1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 22:1 ADULLAM is halfway between Gath and Bethlehem, and the cave is probably nearby. David’s family is in danger from Saul, so they join him. But because life in the wilderness would be too difficult for David’s aged parents, he takes them to MOAB, where David’s great-grand... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 22:2 EVERYONE WHO WAS IN DISTRESS. David was gathering the outcasts of Israel, but under his leadership they became an effective fighting force (see 1 Samuel 23:5; 1 Samuel 27:8), for “the LORD was with him” (1 Samuel 18:12). ⇐ ⇔... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 22:5 The STRONGHOLD was probably not in Judah, since Gad told David to GO INTO THE LAND OF JUDAH. It may have been Masada, the mesa on the western shore of the Dead Sea which would be the last holdout of the Jews in A.D. 73. The location of HERETH is unknown. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var ima... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 22:6 SAUL WAS SITTING AT GIBEAH UNDER THE TAMARISK TREE. Court was often held under a tree (Judges 4:5). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 22:8 ALL OF YOU HAVE CONSPIRED AGAINST ME. Saul does not trust in the Lord, and now he trusts no one else either, even his own servants. Doeg is called THE EDOMITE three times in this episode (vv. 1 Samuel 22:9, 1 Samuel 22:18, 1 Samuel 22:22; also 1 Samuel 21:7), probably... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 22:19 Saul treats NOB like some enemy city that has been “devoted to destruction” (see note on 15:3), though previously he had failed to destroy the Amalekites (ch. 1 Samuel 15:1). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, im... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 22:20 Through ABIATHAR, the benefit of true priestly counsel moves from Saul to David. Abiathar will remain with David as his priest until David’s death (2 Samuel 20:25). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]