498 lines
36 KiB
XML
498 lines
36 KiB
XML
<div2 id="iiSam.ii" n="ii" next="iiSam.iii" prev="iiSam.i" progress="39.37%" title="Chapter I">
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<h2 id="iiSam.ii-p0.1">S E C O N D S A M U E L</h2>
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<h3 id="iiSam.ii-p0.2">CHAP. I.</h3>
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<p class="intro" id="iiSam.ii-p1">In the close of the foregoing book (with which
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this is connected as a continuation of the same history) we had
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Saul's exit; he went down slain to the pit, though he was the
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terror of the mighty in the land of the living. We are now to look
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towards the rising sun, and to enquire where David is, and what he
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is doing. In this chapter we have, I. Tidings brought him to Ziklag
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of the death of Saul and Jonathan, by an Amalekite, who undertook
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to give him a particular narrative of it, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.1-2Sam.1.10" parsed="|2Sam|1|1|1|10" passage="2Sa 1:1-10">ver. 1-10</scripRef>. II. David's sorrowful reception
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of these tidings, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.11-2Sam.1.12" parsed="|2Sam|1|11|1|12" passage="2Sa 1:11,12">ver. 11,
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12</scripRef>. III. Justice done upon the messenger, who boasted
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that he had helped Saul to dispatch himself, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.13-2Sam.1.16" parsed="|2Sam|1|13|1|16" passage="2Sa 1:13-16">ver. 13-16</scripRef>. IV. An elegy which David
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penned upon this occasion, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.17-2Sam.1.27" parsed="|2Sam|1|17|1|27" passage="2Sa 1:17-27">ver.
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17-27</scripRef>. And in all this David's breast appears very
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happily free from the sparks both of revenge and ambition, and he
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observes a very suitable demeanour.</p>
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<scripCom id="iiSam.ii-p0.1_1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1" parsed="|2Sam|1|0|0|0" passage="2Sa 1" type="Commentary"/>
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<scripCom id="iiSam.ii-p0.2_1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.1-2Sam.1.10" parsed="|2Sam|1|1|1|10" passage="2Sa 1:1-10" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:2Sam.1.1-2Sam.1.10">
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<h4 id="iiSam.ii-p1.7">David's Concern at Saul's
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Fate. (<span class="smallcaps" id="iiSam.ii-p1.8">b. c.</span> 1055.)</h4>
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<p class="passage" id="iiSam.ii-p2">1 Now it came to pass after the death of Saul,
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when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and
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David had abode two days in Ziklag; 2 It came even to pass
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on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from
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Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and <i>so</i>
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it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did
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obeisance. 3 And David said unto him, From whence comest
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thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped.
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4 And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee,
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tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle,
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and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and
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Jonathan his son are dead also. 5 And David said unto the
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young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan
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his son be dead? 6 And the young man that told him said, As
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I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon
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his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after
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him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called
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unto me. And I answered, Here <i>am</i> I. 8 And he said
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unto me, Who <i>art</i> thou? And I answered him, I <i>am</i> an
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Amalekite. 9 He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon
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me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life
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<i>is</i> yet whole in me. 10 So I stood upon him, and slew
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him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was
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fallen: and I took the crown that <i>was</i> upon his head, and the
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bracelet that <i>was</i> on his arm, and have brought them hither
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unto my lord.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p3">Here is, I. David settling again in Ziklag,
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his own city, after he had rescued his family and friends out of
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the hands of the Amalekites (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p3.1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.1" parsed="|2Sam|1|1|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:1"><i>v.</i>
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1</scripRef>): He <i>abode in Ziklag.</i> Thence he was now sending
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presents to his friends (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p3.2" osisRef="Bible:1Sam.30.26" parsed="|1Sam|30|26|0|0" passage="1Sa 30:26">1 Sam. xxx.
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26</scripRef>), and there he was ready to receive those that came
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into his interests; not men in distress and debt, as his first
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followers were, but persons of quality in their country, <i>mighty
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men, men of war,</i> and <i>captains of thousands</i> (as we find,
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<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p3.3" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.12.1 Bible:1Chr.12.8 Bible:1Chr.12.20" parsed="|1Chr|12|1|0|0;|1Chr|12|8|0|0;|1Chr|12|20|0|0" passage="1Ch 12:1,8,20">1 Chron. xii. 1, 8,
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20</scripRef>); such came day by day to him, God stirring up their
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hearts to do so, till he had a <i>great host, like the host of
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God,</i> as it is said, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p3.4" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.12.22" parsed="|1Chr|12|22|0|0" passage="1Ch 12:22">1 Chron. xii.
