, and were worthy of praifé; but they would have been deferving of more, if they could not have prevailed upon him by intreaties and remonf{trances to have forborne fuch a bloody'execution, ’ inftead of being the tame fpectators of ‘it, they had taken him, and bound
¥. 14. Then Abimelech anfwered the king and foid, &c.] Firtt with refpett to David, and then with regard to himfelf; with refpect to David as follows, and who is fo faithful amongft thy fervants as David; 1 confidered him, as if he fhould fay, a fervant of thine, upon an errand of thine, and doing thy bufinefs; and as a faithful one, none more fo, and as fuch I valued and regarded him, not as a rebel to thee, having no fuch thought of him: which is the king’s fon-in-law; who has behaved himfelf fo well, and thou haft entertained fuch an opinion of him, as to take him into thy family, and marry thy daughter to him; wherefore fhewing him favour, and doing him honour, was doing honour to thee and thy family, and furely there can be no blame in that: and goeth at thy bidding; has always been ready to execute thy commands, and obey thine orders, let them be what they will; as to go out againft an enemy, and fight Sau/’s battles for him: and is honourable in thine boufe; behaved honourably there, and highly efteemed by all, as well as had the honour bettow’d upon him to be the king’s fon-in-law, and made captain of a thoufand; and therefore who could think that fhewing refpec&t to fuch a man could be deemed treafon and confpiracy, or he be thought to be a traitor to the king? and then with refpect to himfelf he anfwers.
as innocently, and as much for the king’s fervice, as ever I did any. Kimchi obferves it’ may be read without the interrogation, that day J began to en+ quire of God for him, it was the firtt time | ever »{did, and 1 did not know it would have been gtie- {vous to thee, or have given thee any difturbance or uneafinefs. I did not know that he fled from thee, or was not in thy fervice, and upon thy bufinefs; had I known it, I would never have done it, and as it is the firft time it fhall be the Jat Be it. far from mes from doing fuch a thing, had I known it to be difagreeable to thee, dr how David ftood with thee: Jet not the king impute any thing unto bis fervant, nor to all the houfe of my father; charge me or them with the crime of treafon, of confpiracy againft him, or with aiding, affitting, and abetting traitors and confpirators: Jor thy fervant knew nothing of all this, lefs or more; was entirely ignorant of this affair; which plain, honeft account of things, one might have thought would have been fatistying to Saul; but it feems it was
' wal him as a madman, and fo facilitated the efcape of. the priefts, and prevented this fhocking fcene of Tummim, and made his efcape, as appears from ' ch. xxiii. 6—9, this man fucceeded his father in ~
‘wickednefs.; the high-priefthood, and continued in it until y. 18. And the king faid to Doeg, turn thou and fall upon the prigfs, &c.| For determined he was they fhould die; if one would not put them to death, another fhould, and who fo fit for this bloody work as the falfe accufer of them, and falfe witnefs againft them: and Doeg the Edomite turned; immediately, he at once obeyed the king’s orders, as bruitifh as they were: and fell upon the prigfs, with his {word in hand: and flew on that day 85 perfons that did wear a linen epbod, not the ephod of Urim and Thummim, which was onlyjaccount worn by the high-prieft, but a garment wholly linen worn by common priefts,; the Targum is, ** who are fit to be clothed with a linen ephod;” not that they were clothed with it, but were deferving of it; or it defigns the great and more nourable among the fervants of the Lord, as Kimchi obferves, for fuch were clothed with this garment, as Samuel and David; and he thinks it fuggefts, that more were flain than thefe, and the Septuagint verfion makes them to be 305, and Jo/ephus* 385; inthe flaying of whom, as the fame writer fays, Doeg was aflifted by fome wicked like himfelf; and the flaughter did not end here, as the next verfe fhews.
