_THE ARMY OF THE PHILISTINES APPROACHING, THE ISRAELITES HIDE THEMSELVES IN CAVES: SAUL, ABOUT TO ENGAGE, OFFERS SACRIFICES, NOT WAITING FOR SAMUEL: SAMUEL DECLARES TO HIM THAT THE KINGDOM SHALL NOT BE PERPETUAL. ISRAEL, UNDER THE OPPRESSION OF THE PHILISTINES, HAVE NEITHER SWORD NOR SPEAR._ _Befo... [ Continue Reading ]
SAUL REIGNED ONE YEAR, &C.— The Hebrew here literally is, _Saul was the son of a year, and he reigned two years._ A passage which almost all the versions render differently, and upon which the comm entators are greatly divided. Dr. Waterland renders it, _Saul had reigned one year, and was reigning o... [ Continue Reading ]
THIRTY THOUSAND CHARIOTS.— {_Three thousand chariots._ Syr. Arab.} {_A thousand princes in chariots._ Bucher. Praef.} Houbigant also reads _three thousand;_ a reading, says he, which Bochart has shewn to be just, for very good reasons; for it appears that the number of _thirty thousand chariots_ wa... [ Continue Reading ]
SAMUEL SAID TO SAUL, THOU HAST DONE FOOLISHLY— Samuel had ordered him to _stay seven days; even until I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do;_ which Josephus explains as a promise _that he would come after seven days; i.e_. after the seventh was begun; _that they might sacrifice on the sev... [ Continue Reading ]
A MAN AFTER HIS OWN HEART— A variety of able writers amongst us have lately fully explained and vindicated this expression from the insults of free-thinkers. We will refer at the end of the note to some of them, while we produce Bishop Warburton's Exposition, which appears to us extremely just. "Dav... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THE ISRAELITES WENT DOWN TO THE PHILISTINES— That is, all the men of Israel went to such garrisons of the Philistines as were placed in their land; for we are not to suppose, that the Israelites went, for this purpose, into the country of the Philistines. This particular appears to have been men... [ Continue Reading ]