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22</scripRef>. The secret springs of revolutions are unaccountable,
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and must be resolved into that Providence which turns all hearts as
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the rivers of water.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p4">II. Intelligence brought him thither of the
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death of Saul. It was strange that he did not leave some spies
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about the camp, to bring him early notice of the issue of the
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engagement, a sign that he desired not Saul's woeful day, nor was
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impatient to come to the throne, but willing to wait till those
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tidings were brought to him which many a one would have sent more
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than half-way to meet. He that believes does not make haste, takes
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good news when it comes and is not uneasy while it is in the
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coming. 1. The messenger presents himself to David as an express,
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in the posture of a mourner for the deceased prince and a subject
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to the succeeding one. He came with his clothes rent, and made
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obeisance to David (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p4.1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.2" parsed="|2Sam|1|2|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:2"><i>v.</i>
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2</scripRef>), pleasing himself with the fancy that he had the
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honour to be the first that did him homage as his sovereign, but it
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proved he was the first that received from him sentence of death as
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his judge. He told David he came from the camp of Israel, and
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intimated the bad posture it was in when he said he had escaped out
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of it, having much ado to get away with his life, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p4.2" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.3" parsed="|2Sam|1|3|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:3"><i>v.</i> 3</scripRef>. 2. He gives him a general
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account of the issue of the battle. David was very desirous to know
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how the matter went, as one that had more reason than any to be
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concerned for the public; and he told him very distinctly that the
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army of Israel was routed, many slain, and, among the rest, Saul
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and Jonathan, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p4.3" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.4" parsed="|2Sam|1|4|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:4"><i>v.</i> 4</scripRef>.
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He named only Saul and Jonathan, because he knew David would be
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most solicitous to know their fate; for Saul was the man whom he
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most feared and Jonathan the man whom he most loved. 3. He gives
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him a more particular account of the death of Saul. It is probable
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that David had heard, by the report of others, what the issue of
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the war was, for multitudes resorted to him, it should seem, in
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consequence; but he was desirous to know the certainty of the
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report concerning Saul and Jonathan, either because he was not
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forward to believe it or because he would not proceed upon it to
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make his own claims till he was fully assured of it. He therefore
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asks, <i>How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan are dead?</i> in
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answer to which the young man tells him a very ready story, putting
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it past doubt that Saul was dead, for he himself had been not only
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an eye-witness of his death, but an instrument of it, and therefore
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David might rely upon his testimony. He says nothing, in his
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narrative, of the death of Jonathan, knowing how ungrateful that
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would be to David, but accounts only for Saul, thinking (as David
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understood it well enough, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p4.4" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.4.10" parsed="|2Sam|4|10|0|0" passage="2Sa 4:10"><i>ch.</i>
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iv. 10</scripRef>) that he should be welcome for that, and rewarded
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as one that brought good tidings. The account he gives of this
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matter is, (1.) Very particular. That he happened to go to the
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place where Saul was (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p4.5" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.6" parsed="|2Sam|1|6|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:6"><i>v.</i>
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6</scripRef>) as a passenger, not as a soldier, and therefore an
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indifferent person, that he found Saul endeavouring to run himself
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through with his own spear, none of his attendants being willing to
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do it for him; and, it seems, he could not do it dexterously for
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himself: his hand and heart failed him. The miserable man had not
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courage enough either to live or die; he therefore called this
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stranger to him (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p4.6" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.7" parsed="|2Sam|1|7|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:7"><i>v.</i>
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7</scripRef>), enquired what countryman he was, for, provided he
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was not a Philistine, he would gladly receive from his hand the
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<i>coup de grace</i> (as the French call it concerning those that
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are broken on the wheel)—<i>the merciful stroke,</i> that might
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dispatch him out of his pain. Understanding that he was an
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Amalekite (neither one of his subjects nor one of his enemies), he
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begs this favour from him (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p4.7" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.9" parsed="|2Sam|1|9|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:9"><i>v.</i>
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9</scripRef>): <i>Stand upon me, and slay me.</i> He is now sick of
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his dignity and willing to be trampled upon, sick of his life and
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willing to be slain. Who then would be inordinately fond of life or
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honour? The case may he such, even with those that have no hope in
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their death, that yet they may <i>desire to die, and death flee
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from them,</i> <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p4.8" osisRef="Bible:Rev.9.6" parsed="|Rev|9|6|0|0" passage="Re 9:6">Rev. ix. 6</scripRef>.