¥. 20. And one of the fons of Abimelech, the fon| of Abitub, named Abiathar, efcaped, &c.}, Who very probably was left by his father to take care of the fanctuary, and the holy things in it, when he and the reft of the priefts were f{ummoned to appear before Sau]; who having heard of his bloody execution of them, before his meflengers could _ get to Nob, took the ephod, with the Urim and times of Solomon: and fied after David; who now removed, or removing from the foreft of Hareth to Keilab, whither Abiathar followed him, an came to him there, ch. xxiii. 6: and with whom only he could be fafe, and therefore it was right to flee unto him. ” y 21. And Abiathar fhewed David that Saul bad flain the Lora’s priefis.| Of which perhaps he had not as yet heard; though -tidings of fuch a nature - generally fly fwiftly; and a forrowful, fhocking he had to give, and which was fo a David. ote.y¥.22. And David faid unto Abiathar, J knew it that day, &c.] That.is, he thought in his mind at that time: when Doeg the Edomite was there at ho-! Nod; in the tabernacle, at the fame time that David was there: that be would furely tell Saul; that he faw David there, and what paffed between him and Abimelech; he knew he was a fpiteful, mifchievous man; that he was a true Edomite, though a profelyte, and bore hatred. and enmity in his mind againft an //raelite, and-efpecially an Iraelite menjindeed, as David was: I have occafioned the death of all the perfons of thy father’s houfe; or have | been the caufe of all the evils that befel them, hejand the death they were put unto, not with deign but by aceident,; and it grieved him, that he fhould be any ways an accefiory thereunto, though without intention.
¥. 19. And Nob, the city of the priefts, fmote with the edge of the fword, &c.] Either Doeg or Saul, who, as Fofephus* fays, fent men thither to flay all the inhabitants of it: ot men and women, children and fucklings; not {paring fex nor age: and oxen, and affes, and fheep, with the edge of the fword; Saul, who was fo tender-hearted, and merciful in the cafe of the Amakelites, when his orders from the Lord were utterly to deftroy them, that he fpared their king, and the beft of their cattle, yet now fo cruel to a city of the priefts, as to de- {troy all the inhabitants of it, and cattle in it; and yet this bloody affair of Sau/’s is not taken’ of afterwards, only his flaughter of the Gibeonites, 2 Sam. xxi. 1. and Abarbinel is of opinion, that the inhabitants of this place were Gzbeonites, who were hewers of wood, and drawers of water to the houfe of the Lord here. Now Sau/ was the more fevere.on this city, to deter others from joining with David, who, if they did, muft expect the|be im jame treatment. ‘careful of him as of himfelf;
¥. 23. Abide thou with me, fear not, &c.} He appeared to be in a fright; which is not to be wondered at, as not knowing what to do, and where to go and provide for his fafety; when to allay his fears, and make him eafy, David invites and encourages him to ftay with him, and not be afraid of Sau/, nor any other: for he that feeketh my life, /eeketh thy life, or, as Kimchi obferves, it may be noticejinterpreted, my life be feeks, who feeks thy life; we are in the fame circumftances, and have the fame common enemy, and therefore it is beft and fafeft to be together; as the Targum, ** he that feeks to kill me, feeks to kill thee;” and as archi adds, he that loves me, will love thee, and he that keeps my life, will keep thine: but with me thou fhalt afe-guard; intimating, that he would be as and that for this rea- {on, as Ben Gerfom fuggefts, becaufe he brought the Ephod with the Urim and Thummim with him, by which he could enquire of God for him; but this was the thing David was confident of, that God would preferve him, and raife him to the kingdom, and therefore 4diathar might be fure of fafety with him: at this time he penned the 524 pfalm, which fhows the frame of fpirit he was now in. -
HIS chapter gives an account of Davia’s relieving Keilah, when it had like to have fallen into the hands of the Philiftines, ¥. 1—6. and of Saul’s defign to furprize him there, which ‘David having notice of, and enquiring of the Lord, departed from thence; which when Sau/ heard of, he forbore to come forth, ¥. 7—13. and of David’s being in the wildernefs of Ziph, where, in a
¥. 14—18. and of the Ziphites offering to deliver him up to Saul, for which he commends them, and gives them inftruétions how they fhould be- — have to him in that affair, ¥. 19—23. and of {eeking him in the wildernefs of Adaon, where David and his men were in great danger of being taken; which was, prevented by the news of the — Pbiliftines invading\the land coming to Saul juft at wood there he had an interview with Yonathan, the nick of time, ¥. 24—29.
¥. 1. Then they told David, &c.] Either the men of Keilab fent to. him, being near them, or fome well-wifhers of theirs, and of their country, acquainted him with their cafe: Jebold, the Philiftines Jight egainft Keilab, had laid fiege to it, being a fortified place, ¥. 7. it was a city in the tribe of Judah, on the borders of the Philiftines; of which fee the note on o/b. xv. 44. and they rob the thre b- ing-floors; took away the corn upon them, which they_were threfhing and winnowing, which were ufually done without the city for the fake of wind, fee Fudg. vi. 11. Ruth. iii. 2, 15. it was harvetttime when the three mighty men came to David in the cave of Adullam, and {fo now it might be the time of threfhing, harveft being over, fee ch. xxii. 1, compared with 2 Sam. xxiii. 13.
