XXI. (1) THEN THERE WAS. — Read, _and there was,_ there being no indication of time in the original. It is plain from 2 Samuel 21:7 that the events here narrated occurred after David had come to know Mephibosheth; and if in 2 Samuel 16:7 there is (as many suppose) an allusion to the execution of Sa... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HIS BLOODY HOUSE. — Better, _for the blood-guilty house._ Saul’s family and descendants are regarded, according to the universal ideas of the times, as sharers in his guilt. The story of the Gibeonites and of Joshua’s league with them is told in Joshua 9, but Saul’s attempt to destroy them is me... [ Continue Reading ]
MAKE THE ATONEMENT. — This is the same technical word as is used throughout the Law in connection with the propitiatory sacrifices. It means literally, _to cover up,_ and is here used in that literal sense. David asks what he can do to so _cover up_ the sin of Saul as to remove it from the sight of... [ Continue Reading ]
NO SILVER NOR GOLD. — Money compensations for sins of blood were extremely common among all ancient nations, but were expressly forbidden in the Law of Moses (Numbers 35:31), and in this respect the Gibeonites appear to have accepted the teaching of the law of Israel. KILL ANY MAN IN ISRAEL. — Notw... [ Continue Reading ]
LET SEVEN MEN OF HIS SONS. — The head of the house and his household were closely identified in all the ideas of antiquity. Saul being dead, his male descendants were considered as standing in his place, representing him, and responsible for his acts, just as is largely the case in legal affairs and... [ Continue Reading ]
TOOK THE TWO SONS OF RIZPAH. — The suggestion that David took advantage of this opportunity to strengthen himself further against the house of Saul is utterly set aside by two considerations: (1) David could not lawfully refuse the demand of the Gibeonites, since the Law absolutely required that blo... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BEGINNING OF BARLEY HARVEST. — This was immediately after the Passover (Leviticus 23:10), and therefore about the middle of April. The rains of autumn began in October, so that Rizpah’s watch must have been about six months. She _spread_ the _sackcloth_ as a tent to form a rough shelter during t... [ Continue Reading ]
TOOK THE BONES OF SAUL. — Moved by the story of Rizpah’s tender care, and wishing to show that he cherished no enmity against the house of Saul, David buried honourably the remains of Saul and of his descendants. In 1 Samuel 31:10 it is said that the Philistines fastened the body of Saul “to the wal... [ Continue Reading ]
IN ZELAH. — According to Joshua 18:28 a town of Benjamin. It has not been identified, but was probably near Gibeah.... [ Continue Reading ]
HAD YET WAR AGAIN. — This, like the preceding narrative, bears no note of time except that it occurred after some other wars with the Philistines; but this is only to say that it was after David ascended the throne. From the latter part of 2 Samuel 21:17 it is plain that it must have been after Davi... [ Continue Reading ]
ISHBI-BENOB. — The name is a strange one, and it is generally thought that some error has crept into the text, but none of the suggested emendations are free from difficulty. Perhaps the most probable is that in the _Speaker’s Commentary,_ by which for _Ishbi_ (the Hebrew margin) _they halted_ is re... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SMOTE. — The original leaves it doubtful whether Abishai is the nominative to the verb, or whether it should be simply _he,_ referring to David. 2 Samuel 21:22 seems to imply that one at least of the sons of the giant fell by David’s own hand. SWARE UNTO HIM. — This was a solemn transaction, by... [ Continue Reading ]
AT GOB. — Comp. 2 Samuel 21:19. The place is otherwise unknown. 1 Chronicles 20:4 reads “Gezer,” and the LXX. substitutes “Gath.” (Comp. 2 Samuel 21:20.) It is not at all remarkable that the names of many small places should be lost after the lapse of three thousand years, nor that the locality of t... [ Continue Reading ]
JAARE-OREGIM. — The parallel place, 1 Chronicles 20:5). After hesitating whether to accompany Nebuzaradan to Babylon or not, the prophet finally decided upon repairing to Gedaliah at Mizpah (Jeremiah 40:1). Gedaliah’s magnanimous behaviour in regard to Ishmael (Jeremiah 40:16 _seq._) shows that he w... [ Continue Reading ]