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<i>Anguish has come upon me;</i> so we read it, as a complaint of
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the pain and terror his spirit was seized with. If his conscience
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now brought to mind the javelin he had cast at David, his pride,
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malice, and perfidiousness, and especially the murder of the
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priests, no marvel that anguish came upon him: moles (they say)
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open their eyes when they are dying. Sense of unpardoned guilt will
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make death indeed the king of terrors. Those that have baffled
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their convictions will perhaps, in their dying moments, be
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overpowered by them. The margin reads it as a complaint of the
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inconvenience of his clothes; that his coat of mail which he had
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for defence, or his embroidered coat which he had for ornament,
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hindered him, that he could not get the spear far enough into his
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body, or so straitened him, now that his body swelled with anguish,
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that he could not expire. Let no man's clothes be his pride, for it
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may so happen that they may be his burden and snare. "Hereupon,"
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saith our young man, "<i>I stood upon him, and slew him</i>"
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(<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p4.9" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.10" parsed="|2Sam|1|10|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:10"><i>v.</i> 10</scripRef>) at which
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word, perhaps, he observed David look upon him with some show of
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displeasure, and therefore he excuses himself in the next words:
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"<i>For I was sure he could not live;</i> his life was whole in him
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indeed, but he would certainly have fallen into the hands of the
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Philistines or given himself another thrust." (2.) It is doubtful
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whether this story be true. If it be, the righteousness of God is
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to be observed, that Saul, who spared the Amalekites in contempt of
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the divine command, received his death's wound from an Amalekite.
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But most interpreters think that it was false, and that, though he
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might happen to be present, yet he was not assisting in the death
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of Saul, but told David so in expectation that he would reward him
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for it, as having done him a piece of good service. Those who would
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rejoice at the fall of an enemy are apt to measure others by
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themselves, and to think that they will do so too. But a man after
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God's own heart is not to be judged of by common men. I am not
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clear whether this young man's story was true or no: it may consist
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with the narrative in the chapter before, and be an addition to it,
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as Peter's account of the death of Judas (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p4.10" osisRef="Bible:Acts.1.18" parsed="|Acts|1|18|0|0" passage="Ac 1:18">Acts i. 18</scripRef>) is to the narrative, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p4.11" osisRef="Bible:Matt.27.5" parsed="|Matt|27|5|0|0" passage="Mt 27:5">Matt. xxvii. 5</scripRef>. What is there called
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<i>a sword</i> may here be called <i>a spear,</i> or when he fell
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upon his sword he leaned on his spear. (3.) However he produced
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that which was proof sufficient of the death of Saul, the crown
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that was upon his head and the bracelet that was on his arm. It
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should seem Saul was so foolishly fond of these as to wear them in
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the field of battle, which made him a fair mark for the archers, by
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distinguishing him from those about him; but as <i>pride</i> (we
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say) <i>feels no cold,</i> so it fears no danger, from that which
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gratifies it. These fell into the hands of this Amalekite. Saul
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spared the best of their spoil, and now the best of his came to one
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of that devoted nation. He brought them to David, as the rightful
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owner of them now that Saul was dead, not doubting but by his
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officiousness herein to recommend himself to the best preferments
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in his court or camp. The tradition of the Jews is that this
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Amalekite was the son of Doeg (for the Amalekites were descendants
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from Edom), and that Doeg, who they suppose was Saul's
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armour-bearer, before he slew himself gave Saul's crown and
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bracelet (the ensigns of his royalty) to his son, and bade him
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carry them to David, to curry favour with him. But this is a
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groundless conceit. Doeg's son, it is likely, was so well known to
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Saul that he needed not ask him as he did this Amalekite (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p4.12" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.8" parsed="|2Sam|1|8|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:8"><i>v.</i> 8</scripRef>), <i>Who art thou?</i>
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David had been long waiting for the crown, and now it was brought
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to him by an Amalekite. See how God can serve his own purposes of
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kindness to his people, even by designing (ill-designing) men, who
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aim at nothing but to set up themselves.</p>
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</div><scripCom id="iiSam.ii-p0.3" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.11-2Sam.1.16" parsed="|2Sam|1|11|1|16" passage="2Sa 1:11-16" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:2Sam.1.11-2Sam.1.16">
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<p class="passage" id="iiSam.ii-p5">11 Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent
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them; and likewise all the men that <i>were</i> with him: 12
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And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and
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for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the <span class="smallcaps" id="iiSam.ii-p5.1">Lord</span>, and for the house of Israel; because they
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were fallen by the sword. 13 And David said unto the young
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man that told him, Whence <i>art</i> thou? And he answered, I
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<i>am</i> the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. 14 And David
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said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand
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to destroy the <span class="smallcaps" id="iiSam.ii-p5.2">Lord</span>'s anointed?