-¥.2. Therefore David enquired of the Lord, faying, foall I go and {mite thefe Philiftines? &c. Yor though David was well difpofed to ferve his country, and was defirous of freeing them from their but for the fake of his men, and to remove the doubts and fears that hung on their minds: ahd the Lord anfwered bim and Jaid, arife, go down td Keilab; immediately, make no ftay, nor hefitate about it, but go with all hafte to the relief of the place: for I will deliver the Philiftines into thine hands, which is ftill more explicit, and is a promule not only of delivering Ker/ab out of the hands of the Pdiliftines, but of delivering them into David’s hands, and fo of an entire victory; and therefore none of David’s men had any thing to fear. after fuch a declaration of thé will of God.
¥. 5. So David and his men went to Keilab, &c.] Animated by a commiliion from God, and a promife of fuccefs by him: and fought with the Philiftines; encamped before Keilah: and brought away their cattle; which they had brought with them for the fupport of their army; or having routed them, they purfued them into their own country, and brought off their cattle from thence: and enemies the Pdiliftines, he might have fomeé doubts /mote them with a great flaughter; killed great in his mind whether it would be right for him to engage with them now; partly becaufe' he could not act under a commiffion from his prince, Seu/ the king; and partly becaufe he had fuch a {mall number of forces with him, that it might be hazardous for him to attack the armies of the PAili -.
_ tines with them, and attempt to raife the fiege of Keilab, and therefore he thought it advifeable, as doubtlefs it was; to enquire of the Lord what was his mind and will in this matter: how and by what means he enquired, it is not faid, very probably it was by the prophet Gad, who was with him, ch. xxii. 5. for as for Abiathar, he was not yet come with the Ephod, the Urim and Thummim, to enquire by them, y. 6. though fome think that is obferved there to fhew in what way David did enquire, namely, by Urim and Thummim; and fo Kimehi and Abarbinel underftand it; and it is fuppofed that he came to David when he was about Keilah, and near unto it, and fo before he came thither, and time enough for him to enquire by him, whether he fhould go thither or no: and the Lord faid unto David, go, and fmite the Philiftines, and fave Keilab, which was not only giving him leave to go, and fignifying it was his mind and will he fhould; but that he fhould_be fuccefsful, and rout the Philiftines, and raife the fiege of Keilah, and fave the city from falling into their hands. y¥. 3. And David's men faid unto him, behold, we be afraid here in Judah, &c.] Of Saul and his army falling upon them, and crufhing them, tho’ they were in the tribe of Judah, where they had * many friends, and in the heart of that tribe: how much more then if we come to Keilab, which, tho” in the fame tribe, yet in the farther parts of it, and on the borders of the Philiftines: and there engage againft the armies of the Pbiliftines; too numerous and powerful for them, and fo by this means be driven out of their place of fafety, the foreft of Hareth, where they could hide themfelves upon occafion; to be expofed not only to the Ph:- liftines, betore them, on the edge of their country, from whence they could have fuccours eafily, but to Saul and his army behind them; and {fo being between two fires, would be in danger of being cut off.; ¥. 4. Then David enquired of the Lord yet again, &c.] Not for his own fake, who firmly believed it was the will of God he fhould go and fucceed, numbers of, them, and put the reft to fight: /e David faved the inhabitants of Keilab, trom falling into the hands of the Philijtines, by timely raifing the fiegé of the city.
¥. 6. And it came to pafs when Abiathar the fon of Abimelech fled to David to Keilab, &c.] Either when he was there, or near the place: that be came down with an ephod in bis band, not with a linen ephod on his back, which the priéfts in common wore, but the ephod with the Urim and Thummim in his hand, which was peculiar to the high-prieft; and his father the high-prieft being dead, it belonged to him, and therefore he took care to bring it with him; though the words may be literally rendered, the epbod came down in bis hand *, as it were by chance, and not with defign; and fo fothe Fewi/h interpreters ’ underftand ir, that in his fright and flight, among his garments and other things he took hold of to carry with him, and not minding well what he took, this happened to be, being fo ordered by the providence, of God; tho’ the Yargum renders it, ‘* the ephod he made to defcend in his hand,” or brought it in his hand; and fo Kimchi and Abarbinel obferve it may be interpreted, though they feem to incline to the other fenfe.
