XXX. (1 Samuel 30:1) Ziklag, David’s City, is Sacked by the Amelekites — David, after Consulting the Urim, Pursues them — The Captives are Recovered — The Friendly Cities are Rewarded. EXCURSUS M: ON THE URIM AND THUMMIM (1 Samuel 30). We read in the description of the high priest’s official vestm... [ Continue Reading ]
ON THE THIRD DAY — That is, on the third day after King Achish, in consequence of the remonstrances of the Philistine chieftains, had dismissed David and his contingent from the ranks of the Philistine army. This dismissal could hardly have taken place at Shunem, in the Esdraelon (Jezreel) Vale, for... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SLEW NOT ANY. — There was no one in the hapless city to resist the attack of the fierce sons of the desert. David — never dreaming of the sudden invasion — had marched with Achish, accompanied by his whole force. The Amalekites slew none of their captives; they were, we read, women and children... [ Continue Reading ]
AND BEHOLD, IT WAS BURNED WITH FIRE. — A terrible reception for David and his free lances, on their return from their ill-omened expedition with the great Philistine army, to find only the charred and smoking ruins of their homes; not one of all their dear ones, whom they had left behind — as they t... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN DAVID AND THE PEOPLE. — 1 Samuel 30:1 form one period, which is expanded by the introduction of several circumstantial clauses. The apodosis to “it came to pass when,” &c., 1 Samuel 30:1, does not follow till 1 Samuel 30:4, “Then David and the people,” &c.; but this is formally attached to 1 Sa... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE PEOPLE SPAKE OF STONING HIM. — Probably the discontent and anger of the people had been previously aroused by David’s close connection with Achish, which had entailed upon these valiant Israelites the bitter degradation of having had to march against their own countrymen under the banner _of... [ Continue Reading ]
ABIATHAR. — Abiathar had doubtless been with David, and he had joined him at Keilah. Through all his wanderings we hear, however, nothing of prayer and of consultation of the Urim. As regards the unfortunate Philistine sojourn, David seems to have determined upon that step entirely of himself; distr... [ Continue Reading ]
SO DAVID WENT. — Immediately on receiving the answer of the Urim, David started in rapid pursuit. The “six hundred” by no means represented his present force; but these were probably the old band of veteran soldiers, whose speed and endurance he could depend upon — men tried, no doubt, by many a wea... [ Continue Reading ]
AN EGYPTIAN. — The Amalekites, as above stated, were a nomad race; their wanderings would have taken them to the frontiers of Egypt, hence the probability of their having Egyptian slaves in their tribe. The savage nature of these untamed sons of the desert has been already commented upon when the wa... [ Continue Reading ]
THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS. — This was a note of time as to the amount of start the Amalekite leader with the plunder had. It may well be conceived there was no time to lose. The cruelty of the Amalekites to their slaves was the cause of their ultimate discomfiture, for with the very considerable s... [ Continue Reading ]
WE MADE AN INVASION.... — The Egyptian, who apparently was a man of education, accurately describes to David the nature and scope of the Amalekite raid, which had closed with so signal a disaster to the inhabitants of his city of Ziklag. Taking advantage of the war between Israel and Philistia, and... [ Continue Reading ]
BY GOD. — The oath was to be by “Elohim,” not by Jehovah, of whom the Egyptian knew nothing. AND I WILL BRING THEE DOWN. — His accurate knowledge of the route taken by the Amalekites, and his clear account of the late raid, show that he was a person of no ordinary ability; he was probably an Egypti... [ Continue Reading ]
SPREAD ABROAD UPON ALL THE EARTH, EATING AND DRINKING AND DANCING. — We have here a vivid picture of the wild license which these barbarians allowed themselves, now that they were secure, as they thought, from all pursuit. When the picked warriors of David’s troops looked on the scene of revelry and... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM TWILIGHT EVEN UNTO THE EVENING OF THE NEXT DAY. — Keil thinks the fighting went on from the evening twilight till the evening of the next day. Bishop Hervey, in the _Speaker’s Commentary,_ with greater probability, supposes that “the twilight is the morning twilight, as the contrast between twi... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FLOCKS AND THE HERDS, WHICH THEY DRAVE. — In the English translation the word “which,” inserted in italics, obscures the sense; the literal reading is, “And David took all the flocks and the herds; they drove them before their cattle, and said, this is David’s spoil.” David took, no doubt, by po... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN ANSWERED ALL THE WICKED MEN AND MEN OF BELIAL. — The scene here related chronicles an act of greed and of heartless covetousness — an act that has been many times repeated in the world’s history. The wise compiler of the book chose it as part of the memoirs of David, which were to be preserved... [ Continue Reading ]
YE SHALL NOT DO SO MY BRETHREN. — Translate “Do not so my brethren with that which the Lord hath given us,” that is, “in respect to that which the Lord,” &c. Ewald prefers to render the phrase as an ejaculatory oath, “By that which the Lord,” &c. Some commentators here quote a passage from Polybius,... [ Continue Reading ]
A STATUTE AND AN ORDINANCE FOR ISRAEL. — The decree that they, who for good reasons tarry with the stuff, shall share alike with those who go down to the battle, which became a received ordinance in Israel, is not without its meaning. In the _Heavenly Church of God_ “ His state Is kingly; thousand... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SENT OF THE SPOIL. — To have made it worth while to have sent presents to all the places enumerated below, the spoil of the Amalekites captured on this occasion must have been enormous. One special circumstance connected with the history besides leads us to this conclusion. Although these desert... [ Continue Reading ]
BETHEL... SOUTH RAMOTH... YATTIR. — Here follows an enumeration of the cities of Judah to whom David sent, most of which have been identified. Bethel — evidently not the well known place of that name, but Bethuel or Bethul in the tribe of Simeon. The LXX. read here Baithsour. South Ramoth, _i.e.,_ R... [ Continue Reading ]
AROER... SIPHMOTH AND... ESHTEMOA. — _Aroer,_ a city, with colossal ruins of foundation walls, south of Hebron. Of Siphmoth nothing is known. Zabdi, the Shiphmite (1 Chronicles 27:27), who was over King David’s cellars, clearly comes from Siphmoth. Bishop Hervey well calls attention to a remarkable... [ Continue Reading ]
RACHAL. — The name Rachal never occurs again, and is quite unknown. Here the LXX., instead of Rachal, have five different names — _Ged, Kimath, Saphek, Themath, Karmel._ No satisfactory explanation has been suggested for this strange addition; three of them are unknown, and the other two — Gad (Gath... [ Continue Reading ]
HORMAH... CHOR-ASHAN... ATHACH. — Hormah, called by the Canaanites Zephath, still exists in the modern village of Zep-ata. Chor-ashan is probably the same as Ashan (Joshua 15:30): it has not been discovered in modern times. Athach is quite unknown.... [ Continue Reading ]
HEBRON. — Hebron is one of the most ancient known cities in the world. It is now called El-Khalil (“friend of God”), owing to Abraham’s residence there. During the early years of David’s rule, which followed the death of Saul, Hebron was the residence and royal city of David. Beneath the building of... [ Continue Reading ]