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15 And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near,
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<i>and</i> fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. 16
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And David said unto him, Thy blood <i>be</i> upon thy head; for thy
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mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the <span class="smallcaps" id="iiSam.ii-p5.3">Lord</span>'s anointed.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p6">Here is, I. David's reception of these
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tidings. So far was he from falling into a transport of joy, as the
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Amalekite expected, that he fell into a passion of weeping, <i>rent
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his clothes</i> (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p6.1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.11" parsed="|2Sam|1|11|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:11"><i>v.</i>
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11</scripRef>), <i>mourned and fasted</i> (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p6.2" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.12" parsed="|2Sam|1|12|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:12"><i>v.</i> 12</scripRef>), not only for his people Israel
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and Jonathan his friend but for Saul his enemy. This he did, not
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only as a man of honour, in observance of that decorum which
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forbids us to insult over those that are fallen, and requires us to
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attend our relations to the grave with respect, whatever we lost by
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their life or got by their death, but as a good man and a man of
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conscience, that had forgiven the injuries Saul had done him and
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bore him no malice. He knew it, before his son wrote it (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p6.3" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.17-Prov.24.18" parsed="|Prov|24|17|24|18" passage="Pr 24:17,18">Prov. xxiv. 17, 18</scripRef>), that if we
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<i>rejoice when our enemy falls the Lord sees it, and it displeases
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him;</i> and that <i>he who is glad at calamities shall not go
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unpunished,</i> <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p6.4" osisRef="Bible:Prov.17.5" parsed="|Prov|17|5|0|0" passage="Pr 17:5">Prov. xvii.
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5</scripRef>. By this it appears that those passages in David's
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psalms which express his desire of, and triumph in, the ruin of his
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enemies, proceeded not from a spirit of revenge, nor any irregular
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passion, but from a holy zeal for the glory of God and the public
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good; for by what he did here, when he heard of Saul's death, we
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may perceive that his natural temper was very tender, and that he
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was kindly affected even to those that hated him. He was very
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sincere, no question, in his mourning for Saul, and it was not
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pretended, or a copy of his countenance only. His passion was so
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strong, on this occasion, that it moved those about him; <i>all
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that were with him,</i> at least in complaisance to him, <i>rent
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their clothes,</i> and they <i>fasted till even,</i> in token of
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their sorrow; and probably it was a religious fast: they humbled
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themselves under the hand of God, and prayed for the repairing of
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the breaches made upon Israel by this defeat.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p7">II. The reward he gave to him that brought
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him the tidings. Instead of preferring him, he put him to death,
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judged him out of his own mouth, as a murderer of his prince, and
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ordered him to be forthwith executed for the same. What a surprise
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was this to the messenger, who thought he should have favour shown
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him for his pains. In vain did he plead that he had Saul's order
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for it, that it was a real kindness to him, that he must inevitably
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have died; all those pleas are overruled: "<i>Thy mouth has
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testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord's
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anointed</i> (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p7.1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.16" parsed="|2Sam|1|16|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:16"><i>v.</i>
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16</scripRef>), therefore thou must die." Now,</p>
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<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p8">1. David herein did not do unjustly. For,
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(1.) The man was an Amalekite. This, lest he should have mistaken
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it in his narrative, he made him own a second time, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p8.1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.13" parsed="|2Sam|1|13|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:13"><i>v.</i> 13</scripRef>. That nation, and all
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that belonged to it, were doomed to destruction, so that, in
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slaying him, David did what his predecessor should have done and
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was rejected for not doing. (2.) He did himself confess the crime,
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so that the evidence was, by the consent of all laws, sufficient to
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convict him; for every man is presumed to make the best of himself.