¥. 7: And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah, &c.| No doubt it was told him what he came thither for, to relieve it, and deliver it out of the hands of the Piliftines, and what fuccefs he had; which one would have thought would have reconciled his mind to him, and made him think well of them; but inftead of that, it only led him to contrive mifchief againft him: and Saul faid, God hath delivered him into mine hand; asif the fuccefs he had given to David was again{ft him, and in favour of Saul: for he is fout in, by entring into a town that bath gates and bars; whilft he betook himfelf to caves, and fields, and woods, he had no great hopes of finding him out, and coming up with him, and feizing him; but now he had got into a fortified place, enclofed with walls, and that had gates to it, kept bolted and barred; when he brought his army againft it, and furrounded it, he imagined hé would not be able to get out, and efcape his hands.
¥. 8. And Saul called all the people together to war, &c.] Or caufed them to bear™, fummoned them by an herald, whorh he fent into all parts of fo Tiguriue verfion and Pifcator.
the kingdom to proclaim war, and require them in his name to attend him; which was the preroyative of a king to do: ¢o go down to Keilab, to Gofege David and his men, that was what he privately intended, but the pretence was to make war againtt the Hbiliftines.
¥.9. And David knew that Saul fecretly prattifed mifchief againft him, &c.] That is, plotted and} ‘holds, &c.| In the wildernefs of Zip, in high and ftrong rocks there, as it feems to be explained ‘by what tollows > and remained in a mountain in the contrived it, formed fchemes in order to do him mifchief, giving out one thing, and defigning another; fo he pretended war againft. the Pilijtines, but his intention was to come againft Keilah, and take David there: and he faid to Abiathar the prieft, bring hither the epbod; not for David to put on, but for the prieft himfelf, that being clothed with it, and the Urim and Thummim in it, he might enquire for him of the Lord.
¥. 10. Then faid David, &c.] By the prieft, for it was he that put the queftions for and in the name of the enquirer: O Lord God of Ifrael; the great Jehovah, the Covenant-God of his people, who always has a merciful regard unto them: ty fervant hath certainly beard, had good information of it, on which he could depend: shat Saul
SAMUEL, Ch.xxiiiig—17,
fafety and fecurity, be. it where it would: and “® was told Saul that David was efcaped from Keilab, lvery likely fome of the inhabitants informed hi of it, fince they were difpoféd to deliver David come down: and he forbore to go forth, from the — him, had he ftayed among them, and Saul place where he was, in order to come to Keilab, y¥. 14. And David abode in-the wilderne/s in firong wilderne/s of Ziph; which had its name from a - city in the tribe of Fudah, of which fee the note fon Fofo. xv. 55. and Saul fought him every day, for though he did not go forth from the place where he was to Kei/ab, yet hearing which way he went, and whereabout he lurked, he fought after him continually, if haply he might find him: dut Ged delivered him not into his hand; which fuggetts,
‘that it was only the providence of God that fecured him, or, in all probability, fuch was the diligence of Saul, that he would have found him out, and he muft have fallen into his hands, as he expected. ¥.15. And David faw that Saul was come out to
~ feeketh to come to Keilab; that was-his intention and [/eek his life, &c.] Either he faw him with his bo- refolution: to deftroy the city for my fake; to befiege it, and demolifh it, if that was neceffary, in order to take him.
ye 11. Will the men of Keilab deliver me up into his hands? will Saul come down as thy fervant hath Deard? &c.] ‘That is, if David continued there, which is the fuppofition all proceeds upon. The queftions are not orderly put, as may eafily be obferved, the laft fhould have been firft; which fhows fome perturbation of mind David was in upon hearing the defign. of Sau] againft him: O Lord God of Irael, I befeech thee, tell thy fervant, give an anfwer by Urim and Thummim, as he did: and the Lord faid, he will come down; if David abode there; that was in his thoughts, in his purpofe and defign, which the, Lord, being omnifcient, full well knew, who knows all future con- tingencies: hence the Zews" gather, that two things.
are not to be afked together; and if they are afked, only anfwer is made to one, and the anfwer is only made to that which it was proper to afk firft; and that which is afked cut of order fhould be afked again, which was the cafe here, as follows.
¥. 12. Then faid David, will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? &c.]| That is, the lords and great men of the place, the governor of the city, and the heads of it, the chief magiftrates in it: and the Lord faid, they will deliver thee up; that is, provided he-ftayed there; for the Lord knew the difpofitions and affections of their minds, that they were inclined to do it, and would do it, if he continued among them till Saul came down; which fhewed the great ingratitude of this people to their deliverer.
about 600, &c.] Having had an increafe of 200 fince he was at the cave of Adullam, and upon his relief of Keilab; fo that he fuftained no lofs of men by fighting with the Phiijtines, but had an addition to his fmall forces: arofe and departed out of Keilab, and went whitherfoever they could go; not knowing whither they fhould go, having no par-| ticular place in view; but went where they thought they could be fafeft, or that appeared the moft pro. per place for them; fo the Targum, “ they went to a place which was fit to go unto;” which was fitteft for their purpofe, and moft for their
-dily eyes from the top of the mountain where he was, ¥.14. or he perceived, he underftood by informations given him by his friends, it may be by Jonathan, or by fpies he fent to obferve his motions = and David was in the wildernefs of Ziph in a wood; where he and his men could hide themielves among: the trees in it; fometimes he was in a mountain in this wildernefs, and fometimes in a wood, where he thought himfelf the fafeft; thus was this great
-man obliged to fhift about for his fafety.
¥. 16. And Jonathan Saul’s fon arofe, cc.} And came from Gideah, which, according to Bunting °, was 22 miles from the place where David was: and went to David into the wood; having had intelligence where he was, this being a proper placé to have an interview with him privately: and
Strengthened his hand in God; and his heart too, his hand of faith to lay hold on God, as his Covenant-God, and lean and rely upon him; he ftrengthened him in his power, and in his providence, and in his promifes to him; the Targum is, “ he ftrengthened him in the Word of the Lord;” not only in his word and promife, but in
Chrift the effential Word of God, who fhould ©
{pring from him according to the flefh. ¥.17. And he faid unto hin, fear not, &c.| Diftruft not the power, providence and promifes of God, nor dread the wrath of Sau/, or fear ip
‘into his hands: for the band of Saul my father Jha not find thee; to lay hold on him, feize him, and do him any hurt: and thow fhalt be king over Ifrael; meaning after the death of his father; which he knew either by fome fpecial revelation made to him; or rather by being informed he: had been | anointed by Samael, and which he had either frons Samuel or from David himfelf; and this he moft a condition: end I fhall be next unto thee, not fuc- firmly believed, though David was nowin folow
_“¥. 18. And tBey two made a covenant before the Lord, &c.|} Renewed the covenant they had before made in the name and fear of God, and before him as a withefs of it. Kimchi and Abarbinel interpret this phrafe, before the Lord, of the covenant being made before Adiathar, with the Urim and Thummim in his hand; and fo Yerom?, before Gad the prophet, and Adiathar who wore the ephod: and David abode in the wood; being a proper place for him for fecrecy and fafety: and Jonathan went to his boufe; in Gibeab; and thefe two dear and cordial friends never faw one another more, as is highly probable.
¥. 19.. Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gtbeabh, &c.} Who though he had been out in queft of David, yet was now returned to Gibeab, the place of his refidence, and where he kept his court;
and hither came the Zépbites, the inhabitants of
Ziph, in the wildernefs of which David hid’ himfelf, with a propofal to deliver him to Saul; for though they were of the fame tribe with David, yet being terrified with what Saul had done to Nob, they thought it beft for their own fecurity to inform Sau/ where he was, and make an offer to deliver him to him. Some interpreters, as Kimchi, think, that this was done before Fonuathan was with Saul, and fhould be rendered, the Zipbites had come up to Saul; and hence it is before faid, and David jaw, &c. for he had heard that the Ziphites fhould fay to Saul, that David had hid himfelf there, and at this time it was ‘that David wrote the 59th palm: faying, doth not David hide himfelf with us in the firong holds in the wood which is in the wildernefs of Zzph, in their neighbourhood; they were informed he had hid bimfelf there, and they thought it their duty to let the king know of it: and particularly in the bill of Hachilah, on the fouth of Selbimon 2? Hachilab is by Ferom* called Echela, and he fpeaks of a village of that name. feven miles from Eleutheropolis, and of Fefbimon as ten miles from Jericho to the fouth, near the dead fea; on the top of this hill, which was an afcent of 30 furlongs, Fonathan the high-prieft built a caftle, and called it Ma/ada, often fpoken of by Fo ephus;
who fays *, that Hered built a wall about it of feven furlongs, twelve cubits high, and eight broad, and thirty-feven towers of fifty cubits ftood in it, y. 20. Now therefore, O king, come down, &c.] From Gibeah to Ziph, and the wildernefs of it, where David was: according to all the defires of thy foul to come down, tofeize fach a prey which he was greatly defirous of, and of nothing more fo than of that. According to arbinel, the fenfe is, that the thing was ready in whatever way he fhould defire it; if he chofe to come down himfelf, and lay hold on him, they invite him to come down; but if he did not chufe to come down himfelf, they would feize him, and bring him to him, and deliver him up into his hand, and fo he would be under no neceflity of going down after him: ‘avd our part hall be to deliver him into the king’s hand, this we will take upon us to do, and fave the king the trouble GEORDIE: COMM oss lh) acim 3) dprid' bailey ~ ¥.21. And Saul Jaid, bleffed be. ye of the Lord, _&c.]..He highly commends them for the _ offer the troubles he met with from his fon-in-law, were’ forry for him, and fympathized with him, which others did ‘not, of which he complained, chap. XXii. 8.