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If he did as he said, he deserved to die for treason (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p8.2" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.14" parsed="|2Sam|1|14|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:14"><i>v.</i> 14</scripRef>), doing that which, it
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is probable, he heard Saul's own armour-bearer refuse to do; if
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not, yet by boasting that he had done it he plainly showed that if
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there had been occasion he would have done it, and would have made
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nothing of it; and, by boasting of it to David, he showed what
|
||
opinion he had of him, that he would rejoice in it, as one
|
||
altogether like himself, which was an intolerable affront to him
|
||
who had himself once and again refused to <i>stretch forth his hand
|
||
against the Lord's anointed.</i> And his lying to David, if indeed
|
||
it was a lie, was highly criminal, and proved, as sooner or later
|
||
that sin will prove, lying against his own head.</p>
|
||
<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p9">2. He did honourably and well. Hereby he
|
||
demonstrated the sincerity of his grief, discouraged all others
|
||
from thinking by doing the like to ingratiate themselves with him,
|
||
and did that which might probably oblige the house of Saul and win
|
||
upon them, and recommend him to the people as one that was zealous
|
||
for public justice, without regard to his own private interest. We
|
||
may learn from it that to give assistance to any in murdering
|
||
themselves, directly or indirectly, if done wittingly, incurs the
|
||
guilt of blood, and that the lives of princes ought to be, in a
|
||
special manner, precious to us.</p>
|
||
</div><scripCom id="iiSam.ii-p0.4" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.17-2Sam.1.27" parsed="|2Sam|1|17|1|27" passage="2Sa 1:17-27" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:2Sam.1.17-2Sam.1.27">
|
||
<h4 id="iiSam.ii-p9.2">David's Lamentation for
|
||
Jonathan. (<span class="smallcaps" id="iiSam.ii-p9.3">b. c.</span> 1055.)</h4>
|
||
<p class="passage" id="iiSam.ii-p10">17 And David lamented with this lamentation over
|
||
Saul and over Jonathan his son: 18 (Also he bade them teach
|
||
the children of Judah <i>the use of</i> the bow: behold, <i>it
|
||
is</i> written in the book of Jasher.) 19 The beauty of
|
||
Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!
|
||
20 Tell <i>it</i> not in Gath, publish <i>it</i> not in the
|
||
streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
|
||
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 21 Ye
|
||
mountains of Gilboa, <i>let there be</i> no dew, neither <i>let
|
||
there be</i> rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the
|
||
shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, <i>as
|
||
though he had</i> not <i>been</i> anointed with oil. 22 From
|
||
the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of
|
||
Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
|
||
23 Saul and Jonathan <i>were</i> lovely and pleasant in
|
||
their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were
|
||
swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. 24 Ye
|
||
daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet,
|
||
with <i>other</i> delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your
|
||
apparel. 25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the
|
||
battle! O Jonathan, <i>thou wast</i> slain in thine high places.
|
||
26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very
|
||
pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful,
|
||
passing the love of women. 27 How are the mighty fallen, and
|
||
the weapons of war perished!</p>
|
||
<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p11">When David had rent his clothes, mourned,
|
||
and wept, and fasted, for the death of Saul, and done justice upon
|
||
him who made himself guilty of it, one would think he had made full
|
||
payment of the debt of honour he owed to his memory; yet this is
|
||
not all: we have here a poem he wrote on that occasion; for he was
|
||
a great master of his pen as well as of his sword. By this elegy he
|
||
designed both to express his own sorrow for this great calamity and
|
||
to impress the like on the minds of others, who ought to lay it to
|
||
heart. The putting of lamentations into poems made them, 1. The
|
||
more moving and affecting. The passion of the poet, or singer, is,
|
||
by this way, wonderfully communicated to the readers and hearers.
|
||
2. The more lasting. Thus they were made, not only to spread far,
|
||
but to continue long, from generation to generation. Those might
|
||
gain information by poems that would not read history. Here we
|
||
have,</p>
|
||
<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p12">I. The orders David gave with this elegy
|
||
(<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p12.1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.18" parsed="|2Sam|1|18|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:18"><i>v.</i> 18</scripRef>): <i>He bade
|
||
them teach the children of Judah</i> (his own tribe, whatever
|
||
others did) <i>the use of the bow,</i> either. 1. The bow used in
|
||
war. Not but that the children of Judah knew how to use the bow (it
|
||
was so commonly used in war, long before this, that the sword and
|
||
bow were put for all weapons of war, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p12.2" osisRef="Bible:Gen.48.22" parsed="|Gen|48|22|0|0" passage="Ge 48:22">Gen. xlviii. 22</scripRef>), but perhaps they had of
|
||
late made more use of slings, as David in killing Goliath, because
|
||
cheaper, and David would have them now to see the inconvenience of
|
||
these (for it was the archers of the Philistines that bore so hard
|
||
upon Saul, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p12.3" osisRef="Bible:1Sam.21.3" parsed="|1Sam|21|3|0|0" passage="1Sa 21:3">1 Sam. xxi. 3</scripRef>),
|
||
and to return more generally to the use of the bow, to exercise
|
||
themselves in this weapon, that they might be in a capacity to
|
||
avenge the death of their prince upon the Philistines, and to outdo
|
||
them at their own weapon. It was a pity but those that had such
|
||
good heads and hearts as the children of Judah should be well
|
||
armed. David hereby showed his authority over and concern for the
|
||
armies of Israel, and set himself to rectify the errors of the
|
||
former reign. But we find that the companies which had now come to
|
||
David to Ziklag were armed with bows (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p12.4" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.12.2" parsed="|1Chr|12|2|0|0" passage="1Ch 12:2">1 Chron. xii. 2</scripRef>); therefore, 2. Some
|
||
understand it either of some musical instrument called <i>a bow</i>
|
||
(to which he would have the mournful ditties sung) or of the elegy
|
||
itself: <i>He bade them teach the children of Judah Kesheth, the
|
||
bow,</i> that is, this song, which was so entitled for the sake of
|
||
Jonathan's bow, the achievements of which are here celebrated.
|
||
Moses commanded Israel to learn his song (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p12.5" osisRef="Bible:Deut.31.19" parsed="|Deut|31|19|0|0" passage="De 31:19">Deut. xxxi. 19</scripRef>), so David his. Probably he
|
||
bade the Levites teach them. It is <i>written in the book of
|
||
Jasher,</i> there it was kept upon record, and thence transcribed
|
||
into this history. That book was probably a collection of
|
||
state-poems; what is said to be written in that book (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p12.6" osisRef="Bible:Josh.10.13" parsed="|Josh|10|13|0|0" passage="Jos 10:13">Josh. x. 13</scripRef>) is also poetical, a
|
||
fragment of an historical poem. Even songs would be forgotten and
|
||
lost if they were not committed to writing, that best conservatory
|
||
of knowledge.</p>
|
||
<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p13">II. The elegy itself. It is not a divine
|
||
hymn, nor given by inspiration of God to be used in divine service,
|
||
nor is there any mention of God in it; but it is a human
|
||
composition, and therefore was inserted, not in the book of Psalms
|
||
(which, being of divine original, is preserved), but in the book of
|
||
Jasher, which, being only a collection of common poems, is long
|
||
since lost. This elegy proves David to have been,</p>
|
||
<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p14">1. A man of an excellent spirit, in four
|
||
things:—</p>
|
||
<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p15">(1.) He was very generous to Saul, his
|
||
sworn enemy. Saul was his father-in-law, his sovereign, and the
|
||
anointed of the Lord; and therefore, though he had done him a great
|
||
deal of wrong, David does not wreak his revenge upon his memory
|
||
when he is in his grave; but like a good man, and a man of honour,
|
||
[1.] He conceals his faults; and, though there was no preventing
|
||
their appearance in his history, yet they should not appear in this
|
||
elegy. Charity teaches us to make the best we can of every body and
|
||
to say nothing of those of whom we can say no good, especially when
|
||
they are gone. <i>De mortuis nil nisi bonum</i>—<i>Say nothing but
|
||
good concerning the dead.</i> We ought to deny ourselves the
|
||
satisfaction of making personal reflections upon those who have
|
||
been injurious to us, much more drawing their character thence, as
|
||
if every man must of necessity be a bad man that has done ill by
|
||
us. Let the corrupt part of the memory be buried with the corrupt
|
||
part of the man—earth to earth, ashes to ashes; let the blemish be
|
||
hidden and a veil drawn over the deformity. [2.] He celebrates that
|
||
which was praiseworthy in him. He does not commend him for that
|
||
which he was not, says nothing of his piety or fidelity. Those
|
||
funeral commendations which are gathered out of the spoils of truth
|
||
are not at all to the praise of those on whom they are bestowed,
|
||
but very much the dispraise of those who unjustly misplace them.
|
||
But he has this to say in honour of Saul himself, <i>First,</i>
|
||
That he was <i>anointed with oil</i> (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p15.1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.21" parsed="|2Sam|1|21|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:21"><i>v.</i> 21</scripRef>), the sacred oil, which
|
||
signified his elevation to, and qualification for, the government.