things in a greater readinefs for him; enquire more diligently after David, get more intelligence of him, and inform themfelves more exaétly about him: and know and fee his place where bis baunt is; or foot * is, where that fteps and walks moft frequently; not only get knowledge of it by information, but if they could get fight of it with their own eyes, that they might defcribe it more exattly: and who hath feen him there; not only feen the place, but him in the place, and that often, that it may be certain it is the place he ufually reforts ° to: for it is told me that he dealeth very fubtilly; fometimes he is feen in one place, and fometimes in another; he is here to-day, and elfewhere tomorrow; and by fuch crafty methods it is not eafy to know where the place is, and where to be found;
this Sau/ had information of from fome, who knew the methods David took to keep it unknown where it was; or it fays to me my heart fays fo to me, as R. Jaiah interprets it, my mind fuggetts this to me, knowing the man, that he ufes fuch wiles as thele: or be faid to me, fo Kimchi, when he was with me, and we were intimate, when I ufed to afk him how he fmote the Philiftines, fo and fo, and preferved himfelf from them; his anfwer was, that he dealt very fubtilly, he ufed a good deal of craftinefs; and fo I imagine he does now.
¥. 23. See therefore, and take knowledge of all the
lurking places where be hideth himfelf, &c.] Which he moft frequents, that ye may be able to defcribe them, and the way to them, and eafily find them when neceffary.: aid come ye again to me with the certainty; of time and place, when and where he may be certainly found: aud I will go with you;
upon fuch certain intelligence: it is very much he did not feize this opportunity, and go direétly with them; for by this delay, David being informed of the Zipbites coming to Saul] to betray him, had time to depart elfewhere: aud it shall come to pafs, if he be in the land; in the land of J/rael, or rather in the land that is in the tribe of Fudab: that I will fearch bim throughout all the thoufands of Fudab; through all the divifions of that tribe, which, as others, were divided into thoufands, fee Mic.
¥. 24. And they arofe, and went to Ziph, before
Saul, &c.] Not before his perfon, as if -he went with them,.and they before him leading the way;
but they went thither before he went, to prepare things more exactly, and with more certainty, before he came, and in order to return to him again and go with hin: 2ut- David and his men were in the wildernefs of Maon; for by the time the Zipbites returned home, David had intelligence of their defign, and therefore removed from the wildernefs of Ziph to the, wildernefs, of Mgon; which though in the fame tribe, was.a diftinét place; fee the note on, Fofh.. xv..55. in the plain on the’ fouth of Fefbi~ mon the fame as in ¥.19. only David was now they made to him, blefles God for them, and de- ‘fires the bleffing of Ged upon, them for.it: for ye bave compaffion on me; pitied him.on account. of farther to the fouth of it, “and in a plain, whereas before he was on an hill,,
¥.25. And Saul alfo and his men went to feek him, &c.] Whether the Zipbites returned to him with better intelligence, or fent him word where Davia was, is not faid, however Sau/ with his army came out in fearch of him: and they told David; or it was told him, that Sau/'was come in queft of him: wherefore he came down into a rock; either into a cave, in it, or he came down from the hill Hachilab toa plain or valley, in order to go up to a rock, the fame with the mountain in the next verfe: and abode in the wildernefs of Maon, in which was the rock or mountain he came to: and when Saul heard that, be purfued after David in the wildernefs of Maon; for upon the intelligence of the Ziphites, he came out to feek for him in the wildernefs of Ziph, but hearing that he was removed to the wildernefs of M4aon, he purfued him there.
y¥. 26. And Saul went on this fide of the mountain, and David and his men on that fide of the mountain, &c.| Saul with his army came to the very mountain where David and his men were, the One was on one fide of it, and the other on the other fide; there was only one mountain between