|
||
Whatever he was otherwise, the <i>crown of the anointing oil of his
|
||
God was upon him,</i> as is said of the high priest (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p15.2" osisRef="Bible:Lev.21.12" parsed="|Lev|21|12|0|0" passage="Le 21:12">Lev. xxi. 12</scripRef>), and on that account he
|
||
was to be honoured, because God, the fountain of honour, had
|
||
honoured him. <i>Secondly,</i> That he was a man of war, a
|
||
<i>mighty man</i> (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p15.3" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.19-2Sam.1.21" parsed="|2Sam|1|19|1|21" passage="2Sa 1:19-21"><i>v.</i>
|
||
19-21</scripRef>), that he had often been victorious over the
|
||
enemies of Israel and <i>vexed them whithersoever he turned,</i>
|
||
<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p15.4" osisRef="Bible:1Sam.14.47" parsed="|1Sam|14|47|0|0" passage="1Sa 14:47">1 Sam. xiv. 47</scripRef>. His
|
||
<i>sword returned not empty,</i> but satiated with blood and spoil,
|
||
<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p15.5" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.22" parsed="|2Sam|1|22|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:22"><i>v.</i> 22</scripRef>. His disgrace
|
||
and fall at last must not make his former successes and services to
|
||
be forgotten. Though his sun set under a cloud, time was when it
|
||
shone brightly. <i>Thirdly,</i> That take him with Jonathan he was
|
||
a man of a very agreeable temper, that recommended himself to the
|
||
affections of his subjects (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p15.6" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.23" parsed="|2Sam|1|23|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:23"><i>v.</i>
|
||
23</scripRef>): <i>Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant.</i>
|
||
Jonathan was always so, and Saul was so as long as he concurred
|
||
with him. Take them together, and in the pursuit of the enemy,
|
||
never were men more bold, more brave; they were <i>swifter than
|
||
eagles and stronger than lions.</i> Observe, Those that were most
|
||
fierce and fiery in the camp were no less sweet and lovely in the
|
||
court, as amiable to the subject as they were formidable to the
|
||
foe; a rare combination of softness and sharpness they had, which
|
||
makes any man's temper very happy. It may be understood of the
|
||
harmony and affection that for the most part subsisted between Saul
|
||
and Jonathan: they were lovely and pleasant one to another,
|
||
Jonathan a dutiful son, Saul an affectionate father; and therefore
|
||
dear to each other in their lives, and <i>in their death they were
|
||
not divided,</i> but kept close together in the stand they made
|
||
against the Philistines, and fell together in the same cause.
|
||
<i>Fourthly,</i> That he had enriched his country with the spoils
|
||
of conquered nations, and introduced a more splendid attire. When
|
||
they had a king like the nations, they must have clothes like the
|
||
nations; and herein he was, in a particular manner, obliging to his
|
||
female subjects, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p15.7" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.24" parsed="|2Sam|1|24|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:24"><i>v.</i>
|
||
24</scripRef>. The <i>daughters of Israel</i> he <i>clothed in
|
||
scarlet,</i> which was their delight.</p>
|
||
<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p16">(2.) He was very grateful to Jonathan, his
|
||
sworn friend. Besides the tears he shed over him, and the encomiums
|
||
he gives of him in common with Saul, he mentions him with some
|
||
marks of distinction (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p16.1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.25" parsed="|2Sam|1|25|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:25"><i>v.</i>
|
||
25</scripRef>): <i>O Jonathan! thou wast slain in thy high
|
||
places!</i> which (compared with <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p16.2" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.19" parsed="|2Sam|1|19|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:19"><i>v.</i> 19</scripRef>) intimates that he meant him by
|
||
<i>the beauty of Israel,</i> which, he there says, was slain upon
|
||
the high places. He laments Jonathan as his particular friend
|
||
(<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p16.3" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.26" parsed="|2Sam|1|26|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:26"><i>v.</i> 26</scripRef>): <i>My
|
||
brother, Jonathan;</i> not so much because of what he would have
|
||
been to him if he had lived, very serviceable no doubt in his
|
||
advancement to the throne and instrumental to prevent those long
|
||
struggles which, for want of his assistance, he had with the house
|
||
of Saul (had this been the only ground of his grief it would have
|
||
been selfish), but he lamented him for what he had been: "<i>Very
|
||
pleasant hast thou been unto me;</i> but that pleasantness is now
|
||
over, and <i>I am distressed for thee.</i>" He had reason to say
|
||
that Jonathan's love to him was wonderful; surely never was the
|
||
like, for a man to love one who he knew was to take the crown over
|
||
his head, and to be so faithful to his rival: this far surpassed
|
||
the highest degree of conjugal affection and constancy. See here,
|
||
[1.] That nothing is more delightful in this world than a true
|
||
friend, that is wise and good, that kindly receives and returns our
|
||
affection, and is faithful to us in all our true interests. [2.]
|
||
That nothing is more distressful than the loss of such a friend; it
|
||
is parting with a piece of one's self. It is the vanity of this
|
||
world that what is most pleasant to us we are most liable to be
|
||
distressed in. The more we love the more we grieve.</p>
|
||
<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p17">(3.) He was deeply concerned for the honour
|
||
of God; for this is what he has an eye to when he fears lest <i>the
|
||
daughters of the uncircumcised,</i> that are out of covenant with
|
||
God, should triumph over Israel, and the God of Israel, <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p17.1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.20" parsed="|2Sam|1|20|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:20"><i>v.</i> 20</scripRef>. Good men are touched in
|
||
a very sensible part by the reproaches of those that reproach
|
||
God.</p>
|
||
<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p18">(4.) He was deeply concerned for the public
|
||
welfare. It was the beauty of Israel that was slain (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p18.1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.19" parsed="|2Sam|1|19|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:19"><i>v.</i> 19</scripRef>) and the honour of the
|
||
public that was disgraced: The <i>mighty have fallen</i> (this is
|
||
three times lamented, (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p18.2" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.19 Bible:2Sam.1.25 Bible:2Sam.1.27" parsed="|2Sam|1|19|0|0;|2Sam|1|25|0|0;|2Sam|1|27|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:19,25,27"><i>v.</i>
|
||
19, 25, 27</scripRef>), and so the strength of the people is
|
||
weakened. Public losses are most laid to heart by men of public
|
||
spirit. David hoped God would make him instrumental to repair those
|
||
losses and yet laments them.</p>
|
||
<p class="indent" id="iiSam.ii-p19">2. A man of a fine imagination, as well as
|
||
a wise and holy man. The expressions are all excellent, and
|
||
calculated to work upon the passions. (1.) The embargo he would
|
||
fain lay upon Fame is elegant (<scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p19.1" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.20" parsed="|2Sam|1|20|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:20"><i>v.</i> 20</scripRef>): <i>Tell it not in Gath.</i> It
|
||
grieved him to the heart to think that it would be proclaimed in
|
||
the cities of the Philistines, and that they would insult over
|
||
Israel upon it, and the more in remembrance of the triumphs of
|
||
Israel over them formerly, when they sang, <i>Saul has slain his
|
||
thousands;</i> for this would now be retorted. (2.) The curse he
|
||
entails on the mountains of Gilboa, the theatre on which this
|
||
tragedy was acted: <i>Let there be no dew upon you, nor fields of
|
||
offerings,</i> <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p19.2" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.1.21" parsed="|2Sam|1|21|0|0" passage="2Sa 1:21"><i>v.</i>
|
||
21</scripRef>. This is a poetical strain, like that of Job, <i>Let
|
||
the day perish wherein I was born.</i> Not as if David wished that
|
||
any part of the land of Israel might be barren, but, to express his
|
||
sorrow for the thing, he speaks with a seeming indignation at the
|
||
place. Observe, [1.] How the fruitfulness of the earth depends upon
|
||
heaven. The worst thing he could wish to the mountains of Gilboa
|
||
was barrenness and unprofitableness to man: those are miserable
|
||
that are useless. It was the curse Christ pronounced on the
|
||
fig-tree, <i>Never fruit grow on thee more,</i> and that took
|
||
effect—the fig-tree withered away: this, on the mountains of
|
||
Gilboa, did not. But, when he wished them barren, he wished there
|
||
might be no rain upon them; and, if the heavens be brass, the earth
|
||
will soon be iron. [2.] How the fruitfulness of the earth must
|
||
therefore be devoted to heaven, which is intimated in his calling
|
||
the fruitful fields <i>fields of offerings.</i> Those fruits of
|
||
their land that were offered to God were the crown and glory of it:
|
||
and therefore the failure of the offerings is the saddest
|
||
consequent of the failure of the corn. See <scripRef id="iiSam.ii-p19.3" osisRef="Bible:Joel.1.9" parsed="|Joel|1|9|0|0" passage="Joe 1:9">Joel i. 9</scripRef>. To want that wherewith we should
|
||
honour God is worse than to want that wherewith we should sustain
|
||
ourselves. This is the reproach David fastens upon the mountains of
|
||
Gilboa, which, having been stained with royal blood, thereby
|
||
forfeited celestial dews. In this elegy Saul had a more honourable
|
||
interment than that which the men of Jabesh-Gilead gave him.</p>
|
||
</div></div2> |